Qualia Program

Qualia

A MIDWEST PREMIERE

by Ashleigh Ann Gardner June 8 - 29, 2024

Qualia

by Ashleigh Ann Gardner

Directed by Omar Vicente Fernandez A Midwest Premiere Presentation featuring: Shelby Marie Edwards Diego Longoria Ben Perry Stage Manager Octavio Montes De Oca Assistant Director Ahaaz Hassan Production Manager Jean Gottlieb Set Designer/Technical Director Harrison Ornelas Lighting Designer Zuzel Garcia Sound Designer Irma Gualpa Costume/Prop Coordinator Jean Gottlieb Dramaturg Tim Graves Post Show Discussion Facilitator Emmanuel Flores Subtext Studio Staff

Artistic Director Omar Vicente Fernandez Managing Director Jean Gottlieb Marketing Director/Technical Advisor Zuzel Garcia Producing Associate Octavio Montes De Oca PR/Marketing Associate Ayesha Ahmed Casting Director Maria Arreola Marketing/Scenic Intern Metzli Flores Season One sponsor Joseph Reyna: ReynaLaw@outlook.com 708-724-5342 Subtext Studio TC is supported in part by grants from the following organizations:

Program cover photo by Octavio Montes De Oca

Playwright’s Note First, thank you from the bottom of my heart for coming out and taking a chance on a piece of new theatre. As a theatre-goer myself, I know how risky it is to take part in a story with which you aren’t familiar. There’s always a risk that we won't like it. But there’s also a risk that we will. And I hope tonight you’ll experience the latter.

You deserve to have a good time, to laugh, to cry, to feel things. We all do. And if you don’t like the play or you don’t feel anything, I hope you find something else that does affect you in the way that you need it to.

I wrote Qualia in 2019 before both the wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and the advent of ChatGPT. Though I hadn’t yet experienced the physical isolation that came with lockdown or typing prompts into an AI chatbot interface, I knew what it felt like to experience emotional isolation that came with (until 2021) undiagnosed ADHD and Autism. In a way I felt like Dominic, with his broad intelligence but also limited understanding of human nature. In other ways (most ways), I felt like Alex who couldn’t truly connect with someone she loves because she hadn’t discovered how to connect with them yet. That being said, Qualia isn’t about any one thing, but it is about the thing you connect with the most.

This play is a love letter to myself and every other person who seeks connection. I hope that you’ll leave feeling something — curious, determined, inspired, hopeful — and deeply human.

- Ashleigh Ann Gardner

Director’s Note It is my absolute pleasure to see the Midwest Premiere of Qualia by Ashleigh Ann Gardner have a home here at Subtext Studio TC. Closing out our inaugural season of Worthy, plays like Gardner’s Qualia offer us an opportunity to not predict what will be different in the future, but to think critically about what stays the same.

What holds true across centuries is that the world moves fast and we always feel it.

It’s scary, absurd, and ultimately unpredictable. Most of us know/remember what it means to be stripped of physical contact, to lose community, and to adopt fear of the outside world during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Though the world remains its own chaos, the responsibility to grow emotionally, mentally, and physically is still present. We still need to navigate love, friendship, loneliness, and purpose even if the world is on fire at our doorstep. But if there’s one thing that stays within our control, it’s our autonomous right to decide what future we’re deserving of - especially at the end of the world.

- Omar Vicente Fernandez Content Warning: Strong language, sexual references, and suicide/death references.

The Cast Alex..............................................Shelby Marie Edwards Dominic...................................................Diego Longoria Seth..................................................................Ben Perry Who’s Who in the Cast Shelby Marie Edwards (she/her) (Alex) is an actor, solo performer, and poet born and raised in Charlottesville, VA. Chicago Theatre Credits include A Bronx Tale, The Wedding Singer (Surging Films and Theatrics); Liberators: An American Musical, Lucky: A Musical (Chicago Musical Theatre Festival); Monger (Her Story Theatre); Holly’s Ivy, Lost Home Win Home (Lifeline Theatre’s Fillet of Solo Festival). Regional credits include Chicken & Biscuits (Virginia Repertory Theatre), Little Women (Virginia Theatre Festival). Film Credits include HBO’s Lovecraft Country.

Education: M.A. from the University of Chicago & B.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University. Shelby is a proud alumna of Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s professional leadership program. IG: @shelbymarieedwards Diego Longoria (he/him) (Dominic) is a local Chicago actor, born and raised in Austin, Texas. After graduating from the acting program with DePaul University, Diego feels welcomed by the community and is very happy to be working with Subtext Studio TC. Previously he has understudied with Chicago Shakespeare with their Romeo and Juliet last winter. He is thrilled to be making his principal role debut with this cast. Diego extends thanks to his supporters, parents, friends and mentors, and thanks to Subtext Studio TC for trusting him with this role.

Ben Perry (he/him) (Seth) Is thrilled to be joining Subtext Studio Theatre Company! Other Chicago credits include The Tragedy of King Christophe (The House Theatre of Chicago,) Dante 360 (Athenaeum,) and A View from the Bridge (Shattered Globe.) Regional credits include Murder on the Orient Express, Noises Off, Stranger Sings, and Young Frankenstein (Wolfbane Productions,) Tecumseh! and The Winter’s Tale (Tecumseh! Outdoor Drama,) The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged, Revised, Again,) Parade, Newsies, and The Will Roger’s Follies (Alluvion Stage Company.) He is also currently a scholar with IO theatre where he will be studying improv through the fall. He holds a BS in Theatre Arts from Liberty University, fight certifications in unarmed and single sword combat from the Society of American Fight Directors, and a tenuous grasp on reality. @benstephenperry

Who’s Who in the Crew Ashleigh Ann Gardner (she/fae) (Playwright) is an Orlandobased playwright, dramaturge, photographer, actor, musician, and prop/scenic artist. In October 2019, Qualia: a post nuclear play was presented at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando, FL and was the recipient of a $5,000 playwriting grant from New Generation Theatrical.

Gardner’s one-person show, The Not: a Midwestern Gothic horror, premiered at The Timucua Arts Foundation in February 2023. Gardner earned her Master’s Degree in Literary, Cultural, and Textual Studies with concentrations on Victorian and Gothic literature, gender studies, and psychoanalytic theory from the University of Central Florida in 2015. For more, visit ashleighagardner.com | Instagram: @word_bird Omar Vicente Fernandez (he/him/el) (Director) is a Mexican American artist born in Chicago and raised in Berwyn, Illinois. As a playwright, Omar centers a lot of his work around identity and the new generation of art in America. Directing credits include: The American Dream by Juan Ramirez, Jr. as part of the 6th Annual Destinos Festival; What Earth Does While You're Asleep by Alaric Hinchcliffe; Not A Christmas Carol which he adapted for the stage, and Sex, Alchemy, and Mayan Mischief by William Gregory (2nd annual Inicios Festival with the Chicago Latino Theatre Alliance). Upcoming projects include La Patria

by Yon Yonni, and the World Premiere of his play Que Te Vaya Bien this fall. Omar is grateful for the entire Ensemble of Qualia, the Subtext Studio TC team, and his friends y familia.

Octavio Montes De Oca (he/him) (Stage Manager) is a multi-hyphenate theatre artist based in Chicago. As a firstgeneration Mexican-American, he’s passionate about Latine stories that stem from ethnography, dance, and devised work.

He's a proud company member of the Albany Park Theater Project and an Associate Producer with Subtext Studio Theatre Company. He's a graduate of the BFA Acting Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Ahaaz Hassan (he/him) (Assistant Director/Intern) was born and raised in Lahore Pakistan, where he was introduced to theatre at an early age and immediately fell in love with the world of storytelling. He has been a performer for most of his life and is enthralled to be working with Subtext Studio TC to segway into directing.

He is enrolled in the BA Performance program at UIC School of Theatre and Music along with being a member of a local improv group (Red Light School District). He has performed at Second City, IO Theatre, Bug House and Clash and Clark. Ahaaz is extremely passionate about performance based activism and how theatre is an outlet to not just be political but also to help build communities and engage with those communities in a fun learning filled environment.

Harrison Ornelas (he/him) (Set Design/Technical Director) Harrison Ornelas was born and raised in Chicago IL. He graduated from Columbia College Chicago 15’ and immediately started working in the city’s thriving theater community from storefront to larger houses and festivals. Previously, Harrison has designed sets for Not For Sale 2.0 (2019) and Back In The Day (2019) for UrbanTheater in Humbolt Park Chicago. Currently, Harrison is the staff Technical Director for both Lifeline Theatre and The Black Ensemble Theater. Harrison Ornelas is absolutely ecstatic to be working with Subtext Theater Company for a second time for this production of Qualia and is always searching for his next creative project.

Zuzel Garcia (she/her/ella) (Light Design) is excited to return to Subtext Studio Theatre Company as a designer! She is a Mexican-American lighting designer based in Chicago, IL. Zuzel previously attended Columbia College Chicago and has designed several works, including Blood at the Root (CCC), Detroit ‘67 (CCC) and The American Dream (Subtext Studio TC). She has also served as an assistant lighting designer on shows like The Amateurs (CCC), Urinetown (UIC), and Not About Nightingales (UIC), Mothering the Movement (Free Street Theater), and Black Sunday (Timeline Theatre Company).

Irma Gualpa (she/her) (Sound Design) is delighted to return to design for Subtext Studio TC. As first generation Ecuadorian-American, she found her love for theater and sound in high school. She continued that love after graduation and has worked at multiple locations in the Chicago area. She also recently graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago with a BFA in Art. Her previous productions include Bad Seed ‘22, A Christmas Story ‘22, Driving Miss Daisy ‘23, Working ‘23, and The American Dream ‘23.

Jean Gottlieb (she/they) (Costume/Prop Coordinator/Production Manager) is a multi-hyphenated theater artist with thirty years of experience in Chicago theater. She is a Director, Producer and Playwright, and has had two plays published (Hard Candy and Descent) through Next Stage Press. She is delighted to be a part of Subtext Studio TC, and hopes you continue to support live theater (and get your friends and family to do so as well!)

Ayesha Ahmed (she/her) (PR/Media Associate) is a graduate of DePaul University, where she studied Public Relations & Advertising as well as Psychological Research Methods. Her creative journey began in the beauty industry, which has always been a medium for her to express herself and boost her confidence. Ayesha's passion extends to finding beauty in all things, including art and entertainment, and she enjoys exploring and understanding the themes within these fields.

Metzli Flores (she/her) (Media/Web Design/Production Intern) Metzli is an undergraduate pursuing a career in the arts. She is majoring in Graphic Design and Painting alongside her sprouting career as an artist. She currently works for Slowfire Ceramics as a teaching artist and also works with several clients to produce a variety of commissions.

Subtext Studio Theatre Company (SSTC) produces new plays by emerging playwrights, plays that center the voices of traditionally marginalized communities and peoples. Our goal is to express the ideas, voices, and experiences of all people to better understand ourselves, our cultures and our community.

Subtext Studio TC offers post show discussions, free Staged Readings, and Outreach Tours that provide free theater to underserved communities. Do you know an organization that might be interested? Contact info@SubtextStudioTC.org for more info.

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LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Subtext Studio TC acknowledges that Berwyn and Oak Park reside on unceded, traditional, and contemporary land that was originally cared for by The Ojibwa, Odawa, & Potawatomi peoples, and many other Indigenous peoples of Illinois otherwise known as the Council of Three Fires. We respectfully ask patrons of the Arts to learn more about the true history of the Indigenous people. We dedicate ourselves to educating ourselves and the public through live theater in order to create connections between our many diverse communities. https://native-land.ca Subtext Studio TC Board of Directors Rodrigo M. Fernandez II, Esq. Emmanuel Flores Ervey Henderson Reina Fernandez Alaric Hinchcliffe SSTC is currently accepting new Board Members.

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Special thanks Ashleigh Ann Gardner, Rich Pokorny, Kurt Gottlieb, Holly Striska, Conchita Avitia, Emerson Steinhaus, Chicago Latino Theater Alliance, Black Ensemble Theatre and YOU, without whom this would not be possible.

Thank You! Subtext Studio TC gratefully acknowledge the contributions of the following donors: Cory Anderson Steven Haught Jacqueline Bonin Ervey Henderson Jill Dahl Lisa Jackoweic Deborah Donovan Tiffany Koger-Fernandez Rodrigo & Bertha Fernandez Regina Leslie Lisa Green Michelle Mann Kurt Gottlieb Joy Perisho Melissa Harlow Richard Pokorny Mike Radzilowsky

Joseph M Reyna Nancy Rich Maribel Sanchez Kenneth Sinko Mike Speller Holly Striska Jens J Sorensen Carol Stephan Sandra Vomacka

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