The Waterbury Festival Playhouse -- Central Vermont's only Semi-Professional Theater



Year of the Duck

Written by Israel Horovitz
Shows (Evenings at 7:30pm):
Thu. 8/11 - Sat. 8/13, Wed. 8/17 - Sat. 8/20, Wed. 8/24 - Sat. 8/27

Please Note: This show is NOT recommended for young audiences due to language and mature content.

The members of a small-town community theater are assembling to begin rehearsals of Ibsen's "The Wild Duck." Harry Budd, a local photographer, is to play Hjalmar Ekdahl (also a photographer); Budd's real-life daughter, Sophie, plays daughter Hedvig; and Rosie Norris will portray his wife in the play. Maragret, his real wife, is sitting this one out and has strong suspicions about Harry's relationship with Rosie. The pompously manipulative director of the play, John Sharp, is interpreting "The Wild Duck" for his own less-than-ethical purposes. This show explores the purity of truth, and how society can often use it to its own benefit, as well as they way life can take paths that seem so simple and reasonable at the time, but lead to places we never could have imagined ourselves going.


The Cast
Sophie BuddDevin Kiernan
Harry BuddAdam Cunningham
Margaret BuddRaquel Aronhime
Nathan BuddMike Desanto
John SharpEthan Alsrhue
Rosie NorrisKathleen Loftus
The Crew
DirectorGeorge & Ginger Pierce
Asst. DirectorKatherine Bernhard
Set Construction & DesignRick Loya
Lighting/Sound OperatorTim Schein

Raquel Aronhime (2K) Raquel Aronhime
is pleased to be returning for her third show with the Waterbury Festival Playhouse, after being seen as a gullible actress wannabe in "Leading Ladies," and then a schizophrenic, stripping nymphomaniac in "Murder's Bad but Monday Can Kill You" last year. She has also performed with the Stowe Theatre Guild over the years. Raquel lives in Burlington with her husband, Scott, and their two children, Eva (8) and Sammy (5).
Ethan Alsrhue
begins his first outing at the Waterbury Festival Playhouse, but he's been drawn to the footlights all his life. His most recent performance was in Shaw's "Mrs. Warren's Profession" at Off Center, and less recently as Jamie in Quarrywork's "Long Day's Journey Into Night," and as Aaronow in Classic Theatre's "Glengarry Glen Ross". Ethan went to an all male private school in Baltimore and didn't seriously start dating till attending Connecticut College which might explain why he was cast as the relationship- challenged John. He enjoys Kubrick films, Bukowski's poetry and works at Hannafords.
Katherine Bernhard
is thrilled to be working at the Waterbury Festival Playhouse this summer. Kat studied theatre arts at Castleton State College, managing 10 main stage productions as well as being company stage manager for the Rutland Youth Theatre. After Castleton, she was a Stage Management Intern at The Juilliard School. Locally, Kat Co-Produced and Stage Managed Moon Over Buffalo with LCP. Kat would like to thank the Waterbury Festival Playhouse for this opportunity.
Adam Cunningham
is making his fourth appearance with the WFP. He was last seen in the Shelburne Players' spring production of Beyond Therapy. WFP appearances include Harry in last summer's Murder is Bad, But Monday Can Kill You, Lawrence Garfinkle in WFP's Other People's Money, and Mike Talman in Wait Until Dark. He also played Saul Kimmer in Vermont Stage's production of True West. He has also appeared in several local TV commercials. Favorite roles from his New York days include the title role in Richard III, Claudius in Hamlet, Tony Raft in Beautiful City, Bradley in Buried Child, Jake in A Lie of the Mind, King Henry VIII in A Man for All Seasons and Jack Worthing in The Importance of Being Earnest. Adam has a BFA in acting from the University of Illinois and an MFA in acting from Brandeis University.
Mike DeSanto
has performed in many plays, in both professional and community theater, as well as in film including in “Yuri Nosenko KGB” acting opposite Tommy Lee Jones for an entire 5 minute scene. Mike's day jobs include owning Phoenix Books&Cafe at the Essex Shoppes, and coaching runners as a certified ChiRunning Coach. He shares this life with a partner of many years, Renee Reiner, Roma and Beckett the dogs, and his two daughters.
Devin Kiernan
has loved the theater since her first role as Nancy in a 5th grade production of Oliver! She has studied at Stowe Dance Academy for 9 years and has had roles with the Valley Players, Lyric Theater, Flynn Arts Teen Theater camps and Show Choir, and Stowe Middle School. She recently performed with the Broadway National Tour of the Wizard of Oz in Burlington. Devin is thrilled to be playing the role of Sophie, her first dramatic role. She will be a freshman at Stowe High School this fall.
Kathleen Loftus
is enjoying her tenth summer in Morrisville, Vermont and is glad to be back at the Waterbury Festival Playhouse having last played a crazy doc in The Clean House. Kathleen performed in many theaters in the Boston area and currently teaches reading to dyslexic students at The Kildonan School during the academic year.
Rick Loya
had worked with George and Ginger on many productions in the past but, this is second session with the Waterbury Festival Playhouse.
Set Design and decoration has been passion of Rick’s for over 20 years now. Also enjoying the opportunity to take the audience to another time and place and regarding the set as another character in the performance.
His professional career has been in the custom sign business as a designer sculptor and pictorial artist . Currently he runs his own business offering a "broad brush" line of artistic services including fine art and graphic works to faux finishes.
George Pierce
continues to enjoy working with some of the most creative and talented artists in the area, not the least of which is his wife Ginger. He especially enjoys the regular patrons who have begun to make the Waterbury Festival Playhouse one of their regular theater destinations. You can find him most nights in the Lobby sharing stories of past show with the regulars, and meeting the new people who may join the regular ranks.