The Tabard Theatre Company presents 
“Trying” 
by Joanna McClelland Glass
 Directed by Doug Baird
Opening November 6, 2020

The Tabard Theatre Company is back with a new  live stream offering for theatre lovers in Santa Clara County and beyond. After several months of working with county officials in order to create safe working protocols for live -streaming performances in Santa Clara county, Tabard is now announcing that their second show of the season Trying will open November 6, 2020. 

The year is 1967, and second wave feminism is just hitting its stride. Meanwhile, Judge Francis Biddle is a cantankerous patrician who cannot keep an assistant. An eminent former Attorney General and Chief Judge of the American Military Tribunal at Nuremberg, Biddle is trying to complete his memoirs, but has had numerous female aides quit due to his bristling elitism, casual misogyny, and general insufferability. Enter Sarah Schorr, a feisty young Canadian writer who fearlessly matches him wit for wit. As Sarah battles for enough respect from Biddle to allow her to do her job, what results is a touching portrait of generational and political reconciliation. Based on Glass’ own real-life experience working for Judge Biddle during the final year of his life, Trying is told with a grace and humor that will take audiences on a journey to examine what constitutes the measure of a person’s worth.

Trying is directed by Doug Baird and stars Rich Holman as Judge Biddle and Melissa Momboisse as Sarah Schorr.  The play will have an all-livestream run Nov. 6– 22.  Single tickets for the play are $15 to $50 as part of Tabard’s new inclusive pricing that allows buyers to choose their level of support.

In order to make theatre more accessible to those financially impacted by the crisis, Tabard is offering three tiers of pricing and leaving it up to the customer to pay according to their situation. The lowest price is offered for anyone who needs a little help in order to afford a ticket, whether due to the COVID crisis or for any other reason. The middle price is for patrons who are comfortable paying for a standard theatre ticket, and the highest price point is available for those who have the capacity and wish to support access to the arts for someone else in need. 

Doug Baird (Director) is a Tabard associate artistic director most recently having directed Looking Over the President’s Shoulder, Tabard’s first livestream production earlier this summer. For Tabard he also directed Snapshots, Adrift in Macao, Mom’s Gift, Musical of Musicals (The Musical!), I Do! I Do!, Tuesdays With Morrie, and Driving Miss Daisy. Other recent directing credits include The Will Rogers Follies, Irene, Bells Are Ringing, Mame, and My Fair Lady at WVLO Musical Theatre. Doug is also an award-winning actor, having appeared in Hairspray, Cabaret, Hello, Dolly!, and 42nd Street, to name a few.

Rich Holman returns to the Tabard stage after previous appearances as Hank in The Tin Woman, Coach in Evelyn in Purgatory, and Sir Harry Percy in The Explorers Club. Other favorite roles include Algernon in The Importance of Being Ernest and A Bad Chemical in Breakfast of Champions at Hillbarn Theatre; Lucius O’Trigger in The Rivals, and Ray in Lone Star at Bus Barn Stage Company. 

Trying will mark Melissa Momboisse’s first production with Tabard. Favorite credits include: Funny Girl (Fanny Brice) at Throckmorton Theatre; Newsies (Katherine) and Anything Goes (Hope) at Hillbarn Theatre; Hairspray (Penny) at Bay Area Musicals; Heathers (Heather McNamara) at Pacifica Spindrift Players; Showboat (Kim) at San Francisco Opera; West Side Story (Anybodys) and Grease (Frenchy) at CCMT; Little Shop of Horrors (Audrey), Hairspray (Penny), 42nd Street (Anytime Annie), Anything Goes (Erma), Taffetas (Donna), and Music Man (Zaneeta) at PCRT; Ragtime (Evelyn Nesbit) at CMTSJ Marquee and Throckmorton Theatre; Grey Gardens (Young Edie) at DMT; 25th…Spelling Bee (Olive) at TVRT. 

Tabard Theatre (formerly Theatre on San Pedro Square) — The Destination for Arts Discovery —  is located in the heart of historic San Pedro Square in downtown San Jose amid a bustling restaurant district.  The Tabard Theatre Company was founded in 2001 by Cathy Spielberger Cassetta. Tabard’s mission is to provide live entertainment experiences that are enlightening, appropriate and affordable for audiences of all ages. They champion new works, innovative interpretations, and unique plays rarely staged. Tabard is an inclusive environment where the community can participate in every aspect of the plays, musicals, educational programs and music concerts they produce. With altruistic attention to the underserved, Tabard reaches out to communities such as the visually impaired and children in low-income areas, and donates a portion of donations received during each production's livestream performances to a partnered local charity. The Tabard Theatre Company is grateful for support provided by grants from The City of San Jose Office of Cultural Affairs, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation and Silicon Valley Creates.

For Calendar Editors

What: Trying by Joanna McClelland Glass, based on her memoirs.  An intimate, engaging story about the collisions of age, gender, class, and politics. A touching story of grace and humor.              

When: November 6, 2020 through November 22, 2020

Where: Online multi-camera livestream, accessed via your computer, phone, tablet  or TV

Tickets:  $15-$50. www.tabardtheatre.org  or Call (408) 679-2330

Performances:

Friday, November 6 at 8pm (Opening Night)

Saturday, November 7 at 2:30pm (Free pre-show presentation for visually impaired.  Everyone welcome.)

Saturday, November 7 at 3pm

Sunday, November 8 at 2pm

Thursday, November 12 at 8pm

Friday, November 13 at 8pm

Saturday, November 14 at 3pm

Saturday, November 14 at 8pm

Sunday, November 15 at 2pm

Friday, November 20 at 8pm

Saturday, November 21 at 3pm

Sunday, November 22 at 2pm

Rich Holman as Judge Biddle and Melissa Momboisse as Sarah Schorr in Trying at Tabard Theatre, livestreaming Nov. 6-22. Photo credit: Edmond Kwong.  

Rich Holman as Judge Biddle and Melissa Momboisse as Sarah Schorr in Trying at Tabard Theatre, livestreaming Nov. 6-22. Photo credit: Edmond Kwong.  

Rich Holman as Judge Biddle and Melissa Momboisse as Sarah Schorr in Trying at Tabard Theatre, livestreaming Nov. 6-22. Photo credit: Edmond Kwong. 
 

Rich Holman as Judge Biddle and Melissa Momboisse as Sarah Schorr in Trying at Tabard Theatre, livestreaming Nov. 6-22. Photo credit: Edmond Kwong.