SUMMER NEW WORKS FESTIVAL

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Written by James McLindon
Directed by Lauren Shields

CAST:
Zoe Bentley.....Taylor
Anna Medley.....Peyton

Stage Manager:
DaShaun Williams
James McLindon is a member of the Nylon Fusion Theater Co. in New York. When We Get Good Again won the Playhouse on the Square’s New Works @ The Works competition and premiered there in Memphis, winning the Ostrander Theatre Award for Best Original Script. The play will receive its third production this fall in New York. His play, Salvation, was developed at PlayPenn and premiered in New York, Giovanna Sardelli directing, to critical acclaim in the New York Times and elsewhere. Comes a Faery was developed at the O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, Sean Daniels directing, was a finalist for the Humana Festival, and was premiered at the New Ohio Theatre by Nylon Fusion. Distant Music has been produced eight times across the country. Dead and Buried premiered at the Detroit Repertory Theater and has been most recently performed by the Apollo Kine Theater in Estonia and Dreamcatcher Rep in New Jersey. Mr. McLindon’s plays have been developed and/or produced at theaters such as the O’Neill (selection and six-time semifinalist), PlayPenn, Victory Gardens, Lark, Abingdon, hotINK Festival, Irish Repertory, Samuel French Festival, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, New Rep, Lyric Stage, Boston Playwrights, Local Theatre, Telluride Playwrights Festival, Great Plains Theatre Conference, and Seven Devils. His plays have been published by Dramatic Publishing, Smith & Kraus, Brooklyn Publishing, Applause Books, Next Stage Press, and Original Works Publishing, and produced all over the world including London, Edinburgh, Ireland, Australia, the Philippines, Thailand, Luxembourg, India, Dubai and Estonia.
Contact: jmclindon@gmail.com
jamesmclindon.com
https://newplayexchange.org/users/4206/james-mclindon
Zoe Bentley (she/her) is an actor and singer based in New York. Originally from Philadelphia, she graduated from Muhlenberg College in 2021 with a BA in acting and vocal performance. Since then she has enjoyed acting and singing in the vibrant Philly theatre and film scene, and recently moved to NYC to continue growing her career. She’s immensely grateful for her loved ones, friends, and creative collaborators! Instagram: @zoebentley24
Anna Medley (she/her) is a New York City based actress originally from Louisville, KY. She is a current third year MFA Acting candidate at the Actor’s Studio Drama School. She holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from Samford University. Recent Credits include Thea in Someone Has to Die (NYTF), Mallory in Reflection of a Shadow (NYTF), Wife in Brecht’s The Informer, and Ester in The Easter Bunny Hop! She is honored to once again be part of Blank Page Theatre Company’s Summer New Works Festival. All the thanks to Lauren, Zakk, Helen, DaShaun, Jacquie, her fellow cast members, mentors, family, friends, and Max for all their support and guidance. Enjoy the shows!
Written by Alli Hartley-Kong
Directed by Zakk Ottmers

CAST:
Natalie Marsan.....Jennifer
Dave Rideout.....Michael

Stage Manager
Helen Brown
Alli Hartley-Kong (She/Her) Alli Hartley-Kong is a playwright, poet, and public historian from Washington DC. Her full-length play People Should Talk About What's Real is a Bay Area Playwrights Festival semi-finalist and the Henley Rose finalist. She has written nearly twenty one-act plays and monologues that have been performed by Sundog Theatre, Irvington Theatre, Chatham Community Players, Carlow Little Theatre, The Open Eye Theatre, and many more professional and amatuer theatres across the U.S. Last January, she placed in third in the A is For competition, a playwriting competition about reproductive rights. Past commissions include Single Carrot Theatre  and Central Square Theatre.
Natalie Estelle Marsan (she/her/hers) is excited to be returning to Blank Page this summer! She is an actor, singer, and writer based out of Brooklyn, New York. She is currently pursuing her MFA in Acting at The Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University. She also studies voice at Tamagini Voice Studio and works at Roundabout Theater Company. She wants to thank Zakk, Helen, Lauren, and Dave for being so collaborative in this rehearsal process and for all the laughs and hard work that went into this show. Enjoy!
Dave Rideout (he/him) is excited to be working with this talented Blank Page team. He spent most of his life in the Pacific Northwest, as a Systems Analyst, Wildland Firefighter, and regional actor. His favorite roles include Joseph Kerner in Hapgood, Dr Julian Winston in Cactus Flower, and Albert Soady in Escanaba in the Moonlight. He relocated to NYC six months prior to the pandemic and has had several credits in the before and after times. He currently studies with The Barrow Group.
Written by Daniel Prillaman
Directed by Lauren Shields

CAST:
Madeline Barbush.....Oren
Kelly Reader.....Emerson
Samekh Resh....Guy
Esther Cunningham.....Lady

Stage Manager:
DaShaun Williams
Daniel Prillaman (he/him) is a neurodivergent actor/writer/ginger Virginian based out of Ohio. While he adores all theatre, he has a special fondness for horror, folklore, and absurdism. Ultimately, he loves plays about honest people (or talking animals) in situations he hasn't seen before.
When not gleefully giving his "soul" to artistic endeavors and projects, he legitimately enjoys long walks on the beach, a video game with a glass of wine, and biscuits.
His plays include A PIRATE CAROL, FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY, and YOU SEE THEM IN THE CORNERS OF YOUR EYES, which have been produced across the United States.
Daniel is an alumnus of the University of Virginia and a member of the Dramatists Guild.
Madeline Barbush (she/her, they/them) is a film and theater actor from Philadelphia. She moved to New York in October of 2022 and has since found a tremendous community of artists here. She feels lucky to now be working with Blank Page Theatre Company and is honored to help them tell new stories that are both hilarious and haunting for the realities they expose. Recent theater credits include Kim and Quinn in The Midnight Chapters (A.R.T./New York Theatres), Barbara in The Gingham Dog (Playhouse West) and Autumn in Royal Oak (Soho Playhouse). She is in the voice of Candy and Luna in the upcoming animated feature The Redemption of Donna Asher (dir. Steven Adams), and will be shooting two indie features this summer/fall.
Kelly Reader (she/her) is thrilled to be in her first show with Blank Page Theatre Company. Most recently Kelly played Dana in a stage reading of "The Basement" at MCS. Other credits include Sawyer Thompson, a new musical (Featured Soloist) Diabolical (Mary) on ID TV and the title role in Ginny at the Samuel French OOB Festival. www.kellyreader.com 
Samekh Resh (they/them) is a Juniata Alum Actor and writer who has been seen in This Grass Kills People as Guy (Blank Page Theatre), A Sketch Of New York as The Screenwriter (The Producer’s Club), Poster Child as Wyatt (The Kraine Theatre), And the Lights of the Borealis were Shining as Nolan (The Tank), and The Last Dance of Homeless Joe as The Great Banzini  (Theatre for the New City). On camera, they have been seen in indie shorts like The Last Two Nights in New York as Denny; Oh, the Horror as Riley; A Day in the Life as John. At Juniata, they received training in aerial work, suzuki, viewpoints and open source forms from Nate Dryden, Neal Utterback, Kate Clarke and Stephanie Skura. In New York, they've studied with Christopher Chwee at Act First Studios for contemporary scene study for acting and stage. Their voiceover work includes appearances in the Germantown Radio doZen Projects; Dinner Theatre as The Adventurer, Selfish Genes as Ira/Announcer, Proof Intelligent Life as Anakin Galaxoid, and After a While, Crocodile as Theo. As a writer, their piece "Is Everything Okay?” was accepted and premiered at New Jersey Fringe in August of 2023. They're extremely excited to continue working on more horror, surrealist and queer performance pieces, as performer and/or writer. 
Esther Cunningham (she/her) is a Brooklyn based actor originally from Cincinnati where her favorite roles were Emmy in Doll’s House, Part 2 and Hannah Winters/Every Cheerleader in Sex and Education at the Ensemble Theater of Cincinnati. On screen, she can be seen as Paige in the film They/Them/Us and Beth in the web series The Go To (currently streaming on YouTube). Much love to Christopher, Max and Murphy as well as her family at Act First Studio.
 IG: @Its.Esther.With.An.H, esthercunningham.com
Written by Colin Gallagher
Directed by Zakk Ottmers

CAST:
Jesse Kinstler.....Fred
Anna Medley.....Sandra
Madeline Barbush.....Jace

Stage Manager
Helen Brown
Colin Gallagher (he/him) is a New York based librettist, lyricist, and playwright. He received his Masters in Fine Arts at New York University Tisch School of the Arts in the Graduate Musical Theater Program. His thesis project, “Sawyer Thompson” recently received its first public reading with the Sacramento Staged Reading series. His first one act was staged at Roger Williams University in Bristol, RI where he received his Bachelors in Creative Writing, as a part of the annual One Act Festival. Additionally, Colin received the Bermont Fellowship allowing him to take a master class with Pulitzer Prize winning author Paul Harding. Since then, Colin has had work and songs presented at various institutions such as the Two River Theater in New Jersey, The Duplex, the Pit Lof and the Performance Project. He has also written a web series entitled “Unintentional.” He is a member of the Dramatist Guild. 
Jesse Kinstler (he/him) is a New York based actor originally hailing from Ellicott City, Maryland. He attended Muhlenberg College, graduating with degrees in Acting and Dance and has an extensive background in singing. He is currently a rising third year at The Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University pursuing his MFA in Acting. He has appeared on stage countless times. Most recently, he appeared as Griffin in a new play Reflection of a Shadow in the New York Theatre Festival for which he was awarded “Best Actor” by the New York Theatre Festival. Other credits include the films Preparatory and I Would Rather Live Outside and onstage in What We Choose to Breathe; Bring It On: The Musical; Constellations; Art; Beauty
and the Beast; Sunday in the Park with George; Brigadoon; My Fair Lady; O War; and The Pirates of Penzance. Love to Mom, Dad and Ethan. jessekinstler.com
Anna Medley (she/her) is a New York City based actress originally from Louisville, KY. She is a current third year MFA Acting candidate at the Actor’s Studio Drama School. She holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from Samford University. Recent Credits include Thea in Someone Has to Die (NYTF), Mallory in Reflection of a Shadow (NYTF), Wife in Brecht’s The Informer, and Ester in The Easter Bunny Hop! She is honored to once again be part of Blank Page Theatre Company’s Summer New Works Festival. All the thanks to Lauren, Zakk, Helen, DaShaun, Jacquie, her fellow cast members, mentors, family, friends, and Max for all their support and guidance. Enjoy the shows!
Madeline Barbush (she/her, they/them) is a film and theater actor from Philadelphia. She moved to New York in October of 2022 and has since found a tremendous community of artists here. She feels lucky to now be working with Blank Page Theatre Company and is honored to help them tell new stories that are both hilarious and haunting for the realities they expose. Recent theater credits include Kim and Quinn in The Midnight Chapters (A.R.T./New York Theatres), Barbara in The Gingham Dog (Playhouse West) and Autumn in Royal Oak (Soho Playhouse). She is in the voice of Candy and Luna in the upcoming animated feature The Redemption of Donna Asher (dir. Steven Adams), and will be shooting two indie features this summer/fall.
DIRECTORS
Lauren Shields (she/her)  is a New York-based director and multi-hyphenate artist. She began her Intimacy directing training a year ago and since then has included safe boundary practice within all her rehearsal spaces. She has started Intimacy directing on some short films as well. Her directing work has been seen all over New York in festivals and off-off-Broadway spaces. Lauren is a co-founder of Blank Page Theatre company and the founder of Audition Checkup. Check out her work on…
Website: laurenashields.com | auditioncheckup.com
Instagram: @laurenashields | @auditioncheckup
Zakk Ottmers (he/him) is a director based out of New York. Ever since he was a small child, he has been entranced by the world of film and theatre. His passion for both has led him to New York to create pieces that invoke an audience to keep thinking far after they have watched. Zakk has now produced several new works with his company Blank Page Theatre Company and will graduate in 2024 with his master's in directing from The Actors Studio Drama School.
Instagram: @zakkottmers
CREW
DaShaun Williams (he/him) is an NYC based Singer/Actor. DaShaun received a BFA in Musical Theatre from Fairleigh Dickson University, School of the Arts in Madison, NJ. His love for singing and acting lead him to pursue his career in theatre. DaShaun has been cast in a national tour and many leading roles in shows such as Company, The Wiz, Sister Act, The Ten Commandments, Les Miserables and many more. For more about DaShaun visit dashaunwill.com
Helen Brown (she/her) is a designer and social media manager based in New York City. Graduating with a bachelor’s in creative advertising, her love of theatre has brought her back to creating and working for the stage. Helen is currently the Social Media Manager of Blank Page Theatre Co. Thank you to Zakk and Lauren for the chance to create and collaborate for the stage! 
Ian McQueen (he/him)  is a New York-based television and theater producer. His most recent projects include the MAC award winning series "Cabaret on the Couch," Jad Jacob's "Beethoven: Live in Concert" at The Green Room 42, and the off-Broadway premieres of "Little Egg, Big World," "Blood on My Mother's Apron," and "Take Me Down to the Levee." Additionally, he's worked as a photographer for shows at The Tank, The Triad, Chelsea Table & Stage, and Fairleigh Dickinson University. Ian is passionate about arts education, and creating opportunities for young, diverse voices in television and live theatre.
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