The Mannequin
By Germaine de Staël
Translated by Vivian Folkenflick
Directed by Kerry McGee
Featuring
Em German, Esteban Marmolejo-Suarez, Andrew Quilpa, and Gill Rydholm
Directed by
Kerry McGee
Choreography
Debora Crabbe
Stage Management
Kenzi Wentela
Lighting Design
Jason Aufdem-Brinke
Sound Design & Composition
Mike Winch
Costume Design
Wendy Snow Walker
Set Design
Jon Reynolds
Dramaturgy
Jess Singley
Technical Assistant
Madi Wentela
Graphic Design
Kerry McGee
Photography
Mark Williams Hoelscher
Co-Artistic Director
Kerry McGee
Co-Artistic Director
Rachel Dixon
Company Manager
Wendy Snow Walker
Marketing Lead
Gabby Wolfe
Box Office Managers
Jess Singley Keith Hock
Literary Directors
Jess Singley, Keith Hock
Grant Writer
Reid Sharkey
SPECIAL THANKS
Studio Theatre, Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, Arena Stage, Expand the Canon
This script came to us thanks to the hard work that the team at Expand the Canon puts into reading and researching plays in order to advocate for gender equity in the classics. Expand the Canon uncovers and uplifts classic plays by women & underrepresented genders– and is a call to action to produce them.
From An Extraordinary Woman: Selected Writings of Germaine de Staël, by Germaine de Staël and translated by Vivian Folkenflik. Copyright © 1987 Columbia University Press. The Mannequin is presented by arrangement with Columbia University Press.
The Mannequin is performed at the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, on the ancestral land of the Piscataway and Anacostan people.
A Note from the Dramaturg
Germaine de Staël was a philosopher, writer, political actor, and intellectual in late 18th and early 19th century Europe. Her writings and activism display themes of democratic politics, national identity, individual freedoms, women’s rights, and abolition. Her literary salon in France was a gathering place and discussion hotbed for intellectuals and politicians across the country. De Staël was highly critical of Napoleon Bonaparte’s military invasion of Europe and his political power grab in France, which led to him exiling her from Paris for a ten year period.
The Mannequin (1811) was written just after the publishing of one of de Staël’s more famous works, On Germany, and near the end of her ten-year exile from Paris. The Mannequin is a satirical examination of women’s marital rights, something that de Staël herself was very familiar with, between her own loveless marriage, her lovers across Europe, and what was no doubt at the forefront of her mind - the eligibility of her own daughter, who she would be responsible for finding a match for. We Happy Few, in partnership with Expand the Canon, is so excited to introduce our audiences to this thought-provoking , poignant, and fun play. That undoubtedly continues to have relevance today. Looking forward to seeing you at the theatre.
-Jess Singley
A Note from the Director
As I work on The Mannequin, I am reminded of a line from the Dorothy Parker poem Song of Perfect Propriety:
But I am writing little verse,
As little ladies do.
At first glance, that’s what The Mannequin feelings like: little verse. It’s short, it’s unbelievably silly, and it feels like a spoonful of delicious romantic fluff. But upon closer inspection, it’s so much more. Germaine de Staël was a woman who stood up to the oppressive regime of Napoleon, and, as a result, was kicked out of France. In her exile, she didn’t stay quiet: she hosted salons, she wrote prolifically, and she championed her causes, one way or another. The protagonists of many of her novels and plays were women who pushed the boundaries of their limited privileges.
In The Mannequin, we have Sophie, who, at every turn, refuses to play the part of the ingénue. Instead she takes her life into her own hands rather than accept the fate that she’s been handed. And with this one small action, we have a comedy of a lover deceived instead of a tragedy of a woman ruined. Today that seems easy—of course we want to see actionable heroines. But there are a long line of Desdamonas and Ophelias, Persephones and Iphigenias that come before Sophie, and it is far more common to see female protagonists who are the cruel victims of a plot that they have no agency over. Sophie’s actions are radical—she must act in an “unladylike” way in order to protect herself. She has done what any modest woman could do to discourage her suiter: she’s made herself unattractive to him in the hope that he’ll take his affections elsewhere. But it hasn’t worked, and now she must set aside the societal demands of how a lady should behave, and enter into a deceitful, callous scheme to save herself from ruin. We see that this is a choice that Sophie doesn’t take lightly, but she’s smart enough to realize that the stakes are too high to sit back and let her future be decided for her.
I think about de Staël, living through Napoleon's increasingly authoritative dictatorship. She’s been exiled from her country and her books are being burned there. The problems in France are so big, so unscalable, and she is but one person (and a female person at that). What can she realistically do? Well, she can write little verse. And she can keep on doing it—hiding her progressive politics in fluffy comedy, with the hope that people will read it, or come see it, and perhaps a few might even glimpse behind the curtain to see what’s really on the page. And that’s all any of us can do on an individual level, in the face of overwhelming inequity and an oppressive government. It’s easy to feel discouraged and helpless. But we can do small things, daily, and hope that those things are helping to move the needle, little by little, in the right direction. We too can write little verse, as little ladies do.
-Kerry McGee
Bios
JASON AUFDEM-BRINKE (Lighting Designer) he/him
We Happy Few Company Member and Resident Lighting Designer. Select WHF designs include: A Midnight Dreary, Kill The Ripper, La Llorona, Desdemona, Lovers Vows, Macbeth, The Tempest, Hamlet. Recent designs elsewhere include HyBall (Pyramid Atlantic), Ascend (Georgetown University Dance Company), Wizard of Oz (Atholton High School), and NextNOW (UMD) Upcoming designs include: The Hobbit (Atholton High School), GUDC (Georgetown University).
DEBORA CRABBE (Choreographer) she/her
Debora Crabbe is a multi-hyphenated artist who is so excited to be working alongside Kerry for another We Happy Few production! She has worked or performed at various theatre companies around the country including: Round House Theatre, Theatre J, Ford’s Theatre, Arena Stage, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Seattle Children’s Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, The Kennedy Center, Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati, Center Theatre Group LA, and Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. She is the 2019 Helen Hayes Award winner for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical. She is a member of the social justice theatre group The Conciliation Project based in Richmond, Virginia, and holds a BFA in Theatre Performance from Virginia Commonwealth University.
RACHEL DIXON (Producer/Co-Artistic Director)
Rachel Dixon is the Co-Artistic Director for WHF. Her previous credits with the company include Desdemona: A Play About A Handkerchief (stage manager), and Loveday Brooke in the Murder at Troyte's Hill (newspaper writer). She is a recent graduate from George Mason University, where she received a BFA in Theater Performance and a minor in psychology. In the past, she has been a teaching artist with Arena Stage's Voices of Now program, and is thrilled to continue her artistic journey with We Happy Few as their managing director. Credits include: Good Dogs (Class Act Players Theater Company), Twelfth Night and Machinal (Mason Players). She also served on the student leadership board and as a member of the Mason Improv Association.
EM GERMAN (Monsier de Ville) she/her
Em is excited to be returning to We Happy Few for this production. She is a DC-local actor and musician whose past experience with We Happy Few includes performing in the Diana of Dobson’s Staged Reading, and A Midnight Dreary. Her recent past work includes performing in the original cast of Drunk Shakespeare DC, as well as Nu Sass’s production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. Her upcoming film features include Lisbeth in Following, produced by Fury 13 Films, and The Last Supper, a short film produced by Dare to Dream Films.
KEITH HOCK (Dramaturg/Literary Director) he/him
Keith has been a company member since 2012, working as a production manager, technical director, board operator, and rehearsal stage manager for the first few years before taking on the roles of Box Office Manager and Literary Director. He writes the company blog and has served as dramaturge for CHALK, Henry V, Dog in the Manger, Pericles, Macbeth, Treasure Island, Lovers' Vows, Iphigenia, and Rossum’s Universal Robots. Keith is a librarian at The George Washington University.
ESTEBAN MARMOLEJO-SUAREZ (Frederich) he/him/él
Esteban is a Colombian-American actor, director, and improviser based in the DMV and a BFA graduate of George Mason University’s School of Theater. Most recently, Esteban served as the Allen Lee Hughes School Programs fellow at Arena Stage. He is thrilled to be back with We Happy Few with The Mannequin! Acting credits: Sanditon (We Happy Few), Twelfth Night, Lysistrata (George Mason University) Directing credits: A Midnight Dreary (We Happy Few), Erase Una Vez y dos son Tres! (GALA Hispanic Theater), La Llorona (We Happy Few), Klecksography (Rorschach Theater), Just Like Us, Chimichangas and Zoloft (George Mason University).
KERRY MCGEE (Director, Co-Artistic Director) she/her
Kerry is the Artistic Director and Marketing Director for WHF. Kerry has directed Desdemona: A Play About A Handkerchief, Lovers' Vows, Treasure Island, Hamlet Project: A Rock 'n' Roll Mixtape, Henry V and Chalk for WHF and acted in Pericles, Dracula, A Midnight Dreary, and The Winter's Tale. Additionally, Kerry has directed and adapted the Loveday Brooke series for WHF, and has designed the packages for the Sherlock and Poe audio experiences. Other DC credits: Visions of Love (Pointless Theatre), Peepshow; Beertown; Toast (dog & pony dc), and Love's Labeers Lost (LiveArtDC). Kerry worked in Richmond for many years, where she received awards for her work on A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity. Kerry received her MFA in Theatre from VCU.
ANDREW QUILPA (Monsieur Morliere) he/him
We Happy Few: A Midnight Dreary (Poe 3), R.U.R. (Alquist); LOCAL: Folger Theatre (As You Like It); Faction of Fools: (How the Sausage Gets Made, Love Like Tuesday, Missed Connections, Foolish Fridays); Puppet Co. (The Wizard of Oz, Pinocchio, Alice in Wonderland, Witch Wartsmith’s Holiday Spooktacular); Adventure Theatre MTC (Fantastagirl and the Math Monster, Luchadora!, The Girl with the Lantern Heart); Rorschach Theatre (Night of the Living Dead, She Kills Monsters 2e, 410 [GONE]); The COIL Project (Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, Art); Flying V Theatre (Paperless Pulp); Feminist Fairytales (The Ballad of Puss & Boots, Shaman, Rumpelstiltskin: A Retelling). BA, University of Virginia. Andrew writes for and voices various characters on "The COIL Project Variety Hour" on Takoma Radio WOWD-LP 94.3 FM and is a company member of Faction of Fools Theatre Company, We Happy Few, The COIL Project and the Puppet Co. www.andrewquilpa.com
JON REYNOLDS (Set designer) he/him
Jon Reynolds is an actor, deviser, and playwright born and raised in the Washington, DC area. He appeared as an actor with WHF in Sanditon, Sherlock Holmes, Pericles, Hamlet Project: A Rock 'n' Roll Mixtape, A Midnight Dreary, Dracula, and Chalk, and has helped devise and design Dracula, Frankenstein, and Treasure Island, in addition to designing the set for Lovers' Vows, Iphigenia and Desdemona. He worked locally with many companies, including dog & pony, where Jon has devised and acted in TOAST, A Killing Game, Beertown, Separated at Birth, and COURAGE. Jon has been part of the Washington, DC theatre community for 20 years, and was a member of National Players, as a performer and Company Manager.
GILL RYDHOLM (Sophie) she/they
Gill is excited to be returning to We Happy Few for another production! Regional: We Happy Few (A Midnight Dreary, Play in a Day 2026), Chameleon Theater Collective (MUSE: THE WOMEN OF PICASSO), Interact Story Theatre (Kidstory Theatre Festival). Training: George Mason University B.F.A. MT // Website: gillrydholm.com
WENDY SNOW WALKER (Company Manager/Costume Designer) she/her
Wendy is thrilled to be back in the DC theatre scene. Wendy's administrative credits include: Managing Director/Deputy Director at Pointless Theatre in DC, Artistic Director at Spotlighters Theatre in Baltimore, Executive Director at the Arts Council of Wayne County in NC, Director at Henry Mancini Arts Academy in PA, and Founder and Artistic Director of Kinderstars in MD. Wendy is also a proud member of IATSE Local 487 and 772, working on film/TV/theater costume crews throughout the DMV. As a SAG-AFTRA performer, you can catch her on Netflix in House of Cards and The Mark Twain Prize for Conan O'Brian, as well as on stage at Manor Mill Playhouse and the Cumberland Theatre.
MADI WENTELA (Technical Assistant) she/her
Madi is a theatre, museum, and event planning professional in Washington, DC. She’s thrilled to work with We Happy Few again! She has previously worked with WHF as the costume designer for Kill the Ripper and Assistant Lighting Designer for R.U.R.
MAKENZI WENTELA (Stage Manager) she/her
Makenzi is a technician and educator who works in the DMV area, and is a Michigan Technological University graduate with a BS in Theatre and Entertainment Technology, and minors in Art and Performance. Her previous shows as a stage manager with We Happy Few are Desdemona: A Play About a Play About a Handkerchief (2022), La Llorona (2022), Iphigenia (2023), and Kill the Ripper (2023). Kenzi also works with the Discovery Theatre and has stage managed Seasons of Light (2022/23), Lions of Industry: Mothers of Invention (2024), and Mother Earth and Me (2024).
MICHAEL WINCH (Sound Designer & Composer) he/him
Mike is a composer and sound designer based in Washington DC. He is a company member of Pointless Theatre Co., and Solas Nua. MFA David Geffen School of Drama at Yale, four time Helen Hayes nominee. Mike is a resident artist at Minnie’s Island Conservancy, and leads the Irish session at the Hunter’s Hound in Chevy Chase every Thursday night.
We Happy Few is:
We Happy Company Members
Jason Aufdem-Brinke
Debora Crabbe
Rachel Dixon
Keith Hock
Kerry McGee
Emilia Pazniokas
Jon Reynolds
Makenzi Wentela
Gabby Wolfe
Esteban Marmolejo-Suarez
Em German
Andrew Quilpa
VIctor Salinas
We Happy Board Members
John McGowan
Raven Bonniwell
Kerry McGee
Jon Reynolds
Keith Hock
Hannah Todd
Paige O'Malley
Gabby Wolfe
Jason Aufdem-Brinke
We Happy Thanks
CHAW
Taffety Punk
Literary Adventure Society
Studio Theatre
Mark Williams Hoelscher
We Happy Few Supporters
Baker Street Irregulars ($50+)
Leigh Lafosse, John Reynolds,Kathryn Abner, Carol Lashof
The Bards ($100+)
Daniel Vine, Marianne Harding, Dale Melcher, Maureen Latimer, Eileen Gillooly
Peg Leg Pirates ($200+)
Jessica Jackson, Jocelyn Callister, Jeremy & Todd Hilgert, Ryan Aurori, Hannah Todd, Kerry McGee, Paige O'Malley, John Driscoll, Wendy Walker, Ellys Abrams, Jeff Gee
Lynch Court Investigators ($500+)
Keith Hock, Jason Aufdem-Brinke, Sarah Cochran, Douglas Hock
Starcrossed Lovers ($1000+)
Terrella Productions, The David and Jean Grier Fund, a component fund of the Greater Washington Community Foundation
King or Queen of the Fairies ($5000+)
The DC Commission of the Arts and Humanities,
The DC Share Fund, The Nora Roberts Foundation