Written by WALLACE SHAWN

ABOUT THIS PRODUCTION

Written by acclaimed playwright and actor Wallace Shawn (The Princess Bride, My Dinner with Andre), The Fever places the audience inside the spiraling consciousness of an individual whose privileged life is destabilized by a reckoning with suffering, violence, and complicity on a global scale. Delivered with striking intimacy, the play dissolves the boundary between speaker and listener, transforming the theatre into a shared moral space where comfort is challenged and certainty erodes.

DATES/TIMES & LOCATION

All performances will be held at BABS’LAB at 603 King St, Jacksonville, FL 32204. Dates and times are listed below.

Thursday, February 19, 7:30pm – (Pay-What-You-Please Preview—donations accepted at the door)
Friday, February 20, 7:30pm – Opening Night – (Our Blue Carpet Premiere: walk the blue carpet, photo ops, complimentary champagne, +more)
Saturday, February 21, 7:30pm
Thursday, February 26, 7:30pm
Friday, February 27, 7:30pm
Saturday, February 28, 7:30pm – NEXTGEN Night (Includes a post-show talkback for students focused on professional theatre-making and careers in the field)
Sunday, March 1 – 2:00pm Matinee (Includes a post-show talkback with the cast and creative team)
Thursday, March 5, 7:30pm
Friday, March 6, 7:30pm
Saturday, March 7, 7:30pm

CAST

Jessica Racaniello

DIRECTION

Noah Bennett

STAGE MANAGER

Drew Frericks

PRODUCERS

Katie Johnston

Brian Niece*

* Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States.

TICKETS

CREATIVE TEAM

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

Tyler Hammond

ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER

Julie Nolasco

LIGHTING DESIGNER

James Tucker

SOUND DESIGNER

Noah Bennett

PRODUCTION DESIGN

Tyler Hammond

COSTUME DESIGNER

Lauren Paragallo

DIGITAL MEDIA

Joshua Andrews

SEASON PARTNERS

Text black on white background reading 'Preston & Joan Haskell' with 'Haskell' in bold.

SHOW SPONSORS

TICKETS

A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR

On THE FEVER by Wallace Shawn

You're looking at a screen right now. Odds are at some point today you, like me, opened an app whether it was social media, the news, or another form of connecting with the world. In that act, you likely glossed over something troubling; a form of suffering, domestic or abroad. And you kept scrolling. That complicity is what drew me to The Fever over 35 years after its publication.

In the same silence in which you continued scrolling, you sit to absorb this performance. You're playing another role, our silent scene partner. While I'd largely define this piece as a confessional one, in many ways, I'd consider it conversational. What you see around you isn't abstraction—it's a room we all have. This play begins in a position we've all found ourselves in after a long night. A moment where we need to purge. Over 85 minutes, you may feel confronted. You will certainly feel conflicted. The performer will look at you directly. She may touch you and this isn’t meant to comfort you. The "poor country" Shawn describes remains unnamed, deliberately. You'll recognize it, or you won't. Either recognition is its own form of confession.

Shawn's language doesn't stammer or explode, it spirals. Thoughts double back, contradict themselves, confess and retract. It's the rhythm of someone trying to think their way out of guilt and finding there's no exit. That's why this play demands the kind of intimate, immediate theatre we make at Lumen Rep.

Babs Lab puts you close enough to see the sweat, the water drip, and the fever break. Close enough to be implicated. You're not watching someone have a fever, you're in the room with them, breathing the same air, complicit in the same silence.

Lumen Rep is proud to bring Actors' Equity theatre to Jacksonville that doesn't apologize for being difficult. We believe this city deserves work that provokes, that risks, that refuses to let you scroll past. Thank you for showing up. Thank you for sitting in the silence.

— Noah Bennett

WHO’S WHO IN THE CAST

JESSICA RACANIELLO

NARRRATOR
in THE FEVER

Jessica originally hails from Connecticut. She has been involved in regional theatre for many years in Connecticut, New York, and Florida. Recent theatre highlights include her portrayal of Josie Hogan in Moon For the Misbegotten at ABET, and Lenny MacGrath in Crimes of the Heart at the Limelight Theatre.

Other memorable roles include Margot Wendice in Dial M for Murder, Joan Plowright in Orson's Shadow, Sandra in A Thousand Clowns, Rosalind in As You Like It, and a one-actor show Rosetta at the New City Summer Festival in NYC.

Jessica holds a B.S. in Criminal Justice and M.S. in Aging.

WHO’S WHO IN THE CREW

JOSHUA ANDREWS

DIGITAL MEDIA
Josh is an ardent proponent of professional arts in this region. He co-founded Lumen Rep with Brian and Kristin, and they have been creating professional productions since 2022. He would like to extend his heartfelt gratitude to the Lumen Rep team, as well as to the many donors, patrons, designers, fellow artists, board members, and volunteers who help make Lumen Repertory Theatre a reality for Northeast Florida. Finally, Josh thanks his close friends, his family, and his Lydia for their unwavering love and support.
Offstage, Josh is a pro photographer and would love to do your headshots in exchange for money — visit his website at jaxheadshots.co, and follow him on social media — @joshuabrittonandrews @jaxheadshots #PayThePros
NOAH BENNETT

DIRECTOR & SOUND DESIGN
Noah Bennett is a a versatile performer, educator, and published playwright. He holds an MFA from The Ohio State University and a BA from the University of Florida. His solo work, The Phil Mitchell Radio Hour—a dark comedy about an evangelical radio host during the rapture—earned an ArtsATL Critic's Pick and heads to New York and Asheville this March. Noah serves on the board of directors at Lumen Repertory Theatre and teaches at Florida State College at Jacksonville. His work is meant to be experienced, not consumed. He'd like to thank Brian Niece and Josh Andrews for opening a door for collaboration at Lumen Repertory Theatre, and send his love and gratitude to his wife, Alex Bennett, who is the reason for his creative perseverance. Learn more at officialnoahbennett.com.
DREW FRERICKS

STAGE MANAGER
Drew is excited to be working once again with Lumen, this time as stage manager on this challenging and thought provoking production. Most recent productions include Lumen Rep’s American Buffalo and Harlon & Bronna Jump Out The Window.
TYLER HAMMOND

PRODUCTION DESIGNER AND TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
Tyler Hammond is an actor, designer and director in North Florida. He is also a card holding member of The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, local 115. Recent production credits include: A Moon for the Misbegotten (Director, Scenic Designer), American Buffalo (Co-director, Technical Director), Shakespeare Sampler (Technical Director), Good People (Scenic Design), Bakersfield Mist (Scenic Design), 9-5 (Lighting Design), Wait Until Dark (Director, T.D., Lighting Designer, Sound Designer, No Exit (Master Carpenter), and many more.
KATIE JOHNSTON

PRODUCER
Originally from New York, Katie first came to Jacksonville to earn her BA in Theatre Arts from Jacksonville University. She has performed professionally on stages along the East Coast and in Los Angeles, and now calls Jacksonville home. She is proud to be an active member of the local film and theatre communities. When she is not busy working on a creative project, Katie spends her time running her own life coaching business. She loves to foster her passions for storytelling, connection, growth, and collaboration both onstage and off.
BRIAN NIECE*

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR & PRODUCER
Brian is a multidisciplinary creative originally from Nashville, TN, where he founded People’s Branch Theatre. A longtime member of Actors’ Equity Association and the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, he has worked as an actor, director, writer, designer, and producer in scores of professional theatre productions. His training includes Anne Bogart’s SITI Company and work in Tadashi Suzuki’s methods of physicality. He now serves as Artistic Director of Lumen Repertory Theatre in Jacksonville, FL, where he was honored with the 2025 Arts Innovator Award from the Cultural Council of Jacksonville. Brian is also Professor of Humanities and Theatre at St. Johns River State College and a PhD Candidate in Humanities.
JULIE NOLASCO

ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER
Julissa “Julie” Nolasco is delighted to return to the theatre world after a years-long hiatus and is excited to serve as Assistant Stage Manager for The Fever. Her previous theatrical credits include Almost, Maine, 12 Angry Jurors, A Patch of Earth, and Stalking Ottis Toole: A Southern Gothic. Julie was also a recipient of a theatre scholarship at Florida State College at Jacksonville. In recent years, she has remained active in the Jacksonville arts community through Party Princess Productions and has also explored on-camera performance in local advertising. She extends her sincere gratitude to director Noah Bennett and is excited to continue her journey back into theatre.
LAURÉN PARAGALLO

COSTUME DESIGNER
Laurén is delighted to be part of another production with Lumen Rep. Previously she had the honor of costuming Harlan and Bronna Jump Out The Window. She is a proud member of IATSE, local 115, as wardrobe and seamstress, working on numerous Broadway productions. Her favorite role however will always be Mom to Nova.
JAMES TUCKER

LIGHTING DESIGNER
This is James’s second Lumen Rep show. James has been designing and rigging lights in Jacksonville since 1996. He owns River City Productions.