Dry Land Program

by Ernest Thom by ruby rae spiegeL september 14-october 2

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VEGAS THEATRE COMPANY

Stories that bring us

together

SEP 14 - OCT 8 VEGAS THEATRE COMPANY AMY: OH. I THINK THAT THAT’S FINE. THAT’S JUST A FACT. ESTER: OH RIGHT YEAH. - Amy and Ester Dry Land This performance runs 95minutes with no intermission

-New YorkTimes

“Dry Land” was Originally Produced by Colt Coeur, New York, NY. Developed at the Ojai Playwright Conference: Robert Egan, Artistic Director/Producer Developed with the support of New York Stageand Film’s Powerhouse Season at Vassar

WRITER / Ruby Rae Spiegel DIRECTED BY / Jasmine Kojouri & Natalie Senecal CAST /

John Allen Romeo Lopez Juliana Renee Martin Deseree Whitt Karsyn Wilson SWIM TEAM / Cindi Redus Savannah Buckley Tara Hucksoll SET DESIGN / Irene Nguyen LIGHTING DESIGN / Gina Manago COSTUME DESIGN / Emmalena Hunt SOUND DESIGN / Jake Harrell COMBAT & INTIMACY DIRECTOR Kevin Stevens PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER Kamryn (Shack) Shackelford SET CONSTRTUCTION / Camren Wakefield Daz Weller Irene Nguyen Dasha Brown POSTER PHOTOGRAPHER/ Alicia Lee PRODUCTION PHOTOGRAPHER/ Robert John Kley

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VEGAS THEATRE COMPANY

Poster Image: Robert John Kley Production Photos: Richard Brusky

Vegas Theatre Comapny would like to thank the following people and organizations for their contributuions to the show: Majestic Repertory Theatre, Troy Heard, Dr. Jasmine Pedroso, Julia Berman, Adriane McLean, Mike Vargovich, Chris Brown, NOW Nevada, Rebecca Sass, Syd May, Camren Wakefield, Bleach. We appreciate you!

“There is no off season” -Ester Act 1, Scene 6

RUBY RAE SPIEGEL Playwright Ruby Rae Spiegel is an American playwright and screenwriter.

Spiegel’s first play, Carrie & Francine, made its New York City premiere when she was only 18 years old. The short play was produced alongside works by Neil LaBute, Christopher During and Alexander Dinelaris as a part of 59E59’s Summer Shorts Festival in 2011. The production was lauded by critics from The New York Times, The New York Post, and Time Out New York.

In 2014, her first full length play, Dry Land, premiered Off-Broadway at the HERE Arts Center in New York. Spiegel was 21 years old and still a playwriting student at Yale University at the time.

Dry Land was developed at New York Stage and film’s Powerhouse Theater Readings Festival and the Ojai Playwrights Festival and enjoyed a sold-out run at Colt Coeur before transferring to HERE, where it received rave reviews from critics. Tackling the challenging struggles of abortion, female friendship, and being a teenager, Spiegel’s script was a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. Dry Land has gone on to be produced all around the United States, London, Sydney, Abu Dhabi, South Korea, and more.

Spiegel also writes for television, including episodes for The OA, Purity, Mindhunter, and The Central Park Five.

JOHN ALLEN Janitor

ROMEO LOPEZ Victor

It is an honor for John to be hereonthe VTC stage.

Romeo Lopez is an actor from Las Vegas, Nevada. His love of storytelling started since he was young and would grow with him into becoming the driving force of what he wants to do in life. He is humbled and ready to get to work to show the wonderful people of Las Vegas some great stories in hopes to change, inspire or at least make you think about it. Romeo would like to thank his family, friends, and mentors for believing in him and giving him the tools to succeed.

Recent credits include Co Directing RENT with Broadway In The H.O.O.D, Brad in Bobrauschenbergamerica and as Joseph/Texas in the Human Comedy at the Nevada Conservatory Theater.

NICK HUFF JULIANA Scratch RENEE MARTIN Amy

DIANA MARTINEZ DESEREE Winnifred WHITT Ester

Juliana Renee (Amy) has had a splashing good time bringing Dry Land to the valley desert! Raised in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Juliana moved and received her undergraduate degree from the Stage and Screen Acting Program at UNLV in 2019. Since then, she has currently been swimming around Sin City in roles, such as: Sally Perks in Puffs (The Playhouse LV), Susan Reeves in Ghost(s) (Table 8 Immersive), Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Bard at the Bar), and Mary Warren in The Crucible (Nevada Conservatory Theatre). Outside of the stage, she can be seen throughout the Las Vegas Strip as a regular National Anthem singer for ESPN Boxing, UNLV Athletic Games, and the Las Vegas Aces.

Juliana would like to thank her mom and dad, Gina and TC, for their continued support and consistent reminder that passions always prevail

Deseree Whitt is a third year M.F.A acting candidate at UNLV, from Fresno, California. She was recently seen in Nevada Conservatory Theater’s productions of Little Shop of Horrors as Crystal and The Beaux Stratagem as Bagshot.

KARSYN WILSON Reba

SAVANNAH BUCKLEY Swim Team

Karsyn Wilson (they/she) is grateful to debut as an actor and fight captain with Vegas Theatre Company in such an important and topical production. Karsyn is a 2019 graduate from the Stage and Screen Acting program at UNLV. Karsyn is best known for their portrayal of Susie Bones/Harry Potter in Puffs with The Playhouse and for their role as Reagan D’amour in Ghost(s) with Majestic Repertory Theatre. Karsyn is also a writer, director and sustainable fiber artist.

Savannah Buckley has recently graduated with a BA in Stage and Screen Acting from UNLV. She has been in plays such as “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” with NCT and was in recent short film “Consumed”. When she isn’t acting, she loves to write, draw, and play piano.

This is her first time working with Vegas Theatre Company and she’s stoked to put on a great show with such an amazing cast and crew.

CINDI REDUS Swim Team

TARA HUCKSOLL Swim Team

Cindi Redus is a fourth year film student at UNLV. Their most recent film work includes the Nevada Women’s Film Festival award-winning documentary, “Windsor Park: These Sinking Streets,” and the music video, “Hypothetically.”

When they aren’t on the stage, Cindi enjoys reading, painting, and writing anything involving horror and/or lesbians.

Currently they are playing “Woman in Armor” in Second Stage’s production of Chamber Music. This is their first time working with the Vegas Theatre Company.

Tara is a Las Vegas Academy Tech Theater graduate. She has spent the last few years working for immersive art exhibits and practicing special fx. In her free time, you can find her playing Dungeons and Dragons, writing, or cuddling with her cat.

JASMINE KOJOURI Director

NATALIE SENECAL Director

Jasmine Kojouri is a multi-hyphenate artist living in LA where she can be seen on stage with house team Nuisance at the Pack theater when she’s not writing, directing, or studying with UCB or Groundlings. She has worked with VTC and A Public Fit over the years she spent in Vegas acting in August: Osage County, The Wolves, Incognito, and other works while also performing regularly with improv teams One Take, Uncle Crimson, and ComedySportz. Jasmine is honored to have the opportunity to collaborate with this extraordinary cast, her dynamo of a directing partner Natalie, and total rockstar stage manager Shack. Much love to Daz for the opportunity, to Jamie for always championing for me, and to you for being here.

Natalie has been an immersive and experiential theatre creator for 7 years now. Enjoying roles as an actor, director, and producer, she’s created worlds and characters in which guests are able to explore. These experiences led her to work on experiential marketing projects such as Jack Daniel’s House No. 7 and Cirque du Soleil’s R.U.N. premier. You may have seen her onstage in Noises Off at SST or in The Wolves at VTC, formerly Cockroach Theatre. Thank you to Daz for the opportunity to work with such a generous and open cast. Natalie is humbled to have the chance to work side by side with Jasmine, who is truly inimitable and a wonderful partner in crime. And of course a huge thank you to our fantastic stage manager, Shack, and our delightful designers.

IRENE NGUYEN Scenic Design

GINA MANAGO Lighting Design

Irene is an international student from Vietnam. She is currently a third-year M.F.A. Scenic Design at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Her recent designs include “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” as a Scenic Design and “The Cherry Orchard” as an Associate Scenic Design at UNLV; Projected Elements for “Shrek the Musical” and “ELF! the Musical” at Sierra Repertory Theatre, California. She earned her Bachelor of Arts at East Texas Baptist University

Gina is a Las Vegas native and a graduate from UNLV with a bachelor’s in entertainment technology and design.

A majority of her work is done behind the scenes in both live performance and film. Past lighting design credits include “Tight End” (Majestic Repertory Theatre), “bobrauschenbergamerica” (asst. LD; Nevada Conservatory Theatre) and “Doonesbury: the Musical” (Super Summer Theatre). When she’s not behind the scenes, she’s onstage or in front of the camera as an aspiring actress. She has appeared in a few short films and live shows such as Bard at the Bar’s 2020 production of “Twelfth Night”.

KAMRYN SHACKELFORD Production Stage Manager

JAKE HARRELL Sound Design

Shack is very excited to join Vegas Theatre Company as a full stage manager.

They recently graduated from UNLV with a degree in Theatre Design and Technology. Their most recent credits include stage managing Antigone for UNLV’s Second Stage and The Diaries of Adam and Eve at the Playhouse Theatre. Shack has worked on two other shows with VTC as an assistant stage manager: “Sweat” and “Men on Boats”.

Shack has also worked on several films with Olympian Productions including I’m Here (2022), Fair and Foul (2021), and Life Almost Gone (TBA).

Jake is a student in UNLV’s theatre and film programs studying sound design.

This is his first show as a designer since moving to Las Vegas in 2019.

KEVIN STEVENS Combat and Intimacy Director

EMMA HUNT Costume Design

Kevin Stevens is so proud to have been able to contribute to this production of Dry Land. He comes to fight direction through his training with the Society of American Fight Directors and intimacy coordination through Theatre Intimacy Educators. As an actor he has toured nationally and worked regionally in New York City, Chicago, and Washington DC. He is currently finishing his MFA at UNLV.

Emmalena is an artist born and raised in Las Vegas. She recently earned her bachelor’s degree in Technical Theatre and Design from UNLV, class of 2021.

Emma works frequently with Majestic Repertory Theatre, wearing many hats including stage management for The Craft, An Unauthorized Musical Parody (2022), stage management, set dressing and sound design for Empanada Loca (2021), costume and deck crew for Sweeney Todd (2020), “behind the immersive” for Krampus (2019), costume design for Sentience (2017), and the design and construction of Jolene puppet for Hand to God (2017) to name a few. Emma works by day at Vegas PBS as an event planner, membership specialist, and production assistant for Nevada Week.

VEGAS THEATRE COMPANY BOARD OF DIRECTORS Alexia Chen (Chair), Ann C. Pongracz (Vice-Chair), Jessica Scheitler (Treasurer), Michael Roitman, Levi Fackrell, Elaine Lutz, Terry Chi, Greg Gordillo, Ailisha Vaughn.

ARTISTIC & PROGRAMMING Executive Artistic Director / Daz Weller Education Director / Kelly Hawes FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION Jessica Scheitler and the Financial Groove team MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS Season Photographer / Robert John Kley Graphic Design / Daz Weller TICKETING & BOX OFFICE Box Office Manager / Vanessa Coleman PRODUCTION Technical Director/ Camren Wakefield Special Events Stage Manager / Amanda Peterson WWW.THEATRE.VEGAS

Volunteers are the life blood of Vegas Theatre Company.

While we have been able to build a budget that supports a wage for our casts and crews, our staff positions remain completely volunteer.

Thank you to all of our wonderfully committed staff who love creating theatre in Las Vegas as much as you love seeing it.

If you or someone you know is interested in volunteering for VTC, we have many opportunities available.

Email us at volunteer@theatre.vegas

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