spider cover
The Young Professionals Company at OCT presents:
Written By Madeleine Adriance Directed By Matthew B. Zrebski Read an exclusive interview with Madeleine here!
DIRECTOR’S NOTE In 2023, it is fairly uncommon to hear the term “World Wide Web”. And yet, this ubiquitous phrase from the past could not be more relevant. Now well beyond the mere internet – various technological threads are spun into the fabric of every aspect of our lives. There is indeed a world wide web. And we are caught in it...all while we simultaneously spin it. When do we discover ourselves as the flies – wrapped, trapped, drained of life? And when do we realize we are the spiders – hunting, stalking, preying upon? While we are all affected by this duality, no group is more impacted than the emerging generation. The supremely gifted Madeleine Adriance has delivered her play at the perfect time. Artistically, working on this production has been exhilarating...tackling the sophisticated blend of naturalism with metaphor...crafting the quick shifts of character with this extraordinary cast... working to distill the storytelling into its minimal components in this intimate performance venue. This piece of writing is truly “of the stage”, embracing the full potential of theatre – all due to Madeleine’s deft approach to complex material. But... On another level, one more personal...this experience has been monumentally frustrating. For the stories and issues illuminated in this play are all too familiar. And yet, somehow, at almost any given moment, one can read a news article or hear a political speech or sit on a committee where something to the effect is asked, “what is happening to our kids?” I posit this is a false mystery. We know what’s happening – and we have known. How dare we “wonder” what causes spikes in depression, anxiety, and a host of other mental and emotional turbulence? How dare we “wonder” why people are becoming more violent, less tolerant, and generally more nihilistic? Look at what’s in your hand. The minicomputers in our palms - the “likes”, the follows, the hashtags, the shares, the memes, the viral content that is, indeed, a virus...has infected everyone and everything. This revolution of technological connection that was supposed to make everyone closer and more connected – has, through nefarious algorithmic manipulation, taken a sledgehammer to humanity. And so...empathy withers. Cruelty, fueled by narcissism, blooms. Where is the will? The will to address media literacy with the ferocity it deserves...? The will to treat screen time as the drug it is...? The will to demand nuance in conversations around morality and politics...? The will to see that the rise in violence is related to an ever-mounting sense of isolation? Where is the will to help the kids...and in turn, save ourselves? Oh...it’s so easy to become cynical. But in SPIDER, there are myriad beams of hope... Madeleine allows moments of authentic, loving connection in her play – as characters remember to engage with care and grace. Like many great works for the stage, this piece presents a choice...we need not be the spider or the fly...we may, in fact, deny this dangerous web altogether. With the will...
Matthew B. Zrebski Director / Dramaturg
CAST Ava Anderson Kit, Linda Olivia Chesire Stella, Parabola Aidan Colvin Thomas, Isaac Dylan Mojo Max, Layla Emma Lombard Alice, Officer Anderson Elijah Tinker Seth, Dan
ARTISTIC & PRODUCTION TEAM Matthew B. Zrebski Director / Dramaturg Original Music & Sound Design Elliot Odette Lighting Designer Erin MacGillivray Costume Designer David Holmes Technical Director Emily Rusmisel Scenic Charge Artist & Craftsperson Lila Satori YP Stage Manager Oliver Chally YP Directing/Dramaturgy Apprentice Chloe Wilson YP Costume Apprentice Production Support provided by OCT Scene Shop Special thanks to Zach Weachter and Amir Tamaddon
CAST AVA ANDERSON
Currently a senior at Franklin High school, Ava recently enjoyed being the directing apprentice for YP’s Pestilence: Wow!, and the stage manager for YP’s Twelfth Night. Other than theater, Ava immensely enjoys writing, editing on her school newspaper, playing violin and bass guitar, and is an avid swimmer. She would like to immensely thank Dani for all the support and opportunities YP has given them as well as the amazing cast and crew of SPIDER!
DYLAN MOJO
Dylan started his performing career as the Bunny in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s Nutcracker at the Keller Auditorium, later graduating to the role of naughty Nutcracker-breaking little brother Fritz, as well as roles at the Keller in Alice in Wonderland, directed by the Kennedy Center’s Septime Weber, and Man/ woman with Darrell Grand Moultrie. As an actor he has done several indie features, including a costarring role in the upcoming Lionsgate release The Legend of Catclaws Mountain with Dee Wallace (E.T.), James Duval (Donnie Darko) and Robert Davi (The Goonies). Dylan also played Adam at age 12 in Nathan Fielder’s recent HBO series The Rehearsal, where he joined the company of many fine actors who’ve found themselves left on the cutting room floor. He is currently a freshman at the Vancouver School of Arts & Academics, where he recently played Bottom in a joint production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the Portland Shakespeare Project. In his free time he enjoys writing, drawing, listening to music, and playing drums, ukulele, Minecraft, and World of Warcraft.
EMMA LOMBARD
Emma is a first year YP and is honored to be playing the role of Alice. She is fifteen years old and a sophomore at Central Catholic. She has been acting since the age of seven and is part of the Catalyst Youth Program at Northwest Children’s Theater. Her most recent appearances include Elephant and Piggie: We Are in a Play! at NWCT (Squirrelle), Sister Act at Central Catholic (Sister Mary Patrick), Elf at Lakewood Theater (Ensemble), and She Kills Monsters at NWCT (Tilly). Emma is so grateful for this opportunity and thanks her friends and family for all their support.
OLIVIA CHESIRE
A 2nd year Young Professional and a senior at Sunset High School. Olivia is delighted to be returning to the OCT Stage previously working on Last Stop on Market Street (Ensemble) and The Mad Ones (Stage Manager). Appearing in other productions such as Sunset Theatre’s Twelfth Night and Mean Girls. She hopes to continue pursuing a career in the arts in college and beyond. She would like to send a huge thank you to Dani, Blake & the entire OCT company for the continual support and guidance. She is incredibly thrilled to work with this amazing cast!
AIDAN COLVIN
Aidan first began his theatre career in 6th grade, taking the role of Lord Farquaad in Shrek the Musical Jr. He’s been invested in theatre ever since, performing in shows with Oregon City Children’s Theatre and becoming a first year Young Professional in Oregon Children’s Theatre’s company! Outside of theatre, Aidan loves swimming, drawing, coding and having a great time with friends!
ELIJAH TINKER
Elijah is a senior at Cleveland High School and an enrolled member of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. He is very involved with the choir and theatre departments at his school. He is the president of Choir Council, as well as president and founder of the Improv Club and Native Student Union. He has been involved with music since elementary school, but started his journey with theatre and singing two years ago, coming back from online school after the pandemic. He also writes, directs, plays music, yo-yos competitively, and (surprisingly) keeps a multitude of plants alive.
CREATIVE TEAM Madeleine Adriance Playwright Madeleine is a playwright and performer finishing her BA in Theater Arts from Brown University. She was a YP from 2016-2019, acting in Eurydice and doing assistant direction/dramaturgy for Matt Zrebski’s show Shiver. At Brown, she was selected to participate in the MFA playwriting workshop lead by Julia Jarcho, and her play The Living Ones was awarded a departmental production with mentorship from Lisa D’Amour. Her favorite roles as an actor include Judas in Godspell, Emma in Fefu and Her Friends, and Jean Valjean in Les Miserables. Many thanks to Dani for believing in her work and to Matt for his invaluable mentorship for the last 8 years; she would not be half the artist she is today without them.
Matthew B. Zrebski
Elliot Odette Lighting Designer Elliot graduated from Lawrence University last spring with a B.A. in Theatre Arts and a focus in design. Their previous work includes lighting design for Lawrence University’s The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!) and production design for The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.
Erin MacGillivray Costume Designer Erin is a Portland area stage manager and costume designer. Her previous work with Oregon Children’s Theatre includes production stage management for WROL and Twelfth Night, and being the Production Coordinator for DNA. She has also stage managed for Original Practice Shakespeare and Milagro, as well as been a production assistant at Artists Repertory Theatre. As a former YP, Erin is thrilled to be able to mentor young stage managers!
Lila Satori* YP Stage Manager Lila is a first year YP and is so excited to be a part of SPIDER! She is a junior at Northwest Academy and co president of their thespian board. Her favorite roll she’s portrayed has been Logainne “Schwartzy” Schwartzandgrubenierre in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at Northwest Academy. Outside of rehearsals she enjoys listening to Taylor Swift, singing, taking photos with her film camera, doing modern dance or being in nature. Lila would like to thank the cast and creative team for being so amazing and Erin MacGillivray for being such a caring mentor. Chloe Wilson* Costume Apprentice Chloe is a Junior in high school. This is her first year in the YP program. She is currently doing a costume design apprenticeship for SPIDER and enjoys performing as well as crew work in a variety of ways. She has been acting since she was eight years old and loves to explore new ways she can help in the theater community.
Director / Dramaturg Original Music & Sound Design Matthew is an award-winning, multidisciplinary theatre artist whose career has been defined by new play development. For OCT, he’s directed The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and The Giver as well as his play, Chrysalis, and his original musical, Shiver. The cast albums of both Ablaze and Shiver along with his electronic albums We Persist and Chamber have all been distributed by Woodsway Entertainment. A passionate advocate for arts education, he’s the former Resident Teaching Artist at Portland Center Stage and is on staff with the Acting Academy at OCT. Currently, he’s the Director of Education for Playwrights West.
Oliver Chally* Director / Dramaturg Apprentice Oliver is a third-year YP and a senior at Catlin Gabel School who most recently acted in the YP production of Pestilence: Wow! Previously, he has apprenticed in lighting design and worked as an understudy on OCT’s production of Twelfth Night. Oliver has been incredibly fortunate to work with Matt, Madeleine, and the whole cast as the apprentice dramaturg and directing apprentice to SPIDER and is very grateful for the opportunities to explore new realms of the theater world that he receives through OCT’s YP program. Dani Baldwin Artistic Director, YP Company Dani is so excited to present this amazing new play from Madeleine Adriance! Dani frequently acts, directs, and designs for OCT. Most recently, Dani directed and choreographed Jasper in Deadland (YP Co.) and directed the Drammy Award-Winning A Year With Frog and Toad (OCT mainstage). Outside of OCT, she performs with Love Street Playhouse, PassinArt Theatre, Sojourn Theatre, Chianti Club Presents, and she’s a regular improv actor with Kaiser Permanente. Dani wants to thank the exceptional cast and crew for diving in to this important work! *Member of the Young Professionals Company
RESOURCES & MORE THANK YOU TO YOUTHLINE-
for providing direction and advice for our talkbacks after the show. YouthLine is a free teen-to-teen crisis support and helpline. Teens are available to help daily from 4-10 pm PST (adults are available by phone at all other times!) You can call 877-968-8491 / text 839863 or chat online. (https://theyouthline.org)
DOWNLOADABLE RESOURCES: Click here to gain access to a guide with resources regarding teen mental health, suicide prevention, and more. Created in partnership with MediaRites and Oregon Children’s Theatre. DOWNLOAD THE TOOLKIT
Don’t miss the rest of the YP Season!
FEBRUARY 23–MARCH 10, 2024
APRIL 12-28, 2024