Six Degrees of Separation

by John Guare

May 2008
Playhouse on the Green, Bridgeport, CT

Producer/Director: Matt Schicker
Set Design: Carl Tallent
Lighting Design: Michael P. Jones
Costume Design: Meredith Neal
Original Music: Todd Hendricks
Sound Design and additional original music: Jim De Vivo
Technical Director: Donald Rowe
Head Carpenter: Tom Swetts
Kandinsky Reproductions: Suzanne Kachmar
Stage Manager: Bob Lengyel
Assistant Stage Manager: Natalie Inzero

Cast: Janet Dunson, Daryl Guberman, T. William O’Leary, Mark Lambeck, Elizabeth May, John McCroan, Khalil Muhammad, John Pyron, Dan Radzikowski, Kitty Robertson, Joshua Ruas, Russell Ruas, Jack Rushen, and Alisson Wood.

Khalil Muhammad as Paul in Six Degrees of Separation. Photo by Mark Graham.

Janet Dunson as Ouisa in Six Degrees of Separation. Photo by Meredith Neal.

Reviews and Quotes:
“There’s a new wind stirring things up in Bridgeport’s theater scene. It’s call Matt Schicker, and he has breezed in as the new artistic director fo the 54-year-old not-for-profit theater that has weathered storm after storm. If ever a new artistic director made the right choice in selecting an inaugural production, it’s Matt Schicker, artistic director of Playhouse on the Green in Bridgeport. By selecting John Guare’s Six Degrees of Separation he has managed to connect the audience to the play, the theater and the city….Schicker has managed to pull together actors of various performance skills and rendered a unified, polished production….On a symbolic level, Schicker’s inaugural production connects audiences to the city and to this beautiful little playhouse and in turn connects them all to the art of theater. Featuring an impressive cast, Schicker has managed to pull together actors of various performance skills and rendered a unified, polished production. Janet Dunson’s performance is as natural as it gets. She owns the role of Ouisa. Whether she is being repulsed by the sexual encounter she observes with her house guest or trying to help a man who wants to buy into the upper class, she is always convincing….Carl Tallent’s set design is simple, sleek, functional and effective. Costume design by Meredith Neal is right on….Todd Hendricks’ original music, along with Jim DeVivo’s sound design and additional original music, add polish to this production. It is seamlessly directed by Matt Schicker. This is a first rate non-Equity production.”
- Joanne Greco Rochman, Bridgeport News and Stratford Star

Kitty Robertson as Kitty and Mark Lambeck as Larkin in Six Degrees of Separation. Photo by Mark Graham.

The cast of Six Degrees of Separation. Photo by Meredith Neal.

“Under the new direction of Producing Artistic Director Matt Schicker, the future [of Playhouse on the Green] looks promising….John Guare’s Six Degrees of Separation is on the boards, and Schicker exactly captures Guare’s style of whimsy and mystery, comedy and drama. He has put together a charming production which gives new hope to the Playhouse….Janet Dunson, who plays Ouisa, is the very heart of the play, holding it all together….As Paul, the young con artist, Khalil Muhammad is most appealing….John Pyron as Geoffrey, the South African entrepreneur, delivers a suave, convincing portrayal, and Elizabeth May, as Ouisa’s daughter, adds fire to the show….All told, Playhouse on the Green, under its new director, is off to a hopeful start. “
- Irene Backalenick, Connecticut Post

Khalil Muhammad as Paul and Janet Dunson as Ouisa in Six Degrees of Separation. Photo by Meredith Neal.

The cast of Six Degrees of Separation. Photo by Meredith Neal.

John Pyron as Geoffrey in Six Degrees of Separation. Photo by Mark Graham.

Alisson Wood as Elizabeth in Six Degrees of Separation. Photo by Mark Graham.

Khalil Muhammad as Paul, John McCroan as Rick, and Alisson Wood as Elizabeth in Six Degrees of Separation. Photo by Matt Schicker.

“Matt Schicker, the Playhouse’s new producing artistic director, has set a sharp pace for the action. Suzanne Kachmar’s Kandinsky reproductions are a striking scenic accent.”
- Middletown Press

(l to r) Khalil Muhammad as Paul and Dan Radzikowski as Trent. Photo by Meredith Neal.

Janet Dunson as Ouisa and Khalil Muhammad as Paul in the final scene from Six Degrees of Separation. Photo by Meredith Neal.

Khalil Muhammad as Paul in a rehearsal for Six Degrees of Separation. Photo courtesy of The Connecticut Post.

Janet Dunson as Ouisa in a rehearsal for Six Degrees of Separation. Photo courtesy of The Connecticut Post.

Khalil Muhammad as Paul and Janet Dunson as Ouisa in a rehearsal for Six Degrees of Separation. Photo courtesy of The Connecticut Post.

Suzanne Kachmar’s beautiful 8 foot X 6 foot reproduction of a painting by Wassily Kandinsky. Photo by Mark Graham.

Rehearsal for Six Degrees of Separation. Photo by Mark Graham.