Ticketing Services email: boxoffice@bostontheatrescene.com Emergencies During Performances: 617-933-8608 Lost and found: 617-933-8608
Ticketing Services Hours
Ticketing Services is generally open
Tuesday - Saturday, 12pm to curtain (or 6pm); Sunday, 12pm to curtain (or 4pm). Hours change weekly. For the most up-to-date hours, please visit BostonTheatreScene.com or call Ticketing Services at 617-933-8600.
Code of Respect
The staff of The Huntington is dedicated to making our venues a welcoming place for all in our community. You identity, your background, and your ability will be honored in this space. To read our full Code of Respect, please scan this QR code.
Public Transportation
We encourage patrons to use public transportation whenever possible. The Calderwood Pavilion is located near the MBTA Green Line Copley or Arlington Stations; Orange Line/ Commuter Rail Back Bay Station; and the Tremont Street & Union Park stop on the #43 Bus which travels between Park Street and Ruggles Station. For more information, please visit BostonTheatreScene.com or call Ticketing Services
Parking
Parking is available at the Atelier 505 Parking Garage located next to the Pavilion at 505 Tremont Street (entrance on Warren Avenue), the Garage @ 100 Clarendon Street, and other nearby locations.For details, please visit BostonTheatreScene.com or call Ticketing Services
Please note that these parking services are independently owned and operated and are not affiliated with the Calderwood Pavilion.
Refreshments
Concessions may not be available due to COVID protocols. When available, snacks, wine, beer, soft drinks, and coffee are available in the main lobby. Food is not permitted inside the theatre. Drinks purchased at concessions are permitted inside the theatre.
Babes in Arms
Children under the age of six are not permitted in the theatres.
Cameras
The use of all cameras and recording devices, including cell phone cameras, in the theatres is strictly prohibited.
Beepers and Cellular Phones
Please remember to silence all watches, pagers, and cell phones during the performance.
Smoking
Smoking is not allowed on the premises.
Wheelchair Accessibility
The Calderwood Pavilion is fully accessible and can accommodate both wheelchair and companion seating in the orchestra and mezzanine sections. Please notify us when you purchase your tickets if wheelchair accommodations will be required and confirm arrangements with the House Manager at 617933-8672.
Hearing Enhancement
The Calderwood Pavilion is equipped with an FM hearing enhancement system. Wired headphones are available free of charge at the coat check or bar in the main lobby for your use during a performance.
Restrooms
All gender restrooms are located in the main lobby and mezzanine lobby. All restrooms are wheelchair-accessible.
Coat Check
Located in the main lobby.
If You Arrive Late
In consideration of our actors and audience members, latecomers will be seated at the discretion of the management.
Calderwood Pavilion Rental Information
All Calderwood Pavilion spaces are available for private parties, meetings, and receptions. For more info contact rentals@bostontheatrescene.com or 617-933-8671.
The Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA is operated by The Huntington, and programmed by The Huntington and the Boston Center for the Arts.
DIRECTOR OF NEW PLAY DEVELOPMENT NOTES
Can you believe that we are here again for the 4th year in a row of celebrating Boston area Playwrights? This year we are telling stories of connection, transformation, discovery and healing. As we wrestle with the constant barrage of political tumult and division, this year’s playwrights are offering us a path forward. Theatre has always created communities by inviting people to sit together and witness characters or situations that in a lot of ways mirror our own lives. From its inception, theater was born out of a need to heal its audiences through a range of emotions, including laughter. The poets were tasked with helping us all cleanse our inner selves so that we could go out in the world and be better citizens.
Moonbox Productions works every season to not only incite change within us but also in the community around us. For all our productions we pair up with local nonprofits to help bring awareness to the many programs that rely on individual donations. We are grateful to you for coming here to support new plays and playwrights and we are asking that you consider taking it a step further. There is an insert in your program with information on how you can use your time, talents, or financial gifts to activate and make a difference.
As you came into this theater today you may have seen our posters with the headshots of the more than 120 local artists working with us on this festival. Isn’t Boston beautiful? We are grateful for the village of talented folks that have guided and shaped the work of our playwrights for the past four years. The 7 playwrights we are introducing you to this weekend are just a small fraction of the incredible voices that have made their homes in the Commonwealth. Many of you used our paywhat-you-want model to purchase tickets. Making theater affordable to everyone is important to us. There are so many more writers in this town to uplift, and supporting this festival is a wonderful way to keep the work going. If you are able, please consider making a donation to Moonbox to support this ongoing effort! There are donation bins in the lobbies, and there is a QR code in the program.
Thank you again for being here, and we look forward to seeing you next year!
Sincerely,
Bridget Kathleen O’Leary Director of New Play Development
BOSTON NEW WORK FESTIVAL PRODUCTION TEAM
Festival Production Team
Producing Artistic Director Sharman Altshuler
Associate Artistic Director Allison Olivia Choat
Director of New Play Development Bridget Kathleen O’Leary
Casting Director & Director of EDI Davron S. Monroe
Co-Production Manager Kailey Bennett
Co-Production Manager Jo Williams
Director of Community & Accessibility Initiatives Kara Crumrine
Collaborative Arts Coordinator Elmer Martinez
Director of Marketing Phil Crumrine
Publicist Regina Norfolk
Administrative Coordinator Sean Watkins
Assistant Production Manager Jessie Marasco
Assistant Production Manager Gabby Stryker
Social Media Coordinator Joy Clark
Festival Accessibility Team
Director of Community/Accessibility Kara Crumrine
Director of Artistic Sign Language/ Deaf Interpreter Rhys McGovern
Captioner Ailish Shea
Captioner Lauren Fischer
CCTheater Consultant/Developer Bradley Botkin
SHOW INFO
FANGIRL
The story of how a hit teen drama, its passionate fan base, and an online catfishing scheme can turn even the most resistant into a hardcore super-fan.
ROBERTS THEATER: Fri and Sat at 8pm / Sat and Sun at 3pm
GUTS
Can six contestants on a hit reality weight-loss competition find self-love and communal healing in a place designed to make them hate themselves and their bodies? Do they have the guts?
BLACK BOX THEATER: THURS at 7:30pm / SAT at 3pm and 8pm / Sun at 2pm
MOX NOX
In a world of rising water, two sisters reunite at their family home. A play of lyrical magic and visual surprise, with characters who desperately need love and dry land.
PLAZA THEATRE: Thurs at 7:30pm / Sat at 2pm and 6pm / Sun at 5pm
CHOOSE AND CELEBRATE
When violence permeates the 1970’s queer community in Boston, Teresa’s activism and personal life converge and her relationships are thrown into disarray.
MARTIN HALL: Thurs at 8pm / Sat at 4pm / Sun at 5pm
HITCH
A white man in his 30’s learns that the young biracial hitchhiker he has picked up is not at all what she seemed...and vice versa. They must decide whether to turn back.
MARTIN HALL: Fri at 8pm / Sat at 7:30pm / Sun at 2pm
CREATURE FEATURE
A young man transforming into a monster flees the austere citadel of his birth to seek the sorcerer of the woods, discovering a realm of wild magic and revelry.
DEANE HALL: Fri at 7pm / Sat at 5:30pm / Sun at 6pm
HOW TO KILL A GOAT
“The best way to get to know Mexico is through its music!” Packed with humor, music and memory, this is a celebration of the stories we tell and the people who tell them.
DEANE HALL: Sat at 2pm and 8pm / Sun at 3pm
FESTIVAL PRODUCTION TEAM BIOS
SHARMY ALTSHULER (Producing Artistic Director, Founder) Since Moonbox’s beginnings in 2011, it has been a joy and privilege to support local artists in creating live theater in the Boston area, and to watch the company grow in its community network, as well as in its social mission to raise awareness of other local non profits doing important work in our area. It is a deep honor to be presenting our 4th Boston New Works Festival - celebrating and spotlighting the work of our LOCAL artists, and raising awareness of our non profit partners: On The Rise, and Theater Community Benevolent Fund! Sharmy would like to give special thanks for the endless love and support of her pit crew: David, Ben, Noah, George and Douglas.
KAILEY BENNETT (Co-Production Manager) is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation/ ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎠᏰᎵ and Boston based Production Manager, Stage Manager, and COVID Safety Manager. Originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma, Kailey graduated from Bowdoin College in Maine. Since moving to Boston, she has worked with numerous Boston area theatre and opera companies including Moonbox Productions, Company One, Lyric Stage Company, Boston Lyric Opera, Odyssey Opera, Boston Baroque, and Wheelock Family Theatre. When Kailey is not in rehearsals, she paints in her Brookline art studio, spends time with her deaf/blind cat Hedwig, and runs marathons around the world.
ALLISON OLIVIA CHOAT (Associate Artistic Director and Founding Partner, Moonbox Productions) (She, they). Allison is a theatrical storyteller, educator, and activist whose work lies where directing and design meet voice and movement. Recent collaborations include Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Moonbox Productions; Director), The Lion in Winter (Theater UnCorked; Director), Sugar (Fresh Ink Theatre; Dialect Coach), As Bees in Honey Drown (Theater UnCorked; Combat and Intimacy Coordinator), and The Piteous Life and Tragical Death of Steve the Intern (Synecdoche/ Boston Playwrights’ Theater; Director), as well as guest workshops at Salem State University and Westborough High School. Offstage, Allison is an academic administrator and diversity advocate at Harvard University and maintains a small private teaching studio focused on voice and movement for artists and athletes. Allison’s work has been recognized with numerous IRNE and Elliot Norton Awards.
JOY CLARK (Social Media Coordinator) is a Boston and NYC- based Musical Theatre performer, educator, and director/choreographer. Direction & Choreography: Joy creates for young people’s productions and professional theaters alike. Recent productions: ERLKING (world premiere), SNOOPY the Musical (CMTSJ), SEUSSICAL, STUART LITTLE, LION KING Jr. (Wheelock Family Theatre), and Fiddler on the Roof (WHS). Theatre Education: Joy teaches all ages, from Kindergarteners to college students. Joy is currently Reagle’s Interim Youth Workshop Director. Other Musical Theater Camps Wheelock Family Theater, ArtBarn, and Children’s Musical Theatre San Jose. Joy teaches masterclasses from coast to coast, and is currently on Musical Theatre Dance Faculty at Emerson College and Berklee College of Music. Joy is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association.
KARA
CRUMRINE (Director of Community Initiatives/ Accessibility) A licensed ASL Interpreter and DeafBlind Intervener for Northeast Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services, Kara provides environmental and communication access in the public-school setting. Committed to accessibility and Deaf Education, she gained valuable experience in the DeafBlind program at Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, MA. Kara graduated from the University of NH where she studied Speech Language Pathology, Deaf Studies and ASL/English Interpreting. Kara furthered her interpreting skills in the Graduation to Certification program with St. Catherine University’s CAITIE Center. Interpreting/ ASL credits: Boston Landmark Orchestra, Broadway in Boston, Wheelock Family Theatre, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Ogunquit Playhouse, Portsmouth Music Hall, Capitol Center for the Arts and Moonbox Productions. She resides with her husband Phil, their two children Gabriel, Marietta and Great Pyrenees/Husky in New Hampshire.
ELMER MARTINEZ (Collaborative Arts Coordinator) is a Puerto Rican- Dominican American interdisciplinary working theater artist, poet and dancer. Born in Lowell, MA he developed in the spoken word,theater and street dance communities before completing his BFA in Theater Studies focused on Lighting Design with a minor in Dance in 2019. Boston based, Elmer travels the world as a Lighting Designer, Poet, Teacher and Dancer. His stage work centers around aesthetically, authentically bridging street dance and theater cultures.
MOONBOX CORE TEAM
RHYS MCGOVERN (Director of American Sign Language) is a hard of hearing communication specialist who lives at the intersection of many communities. Rhys has led and joined theatrical interpreting teams at Wheelock Family Theater, ArtBarn Community Theater, Theater Ink, and Exit 7 Theater, as well as providing company interpreting for the Arlekin Players, coordinating creation of This Is My Brave: Heart Truth, and participating in the Moonbox Productions show Turning The Tide. In all of their professional endeavors, Rhys focuses on reducing access barriers for individuals and communities and supporting communication equity for all.
DAVRON S. MONROE (Casting Director, Director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) is a Boston based award winning singer and actor with vocal talents that run the gamut from Opera to Musical Theatre, gospel to jazz and everything else in between. Aside from being an award winning actor and an undeniable presence on Boston stages, Davron is an EDI practitioner and consultant with a background in project management that centers around belonging and connection. Emphasizing in strengthening educational pipelines for under-represented communities and focusing on increasing visibility of the global majority. Davron is committed to the extremely important work of helping the under-represented voice feel welcomed as well as shifting the face of theater by making it a place where community is adequately reflected on and off the stage. This work is coming from a place of wanting YOU to be here and celebrating all aspects of YOU. “It is paramount that we as a theater company create a space that is committed to antiracists policies as well as equitable treatment for all artists including members of the global majority, LGBTQIA+ and those living with Disabilities”.
REGINA NORFOLK (Publicist) founded RNCommunication, LLC, a public relations and special events company, in 2006 and has been the Publicist for Moonbox Productions since 2015. Throughout her career, she has worked extensively with public and private companies to spearhead successful launches and ongoing campaigns for products and services across a variety of industries including theater, retail, travel and tourism, education, food and restaurant, technology, real estate, construction, and non-profit. Before striking out on her own, she worked for two mid-size Boston PR agencies for eight years and served as Manager of Public Relations and Special Events at Filene’s Department Store for ten years.
BRIDGET KATHLEEN O’LEARY (Director of New Play Development) is a freelance director, dramaturg and theater educator. Bridget has directed productions with The Lyric Stage Company, Moonbox Productions, New Repertory Theatre, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, Actors’ Shakespeare Project, Gloucester Stage Company, Central Square Theatre, Whistler in the Dark and SpeakEasy Stage Company. Select world premiere directing credits include Heartland, Ripe Frenzy (IRNE Award winner for Best New Play), Blackberry Winter (Elliot Norton Nomination, Best New Play), and Pattern of Life (IRNE Award winner for Best New Play). Bridget served on the Executive Committee for the National New Play Network (NNPN) from 2014-2020 where she oversaw the selection process for both the NNPN Showcase of new works and the Kennedy Center’s MFA Playwrights’ Workshop. She was the production dramaturg on the premiere of Finish Line: A documentary play about the 2013 Boston Marathon (Elliot Norton Nomination, Best New Play).
GABBY STRYKER (Assistant Production Manager) (she/her) is a stage manager in the Boston area and the assistant production manager for the Tufts University Theater Department. She has worked as a stage manager on a number of productions including; Pimpinone & Ino (BEMF), Cirque of the Dead (Boston Circus Guild), Dirty, Rotten Scoundrels (Moonbox), The Mad Ones (Boston Conservatory), With Blood, With Ink (Seagle Music Festival), Roméo et Juliette (Seagle Music Festival), Good People (Oceanside Theater Company), Birds of North America (MOXIE), The Children (MOXIE), Curious Incident (San Diego Repertory), and Mother Road (San Diego Repertory). She hopes you enjoy the show!
PHIL TAYLER (Director of Marketing) is an award winning multi-disciplinary theatre artist in the Greater Boston Area. As an actor Phil has received Boston’s Elliot Norton Awards for his work on Buyer and Cellar and Avenue Q (Lyric Stage Company of Boston), Phil has also been honored for his work in Cabaret, Floyd Collins, Stones in His Pockets, Sweeney Todd, Of Mice and Men, Spring Awakening, and in Hair. Phil Co-Produced Parade (Moonbox Productions) which won the Elliot Norton for Best Musical in 2020. This season Phil Tayler played Freddy Benson in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Moonbox Productions). Phil currently serves as the Consultant, FOH Operations Manager at Arrow Street Arts and Director of Marketing and Communications/HR Manager for Moonbox Productions, both amazing local theatre and theatre venue organizations. Phil was a member
of AEA for nearly 15 years, but now chooses to advocate for equitable pay and fair workplace conditions independently. Phil can also be found performing the role of Husband & Full-Time Father in an ongoing original creation.
#GABEYSHADE #SEEYATOMARI #ROWDYBAODIE
LESS 16-13 KAKM PHILTAYLER.COM
JO WILLIAMS (Co-Production Manager) is a full-time senior lecturer at Tufts University in the Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies department where she teaches and mentors the stage management and production management students. Throughout the year Jo enjoys doing event work with High Output. She is incredibly grateful to be a part of the Moonbox team and specifically looks forward to the New Works Festival every year. She received her B.A. in Theatre/Speech from Northwestern College and her M.F.A. in Production Management from Boston University. Much love to her beautiful and supportive family including her wife Bridget Kathleen O’Leary and their daughter!
FANGIRL
Written and Composed by Luna Abréu-Santana
Fangirl tells the story of how a hit teen drama, its passionate fanbase, and an online catfishing scheme can turn even the most resistant into a hardcore super-fan.
SETTING:
Sometime between 2009-2019 in the United States
RUNTIME: 2 hours including one ten minute intermission
CONTENT ADVISORY:
Brief mentions of self-harm and suicide
When I initially had the idea for Fangirl, I was a few months away from my Quinceañera and had just begun documenting a world that I had only scratched the surface of. My obsession with the TV series Glee had propelled me head-first into an internet culture of fans who shared my same love for the show. Through my experience with the Gleeks, I learned how fandom transcends our obsession with pop culture by harboring community amongst those who may not have any, particularly teenage girls who are often overlooked, underestimated, and battling enormous mental health issues in their real life.
Where others saw an “unhinged” young girl obsessing over a fictional reality, I saw the gift that is the loud and unfiltered love for media that allows for us to feel seen. I have witnessed and felt the fierce protection of communities who nurture a mutual love for the same things. Alongside that, I have also come to recognize the dark sides of fandom. Through the fanfiction and fan art, there is an unspoken reality: the abundance of young people who rely on using these virtual spaces as their sole motivation to wake up each morning and keep going.
In the hyperbolic reality of a fangirl, there is one phrase that remains completely unexaggerated: “this saved me.”
Over the last twelve years I have continued to write Fangirl and am consistently reminded of how powerful a group of like-minded young women are. When the rest of the world asks us to be small and curated, the fangirl leads a masterclass in taking up space and unabashed emotional release.
For all of us who have ever been a super-fan of anything, Fangirl asks you to embrace the cringe and hug the teenage girl in all of us who is dying to talk about “that little Glee show.”
For all my fellow freaks, geeks, and Gleeks—this one is for you.
—Luna Abréu-Santana, June 2025
CAST
Jess Abbie Anderson
Lauren Anya Saben
Josh Brevan Collins
Lindsey Bridget DeVine
Angelina Catie Jamieson
Taylor Indijhan Richard
Alex Jayden Nelson
Syd Jordan Rochna
Quinn Liana Bartolome
Reporter Madeline Finkelman
Jackie Makayla Collins
Ben Ohad Ashkenazi
Ziggy Peter Tone
Skylar Romina Khodaverdy
Anthony Ryan McCarthy
PRODUCTION TEAM
Playwright Luna Abréu-Santana
Director Alexis Elisa Macedo
Music Director Asher Shectman
Music Supervisor/ Orchestrator Utsav Bhargava
Choreographer/
Fight Coordinator Alexander Crespo Rosario II
Stage Manager Olivia Browne
Deck Manager Melanie Litwin
Production Manager
Kailey Bennett
Assistant Production Manager Jessie Marasco
Scenic Design Shanel LeShay Smith
Props Design Andrew Reynolds
Costume Design Ailey Rivkin
Sound Design James Cannon
Lighting Design
Malcolm Foster
Production Electrician Baz Kouba
Lead Carpenter Andrew Reynolds
A1 Angela He
A2 Kristian Enge
MUSICIANS
Piano/Conductor Asher Schectman
Guitar Jake Arnowitz
Bass Catherine Michetti
Drums Vincent Fontenelli
Cello Henry Wu
FANGIRL CAST
ABBIE ANDERSON (Jess) is an actor, singer, dancer, educator and writer based in Boston. She recently graduated from Emerson College with her BFA in Theatre and Performance. Professionally, she has toured with the Rev Theatre Company doing Theatre for Young Audiences, and has performed at Radio City Music Hall, Sony Hall, and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In the Boston area, Abbie has performed in T: an MBTA Musical at the Rockwell, James and the Giant Peach at The Firehouse Center for the Arts, and The Suppliant Women with Apollinaire Theatre Company. For more, check out ABBIEANDERSON.NET or instagram @ABBIE.ANDERSON2!
OHAD ASHKENAZI (Ben) (He/Him/His) is grateful to be back at Moonbox, having previously played Caden in their production of The Thanksgiving Play. Other credits - Theater: Song of Songs, Songs of Love (Blue Heron Renaissance Choir), Hapundak (Hasimta Theater). TV & Film: Shkufim (HOT Network), Od Sipur Ehad (United King Films). Soundtrack Recording: Shkufim, Shababnikim (Hot Network, Israel). As a musical artist, Ohad has released two EPs, Headlined Pride events and music festivals and written for albums sold throughout South-East Asia. Assistant Professor at Berklee College of Music. Sending love to my family, and the wonderful Moonbox team! Ohadmusic.com | @ohadashkenaz
LIANA BARTOLOME (Quinn) is a musical theatre student, currently honing her skills in vocal performance, dance, and acting at The Boston Conservatory at Berklee College of Music. Past roles include Huldey (The Moors), Julie Jordan (Carousel), Vanessa (Significant Other) and Belle (Beauty and The Beast). Liana is beyond excited to help bring this story to life and would like to thank the talented cast, crew, and all involved in MoonBox’s production of FANGIRL!
BREVAN COLLINS (Josh, Fight Captain) is thrilled to be performing with the moonbox festival once again. Past credits include Alice by Heart (Alfred), Something Rotten (Brother Jeremiah), RENT (Roger), Dreamgirls (Frank/Dave). Brevan is a recent Graduate of the Boston Conservatory (CLASS OF 25’ WOOHOO). Countless thanks to Mom, Dad, and Ayla – who he wouldn’t be here without.
MAKAYLA COLLINS (Jackie) is a recent graduate of the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, where she earned her BFA in Musical Theatre. She’s thrilled to be part of Fangirl and to collaborate with this incredible team. Endless thanks to her family, friends, and mentors for their love and support!
BRIDGET DEVINE (Lindsey) is a Boston-based performer and student pursuing a BFA in Musical Theatre at Emerson College. Regional theatre credits include Pinocchio (Cat) at The Emerson Colonial Theatre. Emerson College credits: Head Over Heels, Myths and Hymns, and The Impracticality of Modern-Day Mastodons. Along with performing, Bridget loves content creation and documenting her life on social media, to follow along on her journey you can follow her @BRIDGET.DEV & check out her website: BRIDGETDEVINE.NET ! God bless!
MADELINE FINKELMAN (Reporter) (she/her) is so happy to return to the BNWF after appearing in Glory: A New Musical in 2023. Madeline received her BFA in musical theatre (emphasis in Songwriting) from Boston Conservatory at Berklee in 2024. She spent the past few months performing in south Florida where she originated the role of Young Rachel (in another new work) One Summer in Brooklyn and in the ensemble of (a not so new work) Legally Blonde at the Lauderhill Performing Arts Center. She would like to thank Alexis, Luna, and the Moonbox team for allowing her the exciting opportunity to help bring another new work to life!
CATIE JAMIESON (Angelina, Dance/Intimacy Captain) is thrilled to be making her professional Boston debut in Fangirl: The New Musical. Catie is a rising junior at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, pursuing her BFA in Musical Theatre. Past credits include The Wild Party (Boston Conservatory), Mamma Mia! (Arvada Center for Arts and Humanities), Footloose (Surflight Theatre). Last summer, Catie could be seen as a Singing Waitri at the iconic Showplace Ice Cream Parlor on Long Beach Island, New Jersey. She would like to thank her family and friends for all of their love and support, as well as the creative team and cast for their dedication.
ROMINA KHODAVERDY (Skylar) is so excited to be playing Skylar in Luna Abréu-Santana’s Fangirl! Born and raised in Los Angeles California and a graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy, Romina is a current student at The Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Her recent credits include Ensemble/Roving Musician: Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 (The Boston Conservatory), Daniela: In The Heights (Firehouse Center for the Arts), Emcee: Cabaret (Moorpark College), and Vivienne: Legally Blonde (High Street Arts Center). Special thanks to her family and friends and go Star Thieves! ig: romi.khod
RYAN MCCARTHY (Anthony) is a recent graduate of Salem State University with Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theatre Arts with a Performance concentration. This is Ryan’s second show at Moonbox Productions, the first being the SR Reader for Meet Me in the Bathroom last year. Recent outside theatre credits include: Connor Weems (Two Catchers) performed at the Boston Playwright’s Theatre, Angel (Kinky Boots) at the Company Theatre.
@RYJMB In loving memory of Allyssa June Fluet
JAYDEN NELSON (Alex) is from Miami, Florida where they found their love for theatre really early. They participated in many different arts programs growing up where they learned and molded their passion for musical theatre. They graduated from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee in the Musical Theatre Class of 2025. Since arriving they have taken part in many shows school wide. Some credits include: Conservatory MainStage Productions, Berklee Ensembles, and Student Lead Productions. They have also choreographed many works for performances such as: Dreamgirls, Class of 2025 Freshman Showcase, Berklee’s Jazmine Sullivan Ensemble and many more. Outside of school they have done choreography work for: The African Heritage Cultural Arts Center, Brevo Theatre and Evolutionary Arts and more. Jayden aspires to work in many industries including Live Theatrical Productions, TV/Film, Choreography, Commercial Dance, Writing, and more!
@JAYDNELSON
INDIJHAN RICHARD (Taylor) is a 19-year-old theatre director, actor, singer, and dancer. He was born and raised in The Bronx, New York City, and is currently based in Boston, gearing up for his Junior year at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, where he is pursuing a BFA in Musical Theatre. His recent credits include Daryl in For All Have Sinned, Moonbox’s play at the Boston Theatre Marathon, Soul Girl in Jesus Christ Superstar with the Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club, Marty in Dreamgirls, and Curio in Twelfth Night. He thanks his friends and family for their continued love and support! @INDIJHAN
ANYA SABEN (Lauren) is a recent graduate of Salem State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Arts Performance. Recent credits include: Phoebe Tristian (Two Catchers) at Boston Playwrights Theater, Norma McCorvey (Roe) and Antigone (Antigone) at Salem State University and Talia (Space Laser, in Space!) in the OOB Festival, 2023. Awards: KCACTF Irene Ryan Finalist Scene Partner Region 1 (2023), KCACTF Best National Scene Partner (2023), KCACTF Irene Ryan Scene Finalist Scene Partner Region 1 (2024). In loving memory of AJF.
JORDAN ROCHNA (Syd) Moonbox Productions: Debut. NYC/ Boston Credits: The Green Room 42’s Rep Book Roulette (Soloist), CAMP x Bluey Immersive Adventure (Performer, ASM). Emerson College Credits: Dogfight (Marcy), Tuck Everlasting (Mae Tuck), Lippa’s The Wild Party (Mae), Amour (u/s Whore), and Tanner Maverick’s Book of Sound (Mrs. Baker/ Swing). Jordan is a rising senior in Emerson College’s BFA Musical Theatre program. Sending all my love to my friends, family, and Alex, for everything. Enjoy the show! <3
@JORDANROCHNA
PETER TONE (Ziggy) is a Peruvian-American actor, organizer, and engineer. Recently he was seen in The Burlington Player’s production of Fun Home (Roy et al.) and in the Boston Theater Marathon with Exiled Theatre. He has also worked with MIT Theater Arts and Teatro Chelsea. He’s very excited to return to Moonbox after making his professional debut with them last year. Beep beep Lili, I love you. @PETER.ANTHONY.TONE
FANGIRL PRODUCTION TEAM
LUNA ABRÉU-SANTANA (Playwright, Composer) is a singer-songwriter and musical theater creative artist. She is passionate about the development of New Works and has worked extensively both as a singing actor and composer/ lyricist for new musicals. Since graduating from Berklee College of Music, Luna has released two albums as an independent artist, including Songs of a Slytherin, which was performed at Chicago Worldcon (2022). She is a MacColl Johnson Award finalist and recently participated in the Johnny Mercer Foundation Writers Grove at Goodspeed Musicals. As a Dominican-American artist, Luna is excited to create theater that is accessible to actors of all racial and cultural identities.
@THEOGLUNA
KAILEY BENNETT (Production Manager) is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation/
and Boston based Production Manager, Stage Manager, and COVID Safety Manager. Originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma, Kailey graduated from Bowdoin College in Maine. Since moving to Boston, she has worked with numerous Boston area theatre and opera companies including Moonbox Productions, Company One, Lyric Stage Company, Boston Lyric Opera, Odyssey Opera, Boston Baroque, and Wheelock Family Theatre. When Kailey is not in rehearsals, she paints in her Brookline art studio, spends time with her deaf/ blind cat Hedwig, and runs marathons around the world.
UTSAV BHARGAVA (Musical Arrangement) is an NYC-based composer/lyricist, orchestrator, music director,pianist, and copyist. BROADWAY: Real Women Have Curves, A Beautiful Noise. OFF-BROADWAY: New York Theatre Workshop — We Live in Cairo. REGIONAL: Shakespeare Theatre Company — Macbeth in Stride; American Repertory Theater — Two Strangers (Carry A Cake Across New York), Real Women Have Curves, Gatsby: An American Myth. His writing has been produced at venues such as Prospect Musicals, 54 Below, and Brooklyn Children’s Theatre. As an Indian-American artist, Utsav is passionate about bringing representation of marginalized groups to the theatre industry – both on stage and off.
JAMES CANNON (Sound Design) is a sound designer based in Watertown, MA. Recent Credits include - Actor’s Shakespeare Project: The Piano Lesson. North Shore Music Theater: Jersey Boys, Fiddler on the Roof. Umbrella Stage Company: The Full Monty, The Minutes, The Color Purple. Moonbox Productions: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Passing Strange, The Rocky Horror Show. Speakeasy Stage Company: FAIRVIEW. Wheelock Family Theater: A Wrinkle in Time. Front Porch Arts Collective/Central Square Theater: Next to Normal Greater Boston Stage Company: The Play that Goes Wrong. He gives all the love to his son, Trevanté, and his supportive partner Rebecca!
MALCOLM FOSTER (Lighting Design) is a Boston and NYCbased lighting designer for theater, opera, dance, and live events. His recent projects include Fragments at the Spoleto Festival U.S.A (Assistant Lighting Designer), touring with the Paul Taylor Dance Company (Lighting Supervisor), and designing for Urbanity Dance, Boston Arts Academy, and Ballet Spartanburg in South Carolina. He hopes you enjoy the show!
ANGELA HE (A1) is excited to be returning to Moonbox Productions. She has previously worked on Crowns and The Thanksgiving Play with them. She has most recently been seen working on Hello, Dolly! with Lyric Stage Boston. She’s excited to be working with Moonbox Productions again as the A1 on Fangirl!
BAZ KOUBA (Production Electrician) is an entertainment technician with skills in Lighting, Rigging, and more. He has served as the Production Electrician for Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Company One, and Moonbox. While he mainly works in the corporate event world, there is no joy like telling a story for the first time.
MELANIE LITWIN (Deck Manager) is thrilled to be returning to the Boston New Works Festival for Fangirl. She previously worked on the 2023 Boston New Works Festival as Production Stage Manager for The F&L at 1330. Additional previous productions include: The Interrobangers with Tufts Theatre Department (PSM), Morning, Noon, and Night workshop with Company One (ASM), as well as several productions with the Tufts student-run musical theatre group, Torn Ticket II. She has also worked with Central Square Theatre as a Playwright Assistant with “Youth Underground.” A massive thank you to everyone who made this production possible!
ALEXIS ELISA MACEDO (Director) is an unapologetic, produced, and published Chicana playwright, producer and performer. Education: National Theater Institute Alum and has her BA in Theater Arts - Acting Emphasis (Fresno State) Awards: Sewanee Writers’ Conference - SolProject Fellow, and is a Member of the Miranda Family Fellowship Advisory Board, where she heads the Big/Little Mentorship Program. Original Credits: CHICANA LEGEND (The Fools Collaborative, SheATL) Red Hood(ie) (Lime Arts Productions 20x20 Fringe, published with Next Stage Press,) and Under the Sheet (Moxie NYC Arts). You can find more of Macedo’s work on Youtube, NPX and her website. ALEXISELISAMACEDO.COM
JESSIE MARASCO (Assistant Production Manager) is a Boston based production manager and electrician. Recent credits: Moonbox Productions: Legally Blonde, House of Ramon Iglesia, Torch Song (Production Electrician), Manic Monologues, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Thanksgiving Play (Production Manager); Hub Theatre Company: Burn This, Love, Loss, and What I Wore, Into the Breeches! (Production Manager); Commonwealth Shakespeare Company: Romeo and Juliet (Production Manager); Gloucester Stage Company (Staff Production Electrician).
ANDREW REYNOLDS (Props Design) This is Andrew’s fifth design role with Moonbox. He has Prop Designed The Thanksgiving Play, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and Assistant Prop designed Crowns by Regina Taylor, and Once Upon a Carnival in Boston New Works Festival 2024. Other works include, Props Assistant/Intern for Broadway Backwards 2024 with BC/EFA, Props Artisan for The Huntington Theatre’s 2024/2025 season. He is also a Stagehand/Artisan for North Shore Music Theatre. He thanks his family, friends, and partner for their support.
AILEY RIVKIN (Costume Design) is a costume designer who enjoys every part of the creative process. She is so happy to be designing for the festival again! When she is not designing, Ailey enjoys spending time with family, friends and learning about manatees.
ALEXANDER CRESPO-ROSARIO II (Choreographer) Crespo II is a Native Taino born in Puerto Rico. He started his career as a B-boy representing the All City Rockers hip-hop crew and has continued to expand his skills through other artistic forms of street dance, modern dance, jazz, and musical theatre, to name a few. His theatre credits include: La Cage Aux Folles, LA BROA’, and Sweeney Todd at Trinity Rep. Crespo has starred in award-winning dance films such as TUMULT, and Through Mables Eyes. Crespo is a Miranda Family Fellow Alum, and an artistic associate at Studio Playground. Crespo is a comic book/ movie nerd and loves cats. CRESPO.SQUARESPACE.COM
ASHER SHECTMAN (Music Director, Piano/Conductor) is a musical theater writer, music director, and pianist from New Jersey. An alumnus of Berklee College of Music, he has music directed and played several shows throughout Boston; he has been selected thrice as a winner of Berklee’s Curtain Up! Theater songwriting contest and has had original works performed in BerkleeNYC’s Power Station. His original musical Goodbye, Nyle will have its New York premier at 54 Below this summer. He worked with Paper Mill Playhouse on their 2023 and 2024 New Voices Conservatory. He is also an award winning choral composer and vocal arranger. @ASHERSHECTMAN
SHANEL LASHAY SMITH (Scenic Design) (she/her) is a scenic designer, director, and artistic producer based in Providence, RI and Charlotte, NC. A multidisciplinary artist with a background in Mechanical Engineering and Professional Theatre, she blends innovation and storytelling to create bold, immersive spaces. Her recent work includes scenic design for Fat Ham and Wolf Play at the Wilbury Theatre Group in Providence, and props design for Haunted at Company One in Boston. Known for integrating non traditional mediums and experiences, Shanel reimagines what visual storytelling can be—disruptive, emotional, and deeply alive.
FANGIRL MUSICIANS
JAKE ARNOWITZ (Guitar) is a guitarist, arranger, and mixing engineer based out of Boston, MA. A recent graduate of Berklee College of Music, he is an active member of the Boston theater scene as a guitarist.
CATHERINE
MICHETTI
(Bass) is a NYC based Upright and Electric bass player. She specializes in musical theater and jazz. She has toured with multiple musicals including Waitress (2019-2020) and Company (20232024), and has subbed Off-Broadway (Teeth). She has performed in multiple musical theater productions/ projects and cabarets across New York State. Catherine frequently performs at Birdland Jazz Club with the Birdland Big Band and Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra. She has also performed in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Sydney Opera House, and Lincoln Center. Catherine graduated from SUNY Purchase College with an undergraduate degree in jazz studies.
VINCENT FONTENELLI (Drums) is a theater and film composer from Danbury, CT. Recent pit credits include Stephen Sondheim’s “The Frogs”, and the Berklee Musical Theater Club’s annual gala. Outside of theater, Vincent enjoys writing and performing with his band Flapjack Sundays. He sends his thanks to the cast and creative team!
HENRY WU (Cello) is a pianist and cellist based in Brookline, MA. A recent graduate of Harvard College with a degree in Statistics and a secondary in Sociology, he served as music director for five student theater productions and performed in the pit orchestra for many more. He was a cellist in the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra and a founding member of Harvard Undergraduate Crimson Cellos, the college’s premier cello ensemble. Though classically trained, Henry’s musical journey has also allowed him to explore the jazz and musical theater genres, as well as conducting, orchestration, composition, and sound engineering. Outside of music, he enjoys cooking, juggling, and biking (but not all at once).
GUTS
By Rachel Beth Greene
The hit reality weight-loss competition show GUTS is back with its BIGGEST! SEASON! EVER! There will be grueling challenges, verbal abuses, and – of course – the fan-favorite weekly weigh-ins. But behind the camera, rivalries are forming, romances are blossoming, and friendships are being found in the most unlikely of places. Can these six contestants find self-love, communal healing, and liberation in a place designed to make them hate themselves and their bodies? Do they have the guts?
SETTING:
A summer camp-like space in the woods. Present day.
RUNTIME: 2 hours, including one ten minute intermission
CONTENT ADVISORY:
Verbal abuse, depictions of disordered eating and abuse of weight loss drugs.
CAST
Darla Cara Clough
Star Elijah Brown
Julia Gwynnethe Glickman
Tam Hailey Madison Sebastian
Jane Lynn Wilcott
Jacob Noah Leikind
Laurie Tiffany Santiago
Tommy Tim Lawton
PRODUCTION TEAM
Playwright
Rachel Beth Greene Director Shalee Cole Mauleón
Stage Manager
Production Manager
Rose Freudberg
Jo WIlliams
Asst. Production Manager Gabby Stryker
Intimacy Director
Scenic Design
Costume Design
Props Design
Sound Design
Lighting Design
Production Electrician
Technical Intern
Wardrobe Supervisor
Lauren Cook
Maggie Shivers
Kat Lawrence
Julia Wonkka
Lorenzo Sosa Lopez
Zachary Connell
Ailsa Smith
Ryan Jones
E Rosser
GUTS CAST
ELIJAH BROWN (Star) (they/he) is so excited to be a part of this production! Elijah is a Boston-based actor, vocalist, and dancer. Their recent credits include: Crowns (Moonbox Productions), Hoops (Company One), Orpheus In the Overworld (Fresh Ink Theater), Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company), and Queer Voices (Boston Theater Company). Elijah holds his BFA in acting from Emerson College.
CARA CLOUGH (Darla) Local credits include Suppliant Women (Apollinaire Theatre Company); Hamlet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Taming of the Shrew (Sh*tfaced Shakespeare); The Wolves (Hovey Players), and John Deserves to Die (Fresh Ink Theatre).
GWYNNETHE GLICKMAN (Julia) is a mother and multidisciplinary performance/screen artist from Newbury, MA. Gwynnethe currently works as healthcare clown “Dr. Grooves” with the Laughter League at Boston Children’s Hospital. This is the first time Gwynnethe is performing with Moonbox, and she is so grateful to be a part of Guts as the abhorrent Julia. Gwynnethe congratulates all of the artists involved in this beautiful New Works Festival. Recent credits include: Castle Hill Productions As You Like It (Phebe), Seacoast Repertory Theatre’s The Nutcracker (Candy Cane Hula Hoop Dancer/ Juggler), CAST x Gloucester Stage’s The Actor’s Nightmare (Sarah Siddons).
TIM LAWTON (Tommy) is proud to be returning for his 2nd Moonbox New Works Festival! Tim was last seen as Preacher in David Reiffle’s Glory in 2023. Tim is most known for his 13 seasons with The Gold Dust Orphans, with whom he won an Elliot Norton Award for Best Musical Performance as Mary Cheney in Thoroughly Muslim Millie. Other favorite include Edna in Hairspray (Sullivan Rep), Dave in The Full Monty (Emerson Umbrella) and Moonbox’s smash production of Sweeney Todd. Sometimes, Tim is also Mt. Edna: a drag chanteuse who can be found singing at from here to Ptown!
NOAH LEIKIND (Jacob) is thrilled to return to Guts after participating in last December’s staged reading at The Rockwell! Previous credits include: Twelfth Night (Malvolio), Stupid Fucking Bird (Sorn), and Orlando (Various) at Brandeis University, Julius Caesar (Caesar/Various) at the British American Drama Academy, and Romeo and Juliet (Friar Laurence) with Commonwealth Shakespeare Company’s Apprentice Company. His play, Farewell to the World I Know, received the Harold and Mimi Steinberg Prize for Best Original Play from Brandeis University in spring 2024.
TIFFANY SANTIAGO
(Laurie) (she/her/any) is a Bostonbased theatre artist is Tiffany has worked throughout Boston with some of their favorite credits including Brooke Wilson in Sugar (Fresh Ink Theatre), Cee in Hoops (Company One), Andy Stark in John Deserves to Die (Fresh Ink Theatre), #13 in The Wolves (Hovey Players) and Leanne/Ginny in Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic (Regional debut, FTLO Theater). They would like to thank their friends and family for the endless love and support!“
HAILEY MADISON SEBASTIAN (Tam)
Hailey Madison Sebastian (Tam) is a Fil-Am theatre artist in the Boston area, and is thrilled to be making her Moonbox debut! She is a graduate of Berklee’s Professional Music program. Previous credits include: Assassins (Sara Jane Moore, MIT), ISCARIOT: the Musical (Judas Iscariot, Harvard University), and The Lightning Thief: the Percy Jackson Musical (Annabeth Chase, U/S, Wildwood Summer Theatre). Special thanks to Mamay, Daddy, Hammie, Mommyla, Mamamita, and all of her friends for reminding her that this is all possible. This show is for Tim, for loving Maddie the way she is.
LYNN WILCOTT (Jane) is thrilled to make her Moonbox Debut. She is an actor, singer, and special effects designer in Boston, having worked with many local companies including Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, Improv Asylum, Fresh Ink, Company One, and HUB Theatre. She gives love to her amazing friends and family, and XXXX to Most Favored Weirdo.
GUTS PRODUCTION TEAM
ZACHARY CONNELL (Lighting Design) (he/him) is a NYCand Boston-based lighting designer and recent BFA graduate from Boston University. Recent design credits include Emilia (BU), Soft Star and How to NOT Save the World with Mr. Bezos (Boston Playwrights’ Theatre), and Constellations (BCA Plaza). He has also worked as a lighting programmer for Leopoldstadt at the Huntington and Octavia with the Boston Early Music Festival. Zachary is passionate about collaborative theatremaking and especially grateful for opportunities to support the development of new work. He thanks his mentors, friends, and family for their continued support. More at zacharyconnell.com.
LAUREN COOK (Intimacy Director) is a Boston-based stage director, intimacy choreographer, voice teacher, and sometimes actor. Directing and intimacy credits include Commonwealth Shakespeare Company: Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol,’ A Midsummer Night’s Dream (ARC); Hub Theatre Company: Tartuffe, Book of Will, Burn This; MassOpera, Boston Lyric Opera, Boston Conservatory Opera, and Lowell House Opera at Harvard University: Nighttown (world premiere, winner of the 2023 American Prize in composition). Other world premieres include a staged reading of international best-selling author Hope Jahren’s inaugural theatrical work, Waiting for Cain. She holds a Master of Music degree in Vocal Pedagogy from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee and her writing on consent-based performing arts education is featured in Trauma and the Voice: A Guide for Singers, Teachers, and Other Practitioners, published by Rowman & Littlefield.
ROSE FREUDBERG (Stage Manager) is thrilled to be stage managing Guts! Previous stage management credits include Guts (staged readings at The Rockwell and First Kiss Theater Co.), Amphitrite and Poseidon (Third Citizen Theater Co.), The American Dream, Iphigenia and Other Daughters, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Brandeis University). Rose holds a BA in Theater Arts from Brandeis University and is a flying trapeze instructor at Revolution Trapeze. Huge thank you to Rachel, Shalee, and the rest of the Guts team!
RACHEL BETH GREENE (Playwright) is a Boston-based playwright committed to putting fat characters center stage. Her work wrestles with the thorny intersections of gender, sexual, and body politics when power dynamics are pushed to their furthest extremes. Rachel’s plays include JOHN DESERVES TO DIE (Fresh Ink Theater Company, Tier5 Theatre Company, LakehouseRanchDotPng, First Kiss Theatre Company), Power Play (Lanford Wilson New American Play Festival, Brick Road Productions, Artists’ Theater of Boston),
Guts (The Rockwell, First Kiss Theatre Company), XOXOLOLA (LakehouseRanchDotPng), and Margaret My Name (Brandeis University). Rachel is an MFA Playwriting candidate at Boston University. RACHELBGREENE.COM @RACHEL.B.GREENE
KAT LAWRENCE (Costume Design) is a designer currently based in the Boston area. She attended Brandeis University where she received her degree in Theater Arts, Music, and minored in Film. Since graduating Kat works as a freelance designer focusing on creating safe and comfortable environments by making art of all forms for everybody and every body. Her work has been seen with The Huntington Theatre (Design Ast. The Light in the Piazza, Triumph of Love), Commonwealth Shakespeare (Romeo and Juliet, Pericles), The Hub Theater (Into the Breeches!, Love, Loss and What I Wore), Fresh Ink Theater (John Deserves to Die), and many more. She is also currently the costume and props teacher at the Cambridge School of Weston teaching the next generation of theater makers. Much love to Rachel Greene for her amazing plays. See more at KAT-LAWRENCE.COM
LORENZO SOSA LOPEZ (Sound Design) is a Boston-based sound designer and audio engineer with a passion for stories that live at the intersection of identity and chance, forcing us to reexamine ourselves and the world we inhabit. This is their Moonbox debut, and they are deeply grateful to work with this incredible team. Select credits include Boston Theatre Company’s 2025 Queer Voices Festival (Sound Designer), Emerson Stage’s I Love XXX and Imogen Says Nothing (SD), Lyric Stage’s Crumbs from the Table of Joy and Trouble in Mind (Assoc. and Asst. SD), and Hartford Stage’s Simona’s Search (Asst. SD). They will graduate from Emerson College with a Theatre Design/Technology B.F.A. in May 2026.
SHALEE COLE MAULEÓN (Director) is a new work director and dramaturg working in and out of Minneapolis and Boston. She has worked with Playwrights’ Center, 20% Theatre Company, Uprising, Boston Playwrights Theatre, and The Rockwell among others. She assisted Tasia A. Jones on Front Porch Arts Collective and Central Square Theatre’s production of Her Portmanteau. Her writing has been supported by Hedge Theatre, Somerville Productions, the Right Here Showcase, and St. Catherine’s University. She is an alumnus of the National Theater Institute, Directors Lab West, and is currently pursuing her MFA in directing at Boston University. SHALEEDIRECTS.COM
AILSA SMITH (Production Electrician) (she/her) is honored to be working on her first production with Moonbox! She is a lighting design major at Boston University going into her junior year. Recent BU credits include Florencia en el Amazonas (Production Electrician) and Emilia (Assistant Lighting Design. She has also recently worked on Mamma Mia (Lighting Design, LSB Players) and Elements XXIII (Lighting Design & Programmer, BU Student Production Services). She’d like to thank her friends and family for their support.
JULIA WONKKA (Props Design) is a props and scenic designer based in the Boston area. Previous credits include: Moonbox Productions: Legally Blonde, NWF 2023 (Props Designer), Umbrella Arts: The Spitfire Grill, The Minutes (Props/Set Dressing), Central Square Theater: The Hound of the Baskervilles, Your Town (Scenic/Props Design), Her Portmanteau, SPACE, Beyond Words, Machine Learning, The Rocky Horror Show, Perestroika (Props Artisan), The Hub: Tartuffe, Burn This (Props Master), Spindrift Theater: My Mama and the Full Scale Invasion (Scenic Design), Emerson Stage: Are You Someone to Somebody? (Scenic/Props Design), Three Romances for the Unwell and Otherwise (Scenic Design).
MOX NOX
By Patrick Gabridge
In a world of rising water, two sisters reunite at their family home. A play of lyrical magic and visual surprise, with characters who desperately need love and dry land.
SETTING:
The family home of Mira and Deedee. In the not-to-distant future.
RUNTIME: 110 Minutes
CONTENT ADVISORY:
Production includes themes of family trauma and suicide.
Special thanks to Kyler Taustin and the Brown Box Theater Project for commissioning Mox Nox, and the original actors present at the creation of the play--Gigi Watson, Susannah Wilson, Tonasia Jones, and Cam Torres.
Mox Nox’s origin story began in 2017, when after the completion of the tour of my play Lab Rats, I told Brown Box Theatre Project’s artistic director, Kyler Taustin, that he should commission me to write a play. He agreed. What would it be about? I wasn’t sure, but we were both drawn to theatre that felt alive with surprise and delight. Magic should be part of it. Climate change and rising water were necessary elements.
Though it’s a rare privilege, I love writing for specific actors. In this case, I was able to interview Boston actors Tonasia Jones, Cam Torres, Gigi Watson, and Susannah Wilson about their thoughts and fears and skills, all of which shaped the characters of the play.
Magician Evan Northrup was part of the process from the beginning. I wanted magic to be baked into the very bones of this play. Evan shared his extensive collection of books on magic as well as his skills and enthusiasm.
I wrote a play that felt close to my heart and also had deep connections with everyone on the creative team. At the first read through, we knew it was something special. After much work and development, Brown Box scheduled a multi-city tour to begin in May 2020. The set and costumes were constructed, magic was practiced. Then along came COVID. No tour, no magic with Deedee, Mira, Pike and Amanda.
Today, I am immensely grateful to Moonbox and the entire team for the opportunity to share this play with you, after such a long road.
– Patrick Gabridge, June 2025
CAST
in order of Appearance
Deedee Marleena Garris
Pike Dustin Teuber
Amanda Allison Beauregard
Mira Liv Dumaine
PRODUCTION TEAM
Playwright Patrick Gabridge
Director Alexandra Smith
Stage Manager Mina-Claire Paz-Le Draoulec
Production Manager Jo Williams
Assistant Production Manager Gabby Stryker
Magician Evan Northrup
Intimacy Director Leanna Niesen
Scenic Design Janie E. Howland*
Props Design Kelly Smith
Costume Design Chelsea Kerl
Sound Design Aubrey Dube
Lighting Design Narissa “nars” Kelliher
Production Electrician Gabriel Goldman
Technical Intern Ryan Jones
Wardrobe Supervisor E Rosser
Technical Director Anna Vogler
*Member of United Scenic Artists
MOX NOX CAST
ALLISON BEAUREGARD (Amanda) (she/they) Performance credits include: Trouble in Mind, Preludes (Lyric Stage Company); Go Back for Murder (Barnstormers Theatre); Henry VI Part III (Commonwealth Shakespeare); Uncle Vanya, Cabaret, Sunday in the Park with George (Pittsburgh Playhouse); Sing the Rainbow (54 Below); Queering the Canon (Joe’s Pub); Detroit ’67 (Third Rail Repertory); Sometime Child (Guild Hall of Easthampton). BFA Acting, Point Park University; MFA Theatre Education and Applied Theatre, Emerson College. Allison is also a theatre educator, dialect coach, researcher of gender-affirming voice, and proud member of the Ring of Keys Coalition for queer theatre artists. ALLISONBEAUREGARD.COM
LIV DUMAINE (Mira) (she/her) is a Boston-based actor and intimacy director. Select acting credits include: Founding F***ers (Greater Boston Stage Company); The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Three Sisters (Apollinaire Theatre Company); Macbeth, What Rough Beasts (Underlings Theatre Company), Henry IV (Praxis Stage). Liv has also been a member of Sh!t-faced Shakespeare since 2022, performing in productions of The Taming of the Shrew, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Hamlet. She is a graduate of the BFA Theatre Performance program at Salem State University, and is pending certification with Intimacy Directors & Coordinators. LIVDUMAINE.COM
MARLEENA GARRIS (DeeDee) (she/her) is a Dorchester-born, Midwest-trained actor who still chases the ice-cream truck. She is excited to make her Moonbox debut!. After graduating, she dipped into improv with Night of Luv (Brickworks Theatre Co.) and toured with the National Theatre for Children, bringing stories into classrooms nationwide. She received the Mabel P. Robinson Emerging Artist Award in Acting at the International Black Theatre Festival, then joined Commonwealth Shakespeare Company’s Apprentice Program as Casca in Julius Caesar Thank you to the BNWF team for this journey, Mox Nox cast/ crew, and friends/family for the support and opportunity. She hopes this show brings you a little magic! She is excited to make her Moonbox debut!
MARLEENAGARRIS.CARRD.COM.@MARLEENAGARRIS
DUSTIN TEUBER (Pike) is happy to be participating in Moonbox’s production of Mox Nox and to be working with Alex and Pat again since last summer’s hit Revolutions or Else at Old North. Other Boston/New England Credits include Rosemary’s Baby Jesus (Gold Dust Orphans) Black Super Hero Magic Mama (Company One), Dracula (Umbrella Stage Company), and The Elephant Man through his own theater company O4FXSake Productions. Dustin will also be appearing in Little Shop of Horrors at The Winnipesaukee playhouse and The Kitty Knox plays with Plays in Place. Thank you very much for coming!
MOX NOX PRODUCTION TEAM
AUBREY DUBE (Sound Designer) worked on Queens, Torch Song, The House of Ramon Iglesia, Once Upon A Carnival (Moonbox Productions); Fences, Network (Umbrella Theatre); Paradise Blue, The Thin Place, Stew, Wipeout (Gloucester Stage Company);Toni Stone, Fat Ham, Clyde’s, The Bluest Eye, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Lehman Trilogy (Huntington): Trayf, Good (New Rep); Vinegar Tom, Monster, Serious Money, Pentecost (PTP/NYC), Winter People (Boston Playwrights’ Theatre); Morning Noon and Night, Downtown Crossing, Vietgone (Company One); Simona’s Search (Hartford Stage) The Fortune Teller (Chuang Stage); A Case for the Existence of God, Potus (SpeakEasy Stage) Trouble in Mind (Lyric Stage); A Taste of Honey (Boston Center for American Performance). University: Cymbeline, Pilgrims of the Night (Suffolk University); Orlando (Brandeis University); Antipodes, Love and Information, As You Like It, Sensitive Guys (Northeastern University); Education: MFA in Sound Design (Boston University). Youtube soccer podcast called @FOOTBALLPOWERHOUR
PATRICK GABRIDGE (Playwright) is a playwright, novelist, screenwriter, and theatre producer. He is the producing artistic director of Plays in Place, a company that creates site-specific plays in partnership with museums and historic sites, including Mount Auburn Cemetery, the Massachusetts State House, and Boston’s Old North Church. His plays have received more than 1,000 productions from theatres and schools around the world (17 countries so far). An avid gardener and former farmer, Patrick has written a number of plays dealing with environmental issues and climate change, including Mox Nox, Drift, A Bright New Morning, and Hot Love in the Moonlight. GABRIDGE.COM
GABRIEL GOLDMAN (Production Electrician) currently works as a freelance production electrican for the greater Boston area. He is also the Production electrician for the Boston Conservatory Theatre as well as the Lyric Stage Company. He would like to thank his wonderful partner Shelby for her continued love and support.
JANIE E. HOWLAND* (Scenic Design) (she, her) Janie returns to the New Works Fest for the 4th year. Spring was at Willamette University (OR) where she taught and designed Far Away, and Bloom Bloom Pow. Recent productions: Ja-Ja’s African Hair Braiding (Speakeasy Stage Company), Spitfire Grill (Umbrella Stage). Venues include Trinity Rep, InterAct Theatre (PA), Southwark Playhouse (UK), Berkshire Opera Festival, Mass MOCA, Reagle Music Theatre, Central Square Theatre, Wheelock Family Theatre, New Rep, ASP, Weston Playhouse (VT), Company One, Gloucester Stage. 2024 recipient of Elliot Norton Award for Sustained Excellence, 8 prior design awards, adjunct faculty at Bridgewater State University, and Wellesley College. JANIEHOWLAND.COM USA Local 829.
NARISSA “NARS” KELLIHER (Lighting Design) Hub Theatre Company: Tartuffe. Lyric Stage: Party Bots, Made You Look. Moonbox Productions: Holy Chicken Sandwich. Revolutionary Spaces: Phillis in Boston. Emerson Stage: Old Jake’s Skirts and Next to Normal. Mercutio Troupe: Our Dear Dead Drug Lord. RareWorks Theatre Co.: sub. Emshakes: A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Full Fathom Productions: Fefu and Her Friends. Commonwealth Shakespeare Company: The Winter’s Tale (Assistant). Company One Theatre: The Interrobangers (Associate). Central Square Theater: Angels in America Part 2: Perestroika (Associate). Boston Conservatory: Something Rotten (Assistant). BFA Emerson College.
CHELSEA KERL (Costume Design) (She, Her) is a Bostonbased costume designer and educator. Previous Moonbox credits: Knock Down Drag Out (and Costume Design mentor, 2024 NWF), Passing Strange, and Parade. Select other designs: Witch (Huntington Theatre Company); Cost of Living (SpeakEasy Stage Company); Greater Good (Company One Theatre/American Repertory Theatre); Willy Wonka (Wheelock Family Theatre at BU). Other: costume shop manager and costume design professor at Wellesley College; faculty at Bridgewater State University; previously staff in the costume shop of the American Repertory Theatre. Education: MFA in costume design from Boston University, previously attended the University of Maryland. CHELSEAKERL.COM.
LEANNA NIESEN (Intimacy Director) is thrilled to be working on her first show at Moonbox. She most recently worked as Assistant Intimacy Director for A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Actors’ Shakespeare Project). She also works as a stage manager, with recent credits including The Spitfire Grill (Umbrella Arts); Fucking A (Boston Conservatory); Noises Off (Lyric Stage Company); Lysistrata, Of Thee I Sing & Let Them Eat Cake (Odyssey Opera); and The Hombres, Wipeout (Gloucester Stage Company). Leanna is a graduate of Muhlenberg College.
EVAN NORTHRUP (Magician) Recent Illusion Design Credits: Fat Ham, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, I Was Most Alive With You (Huntington Theater Company); Fast Company (Lyric Stage Company); Carnival (Gloucester Stage Company); The Tempest (Camden Shakespeare Festival); A Bright Room Called Day (Flat Earth Theater Company); Dracula (Salem Theater Company). The Spirits Speak (The National Parks Service). Evan received a B.A. from Brown University and has studied magic at institutions including the McBride Magic & Mystery School (Las Vegas, NV) and the Real Centro Universitario María Cristina (El Escorial, Spain). When he’s
not producing his own magic shows, he creates illusions for theatrical productions around the country and designs immersive magical installations. Member: The Society of American Magicians. EVANNORTHRUP.COM @EVANNORTHRUP.
MINA-CLAIRE PAZ-LE DRAOULEC (Stage Manager) Broadway: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Regional: Night Side Songs (American Repertory Theater), The Nutcracker (Boston Ballet). Emerson Stage: Little Women, A Doll’s House, Old Jake’s Skirts, Bat Boy, Bonnets: How Ladies of Good Breeding are Induced to Murder. Mercutio Troupe: Our Dear Dead Drug Lord
ALEXANDRA SMITH (Director) Director: Made You Look/The Day We Saw Everything and Party Bots (Lyric Stage/Lyric Back Stage), Revolution’s Edge (Plays In Place), Extremities and A Good Death (Also Known As Theatre), Fiddlers’ Three (Theater Barn), My Body No Choice (Open Theatre Project). Assistant Director: Productions at Lyric Stage, The Huntington, Wheelock Family Theatre, the National Women’s Theatre Festival. Producer: Projects with The Dinosaur Factor, Open Theatre Project, Also Known As Theatre. Teaching Artist: American Repertory Theater. Community & Artistic Programs Manager at Lyric Stage, Board Member for the Theatre Community Benevolent Fund, and Associate Member of SDC.
KELLY SMITH (Props Design) is a multi-hyphenate artist with a focus on fostering new work in Boston. Selected: PropsCommonwealth Shakespeare Company/ART: Much Ado About Nothing. Company One: Learning How to Read by Moonlight, HOOPS, The Interrobangers, Greater Good, Vietgone. Fresh Ink: Shrike, That Time The House Burned Down, Don’t Give Up The Ship. Legion Theatre: Break Break. Titanic Theatre: The Lyons Hub Theatre: Wit. Brown Box Theatre: Lab Rats. Writing: Flat Earth Theatre: Reset, The White Room. theatreKapow: Raining Aluminum. ShotzBoston, StoryClub Boston. Along with stage managing for ArtsEmerson, Emerson College, Sleeping Weazel, Lesley University and more, Kelly produced the raucous Irish backroom bar series Solas Nua at the Burren, the heartwarming Grownup Storytime at Aeronaut Brewery, and founded Also Known As Theatre. KELLYESMITH.COM
HITCH
By James McLindon
A white man in his 30’s learns that the young biracial hitchhiker he has picked up is not at all what she seemed...but then again, neither is he. Together, they each discover where the other has been, and decide where they themselves are going
SETTING:
In a car traveling across America on an interstate highway
RUNTIME: 90 Minutes. No intermission
CAST
in order of Appearance
Lane Eric McGowan
Dee Gabriella Purvis
Stage Directions Naomi Kim
PRODUCTION TEAM
Playwright James McLindon
Director Donovan Holt
Stage Manager Cam Cottuli
Production Manager Jo Williams
Assistant Production Manager Gabby Stryker
Director of American Sign language Rhys McGovern
ASL Interpreter Whitney Bright
HITCH CAST
NAOMI KIM (Stage Directions) is a mixed-race actor, dramaturg, and fight choreographer in the Boston area. Theatre credits include: Off Broadway: A Stormy Night (Emerging Artists Theatre Company); Like Flies (Portland Stage Company’s Little Festival of the Unexpected); A-Típico New Works Play Festival: The Leopard Women (Teatro Chelsea); Twelfth Night, Everybody, Love and Information (Northeastern University), and Julius Caesar (LAMDA). TV: Divine Shadow (Flying Gecko Productions). She has a BA in Theatre from Northeastern University and is a graduate of The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA)’s Classical Acting Semester Program. @NAOMI.A.KIM | NAOMIKIM.ACTOR
ERIC MCGOWAN (Lane) is a Somerville resident who has been undergoing temporary dissociative breaks from reality (or “acting”) for nearly 30 years. Eric has enjoyed acting in productions across the Boston area, ranging from Shakespeare and other classics to new plays, with companies such as Titanic Theatre Co., Plays in Place, and The Gold Dust Orphans. Eric previously studied classes at Shakespeare & Company and Stella Adler Studio in New York City. When not on stage, Eric enjoys teaching drama to elementary and middle school students, showing them how important it is to be silly on stage. Eric is thrilled to be working on HITCH with such a fantastic cast and crew!
GABRIELLA PURVIS (Dee) is a first year student at Northeastern University. While this is her first Moonbox Productions show, she has participated in Northeastern’s spring semester department show, Spelling Bee, various student run company shows such as NUStage and New Renaissance, and other productions prior to university. Originally from New Hampshire, Gabriella is incredibly excited to bring Hitch to life this summer. She hopes you enjoy the show!
HITCH PRODUCTION TEAM
WHITNEY BRIGHT (ASL Interpreter) is a graduate of the ASL program at Keuka College. Since graduating in 2017, Whitney has done her fair share of volunteer work with Deaf and Hard of Hearing youth as well as worked with some amazing mentors for a few other stage productions. For the past 7 years Whitney has been working in Deaf Education and has recently delved into the theater world. Her past credits include Life of Pi, Clyde’s, Evita, Girl From the North Country, In the Same Tongue, and Juliet
CAM COTTULI (Stage Manager) is a Boston-based stage manager and technician with a degree in technical theatre from Salem State University. She is excited to be working with Moonbox Productions for the first time! Recent credits include Utopian Hotline, Firewater Poetics, Rough Magic (ArtsEmerson); Roe, The Pillowman, The Ghost Sonata, and Othello (Salem State University).
DONOVAN HOLT (Director) is a director, actor, and producer. He is a Northeastern graduate with a degree in Theatre concentrating in performance and a minor in Human Movement Science. He is also the Associate Producer for Front Porch Arts Collective and serves as a freelance casting consultant as well. Past Credits: Sävë Thë Whälës (Movement Director), Exception to the Rule (Northeastern and Front Porch Arts Collective), Loose Ends (The Huntington), Clyde’s (Assistant Director, The Huntington), Everybody (Assistant Director, Northeastern). Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Assistant Director, Front Porch Arts Collective, Central Square Theatre, Greater Boston Stage Company). @donoholt
JAMES MCLINDON (Playwright) is a member of the Nylon Fusion Theatre Company in New York. His plays have been produced or developed at theaters across America and around the world including the O’Neill National Playwrights Conference (selection and six-time semifinalist), Lark, PlayPenn, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, hotINK Festival, Irish Repertory, CAP21, Samuel French Festival, Victory Gardens, Hudson Stage Company, Abingdon, New Repertory, Lyric Stage, Detroit Rep, Great Plains Theatre Conference, Seven Devils, Telluride Playwrights Festival, Ashland New Plays Festival, Boston Playwrights Theatre, Colony Theatre, Theatricum Botanicum, Circus Theatricals, and Arkansas Rep. They have been published by Dramatic Publishing, Smith & Kraus, Brooklyn Publishing, Applause Books, Next Stage Press, and Original Works Publishing.
RHYS MCGOVERN (Director of American Sign Language) is a hard of hearing communication specialist who lives at the intersection of many communities. Rhys has led and joined theatrical interpreting teams at Wheelock Family Theater, ArtBarn Community Theater, Theater Ink, and Exit 7 Theater, as well as providing company interpreting for the Arlekin Players, coordinating creation of This Is My Brave: Heart Truth, and participating in the Moonbox Productions show Turning The Tide. In all of their professional endeavors, Rhys focuses on reducing access barriers for individuals and communities and supporting communication equity for all.
CHOOSE AND CELEBRATE
By Catherine Giorgetti
When violence permeates the 1970’s queer community in Boston, Teresa’s activism and personal life converge and her relationships are thrown into disarray.
SETTING: 1973 Boston
RUNTIME 75 Minutes. No intermission
CONTENT ADVISORY: Description of a violent homophobic attack, homophobic language
PLAYWRIGHT’S NOTE
“It is encouraging that the Arboretum is still a place where love can bloom in spite of its recent sordid history.” This is the line that caught my eye as I was combing through the Gay Community News Archives in the summer of 2022. I found it while working on my history capstone essay on how GCN proves the importance of Boston in gay liberation history. Within that time looking at GCN, there were so many lines, articles, editorials, and forums that caught my attention. But this line, the way that community found and chose joy amongst so many articles of violence, drew me in the most.
Through this process and connecting with Boston queer history, I have learned so much about community and how we take care of each other. When the hate and policies that strip my rights and the rights of people I love away continue to run rampant through our country, I find myself turning more and more to the blueprint that GCN, and this quote specifically, has left behind. Hope and joy, and the deliberate choice to feel that hope and joy, are at the center of resistance. My hope for our community is that, just as Eric, Christopher, and Teresa chose joy, we do as well.
—Catherine Giorgetti, Playwright
DIRECTOR’S NOTE
Choose and Celebrate came into being after Catherine spent a year diving into the Gay Community News archives. GCN was a Bostonbased newspaper that ran from 1973-1992. The paper began as a way to get information out to the gay community in Boston, but quickly grew, eventually becoming a national news source. This play draws inspiration and employs archival text from articles written in the first three months of the paper’s existence.
This play takes place four years after Stonewall, in the thick of the Gay Liberation movement, and still nearly a decade before lawmakers would deny life saving healthcare to AIDS victims. Now, as queer and trans rights are attacked nationwide, as trans healthcare is criminalized, as immigrants and protesters for a Free Palestine are disappeared off of our streets and we collectively question what to do, it is crucial to engage with our history and to locate ourselves as part of a long tradition of struggle, of bravery, and of risk. In a moment where any one of us has access to a paralyzing amount of information, it is so easy for activism to die before it hits the ground. Forming and becoming rooted in local community organizations is perhaps one of the greatest ways to find our collective strength.
This play takes place primarily on park benches and apartment couches, in moments between close friends. This is a play about what we are and are not willing to lose in the face of injustice. It is perhaps impossible to fight perfectly for what we believe in. Nevertheless, how do we find each other, find our role, and struggle, imperfectly, forward.
—Devon Whitney, Director
CAST
in order of Appearance
Stage Directions
Carrie Tully
Teresa Maddie Starr Wicker
Eric David J. Raposo
Debra
Ashley Lyon
Christopher Zach Fuller
PRODUCTION TEAM
Playwright Catherine Giorgetti
Director Devon Whitney
Stage Manager Cam Cottuli
Production Manager Jo Williams
Assistant Production Manager Gabby Stryker
CHOOSE AND CELEBRATE CAST
ZACH FULLER (Christopher) is thrilled to be making his Moonbox debut with this fantastic company. Recent Credits: Touching the Void (Apollinaire Theater Company), Don’t Open This (Liars and Believers), Lyric First Page (Lyric Stage Company), As You Like It (Emerson Stage), Trinkets (Deadword Theatre Company), Crumbs of Joy (In Scena! Italian Theater Festival). Thank you for supporting live theater. IG: ___zachfuller___
ASHLEY LYON (Debra) is a Boston-based actor originally hailing from Monterey, CA. She is delighted to once again perform in Moonbox’s New Works Festival after appearing in Catherine Giorgetti’s Rocky Relationships in 2022. Other local performance credits include work with Lyric Stage’s First Page Festival, Boston Contemporary Theatre, Apollinaire Theatre, Green Door Labs, Northeastern University, and the Boston Theatre Marathon. Beyond acting, Ashley is also a songwriter, playwright, tour guide, vegan, and amateur gardener. She graduated from Northeastern University where she studied theatre, English, and songwriting.
DAVID J. RAPOSO (Eric) is a teaching artist with several organizations including: Walnuthill, Arts Emmerson, and Arlington Arts Center. He was an artist in residence at The Apollinaire Theatre for their 2022 session and has several directing credits including Mary Poppins, Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat coming up this year. Some of his favorite acting credits include Aladdin, The Aladdin Musical Spectacular, Chip, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Huge, Spank!: The 50 Shades Parody. David has received training from The Hartt School’s Musical Theatre program. He thanks his Brunch Theatre family for shaping his artistry.
CARRIE TULLY (Stage Directions) (she/her) is a local teaching artist, performer, and choir director working with theatres, schools, and youth programs throughout Greater Boston. Recent credits include Hope is the Thing With Feathers (BTM XXVII), Urinetown (Emerson College), Music Directing/ Education: Shrek Jr, Alice in Wonderland, Seussical Jr, Honk! (GBSC, The Young Company). Carrie is so excited to work with this incredible team to share this heartfelt and poignant LGBT story. She extends utmost gratitude to KitCat and Devon for including her in the development of Choose and Celebrate as it continues to grow and thrive.
MADDIE STARR WICKER (Teresa) (any pronouns) Moonbox Productions debut! Credits include: Gypsy: A Musical Fable (Louise), Almost, Maine (Rhonda & Marci), Toothy’s Treasure (Swing). They have a BFA in Acting from Emerson College and recently completed a teaching residency with The Boch Center. They look forward to instructing theater at New Arts Center in Newton and acting on Codzilla at the Boston Harbor. Maddie would like to thank the Choose and Celebrate creative team for telling this poignant story. To believe, support, and trust that she could bring Teresa to life means the world.
@MADDIESTARRWICKER | MADDIESTARRWICKER.COM
CHOOSE AND CELEBRATE PRODUCTION TEAM
CATHERINE GIORGETTI (Playwright) is a playwright, actor, dramaturg, and educator. As a multi-hyphenate artist, she is dedicated to making bold and exciting theatre that challenges our expectations of theatre, ourselves, and our history. She works at The Boch Center in downtown Boston as the Education Associate and is a graduate of Northeastern University with a double Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre and History with a minor in Playwriting. Catherine has previously worked with Moonbox in their First Ever New Works Festival with her play Rocky Relationships. Most recently, she has worked with QTCBoston as lead dramaturg on Remembrance by Ben F. Locke and dramaturg for Someone Will Remember Us.
CAM COTTULI (Stage Manager) is a Boston-based stage manager and technician with a degree in technical theatre from Salem State University. She is excited to be working with Moonbox Productions for the first time! Recent credits include Utopian Hotline, Firewater Poetics, Rough Magic (ArtsEmerson); Roe, The Pillowman, The Ghost Sonata, and Othello (Salem State University).
DEVON WHITNEY (Director) is a Boston-based director and actor. She is a graduate of Northeastern University, where she studied Theatre & Sociology, and she has also trained at Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, MA. She has recently worked with the Provincetown Theatre, Fork & Shoe Theatre Co-Op, Fresh Ink Theatre Company, and Greater Boston Stage Company, where she is a teaching artist. She dearly loves developing new work and is delighted to workshop Catherine’s wonderful piece with this team of brilliant actors.
HOW TO KILL A GOAT
By Mireya Sanchez-Maes
“The best way to get to know Mexico is through its music!”
Packed with humor, music and memory, this is a celebration of the stories we tell and the people who tell them.
SETTING: New Mexico, 1950’s—Present Day
RUNTIME: 75 minutes. No Intermission.
CONTENT ADVISORY: Mention of blood.
PLAYWRIGHT’S NOTE
As a proud Chicana from Las Cruces, New Mexico, I’ve always wanted to write about my homeland. I began my research by interviewing my Grandparents. We sat for hours — reading, laughing, crying. It was in these moments that I realized the act of passing down stories is just as necessary as the stories themselves. The play I ultimately wrote is firmly grounded in this exchange and given shape by my own imagination. In How to Kill a Goat, Mary Anne leads her Grandchild (and the audience) through her oral history. She tells us memories as they come, without stopping to judge or interpret. In so doing, we’re invited to ponder our own histories. Which stories do we keep? Which do we share? And with whom do we share them?
Music is also an integral part of the play. Much of the dialogue is underscored, and songs flow in and out of each scene. This style of musical storytelling has deep roots in Chicano theater, from Luis Valdez’s Zoot Suit to traditional Spanish corridos, which have long served as a form of storytelling and colonial resistance.
Language, too, is a prominent theme throughout the play. During the early and mid-twentieth century, Mexican-American students were commonly punished for speaking Spanish in classrooms and workspaces, particularly in the American Southwest. This drive to extinguish non-English languages is akin to the attempted eradication of a culture. How to Kill a Goat responds to this history of cultural erasure by creating a linguistically and story-rich playworld. Mariana’s constant shifting between languages is not an act of either/or translation, but a testament to her virtuosic command of language. In How to Kill a Goat, languages do not replace one another. Instead, they mix and build to create an abundant, expansive vocabulary.
While today, the term “Mexican-American” is often associated with stories of migration. However, many New Mexicans have resided on the same land for hundreds (even thousands) of years. In telling stories inspired by my own family, I hope to celebrate the music, joy, and love of a Latino community whose ties to the United States are older than the nation itself.
Enjoy!
– Mireya Cosima Sanchez-Maes, June 2025
CAST
in order of Appearance
Al Hurricane Amber-Nicole Rodriguez
Ensemble/Actor 6
Doña Dora
Annika Bolton
Elisa Guzmen-Hosta
Mariana Jessibel Falcon
Samuél
Mama Rosa
Al Hurricane Jr.
Mo Correa
Monica Risi
Kym Darby
Stage Directions Mirrorajah Metcalfe
PRODUCTION TEAM
Playwright Mireya Sánchez-Maes
Director Daniela Luz Sanchez
Stage Manager Cecilia Hood
Production Manager Jo Williams
Assistant Production Manager Gabby Stryker
HOW TO KILL A GOAT CAST
ANNIKA BOLTON (Ensemble) is thrilled to be part of the Boston New Works Festival! Originally from Los Angeles, she’s a passionate actress with a love for developing new plays and uplifting fresh voices and stories. She believes there’s something deeply meaningful about being part of a play’s first heartbeat, shaping characters and worlds that have never been seen before. Her recent credits include Soft Star with Boston Playwrights’ Theatre and the upcoming Llorona, or The Weeping Women at Boston Center for the Arts. Endless thanks to her family, as Annika feels their support wherever she goes!
MO CORREA (Samuél) (they/he) is thrilled to be returning to Moonbox Productions! You may have seen the recent Berklee graduate as Charlie in The House of Ramon Iglesia (Moonbox), or as Heracles in Autobiography of Red (Berklee). You may also find this curly-haired Colombian-American in various dusty music venues across the Boston area, supporting and documenting the underground music scene through their zine, The Wanderer. Big ups to all the creatures out there.
KYM DARBY (Al Hurricane Jr.) is both honored and thrilled to be working with Moonbox Productions once again! A Boston native, she found her passion for the stage as a child, but officially got her debut portraying multiple characters in The F&L at 1330 in the 2023 Boston New Works Festival, and A Gun Is... with Central Square Theater Youth Underground Festival in 2024. She also rejoined Moonbox as the voices of Vivian and Bessie and Reader of Stage Directions in the staged reading of Fall With Me in the Boston New Works Festival in June 2024. Kym would like to extend a special thank you to the Moonbox Productions team for helping her to further pursue her true passion of acting!
JESSIBEL FALCON (Mariana) is originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico and was a lead actor at the Touring Theater of the University of Puerto Rico. Her recent work includes Alba (Chelsea Theater Works), Dracula (Newton Theater Company), La Lengua No Tiene Hueso (Moonbox Productions) and In the Time of the Butterflies (Newton Theater Company). Her specialty and passion is the Spanish Golden Age Theater.
ELISA GUZMAN-HOSTA (Doña Dora) (she/ella/her) is a bilingual actress of puertorriqueña descent who recently starred as Alba in Teatro Chelsea’s production of Alba, an adaptation of The House of Bernarda Alba. Her other credits include In the Time of the Butterflies with Newton Theatre Company; Don’t Eat the Mangos by Ricardo Pérez González, a co-production between Apollinaire Theatre Company and Teatro Chelsea; 619 Hendricks by Josie Nericcio; and Revitalized by Joel Ulloa, both with Teatro Chelsea. Elisa enjoys connecting with her Latinx roots through storytelling and sees acting as a creative outlet to give voice to meaningful, culturally rich narratives. She also participated in the 2024 Senior Thesis Festival Writer’s Week at Harvard University’s Theater, Dance & Media Department, where the staged reading of How to Kill a Goat by Mireya Sánchez-Maes was first introduced. Special thanks to the playwright, Mireya, as Elisa is honored to be part of telling this story again. In addition to her work as an artist, Elisa is raising a teenager and serves as a school psychologist in Lynn Public Schools, an urban district in Massachusetts. She is deeply committed to supporting immigrant and Latino students and believes in the critical importance of equity, diversity, and community.
MIRRORAJAH METCALFE (Stage Directions) is most notable for her nationally award-winning performance as “Diane” in Hurricane Diane, making her 1 of 3 college students in the country to receive this honor from the Kennedy Center. Mirrorajah brings a dynamic presence to every role, dedicated to captivating audiences with compelling storytelling. As a passionate stage actor, Mirrorajah just wrapped up her first musical, playing Yolanda in Moonbox Productions’ phenomenal production of Crowns.
MONICA RISI (Mama Rosa) is an international theater practitioner. Off Broadway: Water (HERE Arts Space); On The Faultlines (Ruffled Feathers Theater), Brooklyn At Eye Level (The Civilians), Some Historic/Some Hysteric (New Stage Theater Company). Regional: S P A C E (Central Square Theatre), Mermaid Hour (Moonbox Productions), Stand Up if You Are Here Tonight (The Huntington), The Clean House (Bloomsburg Theater Ensemble), 619 Henricks (Teatro Chelsea), La Batuta & El Premio (KONTENEDORES, Peru), Cualquiera / Everyman (Teatro La Plaza, Peru). Feature Film: Un Mundo Para Julius (Independent film, Peru), Igualita A Mi (Tondero, Peru), Asu Mare 3 (Tondero, Peru). Workshops: Trust (Boston Playwrights Theatre), House of Sueños (Actors Shakespeare Project). Teaching credits: The Juilliard School Drama Teaching Fellow 2022/23; Tenured Professor at the Performing Arts Department of the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú. Education: MFA in Acting (Actors Studio Drama School, NY). Monica is the proud co-founder of TEATRA, an international collective of female Spanish speaking producers in the Americas (Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru)
@TEATRA_PRODUCTORAS
AMBER-NICOLE RODRIGUEZ (Al Hurricane) (she/her) is a multidisciplinary performer/creative/educator based in Boston, MA. Her most recent role was “Adela” in Alba (Teatro Chelsea). This is her second time performing in the Boston New Works Festival and she is so excited to be back and working with some familiar faces! She hopes to continue uplifting the voices and experiences of marginalized communities with her artistic craft. You can support her freelance photography endeavors on Instagram @PROJECTANR!
HOW TO KILL A GOAT PRODUCTION TEAM
CECILIA HOOD (Stage Manager) is a rising junior at Boston College from Cincinnati, Ohio who is so excited to be involved in the Boston New Works Festival this summer! She has been involved in the tech side of theatre since high school, most recently stage managing Accidental Death of an Anarchist for the Boston College Theatre Department. She would like to thank Moonbox for the opportunity to be a part of such a powerful artistic experience, Mireya and Daniela for their vision, and her family for their support!
DANIELA LUZ SANCHEZ (Director) is thrilled to be directing the stage reading of How to Kill a Goat! Daniela was last seen on stage as Cordelia in King Lear at the Interlochen Shakespeare Festival in 2017. She has a BA in Latin American Studies from Tufts University and MA in Devised Theatre and Performance from Rose Bruford College. She is passionate about bringing Latinx stories to life in Spanish and English. Daniela loves clowns, running, her beautiful family, and home state of New Mexico.
MIREYA SÁNCHEZ-MAES (Playwright) (she/her) is a playwright and lyricist from Las Cruces, New Mexico. Her work centers around New Mexicans and is guided by language, humor, and song. She has received a Massachusetts Art Grant, and her plays have been featured in the High Desert New Play Development Festival and the Harvard Playwrights Festival. Mireya holds a B.A. in Theater from Harvard University and will begin pursuing an M.F.A. in Playwriting at the Yale School of Drama this fall.
CREATURE FEATURE
By Micah Pflaum
A young man transforming into a monster flees the austere citadel of his birth to seek the sorcerer of the woods, discovering a realm of wild magic and revelry.
SETTING: In the woods at night
RUNTIME: 60 Minutes. No intermission
CONTENT ADVISORY: Sexual content and language
CAST
in order of Appearance
The Wanderer Christopher Newell
The Shepherd Jessica Golden
The Sorcerer Sebastian Crane
Bro 1 Alex Leondedis
Bro 2 Tristan Hearth
THE MONSTERS
Alexander Lamoureux
Sage Gillespie
Finn Hogan
PRODUCTION TEAM
Playwright Micah Pflaum
Director Hazel J. Peters
Stage Manager Cecilia Hood
Production Manager Jo Williams
Assistant Production Manager Gabby Stryker
CREATURE FEATURE CAST
SEBASTIAN CRANE (The Sorcerer) is a proud trans man devoted to riotously queer theater projects and he is delighted to be reveling as the Sorcerer in the incarnation of Micah Pflaum’s Creature Feature. This Salem-based actor and LGBTQ+ historian has recently been seen as Frank-N-Furter in the Rocky Horror Show at Central Square Theatre, and as Jasper in lawrence Gullo’s new Jazz Age comedy, Let’s Misbehave. He has voiced Duke Orsino, Oberon and The Sheriff of Nottingham in audio drama adaptations of classic tales, and occasionally moonlights as a crooning lounge lizard in Boston Nightclubs… Find him online
@MR_S_CRANE
SAGE GILLESPIE (Monster Ensemble) is very excited to be making his debut with Moonbox Productions. His favorite past roles include Prospero in The Tempest at Quincy High School and Gavroche in Les Misérables at Boxcar Stage Co.
JESSICA GOLDEN (The Shepherd) is delighted to be back with Moonbox at the Boston New Works Festival having previously appeared in a reading of How to Not Save the World with Mr. Bezos. Other past credits include: John Proctor is the Villain (The Huntington), Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, and The Tempest (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company) and The Book of Will and Into the Breeches (Hub Theatre Company). BFA from NYU/Tisch.
@_JESSICAGOLDEN
TRISTAN HEARTH (Bro 2) has acted in and directed numerous projects as a Brandeis University student and will be attending the British American Drama Academy’s London Theatre Program in the Fall. Brandeis Theater Arts Department: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Mitch Mahoney), Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons (Assistant Director). Thesis Productions: Farewell to the World I Know (Frederick), it’ll kill you, Eugene (Eugene). Student Theater: Fugitive Songs (Joshua), The Tempest (Ferdinand). This, and all other opportunities, are owed to the undying support of born and found families through 16 years of theater. Much love to you all.
FINN HOGAN (Monster Ensemble) is thrilled to make his professional theater debut in Creature Feature by Micah Pflaum. He is 24 years old, born and raised in Massachusetts and has been performing since he was 9 all the way through his time at Skidmore College. Though he studied Anthropology and Psychology, he spent most of his free time performing in plays. His most-recent roles include Phillip Glass in Phillip Glass Buys a Loaf of Bread and Agent Silver in Destination Unknown by Micah Pflaum. Finn is thrilled to get back on stage and bring this incredible story to life!
ALEXANDER LAMOUREUX (Monster Ensemble) is thrilled to make their debut with Moonbox Theatre. Recent stage work has included The Crucible with the First Parish Players. Recent voice over work includes Wild Card: The Animated Series, and The Revelator Podcast. He is grateful to friends and family for their love and support and is extremely excited to help tell the story of Creature Feature.
ALEX LEONDEDIS (Bro 1) is an actor, director, and teaching artist based in Boston, originally from Kansas. He holds a BFA in Contemporary Theatre from Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Select acting credits include The Antelope Party, Lunch Bunch (Apollinaire Theatre Company); Hamlet, Macbeth, Much Ado, Romeo and Juliet, Midsummer (Sh!t-Faced Shakespeare); The Play That Goes Wrong (GBSC); A Wrinkle In Time (Wheelock Family Theatre); and Midsummer (Boston Theatre Company). Alex has worked as a Teaching Artist with Wheelock Family Theatre, Company One, Central Square Theatre, Boston University Summer Theatre Institute, The Boch Center, Harvard’s TDM Division, and Kansas City Repertory Theatre. leondedis.com
CHRISTOPHER NEWELL (The Wanderer) is thrilled to be back for his second New Works Festival! He earned his BA in Theater from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in Spring 2020 and has additional training from Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Shakespeare & Company, and Company One. Since graduating, Christopher has worked with companies including Lanes Coven (Romeo & Juliet), Central Square Theater’s Youth Underground (Inventing Samanta, Curiosity...Hope), Moonbox Productions (Holy Chicken Sandwich), and Theater Between Addresses (The Monastery). He’s passionate about telling stories that explore the evolution of myths, give voice to diverse identities and perspectives, and combine grounded relationships with otherworldly settings.
CREATURE FEATURE PRODUCTION TEAM
CECILIA HOOD (Stage Manager) is a rising junior at Boston College from Cincinnati, Ohio who is so excited to be involved in the Boston New Works Festival this summer! She has been involved in the tech side of theatre since high school, most recently stage managing Accidental Death of an Anarchist for the Boston College Theatre Department. She would like to thank Moonbox for the opportunity to be a part of such a powerful artistic experience, Micah and Hazel for their vision, and her family for their support!
HAZEL J. PETERS (Director) Moonbox: Debut. Studio Theatre Worcester: At The Wedding (Director),The Thanksgiving Play (Scenic, Sound, and Props Designer), The Mad Ones (PSM). Greater Boston Stage Company: The Play That Goes Wrong (ASM), The Irish and How They Got That Way (Props Master), Dinner for One (Props Master), Young Company Summer Festival 2024 (Props Master). Lyric Stage: Noises Off (ASM), The Game’s Afoot (Performance ASM), Assassins (Assistant Director), The Great Leap (ASM). Lyric BackStage TYA: Party Bots (Props Artisan), Made You Look (Props Artisan). Hazel is a graduate of Bennington College and a member of Actors’ Equity. HAZELPETERS.COM
MICAH PFLAUM (Playwright) is a Boston theatermaker who loves to bring magical, queer, and strange stories to life onstage. He can also be found working backstage as a production assistant, performing in immersive theater experiences, and writing interactive fiction. He is a graduate of Skidmore College. Other plays include: Destination Unknown. MPFL-PORTFOLIO.CARRD.CO
THANK YOU
Moonbox wishes to thank the following individuals and organizations for helping make this festival possible:
ANDREA BRESNAHAN
ARROW STREET ARTS
BEN SIGDA
BENJAMIN ROSE
BINNACLE CAPITAL SERVICES
BOSTON CENTER FOR THE ARTS
BOSTON PLAYWRIGHT’S THEATER
BOSTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF THEATRE CAM TORRES
CHOOSE & CELEBRATE
ORIGINAL WORKSHOP CAST:
RORY O’NEILL, ERIN SOLOMON, AIDAN BRADLEY, AND LIAM HOFMEISTER
