For Immediate Release

Contact: Theresa M. MacNaughton, tmacnaughton@hartfordstage.org, 860-520-7114

Cry It Out, Molly Smith Metzler’s ode to modern-day motherhood, brings the laughs to Hartford Stage in October   

HARTFORD, CT — September 17, 2019 — Cry It Out, Molly Smith Metzler’s ode to modern-day motherhood, brings the laughs while taking an honest look at the power of female friendship and the effect social class has on parenthood in America. Cry It Out runs Thursday, October 24, through Sunday, November 17. Hartford Stage Artistic Associate Rachel Alderman will direct.

“Molly Smith Metzler explores the chaos, loneliness and sporadic joys of the first three months of new parenthood with raw wit and humor,” Alderman said. “As the mother of two young boys, Cry It Out speaks directly to my sleep-deprived heart.”

Metzler based Cry It Out on her own experiences as a new mother. The play premiered in 2017 at the Humana Festival of New American Plays. Last year, Metzler received a Harold and Mimi Steinberg/American Theatre Critics Association New Play Citation.

Cry It Out has been a hit with audiences across the country. Boston’s Arts Fuse calls Cry It Out “a well-done dramedy that suggests we try harder to let life’s sweet moments linger.” The Los Angeles Times noted the play “offers in-depth insights and raises issues that ring true.”

Metzler’s work (Elemeno PeaThe May QueenCarve, Close Up Space and Training Wisteria) has been produced at Manhattan Theatre Club, The Kennedy Center, The O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, and the Geva Theatre Center, among others. She is the recipient of the Lecomte du Nouy Prize from Lincoln Center and the Mark Twain Prize for Comic Writing. Metzler has written episodes of Casual (Hulu), Orange Is the New Black (Netflix), Codes of Conduct (HBO) and Shameless (Showtime). She is currently writing the screenplay adaptation of Ali Benjamin’s award-winning young adult novel, The Thing about Jellyfish.

Alderman is Artistic Associate at Hartford Stage and directs the annual holiday favorite, A Christmas Carol–A Ghost Story of Christmas. She has also served as associate director to Darko Tresnjak on the world premiere of The Flamingo Kid at Hartford Stage and to Michael Wilson on productions at Hartford Stage, Huntington Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, The Alley Theatre and The Old Globe. A founding member of the award-winning A Broken Umbrella Theatre in New Haven, Alderman has produced, written, performed in and/or directed a dozen intergenerational new works with the ensemble for the past decade. Her other recent directorial credits include the new musical Gross Domestic Product by Julia Rosenblatt for Hartbeat Ensemble and Stories of a New America by Aaron Jafferis for Collective Consciousness Theatre in collaboration with Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (IRIS).  

The cast of Cry It Out includes Erin Gann, Caroline Kinsolving, Evelyn Spahr and Rachel Spencer-Hewitt.

Erin Gann’s (Mitchell) appeared in the critically-acclaimed film The Hurt Locker. His Off-Broadway credits include I’m Not the Stranger You Think I Am and Ping Pong. He has appeared regionally in Translations (Studio Theatre) and Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare Theatre Company). Gann has also guest-starred on Blue Bloods and Law & Order. 

Caroline Kinsolving (Adrienne) has appeared in Off-Broadway productions of Word Play and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Her regional credits include Venus in Fur (San Diego Repertory Theatre) and Twelfth Night (The Old Globe). Kinsolving has guest-starred on Medium, Criminal Minds, and Cold Case. She is the founder of Theatre for Good, a nonprofit which benefits local causes.

Evelyn Spahr (Lina) portrayed Katherine and the Boy in Henry V at Hartford Stage last season. She appeared in the Off-Broadway production of Light Shining in Buckinghamshire and regionally in Richard III at the Shakespeare Theatre Company. She has also performed in the national tour for the documentary play, Remarkably Normal. 

Rachel Spencer-Hewitt (Jessie) appeared on Broadway in King Charles III and Off-Broadway in Peter and the Starcatcher. Her regional credits include All's Well That Ends Well (Sacramento Theatre Company) and the musical Fly by Night (TheatreWorks/Palo Alto). Spencer-Hewitt is the founder of the Parent Artist Advocacy League (PAAL) for the Performing Arts, a national network and resource hub designed to break down barriers and stigmas surrounding parenthood in the theatre arts.

Cry It Out’s creative team includes Scenic Designer Kristen Robinson (Nora, Westport Country Playhouse); Costume Designer Blair Gulledge (A Lesson from Aloes, Hartford Stage); Lighting Designer Matthew Richards (The Engagement Party, Hartford Stage); and Sound Designer Karin Graybash (Detroit ’67, Hartford Stage).

Kelly Hardy (Anastasia and A Christmas Carol, Hartford Stage) is the Stage Manager, assisted by Chandalae Nyswonger (Anastasia, Hartford Stage).

Cry it Out
Molly Smith Metzler

Molly Smith Metzler

Rachel Alderman

Rachel Alderman

Erin Gann

Erin Gann

Caroline Kinsolving

Caroline Kinsolving

Evelyn Spahr

Evelyn Spahr

Rachel Spencer-Hewitt

Rachel Spencer-Hewitt

Show Sponsors

Production Sponsor
Stanley Black & Decker

Corporate Partner
Federman, Lally & Remis

The 2019/2020 season is also sponsored by the Shubert FoundationBurry Fredrik FoundationGreater Hartford Arts Council, and the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development.

Important Dates

  • Previews begin at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, October 24
  • Opening Night: 8 p.m., Friday, November 1
  • Closes: 2 p.m., Sunday, November 17

Tickets & Performances

  • Tues., Wed., Thurs., Sun. at 7:30 p.m.—Fri., Sat. at 8 p.m.—Sat., Sun. at 2 p.m.
  • Wed. matinee at 2 p.m. on November 6.
  • Tickets for all shows start at $25. Student tickets: $20.
  • For group discounts, email groupsales@hartfordstage.org or call 860-520-7125.
  • Weekly schedules vary. Visit www.hartfordstage.org or call the Hartford Stage box office at 860-527-5151 for more information.

Special Events

  • HPL @ Hartford Stage–Hartford Public Library and Hartford Stage invite you to dig deeper into the world of the plays onstage. Use your Connecticut town library card to check out a book from the HPL @ Hartford Stage library kiosk located in the lower lobby of the theatre near Guest Services.
  • Sunday Afternoon Discussion–November 3. Enjoy a discussion with artists and scholars connected with the production immediately following the 2 p.m. matinee. Free.
  • AfterWords Discussion—Tuesday, November 5 and 12; Wednesday, November 6. Join members of the cast and our Artistic staff for a free discussion, immediately following select 7:30 p.m. performances on Tuesday or the 2 p.m. Wednesday matinee.
  • Open Captioned Performances—Sunday, November 10, 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. For patrons who are deaf or have hearing loss — free service with admission.
  • Audio Described Performance—Saturday, November 16, 2 p.m. For patrons who are blind or have low vision — free service with admission.  

HARTFORD STAGE

Hartford Stage enters its 56th season beginning an exciting new chapter. Newly-appointed Artistic Director Melia Bensussen and Managing Director Cynthia Rider will continue the theatre’s legacy of artistic excellence by creating theatrical works that enlighten, entertain, and educate.

Renowned for producing innovative revivals of classics, as well as provocative new plays and musicals,  Hartford Stage has earned many of the nation’s most prestigious awards, including the 1989 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre. Additional national recognition includes honors from the Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk, American Theatre Wing (OBIE), and the New York Critics Circle.

Hartford Stage has produced over 80 world and North American premieres, including the new musical Anastasia, which enjoyed a two-year run on Broadway; A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, winner of four 2014 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Direction of a Musical; and Quiara Alegría Hudes’ Water by the Spoonful, winner of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Other notable premieres include The Engagement Party by Samuel Baum; Make Believe by Bess Wohl; The Age of Innocence by Douglas McGrath; Seder by Sarah Gancher; Rear Window, adapted by Keith Reddin, and starring Kevin Bacon; An Opening in Time by Christopher Shinn; Reverberation by Matthew Lopez; Big Dance Theatre’s Man in a Case with Mikhail Baryshnikov; and Breath & Imagination by Daniel Beaty. Nationally-renowned titles include the New York transfers of Enchanted April; The Orphans’ Home Cycle; Resurrection (later retitled Through the Night); The Carpetbagger’s Children; and Tea at Five.The leading provider of theatre education programs in Connecticut, Hartford Stage’s offerings include student matinees, in-school theatre residencies, teen performance opportunities, theatre classes for students (ages 3-18) and adults, afterschool programs and professional development courses.

The leading provider of theatre education programs in Connecticut, Education @ Hartford Stage offers student matinees, in-school theatre residencies, teen performance opportunities, theatre classes for students (ages 3-18) and adults, afterschool programs and professional development courses. Education @ Hartford Stage programming reaches approximately 21,000 Connecticut students annually.

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