Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Written by Edward Albee Directed by Raquel Oden

JUNE 18-20, 2026 at 7:30pm

Tom and Martha Smith Event Center at the Lee Wallace Family Theater

A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? remains one of the most influential works in the American theatrical canon. Since its Broadway premiere in 1962, audiences have been captivated by its razor-sharp wit, emotional intensity, and unflinching examination of marriage, ambition, illusion, and truth. Albee challenges us to look beyond the stories we create for ourselves and confront the realities that lie beneath. More than sixty years later, the questions at the heart of this play remain just as relevant, and just as uncomfortable.

When I first agreed to direct this production, I knew I was taking on a theatrical masterpiece that demands extraordinary vulnerability from both its actors and its audience. The four characters at the center of this story are messy, brilliant, cruel, funny, heartbreaking, and deeply human. Their battles may seem larger than life, but the fears hide beneath them. The fear of failure, loneliness, disappointment, aging, and unmet expectations are universal.

What I didn’t fully realize was how special this journey would become.

This production has brought together some of my favorite people, both on and off the stage. Watching Rod bring George to life with intelligence, subtlety, and remarkable emotional depth has been a privilege. Alice’s Martha is fierce, funny, vulnerable, and unforgettable. Matt has approached Nick with a complexity that reveals far more than what initially appears on the surface, and Sophie has infused Honey with honesty, warmth, and surprising depth. Each of these actors embraced the challenge of Albee’s text with courage, trust, and a commitment to discovering new layers in these characters throughout the rehearsal process.

One of the greatest surprises of this experience was how much laughter filled our rehearsal room. For all of its reputation as a devastating drama, Virginia Woolf is also extraordinarily funny. Albee understood that humor and heartbreak often occupy the same space, and that some of life’s most painful truths arrive wrapped in laughter. Night after night, we found ourselves laughing one moment and sitting quietly with a difficult truth the next.

As a director, I am continually drawn to stories that ask difficult questions rather than provide easy answers. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? endures because it refuses to offer simple solutions. Instead, it asks us to examine the masks we wear, the games we play, the relationships we build, and the truths we choose to embrace....or

avoid.

I would be remiss if I didn’t recognize the incredible work of our technical team. Madison and Teddy have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to bring this production to life, often without the recognition that those under the lights receive. Their creativity, dedication, problem-solving, and countless hours of work have helped transform a rehearsal process into the production you see before you tonight.

Theatre is truly a collaborative art form, and this show would not be possible without them.

Thank you for joining us for this extraordinary piece of theatre. I hope you laugh, cringe, reflect, and perhaps recognize a little bit of yourself somewhere among these four unforgettable characters.

Most of all, I hope you leave with an appreciation for the incredible work of this company, whose talent, trust, and fearlessness made this production possible.

And thank you to my Lee Street family, whose willingness to embrace challenging stories continues to inspire me.

Enjoy the show.

Raquel Oden

Director of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”

THE CAST LIST

Martha …................................................................. Alice Rich George …................................................................ Rod Oden Nick …............................................................ Matthew Ensley Honey …........................................................ Sophie Newman

THE PRODUCTION TEAM

Director……....................................................... Raquel Oden Lightboard Operator/Properties Artisan............ Teddy Lepage Sound Engineer …......................................... Madison Alwran Intimacy Coordination....................... Michelle Medina Villalon The living room of a house on the campus of a small New England college.

ACT ONE - Fun and Games.

ACT TWO - Walpurgisnacht.

ACT THREE - The Exorcism.

TOTAL RUN TIME: 2 Hours 30 Minutes

There will be a 10-Minute Intermission between act one and two.

Please note: Videotaping or recording of any kind is strictly prohibited by law.

Content Advisory

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? contains mature themes and language.

This production includes depictions and/or references to: Alcohol abuse and intoxication Verbal and emotional abuse within a marriage Toxic relationship dynamics and psychological manipulation Infidelity and sexual themes Discussions of infertility and pregnancy loss Mental health struggles and emotional distress Gender-based power dynamics Strong, explicit language throughout This production is recommended for mature audiences.

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is presented by special arrangement with Concord Theatricals. www.concordtheatricals.com

THE PLAYERS

ALICE RICH (Martha) Alice is back in the Lab and so excited about this one! When not on stage you can usually find her here at Lee Street volunteering at her “home away from home” You saw Alice most recently as Harriet in POTUS, Charlotte in Moon over Buffalo, Julia in Lend Me a Tenor, and Vivian in Wit. Other favorite Lee Street productions have been Dottie in Noises Off, Miss Scarlet in Clue, and Della in The Cake. She would like to thank this amazingly talented group of actors and Raquel not only for their talent, support and grace, but for taking on this challenging piece. Alice could do nothing without the wonderful support and love of her dear sister, friends, and this community. Most especially she wishes to thank her loving husband Ryan, and the two awesome humans, Eve and Sam who call her mom.

ROD ODEN (George) Rod Oden is a classically-trained performer from Los Angeles and has enjoyed working alongside this very talented cast. He has founded two Shakespeare Festivals and performed in over 35 Shakespearean productions, including Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth and more. Rod appreciates the opportunity to continue his love for classical theatre in this role. Also serving as Lee Street theatre’s Executive Director for over 6 years now, Rod is proud to continue to bring thought-provoking, entertaining, and new and diverse productions to the area. He continues to invest and grow, alongside his very active and dedicated Board of Directors, the programmatic offerings and outreach of Lee Street theatre. Rod would be nothing without his very talented, patient and incredible wife Raquel Oden, for which he is indebted. He also wouldn’t be half the man he is without his incredible children Ariel, Isabelle, Tristan, Lucas, James and Sylar - his family who are his greatest success and treasure!

MATTHEW ENSLEY (Nick) Matthew is grateful to be welcomed back to the Lee St stage one more where he was most recently seen as Frederick in Young Frankenstein: The Musical. Some other recent credits include Friar Laurence in Romeo and Juliet, and Stanley in A Streetcar Named Desire at Legacy Theatre & Music and Old Courthouse Theatre respectively. He would like to thank anyone who has ever shown support for him in any manner and those who worked on this production with him for making it unforgettable.

THE PLAYERS SOPHIE NEWMAN (Honey) Sophie Newman is thrilled to be making her debut with Lee Street Theatre in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and is incredibly thankful for the opportunity to collaborate with such a talented cast and creative team. Recent credits include Chorus/Juliet U.S./Lady Capulet U.S. in Romeo & Juliet (Legacy Theater & Music Company), Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire (Old Courthouse Theatre), and Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing (Legacy Theater & Music Company). She is grateful for every opportunity to tell meaningful stories both onstage and off and would like to thank her family, friends, and fellow artists for their unwavering support. All glory to God!

BEHIND THE SCENES RAQUEL ODEN (Director) has been involved in all facets of theater for over 25 years and is excited to be directing Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at Lee Street Theatre. Most recently, she directed Witness for the Prosecution following her production of Silent Sky at LST. Raquel is passionate about bold, character-driven storytelling and creating collaborative productions that challenge, entertain, and connect with audiences. She especially enjoys championing strong female artists and complex, dynamic characters on stage. She would like to thank her Lee Street Theatre family for their constant love and support and for continuing to be such a pillar in the arts community. She is proud to call LST her home away from home. And a special shout out to her amazing husband, Rod.

ALBEE & WOOLF Edward Albee (1928–2016) was one of America’s most influential playwrights and the author of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Zoo Story, A Delicate Balance, and Three Tall Women. His work challenged audiences to confront uncomfortable truths about relationships, identity, and the illusions people create to survive. He received three Pulitzer Prizes for Drama and is widely regarded as one of the defining voices of modern American theatre.

Few American playwrights have had as profound an impact on modern theatre as Edward Albee. Bold, provocative, and unafraid to challenge audiences, Albee transformed the landscape of American drama with works that explored illusion, identity, loneliness, and the often-painful truths hidden beneath everyday life.

Born in Washington, D.C. in 1928 and adopted by wealthy parents shortly thereafter, Albee often described his childhood as emotionally distant and deeply complicated. His strained relationship with his adoptive family would become a recurring influence throughout his work, which frequently examines fractured relationships, failed communication, and the search for authentic human connection. After leaving college and working a variety of jobs in New York City, Albee emerged as a major theatrical voice with his groundbreaking one-act play The Zoo Story in 1959.

Just three years later, he cemented his reputation with Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, which premiered on Broadway in 1962. The play shocked audiences with its raw language, emotional brutality, and unflinching examination of marriage and illusion. At a time when American theatre often portrayed family life in idealized terms, Albee presented a marriage that was simultaneously destructive, dependent, loving, and deeply tragic. The play became an instant sensation and remains one of the most celebrated works in the American theatrical canon.

The title of the play is one of its most famous and misunderstood elements. It is a play on the children’s song “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?” Albee reportedly encountered the phrase “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” scrawled on a Greenwich Village bathroom mirror and was struck by its resonance. What began as a joke evolved into one of the play’s central questions: Who is afraid of living without illusion? Who is afraid of facing reality?

To understand this question, it helps to know something about Virginia Woolf herself.

Click here to watch an interview with Albee about Virginia Woolf on Sunday Morning in 2013!

Virginia Woolf (1882–1941) was one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century. An English novelist, essayist, and literary innovator, Woolf challenged traditional forms of storytelling and became a leading figure in the modernist movement. Her works, including Mrs Dalloway, To the Lighthouse, and Orlando, explored memory, perception, identity, and the hidden emotional lives of ordinary people. Woolf was deeply interested in the tension between external appearances and internal realities—a theme that would later resonate strongly with Albee’s own artistic concerns.

Here Virginia Woolf in her own words on the power of words by clicking here!

Throughout her life, Woolf struggled with periods of severe depression and mental illness, experiences that informed much of her writing. Her work consistently questioned social conventions and encouraged readers to look beneath the surface of accepted truths. In many ways, her literary legacy became synonymous with intellectual honesty, self-examination, and the courage to confront uncomfortable realities.

When Albee invokes Virginia Woolf in the title of his play, he is not referring directly to the author herself as a character or subject.

Instead, Woolf becomes a symbol. The title ultimately asks whether we have the courage to live without the comforting stories, myths, and illusions we create about ourselves and our lives. Throughout the play, George and Martha construct elaborate fantasies to survive disappointment, loneliness, and regret. The evening’s devastating climax forces them to confront the possibility of life stripped of illusion.

More than sixty years after its premiere, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? continues to challenge audiences because its questions remain universal. How much truth can we bear? What stories do we tell ourselves to survive? And who among us is truly unafraid of facing reality?

These questions are at the heart of both Edward Albee’s masterpiece and Virginia Woolf’s enduring literary legacy.

WOOLF’S PLACE IN THE LAB SERIES The Lee Street Lab was created to be more than a performance space. It is an experiment in audience engagement, artistic exploration, and meaningful conversation. While our Main Stage productions celebrate spectacle, community, and broad theatrical storytelling, the Lab exists to ask different questions. It is a place for intimate work, challenging ideas, and plays that invite us to lean forward rather than sit back.

Few works embody that mission more completely than Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

At first glance, the play appears deceptively simple. Four people gather for drinks after a faculty party. Over the course of a single evening, conversations unravel, secrets emerge, and carefully constructed identities begin to collapse. Yet beneath this seemingly straightforward premise lies one of the most complex and influential pieces of American theatre ever written.

The intimacy of the play makes it uniquely suited for the Lab environment. With only four characters and a single setting, there is nowhere to hide. The audience becomes more than observers; they become witnesses. Every glance, every silence, every uncomfortable laugh, and every emotional wound lands with startling immediacy. The distance that often exists between performer and audience disappears, creating a theatrical experience that feels less like watching a play and more like occupying the same room as the characters themselves.

This production also reflects the Lab’s commitment to work that challenges both artists and audiences. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? refuses easy answers. It offers no heroes and no villains.

Instead, it presents deeply flawed human beings struggling to reconcile the lives they imagined with the lives they have actually lived. The play asks difficult questions about marriage, ambition, disappointment, identity, loneliness, and the stories we create to survive. It confronts us with the uncomfortable possibility that truth and illusion may be more intertwined than we would like to admit.

For the artists involved, this kind of work demands vulnerability, rigor, and trust. The emotional terrain of the play is relentless.

Characters reveal themselves only to conceal themselves again.

Moments of cruelty exist alongside moments of tenderness.

Laughter often arrives at the exact moment heartbreak emerges.

The challenge is not simply to perform these people, but to understand them.

For audiences, the challenge is equally significant. This is not a play that seeks to provide comfort. It seeks engagement. It asks us to wrestle with contradictions, to examine our assumptions, and perhaps even to recognize pieces of ourselves in characters we may not always like. In doing so, it transforms theatre from a passive form of entertainment into an active conversation.

That conversation is at the heart of the Lee Street Lab. We believe theatre has the power not only to entertain, but to provoke, illuminate, challenge, and connect. We believe there is value in gathering together to experience stories that ask more of us. We believe some of the most rewarding theatrical experiences occur when audiences leave with questions rather than answers.

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? remains one of the great achievements of American theatre because it continues to do exactly that. More than sixty years after its premiere, its questions remain urgent, its humor remains sharp, and its examination of the human condition remains startlingly relevant.

Lee Street Lab Series Mission Statement The Lee Street Lab Series exists to explore bold, intimate, and thought-provoking theatrical experiences that challenge artists and audiences alike. As an extension of Lee Street Theatre’s commitment to transformative storytelling, the Lab provides a space for experimentation, innovation, and deeper artistic inquiry.

Through small-cast productions, unconventional staging, contemporary works, and classic texts viewed through a fresh lens, the Lab invites audiences into a more immediate and immersive relationship with the art of theatre. These productions are designed not simply to entertain, but to spark conversation, inspire reflection, and encourage meaningful engagement with complex ideas and human experiences.

The Lee Street Lab Series serves as a creative incubator where artists can take risks, explore new approaches, and stretch the boundaries of their craft. By fostering curiosity, collaboration, and artistic courage, the Lab strengthens our community and affirms theatre’s power to connect, challenge, and transform.

Become Part of the Conversation

The Lee Street Lab is an evolving initiative, and we welcome the voices of our community as we shape its future. If you are interested in becoming involved in the development of the Lab Series, have plays, themes, or theatrical experiences you would like us to consider, or simply wish to share your thoughts about a production you have attended, we would love to hear from you.

Please contact Executive Artistic Director Rod Oden at rod@ leestreet.org. Your ideas, feedback, and perspective help us continue to create theatre that challenges, inspires, and connects our community.