
SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS
BY BESS WOHL
NOVEMBER 14*-16 & 21*-23, 2024 at 7:30PM
NOVEMBER 17 & 24, 2024 at 2:00 PM
$15-$25
*Nov. 14 and 21 are Arts for All performances. Admission is free but reservations are required.
Recommended for ages 17+
Can Silence Bring Inner Peace?
“As funny as it is…quietly moving”
– THE NEW YORK TIMES
This ingenious physical comedy invites you to immerse yourself in a silent retreat with six troubled souls. As these strangers confront internal demons both profound and absurd, their vows of silence collide with the achingly human need to connect. Filled with awkward and insightful humor, Small Mouth Sounds is a unique and compassionate play that asks how we address life’s biggest questions when words fail us.

Stay for a talk back following select performances! Meet with the cast and crew and ask questions, hear some insight and connect more with Grey Area Productions.
Talk Backs will follow these performances:
– Thursday, November 14 | Friday, November 15 | Thursday, November 21 | Saturday, November 23
CAST

ALICIA
Susannah Roed

JAN
Joe Anderson

JOAN
Tracie Banning

JUDY
Mary Leonard

NED
Daniel Pivovar

RODNEY
Phillip Shinn

TEACHER
Colin Thelen
PRODUCTION TEAM
DIRECTOR
Adam Petchel
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Brandon Harris
PRODUCER & SOUND DESIGNER
Luke Erickson
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Katie Bakalars
STAGE MANAGER
Katya Carter
SET & LIGHT DESIGNER
Colin Thelen
SET & COSTUME DESIGNER
Joe Anderson
PROPS MASTER
Taylor Goodine
INTIMACY COORDINATOR
Alex Attardo
CHOREOGRAPHER
Nikki Balsamo
DRAMATURG
Anne Drecktrah
Unspoken bonds – UWL alumni and former professors reunite in local theatre production, “Small Mouth Sounds”
Read the Article
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
Bess Wohl’s plays have been produced or developed at theaters around the country, including the Williamstown Theatre Festival, People’s Light and Theatre Company, Center Theatre Group, the Contemporary American Theater Festival, the Pioneer Theatre, the Pittsburgh Public Theater, the Northlight Theater, TheaterWorks New Works Festival, the Geffen Playhouse, the Vineyard Arts Project, Ojai Playwright’s Conference, the Cape Cod Theatre Project and the New York International Fringe Festival. Her play AMERICAN HERO had its world premiere at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, directed by Leigh Silverman. She also worked on PRETTY FILTHY, an original musical about the adult entertainment industry, in collaboration with the composer/lyricist Michael Friedman and the Civilians. Her other plays include CATS TALK BACK, IN, BARCELONA, and TOUCHED. Her work has been supported by the MacDowell Fellowship, PlayPenn, and the Sewanee Writer’s Conference. She is a member of the Ars Nova Play Group, and has been the recipient of new play commissions from Manhattan Theatre Club and Center Theatre Group. She also writes for film and television. She completed an adaptation of the bestselling novel “The Luxe” for Paramount Pictures and has developed original television pilots for Fox, HBO, and USA. Bess is a graduate of Harvard, magna cum laude, where she studied with Seamus Heaney and Jamaica Kincaid, and was awarded the Rona Jaffe Writing Prize and the Tennessee Williams Scholarship. She earned her MFA from the Yale School of Drama, where she was a recipient of the Rebecca West Scholarship. She is originally from Brooklyn, New York, and divides her time between New York and Los Angeles.

ABOUT GREY AREA PRODUCTIONS
Grey Area Productions’ mission is to bring our audiences stories that ignite emotion, challenge conception, and inspire growth. We know you value enriching artistic experiences. To that end, we are committed to not only entertain, but to engage you with compelling stories and complex characters.
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SPECIAL THANKS
This production is made possible in part by funds received from the City of La Crosse Arts Board through the Creative Development Grant.
The Arts Board is dedicated to empowering and supporting individual artists and non-profit groups whose projects directly impact the vibrant visual and performing arts scene within the City of La Crosse. They are committed to fostering inclusivity and diversity by ensuring equitable geographic distribution of public art throughout the city and providing a platform for a wide range of artists and art forms.
