Following an acclaimed presentation as a finalist for the Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition, The Reservoir will have its fully staged world premiere in a three-theater co-production. Josh’s life is a mess. He’s come home to Denver from NYU to get his life together but can’t manage to stay sober. Desperate for camaraderie, he decides to bring his four loveable grandparents on his road to recovery. He drags them to Jazzercise class at the JCC. He pressures them into playing memory games. He forces them to eat spinach by the handful. And eventually, when he can no longer help his grandparents, they begin to help him. Served up with outrageous humor and truth, The Reservoir reminds us that sometimes the path forward isn’t the one we expect.
Join us for a sign interpreted performance of The Reservoir.
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Performances of The Reservoir run on the Hertz Stage March 29 through May 4, 2025 – learn more.
The Alliance Theatre's Hertz Stage is a modern, 200-seat Black Box theatre. This versatile facility accommodates a number of distinct stage layouts.
Jake Brasch [he/they] is a writer + performer + composer + clown and a recent graduate of The Juilliard School. His play The Reservoir is in co-production between the Geffen Playhouse, Alliance Theatre, and Denver Center. Jake recently won both national awards named for Paula Vogel — from the Kennedy Center and The Vineyard Theatre. He is the inaugural Terrence McNally Recovery Commission recipient and was recently named a finalist for the Alliance/Kendeda Playwriting Competition. He’s a proud alum of the Page 73 Writers Group and Youngblood at The Ensemble Studio Theatre. Jake is currently developing work with the Manhattan Theatre Club, Alliance Theatre, Geffen Playhouse, Denver Center, South Coast Rep, The Acting Company, The Farm Theater, and the EST/Sloan Project. With playwright Nadja Leonhard-Hooper, Jake is a Co-Founder of American Sing-Song, a collective that writes and performs filthy hour-long comedic musicals. Jake has long worked as a birthday party clown in the Tri-State area and is developing a sitcom based on his exploits. He has three brothers, owns 18 pairs of glasses, and lives in Brooklyn with his brilliant husband, Tyler Brasch. BFA: NYU Tisch. jakebrasch.com
Jake Brasch [he/they] is a writer + performer + composer + clown and a recent graduate of The Juilliard School. His play The Reservoir is in co-production between the Geffen Playhouse, Alliance Theatre, and Denver Center. Jake recently won both national awards named for Paula Vogel — from the Kennedy Center and The Vineyard Theatre. He is the inaugural Terrence McNally Recovery Commission recipient and was recently named a finalist for the Alliance/Kendeda Playwriting Competition. He’s a proud alum of the Page 73 Writers Group and Youngblood at The Ensemble Studio Theatre. Jake is currently developing work with the Manhattan Theatre Club, Alliance Theatre, Geffen Playhouse, Denver Center, South Coast Rep, The Acting Company, The Farm Theater, and the EST/Sloan Project. With playwright Nadja Leonhard-Hooper, Jake is a Co-Founder of American Sing-Song, a collective that writes and performs filthy hour-long comedic musicals. Jake has long worked as a birthday party clown in the Tri-State area and is developing a sitcom based on his exploits. He has three brothers, owns 18 pairs of glasses, and lives in Brooklyn with his brilliant husband, Tyler Brasch. BFA: NYU Tisch. jakebrasch.com
Shelley Butler has worked extensively with writers on new plays and musicals at theaters across the country and has over 40 Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regional credits to date. Notable productions include: the world premiere of Lucas Hnath’s A Doll’s House Part 2 at South Coast Repertory, the world premiere of Kate Hamill’s The Scarlet Letter for Two River Theater, and The Constant Wife by William Somerset Maugham for the Denver Center Theatre Company. Shelley spent two seasons as artistic associate in charge of new play development for Hartford Stage, three seasons as artistic associate for Great Lakes Theater Festival and currently serves as Artistic Director for the newly created South Carolina New Play Festival. Learn more at shelleybutler.com
Shelley Butler has worked extensively with writers on new plays and musicals at theaters across the country and has over 40 Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regional credits to date. Notable productions include: the world premiere of Lucas Hnath’s A Doll’s House Part 2 at South Coast Repertory, the world premiere of Kate Hamill’s The Scarlet Letter for Two River Theater, and The Constant Wife by William Somerset Maugham for the Denver Center Theatre Company. Shelley spent two seasons as artistic associate in charge of new play development for Hartford Stage, three seasons as artistic associate for Great Lakes Theater Festival and currently serves as Artistic Director for the newly created South Carolina New Play Festival. Learn more at shelleybutler.com
Joyce Cohen // At the DCPA: Benediction (Henry Award nominee). Broadway: Once A Catholic. Off Broadway: Keen Theatre Company, Life Jacket, The HERE Theatre, The Mint Theater Company, Playwrights Horizons, The Westside Arts. Five decades of productions at regional theatres across the country. TV/Film: Independence Day, High School Musical, SLC Punk, Read It and Weep, A Picture Perfect Holiday, Christmas Under Wraps, Broadcasting Christmas, Unabomber: The True Story, The President’s Child, “Everwood,” “Touched by an Angel,” “Archie Bunker’s Place.” Sundance Institute Playwright’s and Film Labs. Festival of New Theatre (Geva Theatre Center), Colorado New Play Summit (DCPA), Cleveland Playhouse: New Ground Theatre Festival.
Joyce Cohen // At the DCPA: Benediction (Henry Award nominee). Broadway: Once A Catholic. Off Broadway: Keen Theatre Company, Life Jacket, The HERE Theatre, The Mint Theater Company, Playwrights Horizons, The Westside Arts. Five decades of productions at regional theatres across the country. TV/Film: Independence Day, High School Musical, SLC Punk, Read It and Weep, A Picture Perfect Holiday, Christmas Under Wraps, Broadcasting Christmas, Unabomber: The True Story, The President’s Child, “Everwood,” “Touched by an Angel,” “Archie Bunker’s Place.” Sundance Institute Playwright’s and Film Labs. Festival of New Theatre (Geva Theatre Center), Colorado New Play Summit (DCPA), Cleveland Playhouse: New Ground Theatre Festival.
Mark Kincaid has been a professional actor for over 40 years. For the last 28 years, he has made Atlanta home. There, his work has been seen on the stages of The Alliance Theatre, Georgia Shakespeare Festival, Theatrical Outfit, Actor’s Express, Theater Emory, Georgia Ensemble Theatre. Nationally, he has worked at The Old Globe Theatre, The McCarter Theatre, Merrimac Repertory Theatre, among others. For seven years he was a company member with The North Carolina Shakespeare Festival and twice toured the country with John Houseman’s The Acting Company. TV: “Your Worst Nightmare,” “Class of ‘09,” and “The Righteous Gemstones.”
Mark Kincaid has been a professional actor for over 40 years. For the last 28 years, he has made Atlanta home. There, his work has been seen on the stages of The Alliance Theatre, Georgia Shakespeare Festival, Theatrical Outfit, Actor’s Express, Theater Emory, Georgia Ensemble Theatre. Nationally, he has worked at The Old Globe Theatre, The McCarter Theatre, Merrimac Repertory Theatre, among others. For seven years he was a company member with The North Carolina Shakespeare Festival and twice toured the country with John Houseman’s The Acting Company. TV: “Your Worst Nightmare,” “Class of ‘09,” and “The Righteous Gemstones.”
Rodney Lizcano [he/they/el] At the DCPA: (22 seasons) The Book of Will (world premiere), American Mariachi (world premiere), Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing, The Constant Wife, Frankenstein, Hamlet, American Night, Merchant of Venice, Spinning Into Butter, Inna Beginning, The Tempest, Gross Indecency, The Rivals, The Winter’s Tale, and A Christmas Carol. Other theaters: Utah Shakespeare Festival, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Orlando Shakespeare Theater, The Old Globe, BETC, and Arvada Center. TV/Film: Silver City, directed by independent film maker John Sayles, and “Stage Struck” on Bravo. Training: Southern Methodist University (BFA), National Theatre Conservatory (MFA).
Rodney Lizcano [he/they/el] At the DCPA: (22 seasons) The Book of Will (world premiere), American Mariachi (world premiere), Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing, The Constant Wife, Frankenstein, Hamlet, American Night, Merchant of Venice, Spinning Into Butter, Inna Beginning, The Tempest, Gross Indecency, The Rivals, The Winter’s Tale, and A Christmas Carol. Other theaters: Utah Shakespeare Festival, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Orlando Shakespeare Theater, The Old Globe, BETC, and Arvada Center. TV/Film: Silver City, directed by independent film maker John Sayles, and “Stage Struck” on Bravo. Training: Southern Methodist University (BFA), National Theatre Conservatory (MFA).
Vanessa Lock [she/her] is a Washington DC-based actress and director and is thrilled to be making her debut at the Alliance. Regional: Heroes of the Fourth Turning (Cherry Arts, Inc), God of Carnage (The Cape Playhouse/Signature Theatre), The Wolves (NextStop Theatre). TV/Film: Lock In, A Haunting in Connecticut, “The Pretender,” “Two of a Kind,” “Caroline in the City,” “Mad About You.” Theatre Arts Director at Oakton High School in Virgina for 15 years, and the recipient of the 2023 Inspirational Teacher Award presented by the Broadway Jimmy Awards. Education: BFA Theatre, Ithaca College. SAG-AFTR
Vanessa Lock [she/her] is a Washington DC-based actress and director and is thrilled to be making her debut at the Alliance. Regional: Heroes of the Fourth Turning (Cherry Arts, Inc), God of Carnage (The Cape Playhouse/Signature Theatre), The Wolves (NextStop Theatre). TV/Film: Lock In, A Haunting in Connecticut, “The Pretender,” “Two of a Kind,” “Caroline in the City,” “Mad About You.” Theatre Arts Director at Oakton High School in Virgina for 15 years, and the recipient of the 2023 Inspirational Teacher Award presented by the Broadway Jimmy Awards. Education: BFA Theatre, Ithaca College. SAG-AFTR
Philip Schneider is grateful to be telling a Jewish story in his equity theatre debut. He plays Bobby Gilmore in the upcoming Happy Gilmore sequel. This performance is dedicated to Grandma Bunny, Grandpa Jack, Grandma Ducks, and Grandpa Phil. @philipfineschneider
Philip Schneider is grateful to be telling a Jewish story in his equity theatre debut. He plays Bobby Gilmore in the upcoming Happy Gilmore sequel. This performance is dedicated to Grandma Bunny, Grandpa Jack, Grandma Ducks, and Grandpa Phil. @philipfineschneider
Peter Van Wagner // At the DCPA: Choir Boy, Eliot Ness…in Cleveland. Broadway: Grand Horizons, A Thousand Clowns. Off-Broadway: This Beautiful Future (Cherry Lane); Othello (Delacorte); So Help Me God (Lucille Lortel); and Letters from Cuba (Signature). Regional: Prayer For the French Republic (Huntington); Grand Horizons (Asolo); Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Two River); The Cherry Orchard (Yale Rep); My Fair Lady, Mrs. Warren’s Profession (Alliance); Fiddler on the Roof (The Muny); On the Twentieth Century (Goodspeed). TV/Film: “Exhibiting Forgiveness,” “The Post,” “Tower Heist,” “Annie,” “Arthur,” “Law & Order,” “Boardwalk Empire,” “The Good Wife,” “Rescue Me.” SAG Award for “Boardwalk Empire.”
Peter Van Wagner // At the DCPA: Choir Boy, Eliot Ness…in Cleveland. Broadway: Grand Horizons, A Thousand Clowns. Off-Broadway: This Beautiful Future (Cherry Lane); Othello (Delacorte); So Help Me God (Lucille Lortel); and Letters from Cuba (Signature). Regional: Prayer For the French Republic (Huntington); Grand Horizons (Asolo); Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Two River); The Cherry Orchard (Yale Rep); My Fair Lady, Mrs. Warren’s Profession (Alliance); Fiddler on the Roof (The Muny); On the Twentieth Century (Goodspeed). TV/Film: “Exhibiting Forgiveness,” “The Post,” “Tower Heist,” “Annie,” “Arthur,” “Law & Order,” “Boardwalk Empire,” “The Good Wife,” “Rescue Me.” SAG Award for “Boardwalk Empire.”
Lori Wilner // Broadway: Prayer for the French Republic, Pictures from Home, Fiddler on the Roof (2005 and 2015), The Assembled Parties, A Catered Affair, On a Clear Day…, The Diary of Anne Frank, Domesticated, Beautiful, Awake and Sing!, People in the Picture, Those Were the Days, and Everett Beekin. Off-Broadway/Regional: Hannah Senesh (Drama Desk nomination), Milk and Honey, Cabaret, Giant, Broadway Bound, Relativity, Indecent, Other Desert Cities, Lost in Yonkers, Sisters Rosensweig, The Foreigner, The Immigrant, and more. TV/Film: “Succession,” “New Amsterdam,” “Grave Matters,” “Poker Face,” Second Guessing Grandma, Gebürtig, Wagners Jews, Do Nothings, The Eighth Day, Your Lips Never Left Mine.
Lori Wilner // Broadway: Prayer for the French Republic, Pictures from Home, Fiddler on the Roof (2005 and 2015), The Assembled Parties, A Catered Affair, On a Clear Day…, The Diary of Anne Frank, Domesticated, Beautiful, Awake and Sing!, People in the Picture, Those Were the Days, and Everett Beekin. Off-Broadway/Regional: Hannah Senesh (Drama Desk nomination), Milk and Honey, Cabaret, Giant, Broadway Bound, Relativity, Indecent, Other Desert Cities, Lost in Yonkers, Sisters Rosensweig, The Foreigner, The Immigrant, and more. TV/Film: “Succession,” “New Amsterdam,” “Grave Matters,” “Poker Face,” Second Guessing Grandma, Gebürtig, Wagners Jews, Do Nothings, The Eighth Day, Your Lips Never Left Mine.
Liam McKenna [he/him] is a graduate of The Juilliard School, Group 49. Regional: Testament (Saratoga Shakespeare Company). TV/Film : Ultraviolence, “FBI: Most Wanted” (CBS). 1022m / Clear Talent Group @liamwmckenna
Liam McKenna [he/him] is a graduate of The Juilliard School, Group 49. Regional: Testament (Saratoga Shakespeare Company). TV/Film : Ultraviolence, “FBI: Most Wanted” (CBS). 1022m / Clear Talent Group @liamwmckenna
Sara Ryung Clement [she/her] Off-Broadway: Golden Shield (MTC); Somebody’s Daughter (Second Stage Uptown); Fruiting Bodies (Ma-Yi). Regional: A Doll’s House Part 2 and Cambodian Rock Band (World Premiere, South Coast Repertory - Costumes); Fake It Until You Make It (Mark Taper/Arena Stage - Scenic). Other regional credits include: Boston Lyric Opera, Guthrie Theater, Portland Center Stage, Alley Theatre, Denver Center, Geffen Playhouse, Asolo Repertory, Folger Theatre, Pasadena Playhouse, Dallas Theatre Center, Seattle Repertory, Actors Theatre of Louisville, and others. Education: MFA, Yale School of Drama; AB Princeton University. Set design faculty at University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. sararyungclement.com
Sara Ryung Clement [she/her] Off-Broadway: Golden Shield (MTC); Somebody’s Daughter (Second Stage Uptown); Fruiting Bodies (Ma-Yi). Regional: A Doll’s House Part 2 and Cambodian Rock Band (World Premiere, South Coast Repertory - Costumes); Fake It Until You Make It (Mark Taper/Arena Stage - Scenic). Other regional credits include: Boston Lyric Opera, Guthrie Theater, Portland Center Stage, Alley Theatre, Denver Center, Geffen Playhouse, Asolo Repertory, Folger Theatre, Pasadena Playhouse, Dallas Theatre Center, Seattle Repertory, Actors Theatre of Louisville, and others. Education: MFA, Yale School of Drama; AB Princeton University. Set design faculty at University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. sararyungclement.com
Michael Costagliola is a New York-based sound designer and composer. His work has been heard in NY in productions by The Public, New York Theatre Workshop, Playwrights Horizons, La MaMa, The Shed, Rattlestick, Little Island, Ars Nova, and Page 73, among others, as well as regionally at the Guthrie, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Two River Theater, Yale Rep, St. Louis Rep, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, and at various other theaters across the U.S. and abroad. AB in Music from Brown University, MFA in Sound Design from Yale School of Drama.
Michael Costagliola is a New York-based sound designer and composer. His work has been heard in NY in productions by The Public, New York Theatre Workshop, Playwrights Horizons, La MaMa, The Shed, Rattlestick, Little Island, Ars Nova, and Page 73, among others, as well as regionally at the Guthrie, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Two River Theater, Yale Rep, St. Louis Rep, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, and at various other theaters across the U.S. and abroad. AB in Music from Brown University, MFA in Sound Design from Yale School of Drama.
Takeshi Kata // At the DCPA: The Constant Wife (Directed by Shelley Butler). Broadway: Water for Elephants (Tony nominated); Prayer for the French Republic, Clyde’s (Drama Desk); Derren Brown’s Secret. Off-Broadway: Atlantic, NYTW, Playwrights, Public, Rattlestick, Second Stage, Signature, Vineyard, among others. Other Projects: La Bohème (Opera Theatre of St. Louis), Until the Flood (Shaubühne, Berlin), and Bug (Steppenwolf). Recipient of Michael Merrit, Drama Desk, Obie, Jeff, and Suzi Bass Awards. Associate Professor, University of Southern California, School of Dramatic Arts.
Takeshi Kata // At the DCPA: The Constant Wife (Directed by Shelley Butler). Broadway: Water for Elephants (Tony nominated); Prayer for the French Republic, Clyde’s (Drama Desk); Derren Brown’s Secret. Off-Broadway: Atlantic, NYTW, Playwrights, Public, Rattlestick, Second Stage, Signature, Vineyard, among others. Other Projects: La Bohème (Opera Theatre of St. Louis), Until the Flood (Shaubühne, Berlin), and Bug (Steppenwolf). Recipient of Michael Merrit, Drama Desk, Obie, Jeff, and Suzi Bass Awards. Associate Professor, University of Southern California, School of Dramatic Arts.
Olivia O’Connor [she/her] is currently the Literary Manager and Dramaturg at Geffen Playhouse. Her previous creative development experience includes staff positions at Pittsburgh CLO (Manager of New Work Development) and Roundabout Theatre Company (Artistic Associate), as well as dramaturgy and selection committee work with the Ojai Playwrights Conference, City Theatre Company, Pittsburgh Public Theater, Bricolage Production Company, The Flea Theater, the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, and the 5th Avenue Theatre. oliviaannoconnor.com.
Olivia O’Connor [she/her] is currently the Literary Manager and Dramaturg at Geffen Playhouse. Her previous creative development experience includes staff positions at Pittsburgh CLO (Manager of New Work Development) and Roundabout Theatre Company (Artistic Associate), as well as dramaturgy and selection committee work with the Ojai Playwrights Conference, City Theatre Company, Pittsburgh Public Theater, Bricolage Production Company, The Flea Theater, the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, and the 5th Avenue Theatre. oliviaannoconnor.com.
Jeanette Oi-suk Yew is an award-winning designer for theatre, dance, opera, musicals, music performances and immersive installation. The New York Times described her designs as “clever” and “inventive.” Broadway: Kimberly Akimbo, The Thanksgiving Play. Off-Broadway: The Blood Quilt (LCT); The Connector (MCC); Manahatta and cullud wattah (The Public); Golden Shield (MTC); The Nosebleed (LCT3); american (tele) visions (NYTW); Snow in Midsummer (CSC). DCPA: Theater of the Mind, Choir Boy, Vietgone, Smart People. Regional: King Lear (Shakespeare Theatre Company), Macbeth in Stride (Yale Rep), WILD: A Musical Becoming (A.R.T.), Walden (Theaterworks). Other: Oratorio for Living Things (Ars Nova); Life & Trust (Emursive). jeanetteyew.com
Jeanette Oi-suk Yew is an award-winning designer for theatre, dance, opera, musicals, music performances and immersive installation. The New York Times described her designs as “clever” and “inventive.” Broadway: Kimberly Akimbo, The Thanksgiving Play. Off-Broadway: The Blood Quilt (LCT); The Connector (MCC); Manahatta and cullud wattah (The Public); Golden Shield (MTC); The Nosebleed (LCT3); american (tele) visions (NYTW); Snow in Midsummer (CSC). DCPA: Theater of the Mind, Choir Boy, Vietgone, Smart People. Regional: King Lear (Shakespeare Theatre Company), Macbeth in Stride (Yale Rep), WILD: A Musical Becoming (A.R.T.), Walden (Theaterworks). Other: Oratorio for Living Things (Ars Nova); Life & Trust (Emursive). jeanetteyew.com
