A Kind of Weather
By Sylvan Oswald
Directed by Bea Basso
-
Production Sponsor: Joann Clark
Generously Supported by:
San Diego LGBT Pride
National Endowment for the Arts
About the Show
When Kid’s grieving father pops up at his Brooklyn doorstep and asks to move in, it kinda puts a cramp in his sex life. Not to mention the completion of his memoir about his gender transition. As he struggles to keep his professional and romantic deadlines, revelations about his family history begin to subvert his own narrative. A hilarious, time-jumping, tragi-comedy exploring gender identity and its effect on family, A Kind of Weather is about learning to be who you already are.
About the Writer
Sylvan Oswald (Playwright, He/Him/His) is an interdisciplinary artist who creates plays, texts, publications, and video. Trained as a playwright, he uses metatheatricality and formal irreverence to explore the ways we construct our identities. Sylvan’s plays include Trainers: A Theatrical Essay (GateTheatre, London, 2020), A Kind of Weather (Diversionary Theater, San Diego 2020), Sun Ra (Joe’s Pub), Profanity (Undermain Theater, Dallas), Nightlands (New Georges), Pony (About Face Theater, Chicago), and Vendetta Chrome (Clubbed Thumb). Other projects include Play A Journal of Plays (2003-2011); Outtakes, a web series; and High Winds, a live performance based on Sylvan’s artist’s book of the same name, a collaboration with designer Jessica Fleischmann (X Artists’ Books, 2017). Honors include a 2019 Guggenheim Fellowship, the Thom Thomas Award for Playwriting from the Dramatists’ Guild Fund, the Hellman Fellowship from UCLA, the Rosati Fellowship from the Rubinstein Library at Duke University, the Dorothy Strelsin Playwriting Fellowship from Soho Rep, a Jerome Fellowship from The Playwrights’ Center in Minneapolis, as well as residencies at Yaddo, The MacDowell Colony, and Sundance/Ucross. He is an assistant professor of playwriting at UCLA and an alumnus of New Dramatists. @sylvanoswald sylvanoswald.xyz Cast
Andréa Agosto, She/Her/Hers (Rose) is an award-winning filmmaker (Kansas City Film Fest) and actress (International Model & Talent Association). Ms. Agosto is thankful for each performance opportunity, and is super excited to be back at Diversionary! Her credits include: Dance Nation (Ashley), Bull in a China Shop (Pearl), The Magic in This Soul (Grant/John), Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley: From Slavery to Modiste (Elizabeth Keckley), Cardboard Piano (Adiel/Ruth), Homos, or Everyone in America (Laila), Avenue Q (Gary Coleman), The Best Goodbye (Sabina), Cell (Gwen), You Can’t Take it With You (Rheba), Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (Nina), Bare (Tanya), Flyin’ West (Minnie), Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters (Manyara), Working (Maggie Holmes), Big River (Alice), High School Musical (Taylor), and Grease (Rizzo). For more information, please visit: www.andreaagosto.com
August Forman,They/Them/Theirs (Kid) is an actor, playwright, educator, and trans advocate based in Chicago, IL. Favorite credits include: Tiny Beautiful Things (Victory Gardens Theater); Girl in the Red Corner (Broken Nose Theatre; Joseph Jefferson Award: Best Supporting Actor); Rutherford and Son (TimeLine Theatre), The Fair Maid of the West, Elizabeth Rex, To Kill a Mockingbird (Oak Park Festival Theatre); Twelfth Night (Midsommer Flight), The Lady Demands Satisfaction (Babes With Blades), Les Innocents ((re)discover theatre). They are also a Core Ensemble Member and Facilitator with Imagination Theater, a touring company addressing social issues with young people. August received their BFA in Acting from Minnesota State University of Mankato. Endless thanks to the entire Diversionary family for allowing me to come and play with you while simultaneously escaping the frigid Chicago winter. August is represented by Big Mouth Talent. Much love to Mom, Landree, and Layla McButters.
Salomón Maya, He/Him/His (Rick) is ecstatic to be making his Diversionary Theatre debut and thrilled to be part of this amazing world premiere. Salomón’s regional acting credits include: Bad Hombres/Good Wives, Beachtown, Manifest Destinitis (San Diego REP); El Henry (La Jolla Playhouse/San Diego REP); Church (InnerMission Productions); A Permanent Image (Point Loma Playhouse); A Bright New Boise, Coyote on a Fence (OnStage Playhouse). Salomón is also a local playwright and his regional playwrighting credits include: anomaly.exe (Scripps Ranch Theatre); Splitting Adam, Gridlock, The Mudanza (Teatro Punto y Coma). Salomón has also been a featured standup comic at various regional clubs including the world-famous Comedy Store on Sunset in Los Angeles. Salomón is an Emmy® winning writer/producer for a local television station and advertising agency, a monthly columnist for L’CHAIM San Diego Magazine, and a proud board member for the NTC Foundation at the ARTS DISTRICT in Liberty Station. A million thanks to friends and family for their unending support especially to Alanna and my ‘lil man Jacob. This is all for you bud, never forget, “Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is you’er than you.”
Andrew Oswald*, He/Him/His (Grey) This is Andrew’s sixth show with Diversionary having previously appeared in The Hour of Great Mercy (Ed), Regrets Only (Hank Hadley), Boys and Girls (Jason), The Further Adventures of Hedda Gabler (George Tessman), and working as the director on Baby with the Bathwater. Most recently he appeared as the Count Orsini Rosenberg in Amadeus at North Coast Repertory Theatre. Other San Diego credits include; Cygnet Theatre: The Whale (Charlie) and Company (Harry), Backyard Renaissance: Mr. and Mrs. Fitch (Mr. Fitch) and The Elephant Man (Carr Gomm). He has worked nationally with Orlando Shakespeare Festival, Wisconsin Shakespeare Festival, and New Hampshire Shakespeare Festival playing such roles as Malvolio, Bottom, Count Orsino, and The Captain Von Trapp. In New York City he worked at New York City Opera, Nada, Tribeca Theatre Lab, and he was the Co-Artistic Director of Bedtime Sketch Comedy.
Marci Anne Wuebben*, She/Her/Hers
(Janice) (Janice) was last seen on the Diversionary stage as Woman One in The Loneliest Girl in the World, Lucinda in The Mystery of Love and Sex and is thrilled to be back! She just completed the run of the original play Beachtown as Donna French at The San Diego Repertory Theatre. A veteran performer, favorite Regional Credits include: a five-year stint as an original cast member of the long-running 80’s hit, Mixtape (Lamb’s Players Theatre), Tessie Tura in Gypsy, Desiree Armfeldt in A Little Night Music (Cygnet Theatre); Pump Boys and Dinettes, Boomers (Lamb’s Players Theatre); The Full Monty (San Diego Musical Theatre); The Magic Fire (KPBS Award), I Do! I Do!, Radio Gals (Moonlight Stage Productions); She Loves Me (Laguna Playhouse); Anything Goes, FootLoose (Welk Resort Theatre); Company (Performance Riverside); I Hate Hamlet ( The Broadway Theatre). Marci has been a licensed Esthetician and Make Up Artist for over 20 years with her business The Beauty Spot. Visit www.marcisbeautyspot.com. Marci is an Associate Artist with Lambs Players Theatre and a proud member of Actor’s Equity Association.
*Denotes member of Actor’s Equity Association
Creative Team
Bea Basso (Director) (she/her/hers) is ensemble member with Affinity Project, whose pieces have been presented at CounterPulse, furyFactory, A.C.T.’s Costume Shop, and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in the Bay Area and one of them named one of “five wildest theatrical moments of 2015” (with Wooster Group and Rude Mechs) by KQED/Theater Junkie. Bea co-devises, performs and directs an in-process series with actress Valentina Emeri, developed at Z Space and produced at Diasporas Festival, Cutting Ball Theater, and Stage Werx. She has launched and dramaturged many new play processes with writers including Christina Anderson, Julia Cho, and Ursula Rani Sarma, and recently directed Marisela Treviño Orta’s A Play About Something at La Jolla Playhouse’s WOW Festival and Anna Moench’s Mothers at Wagner New Play Festival. As a producer, she has worked as Long Wharf Theatre’s resident dramaturg and A.C.T.’s director of new work and curates Práctica, an artist-driven platform across the Tijuana/San Diego border. Bea’s co-translations have been produced at Santa Cruz Shakespeare, A.C.T., and O.S.F. Her experience as a translator has been featured in “Tradurre,” “Theatre Topics,” and NPR’s “All Things Considered.” She lectured at Yale University School of Drama and A.C.T.’s MFA acting program and is an adjunct professor at UCSD. Bea is a graduate in theater and classics from the University of Padua, Italy, and is obtaining an MA from Wesleyan University’s Institute for Curatorial Practice in Performance. She is honored to be working with Sylvan.
MaeAnn Ross (Sound Designer) is a third-year UC San Diego MFA Sound Design candidate. She was born and raised in Texas and holds a BFA in Technical Production from Texas State University. Professional design credits: Lost in Yonkers, The 39 Steps, and Wait Until Dark (Wimberley Playhouse); She Loves Me (St. Edward’s University); And Then There Were None and All Shook UP (TEXArts); A Bright New Boise (OnStage Playhouse), The Virgin Trial (Cygnet Theatre), Intimate Apparel (New Village Arts) The Shakers of Mount Lebanon Will Hold A Peace Conference This Month (Point Loma Nazarene Univ.) UC San Diego design credits: Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again., 53% Of and S.E.R.E (WNPF 2018), A Beautiful Day in November on the Banks of the Greatest of the Great Lakes, Life is a Dream, An Iliad, Monster and Shame Spiral (WNPF 2019), Man in Love. TXST design credits: Fool For Love, Legally Blonde: The Musical, and 5 Women Wearing The Same Dress. https://maeannrossdesigns.myportfolio.com
Elisa Benzoni (Costume Designer) is thrilled to be working again with Diversionary Theatre where she has had the pleasure of designing shows such as Loneliest Girl and Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Elisa has also worked on over a hundred productions across Southern California with theaters such as The Old Globe, La Jolla Playhouse, Geffen Playhouse, South Coast Repertory Theatre, Laguna Playhouse, San Diego Repertory Theatre, North Coast Repertory Theatre and New Village Arts. Being Italian born, Elisa has also had the opportunity to work and perfect her craft in Europe. Elisa holds a costume design M.F.A. from UCSD where she currently is an adjunct professor. www.elisabenzoni.com
Joel Britt (Lighting Designer) is very happy to return to Diversionary to light this beautiful play. Selected Design work includes American Buffalo, Experiment With an Airpump and Mr. & Mrs. Fitch (Backyard Renaissance), Significant Other (Diversionary), A Raisin in the Sun, Taming of the Shrew(d), Strange Men, Vieux Carré, and Angels in America (UCSD), The Who’s Tommy Benifit Concert and South of the 8 (La Jolla Playhouse), Heaven on Earth (Sledgehammer_), Peter and the Starcatcher (The Barn Stage Company). Selected Assistant and Associate work includes Summer, The Donna Summer Musical (La Jolla, Broadway, National Tour), Hamilton (National Tour), Come From Away (National Tour), Freaky Friday, Squirrels (La Jolla Playhouse), The Lorax (The Old Globe), The Tales of Hoffman (LA Opera), Christmas Carol (Zachary Scott, Austin). Joel earned an MFA from UCSD and is a proud member of USA829.
Yi-Chien Lee (Scenic Designer), a San Diego based theatre designer, has been accumulating design credits in China, Taiwan and US since 2014. Selected design credits include Girlfriend (Diversionary), Globe for All-The Winter’s Tale (The Old Globe), Mission Incomplete (Young Stars, New Vision), Code: Cyrus (Divertimento. Media), Truth or Dare (MOD Short Film), A Cigarette/How to eat A cow/Morning Glory (Tainaner Ensemble),In Search of Beckett(Double Theatre), You tube (Dead-end Flower), Representation of the Cherry Orchard (Minister of Culture, Taiwan), Everybody Black (UCSD), How to Defend Yourself, and Mothers (New Play Festival). She received an MFA from UCSD and her work for Moon drunk has been selected for Emerging Artist/Imagination Exhibit in 2019 Prague Quadrennial.
Nicholas Lambros Smith (Stage Manager) (he/they pronouns) is proud to be working at Diversionary for the first time. In San Diego, Nico has worked on Put Your House in Order (La Jolla Playhouse), Tenderly: The Rosemary Clooney Musical (North Coast Repertory Theatre), Community Engagement projects with The Old Globe, and several shows at UC San Diego, including Mothers, Life is a Dream, and Man in Love. Nico has also worked on six Cirque du Soleil shows, on tour, and in Las Vegas.
Matt's Memo
After following and admiring Sylvan’s career for years, I’m ecstatic to welcome him to the family at Diversionary! The characters Sylvan creates are wholly unique and totally relatable. The way Sylvan weaves together his layered, complex story directly from their multiple points of view is a demonstration of a master writer working at the top of his game. The well-mined Father-Son trope resonates with a new clarity and emotional punch in this story of loss and new love found. Sylvan’s radically inventive and ambitious new play will keep you intellectually and emotionally engaged while tickling your funny bone.
Special Events
Performances run Thursdays at 7pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays at 2pm. More information can be obtained by calling our box office at 619-220-0097.
Designer Spotlight: February 20th, reception @ 6pm
Director Happy Hour: February 20th, reception @6pm
Next Act: March 5th, reception @ 6pm
Reviews
Exploring relationships onstage — whether between father and son, lovers or boss and employee — is a challenge to get right. Adding matters of gender to the equation raises the ante even higher. Sylvan Oswald’s “A Kind of Weather,” in its world premiere at Diversionary Theatre, meets these challenges by being honest, insightful and playful.” -San Diego Union Tribune
“The five actors in this smart, funny and moving production deftly handle different theatrical forms as well as a wide range of emotions.“-San Diego Union Tribune
“Throughout “Weather,” the actors talk to each other and directly to the audience, effectively inviting theatergoers in on the action. The dialog/monologue combination flows smoothly but also elicits laughter and surprise. This technique enlivens and quickens the play’s overall pace.”-San Diego Union Tribune
“Forman plays the quick-witted Kid with impeccable timing, buoyant enthusiasm and guarded pathos.”-San Diego Union Tribune
“Agosto brings humor and fortitude to Rose’s uncomfortable duality as editor and girlfriend. Salomón Maya and Marci Anne Wuebben capably round out the uniformly excellent cast.-San Diego Union Tribune
“A KIND OF WEATHER by playwright Sylvan Oswald is a comedic, tragic, introspective, and thought-provoking look at transition.” –Broadway World San Diego
“Forman is utterly captivating as Kid, with a charm and natural presence that feels very grounded and real. Agosto’s Rose is funny and feisty.”-Broadway World San Diego
“Oswald as Grey is believably emotionally befuddled and has a sweet rapport with Wubben’s Janice. Wubben is more than just a cookie-cutter mistress with warmth and expressive depth.”-Broadway World San Diego
“Direction by Bea Basso is empathetic and engaging, keeping the story unraveling as it moves through layers of time and space. Scenic design by Yi-Chen Lee and lighting by Joel Britt adds to the Zen and dreamy atmosphere.”-Broadway World San Diego
“As with the weather, there is electrical energy that can be felt in moments of transition, from calm to storm and back again.”-Broadway World San Diego
“A KIND OF WEATHER is a compassionate and emotional piece about life, love, and living in the moment that you’ve got. It’s nice to see narratives beyond a dramatic coming out story; sometimes it’s more a subtle pull as everything snaps into focus.”-Broadway World San Diego
“Writing an honest memoir is hard enough when you’re not dating your editor—let alone dealing with a heartbroken parent who needs a place to stay. That’s the comedy- and pathos-rich premise of this inventive world premiere directed by Bea Basso.” – San Diego Magazine
“Forman especially draws frequent laughs with their dry wit and expressive stage presence.”- San Diego Magazine
“The nonlinear timeline serves the play thematically, as well, complementing what Kid is trying to express about popular notions of queer identity. –San Diego Magazine
“Andrew Oswald gave one of the best performances of 2019 in Diversionary’s Hour of Great Mercy, and he’s in fine form again with another flawed, sympathetic lost soul searching for reconnection.”-San Diego Magazine
“Agosto makes her secondary character stand out.”-San Diego Magazine
“Wuebben radiates warmth and charm, especially when paired with Oswald.”-San Diego Magazine
“Compliments also to Elisa Benzoni’s cohesive autumn-palette costumes and Yi-Chien Lee’s set, which accordingly pairs semi-abstract wooden slats with some foliage behind a ghostly screen.”-San Diego Magazine
“There are layers, complexities and intricacies in the Sylvian Oswald’s intriguing “A Kind of Weather,” a world premiere at Diversionary Theatre.”– Times of San Diego
The director, Bea Basso, a young, smart, accomplished actor/director from Italy who currently teaches at UC San Diego, has devoted herself to learning all she can, from various sources, including the playwright and actor, about “the ever-shifting motion that is gender. The result is a wonderfully distinctive, unpredictable, irresistible production that catches you up and leaves you a little flustered, perhaps, but still thinking — just like the characters.”– Times of San Diego
“All the performances are strong.”– Times of San Diego
“Oswald (the actor) and Forman are terrific together, exploring their memories and fears, doubts and insecurities. “– Times of San Diego
“Forman is exceptional.”- Vanguard Culture
“Andréa Agosto takes no prisoners as Rose.”-Vanguard Culture
“It is the chemistry between August Forman and Andrew Oswald that truly carries the debut of Sylvan Oswald’s remarkable vision into fruition.”- Vanguard Culture
“Weather is a hysterical nonlinear narrative about learning to accept change as a constant part of existence.”-Vanguard Culture
“Under the prime direction of Bea Basso, Diversionary Theatre’s newest players showcase comedic chops and emotional chutzpah as they smoothly guide the audience.”- Vanguard Culture
“Director Bea Basso allows Oswald’s prose to shine onstage.”– Talkin’ Broadway
“Oswald and Forman portray men who are far from perfect, yet they infuse their roles with sensitivity and humanity. The chemistry they share together is humorous, moving, and eventually tear-inducing as the plot progresses.” – Talkin’ Broadway
“Diversionary’s latest world premiere continues the organization’s winning streak.” “-Talkin’ Broadway