vastage.com - Virginia Stage Company, Hampton Roads' only professional, resident theater.

has dedicated 30 years to balancing the overlapping
missions of developing new plays, breathing fresh
air into dramatic classics, and engaging communities
in the power of live theater. Career highlights before
arriving in Virginia include serving as Resident Director
at the Juilliard School, working with the play development
staffs of London’s Royal Court Theater and the New York
Shakespeare Festival, and eight seasons as Artistic
Associate for the Chautauqua Theater Company in New York.
He holds an MFA from the University of California at San
Diego (UCSD). In addition to serving as Artistic Director of
Virginia Stage, Chris is an Associate Professor of Theatre Arts
at Old Dominion University. Between the two venues, he has
staged over thirty productions for Hampton Roads audiences
and looks forward to many more. 

He is happy to be back at VSC for his third season.
Prior to coming to Norfolk, his work includes The
Unauthorized Autobiography of Samantha Brown, 
a new work produced by Broadway Across America.
Prior to that, Matt worked as Artistic Director
for Cirque du Soleil’s production of Alegria in South
America.
His Production Stage Management credits include
Broadway andNational Tours for such shows as Blood
Brothers starring Petula Clark and DavidCassidy; 
South Pacific starring Robert Goulet; Jekyll & Hyde;
Smokey Joe’s Café; Camelot starring Robert Goulet;
A Few Good Men; Grease; Parade; The Wiz starring
Stephanie Mills and the World Premiere of Frank
Wildhorn’s Camille Claudel starring Linda Eder.
International tours include Porgy andBess, Carmen Jones,
tick, tick…BOOM! and Sophisticated Ladies. To date,
Matt’s work has taken him to 22 countries. Thanks and
love to JCM3.

Originally from the Boston area, Jay is very excited
to be here at Virginia Stage Company. A
proud member of Actors’ Equity Association.
National Tours: Jersey Boys, Ferdinand the Bull.
BFA Salem State College. Love and thanks to
Family and Chris.

Credits include the world premier
of Duncan Sheik’s Whisper House at The
Old Globe in San Diego. Recent credits
include ELLA a musical about jazz legend Ella
Fitzgerald which is appearing in cities all across
the country, critically acclaimed productions
of Showboat, Annie Get Your Gun, 1776, Big
River and Camelot for Goodspeed Musicals,
Bloodsong Of Love at Ars Nova, Barnum for
The Asolo Rep’s 50th anniversary season,
American premiers of Frank McGuinness’
Gates Of Gold and The Bird Sanctuary,
Oklahoma! starring Kelli O’Hara and Will
Chase celebrating The Oklahoma State
centennial, and National and International
Tours of James Taylor’s One Man Band. Online
portfolio: www.msportfolio.com

She is thrilled to be back at VSC after designing
costumes for last season's SCKBSTD.
Broadway: The 25th Annual Putnam County
Spelling Bee. Recent NY: In Transit (Primary
Stages), Fugitive Songs (Dreamlight), Modern
Living & Post Modern Living (LaMaMa), Two
Rooms (Lion), Masked (DR2), Striking 12 (Daryl
Roth) International: Queen Esther and the
Harlem Gospel Singers (Tour), The Collected
Works of Billy the Kid (Edinburgh Festival)
Regional: Motherhood the Musical (G Four
Productions), Florida Grand Opera, Minnesota
Opera, Opera Boston, La Jolla Playhouse Utah
Shakespearean Festival, Williamstown Theater
Festival, Westport Country Playhouse, Capital
Repertory Theatre, Geva, Cleveland Playhouse,
The Hangar Theatre, among others.

VSC credits include The Diary of
Anne Frank, A Raisin in the Sun, Billy Bishop
Goes To War, Alive And Well, Line in the
Sand, Centennial Casting, Hank Williams:
Lost Highway, The Poetry of Pizza, Doubt,
King Lear: The Storm at Home, To Kill a
Mockingbird, Indoor/Outdoor, A Christmas
Carol (’07, `08, `09), The Elephant Man,
Crowns, and Of Mice and Men as well as
productions at Hangar Theatre, Syracuse
Stage, Bristol Riverside Theatre, The
Redhouse, The Savoy Company, Muhlenberg
Theatre Association, Muhlenberg Summer
Music Theatre, Florida Rep, Old Dominion
University, Opera Delaware, Lincoln Square
Theatre, Kirkland fine Arts Center, Queens
Theatre in The Park, The New Victory Theatre
and Circa `21 Playhouse. Nelson taught as
Assistant Professor of Scenic and Lighting
Design at Millikin University, and was guest
faculty at Syracuse University. An alumnus
of Muhlenberg College, he holds an M.F.A
in Lighting and Scenic Design from Syracuse
University.

HARRIET BASS (Casting Director) 

She has been an independent New York casting
director since 1989, casting for theater, film
and television. Harriet has cast for ABC/TV,
Fox Television Studios, Joseph Papps’s Public
Theatre: NEW WORK NOW, The Minetta
Lane Theatre, The Women’s Project, La
Mamma E.T.C., New York Women in Film and
Television, and The Jewish Repertory Theatre.
She cast the last three of August Wilson’s
ten-part play series: the original and touring
productions of Radio Golf, the Broadway
production of Gem of the Ocean, and the
Off-Broadway production of Jitney. Regional
credits include: Mark Taper Forum, Hartford
Stage Co, Arena Stage, Trinity Repertory
Theatre, San Jose Repertory Theatre, GeVa,
Indiana Repertory Theatre, Pittsburgh Public,
Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Longwharf
Theatre, Alliance Theatre Company, The
Goodman Theatre, Kansas City Repertory
Theatre, Baltimore Center Stage, Huntington
Theatre Company, Dallas Theatre Company,
Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Portland Center
Stage, and Playmaker’s Repertory Theatre.
Film: Pushing Hands directed by Ang Lee,
Underheat starring Lee Grant, First We Take
Manhattan, and Graves End,20 directed by
Sal Stabile. Harriet has guest taught acting
and auditioning at conservatory and university
programs nationally.