THE COTTAGE – Sept 19-Oct 5, 2025
BUY TICKETS!Show Dates & Times:
NOTE: All evening shows are 8:00 PM to avoid Xfinity traffic
Thursdays: Sept. 25 & Oct. 2 – all Thursday seats $33
Fridays & Saturdays: Sept. 19, 20, 26, 27; Oct. 3, 4
Sundays: Sept. 21, 28; Oct. 5 at 2:00 PM
Written by Sandy Rustin
Directed by William Deschenes
Executive Producer: Evelyn Malm
Welcome to The Cottage, where Sylvia is meeting Beau for their annual, clandestine rendezvous. This year’s encounter will be different, however, as Sylvia is convinced that today will be the start of a new life with Beau. But when their respective spouses (and other lovers!) unexpectedly arrive on the scene, secrets are revealed, loyalties are shifted, identities are questioned, and pandemonium is unleashed. With a tip of the hat to the classic plays of Noel Coward, this hilarious, romantic farce pays homage to screwball comedies of the past … but with a delightfully modern twist. The play is directed by William Deschenes, who has also directed Good People and GYPSY at the Mass Arts Center.
“…[a] sidesplitting screwball comedy…The Cottage is a fresh and fiercely fun play that’s firing on all cylinders, with Rustin’s excellent script.” — Entertainment Weekly.
“★★★★! …a naughty romp…Amid the old-fashioned trappings, Rustin nestles a welcome modern sensibility to the plot’s skirmishes of the sexes…” — Time Out New York.
“…positively delightful…frothy and effervescent.” — TheaterMania.
Click here or image to download full program
OUR CAST
SYLVIA: Elizabeth Loranth
BEAU: Greg Smith
MARJORIE: Margaret Girouard
CLARKE: Will Candler
DIERDRE: Stephanie Witz
RICHARD: Christian Roulleau
CLARKE understudy: Andrew Scanlan
CAST & CREW BIOS
Margaret Girouard (Marjorie) – Margaret is thrilled to be making her debut at Mass Arts Center in The Cottage, especially as a lover of Jazz Age fashion and literature! She most recently played another fancy 1920s English lady as Lady Caroline Bramble in Enchanted April at the Cannon Theater. Favorite past roles include Giuseppe Zangara in Assassins (Milford Performing Arts Center), a cast member of The Vagina Monologues (Riverside Theater Works), The Cat in the Hat in Seussical (MPAC), Pseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Milford Faculty Arts), Susan in [title of show] (Acme Theater), Marie Dindon in La Cage aux Folles (Amherst College), The Witch in Into the Woods (UMass Theater Guild), and many more. A graduate of Mount Holyoke College, Margaret is an English teacher at Milford High School. As the advisor of the MHS Theater Workshop, she directed Legally Blonde, Pippin, Guys and Dolls, Cinderella, and Urinetown. Lots of love to her husband Greg and their perfect kitties, Audrey and Gimli. Many thanks to the absolutely fabulous cast, artistic team, and crew of The Cottage for this wonderful experience. Cheers, darlings!
Christian Roulleau (Richard) was seen most recently as Sterling in the Walpole Footlighters’ Mauritius and has appeared at MAC in The Tempest (Antonio), Assassins (Charles Guiteau), Noises Off (Lloyd Dallas), How the Other Half Loves (Frank Foster), Our Town (Doc Gibbs), Sweeney Todd (Sweeney), Measure for Measure (Angelo), Romeo and Juliet (Mercutio), Gypsy (Various), and last season’s Macbeth (Macbeth, DASH Award) and Good People (Mike). Christian received his MFA from American Repertory Theater/Moscow Art Theatre and has performed in New York and internationally, with some favorite roles including Max in Bent, Kilroy in Camino Real, Bosie in Gross Indecency, Lorenzo in Melancholy Play, Dionysos in The Bacchae, Shatov in Dostoevsky’s Demons, and John Jasper in The Mystery of Edwin Drood. You’ll find him spreading holiday cheer later this season in MAC’s Merry, Holly, Very Jolly, Happy Holiday Extravaganza. As always, Christian offers neverending thanks to his family for their love and support.
Will Candler (Clark) Will is thrilled to return to the MAC stage in the strangest production of Our Town you’ll ever see. Will is no stranger to the stage, as he is the theatre teacher at Willow Hill School in Sudbury, and has been acting, writing, and directing plays and musicals for over twenty five years. Will has performed off-Broadway and around the country with the National Theatre for Arts and Education, in addition to acting and directing locally with FPAC in Bridgewater, Cohasset Drama Club, and North River Theater in Norwell, just to name a few. Some of Will’s favorite roles include Paul in Company, Cardamon the Wizard in Once Upon A Mattress, the Mayor of Whoville in Seussical, Charles Guiteau in Assassins, Major General Stanley in The Pirates of Penzance, Sheepin The 39 Steps, and playing Santa Claus for local businesses and family parties (Now booking for Winter 2025! Mention this bio for 10% off!)Special thanks to his wife Katie and their dog Lola for all of their love and support with this adventure, to Christian for suggesting that he audition for this silly role, this amazing cast and crew for all the laughs, and to Bill for casting him, despite having an absurd amount of conflicts over the summer. @WFCandler on IG
Stephanie Rose Witz (Dierdre) is delighted to play Dierdre in The Cottage and to return to Mass Arts Center for her second show! Recent credits include Tessie Tura in Gypsy (Mass Arts Center) and Cinderella in Into the Woods (Walpole Footlighters). A longtime performer with Stadium Theatre, favorite roles include Jordan Baker in The Great Gatsby, Babette in Beauty and the Beast, and Katalin “The Hunyak” Helinski in Chicago. Stephanie holds a BA in Music Education from the University of Rhode Island and is a Music teacher in West Warwick, RI. She was recently nominated for a DASH Award for her performance in Gypsy and has performed in numerous regional productions across New England. She promises to behave… mostly—and thanks her friends and family for always indulging her antics.
Elizabeth Loranth (Sylvia) is elated to make her MassArts Center debut in The Cottage! Favorite past roles include Lucius in Titus Andronicus Musicus (Bitter Pill), Juliet in Romeo & Juliet (Sh!t-faced Shakespeare), Gwendolen in The Importance of Being Earnest (Footlight Club), and Self in White Rabbit Red Rabbit (ArtsEmerson). Thank you to Bill, Rich & Nick, to Hutch for the line readings, and to our divine cast!
Greg Smith (Beau) is ecstatic to return to the MAC stage after a 3 year hiatus! Favorite MAC shows/roles include Assassins (Zangara), The Boys in the Band (Michael), The Boys Next Door (Barry), You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown (Charlie), I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change (Man), Godspell (John the Baptist), Little Women (Prof. Bhaer), Our Town (Simon Stimson), and 1776 (Rutledge). But, his most favorite role will always be that of Dad, to his girls Davi and Ezra. All love to them, Becky, and Mom.
Andrew David Scanlan (Clarke, u/s) This is the third production Andrew David Scanlan has been involved with at Mass Arts Center. He got his start in theatre relatively late in life when he was cast as the Sergeant and Young Siward in Steve Dooner’s 2024 production of William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth. He has previously worked with director William Deschenes in the 2025 production of David Lindsey-Abaire’s Good People. Andrew appreciates this great opportunity to perform again in a Deschenes production, it has been a wonderful learning experience.
William Deschenes (Director) Bill is honored to kick off a new season of theater at Mass Arts Center with Sandy Rustin’s delightful, comic romp, The Cottage. Previous directing ventures at MAC include the classic musical, Gypsy, and David Lindsay-Abaire’s Good People. Bill has also directed productions of Into the Woods, Chicago, Mamma Mia!, A Christmas Carol–The Musical, A Chorus Line, Chapter Two and Rabbit Hole. When not on the community theater scene, Bill is a Theater Arts teacher in the Milton Public Schools where he has directed many plays and musicals. Among his favorites are You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, The Wizard of Oz, Singin’ in the Rain, Hello Dolly!, Once on This Island, and The Odd Couple as well as his own adaptations of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Bill would like to extend his sincere gratitude to this wildly talented cast and production team and much love to his family for their understanding and support.
Nicholas Maloof (Assistant Director) This is Nicholas’ second directorial collaboration with William Deschenes, the first being last season’s production of Good People at the Mass Arts Center. He has performed in many productions across Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Some standouts include Sky in Mamma Mia!, Danny Zuko in Grease and a plethora of main stage productions at Dean College, his alma mater. While studying at Dean, he had the opportunity to play Valere in La Bête, a play written by David Hirson. This is where Nicholas developed his love for farcical comedy and realized how well it suited him. His performance earned him a nomination for the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship, and he competed in the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. He is honored that William has recognized his goofball-ness and asked him to collaborate on this project. He thanks his family, friends and most importantly, the audience!
Richard DeYoung (Stage Manager) Rich is absolutely thrilled to be working with the fantastic folks at Mass Arts Center for the second time – though this time they’ve inexplicably trusted him with the title of Stage Manager (prayers appreciated). After previously working crew on David Lindsay-Abaire’s Good People and somehow not breaking anything important, Rich apparently made enough of an impression to get invited back. When the opportunity arose to be part of another incredible show, Rich’s ability to say “no” proved as reliable as his ability to find props in the dark – completely nonexistent. He’d like to thank Bill for taking this leap of faith, and Jen for literally dragging him kicking and screaming to see her in Moon Over Buffalo back in 2022 (clearly her most persuasive performance to date). Rich feels ridiculously fortunate to have a front-row seat to watch this amazingly talented group of actors perform this show night after night. Best of all? They haven’t figured out how to charge him admission yet – which is good, because stage managers definitely aren’t in it for the money!
Bruce Webster (Sound Design) is incredibly happy to be celebrating his 15th season at Mass Arts Center by working with Bill on with this brilliant farce. A few past favorites include: The 39 Steps, Next To Normal, Avenue Q, Our Town, Godspell, Autobahn, The Tempest, Dead Man’s Cell Phone and Romeo & Juliet. Bruce has received several DASH design awards for his work on MAC productions and is extremely proud to have been part of the creative team for Macbeth, which won this year’s DASH award for “Best Production, Play”. Sending out a massive, heartfelt thanks to my wife Paula for her encouragement and endless, ENDLESS patience.
Thanks to our sponsor:
“THE COTTAGE is presented by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing, LLC, servicing the Dramatists
Play Service collection. (www.dramatists.com)