Embedded Files
by Terrence McNally
About the Event
Brief Cameo Productions is proud to kick off Pride Month 2026 by celebrating the work and legacy of a true LGBTQ+ trailblazer.
Join us for ONE NIGHT ONLY benefit reading of The Lisbon Traviata at the Centerbrook Meetinghouse on June 2nd, 2026 at 7:00 PM, featuring a cast of BCP audience favorites reading a sharply funny and captivatingly tragic script by five-time Tony recipient Terrence McNally (Ragtime, Master Class).
The Lisbon Traviata centers on a revealing conversation between Stephen (Jacob Iglitzin), a depressed literary editor and opera fanatic, and Mendy (Bryan Quinn), a flamboyant opera queen. The two dish late into the night, distracting Stephen from his failing relationship with hilarious riffs on opera records, Maria Callas, and more. But when Stephen returns home to confront his boyfriend Mike (Nathan Szymanski) and his boyfriend's new - and considerably younger - lover Paul (Galen Donovan), a tragedy begins to unfold on the scale of the grand opera he loves so much.
Featuring McNally's signature "flair for crackling dialogue" (Variety), The Lisbon Traviata is "a defiant attempt to confront demons" (NY Times), exploring themes of obsession and jealousy, paralleling the very same grand passions of Verdi’s La Traviata itself.
This reading is directed by BCP Associate Producer Alan Piotrowicz, with stage directions read by Sydney Yargeau.
You can learn more about the author, the play, the opera that inspired it further down the page. Thank you for your continued support of Brief Cameo Productions!
Originally produced by Theatre Off Park, Sherwin M. Goldman and Westport Productions at Theatre Off Park in New York City, 1985.THE LISBON TRAVIATA is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Dramatists Play Service.
THE VIDEOTAPING OR MAKING OF ELECTRONIC OR OTHER AUDIO AND/OR VISUAL RECORDINGS OF THIS PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTING RECORDINGS OR STREAMS IN ANY MEDIUM, INCLUDING THE INTERNET, IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED, A VIOLATION OF THE AUTHOR(S)’S RIGHTS AND ACTIONABLE UNDER UNITED STATES COPYRIGHT LAW. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT: https://concordtheatricals.com/resources/protecting-artists
Date & Time
Tuesday, June 2nd, 2026
7:00 PM
The performance is in two acts and runs approximately two and a half hours, including a 15-minute intermission.
Please note this show contains adult language and themes.
Location
Centerbrook Meetinghouse
51 Main Street
Centerbrook, CT 06409
(off Route 9 from Exit 3 or Exit 5)
Tickets
$30 General Admission
Buy EARLY BIRD to save $5.00 off tickets purchased by April 30th!
Learn More
About the Artists
BRYAN QUINN | Mendy
from SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE (2023) & THE DROWSY CHAPERONE (2025)From Watertown, Wisconsin, Bryan made his Brief Cameo Productions debut as Franz/Dennis in Sunday in the Park with George in 2023 and headlined as Man in Chair in The Drowsy Chaperone in 2025. He has appeared on Milwaukee stages as the Narrator in the world premiere of Liz Shipe's The Incredible Adventure of Alvin Tatlock, Owen Fawcett in the world premiere of Angela lanone's The Seeds of Banquo, recurring appearances as Stan Zbornak in Purse String Productions' Golden Girls Drag Parody, and Mendy in The Lisbon Traviata by Terrence McNally.
JACOB IGLITZIN | Stephen
from MASTER CLASS (2024) & THE DROWSY CHAPERONE (2025)Jacob Iglitzin is a New York–based theatre artist. A lyricist, bookwriter, composer, playwright, performer, director, and dramaturg from Seattle, Jacob’s original musicals include 16/32 (Studio Tisch 2025), AIDEN (Winner – Short Play Festival “LUV” 2025), Elaine!, and Boys, Boys, Behave!. His songs have been featured at 54 Below, The Green Room 42, Laurie Beechman Theatre, The Players Theatre, The Vino Theater, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, and the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center. His dark comedy play Psychopathia Paschalis was the winner of Apotheosis Theatre Group’s inaugural “Looking for a Play” Festival, and is slated for production in summer 2026. Jacob holds a B.A. in History from Columbia University and certifications from the Musical Creators’ Institute and the O’Neill’s National Musical Theatre Institute. He is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild, LMDA, and New York Theatre Workshop’s Casebook Program. He is thrilled to return to Brief Cameo Productions after performing the roles of Manny the piano accompanist in Master Class and Feldzieg in The Drowsy Chaperone. www.jacobiglitzin.com and IG: @pageboy777.
NATHAN SZYMANSKI | Mike
from RAGTIME (2020) & SIDE SHOW (2026)Nathan Szymanski is ecstatic to once again work with Brief Cameo Productions! Nathan is an Ivoryton, CT native and graduated with an Acting BFA from Shenandoah Conservatory. Some previous credits include Headmistress Trunchbull (Matilda the Musical), Professor Plum (CLUE), Duke of Gloucester (Henry V), Geek/Others (Side Show), and Florida/Ensemble (I'm Connecticut). Endless gratitude for my family and friends, and their unwavering support! Please sit back, relax, and enjoy the electric atmosphere!
GALEN DONOVAN | Paul
from THE DROWSY CHAPERONE (2025) & SIDE SHOW (2026)Galen Donovan is so excited to be back with BCP! Galen was the production assistant for BCP’s Drowsy Chaperone in Concert and appeared onstage in many, many roles in Side Show earlier this year. Galen was also seen in Joseph… Dreamcoat at the Ivoryton Playhouse as one of the brothers! Select regional credits include: My Fair Lady (Offstage Swing) The Ivoryton Playhouse, Joseph… Dreamcoat! (Brother, Ensemble) The Ivoryton Playhouse, Escape To Margaritaville (Ensemble, Tully U/S) The Ivoryton Playhouse, ONCE (Andrej, Guy U/S) The Wilbury Group, Spring Awakening (Melchior) The CT Theatre Company, Spring Awakening (Ernst) Madison Lyric Stage, and The Addams Family (Lucas) Bradley Playhouse. Thanks to Jim and Alan and the rest of the BCP family for welcoming Galen back for another great show! Galen sends his love to his parents, his beautiful girlfriend Sydney, and wonderful friends!
SYDNEY YARGEAU | Stage Directions
from SIDE SHOW (2026)Sydney is thrilled to be a part of The Lisbon Traviata with BCP. Previous stage credits include Player With Fire (Magnolia Theater Company), The Wedding Binder and A Bronx Tale (Seven Angels Theatre), Tiaras Over Teaneck with Pantochino Productions, and Side Show (Brief Cameo Productions). She also works in film and television background and can be seen in the final scene of Smile 2 as well as in several episodes of Law & Order. She is grateful to be part of this production and thanks her family, friends and her amazing boyfriend Galen for their continued support.
ALAN PIOTROWICZ | Director / Sound Designer
from RAGTIME (2020), SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE (2023), MASTER CLASS (2024), THE DROWSY CHAPERONE (2025), & SIDE SHOW (2026)BCP - Ragtime (Projection Designer), Sunday in the Park with George (Director, Projection Designer), Master Class (Director), The Drowsy Chaperone (Assistant Director, Production Designer), Side Show (Co-Director, Production Designer). Alan makes his home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where he has designed for several companies including All In Productions, Cooperative Performance, Danceworks, Falls Patio Players, First Stage Children’s Theatre, In Tandem Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Next Act Theatre, Renaissance Theaterworks, Sunstone Studios MKE, Theatre Gigante, Theater RED, Umbrella Group Milwaukee, and Windfall Theatre. He's also designed for TITAN Theatre Company in New York City, Hope Summer Repertory Theatre in Holland, Michigan, and the Ivoryton Playhouse (The Porch on Windy Hill, Native Gardens, The Legend of Georgia McBride, On Golden Pond, The Color Purple, Swingtime Canteen, and Alabama Story). His directing credits include Some Enchanted Evening - The Songs of Rogers & Hammerstein (Falls Patio Players), Dead Man's Cell Phone (Pink Banana Theatre Co.), Rocket Man (Soulstice Theatre), The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs (The World's Stage Theatre Co.), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Village Playhouse), The Lisbon Traviata (Sunstone Studios MKE), and the world premiere of RIP - A Musical Comedy of Life & Death. He received his training at UW-Madison and The Santa Fe Opera. Proud board member of Brief Cameo Productions. www.alanpiotrowicz.com
Additional Credits
Voice of Franco Zeffirelli
TULLIO MILANI
Additional Voices
JOHANNA REGAN MILANI
BRYAN SONGY
JIM CLARK
Special Thanks
THE TOWN OF ESSEX
About the Author
TERRENCE MCNALLY | Playwright
from RAGTIME (2020) & MASTER CLASS (2024)Terrence McNally was an American playwright, librettist and LGBTQ+ trailblazer, described by the New York Times as “the bard of the American Theater.” One of the few playwrights of his generation to successfully pass from the avant-garde to mainstream acclaim, Terrence redefined American playwriting for six decades and was the recipient of five Tony Awards (two for his plays Love! Valour! Compassion! and Master Class, two for the books to his musicals Kiss of the Spider Woman and Ragtime, and the 2019 Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement). Terrence received many honors throughout his life, including the Dramatists Guild Lifetime Achievement Award (where he was Vice President from 1981 to 2001), the Lucille Lortel Lifetime Achievement Award, and inductions into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1996 and the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2018. His incredible legacy lives on in his plays, musicals and operas that continue to be performed all over the world, as well as in his papers, which are kept and open to the public at the Harry Ransom Center in the University of Texas at Austin.
La Traviata, Lisbon, and the Play
The Opera
La Traviata, Giuseppe Verdi's 1853 opera, is a tragic story of love and sacrifice in 19th-century Paris. Violetta, a renowned but sickly courtesan, falls for the noble Alfredo Germont. She abandons her lavish lifestyle for him, only to be forced to leave him by his father due to social stigma. Misunderstanding her sacrifice, Alfredo publicly humiliates her before discovering the truth, but it is too late as she dies of tuberculosis.
Traviata in Lisbon
McNally's play derives its title from an actual 1958 production of La Traviata starring Maria Callas at Teatro Nacional de São Carlos in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon. Co-starring Alfredo Kraus as Alfredo and Mario Sereni as Germont, the performance captured Callas at the height of her dramatic powers, featuring intense, critically acclaimed vocals shortly after her turbulent departure from the Rome Opera. However, the production was not broadcast and no recording was known to exist for many years.
Inspiring the Play
At the time McNally was writing his play, he chose the Lisbon Traviata for the very fact that there was no known recording of it.
However, an unauthorized recording had been made by a cast member in the production. Two thousand copies quickly became collector's items (despite their amateur quality) among the diva's fans. It was considered a defining "holy grail" live recording of Callas's career.
Almost thirty years later (right as McNally finished writing the play), it was announced that the tapes had been rediscovered and would be released commercially.
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