Playwrights
Matthew J. Lacy
Brooke Shilling
Lindsey Walko
Production
Zoë
Ava Kepple
Stage
Skyler
Dave Allison
Andrea Rose Cardoni
Chris Davis
MJ Santry
Niamh
Symphony Thompson
Eliza Waterman
The Lemonade Stand
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From the Artistic Director
As a kick-off to summer, we are happy to introduce three new plays as a part of the inaugural Fresh Squeezed Festival. Starting with 30 submissions, we narrowed the field down to our three selected plays, proving to us yet again that Philly is overflowing with talented theatre artists. It is such a privilege to produce these three plays and be a part of bringing new works to life, uplifting artists through fostering our relationships in our community and developing new work. We hope that these pieces invite you into their world, subvert it around you, and leave you curious.
At the core of The Lemonade Stand is making things homemade. And what better way to continue our debut season, than with a celebration of new work from local artists.
Welcome to Fresh Squeezed!
AJ Bloomfield
Founding Artistic Director
Thank You to Our Donors
The Albanese Family
Michele Becci
Casey Bilger
Mia and Paul Bloomfield
Rachel Brodrecht
Russell Chissoe
Alyssa Cole
Abigail Del Grosso
Chris Gunn
Barb Klees and Mark Glickman
Cecelia McCann
Beth McMahon
Finn McNamara
Magaret Murphy
Kevin Nowicke
Sara Outing
Tanner Richardett
Matthew Welch
Interested in donating?
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From the Playwright
I, like many theatre artists in Philadelphia, have filled my at times chaotic freelance calendar with work as a Standardized Patient at a couple of the many schools in “The City of Eds and Meds.” A Standardized Patient is someone who is trained to act as a real patient for training medical students and honing their interpersonal skills. That is what makes a theatre artist such a great fit for the job, our deep understanding of human connection and using our craft to explore empathy in often high-stakes, dramatic situations. We are also a great fit for the job, because it can be a seriously strange gig. So strange that I decided to write a play about it.
As a theatre maker, I love where plays tip-toe between reverent and irreverent spaces and how we can find ways to poke fun at the serious, the real. Much of my theatre training is in the art of clowning and that seeps into my playwriting. I write parts for actors that invite them to shape-shift and I craft stage directions that offer a performance grand gestures to make a point. I hope that comes across in this iteration of Standardized, where I use humor, themes of voyeurism and abstract visuals to defend my belief that the healthcare system in the United States is seriously messed up and must prioritize treating patients, their bodies, their wallets, and everything else that comes with being a patient, as a human being first.
Best, Brooke
Brooke Shilling (Playwright) (she/her) Brooke Shilling is a playwright, performer, educator, and clown. She has worked with groups such as One Year Lease Theater Company, Theater Unspeakable, inFLUX Theater Collective, Theater Ariel, Arden Theatre Company, and more. Her solo show Ladies of the Land has been presented at The Drama League, Dixon Place, and the Shoe Box Short Theater Festival. Other
original works include Threnody, Sinky The Pirate, and Pirate Queens which was a 2024 Week Two Philly Fringies Frontrunner. She has also co-written the play WAKE with Leon Ingulsrud and One Year Lease Theater Company, which will be presented at 59E59 Theaters in New York in November. As a playwright, Brooke is a member of the 2024-2025 PlayPenn Playwright’s Cohort and was a 2024 Terrance McNally Award Semi-finalist. She holds a BFA in Acting from Ithaca College and an MFA in Devised Performance from The University of the Arts/Pig Iron School. brooke-shilling.com / @brooke.shilling
Nick Hatcher (Director) (he/they) Nick Hatcher is a Philadelphia based Director, Writer, and Producer. Primarily focusing in directing and developing new work, he lives for making work that is engaging, accessible, and disruptive. A graduate from the University of the Arts, he is currently serving as the Artistic Assistant at the Arden Theatre Company.
Andrea
Rose Cardoni (The Doctors) (she/her)
Andrea Rose Cardoni is a Philadelphia-based actor and teaching artist, thrilled to be part of Fresh Squeezed! She has performed and taught regionally with theaters including the Arden Theatre Company, the Walnut Street Theatre, and others throughout the area. In addition to her work on stage, she serves as Education Manager at the Youth Performance Institute,
a nonprofit addressing the mental health crisis through mentorship, coaching, and character development programs. Through this role, she collaborates with organizations both nationally and internationally to ensure youth of all backgrounds have the tools they need to overcome personal challenges, advance their talents, and live their healthiest and best lives. Whether in the classroom or onstage, Andrea is passionate about using performance as a tool for connection, growth, and change. Next up: Queerano, or A Very Great Mischief at the Walnut Street Theatre Independence Studio with Philadelphia Fringe, September 12–20.
Chris Davis (Kevin/Michael) (he/him) Chris Davis is a writer and performer residing in Philadelphia, PA. His solo shows have toured throughout the United States and Europe. Recent work includes One-Man Nutcracker, which made its international debut in Germany lst year at the Thespis Festival, and The 40-Year-Old Ballerino which had a sold-out run in the Philadelphia Fringe festival. He is a 2024 graduate of the Temple MFA Creative Writing Program and is currently working on a novel. www.realchrisdavis.com
Niamh Sherlock (Simulation Voice/Stage Directions) (she/her) Niamh Sherlock is a Philadelphia-based singer, actor and musician. Select past credits include Best Medicine (SideQuest Theater), U/S Jane, etc in Peter Pan (Arden Theatre Co), Mel in The Cafe Mocha Murders (Pier Players), Ensemble/U/S Lisa in The Angry Grammarian (Pier Players). BA Theatre andMusic from Muhlenberg College. www.niamhsherlock.com
Symphony Thompson (SP) (she/they) Symphony
Yvonne Thompson is a Philadelphia based artist. Recently, she has been in Veronica by Sophia Snyder and the Totally Tits Adventures of Pootine by Andrew Miqueli! Some of their other favorite theater credits include Little Orphan Annie but All Adults, A Little Death, Bodies and Bones, Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again. and The Rose Garden. When she’s not acting, she can be found directing, watching tons of movies, whipping something up in the kitchen or moving her body! It is always such a joy to be apart of a workshop. It is a sacred and profound learning experience for everyone involved. Witnessing a piece as it is for the first time and watching it unfold as you’re working through it is one of the luckiest things we get to do as actors. Grateful to be apart of this team and for this opportunity to be working with Lemonade Stand!
From the Playwright
At The National Museum of Ireland, there is an exhibit partitioned off from the rest of the artifacts and the art and the historical objects, and there is a plaque on the partition:
“Following the discoveries of Iron Age bog bodies at Oldcroghan, Co. Offaly and Clonycavan, Co. Meath in 2003, a team of international specialists worked with the Irish Antiquities Division and Conservation Department to examine these human remains. [This exhibit] gives an overview of the results of the analysis and, along with other bog bodies from Museum collections, offers an opportunity to literally come ‘face to face’ with the past.”
The plaque goes on, saying that this exhibit may be sensitive to some viewers, enter at your own risk. No flash photography, the plaque says. It’s your decision, the plaque says. It’s your decision to bear witness or it’s your decision to not bear witness but at the end of the day, the plaque says, it’s your decision. Don’t put this on me, the plaque says, I’m just the plaque.
The plaque didn’t really say all of those things, but there is a plaque and there is a decision each museum-goer needs to make and this play lives in between that tension of decision making. What fascinates me about decisions is the infinite potential of outcomes, the possibilities realized and the ones lost. This play is just one outcome.
Lindsey Walko
Lindsey Walko (Playwright) (she/her) Lindsey Walko is a current MFA playwriting candidate at Columbia University. Recent projects include Hope Is The Thing With Feathers (Murmuration Theatre Company, Greater Boston Stage Company), cvnt. (Columbia University), mars maybe (NOCCA). In addition to playwriting, she is an arts critic for CultureBot, an online publication dedicated to covering experimental performance. Lindsey is an avid reality television viewer and very clearly a Capricorn.
Ava Kepple (Director) (she/her) Ava Kepple is a Philadelphia based director, producer, choreographer, and anything else you might need to get the job done! With a B.F.A in Directing, Playwriting, and Production from the University of the Arts, her heart lies in theater for young audiences. Which prompted her creation of My Mother Once Read, a traveling children’s theater company that strives to create a theatrical space that spans beyond generational divides. Recent highlights include “Hundred Acre Park” under My Mother Once Read with Cannonball Festival, “Mamma Mia” at Haddonfield Memorial High School where she is the director of their drama program, tour producer for the vibrant “Philly Baby Jam” by Ninth Planet, and Much Ado with Music Theatre Philly.
Eliza Waterman (Lori/The Woman) (she/her)
Eliza is a Philadelphia-based actor and theater artist thrilled to be working with this wonderful team here at The Lemonade Stand during their debut season! After growing up in Maine and graduating from Bryn Mawr College, Eliza has had the privilege of working with and performing for a variety of theater companies in the greater Philadelphia area including Montgomery Theater, Arden Theatre Company, Theatre Contra, The Strides Collective, EgoPo Classic Theater, Delaware Shakespeare Company, and Allen’s Lane Theater. She is also the current Artistic Associate at Theatre Horizon. As always, all the love and gratitude to her family and friends for the endless support.
From the Playwright
Hi there!
I’m a Screenwriting/Playwriting student set to graduate from Drexel University in June, and I’m so excited to be a part of Lemonade Stand’s Fresh Squeezed show this year! I like to insert a little element of the bizarre into everything I write – only because the things I observe in the world are strange. That, and it’s interesting to write.
I was inspired to write my piece in particular when I was in a state of despair about a lot of things, and I often felt like there was nothing I could do about it. Enter: the power and release of writing about it. Often I feel writing is the best thing to do about it.
Hope you all enjoy Rutherford, as well as the other plays being showcased. :)
– Matthew J. Lacy
Matthew J. Lacy (Playwright) (he/him) Matthew is a playwright, actor and screenwriter based in Philadelphia, set to graduate from Drexel University in June. He enjoys finding and exploring the bizarre in his work, so that he can make the world a little more exciting to live in.
Zoë Gilmore (Director) (they/she) Zoë Gilmore is a theatre artist in Philadelphia. Past credits include NOSEJOB (Assistant Stage Manager), CARMILLA (Stage Manager), and TICK, TICK...BOOM! (Audio Engineer). Upcoming projects with Next Life Theatre Company, SONG OF ACHILLES (Sound and Projections Designer). When they are not freelancing you can find them at Theatre Horizon as the
Audience Engagement Associate. Many thanks to AJ, Jenny, Matthew and the cast and crew for all their hard work! Love to E, always.
Dave Allison (Jon) (he/him) Dave Allison is a Philadelphia based actor, educator, and manages a devising company in the city, Spite Theatre Group. Dave holds his BFA in Acting from Arcadia University and has trained since with The Wilma Theatre and The Pig Iron School. He is proud to be teaching in partnership with companies like The Walnut Street Theatre and Philly Improv Theatre; and he is proud to be part of the Lemonade Stand’s premier season! Dave sends his love and thanks to his family, mentors, collaborators and friends.
MJ Santry (Elise) (she/they) Back in the Philly area, MJ has been seen locally as Z in Sister of Mine with The Strides Collective, Lavinia in Titus Andronicus for Philly Fringe with Forgotten Lore Theatre Company, Harper Pitt in Angels in America, Sally Vicks in Gint, Ross in Macbeth (Ritz Theatre Co.), and Ensemble in 9 to 5 (BtoP.) Upcoming: Angels in America Part II: Perestroika at the Ritz. Education: B.A. Theatre Arts & Dance from Drew University. MJ is also a scenic carp/painter/farmer, who loves to delve into any craft they can get their hands on. MJ is grateful to be joining theLemonade Stand and to continue to see new works being created in Philadelphia.
Mark Tan (Stage Directions) (she/him) Mark is excited to work with the Lemonade Stand alongside this incredibly talented team! He is currently working with Indecorous Theatre as Helena in their immersive Midsummer Night’s Dream. Most recently, he performed in Romeo and Juliet (Montague, Peter) with The Drama Group of Germantown, and with Indecorous Theatre in Much Ado About Nothing (Claudio). Some shows he worked on during his time in the Drexel Theatre Program were Henchmen: The Musical (Frankie), The Lightning Thief (Hades), and Songs For A New World (Man 1). While abroad at Akita International University, he also performed in an abridged Les Miserables (Marius). She aims to reinterpret classic works through Asian and butch lens, amplifying voices on-stage that are less often represented. She thanks her friends and family for all of their continuous support!
Skyler Gonzalez (Stage Manager) (she/they) Skyler Gonzalez is thrilled to be working with The Lemonade Stand! They are a South Jersey/Philadelphia-based artist and stage manager. Skyler is a recent graduate from Rowan University where she obtained a B.A. is Theatre Arts with a Concentration in Pre-Teaching as well as a Minor in Dance. Recent SM credits include Confabulation (The Strides Collective), MONSTER: a frankenstein play, Exit the King, and Equus (Rowan University). Skyler is also a part of The Arden Theatre Company where she works as a Front of House Assistant. She would like to thank her family and friends for their constant love and support!
AJ Bloomfield (Founding Artistic Director, Production Design) (he/him) AJ Bloomfield is the artistic director and founder of The Lemonade Stand. He is a full-time freelance designer, audio engineer, and technician in Philly and beyond. AJ is a generalist, taking pride in being able to serve whatever needs a production may have. When he is not freelancing, AJ is working on his car, tinkering with random projects, or planning the next show for The Lemonade Stand. Recent credits include Franklin’s Key (Pig Iron), Penelope (Theatre Horizon), Holy Grail of Memphis (Arden Theatre Company), Catholic Guilt (Edinburgh Fringe, US Tour), and As You Like It (Shakespeare in Clark Park).
Jenny Glickman (Managing Director) (she/ her) Jenny Glickman is a theatre administrator and stage manager, and so very happy to be welcoming folks to the debut season of The Lemonade Stand. She has worked in arts admin in Philadelphia, West Virginia, the Edinburgh Fringe, and her hometown of Baltimore. She has stage managed with Drexel University, PlayPenn, Inis Nua, and The PAC. When
she’s not stage managing or Lemonade Stand-ing, she’s working at various and sundry theatre companies or watching prestige television. Much love to her family and friends for their support, always.
Written by Liv Shoup
Directed by Rachel Bathurst
July 10-19, 2025
Returning after last May’s world premiere run, the sell-out show is back for a second lap. From playwright Liv Shoup, Girlfails is a story of navigating life one failure at a time. Rachel Bathurst directs Eliza Carson and Erin Malimban, reminding us that life is confusing, precious, and yet so unserious.
