“Part of the joy of this nomadic life that we lead is that we get to explore new places,” says actress Amy Hutchins, who along with her husband Michael Stewart Allen return to Enfield October 11th to open the Shaker Bridge Theatre’s 2018-2019 season. The couple will share their real-life chemistry front and center in Outside Mullingar, a romantic comedy set in rural Ireland and a Tony Award nominee for Best Play from John Patrick Shanley, the author of Doubt and Moonstruck.
When they are not performing around the country, Allen and Hutchins reside in Manhattan. The couple co-starred in January at Shaker Bridge in Constellations, a two-character drama by Nick Payne.
Allen, who recently ended his run in “Little Rock”, an off-Broadway show, (seen by Bill and Hillary Clinton) has a varied resume which includes theater, film and TV. He was in the Broadway tour of “War Horse” with the National Theater of Great Britain and has performed at theatres across the USA, Canada, and Japan. He played the title role in “Macbeth” at Arkansas Repertory Theatre and has done shows at Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, The Acting Company, North Carolina Shakespeare Festival, PlayMakers Repertory Company, Contemporary American Theater Festival and The Old Globe to name a few. He has spent 11 seasons as a company member at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. His film and television credits include "Blacklist" and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”
Hutchins, a singer and performer in contemporary and classic roles, has appeared Off Broadway and in regional theatres across the country. She has acted in numerous Shakespeare performances from "Twelfth Night," at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey to “Macbeth” and “Henry IV” at the Cincinnati Shakespeare Festival as well as Arkansas Repertory and Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festivals. Next spring she will appear in Orlando Shakespeare’s production of “Richard II” as Bolingbroke. Her TV and film credits include “The Digressions” (2013) and “The Hacking Chronicles" (2007).
“Performing at Shaker Bridge is almost like performing for film because the audience is right there with us as actors, just two or three feet away or even closer,” said Michael Stewart Allen. “You have to be in the moment and feeling it because it’s an intimate space. You have to be fully invested in the emotional reality of the scene and character so much so it’s like painting with a fine brush because the audience can see and examine every emotion, facial expression, and reaction. They are there with you in the experience,” he added.
The couple arrives to the Upper Valley September 22nd for readings and rehearsals before Outside Mullingar opens October 11th and runs through October 28th. Their upcoming performance marks the sixth time the couple will perform side by side.
Not only do they look forward to their time at Shaker Bridge Theatre, but they plan to embrace the Upper Valley’s offerings by exploring New England terrain, charting new hikes and surveying local craft beers. Michael, originally from Asheville NC, thrives in the outdoors and is looking forward to some long hikes in the area and getting back in to nature.
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