Mancub by Douglass Maxwell Role: Actor 5 Directed by Christopher Michael Richardson Northwestern University, Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts
May 2025

An experimental, highly physical new play where five actors tackle over fifty roles. Mancub is the beautiful and absurd story of Paul, an unremarkable teenage boy who seems to be turning into animals. While facing the usual struggles of growing up (fighting with your dad about the milk, soccer practice, flirting, etc.) he also faces a more pressing problem – his reality keeps shifting as the lines blur between the human and the beastly. (Wirtz Center)

“Nastia Goddard sharply transformed between angsty soccer coach Mr. Sisskind and teddy bear-loving brother Luke. In all its theatricity, her performance was refreshing, fun and loud for both parts.”

- The Daily Northwestern

Performer balancing on a table with arms outstretched, backlit by blue lighting, with a person in the background with raised hands and fabric draping overhead.
Silhouettes of five people standing in front of a wall with the word 'mancub' projected behind them.
A group of six young actors performing on stage, holding a person in a horizontal position as if they are flying or floating, during a theatrical play.
Theater stage with performers rehearsing, some standing and some seated, and empty chairs around the stage, with a backdrop curtain and dim lighting.
People performing on a stage with a curtain in the background that says "a scrub."
People practicing a dance or theater scene with chairs on a stage, some are holding chairs in dynamic poses.
The scene depicts five young people on stage, engaged in a dramatic scene. One girl in the center is crying, holding a blue stuffed elephant, with tears on her face. Two young men are seated on either side of her, facing her and looking distressed. Two girls are standing behind the seated boys, with one looking down at her phone and the other with her arms crossed, appearing contemplative.
Two women on stage, one kneeling and the other sitting on a chair, with the woman on the chair holding a knife and looking up, suggesting a theatrical performance or play.
Theater stage with actors performing a scene, dim lighting, and audience seats visible in the foreground.
People practicing theater or acting on stage with a curtain backdrop, with one person jumping joyfully, another adjusting her hair, and two others observing.
Group of five smiling young people standing in front of a wall with the word 'mancub' projected on it, casting shadows behind them.
Group of six actors performing on stage with a white backdrop, some raising their arms, during a theatrical rehearsal or performance.
Group photo of 20 young adults on a stage making various playful and expressive gestures, celebrating together.

Photos by Justin Barbin

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