JUNE 20 AND 21, 2025
Yale Repertory Theatre and David Geffen School of Drama at Yale
James Bundy, Artistic Director/Elizabeth Parker Ware Dean
Florie Seery, Managing Director/Associate Dean
Chantal Rodriguez, Associate Dean | Carla Jackson, Associate Dean | Nancy Yao, Assistant Dean
Five fiery plays at the speed of fun...with glasses.
by Angel
directed by Juliana
CAST
Brok
Drogdor
Jeremy
Aaron
by Anisa
directed by Juliana CAST
by Gracey
directed
CAST
Claire
Kimora
Catherine
Kim
Angel is a sixth grader at Barnard Environmental Science and Technology School. He loves the color green, writing, playing sports, and playing games. He would like to shout out his mom and his two mentors, Jeremy and Aaron.
Anisa is a sixth grader at Barnard Environmental Science and Technology School. Her play is about friendship and forgiveness. She enjoys listening to music, having fun with her friends, and self-identifies as being chronically online. She would like to shout out her mom, Nhya’s nana, and her two mentors, Mark and Emma.
Gracey is a sixth grader at Barnard Environmental Science and Technology School. Her play is about two girls who get turned into statues! Her favorite colors are light purple and sky blue. She plays the flute and loves listening to music. She is also proud of her Haitian roots. She would like to shout out her mom, dad, grandma, and her two mentors, Kim and Catherine.
by Jazmin directed by Juliana
CAST
Snake/Shark
Jazmin is a sixth grader at Barnard Environmental Science and Technology School. Her play is about a best friend’s betrayal and the pain it caused them. Her favorite color is purple, and she loves listening to Billie Eilish, Ivan Cornejo, and Yatta Bandz. She also loves soccer and basketball. She would like to shout out her dad and her two mentors, Bella and Grace.
by Za’Nhya
directed by Gaby
Nhya is a sixth grader at Barnard Environmental Science and Technology School. Her play is about concerts, revenge, and, of course, Arson. Her favorite color is Pink, her favorite band is Enhypen, and she loves baking and volleyball. She would like to shout out her mom, dad, sister, nana, and her two mentors, Tré and Rosie.
comfort (Co-Teaching Artist) is a recent graduate of the M.F.A. Playwriting program at David Geffen School of Drama, class of ’25. She is excited to return to D/EP for her second year, first as a mentor and now as a CoTeaching Artist. comfort is so grateful to be leading this incredibly creative and talented group of playwrights and mentors. Hey d/ep, say 123!!!
Clarabel she/her (Presidential Public Service Fellow) is a rising fourth-year at Yale College studying history and applied math. She joined D/EP this year as a historian, and she’s having the best summer ever! Clarabel loves crocheting, dancing, and hanging out with her cat.
Davon (Producing Director) is part of the Bey-hive. He has had the most fun getting to play with the playwrights and help bring their plays to life. “If you like it then you shoulda put a play on it” or whatever Beyoncé said.
Francisco (Co-Teaching Artist)
Francisco was born in Caracas, Venezuela, and works as an actor for a living. He is a Co-Teaching Artist for D/EP this summer and is a rising third-year MFA actor at David Geffen School of Drama.
Jocelyn she/her (General Manager) is a rising secondyear M.F.A candidate in theater management at David Geffen School of Drama. She is honored to help lead the 30th Anniversary of D/EP and looks forward to another 30 years. She thanks her husband, Patrick, and her baby dog, Honey, for supporting her dreams.
Maya (Executive Director) is beyond thrilled to be a part of D/ EP’s 30th anniversary season! A 2025 alumna of David Geffen School of Drama’s M.F.A. theater Management program, Maya is an experienced producer, educator, community engagement advocate, manager, and director. Outside of theater, she enjoys making music, cooking new foods, and traveling. Love and gratitude to Emalie, always.
Ankit (Production Manager) is a lighting designer and recent graduate of David Geffen School of Drama, working as a production manager on D/EP. Ankit acted in theater for nine years before completely pivoting to design. He loves to fix lop-sided artwork in cafes.
Twaha (Technical Director) is a theater actor with a master’s degree in film studies from Ambedkar University. He has been passionately involved in many theater and short film productions, with a special focus on acting and cinematography. When he is not acting, he is building set pieces.
Claire she/her (Production Stage Manager) is thrilled to be a part of D/EP. She is a rising secondyear M.F.A. candidate in stage management at David Geffen School of Drama. Previous credits at the School include Tempt Me, Antony and Cleopatra, and You Can Tell a Tree by its Fruit. Other workplaces include Norwegian Cruise Line, Cortland Repertory Theatre, and Pittsburgh Opera. Congrats, playwrights: enjoy your shows!
Gaby (Co-Director) is a secondyear M.F.A. candidate in theater management at David Geffen School of Drama. She is a director and storyteller from Houston, Texas, via Palma Soriano, Santiago de Cuba. Before coming to Yale, she worked at Great River Shakespeare Festival, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Theatre Nuevo, The Center of Creative Arts in St. Louis, TheatreWorks USA, Piknik Theatre Company, and Theatre Under the
Juliana (Director) is a Colombian theater and opera maker in search of a theatrical space for communion and radical presence. She loves directing, writing, and acting, and she is very excited to work with her friends and colleagues at D/EP. Stars.
Karen she/her (Production Manager) is a Colombian multidisciplinary artist and M.F.A. candidate in scene design at David Geffen School of Drama. She’s excited to work on both projection and scenic design at DE/P!
Kristen (Scenic and Projection Designer) is a costume designer from Orlando, Florida. She recently designed Ain’t No Mo’ and Coriolanus at David Geffen School of Drama. She spends her free time playing Fortnite with her fiancé and going to Renaissance fairs.
Sveta (Costume Designer) is a Russian-born costume and set designer who somehow ended up in Connecticut, chasing M.F.A. dreams at Yale. A graduate of the Moscow Art Theatre School, she is a 2025 Willa Kim Costume Design
Scholarship recipient at David Geffen School of Drama. Her work is driven by an obsession with color, character, and tiny scale furniture—fueled by research, wild imagination, and occasional dramatic stares into the void. svetamoroz.com
Larry (Lighting Designer) is a third-year M.F.A. candidate in lighting design at David Geffen School of Drama, originally from El Paso, Texas. Select lighting design credits include La muerte y la doncella, La pasion segun Antigona Perez (El Repetorio Espanol, New York Off-Broadway); KILELE una epopeya artesanal, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (the Geffen School); Lepke in the Night, H.E.A.T.T. (Connecticut College); Can the Peruvian Speak?, Witch (Yale Cabaret); Let it Be: A Beatles Musical, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (Okoboji Summer Theatre). Larry Ortiz graduated from The University of Texas at El Paso with a B.F.A. in theater. Face of Larry bucks!
Eunyeong (Composer and Sound Designer) is an incoming first-year sound designer at David Geffen School of Drama. She is passionate about mixing music and sounds to add depth to any story. She has enjoyed working with D/ EP this year and supporting the playwrights in building their magical worlds. She would love to shout out the friends she’s met at Yale who have supported her through this process.
Jack (Associate Props Designer) is a first-time participant in D/EP. As a first-year actor, his role as props designer is one of discovery and curiosity. Arts education is very near and dear to his art, and he is extremely grateful to be part of this awesome group.
Mark At a similar age to the D/ EP playwrights, Mark discovered the passion that led him to David Geffen School of Drama as an actor. He is excited to be mentoring a team of young artists who are at that same point in their own journeys and with just as much enthusiasm, expressivity, and imaginativeness as he had back then (and still has!). He cannot wait for the community to see what brilliance they’ve come up with.
Emma is a rising third-year actor at David Geffen School of Drama. She is originally from Escondido, California and obtained a B.F.A. in acting from the University of Michigan. She is so excited to be working with D/EP. ��
Grace is a rising second-year actor at David Geffen School of Drama. It’s her first time working with D/ EP, and she’s so excited to be a part of her first WORLD PREMIERE of a play!!!
Tré he/him is a multi-hyphenated artist from West Oakland California, and recent graduate of David Geffen School of Drama’s acting program. Tré was last seen in too many shows at the School, many a regional theater, and a bunch of work he wrote, directed, produced, and performed in with his art collective Young Hot Thespian. Tré is blessed to be supporting the brilliant work of Za’Nhya, and the lessons she hands out to the world. A BIG DEP 1,2,3 to all the ‘25 playwrights this year, a truly special bunch!!
Catherine she/her is a rising second-year M.F.A. candidate in theater management at David Geffen School of Drama. She is so excited and honored to be a part of D/EP 2025, working with these incredibly talented playwrights. Prior to Yale, Catherine worked at Westport Country Playhouse and The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts. Congrats, Playwrights! You are all stars! 1! 2! 3! D! E! P!
Bella is a rising third-year actor at David Geffen School of Drama. This is her first year working with D/EP and so excited to be apart of the beautiful work happening this summer. She is looking forward to swimming this summer!
Kim she/her is a rising secondyear M.F.A. candidate at David Geffen School of Drama. She’s excited to be part of D/ EP and learning from her peer mentors and from these brilliant playwrights. Thankful to God always, her 305 community, and her local community here.
Jeremy is a rising second-year actor at David Geffen School of Drama from Miami, Florida. He’s loved working with all of the playwrights and artists this summer, they’ve inspired him in more ways than they know. Always sending love.
Rosie is a rising third-year student at David Geffen School of Drama at Yale. This is her first year working with D/EP, and she is thrilled to be working with such brilliant playwrights and team members. Her favourite colour is pink, and she loves sunflowers.
Aaron is from Queens, New York, where he himself once contained all the zaniness, wisdom, and je ne sais quoi that only a middle-schooler can quite access. He’s delighted to be a part of D/EP, and sends his thanks especially to Francisco for thinking of him; Angel for his triumphant play and abundant imagination; Jeremy for his acting partnership; and all of this year’s stellar playwrights. B-A-N-A-N-A-S!
Created in 1995, the Dwight/Edgewood Project (D/EP) pairs middle school students from Barnard Environmental Science and Technology School with David Geffen School of Drama students who serve as their dedicated writing mentors, production team, and managers in this intensive four-week after-school playwriting program
The first week of the program focused on building trust and joy in the company, playing theater games, learning what designers and directors do, and developing our senses to fuel our imaginations. We met the playwrights in person at the end of the week with their families to answer questions and share snacks!
The second week focused on Playmaking: what are the tools needed to write a play? Once we created our playwright toolboxes, the writing mentors worked one on one with the playwrights to write a short practice play! This process culminated at our writing camp, a twoday retreat where the final plays were written.
Weeks three and four were devoted to rehearsing, designing, and putting all the technical elements together.
At the end of week four, the project culminates with the presentation of the playwrights’ six original plays, designed and performed by the David Geffen School of Drama student production team and writing mentors.
The D/EP Company presents three different one-act plays each night, to honor their words and imaginations!
PLAYMAKING is a course developed by Daniel Sklar and taught at the NYC-based 52nd Street Project. Playmaking teaches children to express creative impulses in writing and to work cooperatively with others. In the process of writing their plays, the students build not only literacy skills, but they also begin to trust their own impulses. Their plays say, “This is what I feel, what I think—who I am”!
Dear playwrights, parents, DGSD, and the New Haven community,
Welcome to the 2025 Dwight/Edgewood Project (D/EP) performances of The Amazing World of D/EP. This year marks a remarkable milestone for D/EP as we celebrate its 30th anniversary with the world premiere of five extraordinary plays written by five fiercely talented young playwrights. It is also a celebration of life and legacy of our late and great Project Coordinator Emalie Mayo, lovingly known to our community as “Dean Mayo.” In 2019, Emalie said of the Project that “It’s amazing to watch shy kids come out of being really, really quiet to being confident, taking criticism, and giving notes—that’s the backbone of the program.” It is with Emalie’s copious notes, and indeed the archival work of all 30 years of D/EP staff, that the 2025 Dwight/ Edgewood Project was not only a possibility, but a resounding success!
From the first day, these playwrights from the Barnard School amazed us with their imaginations through their writing as well as their sense of humor and willingness to play. From a cat cowboy to alien soldiers, our playwrights imagined many worlds and characters that stretched far beyond the walls of Yale and the streets of the Dwight and Edgewood neighborhoods. This year, playwrights Angel, Anisa, Gracey, Jazmin, and Za’Nhya developed their plays over a four-week period that included daily writing sessions, acting exercises, and design workshops led by the D/EP creative team. The young playwrights participated in a weekend writing retreat at Camp Wightman, where they could fully focus on completing their plays. These two evenings of performances are a culmination of the talent, humanity, and joy that these five playwrights have cultivated over the last four weeks.
Since its founding in 1995 by then Theater Management student Ricardo Morris, the Project, inspired by the work of NYC’s 52nd Street Project, has paired New Haven middle schoolers with students from David Geffen School of Drama to support them in writing and designing fully produced 10-minute original plays. The Project began as a student’s dream for the School to give back to the Greater New Haven community, and this year celebrates 30 years of brilliant plays, deep connections, and enthusiastic young Playwrights being applauded for their creative courage.
The Project continues to flourish with the goal of creating memorable experiences for young Playwrights in New Haven, awakening them to their imaginative potential while fostering enthusiasm, self-respect, and the confidence that their voices and ideas matter. D/EP returns this summer after a year’s hiatus to commemorate the immense work of the late Emalie Mayo, the Project’s coordinator for the past 10 years, and hopes to set the scene for the Project’s next 30 years.
Hey D/EP…Say 1, 2, 3!
Yours,
2025 Dwight Edgewood Project Co-Teaching Artists: Francisco Morandi Zerpa and comfort ifeoma katchy
2025 Dwight Edgewood Project Leadership Team: Davon Williams (Producing Director), Jocelyn Lopez-Hagmann (General Manager), and Maya Louise Shed (Executive Director).
Dwight/Edgewood Project is supported by the Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Foundation and the Esme Usdan Community Youth Fund.