Twilight Bowl

by Rebecca Gilman
dir. Jessica Fisch, asst. Eddie Wondra
prod. Jahana Azodi – UW-Madison University Theatre 2019
Part of The Big Ten Theatre Consortium New Play Initiative

Photography by Beau Meyer

Cousins Sam and Jaycee grew up together in a small Wisconsin town. Sam, who sharpened her bowling skills at the local alley, is now heading to college with a bowling scholarship. But Jaycee’s future isn’t looking so bright. As the young women and their friends face adulthood, the alley becomes a place to celebrate, mourn and forge new identities. But can their bonds survive even as their paths diverge? And is success always earned, or is it sometimes a matter of luck?

CAST

Jaycee – Erika K. Marks
Sam – Bri Hunter
Clarice – Shasparay Lighteard
Sharlene – Zhiyun Zhao
Brielle – Alexandria Chapes
Maddy – Erin Wathen

PRODUCTION TEAM

Stage Manager – Dylan Thoren
Assistant Stage Manager – Bryanna Plaisir
Scenic – Arianna White
Technical Director – Eann Potter
Costume and Makeup – Shannon Heibler
Props – Lydia Berggruen
Sound – Isabel Coff
Lighting – Alice Combs
Dramaturg – Elliott Puckette

Dramaturgy

Research website – shared with cast and production team

Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Awards

Irene Ryan Nominations

Alexandria Chapes (Brielle)
Zhiyun Zhao (Sharlene)

Certificates of Merit

Elliott Puckette – Dramaturg
Eann Potter – Technical Director
Shannon Heibler – Costume Designer

In the media

Isthmus Review: Hometown Wisconsin

“Around the bowling pin-shaped table, the 20-somethings drink beer and debate whether luck, hard work or ambition is the key to their future and wonder how much power any one of them really has to determine their fate. As audience members, we wonder, too.

Director Jessica Fisch keeps the storytelling balanced, creating a nice rhythm for the action so each scene feels like a regular day at the Twilight Bowl, even though each character has a moment of epiphany there.”

Badger Herald Review: Relatable themes of diverging paths, home come to play in ‘Twilight Bowl’

“The show felt true to the contrasting post-high school lives of people growing up in small Wisconsin towns, resonating with many students in the audience. 

The play is part of the Big Ten Theatre Consortium New Play Initiative, an effort to commission a series of plays by American female playwrights. … In addition to the female playwright and cast, almost the entire design team was female as well, from the sound, props, and lighting to the dramaturgy and costumes.”

Her Campus: Twilight Bowl: A New Play By Rebecca Gilman

“On Sunday March 10th the entire cast and design team had the incredible opportunity to meet and visit with playwright Rebecca Gilman in-person. They had the chance to ask her questions about her inspiration for the play, especially since she grew up in Alabama, a state nowhere near Wisconsin. Gilman talked about how the play came to life over time, and the many drafts she’d written of the script until it was just right.”

Wisconsin State Journal: Big conversations in a small town in ‘Twilight Bowl’

Promotional Video