Giant: The Musical

Grantors

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Sponsors

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Sponsors

Donors

Tributes

Performers

Liliana Kelly Anderson

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Ensemble

Kayla Durgin

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Lil Luz

Bryce Guerrero

*

Jett Rink

Meaghan Anne Hall

*

Luz Benedict

Kelcie Linn McCain

*

Ensemble

Montse McGill

*

Lady Karfey

Bethany Payan

*

Analita

DeeDee Putzel

*

Heidi/Ensemble

Matt Rist

*

Jordy Jr

Elijah Rivera

*

Angel SR/Body guard 2/ Mariachi Singer

Daniella Rodriguez

*

Juana Guerra Benedict

Matt Scott

*

Bobby Dietz Sr

Amanda Willingham

*

Adarene Morly / Mrs. Lynnton

Adam Willingham

*

Bick (Jordan) Benedict

Setting

Act I: 1 hr 45 min Intermission: 15 min Act II: 1 hr 20 min

Songs & Scenes

Act I

Aurelia Dolores

Did Spring Come To Texas?

Your Texas

No Time For Surprises

Private Property

Outside Your Window

He Wanted A Girl

Heartbreak Country

Ruega Por Nosotros

Look Back/Look Ahead

Topsy Turvy

When To Bluff

One Day

My Texas

A Stranger

Act One Finale

Act II

Our Mornings

Jump

There Is A Child

Un Beso, Beso!

Place In The World

Midnight Blues

The Dog is Gonna Bark

Juana's Prayer

The Desert

Aurelia Dolores (Reprise)/ Act 2 Finale

Production Staff

Giant Production Staff

Director

Adam Sahli

Assitant Director

Jeri Morgan Tobin Brannan Bethany Payan

Music Director

Bert Bostic

Assistant Music Director

Scott Aycock

Tech/Scenic Designer

EJ Hancock

Scenic Designer

Brianna Houser

Lighting Designer

A. Chris Barton

Sound Designer

Adam Sahli

Choreographer

Maija Johnson Horne

Costume Designer

Hailey Eakle

Assistant Costume Designer

Bec Pawlowski

Stage Manager

Stephanie Dresel

2025 Endowment Corporation

Chair

Ann Hankins

Finance

Leon Jeffcoat

Endowment Member

Michael Blonvist Kathy Grella Dr. Gary Madden Jamie Small Karen Sparks

Venue Staff

School Administration Staff

Executive Director

Adam Sahli

Business & Development Director

Wendi Guerrero

Finance Director

Pamela Mounts

Facilities Manager

Nicholas McRae

Facilities Supervisor

Payton Lester

Marketing/PR Director

Britt Hoffman

Box Office Supervisor

Megan Croyle

House Managers

Laura Arthur Jane Moore Tracy Shock Renee Pocsik Kara Beeler

Education Director

Emma Evenson

Associate Artistic Director

A. Chris Barton

Volunteer Services Coordinator

Carley Venter

Co - Scenic Designer

Brianna Houser EJ Hancock

Costume Designer

Hailey Eakle

Assistant Costume Designer

Bec Pawlowski

Shop Foreman

Elijah Rivera

Costume Apprentice

Wes Bryant

Admin Apprentice

Lainee Atkinson

Musicians

Music Director

Bert Bostic

Assistant Music Director/Piano

Scott Aycock

Brass

Payne Conner

Wind

Jordan Frazier Colby Swails

Guitar and Violin

Sam Reyes

Percussionist

Austin Taylor

Bass

Caleb Williams

2025 Board of Governors

President

Joshua Sparks

President Elect

Chris Hall

Treasurer

Steve Pocsik

Secretary

Samuel Stennis

Past President

Lisa Durgin

Board Members

Natalie Acosta Brad Bullock Casey Green Melissa Hooper Jamie Jenkins Billy Kelley Deida Pressey R.Shaun Rainey John Wilkinson Jessi Willmann

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

*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.

Director's Note

Meet the Cast

Liliana Kelly Anderson

*

Ensemble

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)

(

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Pronouns:

she/her/he/him

Liliana, "Lili", Anderson is thrilled to be apart of this mainstage production. She is a 19 year old in her first year of college and looking to major in Performance Arts! You may remember Lili last being in the MCT Mainstage production of 'Puffs', the PickWick production of 'Into the Woods', or the Midland College production of 'The Cherry Orchard'. Lili intends to give the glory of her performance to God, and hopes you enjoy the show!

Kayla Durgin

*

Lil Luz

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Pronouns:

I’m thrilled to be in this show! I was recently in Anastasia and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and love being back on stage.

Bryce Guerrero

*

Jett Rink

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)

(

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Pronouns:

Excited to be back on the main stage at MCT. Recently performed along side his wife as Buck in Bonnie & Clyde and looking forward to playing a complete opposite of a character as Jett Rink. Enjoys going to Ren Faires and crafting leather goods in his free time as well as spending time with his friends and corgis, Quorra and Thorin.

Meaghan Anne Hall

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Luz Benedict

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)

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Pronouns:

Meaghan Hall is excited to be part of this awesome cast as Luz Benedict! She and her husband, Chris, have two kids Andrew and Ashlynn and their English Cream, Leia Belle. Meaghan has been part of MCT since 2011 when she caught the acting bug as part of the cast of Oklahoma! which is a show close to her heart as an Oklahoma girl. She recently respirated her role as Mrs. Cratchit in A Christmas Carol but her favorite role was Betty Haynes in MCT's 2024 production of White Christmas.

Kelcie Linn McCain

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Ensemble

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)

(

)

Pronouns:

She/Her

Kelcie is excited to be returning to the main stage for this production. Her previous role was Ensemble in White Christmas in the 2024 season. Outside of theatre, she is involved with pageants, and spends time with her Husband and two sons. She can also be found in many volunteer roles at Summer Mummers during the summer season.

Montse McGill

*

Lady Karfey

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Ensemble

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Ensemble

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Pronouns:

she/her/hers

After two years of volunteering behind the scenes, Montse is thrilled to officially step onto the MCT stage in Giant! She is especially honored to share the beauty of Hispanic culture with our community and is grateful for the opportunity to help convey the profound message of this show. Montse would like to dedicate this performance to her daughter, whose love and support inspire her every day.

Bethany Payan

*

Analita

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)

(

)

Pronouns:

She/her

After almost a year long break from the MCT stage, I am excited to be part of another season opener from behind the scenes as well with a chance to embrace my heritage and culture. I was last seen on this stage in Anastasia and most recently Anya in Midland College's The Cherry Orchard. I hope everyone enjoys this show and gets to take something away from it as its message is important.

DeeDee Putzel

*

Heidi/Ensemble

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Dresser Chair

)

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Dresser Chair

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Pronouns:

She/her

DeeDee is excited to be returning to the stage for the first time in 25 years! Her last role was as Rizzo in Grease. She is Co-Dresser Chair and has been helping backstage for the last year in various roles (ASM, light, sound, projections, costume shop, specialty cast/crew snacks... ). She is a mom to three teenagers and runs a homeschool community for 100 students in the Permian Basin. She is so thankful for the opportunity to get back on stage and is looking forward to bringing the important message of Giant to our community.

Matt Rist

*

Jordy Jr

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)

(

)

Pronouns:

He/him

Matt Rist was most recently seen at MCT as Gleb in Anastasia. Matt graduated from The George Washington University with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Theater. Matt is the Director of Marketing for ICA Advertising and in a past life was an award-winning Reporter and News Director at CBS 7. If you’re looking for a second home in Midland, come and volunteer with us on or offstage! Se Habla Español!

Elijah Rivera

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Angel SR/Body guard 2/ Mariachi Singer

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Set builder

)

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Set builder

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Pronouns:

From building sets to acting on stage. Elijah Rivera has been volunteering at MCT since he first arrived at Midland back in 2022. You may have seen him on stage or back stage from then till now.

Elijah now works for MCT as a Scenic Assistant, he is also a trained Comercial Actor under DeCayette agency.

Daniella Rodriguez

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Juana Guerra Benedict

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)

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Pronouns:

Matt Scott

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Bobby Dietz Sr

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Lord Karfey, Representative

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Lord Karfey, Representative

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Pronouns:

he/him

Adam Willingham

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Bick (Jordan) Benedict

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)

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Pronouns:

Adam brings a strong background in vocal performance to the stage, having studied Music at Odessa College and Friends University. His professional credits include performing as a Tenor for Opera Kansas and with the Wichita Grand Opera. After his time in Wichita, he returned to Odessa to start a family with his incredible wife, Amanda. He is most proud to share the stage in Giant with her and dedicates his performance to his family.

Amanda Willingham

*

Adarene Morly / Mrs. Lynnton

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)

(

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Pronouns:

Amanda Willingham is a seasoned music educator whose two decades in the arts have been devoted to shaping voices and storytelling both onstage and in the classroom. Her work spans directing numerous musicals and performing with professional ensembles, fueling her passion for the power of theatre and choral artistry. Amanda, a proud mother of two, is delighted to share the stage in this production alongside her husband and continue expanding her craft as a performer.

Meet the Team

Stephanie Dresel

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Stage Manager

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Pronouns:

Stephanie Dresel

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Stage Manager

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Pronouns:

Stephanie is the Lead Pathways Advisor for Midland College CTE/ STEM/ Business. She and her family have been long time patrons of MCT. Stephanie Started volunteering in 2019 and has since been seen on stage and backstage in several productions since. While she has loved her time on stage is shows such as Puffs and Cinderella, she feels more at home backstage with the costumes, sets, and stage management team. Stephanie sees the theater as her second home where she has made friends who have become family. She is very excited for the opportunity to Stage Manage a show with such talented cast and crew members. "Doing a show with such important roots in West Texas history is always an honor. I hope everyone enjoys this amazingly powerful show!"

Mireya Guerrero

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ASM

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)

Pronouns:

She/Her/Hers

EJ Hancock

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Scenic Designer

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Pronouns:

they/them

EJ Hancock is excited and grateful to be a part of the productions at Midland Community Theatre.
Over the course of their theatre career, EJ has worked as Props Designer, Scenic Charge, Digital Artist, Sound Designer, Technical Director, and Performer. Their favorite shows to have worked on include Angel Street (Gaslight), The Secret Garden, Into the Woods, and Bonnie and Clyde: The Musical. In their free time, EJ enjoys spending time with friends, family, and their cat, Marlo! EJ has been with MCT as a Scenic Designer for over a year now and is enthusiastic for what the future holds. They hope everyone enjoys the show!

Brianna J. Houser

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Scenic & Projection Designer

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Pronouns:

With a background in Game Design and a love for the arts, Brianna J. Houser strives to bring the stage to life by creating immersive environments. Whether it is through set design, scenic painting, or digital projections, she loves the whole creative and collaborative process here at MCT.

Maija Johnson Horne

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Choreographer

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)

Pronouns:

She/her

Maija is honored to work on this production with hopes that it will inspire and educate people about who we are as West Texans. She believes this story needs to be shared. On the stage, in the classroom, and at dinner tables. She believes there is still so much to learn from each other, if we take the time. She is proud to have grown up in Odessa, and to have the opportunity to come back to Midland to be a part of this beautiful show. She's been a local choreographer for over 10 years and feels very blessed to have the ability to work in this industry and community. At MCT, she choreographed Dirty Rotten Scoundrels in 2024 and Rock of Ages in 2023. Enjoy GIANT!

Seneca Dawnn Mick

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Assistant Stage Manager

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Dance Captain

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Pronouns:

She/her

Seneca Mick, mezzo-soprano, has been involved in performing arts since she can remember. At an early age, she began dance and theater training. With 13 years experience in ballet, pointe, jazz, lyrical, and musical theatre, Seneca knew she was in love with the expression of emotions through performance. Seneca has performed in various shows throughout her life such as; Eurydice in the play “Eurydice”, Pane in the opera “La Calisto”, and Lucy in the musical “Bright Star”. This will be Seneca's first time backstage as an Assistant Stage Manager! She is excited to be a part of this amazing show.

Jeri Morgan

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Assistant Director

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Pronouns:

Jeri is delighted for the opportunity to expand her theatrical experience by working as an Assistant Director on this show. She was last seen onstage as Emma Parker in Bonnie & Clyde The Musical.

Media

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2021 National Touring Cast

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While You Wait

With the help of our friends at Theatrely.com, Marquee Digital has you covered with exclusive content while you wait for the curtain to rise.

DAD DON’T READ THIS To Transfer To Greenwich House Theatre Later This Month

Kobi Kassal

June 3, 2026

Following its sold-out, twice-extended run at St. Luke’s Theatre, New York Times critic’s pick production of Eliya Smith’s Dad Don’t Read This will transfer to Greenwich House Theater for a strictly limited engagement, June 17 – July 11, 2026. Directed by Chloe Claudel, this co-production is produced by Try For Baby Productions and The Goat Exchange. The show features performances by Drama Desk winner Amalia Yoo (John Proctor is the Villain), Renée-Nicole Powell (Grief Camp), Sophie Rossman, and Kayta Thomas. Dad Don’t Read This is set to open at Greenwich House Theater (27 Barrow St) on Tuesday, June 23. Tickets are now on sale at www.daddontreadthis.com.

Runyonland Productions, which was recently honored at Theatrely’s 2026 Broadway Breakout Brunch, have joined the transfer as Executive Producers.

‍Dad Don’t Read This is set in suburban Central Ohio, where four girls meet weekly for a sleepover. They talk and sleep and play The Sims, a computer game that simulates real life, on a laptop. They gossip, snack, and attempt to get drunk. They strive to fulfill their needs, struggle to understand the relationship between doing and being seen, and begin to suspect they don't have a whole lot of agency.

Wait, nevermind; that’s The Sims.

‍Dad Don’t Read This is about the people who know you before you know anything.“Dad Don’t Read This is my love letter to adolescence and to teenage friendship and also an attempt to document how excruciating it is to be only partially a person,” says playwright Eliya Smith. “I’m deeply moved by the way audiences, especially young people, have embraced this play.”

The creative team for Dad Don’t Read This includes Forest Entsminger (scenic & props design), Olivia Vaughn Hern (costume design), Abigail Sage (lighting design), Mitchell Polonsky (sound design), Lena Engelstein (choreography), Dante Gonzalez (costume consultant), Mya Piccione (production stage manager), Madeline Riddick-Seals (assistant stage manager), and Arin Edelstein (production assistant).

Broadway’s PARANORMAL ACTIVITY Has Found Its Cast

Alan Koolik

June 2, 2026

Broadway is about to get pretty spooky! Today it was announced that Paranormal Activity has found its cast for Broadway and the Boston production. Written by Levi Holloway (Grey House) and directed by Felix Barrett (Sleep No More), Paranormal Activity will begin performances Friday, August 14, 2026 and officially open Tuesday, September 15, 2026 at the August Wilson Theatre (245 West 52nd Street) for a strictly limited run.

Paranormal Activity in Boston and on Broadway will star Cher Álvarez as Lou, Travis A. Knight as James, Shannon Cochran as Carolanne and Andrea Syglowski as Etheline Cotgrave with understudies Caron Buinis, Caroline Hendricks and Michael Holding. Álvarez, Knight, Cochran, Buinis, Hendricks and Holding are all making their Broadway debuts and reprising their roles from previous productions across North America. Syglowski will make her Paranormal Activity debut in the Boston and Broadway productions and is currently appearing in the Broadway production of Dog Day Afternoon.

James and Lou move from Chicago to London to escape their past, but they soon discover that places aren’t haunted, people are… With an original story inspired by the film franchise, Paranormal Activity reimagines the modern ghost story with an intimacy that only live theatre can provide. ‍

This play will feature scenic and costume design by Tony Award Nominee Fly Davis (Caroline, Or Change 2021), illusions design by Tony Award Winner Chris Fisher (Stranger Things: The First Shadow), lighting design by Anna Watson (Giant), sound design by Tony Award Winner Gareth Fry (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), video and projections design by Drama Desk Award Winner Luke Halls (The Lehman Trilogy), and General Management by Samuel Dallas/Envoy Theatricals. ‍

Paranormal Activity will arrive on Broadway directly from a strictly limited pre-Broadway engagement in Boston at the Emerson Colonial Theatre from July 11 through July 30. Prior to Boston, Paranormal Activity played sold-out engagements at Chicago Shakespeare Theater in Chicago, Center Theater Group at The Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington D.C., and American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. A production in Toronto at the CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre begins performances on June 9, 2026, and will run through July 5, 2026. The production first premiered at the Leeds Playhouse in the UK before transferring to the Ambassadors Theatre in the West End, where it received a Laurence Olivier Award nomination this year for Best Entertainment or Comedy Play.

Tony Nominee Daniel J. Watts Is Doing Great, and Painting In The East Village

Kobi Kassal

June 2, 2026

Get those paintbrushes ready. Starting today through June 14, Tony nominee Daniel J. Watts is giving folks an inside look at his painting process with a live residency entitled Process of Saying Yes (in partnership with Long Gallery Harlem) at the East Village Basement downtown.

He will showcase his signature freestyle dance painting technique with elements of improvisation, live looping, spoken word, and storytelling for 90 minutes of unadulterated freedom and authenticity. Each evening will culminate in the sale of the created work.

Night after night, Watts will be accompanied by a rotation of Featured Musicians: Tony-nominated orchestrator/composer Michael Thurber (Just In Time; Goddess), Grammy-nominated composer/bassist Divinity Roxx (Divi Roxx Kids; The Beyonce Experience), Julian Rozzell, Jr. (The Skin of Our Teeth), MïRÄNDÄ (Harness; LMK), DJ DUGGZ (Motown The Musical; S.N.O.B), and Ari Grooves (Tina: The Tina Turner Musical; S.N.O.B). They will be paired with Special Guest performers Daniela Bauer, Nick Biello, Louis Cato, Leo Coltrane, Jake Goldbas, Alphonso Horne, Dana Marie Ingraham, Sunny Jain, Lucas Kadish, Kaila Mullady, Taharqa Patterson, & Vee. See event page for specific performer dates.

A few days before COVID-19 caused the 2020 Broadway shutdown, Patricia McGregor, long-time collaborator and Artistic Director of the renowned New York Theatre Workshop, floated the idea of Watts dancing in paint. The following summer, a chance encounter with LA-based visual artist, Upendo Taylor, helped turn the idea into a reality. “I told Upendo I was thinking about it. The next day he showed up with a large piece of canvas and said, ‘Let’s get to it!’” The artist explains the process is more than creative, it is also cathartic. “I didn’t realize how much the pandemic was affecting me until I started painting. I finally had a vehicle to help me transmute the feelings of immense uncertainty.”

The current news cycle continues to reflect ceaseless international conflicts, political turmoil, alienating algorithms, and a world incorporating artificial intelligence. Process of Saying Yes is an opportunity for audiences to witness something being made in real time by real people. The artist says, “As a painter, I spend most of my time in a silo. The residency affords me the privilege to engage with community. My hope is that operating in a space of abundant ‘yes’ will help me become more definitive with my ‘no’.”

In conjunction with the partnership with Long Gallery Harlem (2073 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr Blvd), selected works will be exhibited and available, at the gallery, from the end of the residency through July 31. Gallery director and founder, Lewis Long, states, “A decade ago, Daniel performed a version of his show ‘The Jam’ here in conjunction with visual artist Dareece Walker. We have had the privilege to witness his artistic growth over the last 10 years and we’re thrilled to have him return to Long Gallery Harlem with his own visual work.” A live performance will take place at the gallery on July 4.

For tickets and more information, visit here.

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.

‍

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.

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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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