Casts Set for Nick Payne's CONSTELLATIONS at PrideArts

PrideArts has revealed its two casts for the company's same-sex approach to the thought-provoking CONSTELLATIONS, by British playwright Nick Payne, playing November 13 – December 13. While CONSTELLATIONS was originally written with its characters being a man and a woman, a London revival in 2021 performed it with a cast of two men, alternating with three different casts of a man and a woman.

For this production, PrideArts will take this concept a step further, not only by performing it with a female-female cast as well as with a male-male cast, but also by having the two casts co-directed by a male-female team of two directors – PrideArts' Artistic Director Jay Españo and Managing Director Amber Mandley. The two casts will alternate performances per the schedule listed below. The male cast will open to the press on Monday, November 16 and the female cast will open to the press on Thursday, November 19. 

The male cast will feature Españo as Manuel and Skyler Tipton as Roland. In addition to Españo's many directing credits with PrideArts, most recently A NEW BRAIN and [TITLE OF SHOW], his acting credits include the King in THE KING AND I and Felicia in PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT and a three-week run in Lonnie Carter's THE ROMANCE OF MAGNO RUBIO for Theater Alaska in Juneau, AK. Tipton's 2026 credits include playing Peter Bell in CHANGING CHANNELS for City Lit Theater and Conor in ADVANCE MAN with Strawdog Theatre Company.

Mandley's cast will include Shannon Bachelder as Marianne and Hannah Green as Rona. Bachelder has been seen on Chicago stages in POTUS, OR BEHIND EVERY GREAT DUMBASS ARE SEVEN WOMEN TRYING TO KEEP HIM ALIVE with Towle Theatre, and A BRIGHT ROOM CALLED DAY with Blank Theatre Company. Green's recent credits include FIVE WOMEN WEARING THE SAME DRESS for St Sebastian Players.

Understudies for the male cast are Myles Mathews (Manuel U/S) and Brenden Zwiebel (Roland U/S). There will be an understudy performance for this cast on Friday, December 4 at 7 pm. Understudies for the female cast are Maren Rosenberg (Rona U/S), and Elyssa Treviño (Marianne U/S). The female cast will have an understudy performance on Sunday, December 6 at 7 pm.

The production team for CONSTELLATIONS is Devin Meseke (Scenic Designer), Molly Marie McBride (Costume Designer), Emma Berry (Lighting Designer), Ian Zempel (Sound Designer), Jason Woodworth-Hou (Projections Designer), Paulina Martz (Intimacy Coordinator), Hailey Blakckstone (Technical Director), Nilufar Zaifi (Dialect Coach), Abigail Vogeler (ASL Consultant), Jay Sanders (Lead Electrician), and Claire McLewin (Stage Manager).

CONSTELLATIONS, which premiered in London in 2012 and was presented on Broadway in 2015, explores the relationship between a physicist and a beekeeper through a series of fragmented, nonlinear scenes that reflect the concept of the multiverse—the idea that multiple versions of reality exist simultaneously. It presents different variations of their interactions, showing how small choices can lead to vastly different outcomes. Some versions of their relationship are filled with love and happiness, while others are marked by heartbreak and tragedy.

Performances will be in the Hoover-Leppen Theatre at Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted, Chicago. Tickets are $35 for regular performances, $25 for previews. Seniors and students receive a $5 discount off all performance prices.