FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Corey Frier- Ritsch cfrier@everymantheatre.org
Everyman Theatre Presents World Premiere of Different Words for Happiness
Local DMV Playwright and Resident Company Member Katie Kleiger Brings Intense Story of Love, Betrayal, and Revenge to Baltimore
BALTIMORE, MD (September 29, 2026)– Everyman Theatre is proud to announce the cast and creative team for the world premiere of Different Words for Happiness by Resident Company member Katie Kleiger, running October 18–November 15, 2026. The production marks the professional playwriting debut of the Maryland-raised artist, whose play joined Everyman’s season after an overwhelming response to its public reading last year at Script Tease, Everyman’s new-play reading series. A longtime presence in Baltimore theatre, Kleiger first appeared at Everyman in September 2018 as Rose Mundy in Brian Friel’s Dancing at Lughnasa and joined the Resident Company in April 2019.
“Growing up in Bethesda, five minutes from Washington, D.C., gave me access to exceptional theatre across the DMV from an early age and shaped my path as an artist,” says Kleiger. “It is incredibly meaningful that Everyman—the theatre I have called home for eight years—is producing my first play. Creating it with trusted actors, collaborators, and a director I adore has been a dream.”
Different Words for Happiness presents a fresh, poignant exploration of what it means to confront the past and redefine personal happiness. It is the story of what happens when someone is blindsided by betrayal…by the people they love the most. Fraught with secrets and suspense, this powerful drama begins with Ava’s world being upended by a late-night call from an ex, sending her into emotional turmoil. As Ava strives to regain control and face the ghosts of her past, she encounters Eleanor, a middle-aged gynecologist grappling with a midlife crisis and a life of unfulfilled dreams. Their lives become deeply intertwined as they navigate feelings of blame, forgiveness, and the pursuit of happiness.
This world premiere production features Everyman Resident Company member Megan Anderson (Emma, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, POTUS) as Eleanor, Maboud Ebrahimzadeh, making his Everyman debut as Nathan, and Em Whitworth (Deceived), returning to the Everyman stage as Ava. This three-person cast creates a rich, intimate ensemble in which each actor brings profound depth and authenticity to Kleiger’s witty, deeply human new play
Under the direction of Laura Kepley (well-known at Everyman for her direction of Emma, POTUS, The Book Club Play, and Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery), the world premiere brings together a dynamic creative team of Everyman Resident Company members and guest artists, including Resident Company member Daniel Ettinger (Emma, Deceived, Dial M for Murder—Scenic Design), Kathleen Geldard (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Deathtrap—Costume Design), Juan Juarez (Emma, Dawn, The Mystery of Irma Vep, The Book Club Play—Lighting Design), Sartje Pickett (Sound Design), Sierra Young (Intimacy), Resident Company member Robyn Quick (Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson— Dramaturgy), Resident Company member Lewis Shaw (Kim’s Convenience, Emma—Fights), and Jalon Payton (Stage Management). Together, they shape a modern, evocative world for the production.
“Directing the world premiere of Different Words for Happiness is a true honor and pleasure,” states director Laura Kepley. “Katie Kleiger’s play is daring, original, and fiercely entertaining as it explores the journey from loneliness to connection, guilt to forgiveness, and rage to joy. I am thrilled that Baltimore audiences will get to see this suspenseful, moving, and very surprising play first.”
Kleiger’s venture into playwriting exemplifies the multifaceted artistry within Everyman Theatre’s Resident Company. While celebrated for their work on stage, many company members are also writers, directors, educators, visual artists, and musicians—a vibrant creative community that deepens Everyman’s programming and connection to local audiences.
There are 28 public performances of Different Words for Happiness scheduled from Sunday, October 18, 2026, through Sunday, November 15, 2026. Tickets for weekday and weekend performances start at $59.50. Everyman offers Pay-What-You-Choose seats across the entire run, with seats allocated to every performance, as well as a full Pay-What-You-Choose performance on Sunday, October 18. Student tickets are available at all performances with a valid student ID. These discount programs serve Everyman’s mission to remove barriers and enable as many people as possible to share the joys of theatre.
PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION
Different Words for Happiness
By: Katie Kleiger
Directed by: Laura Kepley
Onstage: October 18–November 15, 2026
Tickets are on sale now at everymantheatre.org or by contacting the box office at boxoffice@everymantheatre.org or 410.752.2208. Standard box office hours are Monday through Friday, 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM (closed Saturday and Sunday). The box office opens two hours prior to every performance, including weekends.
Special Opportunities & Events
• Sunday, October 18 | Pay-What-You-Choose: The Baltimore community is invited to enjoy the first preview at a pay-what-you-choose price point. General admission seating is a firstcome, first-served basis.
• October 20–22 | Previews: Performances begin at 7:00 PM. Be among the first to see this deeply human world premiere production.
• Sunday, November 1 at 2:00 PM | Student Spotlight: High school and college students are invited to connect with peers and artists for $35, which includes a show ticket, lunch and dessert, inside access, a pre-show presentation, and a post-show cast discussion.
• Sunday, November 1, at 2:00 PM | Matinee Mingle (Post-Show): Join fellow theatre lovers immediately following the performance for an extended happy hour celebration and a facilitated conversation with members of the cast.
• Thursday, November 5 at 7:00 PM | Cast Conversation (Post-Show): Stay after the performance for a 30-minute facilitated artist discussion with members of the cast, extending the conversation beyond the stage.
• Saturday, November 7 at 2:00 PM Audio Description (AD) Performance: A dedicated accessible performance with live audio description for blind and low-vision patrons.
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
About Katie Kleiger
Everyman Theatre (Resident Company Member) Emma, Crumbs from the Table of Joy, Sense and Sensibility, Steel Magnolias, Baltimore, It’s Me, Proof, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Dancing at Lughnasa. Katie is currently on the road as Ewen Montagu with the First National Broadway Tour of Operation Mincemeat. OFF-BROADWAY: McKittrick Hotel: Sleep No More; New York City Center: Ring Twice for Miranda; Soho Playhouse: The Fall. REGIONAL: Mosaic Theater Company: Unseen; Rep. Theatre of St. Louis: Pride and Prejudice; Philadelphia Theatre Company: Everything Is Wonderful; Studio Theatre: White Noise, The Wolves, The Effect; Round House Theatre: The Book of Will, Miss Bennet; Guthrie Theater: Juno and the Paycock, Blue Stockings. AWARDS: St. Louis Theater Circle Award for Best Actress in a Comedy (Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice), Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Ensemble (The Wolves). TRAINING: University of Minnesota/Guthrie BFA Actor Training Program.
ABOUT EVERYMAN THEATRE
Everyman Theatre is a professional nonprofit theatre company located in Baltimore’s downtown Bromo Arts District. Founded as a local community theatre in 1990 by Vincent M. Lancisi, Everyman has grown into a nationally recognized regional theatre that now attracts leading artists from across the country and is a member of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT), producing under agreements with the Actors’ Equity Association. Led by Artistic Director Brandon Weinbrenner and Managing Director Marissa LaRose, Everyman is known for its distinct approach of producing work with a Resident Company of Artists—an ensemble of professional creatives who live and work in the surrounding community and who represent the excellence of Everyman both onstage and in all of their theatrical pursuits. Additionally, the theatre employs more than 150 full- and part-time staff, actors, designers, and teaching artists annually, creating meaningful opportunities for theatremakers throughout the Baltimore area. For more information, visit everymantheatre.org/about-us