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BENJAMIN BENNE | PLAYWRIGHT

Yale Cabaret

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Benjamin is a co-creator and performer of benjisun presents bodyssey.
This is his debut full-length mask / puppetry / movement piece with Jisun Kim featuring composition and live sound by Emily Duncan Wilson.
Performances were at 8pm and 11pm October 3-5, 2019 at the Yale Cabaret.
A review was featured in the New Haven Review.

The Old Globe

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Alma was presented as part of the New Voices in the Community at The Old Globe. The creative team was Elena Araoz, Cat Rodriguez, Cynthia Bastidas, and Alisha Espinosa.
Saturday, August 10, 2019 at Chula Vista Public Library 2PM
Monday, August 12, 2019 at Otay Mesa-Nestor Library 4PM
Wednesday, August 14, 2019 at Hattox Hall (The Old Globe) 6PM

Two River Theater

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Benjamin's play Alma will be featured as part of Two River Theater's Crossing Borders Festival on Sunday August 4, 2019 at 3pm. The reading was directed by Cat Rodriguez and featured Guadalis Del Carmen and Amandla Jahava.

SPACE on Ryder Farm

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Benjamin was granted an Institutional Residency at SPACE on Ryder Farm through the Kennedy Center, where he developed the guatemala play (part 1).

Texas Tech University

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Benjamin participated in Texas Tech University's WildWind Performance Lab, where he will developed his play In His Hands with director Michael Legg and dramaturg Sarah Lunnie.

American Blues Theater

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As the 2019 Blue Ink Playwriting Award winner, Alma was presented at American Blues Theater's Blue Ink Festival on June 2nd at 2:30pm in Chicago, IL.

Yale Cabaret

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​Alma was presented at the Yale Cabaret on April 25-27, 2019 at 8pm & 11pm. Directed by Cat Rodriguez and starring Ilia Paulino (ALMA) and Ciara McMillian (ANGEL). 
Producer: Eliza Orleans
Scenic Designer: Elsa GibsonBraden
Costume Designer: Phuong Nguyen
Lighting and Projection Designer:
Samuel Kwan Chi Chan
Sound Designer: Marisa Arellano
Technical Director: Jenna Heo
Stage Manager: Zachry J. Bailey

​An article about the production was featured in New Haven Arts.
A review of the production was posed in the New Haven Review.

Boston Court Pasadena

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Alma was presented as part of Boston Court Pasadena's 15th Annual New Play Festival on April 13th at 2pm.
Directed by Michelle Bossy, starring Liza Ramirez and Jade Bender, with dramaturgy by Michael Michetti.

History Theatre

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neighbors toured schools in Minnesota and had a public presentation at the History Theatre in St. Paul, MN on February 25, 2019 at 7pm. Directed by Signe Harriday.

Campfire Theatre Festival

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What \\Washed Ashore //Astray was featured as part of Campfire Theatre Festival's Staged Reading Series in Boise, ID in September 2018.
Director: Emma Went


Theatre Battery

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Alma (or #nowall) was presented as a workshop production at Theatre Battery in Kent, WA. The cast included Anabel Hovig (Alma) and Klarissa Robles (Angel) with direction by Brandon J. Simmons.

Coverage on the play was featured in the Kent Reporter and KNKX, and Benjamin and Artistic Director Logan Ellis were interviewed on the King5 News.

Eugene O'Neill Theater Center

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#nowall (now titled Alma) was 1 of 8 plays selected from over 1400 submissions for the 2018 Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's National Playwrights Conference and was presented in Waterford, CT on July 6 & 7.
​Director: Elena Araoz
Dramaturg: Cat Rodriguez
Actors: Cynthia Bastidas and Andrea Morales
​
An interview with Benjamin about
 #nowall was featured in The Day.

Monkeybear Harmolodic Workshop

Benjamin's debut puppetry short titled alien observer was featured at Pillsbury House Theatre as part of Monkeybear Harmolodic Workshop's 2018 puppetry showcase on June 29 & 30 performed by Julia Gay.

news

Benjamin was named a finalist for SPACE on Ryder Farm's 2018 Working Farm playwrights group.

Rain City Projects

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Terra Incognita was published in Rain City Projects' Manifesto Series Volume 5 edited by Lauren Yee. The release party was held on April 22, 2018 at Seattle Repertory Theatre and is available for purchase on Amazon.

Teatro Milagro

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​q u e r e n c i a: an imagined autobiography about forbidden fruits was presented as part of Teatro Milgaro's INGENIO reading series in Portland, OR on April 9, 2018 at 7:00pm.

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q u e r e n c i a: an imagined autobiography about forbidden fruits was named 1 of 8 plays, from a pool of 75 considered, as the "Best Unproduced Latin@/x Plays of 2018" by 50 Playwrights Project.

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​q u e r e n c i a: an imagined autobiography about forbidden fruits was named 1 of 15 finalists, from a pool of 606 submissions, for the American Blues Theater's 2018 Blue Ink Playwriting Award.

The Playwrights Realm

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q u e r e n c i a: an imagined autobiography about forbidden fruits was 1 of 3 plays selected from a pool of over 450 submissions for the inaugural Scratchpad Series at The Playwrights Realm.

The workshop culminated in a reading directed by David Mendizábal on on Friday, January 12, 2018 at 3:00pm at 305 W. 38th Street, studio #206 (New Ripley Grier 38th St. spaces).
The cast was Fernando Gonzalez (Milo), Teresa Avia Lim (Zoe), Vivia Font (Mama Fe), Christina Nieves (Tia Netta), and Judith Delgado (La Bruja).

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Benjamin was named 1 of 16 semifinalists, from a pool of 400 applicants, for the 2018 P73 Playwriting Fellowship.

The Playwrights Center

at the very bottom of a body of water  was presented as a reading following a workshop at The Playwrights' Center on December 8, 2017.
The reading was directed by Marcela Lorca and featured 
Nora Montañez Patterson, Masanari Kawahara, Momoko Tanno, Cristina Castro, and Julia Gay. ​An interview with Benjamin was posted to The Playwrights' Center website.

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An excerpt from Benjamin's play #nowall was featured in City Arts Magazine's December 2017 issue.

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Benjamin is a winner of the 2017 Robert Chesley/Victor Bumbalo Playwriting Award and has been awarded a residency through the Wurlitzer Foundation in Taos, NM.

Forward Flux Productions

las mariposas Y los muertos was presented at West of Lenin in Seattle, WA on September 19 – October 7, 2017.
Featuring Original Music and Lyrics by Angela Citlali Vance.
Directed by Pilar O’Connell.
Cast:
ELENA - Sophie Franco
CELESTINA - Jordi Montes
MOLLY - Grace Carmack
NANA - Anabel Hovig
Production Crew:
Assistant Director / Dramaturg - Ana Maria Campoy
Dramaturg - Emily Penick
Music Director / Coach - Jakob Liljenwall
Music Consultant - Kenny Passarelli
Pit Musician (Guitar 2) - Anthony Phillips
Lighting Design - Zanna King
Sound Design - Erin Bednarz
Scenic Design - Jordan Gerow
Scenic Design Assistant - Brandon Riel
Scenic Builder - Stephen Kelsey
Costume / Makeup Design - Fantasia Rose
Puppet Design - Zane Exactly
Stage Manager - Cassandra Thorpe
Marketing - Joe Moore & Catherine Roach
Production Manager - Andy Buffelen
Production Assistant - Haley Bates
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A Contemporary Theatre

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q u e r e n c i a: an imagined autobiography about forbidden fruits was presented as a staged reading as part of the eSe Teatro curated Construction Zone at A Contemporary Theatre in Seattle, WA on September 29, 2017.
​The reading was directed by Pilar O'Connell and assistant directed by Gavin Reub.
Cast
MILO - Pablo Lopez
ZOE - Pilar O'Connell
TIA NETTA - Yolanda Suarez
MAMA FE/LA BRUJA - Ana Maria Campoy

interview

with Gemma Wilson about las mariposas Y los muertos in the September 2017 issue of City Arts Magazine. 

news

the night, sín stars (now #nowall) was a semi-finalist (top 51 of 260 submissions) for the 2017 Princess Grace Award.

Two River Theater

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at the very bottom of a body of water  was presented as a staged reading at Two River Theater's 2017 Crossing Borders (Cruzando Fronteras) Festival in Red Bank, NJ on Friday, August 4th at 7:30pm.
The reading was directed by Weyni Mengesha.
Cast
MARINA - Adriana Sananes
ROSA LUZ - Liz Ramos
TAISHI - Dave Shih
AMAYA - Anna Ishida
LELA - Teresa Avia Lim
​

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q u e r e n c i a: an imagined autobiography about forbidden fruits is the runner-up for Arizona Theatre Company's 2017 National Latino Playwriting Award.

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Benjamin Benne is a 2017-18 McKnight Fellow in Playwriting at the Playwrights' Center.

interview

​with Trevor Boffone of 50 Playwrights Project.

interview

​with Jelisa Jay Robinson of #TEATROLATINEGRO.

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q u e r e n c i a: an imagined autobiography about forbidden fruits is a 2017 Bay Area Playwrights Festival finalist (top 25 of over 500 submissions).

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q u e r e n c i a: an imagined autobiography about forbidden fruits is a 2017 O'Neill National Playwrights Conference finalist (top 55 of 1300 submissions).

interview

​At the PWC this week: Benjamin Benne. The Playwrights' Center interview with 2016-17 Many Voices Fellow Benjamin Benne.

Wild Atlas

The play formerly known as the night, sans stars received its first reading with the new title #nowall with Wild Atlas in Chicago, IL on April 30, 2017.
The reading was directed by Jazmin Corona.
Cast
ALMA - Selene Perez
ANGEL - Avi Roque*
*The role of ANGEL was modified to non-binary for this presentation.
Special thanks to Avi for their guidance in this process.

Pillsbury House Theatre

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Benjamin was 1 of 5 playwrights commissioned to write a short play for Pillsbury House Theatre's mainstage production of The Great Divide: Plays for a Broken Nation, which ran from April 19-30, 2017.
Benjamin's play, I Hate To Burst Your Bubble #sorrynotsorry, was included with others by Alan Berks, Christina M. Ham, Katie Ka Vang, and James A. Williams.
The cast was Tracey Maloney, Audrey Park, Mikell Sapp, and Ricardo Vazquez. The production was directed by Ellen Fenster.

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at the very bottom of a body of water is an Austin Playhouse 2017 New Play Festival finalist (top 10 of 700 submissions).

Upstream Artists' Collective

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What \ Washed Ashore / Astray  was presented as part of Upstream Artists' Collective's Elemental Play Reading Series at Jimmy's No. 43 (NYC) on April 2 at 12pm.
The reading was directed by Elena Araoz.
Cast
ANTONIA - Rochelle Slovin
AMELIA - Emily John Mitchell
JAMIE - David Kenner
ANGELICA - Sol Marina Crespo
EMILIO - Fernando Gonzalez

The Joust Theatre Company

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q u e r e n c i a: an imagined autobiography about forbidden fruits was presented as part of The Joust Workshop Series 2017 at Nuyorican Poets Cafe (NYC) on March 31 and April 1 at 7pm.
The workshop was directed by Mayde Alpi.
Cast

MILO - Daniel Anthony Hidalgo
ZOE - Thalia Romina
TIA NETTA - Alessandra Mesa
MAMA FE - Irma Cadiz

Seattle Repertory Theatre

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the night, sans stars  received a public reading as part of Seattle Repertory Theatre's The Other Season on February 27, 2017. 
The reading was directed by Kaytlin McIntyre
​with Ana Maria Campoy as Consultant.
Cast
ALMA - Tricia Castaneda-Gonzales
ANGEL - Cessa Betancourt

The Playwrights' Center

the night, sans stars received a public reading on February 1, 2017.
The reading was directed by Hayley Finn.
Dramaturg: Michael Kinghorn
Cast

ALMA - Hope Cervantes
ANGEL - Cristina Castro

news

at the very bottom of a body of water was an American Blues Theater 2017 Blue Ink Playwriting Award semi-finalist (top 25 of 543 submissions).

The Horse in Motion

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A dramatic experiment titled Time Expires was presented at The Horse In Motion's IRL Series.  
The subject of the piece is Craiglist: Politics and it was directed by Kaytlin McIntyre.
The VOICES were performed by Kiki Abba, Nic Morden, Sophie Franco, and Bob Williams.

The piece was presented at The Northwest Film Forum (Seattle, WA) on November 18 & 19, 2016.

Forward Flux Productions

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las mariposas Y los muertos was presented at The Flux Salon XVI at Casco Antiguo on November 1st, 2016.
The workshop/reading was directed by Pilar O'Connell.
Cast
ELENA - Sophie Franco
CELESTINA - Alaji Marie
MOLLY - Abby Nathan
NANA - Ana Maria Campoy

interview

​X Digital Magazine: Benjamin Benne on cultural appropriation. Forward Flux Productions Artistic Director Wesley Fruge and Flux Salon guest director Pilar O'Connell interview Benjamin Benne about his commissioned play las mariposas Y los muertos that was presented at The Flux Salon XVI.

The Lark Play Development Center

Out of a pool of over 1200 submissions, at the very bottom of a body of water was one of six plays selected for the 23rd Annual Playwrights' Week at The Lark.
​The play was presented as a staged reading on Friday, October 21, 2016.
The workshop/reading was directed by Lisa Rothe
and dramaturged by Gavin Reub.
Cast
MARINA - Adriana Sananes
TAISHI - David Shih
AMAYA - Stacey Yen
ROSA LUZ - Elizabeth Ramos
LELA - Rachel Christopher
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interview

​Meet the Writers: Playwrights' Week 2016. Beth Blickers interviews the playwrights (including Benjamin Benne) about their plays selected for Playwrights' Week 2016 at The Lark.

interview

​A Closer Look: Benjamin Benne. Playwright Claire Kiechel interviews Benjamin Benne about his play at the very bottom of a body of water in preparation for Playwrights' Week 2016 at The Lark.

review

​of Terra Incognita at Annex Theatre by Mark Baumgarten at Seattle Weekly.

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​of Terra Incognita at Annex Theatre by Nancy Worssam at Arts Stage.

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​of Terra Incognita at Annex Theatre by Dusty Somers at The Seattle Times.

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​of Terra Incognita at Annex Theatre by Miriam Gordon.

Annex Theatre

 Terra Incognita was produced by Annex Theatre as part of their 29th Season.
It ran from ​July 29 - August 20, 2016.
Directed by Pilar O'Connell

Cast
ANGEL - Eva Estrada Campos
SHEILA - Gretchen Douma
NADIA - Lillian Afful-Straton
X. / SIMON - Jordan-Michael Whidbey
Production Crew
Stage Manager – Andrew Hunter
Production Manager – Catherine Blake Smith
Dramaturg – Gavin Reub
Choreographer -Alyza DelPan-Monley
Scenic Designer – Mary Ann Keeney
Costume Designer – Wanda Rodriguez
Lighting Designer – Ranleigh Starling
Sound Designer – Chris Leher
Sound Design Associate – Shane Regan
Projection Designer – Leo Mayberry
Props and Special Effects Designer – Brendan Mack
Puppet Designer – Ben Burris
Photographer/Poster Design: Shane Regan

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interview

​with Katie Woodzich of Theatrical Mustang Podcast.

interview

​with Adam Szymkowicz.

Umbrella Project

at the very bottom of a body of water was presented at the inaugural First Look by Umbrella Project at 12th Avenue Arts in Seattle, WA on July 25, 2016.
The workshop/staged reading was directed by Victor Pappas, dramagturged by Gavin Reub, and produced by Erin Bednarz.
Cast
MARINA - Rose Cano
ROSA LUZ - Sophie Franco
TAISHI - Owen Yen
AMAYA - Corinne Magin
LELA - Shaudi Vahdat

Unexpected Productions

Ben was the featured playwright on July 1 & 2, 2016 for Unexpected Productions' Script Tease.
The script samples utilized were The Unclean Fowl and I Do, Antarctica, I Do.
The director was Catherine Blake Smith.
The ensemble of actors was:
Tony Beeman
David Bestock
Ashley Flannegan
Jana Hutchison
James Katica
Elicia Wickstead
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Parley

​TRUMP'D was presented as a workshop production by Parley at West of Lenin in Seattle, WA on May 17, 2016.
The reading was directed by Rebecca Tourino Collinsworth, Founder/Artistic Director of Parley.
Cast
ALMA - Rebecca Tourino Collinsworth
ANGELINDA/YOUNG ALMA - Fawn Ledesma
DON/PATRON - Joe Ivey
MIKE - Brandon Collinsworth
Poster design by Rebecca Tourino Collinsworth.
Photos by Heather Posten.
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Forward Flux Productions

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​Ben participated in the 21-day artist residency, collaborate:create.  
He wrote a piece titled Doris that was performed by Chelsea DuVall.
The performance shared space with an art installation called "Confessional Elixirs" by Elise Koncsek and Jesse Card.
 The art exhibition took place at Fremont Abbey on April 20, 2016.


Playing In Progress

Ben wrote a short  [untitled]  play that was featured in Playing in Progress' production of SnowGlobed 5.0.
The show ran December 4 - 19, 2015 at West of Lenin (Seattle, WA).
The show was directed by Emily Penick.
Cast
THE TREE - Maximillian Davis
THE STRANGER - Shane Regan
The show received a recommendation from The Stranger.
Additionally, in the lobby, were two visual art pieces by Keiko Green and James Price that were inspired by Ben's play.

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Theatre Battery

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​Ben participated in Theatre Battery's Sleep Is For The Weak III.
He received the challenge to write an adaptation of an existing story that has not been told through theater at 8pm on December 11, 2015.
He adapted Julio Cortazar's short story, The Night Face Up.

The final presentation was at Theatre Battery in Kent on December 12, 2015 at 8:00pm.
Team

​Elijah Ostrow (director)
Meredith Binder (ensemble)
Max Jones (ensemble)
Gilly Kelleher (ensemble)
Maizy Perdue (ensemble)

Theatre Battery

The full-length version of q u e r e n c i a was workshopped and presented as a staged reading as part of Theatre Battery's Battery Powered Series in Kent, WA on July 26, 2015.
The reading was directed by Rebecca Tourino Collinsworth.
Cast
TIA (ANTOI)NETTA - Anabel Hovig
MAMA FE(LICIA) - Kristina Petrosyan
ZOE - Amber Hughes
MILO - Benjamin Benne*
*The role of Milo was workshopped by Matt Aguayo and read by Benjamin Benne on the day of the presentation.

Parley

All Ye Faithful was presented as a workshop production by Parley at West of Lenin in Seattle, WA on July 6, 2015.
The reading was directed by Rebecca Tourino Collinsworth, Founder/Artistic Director of Parley.
Cast
THE PASTOR - Ronnie Allen
THE PASTOR'S WIFE - Anabel Hovig
THE PASTOR'S DAUGHTER - Fawn Ledesma
THE OTHER WOMAN - Rebecca Tourino Collinsworth
Poster design by Rebecca Tourino Collinsworth.
Photos by Heather Posten.
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Forward Flux Productions

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​Ben had two pieces featured as part of the collaborate:create art exhibition at Fremont Abbey on May 6, 2015:
Play/War, a ten-minute play produced by Parley, and Ascension, a dramatic poem, directed by Emma Watt and performed by butoh dancer Sheri Brown and actor Anthony Phillips.
Read a blog article about the event that highlights Ascension.

Northwest Playwrights Alliance

The ten-minute play, the dream of honey (fades), was featured as part of Northwest Playwrights Alliance Reading Series at Seattle Repertory Theatre on February 10, 2015 at 7pm.
The reading was directed by Evan Tucker.
Cast
HOMBRE - Erwin Galan
MUCHACO - Matt Aguayo

Eclectic Theatre

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The short play, Blood / Flower, was featured as part of Eclectic Theater's 3rd Annual One-Act Play Fest on June 26 & 27, 2014.
The play was written and directed by Benjamin Benne.
Cast
ROSA - Anabel Hovig
GLORIA - Margaret VandenBerghe

Seattle Fringe Festival

q u e r e n c i a: an imagined autobiography about forbidden fruits made its debut in one-act form at the 2014 Seattle Fringe Festival.
This world premiere production was directed by Rebecca Tourino Collinsworth, Founder/Artistic Director of Parley, at Gay City's Calamus Auditorium.
Cast
MILO - Matt Aguayo
ZOE - Pilar O'Connell
TIA (ANTOI)NETTA - Anabel Hovig
Poster design and production photos by Rebecca Tourino Collinsworth.
Capitol Hill Seattle Blog published an article featuring an interview with the playwright.
Recipient of the Spirit of the Fringe Award.
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Drybones Artist Collective

Terra Incognita was mounted as a staged reading produced by Drybones Artist Collective at Shoreline Community College
in Shoreline, WA on August 14, 2014.
The reading was directed by Megan Becker, Founder/Artistic Director of Drybones Artist Collective.
Cast
ANGEL - Anabel Hovig
SHEILA - Margaret VandenBerghe
NADIA - Lillian Afful
SIMON/X. - Anthony Simmons
Poster design by Katy Hagelin.
Poster photo by Cara Romanik.
Rehearsal photos taken by Lillian Afful.
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Forward Flux Productions

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What \ Washed Ashore / Astray was presented as a staged reading by Forward Flux Productions in Seattle, WA on July 22, 2014.
The reading was directed by Wesley Fruge, Artistic Director of Forward Flux Productions.
Cast
ANTONIA - Priscilla Lauris
AMELIA - Suzy Hunt
ANGELICA - Tanesha Ross
EMILIO - Justin Huertas
JAMIE - Jared Michael Brown
Poster design by Wesley Fruge.
Photos taken by J Reese.

Parley

at the very bottom of a body of water was presented as a staged reading by Parley at the Center House Theatre in Seattle, WA ​on June 16, 2014.
The reading was directed by Rebecca Tourino Collinsworth, Founder/Artistic Director of Parley.
Cast
MARINA - Anabel Hovig
LELA & ROSA LUZ - Fawn Ledesma
SIOBHAN - Amy Baldwin
LITTLE FISH - Ryan Fields
TAISHI - Christian Ver
AMAYA - Kathy Hsieh
Graphic design by Stephanie Olson.
Photos taken by Rebecca Tourino Collinsworth.
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Foundry: A Home For New Work

The ten-minute play, the dream of honey (fades), was presented as part of Foundry: A Home For New Work's inaugural event in Chicago, IL on May 26, 2014.
The reading was directed by Braden Coucher.
Cast
HOMBRE - Ryan Tang
MUCHACHO - Remy Ortiz

One-Minute Play Festival

The one-minute plays Alegria (directed by Jose Amador) and Alchemy (directed by Teresa Thuman) were presented as part of The 1st Seattle One-Minute Play Festival at ACT: A Contemporary Theatre
on May 10-11, 2014.
Watch a recording of the festival on HowlRound TV.
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Freehold Theatre

An excerpt from at the very bottom of a body of water was presented as part of Freehold Theatre Lab/Studio's INCUBATOR series in Seattle, WA
on March 27-30, 2014.
The scene was directed by Rebecca Tourino Collinsworth.
Cast
MARINA - Anabel Hovig
ROSA LUZ - Fawn Ledesma
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