Matthew Capodicasa’s The Scenarios, making its world premiere at Studio Theatre, is a blistering, raw, yet undeniably tender and compassionate take on the third rail of policing — the collision between alternate realities when armed police encounter a person who is experiencing a mental or emotional disturbance — encounters that can often lead to violence or death for the civilian, and perhaps the officer as well. Capodicasa’s play is about more than meets the eye, with crisp dialogue, multiple themes, and provocative ideas.
It’s an excellent production.
The play takes place in a training room in a police station, where actors Angie, played by Sarin Monae West (they/them), and Ned, played by Joey Collins, have been hired to enact scenarios depicting mentally or emotionally disturbed persons for officers being trained in de-escalation techniques. Over the course of a week, Angie and Ned present officers Sasha (Keeley Miller) and Charlie (Joel Ashur) with opportunities to practice deploying alternatives to the use of force. Patricia (Alyssa Keegan, they/them) is the liaison between the actors and the police. They address the audience as if we are observing the class while they coach the actors and officers. Their goal is to help the officers learn to resist automatically cuffing someone by instead using techniques such as active listening, giving civilians space, and offering help. You can sum up this approach as fully seeing a person and not just reacting to them. Or that having humanity, empathy, and compassion matters.
The entire cast is exceptional. Sarin Monae West stands out as Angie. The role demanded extreme physicality, requiring them to switch quickly between personas and portray a range of emotions. They were by turns scared and scary, thoughtful, pensive, defiant, withdrawn, and above all, simply vulnerable when not pretending in a scenario. West is a commanding talent. Joey Collins, making his Studio debut as Ned, played funny, poignant, and full of himself, truly embodying “an actor.” He masterfully revealed a basketful of insecurities beneath the surface of Ned’s bluster. When he makes a bold move, everything spirals out of control.
Much of the play centers around who has skin in the game (of pretend). Keeley Miller as Sasha fills a role that voices what some might say in seeking to dismiss the training, calling it “woke bullshit.” But her character, too, might just benefit from empathy as is revealed as the play unfolds. Charlie, played by Joel Ashur, is the most enigmatic of the group, perhaps hiding behind a desire to say what he needs to in order to pass the course. Ashur’s nuanced performance lets the audience fill in the gaps. For me, his portrayal was a wonderful antithesis of the super macho cop — a nod to Capodicasa’s refusing to cast a villain. Keegan as Patricia was superb. Watching their incessant cheeriness and refrains of “good job” play against Patricia’s utter powerlessness within the law enforcement industrial complex was stirring. Keegan demonstrated a remarkable ability to show how infuriating and rewarding change-making can be and that in the fraught world of policing, all efforts to get it right are honorable, even as efforts may fall short.
Kudos to West for movement that incorporated scrambling and crawling on the floor, leaping, hyperventilating, and more — all of it bringing vividness and richness to Angie’s characterization.
Lighting Designer Alberto Segarra’s artistry particularly stands out at the end of the play. He softly lit the audience in waves of movement, evoking perhaps traffic lights from above or the way lights might play through cracks in concrete. This unifies the audience with the performers, allowing us all to share the experience at hand.
Tiffany Nichole Greene’s direction is sure. The pace mimics the speed at which the training scenarios unfold yet allows decompression from preceding intense training sessions.
Matthew Capodicasa’s The Scenarios is by no means a “message” play in the sense of being didactic and preachy. While it doesn’t pull punches about the importance of training for police officers engaging with people experiencing a mental or emotional disturbance, there’s no soapbox, and there are no villains. But Capodicasa’s immersive storytelling is a plea for resisting superficial and quick assumptions that render people into stereotypes and abstractions. It seems reasonable to suggest that everyone could use coaching on that.
Running Time: Approximately 80 minutes with no intermission.
The Scenarios plays through April 6, 2025, in the Mead Theatre at Studio Theatre, 1501 14th Street NW, Washington, DC. For tickets ($42–$95, with low-cost options available), go online or call the box office at 202-332-3300. Studio Theater offers discounts for first responders, military servicepeople, students, young people, educators, senior citizens, and others, as well as rush tickets. For discounts, contact the box office or visit here for more information. On Saturday, March 29 at 2:00 PM Studio offers an ASL-Interpreted Performance. Related Special Events include: Artists In Conversation on March 9 and March 15.
The program for The Scenarios is online here.
COVID Safety: All performances are mask recommended. Studio Theatre’s complete Health and Safety protocols are here.
The Scenarios
By Matthew Capodicasa
Directed by Tiffany Nichole Greene
CAST
Angie: Sarin Monae West
Ned: Joey Collins
Sasha: Keeley Miller
Charlie: Joel Ashur
Patricia: Alyssa Keegan
UNDERSTUDIES
Angie: Edmée – Marie Faal
Ned: Zach Brewster-Geisz
Sasha/Patricia: Fabiolla Da Silva
Charlie: Prince Bajon
ARTISTIC TEAM
Playwright: Matthew Capodicasa
Director: Tiffany Nichole Greene
Set Designer: Afsoon Pajoufar
Costume Designer: Moyenda Kulemeka
Lighting Designer: Alberto Segarra
Sound Designers: Noel Nichols; Daniela Hart; Bailey Trierweiler (UptownWorks)
Fight Coordinator: Sierra Young
Dramaturg: Adrien-Alice Hansel
Production Stage Manager: Leigh Robinette
Casting: Katja Zarolinski, CSA
