Georgia Mertching is Dead

Grantors

No items found.

Sponsors

No items found.

Donors

Tributes

Performers

Taylor Alden

*

Whitney

Lauren James

*

Emma

Matthew Nikitow

*

Harlan

Jacob Saxton

*

Jeremy

Lucy Shelby

*

Gretchen

Setting

Gretchen, Emma, and Whitney have been friends since they were teenagers. They’ve been sober since they were teenagers. They set off on a road trip south—with homemade female urination devices, too much pie, and ill-advised sexual escapades—to celebrate and mourn a figure from their past. Catya McMullen’s dark comedy GEORGIA MERTCHING IS DEAD reveals what it’s like to face adulthood and death after growing up weird and possibly broken.

This production runs 90 minutes with no intermission.

Songs & Scenes

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Production Staff

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Venue Staff

School Administration Staff

Co-Executive Director

Issac Bush

Co-Executive Director

Alex Orthwein

Musicians

No items found.

Board Members

Student Advisory Board

Credits

Lighting equipment from PRG Lighting, sound equipment from Sound Associates, rehearsed at The Public Theater’s Rehearsal Studios. Developed as part of Irons in the Fire at Fault Line Theatre in New York City.

Special Thanks

Thank you to our 2025-2026 Living Room Productions Season Donors:

LRP Founding Members:

Jim Crowell

Karen Kemp

Martin Kemp

LRP Patrons:

Alexander Charak

Andy Striph

Andrew Nielson

Anthony Konechny

Audrey Puttemans

Brian Konechny

Cameron Kalajian

Colin Gold

Colin Kemp

Dan Propati

David Coleman

Elizabeth Colwell

Eric Jameson Grimm

Jack Schow

Jennifer Heald

Jessica Baglow

Joe Toto

Kate Hampton

Kelly Strandemo

Lauren Zbylski

Linda Irvine

Linda Konechny

Mickey Gregg

Nicole Steinwedell

Rebecca Tyree

Sadie Veach

Sam Gibbs

Sam Lawrence Crabtree

Samantha Calderon

Ta'Rea Campbell

Photographers

Georgia Nerheim - for our production stills

Christopher Duggan - for our promotional images

Sound effects

Su Hendrickson

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*Appearing through an Agreement between this theatre and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

“Actors’ Equity Association (“Equity”), founded in 1913, is the U.S. labor union that represents more than 51,000 actors and stage managers, Equity fosters the art of live theatre as an essential component of society and advances the careers of its members by negotiating wages, improving working conditions and providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. Actors’ Equity is a member of the AFL-CIO and is affiliated with FIA, an International organization of performing arts unions. www.actorsequity.org

United Scenic Artists ● Local USA 829 of the I.A.T.S.E represents the Designers & Scenic Artists for the American Theatre

ATPAM, the Association of Theatrical Press Agents & Managers (IATSE Local 18032), represents the Press Agents, Company Managers, and Theatre Managers employed on this production.

A Note from the Producers

Welcome to Living Room Productions’ inaugural production: Catya McMullen’s Georgia Mertching is Dead. This bitingly funny and deeply felt play is a sharp look at the complexities of friendship, sobriety, the messy ways we mourn, and the baggage we all carry.

As a company born from artist potlucks in a Brooklyn living room, fostering community and tackling messy, authentic human stories like this is exactly why we started Living Room Productions.

Bringing Georgia Mertching is Dead to the stage is just the beginning of our ambitious first season, which will also feature the NYC premiere of Jodi Gray's psychological thriller Peep, and a wartime take on Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. To support this endeavor, we have launched a fundraising campaign aimed at covering essential production costs, primarily providing fair pay for our artists. At the time of writing this note, we are already 52% of the way towards our goal with a little over a month left to go!

We believe that artists deserve to be compensated for their work, time, and creativity. Too often, independent theater relies on underpaid or volunteer labor. We want to change that by offering fair wages that reflect the professionalism and dedication of our team. Supporting artists financially means they can continue creating without sacrificing their well-being, and that makes the work better for everyone.

Your presence here tonight is a vital part of making this possible, and for that, we are incredibly grateful.

Thank you for joining us and supporting indie theatre. We hope this journey with Gretchen, Emma, and Whitney sparks something in you.

Enjoy the ride.

Warmly,
Ellyn Heald, Laura Carswell & Su Hendrickson
Co-Founders, Living Room Productions

Meet the Cast

Taylor Alden

*

Whitney

(

Executive Producer

)

(

Executive Producer

)

Pronouns:

Taylor Alden (Whitney/Executive Producer), is beyond thrilled to tell this beautiful story with her friends. Regional Theater: West Boca Theatre Company's Proof (Catherine) & Over the River and Through the Woods (Caitlin). Selected film credits: “Goodbye, Hello” “12 Hour Shift”, “Ghosts of the Ozarks”. @tay.alden

Lauren James

*

Emma

(

Executive Producer

)

(

Executive Producer

)

Pronouns:

Lauren James (Emma/ Executive Producer) is very excited to be playing Emma in Georgia Mertching Is Dead. She received this script in class at AMAW in 2017 and immediately fell in love with this story. It’s been her dream for many years to bring it to life and she’s thrilled to finally have found this amazing team of collaborators. Recent theater work includes Nebraska at The Tank and Eggs at the Chain Theater. Her recent film/TV credits include Small Showers, which had its world premiered at the Soho Film Festival and commercial work for Canva. She trained at the New York Theater Academy, The Ken Schatz Studio and is currently studying with The BK Gang. @lalajames85

Matthew Nikitow

*

Harlan

(

)

(

)

Pronouns:

Matthew Nikitow (Harlan) made his Off-Broadway debut in 2023’s Pulitzer Prize nominated play War Words. Television credits include Peacocks’ Poker Face, CBS’ FBI: Most Wanted, NBC’s Law & Order Special Victims Unit. Recent films include How it Goes (Dir. Ryan Espinosa). He is also a graduate of the prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, England. Nikitow was born and raised in Denver, CO.

Jacob Saxton

*

Jeremy

(

)

(

)

Pronouns:

Jacob (Jeremy) is thrilled to make his BAH debut for this production of Georgia Mertching is Dead. Recent credits include an FBI agent on Law and Order, step dad of the year in a Publix ad, and his hands have been featured all over Budweisers social media. When not acting Jacob likes to work on perfecting his sourdough bread and jumping in the ocean year round. Thank you to the cast and crew for all your hard work and bringing this play to life. The subject matter in this show hit very close to home and deserves to be talked about more. For those of you reading this-thank you for coming and enjoy the show!

Lucy Shelby

*

Gretchen

(

Executive Producer

)

(

Executive Producer

)

Pronouns:

Lucy Shelby (Gretchen/ Executive Producer) is psyched to be working on this project with such amazing people! She is an actor, creator, and clown. She has created and collaborated on a variety of shows - her most impressive sounding one is her solo show Pretty Hurts, named “20 best things to do” TIMEOUT NY, at The Pit Loft. She has been on two international tours with Clowns Without Borders in Zimbabwe and Ecuador, performing for over 20,000 children. She holds an MFA from Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre. She also trained with Larry Moss acting studio, British American Drama Academy, and apprenticed with the renowned Clown teacher Aitor Basauri of Spymonkey. For Film she starred in the award winning short film We Are Totally Fine. She does not take for granted what a privilege it is to make art! She is so incredibly grateful to all the angels in her life that have supported and loved her into wellness so that she can continue to make art! Thank you Catya McMullen for writing such a funny, deep, and profound piece of work. @the_clownwitch

Meet the Team

Laura Carswell

*

Director

(

)

Pronouns:

Laura Carswell (Director, co-founder of Living Room Productions) is thrilled to be directing Catya McMullen’s Georgia Mertching is Dead. Laura has a Masters Degree in Classical Theatre from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA), one of the oldest and highest ranking drama schools in the world. She has been a passionate student of acting coach Larry Moss since 2007. Laura grew up in Vancouver, Canada, and has been working in film/tv/theatre since the age of 5.

Ellyn Heald

*

Producer

(

)

Pronouns:

Ellyn Heald (Producer, Founder/AD of Living Room Productions) is an actor and producer based in Carroll Gardens and Rhinecliff, New York. Recently: Broadway: “The Hills of California” (Sam Mendes, The Broadhurst); Off-Off: “Macbeth” (Stairwell Theater); Regional: "Satellites" (Premiere Stages); "And Then There Were None" (Florida Rep). Coming up: "The Cottage" (Theater Workshop of Nantucket).

Training: MA in Classical Acting from LAMDA. Founder and Artistic Director of Living Room Productions, host of "Objects of New York" podcast for Radio Free Rhinecliff, antique and interior design enthusiast, VHS watcher. Love to Martin. @ellynheald

Jared Wofse

*

Technical Director

(

Lighting Designer

)

Pronouns:

Jared is beyond thrilled to be lighting this production of Georgia Mertching is Dead with Living Room Productions! He is a performer and lighting designer from Port Washington, NY, and is a recent graduate of Binghamton University with degrees in Musical Theatre and Electrical Engineering. He is a resident lighting designer/theater technician at Brooklyn Art Haus. His recent/upcoming lighting credits include The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Kitchen Sink Theatre Company) and The Moors (Uptown One Train Theater Company). Some of his favorite performance credits include Sunday in the Park with George (Boatman), Three Sisters (Chebutykin), Assassins (John Wilkes Booth), and Chicago (Fred Casely, Featured Dancer). He is thankful to have such a funny yet meaningful piece of work as his next lighting project - special thanks to the entire cast and creative team for an amazing show!

For professional inquiries, please reach out to jared.wofse@gmail.com. Insta: @j.wofse

Caroline Roschman

*

Assistant Director

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)

Pronouns:

Caroline Roschman is amped like Metallica to join this wonderful team! This is her return to theatre after 4 years of teleplay and screenwriting. She is overly grateful to represent such a salient piece and convey just how camaraderie heals all wounds.

Ariel Lauryn

*

Intimacy Coordinator

(

)

Pronouns:

Ariel is a theater educator, puppeteer, and intimacy coordinator.

She has performed nationally, internationally, Off-Broadway, On-Camera, with and without puppets: Internationally at places like Animo Festival (Poland), Akko Fest (Israel), Beijing City Theater (China), Musée du quai Branly (France), Nationally at places like Wallis Center (Los Angeles) and U of Washington (Seattle), and NYC at Theater Row, HERE Arts Center, PRTT, Dixon Place, and The Connelly.

She currently teaches movement at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She has taught at places like University of North Alabama, Cornell College, University of Portland, University of Dayton, and University of Texas El Paso. She also teaches workshops and private coaching sessions in NYC, including at organizations like Heather Henson's Green Feather Foundation.

Ariel has an MFA in Ensemble Based Physical Theater from Dell'Arte International and a Consent-Forward Artist certificate from IDC. www.ariellauryn.com

Media

No items found.

2021 National Touring Cast

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Alex Newell, Laverne Cox, Betty Who, And More to Star In One-Night-Only Carnegie Hall Concert of THE DROWSY CHAPERONE

Emily Wyrwa

July 14, 2025

We’re “stumbling along” to Carnegie Hall! To kick off the fourth annual Breaking the Binary Theatre Festival, Alex Newell, Laverne Cox, Betty Who, and more will take the stage in a one-night-only concert of The Drowsy Chaperone at Carnegie Hall on Oct. 20, 2025. The concert will be directed by Tony Award nominee L Morgan Lee.

Cox will play the titular Chaperone, Newell will play Janet Van De Graaf, with Jonathan Van Ness as Man In Chair, and Betty Who as Robert Martin. Actress and trans activist Joslyn Defreece will play Underling, and RuPaul’s Drag Race icon Peppermint will play Mrs. Tottendale. The entire cast will be comprised of transgender and non-binary performers.

The Drowsy Chaperone features music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison and book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar. This concert marks the title’s first major New York presentation since the original 2006 Tony Award-winning Broadway production.

The musical tells the story of a Broadway fanatic — Man In Chair — who plays his favorite record of a 1920s musical in his living room. He brings the show to life in his apartment, providing commentary on its often-outrageous plot and revealing his personal insights. The show-within-a-show centers on the wedding of a showgirl, Janet Van de Graaff, to Robert Martin. Along the way, they face silly obstacles by a producer, gangsters, and, well, a drowsy chaperone.

Breaking the Binary Theatre Festival launched in July 2022. Its aim is to produce work created and developed by trans, non-binary, and Two-Spirit+ theatre artists. This year’s festival will take place Oct. 20 to Oct. 26, 2025.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think we’d make it to Carnegie Hall, especially on this timeline,” festival founder George Strus said in a statement.

Tickets for The Drowsy Chaperone go on sale in August. The one-night-only concert will take place at Carnegie Hall will take place Oct. 20, 2025. For more information, visit here.

HEATHERS Is Back In New York, And Thank Goodness For That — Review

Kobi Kassal

July 11, 2025

Spare for Hamilton, Heathers is one of the most listened to cast recordings in musical theatre history. No one knew back in 2014, when the musical premiered Off-Broadway, what a cultural phenomenon it would be. I can only assume if you are reading this review, Heathers has been somewhat formative in your theatre-loving life, and now Heathers is back, and dare I say, better than ever.

When director Andy Fickman acquired the rights to Daniel Waters’ 1988 cult classic film to adapt it back in the early aughts, he knew it would be a success but he never could have imagined what it could have turned into. The math is simple: take a devious high school girl clique, pair it with some murder, and add in a score by Lawrence O’Keefe and Kevin Murphy. Sounds like a home run to me.

The musical has gone through multiple iterations over the last decade or so, with substantial rewrites to the book and new songs, especially for its UK premiere back in 2018. This new Heathers, back at New World Stages - the exact room where it premiered, brightens up the plot a bit, and makes it a bit more digestible for those younger audience members.

O’Keefe and Murphy’s score is no easy feat - just ask any young actress today who has screlted out a song or two at an audition. Thankfully this superstar cast is up to the challenge. Lorna Courtney truly shines as Veronica. A 2023 Tony nominee for & Juliet, Courtney is back on stage with some mindboggling vocals that truly must be witnessed to be believed - just wait till her new anthem “I Say No” late in Act II, I say YES! Her counterpart Casey Likes as the mischievous JD conquers the role with ease and brought out an even darker side to the character which I appreciated.

__wf_reserved_inherit — Kerry Butler & Company | Photo: Evan Zimmerman

I’ve contemplated over the past few days who would be a more perfect Heather Chandler than McKenzie Kurtz, and I’ve got nothing. Her comedic snark matched with a killer voice is as near to musical theatre perfection as you can get. Elizabeth Teeter and Olivia Hardy as Heather McNamara and Heather Duke, respectively, each get their glorious moments to shine and all three Heathers make a devilish trio that is beyond satisfying.

We all know Kerry Butler is a shining star in our musical theatre universe, but Butler is inextricably fantastic as her duo Ms. Fleming and Veronica’s Mom. Back at New World following her fantastic run in Mama I’m A Big Girl Now last year, Butler eats up every crumb on that stage and makes us ever so thankful to be in her presence.

Erin Morton, who was literally found on TikTok mere days before the first rehearsal, is an endearing Martha who pulls on our heartstrings with her angelic voice - I look forward to much more from Morton in the coming years. And Cade Ostermeyer and Xavier McKinnon truly steal the show as Kurt and Ram.

The ensemble works well together, even if some look painfully much older than high schoolers, and tie the show together neatly.

David Shields’ scenic work (what the show has been using since its London inception) works well in the space, and when paired with Ben Cracknell’s glorious lighting, everything works.

At the end of the day, Heathers is Big Fun and boy, are folks loving it. Having now gone twice since their return last month, both audiences were so rabid with screams and cheers for both iconic lines and even more iconic riffs, sometimes it was hard to hear the music. It knows what it is, and doesn’t take itself too seriously. So grab a cocktail, grab a srunchie, and let yourself loose at Westerberg High, you won’t regret it.

HEATHERS Is Back In New York, And Thank Goodness For That — Review

Kobi Kassal

July 11, 2025

Spare for Hamilton, Heathers is one of the most listened to cast recordings in musical theatre history. No one knew back in 2014, when the musical premiered Off-Broadway, what a cultural phenomenon it would be. I can only assume if you are reading this review, Heathers has been somewhat formative in your theatre-loving life, and now Heathers is back, and dare I say, better than ever.

When director Andy Fickman acquired the rights to Daniel Waters’ 1988 cult classic film to adapt it back in the early aughts, he knew it would be a success but he never could have imagined what it could have turned into. The math is simple: take a devious high school girl clique, pair it with some murder, and add in a score by Lawrence O’Keefe and Kevin Murphy. Sounds like a home run to me.

The musical has gone through multiple iterations over the last decade or so, with substantial rewrites to the book and new songs, especially for its UK premiere back in 2018. This new Heathers, back at New World Stages - the exact room where it premiered, brightens up the plot a bit, and makes it a bit more digestible for those younger audience members.

O’Keefe and Murphy’s score is no easy feat - just ask any young actress today who has screlted out a song or two at an audition. Thankfully this superstar cast is up to the challenge. Lorna Courtney truly shines as Veronica. A 2023 Tony nominee for & Juliet, Courtney is back on stage with some mindboggling vocals that truly must be witnessed to be believed - just wait till her new anthem “I Say No” late in Act II, I say YES! Her counterpart Casey Likes as the mischievous JD conquers the role with ease and brought out an even darker side to the character which I appreciated.

__wf_reserved_inherit — Kerry Butler & Company | Photo: Evan Zimmerman

I’ve contemplated over the past few days who would be a more perfect Heather Chandler than McKenzie Kurtz, and I’ve got nothing. Her comedic snark matched with a killer voice is as near to musical theatre perfection as you can get. Elizabeth Teeter and Olivia Hardy as Heather McNamara and Heather Duke, respectively, each get their glorious moments to shine and all three Heathers make a devilish trio that is beyond satisfying.

We all know Kerry Butler is a shining star in our musical theatre universe, but Butler is inextricably fantastic as her duo Ms. Fleming and Veronica’s Mom. Back at New World following her fantastic run in Mama I’m A Big Girl Now last year, Butler eats up every crumb on that stage and makes us ever so thankful to be in her presence.

Erin Morton, who was literally found on TikTok mere days before the first rehearsal, is an endearing Martha who pulls on our heartstrings with her angelic voice - I look forward to much more from Morton in the coming years. And Cade Ostermeyer and Xavier McKinnon truly steal the show as Kurt and Ram.

The ensemble works well together, even if some look painfully much older than high schoolers, and tie the show together neatly.

David Shields’ scenic work (what the show has been using since its London inception) works well in the space, and when paired with Ben Cracknell’s glorious lighting, everything works.

At the end of the day, Heathers is Big Fun and boy, are folks loving it. Having now gone twice since their return last month, both audiences were so rabid with screams and cheers for both iconic lines and even more iconic riffs, sometimes it was hard to hear the music. It knows what it is, and doesn’t take itself too seriously. So grab a cocktail, grab a srunchie, and let yourself loose at Westerberg High, you won’t regret it.

Theatrely News

EXCLUSIVE: Watch A Clip From THEATER CAMP Starring Ben Platt, Noah Galvin, and Molly Gordon

Theatrely News

READ: An Excerpt From Sean Hayes Debut YA Novel TIME OUT

Theatrely News

"Reframing the COVID-19 Pandemic Through a Stage Manager’s Eyes"

EXCLUSIVE: Watch A Clip From THEATER CAMP Starring Ben Platt, Noah Galvin, and Molly Gordon

By: Maia Penzer

14 July 2023

Finally, summer has arrived, which can only mean one thing: it's time for camp! Theater Camp, that is. Theatrely has a sneak peak at the new film which hits select theaters today.

The new original comedy starring Tony Award winner Ben Platt and Molly Gordon we guarantee will have you laughing non-stop. The AdirondACTS, a run-down theater camp in upstate New York, is attended by theater-loving children who must work hard to keep their beloved theater camp afloat after the founder, Joan, falls into a coma.

The film stars Ben Platt and Molly Gordon as Amos Klobuchar and Rebecca-Diane, respectively, as well as Noah Galvin as Glenn Wintrop, Jimmy Tatro as Troy Rubinsky, Patti Harrison as Caroline Krauss, Nathan Lee Graham as Clive DeWitt, Ayo Edebiri as Janet Walch, Owen Thiele as Gigi Charbonier, Caroline Aaron as Rita Cohen, Amy Sedaris as Joan Rubinsky, and Alan Kim as Alan Park.

Theater Camp was directed by Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman and written by Noah Galvin, Molly Gordon, Nick Lieberman & Ben Platt. Music is by James McAlister and Mark Sonnenblick. On January 21, 2023, Theater Camp had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.

You can purchase tickets to the new film from our friends at Hollywood.com here.

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READ: An Excerpt From Sean Hayes Debut YA Novel TIME OUT

By: Kobi Kassal

29 May 2023

Actor Sean Hayes is what we in the biz call booked and blessed. On top of his Tony-nominated performance as Oscar Levant in Good Night, Oscar, Hayes has partnered with Todd Milliner and Carlyn Greenwald for the release of their new YA novel Time Out.

Heralded by many as Heartstopper meets Friday Night Lights, Time Out follows hometown basketball hero Barclay Elliot who decides to use a pep rally to come out to his school. When the response is not what he had hoped and the hostility continually growing, he turns to his best friend Amy who brings him to her voting rights group at school. There he finds Christopher and… you will just have to grab a copy and find out what happens next. Luckily for you, Time Out hits shelves on May 30 and to hold you over until then we have a special except from the book just for Theatrely:

The good thing about not being on the team the past two weeks has been that I’ve had time to start picking up shifts again at Beau’s diner and save up a little for college now that my scholarship dreams are over.

The bad part is it’s the perfect place to see how my actions at the pep rally have rotted the townspeople’s brains too.

During Amy’s very intense musical theater phase in middle school, her parents took her to New York City. And of course she came back home buzzing about Broadway and how beautiful the piss smell was and everything artsy people say about New York. But she also vividly described some diner she waited three hours to get into where the waitstaff would all perform songs for the customers as a way to practice for auditions. The regulars would have favorite staff members and stan them the way Amy stans all her emo musicians.

Working at Beau’s used to feel kind of like that, like I was part of a performance team I didn’t know I signed up for. The job started off pretty basic over the summer—I wanted to save up for basketball supplies, and Amy worked there and said it was boring ever since her e-girl coworker friend graduated. But I couldn’t get through a single lunch rush table without someone calling me over and wanting the inside scoop on the Wildcats and how we were preparing for the home opener, wanting me to sign an article in the paper or take a photo. Every friendly face just made the resolve grow inside me. People love and support the Wildcats; they would do the same for me.

Yeah, right.

Now just like school, customers have been glaring at me, making comments about letting everyone down, about being selfish, about my actions being “unfortunate,” and the tips have been essentially nonexistent. The Wildcats have been obliterated in half their games since I quit, carrying a 2–3 record when last year we were 5–0, and the comments make my feet feel like lead weights I have to drag through every shift.

Today is no different. It’s Thursday, the usual dinner rush at Beau’s, and I try to stay focused on the stress of balancing seven milkshakes on one platter. A group of regulars, some construction workers, keep loudly wondering why I won’t come back to the team while I refuse proper eye contact.

One of the guys looks up at me as I drop the bill off. “So, what’s the deal? Does being queer keep ya from physically being able to play?”

They all snicker as they pull out crumpled bills. I stuff my hands into my pockets, holding my tongue.

When they leave, I hold my breath as I take their bill.

Sure enough, no tip.

“What the fuck?” I mutter under my breath.

“Language,” Amy says as she glides past me, imitating the way Richard says it to her every shift, and adds, “even though they are dicks.” At least Amy’s been ranting about it every free chance she gets. It was one thing when the student body was being shitty about me leaving the team, but the town being like this is even more infuriating. She doesn’t understand how these fully grown adults can really care that much about high school basketball and thinks they need a new fucking hobby. I finally agree with her.

[She’s wearing red lipstick to go with her raccoon-adjacent eyeliner as she rushes off to prepare milkshakes for a pack of middle schoolers. I catch her mid–death glare as all three of the kids rotate in their chairs, making the old things squeal. My anger fades a bit as I can’t help but chuckle; Amy’s pissed-off reaction to Richard telling her to smile more was said raccoon makeup, and her tolerance for buffoonery has been at a negative five to start and declining fast.

I rest my arms on the counter and try not to look as exhausted as I feel.

“Excuse me!” an old lady screeches, making me jump.

Amy covers up a laugh as I head to the old lady and her husband’s table. They’ve got finished plates, full waters. Not sure what the problem is. Or I do, which is worse.

“Yes?” I say trying to suppress my annoyance.

“Could you be bothered to serve us?”

Only five more hours on shift. I have a break in three minutes. I’ll be with Devin at Georgia Tech tomorrow. “I’m sorry, ma’am,” I say, so careful to keep my words even, but I can feel my hands balling into fists. “What would you—?”

And suddenly Amy swoops in, dropping two mugs of coffee down. “Sorry about that, you two,” she says, her voice extra high. “The machine was conking out on us, but it’s fine now.”

Once the coffee is down, she hooks onto a chunk of my shirt, steering us back to the bar.

“Thanks,” I mutter, embarrassed to have forgotten something so basic. Again.

“Just keep it together, man,” she says. “Maybe you’d be better off with that creepy night shift where all the truckers and serial killers come in.”

Honestly, at least the serial killers wouldn’t care about my jump shot.

It’s a few minutes before my break, but clearly I need it. “I’ll be in the back room.”

Right before I can head that way though, someone straight-up bursts into the diner and rushes over to me at the bar. It’s a middle-aged dad type, sunburned skin, beer belly, and stained T-shirt.

“Pickup order?” I ask.

“You should be ashamed,” he sneers at me. He has a really strong Southern accent, but it’s not Georgian. “Think you’re so high and mighty, that nothing’ll ever affect you? My kid’ll never go to college because of you and your lifestyle. Fuck you, Barclay Ell—”

And before this man can finish cursing my name, Pat of all people runs in, wide-eyed in humiliation. “Jesus, Dad, please don’t—”

I pin my gaze on him, remembering how he cowered on the bench as Ostrowski went off, how he didn’t even try to approach me. “Don’t even bother,” I snap.

I shove a to-go bag into his dad’s arms, relieved it’s prepaid, and storm off to the break room.]

Amy finds me head in my arms a minute or two later. I look up, rubbing my eyes. “Please spare me the pity.”

She snorts and hands me a milkshake. Mint chocolate chip. “Wouldn’t dare.” She takes a seat and rolls her shoulders and neck, cracks sounding through the tiny room. “Do you want a distraction or a shoulder to cry on?”

For more information, and to purchase your copy of Time Out, click here.

‍

Reframing the COVID-19 Pandemic Through a Stage Manager’s Eyes

By: Kaitlyn Riggio

5 July 2022

When the COVID-19 pandemic was declared a national emergency in the United States in March 2020, Broadway veteran stage manager Richard Hester watched the nation’s anxiety unfold on social media.

“No one knew what the virus was going to do,” Hester said. Some people were “losing their minds in abject terror, and then there were some people who were completely denying the whole thing.”

For Hester, the reaction at times felt like something out of a movie. “It was like the Black Plague,” he said. “Some people thought it was going to be like that Monty Python sketch: ‘bring out your dead, bring out your dead.’”

While Hester was also unsure about how the virus would unfold, he felt that his “job as a stage manager is to naturally defuse drama.” Hester brought this approach off the stage and onto social media in the wake of the pandemic.

“I just sort of synthesized everything that was happening into what I thought was a manageable bite, so people could get it,” Hester said. This became a daily exercise for a year. Over two years after the beginning of the pandemic, Hester’s accounts are compiled in the book, Hold Please: Stage Managing A Pandemic. Released earlier this year, the book documents the events of the past two years, filtering national events and day-to-day occurrences through a stage manager’s eyes and storytelling.

When Hester started this project, he had no intention of writing a book. He was originally writing every day because there was nothing else to do. “I am somebody who needs a job or needs a structure,” Hester said.

Surprised to find that people began expecting his daily posts, he began publishing his daily writing to his followers through a Substack newsletter. As his following grew, Hester had to get used to writing for an audience. “I started second guessing myself a lot of the time,” Hester said. “It just sort of put a weird pressure on it.”

Hester said he got especially nervous before publishing posts in which he wrote about more personal topics. For example, some of his posts focused on his experiences growing up in South Africa while others centered on potentially divisive topics, such as the 2020 election and the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Despite some of this discomfort, Hester’s more personal posts were often the ones that got the most response. The experience offered him a writing lesson. “I stopped worrying about the audience and just wrote what I wanted to write about,” Hester said. “All of that pressure that I think as artists we put on ourselves, I got used to it.”

One of Hester’s favorite anecdotes featured in the book centers on a woman who dances in Washington Square Park on a canvas, rain or shine. He said he was “mesmerized by her,” which inspired him to write about her. “It was literally snowing and she was barefoot on her canvas dancing, and that seems to me just a spectacularly beautiful metaphor for everything that we all try and do, and she was living that to the fullest.”

During the creation of Hold Please, Hester got the unique opportunity to reflect in-depth on the first year of the pandemic by looking back at his accounts. He realized that post people would not remember the details of the lockdown; people would “remember it as a gap in their lives, but they weren’t going to remember it beat by beat.”

“Reliving each of those moments made me realize just how full a year it was, even though none of us were doing anything outside,” he adds. “We were all on our couches.” Readers will use the book as a way to relive moments of the pandemic’s first year “without having to wallow in the misery of it,” he hopes.

“I talk about the misery of it, but that’s not the focus of what I wrote... it was about hope and moving forward,” Hester said. “In these times when everything is so difficult, we will figure out a way to get through and we will move forward.”

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