1,001 Plays

Welcome to 1,001 Plays!

1,001 Plays 2020-2021 Season Connecting playwrights and audiences from worlds apart

This year, we are pleased to present 17 original works reflecting on the theme of change.

Meet Our Global Partners PAULO RICARDO BERTON Santa Catarina Federal University, Florianópolis, Brazil Paulo Ricardo Berton is a playwright, theater director, translator and professor at both the undergrad (ART) and graduate (PPGLit) levels at Santa Catarina Federal University (UFSC, Brazil).

B.A in Theater Direction (UFRGS, Brazil/1999), M.A in Literature (PUCRS, Brazil/2007) and Ph.D. in Theater (CU Boulder, USA/2010) with a full doctorate scholarship CAPES/Fulbright.

Credits: The Man of Mode, or Sir Fopling Flutter (2016, translator, actor and director), ART (2018, translator and director). Publications: The Vietnamese Theatrical Tradition in the Plot of Monsun (2017), Conflict as the Foundation of Drama (2019).

Memberships: Forum Junge Bühnenangeh.riger (Berlin/2001), Lincoln Center's Director's Lab (NY/2010). Secretary of Culture of UFSC (20122014). Coordinates the NEEDRAM (Research Center in Theatre Directing and Dramatic Writing), the SBEDR (Brazilian Seminar of Dramatic Writing), and the Miletrê Theater Company.

DJANET SEARS University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada Djanet Sears is a playwright, a director, and an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto. Her work has graced such stages as the National Arts Centre, Mirvish Productions, Tarragon Theatre, Nightwood Theatre, Obsidian Theatre, Black Theatre Workshop, Centaur Theatre, Soulpepper Theatre, the Public Theatre, Stratford Shakespeare Festival, Crossroads Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company, The Grand Theatre, St. Louis Black Repertory, Canadian Stage, and Factory Theatre. Best known plays, Harlem Duet and The Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God, have been widely published and translated. She has been awarded several honors, including a Governor General's Literary Award, a Canadian Screenwriting Award, the Chalmers Canadian Play Award, Dora Mavor Moore Awards, a Martin Luther King, Jr. Achievement Award, and a Gold Prize at the International Radio Festival of New York. She is a founding member of the Obsidian Theatre Company, and the editor of two anthologies: Testifyin': Contemporary African Canadian Drama, Vols. I & II.

GAO ZIWEN Nanjing University, Nanjing, China Gao “Alex” Ziwen is an associate professor at Nanjing University, head of the Department of Theatre, Film and TV. He received a bachelor's degree in Chinese Language and Literature from Nanjing University and a Ph.D. in Theatre. In 2011, he was a visiting scholar at Columbia University. In 2013, he participated in the Austria Resident Artist project. In 2019, he was selected as Excellent Youth of Social Sciences in Jiangsu Province. His main research interests are avant-garde theater and theater criticism.

Published books: The Thankless Children of Civilization: Staging China in American Theatre. Translation: American Avant Garde Theater: A History (written by Arnold Aronson). Stage Plays: Day and Night Here (2012), Pollution (2013) and Hometown (2019).

Meet Our Playwrights & Their Plays (listed alphabetically by author) MARLEI ALBRECHT Marlei Albrecht was born in June 1976, in the winter of the world’s South. She started her first theatrical experiments in 2000, when she participated in a very experimental theater group called "Artesões de Dioniso" (Dionysus’ Artisans) until 2005. She became a mother and made some forays into contemporary dance. Since 2018, she has been a member of a group that researches animation theater, Cia Cênica Origin. She is a Santa Catarina Federal University undergraduate in Performing Arts, where she chose a concentration in playwriting. She is currently developing research with miniature theater, specifically the Lambe-lambe Theater, an activity that she seeks to reconcile with the routine her son Arthur, who is babbling his first words.

I’LL TELL LATER by MARLEI ALBRECHT Directed by Dan Petrenko, University of Toronto Speaker – Darcy Gerhart

ALEX BERRIOS Alexandra Berrios is a current Senior at George Mason University, studying Theater and Korean Studies. Since she was little, she has always known her passion was writing, however, she has also participated in acting for both stage and screen. At Mason she has been able to see her work The Inner Critic performed in The Mason Players Originals! and Ainara in the first round of 1,001 Plays. She looks forward to this year's 1,001 Plays and hopes it continues to expand.

SWEET RED BEAN by Alexandra Berrios Directed by Chelsea Young, University of Toronto Pippa - Shelley Mayer Mark - Bohong Fung Luna - Sydnie Phillips Therapist - Archie Burton Smith

CAROLINE BUCHHOLZ Caroline Elise Buchholz is a long-time theater practitioner. She directed for The Mason Players’ Originals! 2018 and has performed in Lysistrata for the Mason Players 2019.

She enjoys all aspects of theater but has mainly stuck to acting, recently being cast as a “Somebody” in Everybody, produced by Howard Community College.

She has been dabbling in playwriting as well as poetry and stand-up over the past few years. She is currently a senior, studying Korean language and culture as her second major. She hopes to translate Korean plays in the future as well as work on her playwriting skills.

WORLD PEACE by Caroline Buchholz Directed by Josiah Arnett, George Mason University Dramaturgy by Prof. Theresa Ohanian Speaker – Sharon Caraballo

CRISTINA CASAIS Cristina Casais is a senior BFA theater student at George Mason University with a concentration in musical theater. She lives in Bayonne, New Jersey. Past productions include Mason Cabaret (Assistant Choreographer), Gaining Ground (Ensemble), Rags (Gertrude/Company), and Lysistrata (Woman #3/Dance Captain). She is also a teaching artist with Acting For Young People, and a character performer with Ever Laughter Parties. She would like to thank her family and friends for always being her biggest supporters.

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? by Cristina Casais Directed by Prof. Paulo Ricardo Berton, Ph.D., Santa Catarina Federal University Video Editing - Vinicius Romano Elena – Laura Bohmann Liam – Agnaldo Stein

VICKY CHERNYAK Vicky Chernyak is a literary translator and a graduate student at the George Mason University’s School of Theater. Her focus is on dramaturgy, Theater of the Absurd, and the philosophy of existentialism, poetry and comparative literature. She has translated and adapted stage plays by Evgeny Schwartz, Daniil Kharms and Eugene Ionesco; she has also translated Russian poetry, devising an anthology that spans from the early 1800s to late 1900s (in press). Her work has appeared in On the Seawall.

MY LITTLE ONE by Vicky Chernyak Directed by Prof. Paulo Ricardo Berton, Ph.D., George Mason University Video Editing - Vinicius Romano Woman – Simone Buttelli First Man/Uncle Doctor/Judge – Ana Gabriela Granado Second Man/Funeral Director/Executioner – Laura Bohmann

ROBSON ESTEVES Robson Esteves is an actor and playwright, majoring in the Performing Arts at the Federal University of Santa Catarina.

Since 2014, he has been researching Classical Greek drama and, in particular, Euripides’ plays. He participated in Maeterlinck’s play adaptations with the group “A Intrusa Cia de Teatro” (The Intruder Theatre Co.). In 2017, he also debuted his play “Sofie a Caminho de Psiquê” (Sofie on the Way to Psyche), a children's play that he both wrote and directed, which focuses on making the population aware of depression and anxiety disorders, and their possible treatment. During the pandemic, he held the 1st Drama Online Soirée, whose objective was to perform dramatic readings of beginning playwrights’ plays. His most recent work was the play “Kitnet,” which he completed as part of his undergraduate studies in the Performing Arts at UFSC, where he concentrated in playwriting.

LIKE MOSES by ROBSON ESTEVES Directed by Cristina Casais, George Mason University Dramaturgy by Elisabeth Dupuy Angela – Lenny Mendez Cristiano – Jay Martinez

WALESKA GEORGIANA Waleska Georgiana is an actress and researcher with a BA in Performing Arts from the Federal University of Santa Catarina (2018), with emphasis on acting. She is a member of the research group NEEDRAM, having written, together with Prof.

Paulo Ricardo Berton and Aline de Fátima Pereira, the article “O Conflito As Fundamento da Drama” (Conflict as the Basis of Drama/2019) that was published in the journal “Dramaturgias” and a chapter in the book “Aspectos da Literatura Dramática Polonesa e Austríaca: do Século XIX aos dias de hoje” (Aspects of Austrian and Polish Dramatic Literature: From the 19th Century until Today/2019). Currently, she is pursuing a master's degree at the Literature Graduate Program at UFSC under the supervision of Prof. Paulo Ricardo Berton.

CRUISING AROUND by Waleska Georgiana Directed by Esteban Marmolejo-Suarez, George Mason University Dramaturgy by Megan Lederman A – Savannah Lagana B – Melanie Terrazas C – Heidi Hammond D – Lenny Mendez

VALERIO GREGANTI Valerio Greganti is an Italian national in his third year at the University of Toronto. He studies International Relations and Drama with a focus on performance and playwriting.

He is very engaged in the local theater community, both inside and outside of campus. As a son of a diplomat, Valerio has lived in over seven countries and his fluent in Italian, English, French, and proficient in Spanish. With such an international experience, Valerio hopes that his creative output will be stimulating to a wide range of audiences, locally and internationally.

MONOLOGUE by Valerio Greganti Directed by Paisley LoBue, George Mason University Dramaturgy by Jessica Singley Cynthia – Sarah Stewart

JACOB HOROWITZ Jacob Horowitz is an undergraduate student at George Mason University and a playwright and director based in Virginia, USA. Recent playwriting credits include Reincarnate with The Mason Players' Originals! at George Mason University, and We Shadows, performed for 1,001 Plays in 2020 by students at Santa Catarina Federal University in Florianópolis, Brazil. He recently directed Come, My Beloved for the Mason Players.

CHANGING TIDES by Jacob Horowitz Directed by Meng Ke, Nanjing University Produced by Song Jia Emily – Qin Huan Frank – Meng Ke Frank 2 – Song Jia Emily 2 – Yang Sisi

PAULA SCHEIDT Paula Scheidt is a journalist, actress, producer, and playwright. She holds a BA in Journalism, another in Performing Arts, and a Master's degree in Urbanism, History and Architecture from the Santa Catarina Federal University (UFSC). As a playwright, her most recent works are "Tião e Chico" (Tião and Chico) and "A Ursa Maior" (Ursa Major).

She is one of the three female co-founders of the “Bruta Flor (Rough Flower) Theater Company” and, in recent years, she has concentrated her research on playwriting. She was a member of the Elefants Theatre Company from 2016 to 2019, and developed research in the field of Commedia dell'Arte from 2014 to 2015.

STAGE DIRECTIONS by PAULA SCHEIDT Directed by Meng Ke, Nanjing University Produced by Song Jia Title – Yang Sisi Dialogue – Song Jia Stage Direction – Qin Huan

SHELLEY MAYER Shelley Mayer is a fourthyear music and drama student at the University of Toronto. She is currently in the playwriting and performance streams.

Shelley started writing short stories when she was six. She also performed in several musicals. Shelley discovered her passion for playwriting during a high school drama project, when she got to write her own scene and present it with her scene partner.

Since then, she has written many dramatic works on her own, including a screenplay for a potential TV series. Shelley hopes you enjoy the show!

DIFFERENT VIEWS by Shelley Mayer Directed by Prof. Paulo Ricardo Berton, Ph.D., Santa Catarina Federal University Video Editing - Vinicius Romano Abby – Paulo Witt Kate – Agnaldo Stein

BELLA PANCIOCCO Bella Panciocco is an emerging playwright who is thrilled to be involved in 1,001 Plays again! Primarily a stage actor, Bella has recently appeared in productions of A Midsummer's Night Dream (City of Fairfax Theatre Company), Are You There?

(Mason Players) and Rags (Mason Players). She is a sophomore at George Mason University, working toward her BFA in Theater with a Concentration in Performance. Her play Tomorrow is My Day was featured in George Mason’s 2020 1,001 Plays and The Mason Players’ Originals! She wants to thank her mom and dad for being her biggest supporters. She hopes you enjoy the show!

THE MOON IS CHANGING AND SO ARE WE by Bella Panciocco Directed by Sydnie Phillips, University of Toronto Kevin – Prithvi Kahlon Marley – Hannah Spracklin Damian – Uri Livne-Bar Mary – Sophie McNeilly Jerry – John Rowntree Stage Directions - Victoria Watson Sepejak

SYDNIE PHILLIPS Sydnie Phillips is a third-year student at the University of Toronto majoring in English and drama with a focus in playwriting and directing. Her new play, One Slow Summer, recently premiered with the St. Michael's College Troubadours at the University of Toronto, and she will be directing a devised audio experience called When All of This is Over set to premiere with Victoria College Drama Society in the spring. Sydnie grew up in Maine and will forever be a New England girl at heart. Even when unspecified, all of her plays take place “somewhere along the coast.”

BIRTHDAY CAKE by Sydnie Phillips Directed by Esteban Marmolejo-Suarez, George Mason University Dramaturgy by Megan Lederman Meg – Khue Duong Adam – Savannah Lagana

WU WEN Wu Wen was born in Gutian County, Fujian Province, China in 1997. She graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University with double BA degrees in Arts and Economics in 2019. She received the award of outstanding graduate of Beijing in 2019. She is now a graduate student at Nanjing University’s School of Foreign Studies. Her research fields are English and American literature.

She is also a member of the Attic Drama Club, an English drama club at Nanjing University.

EDUCATED: A Play in Three Scenes by Wu Wen Directed by Shelley Mayer, University of Toronto Sui - Bohong Fu Bo - Jordan Chan Ma - Carol Chen Mei/Stage Directions - Ingrid Leung Child Sui - Tammy Yu Bin - Chrissie Gross

YI WENFEI Yi Wenfei is a postgraduate student from Nanjing University, China, specializing in the fields of British and American literature.

LA BOHEME by Yi Wenfei Directed by Nicholas M. Horner, George Mason University Dramaturgy by Vicky Chernyak Inspector – Nicole Lewis Suspect – Sharon Caraballo

PAULO WITT Paulo Witt is a Brazilian actor, playwright and short story writer, currently residing in the city of Florianópolis, Santa Catarina. He holds a BA in Performing Arts from the Santa Catarina Federal University (UFSC), where he discovered his passion for the dramatic genre. Currently, he is a master's student at the Graduate Program in Literature at UFSC, where he researches playwriting and its relationship to technology. He wrote the original play “Taquicardia” (Tachycardia/2019) and a theatrical adaptation of Aldous Huxley's novel, “Admirável Mundo Novo” (Brave New World/2018), in addition to several short scenes. In 2020 he published his first short story "Electronic Obituary." As an actor, he participated in eleven plays.

CANASTA by PAULO WITT Directed by Luke Rahman, George Mason University Dramaturgy by Prof. Theresa Ohanian Margarete – Melanie Terrazas Josnei – Megan Ayers Fátima – Rachael Abbott Lésio – Jay Martinez

CHELSEA YOUNG Chelsea Young is a third-year student studying Cinema Studies, Chemistry, and Drama at the University of Toronto.

Growing up in Silicon Valley, she grew up with aspirations in chemistry, but her love of the arts remained constant as she fostered her passion for performance through dance and music. After being exposed to the expansive creative community in Toronto, she has only grown fonder of the fine arts and hopes to eventually work in the film industry. Today, she finds her passion in writing, photography, playing instruments, and getting involved with clubs on campus. Playwriting is one of her newer endeavors, but so far, she is loving every second of it and cannot wait to explore her writing further.

A Scene from GOLDEN by Chelsea Young Directed by Prof. Paulo Ricardo Berton, Ph.D., Santa Catarina Federal University Video Editing - Vinicius Romano Anne – Simone Buttelli Mama – Ana Gabriela Granado

Meet Mason’s Production Team RUTH YAMAMOTO Ruth Yamamoto (Production Manager) is an adjunct professor in the School of Theater, where she has taught Stage Management and Acting I. She has been a teaching artist of theatrical arts for over 25 years and holds a Ph.D. from Walden University. Ruth has worked all over the D.C. metro area for such theaters as the Kennedy Center Theater Lab, the Studio Theatre, the Folger Theatre, and A.S.I.A. In New York, she was the production manager for The Kitchen. She is a member of SAG-AFTRA, The Association for the Study of Play (TASP), and the Applied Improvisation Network

NICHOLAS M. HORNER Nicholas M. Horner is a professional singer, voice-over artist, theatre actor, and director based in Washington D.C. He has directed, taught, and performed in numerous professional and educational venues in D.C., New York, and around the country.

Horner has received Voice and Theater training from renowned institutions such as Stella Adler Conservatory, The Juilliard School, Studio A.C.T. (San Francisco), The Roy Hart Institute (Paris, France), Shakespeare and Company (Lenox), Catholic University, and University of Cambridge (England). Horner earned a B.A. in Theater from George Mason University where he is currently pursuing an M.F.A. in Visual and Performing Arts and teaching as a Graduate Lecturer. He also serves as Co-Director of 1,001 Plays.

Horner owns and operates Awaken the Voice: Studio– offering classical and musical theater voice and speech.

Recent publications: Stop Stopping: Elemental Voice and Breath (Voice Teachers International); The Harder Disease to Beat (LMDA Forum); Parasite or Symbiont: Voice Stress in muscle and bone (Voice and Speech Review).

KRISTIN JOHNSEN-NESHATI Kristin Johnsen-Neshati (Dramaturg Mentor) is Associate Professor of Theater at George Mason University, where she has taught theater history, dramatic literature, dramaturgy and dramatic criticism since 1993. As a professional dramaturg, she served on the staff of Theater of the First Amendment for 18 years, where she focused on new play development for professional and student playwrights. She also works as a freelance theater writer and director and has translated four of Chekhov’s plays. Awards include George Mason’s Fenwick Fellowship, Fairfax County’s Strauss Fellowship, KC/ACTF Criticism Fellowship and a Fulbright research grant.

Research interests include new play development and theater practice in the Middle East and North Africa. Education: Swarthmore College (BA, Russian and Theater); Yale School of Drama (MFA, DFA, Dramaturgy & Dramatic Criticism).

PRODUCTION TEAM Production Stage Manager – Dr. Ruth Yamamoto Stage Manager – Fe Miranda Assistant Stage Manager – Ethan Hubbard Thank you to all of Dr. Yamamoto’s students in THR 201: Stage Management!

LA BOHEME Stage Managers – Nicholas M. Horner MONOLOGUE Stage Manager – Ethan Hubbard WORLD PEACE Stage Manager – Fe Miranda LIKE MOSES Assistant Stage Managers • Group 1 Claire Gardiner Kendall Huey Ryan Kirby Sarah Rocco Kamy Satterfield BIRTHDAY CAKE Assistant Stage Managers • Group 2 Asia Cooper Hasan Crawford Em German Addie Lawrence Bella Lerch

CANASTA Assistant Stage Managers • Group 3 Natalie Cumming Tylor Goshorn Merin Lemoine Grace McNamee Luke Rahman Zoe Winter CRUISING AROUND Assistant Stage Managers • Group 4 Cole Bottorff Schuyler Hagen Lenny Mendez Dulci Russell

George Mason Students, Staff and Faculty involved in 1,001 Plays, 2020-21 Actors           

Rachael Abbott Megan Ayers Sharon Caraballo Khue Duong Heidi Hammond Savannah Lagana Nicole Lewis Jay Martinez Lenny Mendez Sarah Stewart Melanie Terrazas

Directors  Josiah Arnett  Cristina Casais  Nick Horner  Paisley LoBue  Esteban Marmolejo-Suarez  Luke Rahman Dramaturgs  Vicky Chernyak  Elisabeth Dupuy  Megan Lederman  Theresa Ohanian  Jessica Singley

Stage Manager  Fe Miranda Assistant Stage Manager  Ethan Hubbard Assistants from the Stage Management Class  Cole Bottorff  Hasan Crawford  Asia Cooper  Natalie Cumming  Claire Gardner  Em German  Tylor Goshorn  Schuyler Hagen  Kendall Huey  Ryan Kirby  Addie Lawrence  Merin Lemoine  Bella Lerch  Grace McNamee  Lenny Mendez  Luke Rahman  Sarah Rocco  Dulci Russell  Kamy Satterfield  Zoe Winter Website Development – Pam Muirheid Website Maintenance – Mary Burgess

1,001 Plays 2020-2021 Season Sponsoring Institution & Playwright GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY Alexandra Berrios Caroline Buccholz Cristina Casais Vicky Chernyak Jacob Horowitz Bella Panciocco NANJING UNIVERSITY Wu Wen Yi Wenfei SANTA CATARINA UNIVERSITY (SCFU) Marlei Albrecht Robson Esteves Waleska Georgiana Paula Manoel Paulo Witt UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO Valerio Greganti Shelley Mayer Sydnie Phillips Chelsea Young

Play

Presenting Institution

Sweet Red Bean World Peace Where Do We Go from Here?

My Little One Changing Tides The Moon is Changing and So Are We

Toronto Mason SCFU SCFU Nanjing Toronto

Educated La Boheme

Toronto Mason

Like Moses Cruising Around Stage Directions Canasta

Toronto Mason Mason Nanjing Mason

Monologue Different Views Birthday Cake A Scene from Golden

Mason SCFU Mason SCFU

SPECIAL THANKS Rick Davis, Dean of George Mason’s College of Visual and Performing Arts Kevin Murray, Interim Director of George Mason’s School of Theater Mason’s Friends of Theater 1,001 Plays Donors Thank You! The Koons Family Phyllis Krochmal Vafa Mostaghim