At the Off-Central, ensemble work puts the fun in dysfunctional

After a sold-out opening weekend, the cast and crew of Vanya and Sonya and Masha and Spike at the Off-Central will be back at it, for the second and final weekend of performances, come Wednesday. 

The St. Petersburg black box theater has just 43 seats, and the Tony-winning comedy by Christopher Durang is the kind of play that rewards that sort of close contact. It almost feels like we, the audience, are eavesdropping.

Vania and Sonya are a middle-aged brother and sister. They live together, not doing much of anything, in the Pennsylvania family home where they were raised. Sister Masha is a movie star who lives – naturally – out of town, and since she pays all the bills, her siblings don’t have to work.

There’s all sort of dysfunction in this particular family, and it’s laid bare when Masha comes sweeping in for an unexpected visit, accompanied by her latest Hollywood boy-toy, an empty-headed stud called Spike.

The gang’s all here: Gregory, left, Schroeder, Eve Grissinger, Will Rickard, Bonilla-Mas, Tracey Reynolds, stage manager Marcus Wheby and director Dylan Barlowe. Photo by Jess Washington.

This Off-Central production features a stellar ensemble cast that fires on all cylinders, for the comedy’s two-hour run time (Vanya et al are joined in various scenes by a noisy and possibly psychic cleaning lady, and a nice girl from up the street who wants to be an actress).

“I spent the first week of rehearsals developing the ensemble,” explains director Dylan Barlowe. “Not developing the characters of the show. And through that, you find that you’re developing the characters, as you’re playing and discussing.”

Barlowe says he could feel the chemistry forming as soon as the six actors, chosen through an audition process, were in the same room together.

“We got on our feet and played theater games. And I ran workshops where we did laughing exercises, where we’re all laughing together. They’re meant to build the ensemble as a family who’s working on intimate work for the next month together.”

Michael Gregory plays grouchy older brother Vanya, with Jill Schroeder as nervous sister Sonya. Tracey Reynolds is Masha the self-important actress, and Will Rickard plays Spike, who more often than not is parading around in his underwear.

The cast is rounded out by Hayah Bonilla-Mas (Cassandra, the housekeeper) and Eve Grissinger (Nina, the girl-next-door).

“This show is inherently human,” Barlowe believes. “These characters that are going through what we call the midlife crisis, it resonates and relates to anyone. There are just so many times that you think ‘God, I wish I would have done this,’ or ‘I wish I’ve said this thing to this person.’ Hindsight is 20/20.

“You can understand why the two siblings who are at home might feel like ‘We haven’t done anything with our lives.’ But then we meet their sibling, who we would consider fabulously successful, and she’s dealing with the same thing: ‘Where has my life gone?’”

Barlowe’s most recent directing job at Off-Central was the Christmas comedy Who’s Holiday in 2025. For American Stage, he directed the outdoor adventures The Diaries of Adam & Eve and Don’t Feed the Animals.

The St. Petersburg native is also a professional fight choreographer, and an actor.

It’s that last designation that, Barlowe believes, made directing the Vanya and Sonya ensemble … not easy, exactly, but a thoroughly enjoyable creative experience.  

“I keep the actor in the front of my mind,” he says. “to make sure that they’re empowered to make decisions and play in the sandbox. And then we find out how everybody’s imagination comes together to tell one cohesive story.”

Find showtimes and tickets at this link.