REVIEWS & AWARDS
ALL FOR THE UNION
an original play written by Meredith Bean McMath
an original play written by Meredith Bean McMath
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Once Upon A CHRISTMAS CAROL
DC METRO THEATRE ARTS "BEST OF 2012" for Once Upon A Christmas Carol:
Music by Diane El-Shafey, Accompaniment by Carma Jones
Stage Adaptation by Meredith Bean McMath from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol
Directed by Meredith Bean McMath
Stage Adaptation by Meredith Bean McMath from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol
Directed by Meredith Bean McMath
The Ghost of Christmas Present (Shawn Malone) surprises Scrooge (Phil Erickson) - Photo by Jim Poston
DC Metro Theatre Arts: "... McMath, who adapted the classic Dickens novel for the stage, and Diane El-Shafey, who wrote the production's original score, have surrounded Scrooge with all the teeming life that fills London... or any place with music - not just jingles that stick to the bottom of your shoe, but beautiful music that matters and makes sense."
— Mark Dewey Review of Once Upon A CHRISTMAS CAROL
— Mark Dewey Review of Once Upon A CHRISTMAS CAROL
(Above) Fred's Party, L to R: Annie Stokes, Andrew Hare, Lorenzo Bean IV as Topper, Maryann Hayden as Rose, Christopher Saunders as Fred, Alie Campbell as Fred's wife, Elizabeth, Pam Oliver, Tim Griffin, and Sue Derrow (Photo by Jim Poston)
(At left) The Cratchit Family, L to R: Blake O'Brien as Peter Cratchit, Tom Johnson as Mr. Cratchit, Archelle Skuce as Mrs. Cratchit, Eliza Stribling as Martha, Avery Knapp as Ellen, Zoe Skuce as Belinda, Josh Derrow as Joshua (Photo by Jim Poston)
"The play’s most poignant moment combines El-Shafey’s beautiful music with Annie Stokes’s beautiful voice and our own memories of the loves we’ve lost. In “Belle’s Song."
- Mark Dewey, DC METRO THEATRE ARTS
Annie Stokes singing "Belle's song" (Photo by Jim Poston)
A Musical LITTLE WOMEN
Original Music by Diane El-Shafey, Accompaniment by Carma Jones,
Book Adaptation by Meredith Bean McMath
Book Adaptation by Meredith Bean McMath
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Directed by Meredith McMath
"A Musical Little Women offers holiday charm... It brings people together around an inspiring communal endeavor that spreads good cheer all over town." - Mark Dewey, Shenandoah Press (At left) Jo provides an enthusiastic introduction at the ball - with Anamaria Kendrat as Josephine March (Photo by Jim Poston), and L to R, Pam Oliver, Phil Erickson and Seraphine Terryberry
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"In her adaptation, McMath captures the two most important dramatic elements in Alcott's tale of the struggling Civil War-era March family: the power of familial love and the dynamism of the March sisters' intelligence and humor.... McMath, an award-winning historian and prize-winning playwright, has garnered a reputation for producing high-quality theater in the area."
— Ann Keisman, Loudoun Times Mirror (At right) Amy March has a treasure - Amanda Barr as Amy (Photo by Jim Poston)
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Much Ado about Nothing, ca. 1945
Directed and produced by Meredith Bean McMath
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Jan Mercker of LOUDOUN NOW Aug. 8, 2018
"A noted historian and author, McMath launched Run Rabbit Run in 1999 and has collaborated with some of Loudoun’s best-known names in community theater. In recent years, the company put on a 2012 production of (Once Upon) A Christmas Carol and a musical version of Little Women. One of McMath’s proudest achievements is having written the libretto for Loudoun Lyric Opera’s original commissioned work Norton: A Civil War Opera, which premiered in 2014. "And both McMath and her cast think the intimate setting at western Loudoun’s Franklin Park Arts Center is ideal, offering the accessibility that Elizabethan theaters were built for and plenty of opportunities for audience interaction. “One of the most special things about [Franklin Park] is how close the audience is,” (Rachel) Louis said. 'One of the things Meredith has really encouraged is to play with the audience and make them another character in the show.' " |
ARMS & THE HIGHLANDER
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Adapted from the Mark Twain classic, Arms and the Man, by Meredith Bean McMath
Directed by Meredith Bean McMath "McMath’s adaptation of George Bernard Shaw’s play “Arms and the Man” is full of exchanges that make a guy nostalgic for a language alive with wit and humor, with deliberation and suggestion, a language rich enough to express the complicated truth about each of us and thereby make it possible for us to know ourselves.” - Mark Dewey, The Blue Ridge Leader |
With Brie Reed as Miss Littlebone and
Christopher Saunders as Captain Gabriel Hay |
The Importance of Being Earnest
Directed by Meredith Bean McMath
"Run Rabbit Run Theatre's Production of Oscar Wilde's period comedy... has achieved a level of excellent not often seen on the dinner theatre circuit...
"Run Rabbit Run Theatre's Production of Oscar Wilde's period comedy... has achieved a level of excellent not often seen on the dinner theatre circuit...
Suzy Alden as Cecily and Christopher Saunders as Algernon
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"From casting to staging to wardrobe, the show exudes meticulous attention to detail that results in an evening of marvelous entertainment."
- Beverly Ford for All Arts Review |
DIane El-Shafey as Lady Bracknell
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The 39 Steps Directed by Meredith Bean McMath
L to R: Kaitlyn de Litta as Flock of Sheep, Tom Johnson and Kevin Daly as spies, Penny Hauffe as Pamela and Phil Erickson as Richard Hannay (Photo by Jim Poston)
PYGMALION Directed by Meredith Bean McMath
L to R: Amy Blair as Clara Eynsford-Hill, Sue Derrow as Mrs. Eynsford-Hill, Penny Hauffe as Eliza Doolittle, GarretT Milich as Freddy Eynsford-Hill, Karlah louis as Mrs. Higgins, and Craig Synder as Colonel Pickering (Photo by Jim Poston).
A Patron Review
"PYGMALION was full 'of chocolates... and taxis, and gold, and diamonds!'
The cast presented a feast of Shavian wit and a social statement that is applicable nearly a century after its premier. Bloody good show, Run, Rabbit, Run!" — Patron Review by Matthew Gallelli
"PYGMALION was full 'of chocolates... and taxis, and gold, and diamonds!'
The cast presented a feast of Shavian wit and a social statement that is applicable nearly a century after its premier. Bloody good show, Run, Rabbit, Run!" — Patron Review by Matthew Gallelli
CASE 22 at the 2010 |
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Kevin Dally as Judge with Morgan El-Shafey as Girl
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DC Theatre Scene Review
"Are they performing, or is it the real thing? CASE 22 delights in the disarray of its dual plot lines, which serve to emphasize the concurrence of the actors' predicament with the travails of their script's protaganist... "In this context, CASE 22, which packs a wallop of an ending, adroitly portrays the grim theatricality of a government agency that, despite its grave responsibilities, persists in the apparent absence of a director." - Tzvi Kahn |
