PROGRAM
CAST & CREATIVE TEAM
CREATIVE TEAM
PLAYWRIGHTS Beth Graham, Charlie Tomlinson, Daniela Vlaskalic
DIRECTOR Daniel King
PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER Kit Ratliff
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER Bridget Delaney
SCENIC DESIGN Spencer Donovan
VIOLENCE & INTIMACY CHOREOGRAPHER Michael Bevis
SOUND DESIGN & ORIGINAL MUSIC Samuel Fitzwater-Butchart
LIGHTING DESIGN Alexa Wiljanen
COSTUME DESIGN Dagny Mullins
PROPS DESIGN Judith Laughlin
CREATIVE PRODUCER Nathaniel Negrón
CAST
BESSIE Selena Lopez
ALICE Lindsey Zanatta
MARGARET Diane Sintich​
ABOUT
EVERYONE LOVES A WEDDING!
The Brides of the Bathtub, Bessie, Alice, and Margaret - the three wives and victims of George Joseph Smith, an Edwardian opportunist who married women, took out life insurance policies on them, and subsequently drowned them in their baths - return as ghostly brides to relive the shocking events leading up to their deaths.​
THE DROWNING GIRLS is a bathtub, true crime fantasia. RSVP to the weddings of the year.
​
Directed by Daniel King
​
"The imaginative depth of The Drowning Girls is enough to take your breath away." -BOB CLARK, CALGARY HERALD
​
"Morbidly funny" - Kerry Reid
ABOUT THE PLAY
THE DROWNING GIRLS is based on the Scotland Yard case of the notorious George Joseph Smith and his victims, "the brides of the bathtubs." It was written and conceived by two University of Alberta grads, Beth Graham and Daniela Vlaskalic and their professor, Charlie Tomlinson who also directed the piece.
It was first produced in 1999 at the Bride of Frankenfringe, the eighteenth annual edition of the Edmonton Fringe and was a smash hit. It toured nationally from 2009-2011. ​​​​​​​​
DATES
Performances - March 13-30, 2025
Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30pm; Sundays at 3pm
​​
PLAYWRIGHTS
Beth Graham, Daniela Vlaskalic, and Charlie Tomlinson​​
​
RUN TIME
75 minutes with no intermission.
​
CONTENT ADVISORY
Murder, drowning, ​the plight of women in society that really hasn't changed all that much in 100 years, death, dark humor​​​
​
FOOD & DRINK
Raven has concessions available, candy, soda, water and a small selection of alcoholic beverages. (Please remember that the performance space is smaller and the actors can absolutely hear the plastic scrunch noises when you scrounge around for gummy bears. We get it! But please just try to be mindful of the disruption on the actors and audience when eating and drinking. Thank you!)
​
Access Raven Theatre's Dining Guide Here.
​
THANK YOU
Three Crows would like to thank the Lucy, Amy, and Ryan and the team at Raven Theatre, TimeLine Theatre.
​
cast
CAST (in order of appearance)
CREATIVE TEAM
Daniel King (Director)
Daniel King (née Sappington) is a Queer, Chicago-based director who believes the revitalization of the American Theatre starts in the storefront, community, and regional theatres of middle America. He’s a mischief-maker whose work often centers Queer themes. He’s a Company Member and Resident Director with Three Crows, where his credits include The Beauty Queen of Leenane and an immersive production of The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me. Selected credits include Fun Home (IU), Gross Indecency (IU), Seminar (Spartan Theatre), and A Lot of Time to Think (Bump in the Night Theatre). BFA in Acting (CCPA), MFA in Directing (IU – Bloomington). Enduring love to his husband (and scenic designer), Spencer.
Dagny Mullins (Costume Design)
An Alabama native turned Chicagoan, Dagny (she/her) has been working as a freelance costume designer for theatre and film in the city since 2015. After graduating from Columbia College Chicago with a focus in film and television, she returned to her theatrical roots with Three Crows' production of Macbeth and followed that up with The Beauty Queen of Leenane and The Danish Play.
​
Judith Laughlin (Properties Design)
Judith (she/her) has worked with such distinguished Chicago theaters as Provision Theatre, The Agency Theatre Collective, Teatro Vista, Metropolis Theatre, The Artistic Home, BrightSide Theatre, and Fury Theatre. She appeared in our productions of The Beauty Queen of Leenane (Mag), Silent Sky (Williamina Fleming), The Trojan Women (Hecuba), and Our Country's Good (Shitty Meg.) Favorite roles include Joan in At the Center, Gertie in Fuddy Meers, Berta in Hedda Gabler, Beth in Ordinary People, Amanda Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie. Judith is also the director of the popular Kids on Stage! summer theatre camp program in Glen Ellyn.
Kit Ratliff (Stage Manager)
Kit (they/them) is a proud company member of Three Crows Theatre. They have been seen on stage with Three Crows in The Danish Play, Our Country's Good, and These Shining Lives. They have worked as a stage manager for The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me with Three Crows and Mercy Killing with Open Space Arts. Kit is honored to work with a company who believes in the accessibility of art and dedicates their resources to producing works that are relevant, inspiring, and real.
Bridget Delaney (Assistant Stage Manager)
Bridget is excited to be an apart of her first show at Three Crows Theater! She is a recent graduate of Elmhurst University, where she earned a major in Theater Technology and Design and a minor in Art. Bridget is a theater technician at Elgin Community College and the College of Dupage. Enjoy the show!
Samuel Fitzwater-Butchart (Sound Design & Original Music)
Hailing from Milwaukee, Sam (he/him) has been in theater for almost ten years and has worked for theater companies such as Skylight Music Theatre, Theatre Gigante, and Next-Act Theatre among others. With Three Crows, he's designed The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Macbeth, The Trojan Women, Our Country's Good, These Shining Lives, and Terra Nova. Other design credits include Circus Man & Curtain Call (Electric Crayon Studios), and My Fair Lady (RUSD) He is a graduate of UW-Parkside.
Spencer Donovan (Scenic Design)
​
Alexa Wiljanen (Lighting Design)
​
Michael Bevis (Fight & Intimacy Choreographer)
Michael (he/him) holds a BFA in theatre performance from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He's worked with companies throughout Illinois and Wisconsin, including Milwaukee Opera Theatre, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, and Shakespeare in the Park. With Three Crows, he was previously the firearms consultant for Our Country's Good, the violence designer for Macbeth and The Beauty Queen of Leenane. He holds SAFD certification in multiple fight styles.
Nathaniel Negrón (Creative Producer)
A Chicagoland native, Selena (she/her) holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and a Master of Fine Arts in Acting from The New School for Drama in New York. She is a co-founder, co-artistic director and managing director of Three Crows. With Three Crows, Selena was last seen as Lady M in Macbeth, Maureen in The Beauty Queen of Leenane. She was recently seen as Rosa Gonzales in Summer and Smoke by Tennessee Williams with Violet Sky. This summer she' spent the season with American Players Theatre in Spring Green, WI. As a voice over artist, Selena has worked on over 800 projects.​