Amy Warner as Winnie. Photo by Larry Lamb.
Diogenes Theatre Company proudly presents
HAPPY DAYS by Samuel Beckett
Directed by Michael Evan Haney
Performed by Amy Warner and Michael Sommers
May 12 – 22, 2016
(Cincinnati, OH) April 22, 2016 —A woman buried up to her waist. A man sleeping in a hole. A revolver. Another happy day! In Samuel Beckett’s comic allegory on the human condition — his most uplifting play — Winnie keeps her sanity and optimistic outlook on life while facing greater and greater adversity.
Diogenes Theatre Company will produce “Happy Days” in the Aronoff Center for the Arts Fifth Third Theatre from May 12-22. Diogenes is thrilled to produce this iconic play with internationally acclaimed director Michael Evan Haney. The show was produced earlier this year by Open Eye Figure Theatre and enjoyed a successful run in Minneapolis from March 4 to the 19th. Haney directed the production for Open Eye Figure Theatre and it starred Amy Warner, playing the lead role of Winnie, and Michael Sommers as her laconic husband Willie. Warner and Sommers will reprise their roles in Cincinnati. Haney and Warner, who are married, relocated to Minneapolis in 2014 from Cincinnati and are excited to return to Ohio and share this play.
Haney worked on seven plays with Alan Schneider, who directed the 1956 American premiere of Beckett’s Waiting for Godot. Haney was drawn to Happy Days because of its deep, complex commentary on the human condition and long-term relationships.
Michael Sommers created the dystopian landscape which also made the journey from Minneapolis to Cincinnati for the production.
Amy Warner moved back to her home town of Minneapolis in 2014. Currently, she can be seen playing Cate Blanchet’s mother-in-law in the film CAROL. While living in Cincinnati, she acted at the Playhouse, Ensemble Theater, Cincinnati Shakespeare, Know Theater and New Stage Collective in plays such as Whose Afraid Of Virginia Woolf, Hamlet, 33 Variations, Other Desert Cities, Angels in America, A Little Night Music, The Goat, Speaking In Tongues and A Christmas Carol. While living in Los Angeles, she appeared in a number of episodic TV shows, including THE PRACTICE, ALLY MCBEAL, and E.R. While living in New York, she was a member of the Off-Broadway repertory theater, Classic Stage Company. Her many roles with them include Helena in FAUST and Athena in THE ORESTIA.
Michael Evan Haney has been a fixture on the Cincinnati theatre scene for the past 15 years. His work in Cincinnati includes for the Playhouse: A CHRISTMAS CAROL, BLACKBIRD, CRIME & PUNISHMENT, THE CLEAN HOUSE and the world premiers of THE HISTORY OF INVULNERABILITY, A DELICATE SHIP by Anna Ziegler and HIDINGBEHIND COMETS. For Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati: AN ILIAD, TRIBES and GROUNDED. For Cincinnati Shakespeare Company: HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES and OLIVER TWIST. He has directed at many regional theatres including Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Actor’s Theatre of Louisville, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and KC Repertory Theatre.
As an actor he appeared on and off Broadway and as Cate Blanchett’s father-in-law in the film CAROL. His production of THE SYRINGA TREE played Vienna and Frankfurt and across the U.S. and Off-Broadway he directed AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS for the Irish Rep. He is married to his favorite actress, Amy Warner.
Michael Sommers has worked in professional theater for 30 years and is recognized as one of the country’s most versatile and ingenious theater artists. An Associate Professor in the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance at the University of Minnesota, Mr. Sommers is a two-time Bush Fellowship recipient and a 2004 McKnight Theatre Fellow. In 2008 he was awarded a Ford Fellowship and in 2009 he was recognized with the Bush Enduring Vision Award. His signature work is produced at Open Eye — including A Prelude to Faust, Elijah’s Wake, and The Holiday Pageant. He has traveled internationally, teaching and performing in China, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, the Czech Republic and Mexico.
About Diogenes Theatre Company
Diogenes Theatre Company is a small professional theatre performing the best of comedy and drama in intimate studio settings . For more information visit – www.diogenestheatrecompany.com/.
About Open Eye Figure Theatre (OEFT)
OEFT creates original figure theatre, animating the inanimate on an intimate scale; trains the next generation of figure theatre artists; and advances adventurous, artist-driven programming in the Open Eye theater space. For more information visit – www.openeyetheatre.org.
Performance Schedule: May 12 – 22
- Thursday, May 12, 7:30 pm
- Friday, May 13, 7:30 pm
- Saturday, May 14, 7:30 pm
- Sunday, May 15, 2:00 pm
- Wednesday, May 18, 7:30 pm
- Thursday, May 19, 7:30 pm
- Friday, May 20, 7:30 pm
- Saturday, May 21, 7:30 pm
- Sunday, May 22, 2:00 pm
Tickets $29 — General Admission $14 — Students Reservations or pre-purchase recommended. Available at cincinnatiarts.org
Location Aronoff Center for the Arts650 Walnut St, Cincinnati, OH 45202 513-721-3344
The entrance to the lobby of the Fifth Third Theater is located at the corner of 7th and Main Streets in downtown Cincinnati.
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