SOLD OUT RUN OF MOURNING BECOMES ELECTRA

SEPTEMBER 14 - 29, 2024

Tao House National Historic Site and the Eugene O’Neill Festival bring you the 2024 Season of Sweeping Passions, led by the Main Stage Production of Mourning Becomes Electra

Adrian Deane (Lavinia Mannon) and Cynthia Lagodzinski (Christine Mannon), 2023’s production of Mourning Becomes Electra at Tao House

Pleasanton Weekly, the Biggest Eugene O’Neill Festival Yet: https://www.pleasantonweekly.com/ae/2024/08/13/biggest-eugene-oneill-fest-yet/

East Bay Times, Sweeping Passions:

https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2024/07/29/curtain-calls-sweeping-passions-ignite-2024-eugene-oneill-festival-in-danville/

ADRIAN DEANE IS 'ANNA CHRISTIE' A CENTURY LATER

“…all part of [Deane’s] remarkable performance of the inner turmoil with which Anna struggles”

September 9-24, 2023 | Eugene O’Neill Foundation National Historic Site

at the Eugene O’Neill Foundation’s 2023 Season at Tao House

“Anna Christie” leads the season’s Having Her Say theme

and Adrian Deane responds to Pauline Lord, the originating Broadway actor of the title character

A story of a Protagonist ‘searching for perhaps the greatest thing someone can search for … herself’

https://www.danvillesanramon.com/ae/2023/09/01/eugene-oneill-festival-to-culminate-with-anna-christie/

Charles Woodson Parker (Chris Christopherson), Adrian Deane (Anna Christie), and Kyle Goldman (Mat Burke) in the Eugene O’Neill Festival production of “Anna Christie.” Photo by Eric Fraisher Hayes. (2023)

The following images are courtesy of the Eugene O’Neill Foundation, photographed by Eric Frayser Hayes.

Quotes are performance reviews by J. Chris Westgate of the Danville production before remounting in New Ross, Ireland for the International Eugene O’Neill Festival:

https://scholarlypublishingcollective.org/psup/eugene-oneill/article/45/2/231/390521/Anna-Christie

“Adrian Deane’s performance of Anna was integral to the production’s accomplishment."

Kyle Goldman, Charles Woodson Parker, and Adrian Deane, 2023

“Deane’s performance of an Anna torn between misandry and romance, self-loathing and believing in the possibility of change was compelling, nowhere better than in Anna’s “Nobody owns me” scene. When describing how Chris and Mat were treating her, Deane was angry and shouting; when remembering her cousin from Minnesota, she held her stomach and looked sickened; and when describing the brothel, she spoke in almost a whisper and appeared overwhelmed—all part of her remarkable performance of the inner turmoil with which Anna struggles.”

Adrian Deane and Charles Woodson Parker, 2023

While Greta Garbo’s entrance in the 1930 film adaptation of “Anna Christie” conveyed defiance mingled with weariness, Deane’s highlighted Anna’s apprehension and vulnerability.

Throughout the early scenes, Deane revealed the physical and psychological trauma that Anna endured before arriving in New York City, her need for solace, and her fear that she will not find it with the father who left her years earlier.

Adrian Deane and Kyle Goldman, 2023

As the play transitioned to Chris’s coal barge, Anna appeared on a raised platform on the northeast side of the Old Barn, staring into the distance and describing how the sea and fog made her feel clean—a key moment in O’Neill’s play often underplayed in productions. Not in Hayes’s “Anna Christie.” On the water, Deane’s Anna becomes more open, freer in her movements, and more hopeful while interacting with her father, including her enthusiasm for coiling the ropes or listening to her family’s history with the sea.

Adrian Deane, 2023

New Ross International O’Neill Festival Press:

https://www.independent.ie/regionals/wexford/new-ross-news/new-ross-theatre-festival-to-host-pulitzer-prize-winning-play/a270325636.html

ENGAGEMENT LETTER for the Danville Production:

https://eugeneoneill.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AC-Engagement-Guide-2023.pdf

ADRIAN DEANE is FESTE in TWELFTH NIGHT at MARIN SHAKES

The 2023 Summer Season at Marin Shakespeare Company closes with TWELFTH NIGHT

Adapted and Directed by Bridgette Loriaux

Adrian Deane as Feste transports us into an almost otherworldly setting with her wit, shimmering presence, and almost magical control of any situation.

-Jarion Monroe

Also outstanding is Deane’s Feste. Deane plays the fool with sensitivity and depth. Her remarkable talent for song and dance elevates an already excellent performance.

—Beulah F. Vega, PacificSun

Adrian Deane behind the scenes before opening an evening perforance of Marin Shakespear’es TWELFTH NIGHT.

Feste sings. Costumes by Bethany Deal. Photo by Jay Yamada

Adrian Deane is a sober Feste the jester, fretful and compassionate, here made Viola’s confidante in lieu of one of the several minor characters cut out of this adaptation. Deane’s Feste also sings some powerful renditions of the play’s songs, in keeping with the melancholy vibe of David Warner’s haunting music.

— Marin IJ, Sam Hurwitt

Marin Shakespeare’s 2023 TWELFTH NIGHT, Photo by Jon Tracy (Producing Directing)

And Adrian Deane’s gentle Feste is also delightful.

The amazing thing about Twelfth Night, I think, is the extraordinary growth arc experienced by each and every character, and, in this production, this is abundantly clear.

—Charles Kruger, Theatrestorm

SF Chronicle Review by Lily Janiack

Orsino (Johnny Moreno) and Cesario (Stevie DeMott). Photo by Jay Yamada

Another thrill of the show, which I saw Sunday, Aug. 13, at Forest Meadows Amphitheatre, is Bridgette Loriaux’s direction.

If eros is everywhere in Illyria, so is meanness. Director Loriaux is wise enough to let those two sit side by side without needing to resolve them. Some on the isle can walk off into the sunset hand in hand with their lovers; others can only look downward, legs dangling off the lip of the stage. But even for them, life isn’t over; there are many nights yet after the twelfth.

— Lily Janiack, SF Chronicle

O'Neill Staged Reading of "The First Man"

Little Known O’Neill Plays Continue to Receive Staged Attention at Danville’s Eugene O’Neill Foundation

Adrian Deane as Lily

The Eugene O’Neill Foundation, Tao House  presents a script-in-hand performance of O’Neill’s The First Man, directed by Eric Fraisher Hayes

Eugene O’Neill loved and hated many things in his life. New London, CT, the only “home” he knew growing up was no different. While the town provided him with a measure of security and sense of community, he clearly outgrew its puritan pretensions. In his play The First Man, he imagines himself an anthropologist who has traveled the world only to land back in the provincial town he grew up in. Scandals and intrigues lead to a showdown with his family and the community when an unexpected pregnancy unleashes a flurry of speculation and family members are forced to choose sides.

Don’t miss your chance to see this rarely-produced O’Neill play this January.

January 13 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm

January 14 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm | With Dramaturgical Presentation by Beth Wynstra

January 15 @ 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm Matinee

The Museum of the San Ramon Valley 205 Railroad Ave., Danville, CA 94526

Sat., Jan. 14,  4:00 pm — Dramaturg Beth Wynstra gives a free presentation: “Survival of the Fittest: Eugene O’Neill’s The First Man and the Forces of Environment and Expectations,” Enjoy a great dinner after in downtown Danville and then come back and see a show! In her talk, Beth will explore the cultural context of O’Neill’s The First Man. Specifically, she will detail the powerful sway that societal norms for etiquette, marital roles, and family life had in early 20th-century America and the America of today. Culture and Culinary come together this January 14. Join us!

Exodus to Eden with Oakland Theatre Project (Early 2023)

Co-Artistic Director Michael Moran brings Original Screenplay, Exodus to Eden, to life with Oakland Theater Project:

Adrian Deane as Elisa

FEB 3–26
THU / FRI / SAT / SUN
7:30 PM

Previews: Fri, Feb 3 & Sat Feb 4 at 7:30 p.m.
Opening Night: Sun, Feb 5 at 7:30 p.m

Cover Image for Exodus to Eden with Oakland Theater Project

This contemporary epic, created specifically for Oakland Theater Project Company Members and artists, follows the journey of an exiled people across America, through environmental devastation and into their dreams. From a dispossessed family searching for a lost future, to The Man, to Angels, to a girl named Edén, this production features an unforgettable cast of characters and an ensemble of 17.

Inspired by The Grapes of Wrath, the Book of Exodus, and the company members of OTP, Exodus to Eden is set in a time after history ends, and before history begins again.

Seeking hope in an era that feels often hopeless, the tale asks: What do we worship in America today? Can we change it? If so, what could we change it to that would renew our world?

Eugene O'Neill International Festival Oct. 13-16th, 2022

Adrian Deane with the cast of WELDED at the Eugene O’Neill International Festival at St. Michael’s Church in New Ross, Ireland.

High Praise for Deane from the New Ross Standard, and Project Muse, respectively:

Though it has rarely been performed, it was very well received. US actress Adrian Deane was outstanding in the lead female role of Eleanor Cape.

— New Ross Standard, David Loopy

And what a part it is, requiring Eleanor to spin through a kaleidoscope of emotions at a dizzying pace. In lesser hands the dialogue could certainly seem “overwrought.” Indeed, during rehearsals of the premiere, Doris Keane pleaded with director Stark Young to let her withdraw from the play, saying she could not act the role (see Gelbs, 234). Deane, however, was up to the task.

While hurdling through the scale of emotions at the breakneck pace the text requires, she struck each note resonantly and made the abrupt and extreme changes in pitch seem the inevitable results of her character and circumstance.

— Daniel McGovern, Project Muse | Penn State University Press | Volume 43, Number 2, 2022 | pp. 224-226

By invitation, to open for the Eugene O’Neill International Festival | October 13th - 16th, 2022

After a run with the Danville foundation, Eric F. Hayes takes WELDED to Sister-Theater St. Michaels in New Ross, Ireland.

NYC World Premier of 2 1/2 BREATHS

For the World Premier off-off-Broadway at The Chain Theater in Midtown Manhattan

Loriaux House of the Arts presents:

Adrian Deane and Ed Gonzalez Moreno in “2 1/2 BREATHS”

The Chain Theater, May 2022

Written and Directed by Bridgette Loriaux

This is the story of Aidan and Diana. A brief look into their mystical life, their devotion, and the quiet conversations we have with ourselves when no one is listening…or at least when we think no one is listening. What is our capacity to love? Do the relationships we build and the people we hold on ever so tightly to; transcend this material and sometimes brutal, unforgiving world? How do we grieve alone and how do we endure pain and loss physically, mentally, and emotionally when there are no more words? When there is nothing else to say? Come with us and take a choreographic expedition as we embrace, catch, and fall through worlds of time, space, and ecstasies to examine the resilience of our love and the human condition.

Bridgette Loriaux and Nick Beyeler

Bridgette Loriaux and Nick Beyeler

And then some Discoveries of O'Neill

After a lifetime (give or take) of ignorance, Deane has been gifted three back-to-back learning opportunities to discover America’s Pulitzer Prize Playwright, Eugene O’Neill.

It starts with Anna:

Anna Christie

‘Ghosts’ monologues were produced in Winter of 2021 and filmed for availability online

GHOSTS OF TAO HOUSE

monologues from O’Neill classics

By Eugene O’Neill

Directed by Eric F. Hayes

Eugene O’Neill Foundation, Danville, CA

Anna Christie by Adrian Deane

O’Neill’s ‘Ghosts’

Then Ruth Atkins was given her chance with the Summer production of:

Beyond the Horizon

‘Beyond the Horizon’ was produced in Summer of 2021 and filmed for availability online

Directed by Eric F. Hayes

Eugene O’Neill Foundation, Danville, CA

Live Performances Sept. 25th & 26th

To take place in and around Tao House Farm (1000 Kuss Rd.)

Recorded Performances for August, 2021

Made available for streaming: FEATURED EVENT: EUGENE O’NEILL’S BEYOND THE HORIZON ON FILM AND LIVE

And Finally, an attempt at one of O’Neill’s lesser-known plays:

Welded

‘Welded’ was produced in Winter of 2022 and will be filmed for availability online (to come)

Directed by Eric Fraisher Hayes

January 14th, 15th, 16th at 7:00pm

At the Museum of the San Ramon Valley, 205 Railroad Ave., Danville, CA 94526

Presented by the Eugene O’Neill Foundation

JOCKAMO - An Original Play with 'a whole lot of' Blues Music

JOCK-A-MO

By Wayne Harris & Maggie Wilson

Directed by David Ford

Presented by The Marsh Musical Festival

VIEW HERE FOR MORE

• June 1-6, 2021 In-person workshop week at The Marsh Berkeley.

• October, 2021 The Marsh’s Musical Festival

  Jock-a-mo is a two-person play (with music) featuring a young white female music producer, an older Black blues musician, and a three-person blues band that create an ongoing soundscape. Charlie and Tyrone “Shortleg” Johnson have been forced together by Charlie’s boss to finish a song that will appear in a Hurricane Katrina Benefit Album. Jock-a-mo centers around the complexities of music appropriation, the intersectionality of racial and sexual oppression, and the generational divide.

CASTING UPDATES through September 2020

BLACK COMEDY, CORDELIA, AND JIMMY DEAN’S LOST MOTHER:

Current Production and Future Casting Announcements!

ADRIAN DEANE is CLEA, the Mischievous Ex-Girlfriend, in Peter Shaffer’s BLACK COMEDY, at Douglas Morrisson Theatre in Hayward (Feb. 21st through Mar. 8th):

ADRIAN DEANE is CORDELIA, the Youngest Lear Sister in Matthew Well’s take on the moments immediately preceding the opening of Shakespeare’s KING LEAR, in QUEEN MAIR, at Central Works in Berkeley (May 9th through June 7th):

ADRIAN DEANE is MONA, in Ed Gaczyk’s COME BACK TO THE FIVE AND DIME, JIMMY DEAN, JIMMY DEAN, at Altarena Playhouse in Alameda (Aug 14th through Sep. 13th):

Costuming by Kathleen Qiu

Bay Area Favorite, Kathleen Qiu, Adds to Her Design, Technique, Construction Portfolio:

with Photography by Sean Hung

PHYSICS AND PIDOR -- Staged Readings of Two New Works

CUTTING BALL THEATER’S VARIETY PACK PRESENTS:

PIDOR AND THE WOLF

BY SAM MAX / DIRECTED BY SUSANNAH MARTIN / CUTTING BALL THEATER

Following her work in last year’s Variety Pack' SHORTCUTS (images below of Artaud’s SPURT OF BLOOD, directed by Artistic Director, Ariel Craft), Adrian Deane plays Peter’s Wife in the staged reading of Sam Max’s symphonic full-length PIDOR AND THE WOLF.

PIDOR and the Wolf is a full-length play with music. The piece uses Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf as a framework to tell a true story about the government-sanctioned atrocities being committed against queer Chechens. These violations of human rights are still actively occurring. "Pidor" is Russian slang for faggot.

LEIGH RONDON-DAVIS, JULIE DOUGLAS, and ADRIAN DEANE perform ARIEL CRAFT’s devised interpretation of in ARTAUD’S SPURT OF BLOOD

ADRIAN DEANE, JULIE DOUGLAS, AND LEIGH RONDON-DAVIS in ARTAUD’S SPURT OF BLOOD

FARM HOUSE

BY DAVID CASSIDY / DIRECTED BY BRUCE COUGHRAN / INDRA’S NET THEATER

ADRIAN DEANE will be playing the voices of VOICE [OF DOOM] and BBC ANNOUNCER

November 11, 2019, 8:00 PM PST,, at The Bridge Church (2414 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley, California 94704)

In the final months of World War II, as allied troops roll across Germany, an elite mission was sent in to find and capture all the leading German Atomic scientists. The captives were held in Belgium, and then taken to England. From the devastation of Germany, the group of scientists suddenly found themselves in a manor-house in the in the English countryside. As British Intelligence listened in, the scientists discussed their work, each other, their history, and listened in shock as the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan.

This play is based on the transcripts of these discussions, recorded on hidden microphones.

Brought together by historian David Cassidy, it is a fascinating look at the way politics and war can bend science, almost to the breaking point.

H.P. LOVECRAFT at THE EXIT THEATRE, SAN FRANCISCO

LOVECRAFT IS AT THE EXIT THIS AUTUMN

Inspired by the supernatural fiction of HP Lovecraft, an early 20th century writer known for creating his own mythos, Unholy Trinity is San Francisco writer/director Stuart Bousel’s adaptation and staging of “The Dunwich Horror,” “Nyarlathotep,” and “The Dreams in the Witch House.”

Celebrate the Halloween Season with these unholy works of classic horror: http://www.theexit.org/unholy-2/

Adapted from the writings of HP Lovecraft and Anne Helen Crofts by Stuart Eugene Bousel.

Adrian Deane is Dr. Frances Morgan, one of the three Miskatonic professors framing the triptych in UNHOLY TRINITY.

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Brown Jenkin in Threes

In three hours’ time Brown Jenkin will show

Though none have asked for him

He comes to those who claw at air

Who swim through walls

Who search for whim

Who do not know he’s of their dimming

Existential glow.

In three hours’ time Keziah will go

And he will creep about

Beyond the slanting doorways

Into doubts and

Droughts and fiery forays

All the hopes that human mourning

Ne’er could live without.

We will leave the witching house

And find our gods turned over

Come across a three-pronged path

Where Nyarlothotep hovers

We will find strange family

In libraries of guilt

We will kill one monster son

Where triplet blood is spilt

And in three hours, the triptych done,

Brown Jenkin will appare

And all the hearts with human blood

Will pump a tad more quare.

2ELFth Night 'Crowned" 2019 Edinburgh Festival Fringe's COMPANY TO WATCH

THE 730 REVIEW has Posted its BEST OF THE BEST, POST-FESTIVAL LIST, and 2ELFth NIGHT is Mentioned not Once but 2-WICE!

In a 2019 Fringe look-back, 2ELFth Night was listed among the Best of the Best at Edinburgh, and coming in at the top of the List’s COMPANY’S TO WATCH!

After a generous 5-STAR review to end KEANE & DOYLE’s first Edinburgh run, THE 730 REVIEW has continued its praise and included 2ELFth NIGHT in its post-festival EDINBURGH FRINGE AWARDS 2019.

Keane & Doyle are chuffed to have been named the COMPANY TO WATCH this year, as well as a nice runner-up BEST OF THE BEST.

Needless to say the duo are encouraged to continue their adventures into festival lands near and far, bringing flailing, confusion, blasphemy, and possible joy to audiences across the universe.

Thank you to THE 730 REVIEW’s Ronan Hatfull and Emily Champion, as well as all this summer’s audiences, in Scotland and in California, who made 2ELFth Night into something real, actually funny, and reliably, fantastically weird!

2ELFth Night

Keane & Doyle Return from Their Edinburgh Festival Fringe Debut with Feelings, Friends, and Nothing but Four and Five Star Reviews!

Photography by Tristan Fennell
wee.lennef.com
@lennef

“2Elfth Night is a jaw-dropping display of vaudevillian Shakespeare, with female-male double-act Keane & Doyle sharing nearly every part […]”

— Ronan Harfull | The 730 Review

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Professional Reviews

Nothing but 4 and 5 out of 5 Stars!

Ronan Hatfull
The 730 Review — FIVE STARS:
“2Elfth Night is a jaw-dropping display of vaudevillian Shakespeare, with female-male double-act Keane & Doyle sharing nearly every part […]” — Ronan Hartfull, ‘The 730 Review’

“Doyle’s imperious Olivia”

The 730 Review

“The result is chaotic, intense, farcical and joyous. So perfectly do they inhabit and distinguish each specific character, that it is sometimes difficult to believe that there are only two actors onstage. Particular highlights include cross-gender cast examples such as Keane’s frat boy-aping Sebastian and Doyle’s imperious Olivia. I also commend Doyle’s British accents, which are some of the best I’ve ever heard from an American actor, to the extent that I was completely unsure of his native dialect until he thanked the audience at the end of the show.”

“Keane’s frat boy-aping Sebastian”

The 730 Review

“These interpolations and Shakespop mash-ups enhance the production’s irreverent tone and make it one of the most accessible Shakespeare productions at the Fringe.”

“It must also be said that the plot, despite being conveyed by just two actors, is incredibly clear and well conveyed to the audience. There are moments when the comedy is stripped away and Keane & Doyle demonstrate their dramatic chops. For instance, during Keane’s delivery of Viola’s speech in Act 2 Scene 3 which concludes with her reply to Duke Orsino that she is ‘all the daughters of [her] father’s house’, there was a palpable, awestruck silence in the theatre, as Keane delivered the lines with beautiful sincerity and a clear, naturalistic tone. The best productions of Shakespeare’s comedies are those which recognise the need to lean into those serious moments of shade amidst the raucous light and 2Elfth Night is a perfect example of this.”

“Sincerity and a clear, naturalistic tone”

The 730 Review

“I would compel you to catch them at your earliest convenience and look out for their brilliant work. This is a company operating in the true, vaudevillian spirit of Monty Python, the Reduced Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre of Brent and their work presents Shakespeare as the playwright himself would surely have intended: fast, direct, involving and moving.”


Christopher Gaunt
The Wee Review — FOUR STARS:
“They change characters seamlessly, using new voices, different mannerisms, and as-slick-as-possible costume changes. However, during all of this absurdity, they still keep to much of the same dialogue as the piece from which the story derives. Thus allowing for both Shakespeare novices, as well as frequent visitors’ of the Globe Theatre in London, to find joy in the production.”

“Joy and energy the pair bring”

The Wee Review

“The play finds a nice balance between interacting with the audience and showcasing the pair’s natural character acting and physical comedy. […] The joy and energy the pair bring to the performance provide the most delight for the audience. They seem to be having genuine fun telling this absurd rendition of a timeless story, whilst also giving it the grace it deserves, and ultimately providing laughter and smiles to everyone lucky enough to attend.”

“They SEEM to be having genuine fun”

The Wee Review (emphasis ours)

Elaine Chapman
Freelance Review — FOUR STARS

Natalie Holman
Three Weeks Edinburgh — FOUR STARS:
“Despite all the fun kerfuffle onstage, they do actually portray Shakespeare’s classic clearly and succinctly. ‘2Elfth Night’ is an enjoyable, comedic and engaging production suitable for all ages.”

“The interplay and chemistry…is tremendously fun”

Binge Fringe

Jasper Cresdee-Hyde
Binge Fringe — FOUR STARS:
“The interplay and chemistry between Keane and Doyle is tremendously fun; sure, they’re an established duo by this point, having been performing together since January 2017, but strong interactions aren’t necessarily a guarantee at the Fringe.”

“Indeed, each are accomplished actors in their own right, weaving between a wide variety of characters effortlessly while being funny in the process.”


Tweet-Sized Reviews — FOUR STARS:
“12th night by 2 people in an hour, feat. Audience participation, possibly recognisable tunes, several cups of water and of course, stripy yellow socks. Fast paced without losing the sweeter beats of the play, highly entertaining & worth a look!”

“Shakespop […] effortlessly […] entertaining”

The 730 Review […] Binge Fringe […] Tweet-Sized Review

Audience Reviews

Available Here: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/2elfth-night

Beth Hayward:
What’s the recipe for a tasty Twelfth Night?
Take a pair of clowns
Add various volunteer members of the audience.
Sprinkle with some silly props & costumes.
Let simmer for an hour
Then serve up the perfect Shakespeare comedy.
Gloriously inventive, gentle & funny. What a sweet treat to finish off my Edinburgh Fringe Fest FEAST!

Jo Walton:
This is just flat out hilarious. If you like Shakespeare's comedies at all, you should see this duo doing all the parts and still making everything work. A very judicious cut, some excellent acting and timing and audience participation.

Thomas N:
In a small room with barely 20 members of the audience, the acting duo flying through Twelfth Night at a breakneck pace populated it with a dozen characters, a whirlwind of flasks and wigs, and a charming stage manager. A hilarious show at a surprisingly low price

Ada Palmer:
Delightful edit of the classic play, hilarious throughout and touching at the moments the story should be touching. Both performers showed virtuosity bringing so many different characters to life, and the direct engagement with the audience was warm and brilliantly coordinated. It can be hard editing a long play down to a Fringe-length cut, but this abridgment was expertly and prudently done, keeping all the treasured moments and making the story easy to follow even if one didn't know the play, but richer if one did. Delightful for Shakespeare buffs and novices alike!

Jack Clifford:
This was a really fantastic and fun way to spend our evening, the 2 man cast carry off all the characters incredibly well. Very energetic, exuberant and hilarious. Would thoroughly recommend.

Katie Paterson:
The most fun I’ve ever had watching Twelfth Night. Expertly navigating the small space and the willing audience, Keane and Doyle rocket through characters, impressive verse speaking and hilarious characters, telling the story with wit and flair and a surprising amount of heart. Absolutely unmissable, and a treat for everyone whether they’ve seen the ‘unabridged’ version or not.

Debbie Cannon:
A simply wonderful, joyous hour. It takes real skill and talent (and energy) to make an hour of hilarious apparent chaos work, and these two performers have those in bucket-loads, holding everything lightly but tightly together. They take great care of their audience too, even while they’re carrying us along on their rollercoaster ride. I doff my pirate hat to them - they’re brilliant!
Everyone in the audience was beaming with delight within minutes of the show starting. This is perfect Fringe theatre - go see!

Joseph Ryan:
Nimble, adroit, heartening, and supremely inviting. The original play is well-rendered, whilst the performers' diligent pains to do so in no way dilute their own quirky verve. A simply lovely show.

Giles Clifford:
Fantastic show - performers who just know instinctively how to use those words to create true comedy without losing their beauty. Hectic and mad and a treat to see. Do go to see it.

Chelsey-leigh Sutton:
Brilliant. Witty. Smart and funny! I absolutely loved every minuet of this Shakespearean classic with a twist. Fantastic comedy duo!

Max Silver:
These two performers are top class entertainers and comedians! If you are reading this whatever you do watch this show, you will regret not seeing this hilarious and joyful multi-roling extravaganza! I was in stitches from start to end and that is a very rare thing! Best show of the fringe so far.

Holly Fairall:
Absolutely LOVED! Fantastic performers, best show I have seen at the Fringe this year!

Joshua Kelly:
Absolutely fantastic, I thought I was going to disrupt the show from laughing too hard!

Brightside Comedy:
These two are seriously hilarious, so much so that at one point our director was reduced to tears. One of the most enjoyable experiences we've had as a company this year at the fringe!

Helen:
Found this show by chance & was really impressed. The performers are really talented & funny. A quick reminder of the plot/characters in twelfth night would help appreciate the feat of 2 people playing all the major roles with the exception of the ones the audience help out with.
The snug is tiny & gets quite warm but we got fans as part of the participation. Great if you're got kids keen to participate. Amazing value at £5!

Emily Carding:
Such a delight! A joyful show performed by two talented players, a real gem of a performance ️

Finn Longman:
An impressive two-performer rendition of Twelfth Night with clever use of costumes and audience participation to fill in the gaps. Yeah, it's heavier on the 'comedy' side of things, but it was more Shakespearean than I expected -- a lot more of the original dialogue survived than you might think. I suspect if I didn't know Twelfth Night so well, I might have struggled a little more to follow it, but it was very entertaining nonetheless.

Debbie Bird:
An outstanding piece. Funny, participatory, heart warming and endearing. I laughed, I got involved, I wanted them to be able to play all the roles. And Jacob the tech stole the show!

Joe Janes:
Wow! High energy, inventive, fun, and very, very funny! Shakespeare shredded by a clown Cuisineart!

Keane & Doyle NEVER DIE.... are 2Elfth Night

Coming this August, 2019 in Edinburgh, Scotland! Follow the adventure and get more details on the linked page HERE.

Yup, They’re Back. KEANE & DOYLE Return!

Keane & Doyle have been spies, wizards, witches, and cosmological assassins. Next up, they will be Twelfth Night. Directed by Samantha Rasler. Assistant direction by Alejandro Emmanuel Torres.

This August, for 2 weeks, at THE EDINBURGH FRINGE FESTIVAL 2019! The duo will be performing with PARADISE GREEN at their newest venue, THE SNUG.

Keane & Doyle began when Alan & Deane met during a production of Scott Munson's CHARLEY'S AUNT '66 at the Douglas Morrisson Theater in Hayward, in Jan/Feb 2017.Since then, they have performed together in plays, staged readings, festivals, and other theatrical events.

They will be bringing KEANE AND DOYLE ARE 2ELFTH NIGHT to the Edinburgh Fringe this August.

Awards

Finalist, ShortLived VI @ PianoFight, Aug. 2017.
3rd prize, Stony Brook University Science Playwriting Competition, Feb. 2017.
Winner, Plethos Productions' New Years Eve Showdown, Jan. 2019.

FOR HONOR and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of 1943

Lee Sankowich’s long-time coming FOR HONOR is finally on its feet at the Carol Channing Theatre in San Francisco.

40 years after his initial introduction to this true story, three readings, and many drafts later, Sankowich’s FOR HONOR has gotten its first staged production. Please follow the story further as written up by Patricia Corrigan in J. Weekly.

Adrian Deane performed ‘Miriam’ alongside local favorite, Loui Parnell (as her father, Tata).

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Helen Opens to Reviews

HELEN Moves into Its Second Week!

And we have Reviews and Production Photos by Devlin Shand Photography!

Charles Lewis III of The Thinking Man’s Idiot writes, “[W]e follow Helen (played admirably by Adrian Deane, star of two of the best shows that I saw last year) through her routine of killing flies (a nod to Emily Dickinson?), changing her dress, and making herself up in the mirror […].” Dream Girl: ‘Helen’ at Theatre of Yugen

Christine Okon of Theater And Such writes, “As Helen, Adrian Deane navigates moments from selfish obliviousness to the shaky self-doubt that can lead to change.” What Would Helen Do

Rachel Norby of Theatrius writes, “Helen (talented Adrian Deane), the most beautiful woman in the world, has been living in a hotel room in Egypt for 17 years. Like Rapunzel in her tower, Helen is waiting for someone—her husband Menelaus (captivating Steven Flores)—to rescue her.” ‘Helen’ Delves into Illusions of Beauty & War, at Yugen, S.F.

George Powell of For All Events writes, “[…] she deals with her enduring fame, […] At the same time […] feels caught in an information vacuum, unsure the seemingly endless war is actually over and unable to find out any substantive news on TV. […] These emotions are skillfully and convincingly portrayed by Adrian Deane as Helen […].” Thought-Provoking ‘Helen’ Delights Audiences at Theatre of Yugen

Jean Schiffman of San Francisco Examiner writes, “Adrian Deane is a graceful Helen, easily negotiating the play’s comedy as well as its quieter, deeply felt moments.” Theatre of Yugen’s ‘Helen’ Offers Funny, Feminist Perspective

Lily Janiak’s blurb in The SF Chronicle: ‘Helen’

News Collection - January 2019!

Starting the New Year Strong

Two Readings, Photo Shoot Release, BATCC Nomination, and Helen Press Release'

Darabi Photographi published the latest portrait collaboration with Adrian Deane. See Marisa Darabi’s portfolio at https://darabiphotographi.wordpress.com/.

A nomination for The Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle award for Best Principal Actress in a Play.

For her work as Jane Wilde in Indra’s Net Theatre Company’s Winter production of A Time for Hawking.

Anna Ziegler’s Boy - Staged Reading by Town Hall Theater, Lafayette, CA.

February 4th, 2019. Adrian Deane as Jenny.

Wonderful crowd turnout and response left THT encouraged to continue production discussions, and to share the script with fellow local companies for readings and community conversations.

Bridgette Yvonne Loriaux Bauer and Theatre First present Ebb Tides: The Nausicaa Plays, Part 1, by Rob Dario.

Adrian Deane as Euryalea.

And finally, the announcement for the next project: Helen, by Ellen McLaughlin, produced by Theatre of Yugen in San Francisco, and directed by Shannon R. Davis.

Adrian Deane as Helen. Opening Night: March 29th, 2019.

Keane & Doyle are Spies & Win NYE Comedy!

Plethos Productions’ 2018 New Year’s Eve Event was a winner for Alan Coyne’s KEANE & DOYLE ARE SPIES.

Alan Coyne and Adrian Deane reprised their Doyle and Keane alter egos for the evening, and hopped away with the gold crown and prizes for the audience-chosen best comedy scene of the night.

Then they danced into the new year, deep in character….

All images courtesy of Cathy Breslow @breslowimaging.

Winners Pictured Below!