2023 Voices of Women Theatre FestivalMeet the PlaywrightsVirtual PlaybillsMeet the Festival JudgesLaunch Party

2023 VOICES OF WOMEN THEATRE FESTIVAL

Celebrating six female voices from across the country.

2023 selected plays are:

  • Chasing Cinderella by Dana Hall (Illinois)
  • Divine Truth by Debra A. Cole (Kansas)
  • Duress by Angela Sarabia (Florida)
  • Four Bedrooms by Marj O’Neill-Butler (Florida)
  • Searching for Abuelo by Gretchen Suárez-Peña (Florida)
  • She Tunes the Violin by Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend (Illinois)

After receiving submissions from all over the country, Powerstories Theatre is proud to present the third annual Voices of Women Theatre Festival, showcasing six local and national playwrights to a global audience. The festival is a combination of full-length and shorter plays.

The festival runs from Monday, July 17 through Sunday, July 23, 2023; however, guests can view the six shows at any time during the festival run.

This will be our first performance since developers left us without our home of 20 years on Kennedy Blvd. Instead of in the theatre, the performances can easily be viewed online view-on-demand at any time during July 17-23. On the evening of July 15, 730-9 pm, at the Fringe space in the Kress Building, 1624 7th Ave, #307, Ybor City, Powerstories will be hosting a Kickoff Celebration of the Voices of Women Theatre Festival for theatre attendees, playwrights, cast, and crew to talk about their play. The special event will provide drinks, hors-d’oeuvres, raffles, games, and camaraderie to launch its third annual Voices of Women event.

On the evening of July 23, Powerstories will be having a closing ceremony with a playwright Q&A with all playwrights, cast, crew, and the audience. They will also present the winner of the first and second prizes, as well as, other special awards.

Although there is a general admission ticket with ticket checkout, please wait for your email from Ticketleap. Save your ticket email from Ticketleap as it contains the video link to watch the show(s) that you purchased.

MEET THE PLAYWRIGHTS!

Dana Hall

Chasing Cinderella

ILLINOIS

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Lucid explores the power of narratives that bind families in patterns that often cascade through generations. We enter this fractured world where each family member struggles with their own disconnectedness. However, there is hope that what ‘runs in the family’ can end here if only someone is able to change the pattern.

RATED: G, coming out, divorce

Debra A. Cole

Divine Truth

KANSAS

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Blind faith after a recent death causes a break with reality when grief is not properly dealt with within this Christian Science family. Here, matter is false, disease does not exist, death is not acknowledged, and truth depends on who is telling it.

RATED: PG-13 – religion, minimal human sexuality light references

Angela Sarabia

Duress

FLORIDA

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Anna, a mild-mannered accountant, discovers two brothers attempting to break into the safe at her workplace. As she attempts to stay alive throughout the ordeal, she must draw on her own past experiences and make hard choices to get back to family members that depend on her. The play illustrates ways violence is used as a tool of manipulation against women, and that women face unique challenges when they become victims of violent crime.

RATED R: Violence and language. It depicts violence against women including discussion about and the suggestion of sexual violence.

Dana Hall is a playwright, actor, and mental health therapist.

She was awarded Excellence In Playwriting by the Theater Association of NYS (TANYS) 2022. She took home a Best of Fringe award at the Women’s Theatre Festival (NC) for her examination of social disparities with the play, No Justice. Her self-performed monologue, Sound Mind, was the 2021 Hear Me Out Monologue Competition Finalist Winner (NY).

She is the 2022 Femuscript (FL) Monologue Winner performing her original piece Snowglobe. Her Halloween-themed comedy, Don’t Lose Your Head, was published with HEUER 2022. Sidewalk Psychic took home best play at Muskegon College 10 minute play festival.

New York Journal recognized her on their 50 under 50 most influential creators during the pandemic list 2022.

She dedicates her work to her children who keep her grounded, thankful, and hopeful for a brighter future.

Debra A. Cole is playwright and theatre/writing/arts educator from Lawrence, Kansas. Her plays have been performed all around the world. Debra’s works can be found on New Play Exchange and with Off The Wall Plays and Heuer Publishing. She is also a recent William Inge Theatre Festival selected artist. Debra is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America, a member of Honor Roll!, and an active member of playwriting groups in Kansas City as well as Devon, England.

Angela Sarabia has been heavily involved in community theater her entire adult life, including acting, directing, stage managing, and working backstage. In the last few years, she has been writing plays and screenplays. She currently leads a monthly playwriting workshop helping other authors improve their work. She is also an attorney who has spent part of her career prosecuting crimes, especially violent crimes against women. Through the hundreds of cases she has handled, she came to see the pattern that crimes of violence against women often occur because a perpetrator is attempting to gain power and control over his victim. As a result, Angela’s first play is an exploration of the different ways violence is used as a tool of manipulation, and the unique impact violent crimes have on female survivors.

Marj O’Neill-Butler

Four Bedrooms

FLORIDA

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Carol, (60’s), has been left with a second mortgage and no pension by her late gambler of a husband. She and her friend Ellie come up with the idea of a female boarding house for older women who have lost their pensions or who have medical expenses. By sharing the costs, four women can live easily in a large home in a good college town neighborhood and Carol can save her house. The women thrive in the new situation and develop new educational goals and successful late careers. When Carol’s “New York” daughter Laura comes for a sudden visit, she belittles the situation. A year later her daughter has been fired, is bankrupt and in need of a place to stay. Will Carol open her home to her and disrupt the lives of the women and the financial stability they bring to her life? Is this small college town now good enough for the daughter?

RATED: G

Gretchen Suárez-Peña

Searching for Abuelo

FLORIDA

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I’m searching for my identity in the remnants of my family and culture. I never met my maternal grandfather – the only other artist I know of in my family. By incorporating Bomba music and monologuing, I’ll be looking at what is to be female, Puerto Rican and an artist today.

RATED: PG-13, talk of death, suicide, sexual content, some adult language

Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend

She Tunes the Violin

ILLINOIS

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“She Tunes the Violin” follows Martha Jefferson and those closest to her from her first marriage at age 18 to her death at 33, as she struggles to find her way and her power in a society built by and for white men.

RATED PG.  Slavery, miscarriage, loss of children

Marj O’Neill-Butler, a resident of Miami Beach, Florida, is the Regional Rep for the Dramatists Guild – Florida Region. She is also a member of the New Play Exchange, Honor Roll and the International Center for Women Playwrights. Her work has been seen in 32 states, the District of Columbia, Canada, Great Britain, Scotland, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Seoul, S. Korea. She has had 58 different plays produced in multiple theatre and numerous readings. Published work includes: Baby Fever, The Best Women’s Monologues of 2021, Smith & Kraus, Finding Help, The Best Ten-Minute Plays of 2021, Smith & Kraus, Cleaning House (scene) in Later Chapters, Applause Books 2017, Developing in Smith & Kraus Best Five-Minute plays 2016, Independence Day- 3 short plays by Blue Moon Plays, VA and Missed Connections , The Best Ten-Minute Plays 2012, Smith & Kraus, December 2013 publication. Her essays have been published in Transitions and Miami Off the Page, the Women’s Writers Group of South Beach 2019, One of the Lucky Ones, URGENT MATURITY, Turning Into My Mother, Mother/Daughter Monologues, Volume 4, ICWP. She is the proud mother of two sons and grandmother to five adorable grandkids including a set of triplets.

Gretchen Suárez-Peña (she/her) is a Puerto Rican playwright based in Central Florida. She is an MFA candidate in the Dramatic Writing program at Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama (Class of 2024). ​

She is part of the Conch Shell Productions (NY) Artists Collective of Writers. She frequently works with New Generation Theatrical (FL), Just Write! Lakeland (FL), the Latinx Playwright Circle (NY), and the Latiné Musical Theatre Lab (NY). She is currently the book writer for The Fairy’s Tale (music and lyrics by Michael Mott).

Her piece Across the Atlantic will open the 2023 BIPOC Play Reading Series at the Straz Center in Tampa, Florida. Her short play, The Arithmetic of Memory, has been produced across the country and was published in the Stonecoast Review where it was nominated for a Pushcart Award in Drama (2021). It was a Gary Garrison Ten-Minute Play Regional Finalist for the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) for Region 2. Her one act, Wingman, was also recognized by KCATF as a John Cauble Regional Finalist.

Her musical, Melina: A Steampunk Musical Tragedy was an official selection of the 2020 Atlanta Musical Theatre Festival. Other successes include winning the writer’s grant and best play at the 2019 Be Original Festival for her play, Trafficked. Also, winning best full-length play at the 2018 Tampa Bay Theatre Festival for her show Conversations in the Car, and first prize for her short play, Dry Spell, at the 30 by Ninety Theatre’s 2018 Night of One Acts Competition.

A portion of her work is available to be read on the New Play Exchange and she is a proud member of the Dramatist Guild. gretchensuarezpena.com

Virginia-born and Chicago-based, Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend is an award-winning playwright, a member of the Dramatists Guild, and President of the Board of Arts For All, a NYC-based nonprofit bringing accessible artistic opportunities to children who face barriers to exploring the arts. She has a BFA in Film & TV from NYU and two kids who are disappointed that she doesn’t write plays about dinosaurs.

VIRTUAL PLAYBILLS

CHASING CINDERELLA

Written by Dana Hall

STARRING

Heather Mall as Teen/Adult Ava
Katherine Black asTeen/Adult Sarah
Dana Hall as Mom
Mia Price as Younger Ava

PRODUCTION CREW

Dana Hall – Director
Heather Mall – Sound, Music Score

SETTING

The story is told through flashbacks and journal entries

CAST BIOS

DANA HALL – PLAYWRIGHT/DIRECTOR (She/Her) is a playwright, actor, and mental health therapist. She was awarded Excellence In Playwriting by the Theater Association of NYS (TANYS) 2022. She took home a Best of Fringe award at the Women’s Theatre Festival (NC) for her examination of social disparities with the play, No Justice. Her self-performed monologue, Sound Mind, was the 2021 Hear Me Out Monologue Competition Finalist Winner (NY). She is the 2022 Femuscript (FL) Monologue Winner performing her original piece Snowglobe. Her Halloween-themed comedy, Don’t Lose Your Head, was published with HEUER 2022. Sidewalk Psychic took home best play at Muskegon College 10 minute play festival. New York Journal recognized her on their 50 under 50 most influential creators during the pandemic list 2022.  She dedicates her work to her children who keep her grounded, thankful, and hopeful for a brighter future.

HEATHER MALL – SOUND/MUSIC SCORE (She/Her) Heather Mall is a singer-songwriter, music teacher, and actor from the Chicagoland area. She has participated in several productions and readings in the past few years. Heather has also released original music since 2020 and recently came out with her latest single, ‘A Moment of Beauty.’ IG: @HeatherMallMusic and on Youtube: Heather Mall. Heather wrote the self-titled original song featured in Chasing Cinderella.

MIA PRICE (She/Her) Mia Price is thrilled to have played the part of Young Ava in Dana Hall’s production of Chasing Cinderella. Mia is 11 years old and has performed in numerous community theater productions in the Augusta, Georgia area. Some of her most recent roles include ‘Belle’ in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast by Inspire Studios, ‘Orphan Tessie’ in Annie Jr. with Inspire Studios ‘Fan’ in A Christmas Carol, by Augusta Players, ‘Young Benjamin’ in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat by the Augusta Players and ‘Jade’ in We Are Monsters by Augusta Jr. Players. Mia’s experience extends beyond the stage as she has played the role of ‘Sally’ in Jonathan Cook’s festival award-winning short film, Sally’s Lullaby. She enjoys singing, dancing, reading, and hanging out with friends in her spare time.

KATHERINE LOUISE BLACK Katherine feels so honored to be part of Chasing Cinderella; in this festival with her beloved friend Dana Hall who is not just a talented actor but a talented playwright. She is happy this will help send an excellent message to parents about talking to their children, that not everything is a fairytale in real life, and how to be who they are inside and out. Her stage productions include Lewiston Civic Theater in Lewiston, Idaho where she has played in Blithe Spirit (Mrs. Bradman), Murder on the Orient Express (Mary Debenham), and Puffs or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic (Ms. Babble/Bippy/Rita Scooter). She has collaborated with Alpha NYC Theater Company, Old Library Theatre, West Hudson Arts and Theater Company, We All Shine Production, Virtual Repertory Theater Collective, Shiny Unicorns Production, and Rainy Day Artistic Collective. In Voiceover, she continues to do two series of Scyther’s Audio Dramas, Power Rangers (Kimberley the Pink Ranger & Scorpina) and X-Men (Rachel Grey). Recently she just voiced Tattered Tall in The Cemetery Game (Joanne). All three can hear it on ITUNES and PODCASTS.
ENJOY THE SHOW, EVERYONE!! IG:  @KatherineLouiseBlack

DIRECTOR’S NOTES

Whether you’ve always been captivated by the enchantment of fairy tales or have struggled to grasp their appeal, we intend to make you contemplate the impact of the messages surrounding you while growing up. Ava’s story emphasizes the urgent need for more representation, particularly at the time when young individuals explore their identities and seek societal acceptance. This story is dedicated to the LGBTQIA+ community and the beauty of love, acceptance and friendship.

Working with this cast has been an incredible experience. I want to express my deep gratitude to the remarkable cast for their dedication and for sharing their unique perspectives throughout the creation of this piece. Our conversations on topics such as self-esteem, dating, societal beauty standards portrayed by the media, the challenges of adolescence, and the evolving dynamics with our parents were vital in shaping this project.
We hope these discussions will continue to be part of your conversations as audience members long after the show. By delving into these themes, we aspire to provoke thought, foster understanding, and encourage meaningful dialogues that resonate with the experiences of young women as they navigate their paths of self-discovery.

DIVINE TRUTH

Written by Debra A. Cole

STARRING

Dana Hall as Agnes
George Sapio as Howard
Cole Hunter Dzubak as Robbie
Debra A. Cole as Margaret
Alison Clare Whiteoak as Eleanor
Christopher Plumridge as Willard

SETTING

1950s suburban college town

CAST BIOS

DEBRA A. COLE – PLAYWRIGHT Debra A. Cole is an award-winning playwright, director, and theatre/writing/arts educator from Kansas with degrees in journalism, education, and art history. Debra’s plays have been seen by audiences around the world. Debra is a selected playwright for the William Inge Theatre Festival – New Play Lab 2023. A 20 play collection titled “The Wrinkle Ranch and Other Short Plays About Growing Old” is available through Next Stage Press. Her one act play COLD WAR can be found with Off The Walls Plays, and one act play SMALL TALK can be found at Heuer Publishing. Debra is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America and a member of Honor Roll!, an advocacy group of women+ playwrights over 40.

DANA HALL – Dana Hall (she/her) is a Chicago-based actor, voice talent, and playwright. She’s studied with Second City Chicago and is currently in the Dramatists Guild Institute’s Certificate of Dramatic Writing program. The Theater Association of NYS​ 2022 awarded her Excellence In Playwriting. ​​She was a Finalist Winner in the Hear Me Out Monologue Competition performing her original monologue Sound Mind. She was recently on stage (Chicago) in Sharon Rothstein’s All the Days, (Miranda). She’s studied with Second City Chicago, recorded dozens of audiobooks on ACX, and has been a voice talent with Gather By The Ghostlight, Theatrical Shenanigans, and the Shouting In The Evenings Podcast. Dana is represented by Promote Talent. DanaHallCreates.com

GEORGE SAPIO – Playwright, director, producer, actor, and dramaturg whose play “The Final Word” appeared at Gallery’s Black Box in 2018. His work is available at Broadway Play Publishing, Next Stage Press, several “Best of” anthologies and New Play Exchange.
He wrote “Workshopping the New Play” and produces the podcast “Onstage/Offstage.”
www.gsapio.com; www.onstageoffstage.org

COLE HUNTER DZUBAK – Cole Hunter Dzubak is a Michigan-based playwright and actor who is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild. Dzubak received his BFA in Acting from Michigan State University in May 2022. He has professional credits working on shows such as “Monsters of the American Cinema” (Pup), “A Fragile Mind” series (Doug), and “Counter CULTure” (Spencer). Dzubak has professional writing credits working with theatres such as Second Stage Productions, The Penny Seats Theatre Company, and Rainy Day Artistic Collective. He is the co-creator and co-writer of “Counter CULTure,” a new mini-series produced by Evil Twin Digital and set to release in Fall 2023.

ALISON CLARE WHITEOAK – Ex teacher of English and Drama and now supporting families on the other side, Alison loves performing, working with dramaturgs, and using accents, particularly with the young people with whom she works. She was last seen on stage in The Day we played Brazil at The Northcott Theatre in Exeter, Devon, and in Happy Birthday Hetty, touring in this to reach communities with difficulties accessing theatre.

CHRISTOPHER PLUMRIDGE – Christopher Plumridge is an emerging playwright. Aside from that, he is an amatuer actor and director from Essex in the UK. As a writer he now has over forty plays and monologues to his name, his initial episode of his BEAR series of Monologues has had its first transition into an animation, which has seen moderate success worldwide. Happy to stay as a hobby writer, his mission is to write challenging, thought provoking work over a range of topics and genres.

 

DURESS

Written by Angela Sarabia

STARRING

Angela Sarabia as Anna
Devin Devi as Derrick
Anthony Dedea as John
George Friel as Roger

PRODUCTION CREW

Director – Paul Wade
Stage Manager – Jeanine Martin-Rogers
Assistant Stage Manager / Sound – Jay Ingle
Fight Choreographer – Jason Chase
Armorer – Jay Garcia
Lighting – Michelle Root
Set Design – Mark Burdette
Set Construction – Drew Hackworth / Mark Burdette
Trailers and Videographer – Michael Elliott (Onward Productions)
Special Thanks to Christa Mann for Makeup Special Effects

SETTING

A small general contractor’s office

CAST BIOS

ANGELA SARABIA PLAYWRIGHT – Angela Sarabia has been obsessed with theater her entire adult life. She performed in multiple plays in college including The House of Yes, Twelve Angry Men, and Night of the Living Dead. She has performed in multiple Shakespeare plays including Anthony and Cleopatra, Hamlet, and Much Ado About Nothing. Most recently at Stage West Playhouse in Spring Hill, FL she played the role of Blanche DuBois in Streetcar Named Desire, Marmee in Little Women, and Alais Capet in the Lion in Winter. She would like to thank her husband Bryan for his encouragement and support in all her theatrical endeavors.

DEVIN DEVI: Devin was last seen onstage at Stage West Playhouse in Spring Hill, FL as Axel in The Nerd. Previous credits include: Hal in Proof (Stageworks), Tupolski in The Pillowman (FSU), Warren in This Is Our Youth (FSU), and Beethoven in Dog Sees God (Tallahassee Little Theatre). Film credits include: Good Cop Bad Cop (Snake), Missing Notes (Nate), Green Enough To Be Blue (Kevin) , VI (Cartel Soldier), Anyuta (Med Student).

ANTHONY DEDEA: Born and raised in New Port Richey, moved back to Florida with his wife and kids after completing Family Medicine Residency and working in an Urgent Care in Macon, Georgia. He and his wife opened a family medicine practice called Toast & Toller Concierge Medicine in Spring Hill, Jan 2022. He is currently employed as a Core Faculty in HCA Florida Oak Hill Family Medicine Residency. This is Anthony’s second play since his first audition in his previous performance last year, Lion in Winter at Stagewest. When he’s not helping people with the use of knowledge and medicine, additionally enjoys entertaining with the guitar, running in 5k and obstacle course races, and spending all his free time with his family.
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GEORGE FRIEL: Member of Stage West in Spring Hill for more than 25yrs I have always believed the play is the thing. Live theater has no equal and the closest ties to mankind’s oral traditions in storytelling. It is a real pleasure to add my talents to the work of a new original playwright. In an age of instant success one needs the space to try new and daring things.

PRODUCTION CREW BIOS

PAUL WADE – DIRECTOR: Paul is extremely excited to be at the helm of this World Premiere and hopes everyone thoroughly enjoys what they are about to see. His past credits include Clue: On Stage, Twelve Angry Men, Beyond Therapy, and A Company of Wayward Saints. He would like to thank his cast and crew for all their hard work and dedication and to his Parents for their support in all his theatrical endeavors.

JAY GARCIA – ARMORER: Jay Garcia has been a part of Stage West for many years. On stage and behind the scenes. Jay is excited to share his knowledge and to be a part of the crew for the world premiere of Duress!

JASON CHASE – FIGHT CHOREOGRAPHER: Jason is thrilled to be a part of this tremendous show. It has been an absolute pleasure to collaborate with so many extremely talented people. He would like to thank his children, his family, and his friends for their support.

JEANINE MARTIN-ROGERS – STAGE MANAGER: Jeanine is excited to be working on this show with this cast and crew. She has been involved with Stage West since 2004 and always enjoys working with people with a passion for theater both on stage and behind the scenes. As always thanks to my wonderful husband and family for their support.

JAY INGLE – ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER: Jay Ingle has appeared onstage, backstage, upstairs, downstairs, in the Orchestra Pit, and everywhere else within the walls of Stage West since 1999. He has acted in several shows and has designed and built sets and props for too many shows to count, including twice constructing the puppets for Little Shop Of Horrors. He has run lights and sound, stage managed, and played drums and percussion for many musicals and he also directed the thriller Back Before Midnight. Jay is an artist and writer and wants to thank his wife Caryn and sons Ben and Cody for letting him spend so many hours and so many years at his home away from home Stage West. Jay is very proud to be a part of his friend Angela’s original play Duress.

DIRECTOR’S NOTES

March 2020 saw the world turned upside down. I like everyone else found myself locked down in my home as Covid-19 dominated our lives in a way none of us were ready for. In the midst of all this, I was fortunate that a good friend reached out and asked me to help her with a play that she was writing. At the time it was only about 25 pages, barely a 1 act but in those pages, I saw the potential for a theatrical experience I had never seen before on either a professional or community stage. A show with such a dynamic sense of dread, desperation, victory, and catharsis, Duress captured my imagination from day one and I would work with Angela for more than 2 years to see that 25 pages become the show you are now sitting down to watch. I hope I was able to properly convey to you exactly what I felt on that first day. Please enjoy the show.

FOUR BEDROOMS

Written by Marj O’Neill-Butler

STARRING

Dalia Aleman as Carol Anderson
Gail Byer as Ellie Macken
Madelin Marchant as Gloria Mazone and Janet Gorelick
Carolyn Johnson as Maylene Haslam
Rebecca Jimenez as Laura

PRODUCTION CREW

Production Editor – Dena Stewart

SETTING

Carol’s older home

CAST BIOS

DALIA ALEMAN has been performing in both musicals and plays all over South Florida for the last 10 years. Highlights include Mother Superior in Sister Act, Rosalie in #Graced (world Premiere) Bea Singer in Honeymoon in Vegas, Randa in Savannah Sipping Society, Victoria Grant in Victor/Victoria, and The Duchess in Nice Work If You Can Get It. When not preforming on a stage, Dalia keeps busy with her Esty business, Show Globes by Dalia, and often appears in commercials and occasionally film.  www.DaliaAleman.com

GAIL BYER has been seen in South Florida Theatres for the past 30 years! A couple of her favorite roles include Reverend Mother in Nunsense, Fraulein Schneider in Cabaret, and Widow Paroo in Music Man. She’s currently on TV in many commercials, and plays Gigi in the new RomCom Film, A Missed Connection. And she’s very proud to appear in Marj O’Neill Butler’s Four Bedrooms.

REBECCA JIMENEZ: Off-Broadway: Comedy of Errors: Mobile Unit (The Public Theater), Our Dear Dead Drug Lord (2nd Stage/WP). NY Theatre: Superstitions (New Ohio), The Sketchy Eastern European Show (Players Theatre). BFA graduate from SUNY Purchase.

CAROLYN JOHNSON has been an actress for over twenty years in South Florida. She is the recipient of the Silver Palm and Carbonell Awards.

MADELIN MARCHANT has appeared on stage, films, commercials, TV, voiceovers. She is currently playing Consuelo/ Ensemble on the Broadway National Tour of On Your Feet. This fall she will be appearing with Vince Vaughn in the Apple series Bad Monkey. She was recently nominated for a Helen Hayes Award as Best Supporting Actress in DC. She was  awarded ARTS EDUCATOR of the DECADE by BroadwayWorld Regional Miami Awards 2020. She was Theatre Arts Director at South Miami Middle School since 2000. She’s on the Leadership Council for the Humanity Project and Board Member for South Florida Theatre League. She has had the opportunity to work with Marjorie O’Neill Butler in the past and looks forward to more productions in the future. She was excited to have done this reading alongside Rebecca Jimenez, her real older daughter. Thank you Marj!

PRODUCTION CREW BIOS

MARJ O’NEILL-BUTLER PLAYWRIGHT, a resident of Miami Beach, Florida, is the Regional Rep for the Dramatists Guild – Florida Region. She is also a member of the New Play Exchange, Honor Roll and the International Center for Women Playwrights. Her work has been seen in 32 states, the District of Columbia, Canada, Great Britain, Scotland, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Australia and S. Korea. She has had 62 different plays produced in multiple theatres, numerous readings and of course, many rejections. A published playwright and mother of two grown sons, Marj is a proud member of Actors Equity and SAG-AFTRA.

DENA STEWART is a videographer and film editor.  She produces Alive on South Beach with her husband Stewart Stewart.  (AliveOnSouthBeach.com). Dena has been honored by the Miami Beach Commission on the Status of Women as a “Woman Worth Knowing”. As a writer, Dena published “The Book of Story Rhymes” and “Inner Peace…It Isn’t Out There”. (Amazon, Barnes & Noble).

DIRECTOR’S NOTES

What happens to a mature woman whose husband dies and leaves her with a heavily mortgaged home and no money? Many women are forced to give up their homes when this happens. With advice from a banker, Carol creates a new way to save herself and her home.

SEARCHING FOR ABUELO

Written by Gretchen Suárez-Peña

STARRING

Gretchen Suárez-Peña as self

CHOREOGRAPHY

Jessica Albino

ACCOMPANISTS

Jessica Albino – Barril – Buleador/Canto
Adrian Rivera – Barril – Primo/Cua
Amanda Rivera – Maraca/Canto

SETTING

The Batey – a circular sacred space of social interaction FOR the Taino (Arawak) people and where the Bomba dance takes place

CAST BIOS

GRETCHEN SUÁREZ-PEÑA PLAYWRIGHT (she/her) is a Puerto Rican playwright based in Central Florida and western Pennsylvania. She is an MFA candidate in the Dramatic Writing program at Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama (Class of 2024). She is part of the Conch Shell Productions (NY) Artists Collective of Writers. She is currently the book writer for The Fairy’s Tale (music and lyrics by Michael Mott). Her piece Across the Atlantic opened the 2023 BIPOC Play Reading Series at the Straz Center in Tampa, Florida. Her short play, The Arithmetic of Memory, has been produced across the country. It was the 2023 Gary Garrison National Ten-Minute Play Award winner for the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF). Her one act, Wingman, was also recognized by KCACTF as a John Cauble Regional 2 Finalist. Her musical, Melina: A Steampunk Musical Tragedy was an official selection of the 2020 Atlanta Musical Theatre Festival. Other successes include winning the writer’s grant and best play at the 2019 Be Original Festival for her play, Trafficked. Also, winning best full-length play at the 2018 Tampa Bay Theatre Festival for her show Conversations in the Car. She is a proud member of the Dramatist Guild. Gretchensuarezpena.com

PRODUCTION CREW BIOS

Jessica Albino-Garza (she/her) is an Afro-Puerto Rican artivist, dancer, choreographer, storyteller, and drummer, who promotes and educates youth and adults in Afro-Puerto Rican Bomba and Plena. In 1992, Albino began her studies in Chicago, IL with ‘Grupo Yuba’ Folkloric Group at the “Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center’. In 2011, Albino moved to the Tampa Bay, Fl area to continue working in cultural programs focusing on wellness community engagement, dance, drumming classes, and extended educational programming for middle and high school music and dance students. Albino’s musical performances are presented throughout the year, at many learning institutions, community festivals, concerts, and theme parks in the State of Florida and abroad.

Adrian Rivera (he/him) is percussionist working with the conga and other Latin instruments since the age of 3. He’s performed in marching, concert, jazz, and Latin bands since his teenage years. In 2010, he began practicing the Bomba barril and has performed with several folkloric groups and bands in New York City and Florida in various percussive dance forms. He finds that Bomba has helped him learn more about his culture and connects him to his ancestors.

Amanda Rivera (she/her) discovered Bomba in 2019 and finds that it’s a way of connecting to her ancestors and learning about her culture. An avid musician since elementary school, Amanda is a singer and instrumentalists who plays the guitar, piano, ukulele, and clarinet. She enjoys singing with her family, has a passion for marching band, and has led worship for a student-led organization at her school.

DIRECTOR’S NOTES

This show is not just for my abuelo(s) but it’s for all my ancestors: the black, white, and Taino. This is for my island of Puerto Rico and for the heritage that holds me in its grasp. I was challenged to perform my own work, and I rarely say no to a challenge. I often direct my own shows, at least once, so I added the challenge to not only embody the words I wrote, but also direct myself in the process. Fortunately, I have had the help of other directors and choreographers. Special thanks to Magaly Colimon-Christopher who initially directed me in a stage reading and Conch Shell Productions for workshopping this show. Thanks to Freddie DeJesus and Anna Noble who started me on my Bomba journey and Jessica Albino who stepped in to take me the rest of the way. Jessica, I couldn’t have done it without you. Special thanks to Chase Padgett for filming and editing this production and for being the very person to challenge me to embody my own words. Thanks to Jon Fedkiw, Just Write! Lakeland and Just Cares Lakeland for providing the space to perform. A BIG thanks to Brad Barfield who helped finance this production in part. Thank you, Powerstories Theatre, for this opportunity – you have been a longstanding champion of my work and I’m humbled by it. My eternal gratitude to my family, my friends especially Lisa Negron who’s workshopped this production with me multiple times, and my cohort of writers at Carnegie Mellon University who have pushed me through every draft of this show. Finally, a big thank you to my husband, Alan Peña, who is always my solid pillar of support. Las cosas se hacen bien o no se hacen. My maternal grandmother used to say that, my mother still says it. To me the phrase has always meant to put your best foot forward and do things well. So, here’s to telling a story and telling it well.

SHE TUNES THE VIOLIN

Written by Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend

STARRING

Tara Haight as Martha Jefferson
Chris Robertson as Thomas Jefferson
Cassandra Rinn as Martha Eppes Wayles
Russ Gager as John Wayles et al
Elle White as Betty Hemings
Jeffrey Polanco as Jupiter Evans
Kiara Mercedes as Sally Hemings

PRODUCTION CREW

Kathleen Kellaigh – Director and Editor

SETTING

Virginia, 1766-1782

CAST BIOS

RUSS GAGER is a member of the Saint Sebastian Players in Chicago and discovered the new medium of Zoom theater during the two years of the pandemic that the company performed a new play over Zoom every two weeks. His roles onstage have been corrupt or drunken characters in The Front Page, Born Yesterday, Our Town, Charley’s Aunt, and The Mystery of Edwin Drood. He enjoys participating in workshops for promising new plays such as She Tunes the Violin.

TARA HAIGHT (SAG/AFTRA-Eligible) is a TV, Film, Voiceover, Stage, and Commercial actor based in NYC. An expressive actor with incredible depth and instincts, she has been described as easily direct-able and a joy to work with. Her film work includes THE LAST OPERATIVE (Winner: Best Supporting Actress at the AOF/Hollywood Dreamz IFF) and LOLA AND THE PROFESSOR. She’s been seen on stage at NJPAC, ANDTheatre Company, The New Short Play Festival (Best Supporting Actress Nom), Manhattan Rep, and 4th Wall Theatre. Favorite stage roles include, Mother: RAGTIME, Kate Monster: AVENUE Q, Molly: THE MOUSETRAP, and Hope: ANYTHING GOES. In voiceover, Tara voices multiple characters in VISIONARIES, VERONICA, and THE LIVING FEARS. She has studied theatre and film with ATC Studios, UCB, HWC, The Network, Scott Powers Studios, TBG, Actors Connection, Brooklyn Comedy Collective and holds a degree in Theatre from Montclair State University. Tara is represented by Marius Bargielski (MAA, Legit Agent), Deborah Dotoli (AAG Talent, Manager), and Ramona Pitera (Ramona’s Model & Talent, Commercial Agent). She moonlights as an entertaining & lovable P.I.C. to her husband Michael, playful cat mom, stellar audition coach, selfless reader with Actors Connection, amateur photographer, diehard warm weather fiend and a fabulous bartender. www.tarahaight.com

KIERA MERCEDES is 14 years old and loves acting, writing scripts and creativity!

JEFFREY POLANCO is from Newark NJ, his favorite hobbies are boxing and playing piano. He speaks two different languages. He recently did a Play at the Teatro Latea and the name of the play was called King Jaja. Thank you Lisa Dellagiarino, and Kathleen Kellaigh at ATC Studios, also thanks to Voices Of Women Theatre Festival.

CASSANDRA RINN is based in New Jersey where she received certification in Cinematography & Film Production. Moving from behind the scenes to in front of the camera, Cassandra has been training as an actor for two years. She has performed in several community productions and short films including recently, “The Odd Couple (Female Version)” as Olive Madison.

CHRIS ROBERTSON (Thomas Jefferson) is honored to be participating in the Voices of Women Theatre Fest this year. No stranger to the theatre (or zoom screens), Chris has been acting since childhood and continues to pursue his career in show biz. Some of his favorite credits include: Emcee (Cabaret), Jesus (Godspell) and Snoopy (YAGMCB). For a full list of credits, please visit his website: www.thechrisrobertson.com. Thank you to Lisa for this opportunity and a very special thank you to the first woman’s voice I heard, my Mom. Instagram:@thechrisrobertson

ELLE WHITE (aka) Linda White is an award-winning actor and director and is an accomplished voice actor, public speaker, and thought leader. She has performed on stage and in a number of short films and currently performs sketch comedy at Family Fun Experience Theater in Virginia Beach, VA. Elle is also Co-founder & Moderator of the Uncorked-N-Conversation Podcast.

PRODUCTION CREW BIOS

LISA DELLAGIARINO FERIEND is an award-winning playwright, a member of the Dramatists Guild, and President of the Board of Arts For All, an NYC-based nonprofit bringing accessible artistic opportunities to children who face barriers to exploring the arts. She has a BFA in Film & TV from NYU and two kids who are disappointed that she doesn’t write plays about dinosaurs. www.arts-for-all.org

KATHLEEN KELLAIGH – DIRECTOR/EDITOR Formerly of the CBS soap opera, GUIDING LIGHT, Ms. Kellaigh is an “all-around” theatre professional, equally at home on stage, in front of the camera, directing, producing, writing and teaching. Graduating Summa Cum Laude from the University of Illinois, with a BFA in Theatre/Acting, her on-stage performances have been commended as “stellar,” “right on the mark,” “delightful,” and “stand-out,” and the shows she has directed have received similar accolades. Ms. Kellaigh co-founded Action Theatre Conservatory (ATC Studios) with her husband Joel Robertson in 1990 and has served as the Artistic Director since its inception. She has directed NYC/world premieres, as well as such shows as Cabaret , Rent, Godspell, Fiddler on the Roof, South Pacific, Mousetrap, Chicago, Pippin, California Suite, You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, Our Town, and Narnia. Her musical Journey, for which she wrote the book and lyrics, received its premiere production in 2005. Since the pandemic, she has spearheaded Zoom programs (Fridays at the Studio) designed specifically to nurture playwrights and their process, through readings and talkbacks. Her bio appears in several editions of Marquis’ Who’s Who, including Who’s Who in Entertainment, Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in the World, and Who’s Who in American Women– Millennium Edition, and she is proud to be featured in Who’s Who in American Teachers.

DIRECTOR’S NOTES

When asked to direct and edit, SHE TUNES THE VIOLIN purely on Zoom, I initially thought, this will be easy. Then I got involved with the script… and so did the actors. The dedication was amazing, and for that, I am most grateful. It became an actual production, simply not on stage, but on Zoom… Well, that’s the technical side of this experience, but now for a few words about what you are about to see when you open this video. The musical 1776 has brought us all a vision of Thomas Jefferson and, tangentially, his wife Martha. If we are theatre buffs, we know that Thomas Jefferson “played the violin.” But truly what do we know about the life and trials of his wife, Martha, and the other women …and slaves…surrounding this Founding Father? Not very much. I was extraordinarily dismayed to find out that the young people who became involved with this piece knew almost nothing of any of these lives, at all. What does this say about the way we teach history? Is it simply so boring that our young people are not engaged? That they don’t understand the dynamics underlying those few stark facts we have come to know as history? What if we taught history the way we create plays? Paying attention to personal stories, the challenges, the desires, the complications… The love. Would we see our history through different eyes? I think the answer to that question may be yes. When characters we have known only as some exalted name—or as a nameless auxiliary to that person (often a white male)—come to life, and we see that they are not so different from us, we come to understand and appreciate them much more and they capture us, and their stories move us to new depths. This is what we find in this powerful new play set in what is a most controversial time in our country’s development. It was… Complicated. But what life or time is not complicated? Let us sit back now and open to a new take on an old story… SHE TUNES THE VIOLIN.

MEET OUR JUDGES!

Clareann Despain

Clareann Despain

Clareann holds a Ph.D. in Dramatic Arts from The University of California, Santa Barbara.

Directing credits include the award winning Murder on the Orient Express, Twelfth Night, In the Heights, Dionysus on the Down Low, A Conversation with Myself, The Importance of Being Earnest, Green Day’s American Idiot, Cabaret, Proof, Hamlet, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, Topdog/Underdog, The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told, On the Verge, Wonderdog!, Pale Idiot, I Sea, Below the Belt,Summer Shower, and 8 Life Lessons from Mort and Mindy.

Dr. Despain was the Producing Artistic Director for the award-winning but short-lived Straz Produced series in the Jaeb Theatre.

Dr. Despain has worked as a director and dramaturg on a number of new scripts. In 2014, Clareann directed 3 short plays for Tampaworks at Stageworks in Tampa, FL. As part of Risa Brainin‘s LaunchPad program at UCSB, Clareann served as the assistant director for the world premiere of Sheri Wilner’s Kingdom City. Clareann also directed 8 Life Lessons by Jackson Warkentin for UCSB’s 2007 New Plays Festival, produced by Naomi Iizuka. .With one of her favorite collaborators, playwright Lou Clark, Clareann worked on two original scripts for young audiences: Wonderdog! and I Sea, the latter of which won an ACTF/Kennedy Center award.

Clareann has also worked in theater management for several companies including: the Straz Center and Next Generation Ballet in Tampa; Tulane Summer Lyric Theatre in New Orleans; the MFA program at the American Conservatory Theater (ACT) & Lamplighter’s Music Theatre in San Francisco; PCPA Theatrefest in Santa Maria, CA; Nevada Dance Theater in Las Vegas, NV; and Hancher Auditorium in Iowa City, IA.

Dr. Despain has taught at the University of South Florida, Hillsborough Community College, University of California, Santa Barbara and the University of New Mexico. Subjects taught include acting, directing, script analysis, theatre history, public speaking, and stagecraft. Regardless of whether the context is explicitly educational, Dr. Despain delights in mentoring early career theatre artists.

Susan Jackson

Susan Jackson

Jackson received the Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award for Best Original Play. Work: staged- read/produced New York City, Bay Area, Eugene O’Neill Foundation, William Inge Festival, Sydney, London, Red Curtain International Theatre. DEATH BE NOT LOUD! --Best of Capital Fringe—Washington Post positive review. Published: Smith and Kraus, (2017-2023) Applause, Hello, Godot! Finalist: Creede Repertory Theatre; Henley Rose Competition for Female Playwrights; Fusion Theatre Company; Centre Stage; 3Girls Theatre Co. (SF). Participant: Mid-America Theatre Conference, Last Frontier Theatre Conference, Powerstories: Voices of Women Festival; Equity Library Theatre Festival-Sparks Creative Works, Believability; A LIPSTICK CALLED PROTAGONIST: Shiny Unicorns Productions. Co-producer, SOUTHERN RAILROAD THEATRE COMPANY: www.southernrailroadtheatrecompany.com

Amy Losi

Amy Losi

Amy Losi is a playwright, director, and actor based in New York City. She has written and directed dramas, comedies, children’s plays, and a historical drama. Her stories, poems, and a play have been published in educational materials over the past twenty-seven years. In the last five years, Amy’s plays have been accepted into eleven festivals, and won six awards. Her Zoom comedy “Don’t Stand Up!” won the 2020 Spirit of the Hartford Fringe Festival award. She won “Best Female Screenwriter” (Cutting Room International Short Film Festival) and “Best Female Centre Film” (Philadelphia World Film Festival) for the filmed version of her play, “No Fall My Hand” which was part of the 2021 Voices of Women Theatre Festival. Her first full-length play, “Verse DiVerse,” premiered at Theater for the New City (NYC) in 2022. Her play, “Love’s a Thin Diet” appeared in June as part of the Rogue Theater Festival. As an actor, Amy has appeared in eighty-five plays, as well as commercials, film, and TV. She is a member of the repertory company at the historic American Theatre of Actors in NYC, appearing in eighteen plays there including in the role of Mistress Ford in “The Merry Wives of Windsor.” She can be seen in the upcoming film, Frank and Edna Take on Le Mans. Amy is a member of the Dramatists Guild and the New Play Exchange.

IT‘S A PARTY AND YOU’RE INVITED!

CELEBRATION PARTY PHOTOS.

Host venue The Fringe space Kress Building, catering by Katrease James, CaterBuddy and bartending by Spunky Spirits.

Locations

Here’s where we will be bringing theatre to you next!

  • JANUARY – Straz’ Shimberg Playhouse,
    1010 N Macinnes Pl, Tampa, FL 33602
  • MARCH – USF College of the Arts,
    3837 USF Holly Drive, Tampa, FL 33620
  • JULY – Stageworks Theatre,
    1120 E Kennedy Blvd suite #151, Tampa, FL 33602
  • SEPTEMBER – New Tampa Performing Arts Center,
    8550 Hunters Village Rd, Tampa, FL 33647

813-253-2000

Mailing address

PO Box 18021
Tampa, FL 33679

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