Grantors

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Sponsors

No items found.

Sponsors

Donors

Thank you to all our Donors!

Tributes

We are honored to acknowledge those members of our community that we have lost.

Performers

Aaron Albano

*

William

Carlyn Connolly

*

Aurélie

Kevin Curtis

*

Colombe

Laura Girard

*

Dorian/Hérissonne

Jacob Hoffman

*

Gryphon

Tracie Elaine Lee

*

Geneviève

David Merten

*

Stéphane

Mike Schwitter

*

Napoléon

Christine Cornish Smith

*

Delphine

Sharrod Williams

*

Coquin/Perruche, u/s Chance

Aaron Albano – Understudy M. Maboul

Setting

1944, Occupied France

There will be one 15-minute intermission

Songs & Scenes

Act I

"Rebellion, Revolution, Paradox"

Full Company

"The Circle’s End"

Aurélie

"Almost Real"

Chance

"Curiosity"

Aurélie

"Long Story Short"

William, Perruche, Hérissonne & Aurélie

"Fantasia"

Chance & Full Company

"The Other Side"

Chenille

"Beyond the Sky"

Aurélie & Colombe

"Visions"

Delphine, Stéphane, & Aurélie

"Where You Want to Go"

Marie-Laure

"A Table for Three"

M. Maboul, Mars, & Dorian

Act II

"Roses In Bloom"

Full Company

"What A Pity"

Chance

"Laughter Through Tears"

Mme. Tortue

"Will You, Won’t You?"

Gryphon, Mme. Tortue, & Aurélie

"Nostalgic Echo"

Marie-Laure

"The Accusation"

Chance, Geneviève, Napoléon & Coquin

"A Table for Three (Reprise)"

M. Maboul, Mars & Dorian

"Nothing Whatever"

Full Company

"Expression More Profound"

Aurélie & Full Company

"To See You Again"

Aurélie & Delphine

Production Staff

Director

Melissa Rain Anderson

Scenic Design

Ann Beyersdorfer

Costume Design

Fabian Fidel Aguilar

Lighting Design

Jamie Roderick

Sound Design

Kevin Heard

Arrangements

Andrew Nielson

Casting

Kate Lumpkin Casting

General Management

EBP Productions

Production Stage Manager

Laura Malseed

Music Supervisor

Andrew Nielson

Venue Staff

School Administration Staff

No items found.

Musicians

No items found.

Board of Trustees

President

Dame Judi Dench

Board Members

Fred Cratchit Tiny Tim

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

Endless thanks to everyone that made this journey down the rabbit hole possible.

*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.

Message From The Theatre

Welcome to Parkside Court's inaugural production of the 2021 season, and the first performances on our stage following a devastating pandemic that shook our industry–and the world at large–to its very core.

We have long awaited the chance to welcome our patrons back to their seats and to once again experience and enjoy the innately transcendent and transformative art of theatre.

It is important to us that our audience understand the exhaustive measures we have taken to ensure not only the safety of our audience, but that of our staff, crew, and the cast on stage. From new cleaning protocols, to a new air filtration system, to the contactless program you hold in your hands, we have left no stone unturned in our efforts to ensure a safe and successful return to our theatre.

Gladys Kingston, Artistic Director

A Note From The Dramaturg

A work of art incorporating rebelliousness, revolution, paradox; distortions of space and time, logic, size, and proportion; disbelief in conventional reality; assimilation of dreams, wordplay, and the ineffable nature of childhood: What do we first think of when we hear these words?

Although the outrageousness of Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson was limned within a conventional fairy tale (ostensibly for children), the surrealists deliberately sought outrage and provocation in their art and lives and questioned the nature of reality. For both Dodgson and the surrealists, what some call madness could be perceived by others as wisdom. Surrealism’s initial objective was to make accessible to art the realms of the unconscious, the irrational, and the imaginary, and its influence soon went far beyond the visual arts and literature, embracing music, film, theater, philosophy, and popular culture.*

We welcome you to our modern wonderland--a world of Rebellion, Revolution, and Paradox--and we invite you to ask of yourself the question posed so effortlessly in a rowboat on the Thames:

In a time of unrelenting crisis, who are you?

*Mark Burstein, “Dodgson and Dalì,” 2015

History of the Theatre

Established in 2011, Parkside Court Regional Theatre emerged as a dynamic force in the cultural landscape of its region. Nestled within the vibrant community of Parkside, the theatre swiftly gained acclaim for its dedication to presenting fresh, innovative works that resonated with contemporary audiences. From its inception, Parkside Court distinguished itself by embracing the spirit of experimentation and exploration, continuously pushing the boundaries of traditional theatre.

Starting in a modest venue, Parkside Court quickly expanded its reach, captivating audiences with a diverse repertoire that showcased new and exciting pieces from emerging playwrights alongside reimagined classics. With each production, the theatre fostered an atmosphere of creative collaboration and artistic risk-taking, inviting patrons to immerse themselves in thought-provoking narratives that reflected the complexities of modern life. Today, Parkside Court Regional Theatre stands as a beacon of creativity and ingenuity, enriching its community with a bold and ever-evolving vision for the future of theatre.

Meet the Cast

Aaron Albano

*

William

(

Dance Captain

)

(

Dance Captain

)

Pronouns:

he/him

Aaron Albano hails originally from the West Coast where he began performing professionally at the age of 15 in San Jose, CA. After attending the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), majoring in musical theatre, he made his Broadway debut in the original company of Bombay Dreams. Since then, Aaron has performed in such Broadway shows as Wicked, A Chorus Line, Mary Poppins, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (where he closed the production as Chip Tolentino), The King and I, Allegiance, Cats, and most notably, as Finch in the original Broadway company of Newsies. Aaron can currently be seen as Samuel Seabury (and on rare occasion King George III) on the national tour of Hamilton.

Carlyn Connolly

*

Aurélie

(

)

(

)

Pronouns:

she/her

Carlyn Connolly is a NYC-based performer and start-up founder. Select regional credits include Cabaret (Fräulein Kost, u/s Sally Bowles; Alabama Shakespeare Festival), Company (Sarah, Arts Center of Coastal Carolina), The Great Gatsby (Jordan Baker, Ivoryton Playhouse), Fun Home (Helen Bechdel, Mill Mountain Theatre), The Sound of Music (Elsa Schraeder, Virginia Opera), Hello, Dolly! (Irene Malloy, Virginia Musical Theatre), and An American in Paris (Milo Davenport, Arts Center of Coastal Carolina). Carlyn has performed as a soloist with orchestras in the US, Canada, and across Asia. Love always to Mom, Dad, Devin, and Melissa, and endless thanks to Andre for this incredible honor.

Kevin Curtis

*

Colombe

(

)

(

)

Pronouns:

Broadway: Moulin Rouge. B’way National Tour: A Chorus Line. Off-Broadway: Invisible Thread (Second Stage). Regional: Paper Mill Playhouse, The MUNY, Steppenwolf Theatre Co., ART, Denver Center, Geva Theatre, Dallas Theatre Center, PCLO, North Shore Music Theatre, TUTS, Stages St. Louis and many more. TV: Pose (FX), Younger (TVLand), The Other Two (HBO Max), Side Hustle (Nickelodeon). Film: Loulou, Take Care, Newlyweeds. Training: Baltimore School for the Arts, AMDA.

Laura Girard

*

Dorian/Hérissonne

(

)

(

)

Pronouns:

Laura Girard is a proud graduate of the Ball State University BFA Musical Theatre program. She was recently seen dancing at Nationwide Arena with the Tom Sartori Band, and in Lippa's The Wild Party in collaboration with the Yale School of Music. She currently lives in New York with her boyfriend and her cat.

Jacob Hoffman

*

Gryphon

(

)

(

)

Pronouns:

Jacob Hoffman • Actor, Singer, Writer, Teacher • NY/Off-Broadway: Howard Crabtree’s When Pigs Fly (The Actors Fund), I’ll Be Damned (The Vineyard Theatre), Bless You All! (Connelly Theatre), Scary Musical: The Musical (York Theatre), Jacob Hoffman's Kindergarten Thanksgiving Spectacular (The Green Room 42). Select Regional: Geva Theatre Center, Arkansas Rep., ACT of Connecticut, Pioneer Theatre Co., Utah Shakespearean Festival, Bay Street Theatre, Florida Studio Theatre, Arkansas Rep., and Porchlight Music Theatre. Proud AEA member.

Tracie Elaine Lee

*

Geneviève

(

)

(

)

Pronouns:

Off-Broadway: Safeword. First National tour: Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (Uptown). Select Regional: Dreamgirls (Michelle), Fortress of Solitude (Marilla), Les Miserables (Eponine), Cabaret (Texas), Stagger Lee. Many thanks to Avalon Artists Group & Kate Lumpkin Casting. Endless love to God, Dad, Mom, Janelle & Bop.

David Merten

*

Stéphane

(

)

(

)

Pronouns:

David Merten just completed his first year as an MFA Acting student at Brown University/Trinity Rep. He made his New York Off-Broadway debut with a seven-month run of the hit play Afterglow at The Davenport Theatre. Other New York/regional credits include Sons of the Prophet, The Two Gentlemen Of Verona, And Then There Were None, and the Williamstown Theatre Festival Acting Apprentice program. Catch him in the popular fiction podcasts Gay Future and Meet Cute on iTunes, as well as the web series Queen's English, streaming online now. He is a proud graduate of Ball State University's BFA Acting program as well as a proud member of AEA.

Mike Schwitter

*

Napoléon

(

)

(

)

Pronouns:

Mike Schwitter just finished traveling for two years with the national tour of Les Misérables (covering Marius and Enjolras.) Broadway: Pippin (Lewis, u/s Pippin). National Tour: The Book of Mormon (Swing, u/s Elder Price). Regional: Next to Normal (Regional Premier and elsewhere; Gabe), Jesus Christ Superstar, Love Changes Everything, Chamberlain. Other favorites include HAIR, Urinetown, and Anything Goes. Mike has also performed with dozens of symphonies across the country in shows such as Cirque Musica, "The Spy Who Loved Me" with Sheena Easton, and West Side Story at the Hollywood Bowl with the LA Philharmonic, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel. Mike holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from the College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) and currently resides in New York City.

Christine Cornish Smith

*

Delphine

(

)

(

)

Pronouns:

Christine Cornish Smith was most recently seen on Broadway in the Original Revival Cast of Kiss Me, Kate!, where she was a featured dancer in the ensemble and covered Lois Lane/Bianca. Christine is most well known for her portrayal of Bombalurina in the OBC revival of CATS, where she was nominated for a 2017 Chita Rivera Award for Best female performance in a Broadway Musical. She was also seen in the OBC of My Fair Lady in 2018 at Lincoln Center. A cum laude graduate of the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, other credits include: Laurey Williams in Susan Stroman’s Oklahoma! at the MUNY, Sheila Bryant in A Chorus Line at the Riverside Theater, original revival tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat helmed by Andy Blankenbuehler, and more. She has also performed as a principal vocalist with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, the Phoenix Symphony, and the Niagara Symphony Orchestra, as well as was a finalist in Kurt Weill’s Lotte Lenya Vocal Competition in 2014. She appeared in the 25th Anniversary Concert performance of Crazy For You at Lincoln Center and has also appeared on HBO’s “Last Week Tonight” with John Oliver, “Good Morning, America”, “The Today Show”, “The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade”, and “The Tony Awards". Christine is a teacher for Steps on Broadway, Broadway Dance Center, CLI studios, Institute of American Musical Theater, Broadway Workshop, Broadway On Demand, Broadway Classroom, among other programs. She has been featured on Playbill.com, Broadway.com, Inside Dance Magazine, and BroadwayBox as one of the "Incredible Debuts" of the 2016 Broadway season. Catch Christine on the upcoming season of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” on Amazon Prime Video coming fall 2021!

Sharrod Williams

*

Coquin/Perruche, u/s Chance

(

)

(

)

Pronouns:

Broadway: OBC CATS (Pouncival), Tuck Everlasting. Off-Broadway: Grand Hotel (Encores!). Tours: Hamilton (Chicago), A Chorus Line (Richie), Bring It On: The Musical (La Cienega). Regional: Kennedy Center, TUTS, MUNY, Asolo Rep. Dance Companies: The Chase Brock Experience, Life Dance Company, and the Von Howard Project. Film: Happy, Yummy, Chicken. TV: Under The Influence, Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade, GMA, Today Show. Executive Producer, writer, and star of the award-winning web series, NEIGHBORS - now available to stream on YouTube. Sharrod is the CEO of multi-media company, Cocoa Dusted Productions - dedicated to telling stories by queer folx and people of color. “Keep Going”.

Meet the Team

Andre Catrini

*

Music & Lyrics

(

)

Pronouns:

Andre is a composer/lyricist based out of New York City. His musical, The Astonishing Times of Timothy Cratchit (Book by Allan Knee) had its world premiere at the Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester, England in 2019.
‍
Other works include: A Problem with the Pattersons (Book by Laura Zlatos), The Wolf (Book by Joe Calarco), Thursdays at 4:15, Other Women and Whisper, Love.
‍
Awards include: 2014 ASCAP Foundation Cole Porter Award, given “in recognition for his outstanding talent as a musical theatre composer and lyricist,” as well as a 2015 New Voices Project Merit Award.

Andre is a member of ASCAP, an alumnus of the ASCAP Johnny Mercer Songwriter’s Workshop, a current member of the BMI-Lehman Engel Advanced Musical Theatre Workshop, and a graduate of the College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati.

Media

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2021 National Touring Cast

Pre-Show Snack or
Post-Show Dinner?

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Raise a Glass

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Grab a Bite

Fumo

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Harlem Public

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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.

OWNING MANHATTAN’s Chloe Tucker Caine and Stephanie Jae Park To Join SIX On Broadway This August

Kobi Kassal

July 7, 2026

For anyone who watched Owning Manhattan Season Two on Netflix, this announcement feels very special. Real Estate agent Chloe Tucker Caine (who I profiled last year) will make her Broadway debut in Six as Anne Boleyn beginning August 17 2026. Stephanie Jae Park who starred as Eliza in Hamilton will join the company as Catherine Parr.

They both join the company through February 14, 2027 at the Lena Horne Theatre.

The current cast of SIX features Khaila Wilcoxon (Broadway and National Tour of SIX, Redwood, Hadestown) who plays Catherine of Aragon, Kirstin Maldonado (member of the vocal sensation Pentatonix) who plays Anne Boleyn through August 9, Jasmine Forsberg (Broadway and National Tour of SIX, Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends) who plays Jane Seymour, Olivia Donalson (Broadway and National Tour of SIX, the Dolly Parton musical) who plays Anna of Cleves, Grammy® Award-winner Abigail Barlow (The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical Album, Disney’s Moana 2) who plays Katherine Howard, and Aiyana Smash (Broadway debut, National Tour of Rent) who plays Catherine Parr. The cast also includes Lauryn Adams, Aryn Bohannon, Maggie Likcani, and Taylor Pearlstein as alternates.

From Tudor Queens to Pop Icons, the Six wives of Henry VIII take the microphone to remix five hundred years of historical heartbreak into a Euphoric Celebration of 21st century girl power! This new original musical is the global sensation that everyone is losing their head over!

DOLLY: A TRUE ORIGINAL MUSICAL To Play Broadway’s St. James Theatre This Winter

Kobi Kassal

July 7, 2026

From one Diva to the next, the St. James is staying booked! Today, it was announced that Dolly: A True Original Musical, a remarkable journey through the life of this trailblazing woman, will come to Broadway this winter with tickets going on pre-sale starting tomorrow, July 8 at 10am ET at dollymusical.com

Previews are set to begin Monday, December 7 at the St. James Theatre on West 44th Street before an official opening night which will take place on Dolly’s 81st Birthday on Tuesday, January 19, 2027.

Casting and other details will be announced at a later date.

Dolly: A True Original Musical features music by Parton that includes some of her iconic hits as well as new songs she has written especially for the musical, a book by Parton and two-time Emmy Award winner Maria S. Schlatter, and is directed by Tony Award winner Bartlett Sher.

Parton’s career is nothing short of extraordinary. Still topping the charts well into her sixth decade of success, Dolly has sold over 100 million albums worldwide, is an inductee in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and is Billboard’s #1 Country Artist of All Time. With over 3,000 songs written and an inductee in both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Dolly has firmly cemented her place in music history. But how did this “Backwoods Barbie” rise to become a living legend?

Dolly: A True Original Musical is the story only Dolly Parton could tell, in her own words and through the songs that shaped her life. From the top of the Smoky Mountains to the top of the world, DOLLY captures how she dreamed, dared, stumbled, and soared. Featuring beloved hits including “I Will Always Love You,” “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors,” and “9 to 5,” DOLLY: A True Original Musical takes you inside her life in the spotlight and the music that carried her there.

The creative team for Dolly: A True Original Musical includes Emmy Award winner Mandy Moore (choreography), Tony Award winner Derek McLane (scenic design), Tony Award nominee Jennifer Moeller (costume design), Tony Award winner Donald Holder (lighting design), Tony Award winner Peter Hylenski (sound design), Olivier Award nominee Nathan Amzi and Olivier Award nominee Joe Ransom (video design), Robert Pickens (hair design), Studio Pickens (makeup design), Michael J. Passaro (production stage manager), and Jim Carnahan and Carrie Gardner (casting directors).

A Wild BIG FEELINGS Brings Us Back To First Grade — Review

Kobi Kassal

July 3, 2026

As you enter Ms. Joy’s first grade classroom, you are greeted with a big hello and asked if you want a first bump or a high five. I opted for the high five. After putting my bag in my assigned cubby, I sat down at Clarke’s desk [I was assigned him at the door] and began my morning work. “Draw a picture: When was a moment where you lost control? What did you do?”

I did as instructed.

Once we are all signed in and situated, Ms. Joy (a fantastic Julia Greer) lets the class know that it will be her last day teaching first grade — from that moment we hit the ground running with Ryan Drake’s Big Feelings which opened tonight at The Cell’s Gallery Space on 23rd Street.

The joy of this 85 minute solo piece is not quite knowing where we are headed next. Drake, who I have been following since his lovely Off-Broadway run of you don’t have to do anything back in 2024 has now teamed up with director Sammy Zeisel and created this delicious new work that I haven’t stopped thinking about since leaving the theatre.

Why did Ms. Joy go to a soccer game of a girl she doesn’t know? Why won’t she be in class tomorrow? I won’t say more but Drake has crafted a remarkably unsettling comedic piece of theatre that I already know will be one of my favorite plays of the year.

__wf_reserved_inherit — Photo: Mari Eimas-Dietrich

Zeisel, who recently directed Gooey’s Toxic Aquatic Adventure at the Bushwick Starr, delicately balances letting the naturalistic comedy breathe while never losing sight of the darker shadows creeping in around us. It’s a tonal high-wire act that Greer carries out triumpahntly — she’s equal parts Miss Honey and Amy Dunne (I think it's time for a Gone Girl rewatch with Rosamund Pike headed to Broadway.)

In Silin Chen’s stunning hyper realistic scenic design of Ms. Joy’s classroom, you are fully immersed but fear not, as the production website calls it “audience-integrated”, for all those anti-participation audience members, you will be fine. Joyce Ciesel deft sound design — almost imperceptibly — lives underneath the production, quietly shaping the evening with shifts in mood that the audience might not even register.

Big Feelings is a production worth celebrating and I encourage you to get tickets as it's quickly becoming the show of the summer and at just 20 seats a night, many performances are already sold out. And I mean, tell me every piece of theatre wouldn’t be vastly improved with a snack break.

Big Feelings is now in performance at the cell on West 23rd Street in New York City. 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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