DO YOU SPEAK? Written & Directed by Sienna Aczon CAST Sienna Aczon (she/her) Camellia Bayle-Spence (she/her) Fara Faidzan (they/them) Director of Photography/Editor: Aaron Banes (he/him) Assistant Director: Alexandra Gontard (she/her)
Presented as part of 59E59 Theaters’ EAST TO EDINBURGH GOES VIRTUAL
SIENNA ACZON Producer/Playwright/Director
CAMELLIA BAYLESPENCER
Sienna is a Filipino-American multi-disciplinary artist born and raised in Honolulu, HI, and currently based in New York City. It is her mission to support and collaborate with fellow artists of color, and further push for diversity and representation across all disciplines. Recent projects include Maria Camia’s NEW MONY! (pianist); Stuck the Web-Series (Mia), which garnered her an All the Laughs Comedy Awards nomination for Best Actor - Female, available on YouTube and IGTV @ stuckthewebseries; The Princess and the Witch Boy (co-creator), available on all streaming services including Spotify and Apple Music. She is a Sarah Lawrence College and the British American Drama Academy alum. @miss.sepa
Camellia is a projection designer and digital artist based in New York City. She has designed for shows in the Prague Fringe Festival, in NYC at The Tank, the Hudson Guild Theatre and has collaborated with the Advanced Beginner Group at Mabou Mines on DISTANCES SMALLER THAN THIS ARE NOT CONFIRMED. She additionally has an MA in Child Development from Sarah Lawrence College and enjoys finding ways to allow theatre to flourish in an increasingly digital world.
FARA FAIDZAN Fara Faidzan was a part of Maria Camia’s show NEW MONY! last May. The Malaysian-born actor has had their fair share of puppetry experiences, from a pink crayon hand puppet by a show called CRAYONS ON STRIKE to shadow puppets & huge Bunraku puppets from Valencia College production of “Creation:Birth of Mythology”. Fara graduated from Marymount Manhattan College with a BFA in Acting. Currently, They are a virtual host for Performing Arts Mosaic (@pamosaic on Instagram) monthly open mic show “OPEN STAGE | OPEN ROOM“ highlighting BIPOC & underrepresented voices in the arts. They also have a hip hop jazz fusion band called “Our Messy Ghost” (@0urmessygh0st on Instagram) as the drummer, percussionist & vocalist. @faradnin
ALEXANDRA GONTARD Assistant-Director After earning her Bachelor of Arts from Sarah Lawrence College in 2017, Alexandra Gontard went home to France to pursue her career in theatre. She soon began a career as a “chargée de diffusion”, working for multiple companies organizing tours for plays across France and the francophone world; whilst still engaging in artistic projects, assistant directing and translating pieces. It was a true pleasure to be able to collaborate with Sienna again on this piece from an ocean away. @alexlinpen
AARON BANES Director of Photography/Editor Aaron Banes is a Filipino-American actor, singer, musician, writer and tarot reader based in New York City. Credits include THE BIG ONE OH! (Atlantic Theater), PJ MASKS LIVE (National Tour), BALIKBAYAN (Playwrights Realm), MODEL CITIZENS (Musical Theatre Factory/Broad Views on Broadway). He is the cocreator of the ‘The Princess and the Witch Boy’, an EP with Sienna Aczon you can find on all music streaming platforms. He was most recently seen in a commercial for the Human Rights Campaign. @aaron.banes @misterwitchboy
DO YOU SPEAK? is part of 59E59 Theaters PLAYS IN PLACE season of virtual events. 59E59 Theaters was established by the Elysabeth Kleinhans Theatrical Foundation in 2004 to grant professional space and expertise to nonprofit theater companies premiering their work in New York City. Under the leadership of Val Day, Artistic Director, and Brian Beirne, Managing Director, 59E59 Theaters presents a year-round curated program of Off Broadway plays and musicals that are nurtured and supported through highlysubsidized rental rates, as well as production, ticketing, FOH, marketing, and press support.