Re/Generation Studio playbill
| Artistic Producer | AJ SCHWARTZ |
| Casting Director | CATHERINE MILLER |
| Stage Manager | REBECCA WALKER |
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Love and Nappiness
January 28, 2023
Written by Kirsten Baity
Directed by Dionne Addai
| Meraki | Ua Smith |
| Emma | Sharon Pasia |
| Cory | Justin McPike |
When Meraki’s girlfriend brings her to a queer-owned hair salon as a bonding exercise, the experience quickly devolves into an exercise in dealing with micro-aggressions and the intricacies of interracial dating.
Artist Bios
DIONNE ADDAI (she/they): director
Dionne Addaiis a director, actor, writer, and teaching artist local to Chicago. Their artistic practice centers on educating in order to encourage political action and mutual aid. As a director, she’s worked on Meeting Our Desires, Botticelli, and Sexuality Out Loud. Recent acting credits include Nina Simone: Four Women (Merrimack Repertory Theatre), The Secret Yes (Filament Theatre), Eclipsed (Pegasus/Theater on the Lake), and We are Pussy Riot (Red Tape Theatre). She is represented by Actor’s Talent Group.
KIRSTEN BAITY (they/them): playwright
Kirsten Baity is a Chicago-based playwright, deviser, and intimacy director. Their work mainly explores race and gender politics within queer spaces. Their plays include Forest Friends & the First Day of Spring (Theatre Between Addresses), This Is Normal (Quaranstream Theatre Festival), Rage Isn’t Free: A participatory play (Youth Empowerment and Performance Project), and Tonin Town, Minstrelsy 2.0 (Columbia College Chicago). They have devised plays with Goodman Theatre’s Playbuild and Intergen Ensembles, About Face Youth Theatre, For Youth Inquiry, and Free Street Theater. Kirsten is a proud member of the Intimacy Coordinators of Color cohort and an About Face Theatre Green Room Collective alum. For more info, check out kirstenbaity.com
Lavender Men
February 18, 2023
Written by Roger Q. Mason
Directed by Lucky Stiff
| Abe Lincoln | Matt Bowdren |
| Taffeta | Roger Q. Mason |
| Elmer Ellsworth | Eli Sulkowski |
| stage directions | John Payne |
This genre-pushing play courageously re-imagines one of America’s most beloved historical icons, President Abraham Lincoln, through a queer person of color’s storytelling lens. Taffeta, a self-proclaimed “fabulous queer creation of color,” invades Honest Abe’s private world to confront issues of visibility, race, and LGBTQ+ inclusion that still challenge us today. Lavender Men is an embrace to every queer, fat person of color who has been ignored, neglected, or erased for being themselves unapologetically in this world. They are beautiful; they are essential; they are perfect – just the way they are.
Artist Bios
ROGER Q. MASON (they/them): playwright, Tafetta
Roger Q. Mason was dubbed by Theatre Mania as “a major voice in the theatrical vanguard.” Their playwriting has been seen on Broadway (Circle in the Square Reading Series); Off and Off-Off-Broadway; and regionally. Mason’s critically-acclaimed world premiere of Lavender Men was recently lauded by the LA Times as “a daring theatrical talent on display…evoking the mingled visions of Suzan-Lori Parks, Jeremy O. Harris and Michael R. Jackson.” As a filmmaker, Mason has been recognized by the British Film Institute, Lonely Wolf International Film Festival, SCAD Film Festival, AT&T Film Award, and Atlanta International Film Festival. Their films have screened in the US, UK, Poland, Brazil, and Asia. Mason holds degrees from Princeton University, Middlebury College, and Northwestern University. They are a member of the Dramatists Guild of America, Page 73’s Interstate 73 Writers Group, and Primary Stages Writing Cohort; the co-host of Sister Roger’s Gayborhood podcast; the host of This Way Out Radio’s Queerly Yours: Portraits in Courage; and lead mentor of the Marsha P. Johnson Starship Fellowship, Shay Foundation Fellowship, and New Visions Fellowship.
LUCKY STIFF (they/them): director
Lucky Stiff is a trans and nonbinary director, writer, and performer working in Chicago and New York. They build original experiences that combine nightclub culture and performance art which have been featured at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Blue Man Group Chicago, Boy Friday Dance Company, and Bushwig Festival of Drag, among many others. They hold an MFA in Directing for Theater from Northwestern University and have lectured in performance and directing at UC Santa Cruz, UC Santa Barbara, Northwestern University, University of Illinois at Chicago, and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. luckystiffdrag.com
Matt Bowdren (he/him): Abe Lincoln
Recent Chicago credits include work with Windy City Playhouse, TimeLine Theatre, and the Shakespeare Project of Chicago. Matt is a founding member of The Story Theatre, where he directed the inaugural production of Leave Me Alone! Regionally, Matt is an Artistic Associate for The Rogue Theatre where he has performed in over 30 productions including Hamlet, The Crucible, and Waiting for Godot. Other regional credits include Arizona Theatre Company, Arizona Repertory Theatre, Hudson Shakespeare Company, and Southwest Shakespeare. Matt is a founder and member of Small Giants, a multidisciplinary arts collective working at the intersection of music, language, and visual art. Matt is represented by DDO Chicago and holds an MFA in Performance from The University of Georgia. mattbowdren.com
Eli Sukowski (he/him): Elmer Ellsworth
Eli Sukowski is a trans interdisciplinary artist, performer, and filmmaker. In fall 2022, he and his business partner (Leah Raidt, she/they) wrapped filming of their short film Lee & Charlie. Lee & Charlie is the debut collaboration between Eli and Leah through their creative collective, Falling Leaf Creatives. Premiering June 2023! You can catch Eli performing on various stages in Chicago & on SHOWTIME’S Season 1 of Work In Progress. Eli also owns and operates an upcycled furniture/art business, Moo Furniture Company (@moo.furniture.co). In the Co-Host position to his wife & Lead Host (Ali McLaughlin Sulkowski-she/her), Eli is ½ of Cold & Missing, a true crime podcast (@cold_and_missing). Eli is repped by Gray Talent Group.
John Payne (they/them/all): stage directions
John Payne is an actor/performer based here in Chicago and is enlivened to be working with About Face for the first time on Lavender Men. It’s something remarkable to be immersed in Chicago’s newest queer, black, and bold theater scene, and Payne is electrified to be on it. Recent credits include Leonardo Da Vinci in Botticelli in the Fire (First Floor Theatre) and Measure for Measure (Chicago Shakespeare Theater). Payne believes the theatre is due for a renaissance guided by a deeply connected community, and is proud to be making space for art and people that reflect and honor that belief. They couldn’t do it without their chosen family here in Chicago, and are eternally grateful to be pursuing what they love.
The Model Congressman
February 25, 2023
Written by Steven Strafford
Directed by AJ Schwartz
| Sharriese | Ashli Funches |
| Joan | Marsha Harman |
| Michael | Kaleb Jackson |
| Melissa | Sharon Pasia |
| Kevin | Bennett Petersen |
| Joe | Ben Sprunger |
| stage directions | Gardy Gilbert |
It’s 1994, and Kevin’s just a kid hoping to win a big scholarship and get enough money to go to the school of his dreams. It’s 1994, and Kevin’s just a closeted kid who secretly goes on adults-only chat rooms looking for men. It’s 1994, and Kevin’s just an ambitious, closeted kid who has to decide how far he’s willing to go to impress the man who can change or ruin his life. It’s time to go to the 1994 Model Congress!
Artist Bios
Ashli Funches (any pronouns): Sharriese
Ashli’s recent credits include: Life and Death of King John, Detroit 67, and Stew with Shattered Globe. Ashli received their BFA in Acting and African Diaspora from DePaul University. There she wrote and produced a film entitled A Yellow Circus. She focuses on work rooted in anti-imperialist agendas but most importantly, the decolonization of all bodies through the encouragement of free movement and play.
Gardy Gilbert (he/him): stage directions
Gardy Gilbert is excited to be joining About Face for the first time with the Re/Generation Studio series! He is a Chicago-based theatre artist originally from Cincinnati, OH. Some of his most recent credits include The Great Khan (Redtwist Theatre), Botticelli in the Fire (First Floor Theater), The Aliens (Kalliope and Co.) He also has previously worked with A Red Orchid Theatre, BoHo Theatre, and La Vuelta Ensemble. He is constantly thankful for the endless support from his family, friends, and incredibly sweet cat, Maple. gardygilbert.com
Marsha Harman (she/her): Joan
Marsha Harman is delighted to work with About Face for the first time. Chicago credits include The Man Who Was Thursday and A Wrinkle in Time (Lifeline Theatre), Ghosts and ZOMBIES (Akvavit Theatre), The Full Monty (Kokandy Productions) and The Anyway Cabaret (TUTA Theatre). She was a longtime member of New Leaf Theatre’s producing ensemble, where she appeared in productions including Arcadia, Six Years, and the Jeff-Nominated ensembles of The Permanent Way, The Dining Room, and As It Is In Heaven. Regionally, Marsha spent five seasons with the Bakerloo Theatre Project in upstate New York. You can also hear her as Dot Harper on Unwell: A Midwestern Gothic Mystery, which won the BBC Radio Drama Award for Best Podcast or Online Drama.
Kaleb Jackson (they/them): Michael
Kaleb Jackson is a Chicago-based performer, writer and director from the suburbs of Chicagoland. They received their BFA in acting from Ohio University where they performed, directed, and produced many shows. In 2020 after the wake of George Floyd, Kaleb also co-founded and would later serve as Artistic Director for Vibrancy Theater, a theatre company that uplifts and broadcasts Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in theatre at Ohio University and beyond. For business inquiries, headshots sessions, or more information about Vibrancy, please visit kalebjackson.net or follow @kaleebjackson.
Sharon Pasia (they/them): Melissa
Sharon Pasia is a Chicago-based actor, producer and performer. After a two year theatre hiatus, they are inspired to come back and see many artists and writers sharing new work and is super excited to be a part of AFT’s Re/Generation Studio. Past play readings include Salt Fire by Matt Schutz and All the Yellows by Eli Campbell. Other works they’ve co-produced are G.L.O.W: a very queer open mic and Art Night at Eli Tea Bar. Depending on your algorithm, you might catch them rockin’ an orange blazer in a Glassdoor ad or “gracefully” splashing their face in a Biorè commercial.
Bennett Petersen (he/him): Kevin
Bennett Petersen is an actor, writer, and director. Originally from Minnesota, he recently graduated from Northwestern University and now lives in Chicago. Credits include Victor in Dry Land (Snails on a Bike), Gene Wilder in Heist! (Eclectic Full Contact Theatre), and 4th Cricket, Buddy u/s in The Buddy Story (Cape Fear Regional Theatre). Bennett is so excited to be working with About Face for the first time!
AJ SCHWARTZ (they/them): director
AJ Schwartz is a theatre director and producer in Chicago, making work focused on queerness, relationships, and the fall of the American Empire. You may have seen their production of How You Kiss Me Is Not How I Like To Be Kissed by Dan Giles at Haven Chicago. They have also worked with storefront companies in Chicago including About Face Theatre, Steep Theatre, First Floor Theater, The New Coordinates, Sideshow Theatre Company, and The Syndicate. In their free time they enjoy photography and hosting dinner parties.
Benjamin Sprunger (he/him): Joe
Theater credits: About Face (nine productions including Significant Other and The Homosexuals), Raven, Music Theater Works, Northlight, House, 16th Street, Pride Films & Plays, Goodman, Victory Gardens, TimeLine, Steppenwolf, Strawdog, Griffin (2011 Jeff nomination, Actor in a Principal Role – Musical), Steep, Sideshow, Haven, CityLit, Theater Wit, Mark Taper Forum, and Pasadena Playhouse. Television credits: Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., The Red Line, Will & Grace (2 episodes as Will’s boyfriend’s sister’s fiancé), and Passions.
STEVEN STRAFFORD (he/him): playwright
Steven Strafford is grateful to be a part of this festival and to return to working with About Face Theatre where he performed his award-winning solo play, Methtacular! He has performed that show across the country for a long time now, and he loves it every single time. Methtacular! was recorded at Steppenwolf Theatre’s 1700 Space in 2019. His play Small Jokes About Monsters won the New American Voices Contest in 2016, was a semifinalist for The O’Neill, and won the 2022 Ready-to-Publish Award and will be published and licensed by Broadway Licensing later this year. Small Jokes About Monsters was produced at Landing Theatre in Houston (Nominated, Outstanding New Play), 16th Street Theater in Chicago, and at Lamb Theatre in Sioux City. His play The Match Game won the 2022 Jackie Demaline Award at Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati. His play Greater Illinois was semifinalist at The O’Neill in 2021. The play was an official selection of Tantum East’s New Play Development, MATC, Great Plains Theatre Conference, and received a workshop with The Road Theatre in Los Angeles in 2022. His essays have been published on various sites and in the book The Anatomy of Silence. He has an MFA in Playwriting from Ohio University. As an actor, he’s been across the globe on fancy and less fancy stages. He has been on TV, in commercials and movies, and one time played Hepatitis A for an industrial, which is a performance he still receives emails about… so, go figure.
underdrown
March 4, 2023
Written by Derek Lee McPhatter
Directed by Mikael Burke
| Zeke | Johnard Washington |
| Priestexx | Elaine Bell |
| Jamie | Collin Quinn Rice |
| IX | Harmony Zhang |
| stage directions | Kaela West |
As climate catastrophe reshapes Chicago, a queer black intellectual confronts a lover, a computer, and a mysterious visitor on his quest for truth in virtual worlds. The lines between the digital world and “real life” blur as our blackademic grows obsessed with researching a problematic video game.
Artist Bios
Elaine Bell: Priestexx
Elaine is honored to be back in the room where it happens. A proud native of Chicago’s WestSide, Elaine strives to live artfully whether it be sweeping, digging in dirt, capturing images, making a simple meal or just being. They’ve previously collaborated with eta Creative Arts, Pegasus Theatre, First Floor Theatre, Sideshow Theatre, and Jackalope Theatre Company, just to name a few.
Mikael Burke (he/him): director
Mikael Burke is a Chicago-based director and educator and served as Associate Artistic Director with About Face from 2020 through 2022. A Princess Grace Award-winner in Theatre and Jeff Award-nominated director, Mikael’s worked with Goodman Theatre, About Face Theatre, Victory Gardens Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Raven Theatre, Jackalope Theatre Company, First Floor Theater, American Theatre Company, Chicago Dramatists, The Story Theatre, and Windy City Playhouse in Chicago, and regionally with Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Geva Theatre Center, Phoenix Theatre Indianapolis. Recent credits include the American premiere of Routes by Rachel De-Lahay, The Wanderers by Anna Ziegler, Shakespeare’s Richard III, The Magnolia Ballet by Terry Guest (2022 Jeff Award Winner – Production, Short Run); Fireflies by Donja R. Love (Black Theatre Alliance Award – Best Direction of an Ensemble). | mklburke.com
DEREK LEE McPHATTER (he/him): playwright
Derek Lee McPhatter is committed to new work at intersections of race, class, gender, sexuality and technology. A 2021 Creative Capital Awardee, Derek is currently developing the NightQueen Performance Suite as a triptych of evening-length works spanning theater, music, opera, spoken word and new media. The project has been supported by a 2022 Chicago Performance Commission from the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, as well as additional residency and developmental support from Chicago Dramatists, Prop Thtr, Perceptions Theatre and Primary Stages. Derek served as librettist, book-writer and/or lyricist for five new music-theatre works with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, as well as various theater projects with JACK, Hi-ARTS, and The Drama League, among others. His work has been supported by grants and prizes from the Jerome Foundation, the Chicago Digital Media Production Fund, the Puffin Foundation, the Propeller Fund, the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, and the United States Embassy in the United Kingdom, to name a few. He is a native of Pickerington Ohio and currently splits his time between Chicago, NYC and Los Angeles. www.derekleemcphatter.com
Collin Quin Rice (they/them): Jamie
Collin Quinn Rice is a queer actor, choreographer, and photographer based in Chicago. They were most recently seen in Laced, Le Switch (About Face Theatre), The Tasters (Rivendell), All Quiet on the Western Front (Red Tape Theatre), Mike Pence Sex Dream (First Floor Theater), The Harvest (Griffin Theatre Co.), Hatfield & McCoy (The House), Masque Macabre (Strawdog Theatre Company), Going to a Place… (Redtwist Theatre), The Ode at Pint’s End (Birch House Immersive), and The Hilary Duff Project (MCL Chicago). Regional credits include From on High (OddKnock Productions, Denver). TV/Film credits include Work in Progress, The Right Swipe, and The Play Cycle. Collin is a graduate of Northwestern University, and they are represented by DDO Chicago. Their comprehensive work can be found at www.collinquinnrice.com.
Johnard Washington: Zeke
Chicago: Steppenwolf Theatre Company: King James (Shawn u/s); The Compass (Entrepreneur; Defense Attorney u/s); Thirst (Strawdog Theatre Company); At The Table (Broken Nose Theatre. Jeff Award—Best Ensemble; Best Production); The Hairy Ape, This House Believes The American Dream Is At The Expense of The American Negro (Oracle Productions); A Hedda Gabbler, The Walk Across America For Mother Earth, Lear, The Skriker, Elephants Graveyard (Red Tape Theatre); Gross Indecency (Promethean Theatre); Hand in Hand (Akvavit Theatre); How We Got On (Citadel Theatre). Dallas: Our Lady of 121st St (Kitchendog Theatre). Johnard is a company member of Strawdog Theatre and the Bramble Theatre Ensemble. Stewart Talent.
Harmony Zhang: IX
Harmony Zhang is an actress, musician, and teaching artist in the Chicagoland area. She earned her MFA from The Theatre School at DePaul University, where she appeared in Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play (Maria/Lisa Simpson), The House of Bernarda Alba (Angustias), The Veil (Hannah), The Cat in the Hat (The Fish), and The Wong Kids in the Secret of the Space Chupacabra, Go! (Violet). Her regional credits include the world premiere of Hershel & The Hanukkah Goblins at Strawdog Theatre Company, Kentucky with The Gift Theatre, and Tiger Style! at Writer’s Theatre. Harmony has studied at Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York City and the Shanghai Theatre Academy. Harmony is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and loves spending time with her husband and two cats.
Kaela West (she/her): stage directions
Kaela West is thrilled to join this exciting workshop. Hailing from Chicago, Illinois, she attended Columbia College Chicago for Musical Theatre Performance. Previous credits include Madame Buzzard (Elixir: A Rock Opera), Mitch “Monique” Mahoney (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), Ensemble (Beehive), Sheila Franklin (Hair), Flora Muybridge (The Photographer), Wilma (City on the Make), Gary Coleman (Avenue Q), Urleen (Footloose), Dynamite (Hairspray), Joanne Jefferson (Rent), Matron Mama Morton (Chicago), Tituba (The Crucible), and Marcy Park (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) at the 36th Annual Illinois Theatre Festival. She thanks her family and especially her mom for supporting her theatre career and coming to every performance across the Chicagoland area.
The Wholehearted
March 11, 2023
Co-created by Deborah Stein and Suli Holum
Directed by Keira Fromm
| Dee | Elizabeth Ledo |
| stage directions | Aila Ayilam Peck |
| dramaturg | Catherine Miller |
Chasing your dreams may be tough, but world champion boxer Dee Crosby isn’t going down without a fight. After falling in the ranks and surviving a brutal attack at the hands of her husband, Dee is determined more than ever to come back swinging on her road to redemption.
Artist Bios
Keira Fromm (she/her): director
Keira is a Chicago-based, Jeff-award nominated director. She is also an Artistic Associate with About Face Theatre where she directed Bull in a China Shop, Significant Other, Bright Half Life, and A Kid Like Jake. Other directing credits include: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (Milwaukee Chamber Theatre), The Moors, A Phoenix Too Frequent, and A Doll’s House (American Players Theatre), The Last Match (Writers Theatre); At the Wedding and Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley (TheatreSquared); Top Girls and hang (Remy Bumppo); The Columnist (American Blues Theater); Charles Ives Take Me Home (Strawdog); The How and the Why (TimeLine Theatre); Broadsword (The Gift Theatre); and Fallow (Steep Theatre.) She received her MFA from DePaul University, her BFA from Boston University, is an alumna of Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab, and a member of SDC, the professional directors union. Keira will be directing The Liar at American Players Theatre this upcoming summer. www.keirafromm.com
Suli Holum: co-creator
Suli Holum was a co-founder of Pig Iron Theatre Company, and a long-time collaborator, including as playwright for Gentlemen Volunteers, published in Pig Iron: 3 Plays (53rd Street Press). As Co-Artistic Director of Stein | Holum Projects with Deborah Stein, Holum co-created and performed The Wholehearted as well as Drama Desk-nominated solo show Chimera, developed at HERE, premiered at Under The Radar, and toured to The Gate, London. She also directed Deborah Stein’s Movers + Shakers, recipient of the Loewe Award from New Dramatists, and developed at UCSD. Her work as a devising writer of new performance includes Wandering Alice with Nichole Canuso Dance Company; Oedipus At FDR with Emmanuelle Delpech, One Beach Road with RedCape Theatre, UK; and A Fierce Kind Of Love with the Institute on Disabilities at Temple University. Holum is currently a member of Wilma Theater’s HotHouse Acting Company, where she most recently performed in Dmitri Krymov’s new adaptation of The Cherry Orchard. In recognition of her performance work, she has received a TCG Fox Resident Acting Fellowship, Helen Hayes and Barrymore Award nominations, and a Drama Desk Award. More info on current projects in development at www.sulihoumthework.org.
Elizabeth Ledo: Dee
Most recent credits include Cymbeline at American Players Theatre, All’s Well That Ends Well at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Steel Magnolias at Drury Lane Theatre, and Measure for Measure at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. About Face Theatre credits include Say You Love Satan, The Homosexuals, Le Switch, and Bright Half Life.
Catherine Miller (they/them): dramaturg
Dramaturgy credits include: Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins ’21 and ’22 (Strawdog Theatre), Fun Home, Hand to God, Kinky Boots (Paramount Theatre), The Wolves (Actors Theatre of Louisville/ACLU fundraiser), House of Audacity (First Floor Theater), Love in the Time of Jonestown, Untitled Queer Romance (The New Coordinates), the West Coast Premiere of [Title of Show] (Diversionary Theatre), Assassins, Sweeney Todd & The History Boys (Cygnet Theatre), Passion (Ion Theatre), Breath Boom, Our Lady of 121st Street (Eclipse Theatre). Catherine also works in casting with many theatres around Chicago, including About Face Theatre. Catherine was a 2021 3Arts Make A Wave recipient and was recently featured in American Theatre Magazine‘s Role Call. They also were on NewCity Magazine’s 2020 + 2019 Players: The Fifty People Who Really Perform for Chicago and the Windy City Times’ 30 Under 30 list. Catherine has a BFA in Dramaturgy/Criticism from The Theatre School at DePaul.
Aila Ayilam Peck: Stage Directions
Aila Ayilam Peck Chicago credits include: Shakuntala (Goodman Future Labs), This Wide Night, Five Mile Lake (Shattered Globe), Birdland (Steep), The Royal Society of Antarctica (The Gift), Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley (Northlight), 1984 (Steppenwolf for Young Adults). Regional credits include: Brahman/i: a One Hijra Stand Up Show, Proof (Kitchen Theatre), The Who and the What (Huntington Theatre), A Doll’s House, Twelfth Night, Macbeth (American Player’s Theatre). Aila can be seen next in First Floor Theatre’s production of Rehana Lew Mirza’s Hatefuck, May 2023. She is represented by Gray Talent Group.
Deborah Stein: co-creator
Deborah Stein is a playwright, director, and producer originally from New York. As Co-Artistic Director of Stein | Holum Projects, she has written and co-directed Chimera (created in residence at HERE, where it premiered in the 2012 Under the Radar Festival; subsequently nominated for a Drama Desk Award) and The Wholehearted (workshopped by ArtsEmerson in April 2014; upcoming at the Kelly Strayhorn in Pittsburgh). Her work has been developed nationally at Actors’ Theatre of Louisville, the Guthrie, Seattle Rep, the Women’s Project, and the Wilma Theatre, among others; and internationally in Poland, Ireland, Edinburgh (the Traverse) and Prague. Her writing has been published in Theatre Forum, Play: A Journal of Plays, and The Best American Poetry of 1996. Deborah has taught writing and theatrical collaboration at Yale School of Drama, NYU/Tisch, Princeton, Northeastern, St. Olaf, Parsons and received her MFA from Brown University, where she studied with Paula Vogel. She has received the NYSCA, the Bush Artist Fellowship, two Jerome Fellowships and a McKnight Advancement Grant at the Playwrights’ Center, and is a proud alumna of New Dramatists. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Theatre & Dance at the University of California – San Diego.
Switch Hitta
March 18, 2023
Written by Pen Wilder
Directed by Megan Carney
| Echo | Bee Everidge |
| Reyna | Emma Soden |
| Willow | Sharon Pasia |
| Quinn | Sania Faith |
| Mark | Josh Odor |
| Announcer | Anna DeShawn |
| asst. director/choreographer | Clara Radcliffe |
| asst. director | Sonja Pardee |
It’s softball season and the stakes are high for the Marigold Ravens in Pen Wilder’s site-specific play, Switch Hitta. Echo, the team Captain, is working hard to get the new team recruits into shape when an unexpected romance emerges. No amount of game day pressure or love triangle drama can keep the players down in this energetic coming of age story about the strength of queer friendship.
Artist Bios
Megan Carney (she/her): director
Megan Carney is the Artistic Director of About Face Theater, a company dedicated to advancing LGBTQ+ equity through community building, education, and performance. Her work as a director, deviser, and educator is recognized with theatre industry awards, the GLSEN Pathfinder Award, APA Presidential Citation, and induction in Chicago’s LGBT Hall of Fame. She directed the world premieres of Danielle Pinnock’s Body Courage and Lisa Dillman’s The Walls with Rivendell Ensemble, among other notable productions. Megan has an MFA in Theatre Arts from Virginia Tech with a focus on Directing and Public Dialogue. She served as the Director of the Gender and Sexuality Center at UIC where she created and produced cultural programming and advanced affirming policies. Megan continues to teach in a variety of settings and has volunteered with the Chicago Foundation for Women’s LGBT Giving Council, the Chicago Restroom Access Project of Pride Action Tank, and other queer organizations.
Anna DeShawn (pronouns: anything respectful): Announcer
Anna is a multi-award winning podcaster and Ambie award-winning podcast producer and host. She is also a Chicago-born social entrepreneur who builds streaming platforms which center & celebrate BIPOC & QTPOC creatives. Media has always been her passion and in 2009 she turned that passion into a reality when she founded E3 Radio, an online radio station playing Queer music & reporting on Queer news with an intersectional lens. Most recently, she co-founded The Qube, a podcast production company and curated platform to discover the best music & podcasts by BIPOC & QTPOC creatives. Anna is an award-winning podcaster determined to ride media into its next era by utilizing digital media streams to tell the stories and play the music that deserves to be heard.
Bee Everidge (they/them): Echo
Bee Everidge is thrilled to be working on this project as it’s been several years since their last time on stage. Bee studied theatre directing at both Ohio University and Columbia College Chicago before discovering their passion for teaching. They are now an infant teacher as well as an elementary art teacher but continue feeding their love for theatre as often as possible. Bee would like to congratulate Pen Wilder on getting to share this beautiful piece, and thank you all for coming.
Sania Faith (she/her): Quinn
Sania has been away from the stage for awhile, but is very excited and honored to be a part of this production!
Josh Odor (he/him): Mark
Josh Odor is excited to get to work w About Face. He was last seen in Paris at Steep Theater and Lookingglass’ Her Honor Jane Byrne. Next Josh will be in the world premiere of Origin Story at The Cincinnati Playhouse and is understudying in Steppenwolf’s No Man’s Land.
Sonja Pardee (she/her): assistant director
Sonja Pardee is a stage manager and director originally from Denver, CO now based in Chicago. She received a BFA in Theatre Directing from Columbia College Chicago where she directed productions of The Wolves, Some Futile Device, Dry Land, and I and You. During her time at Columbia College Chicago, she also stage managed productions of THE RACE 2020, WW™D, A Man of No Importance, and Exit, Pursued by a Bear. Recently, she was an Assistant Stage Manager for Bachelor: The Unauthorized Parody Musical at the Apollo Theater in Chicago.
Sharon Pasia (they/them): Willow
Sharon Pasia is a Chicago-based actor, producer and performer. After a two year theatre hiatus, they are inspired to come back and see many artists and writers sharing new work and is super excited to be a part of AFT’s Re/Generation Studio. Past play readings include Salt Fire by Matt Schutz and All the Yellows by Eli Campbell. Other works they’ve co-produced are G.L.O.W: a very queer open mic and Art Night at Eli Tea Bar. Depending on your algorithm, you might catch them rockin’ an orange blazer in a Glassdoor ad or “gracefully” splashing their face in a Biorè commercial.
Clara Radcliffe (she/they): assistant director/choreographer
Clara is a current senior at Columbia College Chicago pursuing her BA in Theatre with concentration in Directing. A native of Des Moines, Iowa, she moved to Chicago to pursue both acting and directing, and now focuses on development of new work. This work includes previously directing Fields of Clover by Penelope Wilder, as well as many new one act plays and staged readings. Clara also enjoys playing guitar, painting, and working on the Playwrights Aloud committee with Columbia College’s playwriting program. You can catch her upcoming production of Lauren Gunderson’s I and You at CCC this April. She is excited to begin her professional directing career with this workshop at About Face!
Emma Soden (she/her): Reyna
Emma is a recent graduate of Northwestern University and the London Theatre Program at the British American Drama Academy. She is currently understudying the role of Marie Antoinette in Oil Lamp Theater’s production of The Revolutionists. She can also be seen in the comedy webseries The Birthday Peasant now streaming on YouTube, as well as the upcoming webseries Improving 101, which she co-wrote and acted in, premiering in late 2023.
Pen Wilder (they/them): playwright
Pen is a writer and artist with a focus in queer storytelling. Along with their job as a gallery attendant, they work as a writer for various literary publications and have been seen in journals such as Mulberry Literary and the ChillFiltr Review. In their free time, they also can be seen performing as part of indie rock group Cowboy Neal.
Series Production Bios
MEGAN CARNEY (she/her): AFT Artistic Director
Megan is a director, playwright, and teaching artist. Recent Chicago directing credits include The Gulf, 20/20, and Time Is On Our Side (About Face), Winter, Grizzly Mama, Danielle Pinnock’s Body/Courage, American Wee Pie, and The Walls (Rivendell). Megan has written several plays based on true stories, including Women At War based on 75 interviews with women in the military (Rivendell); Open Systems about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (Goodman Theatre); Let Them Eat Cake about marriage equality (Dixon Place, NYC); and multiple large ensemble plays with About Face Youth Theatre, which she co-founded. Megan’s work in theatre and community building has been recognized with multiple After Dark Awards, the GLSEN Pathfinder Award, an APA Presidential Citation, induction into Chicago’s LGBT Hall of Fame, and a Rockefeller Foundation MAP Grant. Megan served as the Director of the Gender and Sexuality Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she developed public arts-based programs and led interactive workshops. She is a certified mediator with the Center for Conflict Resolution, earned an MFA in Theatre with a focus on Directing and Public Dialogue from Virginia Tech as well as a BA from Kalamazoo College, where her ideas about art as a tool for social justice and activism began to take shape.
LOGAN JONES (he/they): AFT Managing Director
Logan is a Chicago-based artist, administrator, and consultant. He has frequently collaborated with multiple theatre companies while utilizing his artistic and technical skills, organizational capabilities, and highly-collaborative working style. Logan has worked with Ensemble Consulting as Facilitator and Project Manager on various leadership transitions and organizational development projects since 2015. As a stage manager and production manager, he has helmed multiple productions for About Face Theatre, American Theater Company, The House Theatre of Chicago, Windy City Playhouse, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, 13Exp, and the American Music Theatre Project, among others. Logan holds a BA in Theatre and BA in Modern Languages from Kansas State University, a certificate in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the Workplace from University of South Florida, and is a graduate of the Axelson Center Bootcamp for Nonprofit CEOs at North Park University.
Catherine Miller (they/them): Casting Director
Catherine is the resident casting director for Jackalope Theatre and have cast productions for Raven Theatre, Haven Chicago, American Musical Theatre Project at Northwestern, BoHo Theatre, Sideshow Theatre, Griffin Theatre, Red Tape, and First Floor Theater, among many others. Catherine is also a dramaturg and gender consultant, working with Actors Theatre of Louisville, Paramount Theatre, The New Coordinates, Strawdog Theatre, Diversionary Theatre, Cygnet Theatre, Ion Theatre, and First Floor Theater. Catherine was a 2021 3Arts Make A Wave recipient and was recently featured in American Theatre Magazine’s Role Call. They also were on NewCity’s 2020 + 2019 Players: The Fifty People Who Really Perform for Chicago and the Windy City Times’ 30 Under 30 list. Catherine has a BFA in Dramaturgy/Criticism from The Theatre School at DePaul.
AJ SCHWARTZ (they/them): Artistic Producer
AJ Schwartz is a theatre director and producer in Chicago, making work focused on queerness, relationships, and the fall of the American Empire. You may have seen their production of How You Kiss Me Is Not How I Like To Be Kissed by Dan Giles at Haven Chicago. They have also worked with storefront companies in Chicago including About Face Theatre, Steep Theatre, First Floor Theater, The New Coordinates, Sideshow Theatre Company, and The Syndicate. In their free time they enjoy photography and hosting dinner parties.
Rebecca Walker (she/her): Stage Manager
Rebecca is a stage manager based in Chicago working on her first show with About Face Theatre. She is a recent graduate from Loyola University Chicago, receiving a BA in Theatre and BS in Psychology. During her time at Loyola, she stage managed multiple shows including Into the Woods and The Wolves. Previously, she worked as a Assistant Stagement at About Face for Mosque4Mosque and Stage Management Intern at Goodman Theatre for Swing State. She’s incredibly grateful to her friends, family, and girlfriend for their unending support.
Our Mission
About Face Theatre advances LGBTQ+ equity through community building, education, and performance.
Our Vision
About Face Theatre envisions an affirming and equitable world in which all LGBTQ+ individuals are thriving and free from prejudice and discrimination.
Anti-racism Statement
About Face Theatre is dedicated to being an intentionally and increasingly anti-racist organization. Due to the intersectionality of our identities, we understand our work to advance LGBTQ+ equity as directly connected to movements for racial justice.
Thank you to our Generous Funders
For a complete list of our donors and supporters, please visit our Support Us page.
BECOME AN ABOUT FACE SUPPORTER TODAY!
Today, it’s more important than ever to tell bold, powerful LGBTQ+ stories on stage, in our communities, and now online. About Face Theatre’s work is a powerful catalyst for moving forward local and national conversations on sexual and gender identity. During AFT’s 2019-2020 season, we persisted through amazing challenges to continue to connect with our community and continue telling LGBTQ stories.
- Our in-person and virtual productions and educational programming reached almost 4,800 community members
- Our community outreach production adapted its stories for the internet, creating the amazing Power in Pride at Home web series
- AFT’s Youth Ensemble and Youth Task Force produced online cabarets that reached more than twice as many viewers as our in-person events
With your help, we will continue to adapt and expand our impact into Chicago communities and beyond.
