THEATER DIRECTOR / SDC
The Father by Florian Zeller translated by Christopher Hampton
REMY BUMPPO THEATRE
Chicago Premiere/Jeff-Recommended
CREATIVE TEAM
Director / Kay Martinovich
Scenic Design / Yu Shibagaki
Lighting Design / Brandon Wardell
Costume Design / Jeremy W. Floyd
Sound Design & Original Music / Christopher Kriz
Properties Design / Jamie Karas
Stage Manager / Tina M. Jach
FEATURING
David Darlow
Linda Gillum
Anish Jethmalani
Alys Dickerson
Laura Resinger
Bobby Wilhelmson
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PRESS
"The Remy Bumppo production, skillfully cast and directed by Kay Martinovich, is enhanced by Yu Shibagaki’s elegant set (lit by Brandon Wardell), with its mottled gray walls, large French window and cleverly selected abstract paintings that in their own way suggest a troubled brain."
WTTW
"Zeller’s technique, marvelously handled by director Kay Martinovich, is to immerse us so completely in André’s mind that we too are not clear about what is real and what is not. As memories blend with memories, neither he nor the audience is able to keep things straight."
Chicago On Stage
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"Martinovich has done a masterful job of directing this play of memory, perception and shifting relationships."
Third Coast Review
Naked by Luigi Pirandello translated by Nina daVinci Nichols
TRAP DOOR THEATRE
Chicago Premiere/Jeff-Recommended
CREATIVE TEAM
Director / Kay Martinovich
Scenic Design / Nick Schwartz
Lighting Design / David Goodman-Edberg
Costume Design / Rachel M. Sypniewski
Sound Design / Evan Forbes
Properties Design / Jacqueline Frole
Dramaturg / Milan Pribisic
Stage Manager / Roxie Kooi
Production Photographer / Chris Popio
FEATURING
Tiffany Bedwell
Bob Wilson
Manulea Rentea
Darren Hill
Keith Surney
Ambrose Cappuccio
Nora Lise Ulrey
PRESS
"There are obvious 21st-century parallels to be drawn from the piece. It can be read as a feminist document, for instance…director Kay Martinovich was wise to play the material straight and in period. The resonances are richer that way, and the potential for solemn self-righteousness much reduced."
Chicago Reader
"Naked is a hilarious and timely examination of how we interpret people to reflect the stories we want to believe about ourselves."
Around the Town Chicago
La Bête by David Hirson
TRAP DOOR THEATRE
Jeff-Recommended. Winner of two Jeff Awards for Best Actor Kevin Cox and Best Costume Design Rachel Sypnieski
CREATIVE TEAM
Director / Kay Martinovich
Scenic Design / Carolyn Voss
Lighting Design / Richard Norwood
Costume Design / Rachel Sypniewski
Properties Design /Tom Passas
Dramaturg / Milan Pribisic
Stage Manager / Allison Goetzman
Production Photographer / Chris Popio
FEATURING
Kevin Cox
Ann Sonneville
Casey Chapman
Jesse Dornan
Marzena Bukowska
Meghan Lewis
Skye Fort
Mike Mazzocca
Kelly Jean
Bill Gordon
PRESS
"It is a brilliant script treated brilliantly, which makes it one of the best currently running in town."
Newcity Stage
"...the show is captivating, thanks to the skill of the actors, the flashiness inherent in the design, and Hirson’s beautiful language."
Chicago Critic
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"...lovers of language and comedy are advised to check out this romp."
Stage and Cinema
Deirdre of the Sorrows by John M. Synge
CITY LIT THEATRE
CREATIVE TEAM
Director / Kay Martinovich
Scenic Design / Yeaji Kim
Lighting Design / Liz Cooper
Costume Design / Rachel Sypniewski
Properties Design / Mazi Jurgenson
Composer, Sound Design / Curtis Powell
Stage Manager / Hazel Marie Flowers-McCabe
FEATURING
Natalie Joyce
Tim Kidwell
Mark Pracht
Morgan McCabe
marssie Mencotti
Alex Pappas
Andrew Marikis
Curtis Dunn
Mick LaRocca
Brian Sprague
PRESS
"Kay Martinovich's staging for City Lit Theater evokes an appropriately rustic simplicity with the aid of evocative costumes and tapestries, and the ten-person ensemble execute the dense, heavily accented, image-rich dialogue with an effective mix of lyrical eloquence and unaffected plainness."
Chicago Reader
"Martinovich and her skilled cast manage to recreate an epic world on City Lit’s small, single-set stage, with Rachel Sypniewski’s bold and historically wide-ranging costumes complementing the iconic characters and their larger-than-life passions."
New City
Down Range by Jeffrey Skinner
GENESIS THEATRICALS
Chicago Premiere
CREATIVE TEAM
Director / Kay Martinovich
Scenic Design / Ashley Woods
Lighting Design / Brandon Wardell
Costume Design / Stefanie Johnsen
Sound Design, Composer / JJ Porterfield
Properties Design / Philip C. Denofrio
Stage Manager / Josh Raether
FEATURING
Carl Herzog
David Lawrence Hamilton
Carey Lee Burton
Whitney Morse
Lucas Thatcher
PRESS
(T)his Genesis Theatre production is directed by legendary Chicago expat Kay Martinovich, whose expertise with polemical drama is apparent in the clearly defined devolution of Carl Herzog's Frank and David Lawrence Hamilton's Doc from idealistic intellectuals seeking adventure to monosyllabic battle-fatigued grunts trudging from day to day.
Windy City Times
"Award-winning poet and playwright Jeffrey Skinner has written a moving and powerful drama about the men who devote their career and their lives to the military. He exposes the addictive nature that the army’s family holds over these individuals and illustrates how war is wagered, not only in foreign lands but in the men’s personal lives, as well. Kay Martinovich’s production presents all the right elements."
Chicago Theatre Review
Two by Friel (After Chekhov)
IRISH REPERTORY OF CHICAGO
The Bear and the American Premiere of The Yalta Game
CREATIVE TEAM
Director / Kay Martinovich
Scenic Design / Tom Burch
Lighting Design / Brandon Wardell
Costume Design / Jana Anderson
Sound Design / Tim Hill
Properties Design / Lara Maerz
Stage Manager / S.G. Heller
FEATURING
The Yalta Game
Eva Bloomfield
James Barry
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The Bear
Meghan Maureen McDonough
James Barry
Michael O'Brien
PRESS
"The Bear -- The laughs flow as the two tangle argue, fight and group (stet) each other. The pure animal attraction between the two is infectious."
Chicago On Stage
The Yalta Game -- Under the direction of Chicago expat Kay Martinovich, James Barry and Eva Bloomfield amplify the bittersweet romance inherent in this gentle folie à deux."
Windy City Times
Both Plays
"I was impressed with the polish of Kay Martinovich's production, especially with James Barry's work in both plays."
Chicago Critic (reviewer one)
"The cast does fine work in both pieces displaying both dramatic sensibilities in one and great comedic timing in another. At the end of it all, you would be well served to check out this very solid production."
Chicago Critic (reviewer two)
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Pentecost by Stewart Parker
IRISH REPERTORY OF CHICAGO
Chicago Premiere
CREATIVE TEAM
Director / Kay Martinovich
Scenic Design / Eric Appleton
Lighting Design / Chris Garbacz
Costume Design / Jennifer Schwaner
Sound Design / Jeff O'Brien
Dialect Coach / Martin Aistrope
Stage Manager / Jaclyn Holsey
FEATURING
Pat Hoffman
Tim P. Miller
Brigid Duffy
Tiffany Scott
Don Smith
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PRESS
"Kay Martinovich, a director of fierce energy and intelligence, keeps this dense play moving at a rapid pace and makes its "haunted" aspects ring true. She has also tapped a number of fresh young actors who have the chance to shine in meatier parts than usual... The cast also paid solid attention to (Belfast) accents.
Chicago Sun Times
"Kay Martinovich's fluent and incisive directing is even more impressive because the production is locked into the tiny stage at the Victory Gardens Studio Theatre. … Every performance is terrific, all the more commendable for the ensemble's master of the thick (Northern) Irish brogue."
Copley News Service (one)
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"Director Kay Martinovich keeps the show moving in a quick pace and lets the actors exude everything from the fine script. … Pentecost is a show worth your time."
Copley News Service (two)
Bailegangaire by Tom Murphy
IRISH REPERTORY OF CHICAGO
Chicago Premiere/Jeff-Recommended
CREATIVE TEAM
Director / Kay Martinovich
Scenic Design / Eric Appleton
Lighting Design / Jaymi Lee Smith
Costume Design / Allison Greaves
Sound Design / Ed Reardon
Properties Design / Gary Reed
Dialect Coach / Martin Aistrope
Stage Manager / Jaclyn Holsey
FEATURING
Mary Ann Thebus
Elizabeth Rich
Michelle Courvais
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PRESS
"Now in a production by Irish Repertory that has been masterfully directed by Kay Martinovich, Murphy's demanding work is not an easy play for either its performers or its audience. … Martinovich has orchestrated the play as if it were a great score, but she never lets the music obscure the characters' hunger. … (Mary Ann) Thebus gives the performance of her career here."
Chicago Sun Times
"To be spellbinding, of course, there must be a spellbinder, and Bailegangaire has that in Mary Ann Thebus, tearing into the role of a lifetime as Mommo. … Under the caring direction of Kay Martinovich, all three performances are exemplary and moving and not to be missed."
Windy City Times
By the Bog of Cats...by Marina Carr
IRISH REPERTORY OF CHICAGO
American Premiere
CREATIVE TEAM
Director/Kay Martinovich
Scenic Design / Michelle Habeck
Lighting Design / Jaymi Lee Smith
Costume Design / Lisa Lewandowski
Sound Design / Lindsay Jones
Original Music / Liz Carroll
Dialect Coach / Brendan Gunn
Dramaturg / Melissa Sihra
Stage Manager / Melissa Renee Miller
FEATURING
Tracy Michelle Arnold
Mark L. Montgomery
Mary Ann Thebus
David Darlow
Caitlin Hart
Marilyn Bogetich
Amanda Archilla
Christopher Grobe
Geoff Rice
Brendan Gregg
Zoe B. Kanters / Susan Wiltrakis
Ed Zeltner
PRESS
"The play is now receiving a riveting, brilliantly acted American premiere by Irish Repertory, in a production superbly directed - with chilling inevitability and unexpected humor - by Kay Martinovich."
Chicago Sun-Times
(I)t’s a good, strong piece of theater that takes off from an imaginative premise and goes on to deliver an engrossing tale of love, rage and revenge … with a gallery of fine Chicago actors, (Martinovich) revs up the drama’s many furious confrontations with stinging force … An impressive accomplishment by all hands."
Chicago Tribune
The Mai by Marina Carr
IRISH REPERTORY OF CHICAGO
Chicago Premiere
CREATIVE TEAM
Director / Kay Martinovich
Scenic Design / Robert G. Smith
Lighting Design / Mary McDonald Badger
Costume Design / Margaret Walsh
Sound Design / Nick Gibson
Original Music / Liz Carroll
Dialect Coach / Cecilie O'Reilly
Stage Manager / Eric Eligator
FEATURING
Mindy Feedham
Peggy Dunne
Lawrence MacGowan
Mary Seibel
Julie Ganey
Sara Nichols
Pauline Brailsford
Brigid Duffy
PRESS
"Director Kay Martinovich's production is handsomely laid out in the spacious house that designer Robert G. Smith has spread across the theater's open stage."
Chicago Sun Times
"Under Kay Martinovich's intelligent direction, an astute cast fashions personalities at once attractive and insightful."
Windy City Times
University Productions
In A Word by Lauren Yee
CREATIVE TEAM
Co-Directors / Kay Martinovich and Emily Vitrano
Assistant Directors / Derrick Longstreet, Ryan Sarau-Young
Scenic Design / Kay Martinovich
Costume Associate / Jeremy W. Floyd
Lighting Design / Timothy Peters
Properties Design / Dave Doherty
Stage Manager / Megan Thompson
Prod Photographer / Wade Duerkes
FEATURING
Cornelia Hayes
Hardy Louihis
J. Cody Hunt
Much Ado About Nothing by Shakespeare adapted by Kay Martinovich
CREATIVE TEAM
Director / Kay Martinovich
Assistant Director / Chlo Janisch
Scenic / Hernan Acosta
Costume Associate / Jeremy W. Floyd
Lighting / Autumn Dancy, Kay Martinovich
Sound Design / Kay Martinovich
Technical Director / Adam Rager
Intimacy Coach / Bethany Mangum-Oles
Stage Manager / Autumn Dancy
Prod Photographer / Wade Duerkes
FEATURING
Seamus Fleischman
Isabelle Ajemian
Samantha Bliss
Sonya Dunn
Jonathan Perkins
Kate Drury
Brennan James
Nicholas Bishop
King Johnson
Kyara Chisholm
Abigail Lamoreaux
Megan Thompson ​
Logan Blake
Kit Stewart
Stanton Davis
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Girls and Dolls by Lisa McGee
live streamed pandemic production
CREATIVE TEAM
Director / Kay Martinovich
Assistant Director / Ryan Burke
Scenic Design / Therese Ritchie
Costume Design / Jeremy W. Floyd
Lighting Design / Brandon Wardell
Properties Design / Dave Doherty
Sound / Chris Kurszewski
Video / Brandon Wardell
Technical Director / Brysen Hannappel
Stage Manager / Rachel Seagaugh
Prod Photographer / Wade Duerkes
FEATURING
Sylvie Baldwin
Rachael Yoder
Paige Larkowski
Samantha Welch
A Bright New Boise by Samuel D. Hunter
CREATIVE TEAM
Director / Kay Martinovich
Assistant Director / Victor Jaimes
Scenic Design / Therese Ritchie
Costume Design / Jeremy W. Floyd
Lighting Design / David Goodman-Edberg
Properties Design / Ivy Thomas
Sound Design / Bill Sherman
Videographer / James Barker
Technical Director / Kallen Eckert
Stage Manager / Rachel Seabaugh
Prod Photographer / Wade Duerkes
FEATURING
Chris Anthony
Hannah Hammel
Jonathan Allsop
Jack Goings
Lilly Rose Zepeda
Middletown by Will Eno
CREATIVE TEAM
Director / Kay Martinovich
Scenic Design / Sahin Sahinoglu
Costume Design / James Danielsen
Lighting Design / Andrew Brackett
Properties Design / Ivy Thomas, Dave Doherty
Sound Design / Bill Sherman
Technical Director / Kevin Nedberg
Stage Manager / McKinzy Vanderlaan
Prod Photographer / Wade Duerkes
FEATURING
Ellen Campbell
Ken Miller
Daniil Krimer
Jacob Chan
Mikkel Knutson
Rachel Jaco
Kaitlynn Shelton
Eli Hamilton
Tiera Whalum
Juan Sedonio
Keely Smith
Julia Steenstra
The Real Thing by Tom Stoppard
CREATIVE TEAM
Director / Kay Martinovich
Scenic Design / Nicole Navarro
Costume Design / Jeremy W. Floyd
Lighting Design / Theresa Kelly
Sound Design / Brandon Wardell
Technical Director / Jesse Wade
Stage Manager / John Reichenbach
Prod Photographer / Brandon Wardell
FEATURING
Jared Mack
Hannah Gilbert
Brian Sprague
Alys Dickerson
Brooks Coran
Andrea Reed
Brandon Gregory
The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek by Naomi Wallace
CREATIVE TEAM
Director / Kay Martinovich
Scenic Design / Theresa Kelly
Costume Design / Jeremy Floyd
Lighting Design / Graham Whipple
Properties Design / Mazi Jurgenson
Sound Design / Mara Cantrell-Paulson
Technical Director / Kevin Nedberg
Stage Manager / Jordan Clifton
Prod Photographer / Brandon Wardell
Prod Photographer / Wade Duerkes
FEATURING
Eli Hamilton
Maria Zoia
Robin Minkens
Chris Raymond
Al Herrmann
A Skull in Connemara by Martin McDonagh
CREATIVE TEAM
Director / Kay Martinovich
Assistant Director / Meghan Patten
Scenic Design / Austin Wood
Costume Design / Angela Enos
Lighting Design / Theresa Kelly
Properties Design / Austin Wood
Sound / Brandon Wardell
Technical Director / Jacob Harbour
Stage Manager / Matthew McKinley
Prod Photographers / Hayley Montalvo and Brandon Wardell
FEATURING
Jake-Ben Suazo
Christine Fuchs
Martín Diaz Valdes
Andrew Snyder