Second Stage Reading Series

A reading in collaboration with the Jewish Community Center

Watch On The Rhine

By Lillian Hellman

Directed by Jacquelyn Ritz & Phil Johnson

Featuring Grace Delaney, Vanessa Dinning, Layth Haddad, Joey Landwehr, Eddy Lukovic, Carla Navarro, Andrew Oswald, Caroline Ritz Daugherty, Eben Rosenzweig & Wendy Waddell

Watch on the Rhine is set in late spring 1940 in Washington, D.C. It follows a German-born, anti-fascist man, his American wife, and their three children who find themselves visiting wealthy relatives since fleeing Europe seeking peace but find they have not come here alone. War, fascism, and espionage are all exposed in this three-act drama that evolves into an intense thriller.

Sunday, October 22, 2023  6:30 pm

Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center

Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center of San Diego County

The mission of the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, JACOBS FAMILY CAMPUS is to provide social, cultural, educational, and recreational programs to individuals and families of all ages, religions, races, financial abilities, and physical and mental abilities. Likewise, the JCC provides equal opportunity employment to individuals of all religions and backgrounds. The JCC welcomes San Diego's diverse Jewish community and the community at large.

Meet the Cast

Grace Delaney

Actor (Anise)



Grace Delaney is an Actor, Assistant Director, Dialect Coach, and Dramaturg for many theatres in San Diego, Los Angeles, and Dublin. Originally from Dubln, Ireland, Grace has been in San Diego for the past twenty-two years, acting, creating, and teaching, and is thrilled and delighted to be working with The Roustabouts Theatre in this wonderful work. Thanks to Phil and all my fellow actors and thanks to you, our wonderful audience.

Vanessa Dinning

Actor (Fanny Farrelly)

Vanessa is happy to return to The Roustabouts Theatre Company. She works as an actor, director and voice & dialect coach throughout San Diego’s performing arts community and beyond. Locally, she works with Cygnet, Moonlight, San Diego REP, The Old Globe, Moxie, New Fortune Theatre Company, The Hollywood Bowl, SDMT, San Diego Symphony, San Diego Opera, Backyard Renaissance, Lamb’s Players Theatre, and Bodhi Tree Concerts among many others and in her native UK at Shakespeare’s Globe and The Royal National Theatre to name but a few. Some favorite roles include: The Children (Hazel), Outside Mullingar (Rosemary), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Helena), As You Like It (Rosalind), Othello (Iago), Much Ado About Nothing (Beatrice), Blood and Ice (Mary Shelley), Our Country’s Good (Mary Brenham), City of Angels (Donna/Oolie), Into The Woods (The Bakers Wife), Company (Amy), Betrayal (Emma) and My Sister in this House (Christine). Vanessa also maintains a private studio coaching voice for actors, singing and cello.

Joey Landwehr

Actor (David Farrelly)

Joey Landwehr - AEA, SAG/AFTRA, DGA. (TONY Award Nomination – Inaugural Excellence In Theatre Education Award. Nominated by Ben Vereen and donned San Diego’s “Theatre Guru.”) (PROCLAMATION - Oct. 18th is officially JOEY LANDWEHR DAY in San Diego County in honor of Joey’s dedication to the theatrical arts and youth) Joey is the proud Artistic Director for the San Diego Center for Jewish Culture & JCompany Youth Theatre. Directing over 100 productions and winning over 40 awards for his work with young artists in San Diego. Also, Joey proudly serves as Artistic Director for The Broadway San Diego Awards, the local connection to the National High School Musical Theatre Awards, or “The Jimmys”, named after Jimmy Nederlander. Joey moved to San Diego after being a professional actor and director in New York City working on and off Broadway, national tours, regional theatre, and directing and soloing at Carnegie Hall. Joey received his MFA in acting and directing from Ohio State University and has worked with such greats as Ben Vereen, Betty Buckley, Marcel Marceau, Francis Sternhagen, F. Murry Abraham, Twila Tharpe Phyllis Diller, Sam Harris, Harvey Fierstein, Kristin Chenoweth, Victoria Mallory, Joel Grey, Kaye Ballard, Michael Feinstein, Patti LuPone, Howard Keel and more. In 2007 he received the “40 Under 40” Award from San Diego Metropolitan Magazine for outstanding leadership in the arts. Joey was also honored as the 2011 Newsmaker in the Arts; In San Diego, Joey has worked with Scripps Ranch Theatre, Diversionary Theatre, the San Diego Shakespeare Society, La Jolla Playhouse, The Old Globe, San Diego REP, San Diego Junior Theatre, San Diego Symphony, Orchestra Nova San Diego, Compulsion Dance & Theatre and The Actors Alliance Festival winning five different excellence awards.  - All my love to Kye – NMW!

Eddy Lukovic

Actor (Teck de Brancovis)

Most recently, Eddy was seen as Louie in Scripps Ranch Theater’s production of Lost in Yonkers. Other acting credits include Air Turbulence (PowPAC), Turning Off the Morning News (OnStage Playhouse), Dial M for Murder(Lamplighters), and The Comedy of Errors (Coronado Playhouse). Eddy is a San Diego-based actor and director who has trained extensively with SITI Company out of NYC. A big thank you to his family and friends for their love & support of his theatrical work. 

Carla Navarro

Actor (Marthe de Brancovis)

Carla Navarro is thrilled to be reading for Watch on the Rhine with Roustabouts! She was last

seen at Roustabouts for their 2023 Celebration of New Writers where she read for and wrote new short plays. Carla is a Latin-American actress who thrives on art that encompasses experimentation and awareness. She earned her theatre degree in Santiago, Chile where she ran her theatre company until relocating to San Diego. Local credits: El Huracán (Cygnet); Turning Off the Morning News, Drowning Girls, A Bright New Boise, A Piece of My Heart (Craig Noel nomination) (OnStage Playhouse); WOW Festival: Written in Stone (La Jolla Playhouse/Back Yard Renaissance); G.E.W. (Moxie); Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again. (Innermission); Letters from the Wall, From Saints to Stars (Amigos del Rep), and multiple Zoom readings locally and nationally.

Andrew Oswald

Actor (Kurt Muller)

Cygnet Theatre: The Whale, Company. Diversionary Theatre: The Hour of Great Mercy ( SD Critics Circle Award lead performance), A Kind of Weather, Regrets Only, The Further Adventures of Hedda Gabler, Boys and Girls. Backyard Renaissance: The Elephant Man, and Mr. and Mrs. Fitch. North Coast Repertory: Amadeus. La Jolla Playhouse WOW Festival. Regional Credits: Orlando Shakespeare Festival, Wisconsin Shakespeare Festival, and New Hampshire Shakespeare Festival. In New York Credits: Nada, Tribeca Theatre Lab, and New York City Opera.

Caroline Ritz Daugherty

Actor (Babette Muller)

Caroline is delighted to be making her professional debut with The Roustabouts! She is currently an 8th grader at Bernardo Heights Middle School. There, she is ASB President and president of Junior

Thespian Society. Outside of school, she dances competitively with Signature Dance Academy. Her favorite credits include Evie (Disney’s Descendants) and Cinderella (Into the Woods Jr.) at BHMS,

Kratnoff/Cheerleader (High School Musical) at Luminary Arts, and Contemporary Dancer/Thomas (Tuck Everlasting) at Junior Actor’s Company. Up next, she will be playing Anna in Frozen Jr. at BHMS. Caroline is super grateful for this amazing experience!

Eben Rosenzweig

Actor (Bodo Muller)

Eben Rosenzweig, first caught the acting bug while attending summer camp at TS@NCRT when he was 7 years old and played Woody in Toy Story. He went on to perform in three more productions with TS@NCRT including Miss Holmes, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), and The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge. He recently wrapped up the production of gUnTOPIA (Bobby Nelson) at The Roustabouts Theatre. Eben is in 5th grade at La Costa Heights Elementary School and lives in Carlsbad with his parents and two older siblings. Eben is 11 years old.

Wendy Waddell

Actor (Sara Muller)

Wendy Waddell was last seen at The Roustabouts in The Savoyard Murders and  For Whom the Southern Bell Tolls. She has a BFA in Acting from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Select San Diego theatre credits: Fiddler on the Roof (San Diego Critics Circle nominee, Welk); 9 to 5, Anything Goes, Xanadu (SDMT); Carrie, Admissions (OnStage Playhouse); Sunday in the Park with George (ion); Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Communicating Doors (SRT); All My Sons, Hamlet, King John (Intrepid); American Hero, The Full Monty, Three Sisters (New Village Arts); Brave Smiles, Bunbury (Diversionary); Bluebonnet Court (Moxie/Diversionary); The Diary of Anne Frank, The Butcher of Baraboo (MOXIE); The Miser, The Car Plays (La Jolla Playhouse); Company (Cygnet). www.WendyWaddellActor.com

Meet the Creative Team

Lillian Hellman

Playwright

Sam Shepard, born on November 5, 1943 in Fort Sheridan, Illinois, was an acclaimed American actor, playwright, and theatre director. Known for his dark and modern exploration of the American West, he wrote over 55 plays, receiving the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1979 for Buried Child. Shepard's career spanned across many different mediums, and he also ventured into fiction and non-fiction writing. From his early years working on ranches in California to his success in off-off-Broadway productions, Shepard's talent and creativity shone through. His legacy as a prolific playwright and actor continued until his passing on July 27, 2017, due to ALS.

Jacquelyn Ritz

Co-Director

Directing credits include Lost in Yonkers, And Neither Have I Wings to Fly, Communicating Doors and Accomplice, and is slated to direct Kate Hamill’s Vanity Fair at SRT this spring. She teaches Acting for the Working Actor and directs the Showcase. Last year she appeared in Lempicka a La Jolla Playhouse as the Baroness, directed by Rachel Chavkin. She has appeared at North Coast Rep credits include the title role Annabella in July, Bloomsday, How the Other Half Loves, Chapter Two, Fallen Angels. Regional credits include the Goodman Theatre, Northlight, Royal George, Apollo, Drury Lane, Intrepid Theatre, Marriott Lincolnshire, Peninsula Players, Milwaukee Repertory, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Asolo Center, and the Kennedy Center in Sondheim’s Bounce (dir. Harold Prince). She is a member of AEA and SAG/AFTRA. www.JacquelynRitzBiz.com

Phil Johnson

Co-Director

Phil Johnson is the Artistic Director and proud co-founder of The Roustabouts Theatre Co. He’s directed for The Roustabouts, Scripps Ranch Theatre, Playwrights Project, and started the new Great Jewish American Playwright Series/JPlays at the JCC. He’s appeared at almost all San Diego theaters and in numerous original solo shows including A Jewish Joke which opened Off-Broadway in NYC in 2019. As an actor, he’s played in Les Misérables on Broadway and on tour; Canadian production of Sunset Boulevard; and the 1st National Co. of Miss Saigon. He is a two-time winner of the SD Critics Circle Craig Noel Award for acting, and he is a founder of the San Diego Theatre Alliance. He last appeared in North Coast Rep's ‘The Remarkable Mr. Holmes' with Guntopia's Katie Karel.