UMASS NEW PLAY LAB
produced by Maegan Clearwood, Bianca Dillard, Josh Glenn-Kayden, and Tatiana Godfrey
directed by Josh Glenn-Kayden
Curtain Theater
With Play Lab, UMass Theater throws out the old script and welcomes the new. We are proud to be part of the national movement to present a vibrantly diverse range of experiences on stage through cutting-edge works from up and coming theater makers. Play Lab is a venue for playwrights to experiment, for directors and dramaturgs to collaborate on shaping new work, for actors to bring intriguing characters to life, and for audiences to help shape the work through their reactions.
The Interrobangers
by M Sloth Levine
Jan. 31, Feb. 1 and 6 at 7:30
Feb. 8 at 2
The Curtain Theater
Four groovy teens and a dog search the woods in their van to solve a mystery while exploring drugs, queerness, and the fear that men in rubber masks are scarier than monsters. The four question the world they know, looking into the parts of their history they would rather avoid.
Walden
by Amy Berryman
Feb. 14, 15, 20 at 7:30
Feb. 22 at 2
The Curtain Theater
In the not-so-distant future, climate change has intensified and scientists are recommending that we colonize elsewhere. Cassie, a NASA botanist, returns from her year-long deployment in space and is shocked to find her sister, Stella, a former NASA architect, engaged to an Earth Advocate. As the twins grapple with questions of rivalry and love, humanity hangs in the balance.
Thanks to the Hotel UMass, the official sponsor of accommodations for UMass Theater guest artists.
Production credits
The Interrobangers
by M Sloth Levine
Director :Josh Glenn-Kayden
Dramaturg: Bianca Dillard
Stage Manager: Taylor Lennon
Assistant Stage Manager: Claudia Marino
CAST
Zodiac: Darrow Sherman
Hank: Owen Davey
Luna: Elliot Qiao
Dani: Sabine Jacques
Bettie/Tess: Angela Kwebiiha
Officer Craig/Guy at the Jackalope: Dylan Castro
Mr. Dahl/Nathan Hobart: Eli Nauda
Hoover/Stage Directions: Maya Kosztolitz
M Sloth Levine (they/them/theirs) is a trans theatremaker who directs, writes plays, and designs based in Brooklyn, NY, previously Boston, MA. Recent work has been seen at The Art Garage, Company One, SpeakEasy Stage Company, Fresh Ink Theatre, Brown Box Theatre Project, and their own collective Milky Way Coffee Roasters. They are involved with the Gender Explosion Initiative with StageSource, advocating for gender diversity in New England theatre. They are a proud alumnus of the Company One PlayLab Unit. Sloth’s work often involves the fantastic, spooky, and queer. In 2016 they received a BA in Theatre Studies: Directing & Playwriting from Emerson College.
Special thanks to the Hotel UMass, which provides accommodations for our artists.
Walden
by Amy Berryman
Director: Josh Glenn-Kayden
Dramaturg: Bianca Dillard
Stage Manager: Taylor Lennon
Assistant Stage Manager: Sena Yacteen
CAST
Stella: Carolyn Parker-Fairbain
Cassie: Sabine Jacques
Bryan: Callum LaFrance
Amy Berryman (she/her/hers) is a writer and actor originally from Seattle, Washington. Her full length plays include Walden (Great Plains Theatre Conference 2019, Premiere Play Festival Runner Up 2019, Last Frontier Theatre Festival 2018), The New Galileos (O’Neill Finalist 2019, Playwrights Realm Fellowship Finalist 2018, Mach 33 Science Driven Plays Semi-Finalist 2019, developed in Amios’ First Draughts series) and Three Year Summer, which recently received readings with Nomad Theatricals in NYC, Prop Theater in Chicago, and Portland Stage in Maine. Her short plays have been seen in Amios’ SHOTZ and Barrington Collective in NYC. The short film she wrote, co-produced, and starred in, You Are Everywhere, premiered in New York Shorts Fest and won Best Short Drama in the LA Short Film Festival. As an actor, she was recently seen off-Broadway in The Convent by Jessica Dickey with Rattlestick/Rising Phoenix Rep, Greg Kotis’ play Lunchtime at the Brick in NYC, Erin Courtney’s I Will Be Gone in the Humana Festival, and the web series #NoFilter. @amyrberryman
The Play Lab Producers:
Maegan Clearwood
Bianca Dillard
Josh Glenn-Kayden
Tatiana Godfrey
Director: Josh Glenn-Kayden
Dramaturgs: Maegan Clearwood, Bianca Dillard, Tatiana Godfrey
Production Stage Manager: Taylor Lennon
Assistant Stage Manager: Claudia Marino, Sena Yacteen
