Harvard-Westlake Theatre Company Presents
THE 2024 PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL
Friday, April 19th - Sunday, April 21st
Rugby Auditorium & On-Campus Sites
Embedded Files
Playwrights Festival 2024 Team
Artistic Director
Managing Producer
Sabrina Washburn
Production Manager
Davis Marks
Lighting Designer
Technical Director
Aaron Martin
Sound Engineer
Assistant Technical Director
Nathaniel Fox
Set & Property Coordinator
Master Carpenter
Rees Pugh
Stage Managers
Naiya Gardiner, Jackson Hollis, Davis Marks, Jaiden Mathews, Shimon Schlessinger, and Hannah Shahidi
Student Directing Advisors
Lisa Fredrickson, Rees Pugh, James Sauer, Michele Spears, and Sabrina Washburn
Assistant Lighting Designer
Gabe Graphia
Backstage Crew
Langston Sparks
Poster Design
Iris Chung
THE PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL: SOME BACKGROUND
Harvard-Westlake has produced its annual Playwrights Festival for more than two decades as a way to celebrate student-driven work in the performing arts. Each year, student writers of all ages and experience levels engage in a five-month writing process supported by workshops, professional mentors, dramaturges, faculty feedback, and a Reader's Theatre event in which professional actors read the second drafts of the plays aloud. At the end of the creation process, each play is paired with a director and then cast from the student body. Emphasis is placed on collaboration and creativity as artists work within a limited set of resources to make a meaningful theatrical experience. Through this experience, Harvard-Westlake Theatre Company seeks to provide a platform for students to build a creative practice and hone an artistic voice.
A NOTE FROM OUR PRODUCTION MANAGER
What is most special about the Playwrights Festival is that students shape almost every aspect of it. Students not only write the scripts, but also take on the roles of directors and actors. With entirely original scripts, there are no previous productions to use as examples during the rehearsal process. Instead, each show’s cast is given the opportunity to explore their script and bring their vision to life over the course of three months in partnership with the writers. The Playwrights Festival functions as a laboratory for theatre where students are provided with the essential tools and resources by adults, but it is ultimately our responsibility to experiment, create, and take it to the next level. - Davis Marks
FRIDAY 7:30PM PROGRAM
BAKERY OF LOVE
Book, Music, and Lyrics by Ian Kim | Additional Music by Elizabeth Johnstone
Directed by Regina LeVert
Music Directed by Elizabeth Johnstone
Stage Managed by Shimon Schlessinger
Brian ... Colin Ho
Bertoli Berrini /Dad ... Weston Fox
Julia Germaine/Mom ... Anusha Shayegan
TROUBLE IN THE TV ROOM
By Anusha Shayegan
Directed by Natasha Clement
Assistant Directed by Naiya Gardiner
Jerry ... Jackson Hollis
Carol ... Shiara Navarro
Susie ... Cayley Tolbert-Schwartz
George ... Sam Pulaski
SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL
By Micah Parr
Directed by Clay Hollander
Assistant Directed by Cole Firshein
Cain ... Isaac Tiu
Bradley ... Weston Fox
CANINE ROADKILL
By Jasmine Sorgen
Directed by Jaiden Mathews
*presented on the Drama Lab Lawn
Alex ... Anna Ames
Calvin ... Davis Marks
15-minute Intermission
WHAT HAPPENED TO DUNCAN & MILLER?
By Lauren Kim
Directed by Jasmine Sorgen
Miller ... Elise Fried
Duncan ... Weston Fox
Harry/Rob/Pat ... Jack Smith
Mary/Andy ... Ava Guagliano
GUN SHOP
By Dominic Landes
Directed by Jasmine Elist
Assistant Directed by Naiya Gardiner
Sadie ... Calla Fox
Joe ... Sam Pulaski
Bobby ... Ian Kim
WORK LIFE WOES
By Madeline Pimstone
Directed by Mohit Gautam
Assistant Directed by Caroline Riemer
Mike ... Nathaniel Palmer
Kayla ... Shiara Navarro
Jennifer ... Zoe Roth
Lawyer/Danny/Cop ... Isaac Tiu
ISN'T IT
by Weston Fox
Directed by Zoe Roth
*presented on the Drama Lab Lawn
Logan ... Clara Berg
Jesse ... Cole Firshein
Morgan ... Keira Haley
SATURDAY 2:30PM PROGRAM
PEN PALS
By Zoe Roth
Directed by Calla Fox
Charlie ... Sarah Anschell
Hayden ... Jasmine Sorgen
Dylan/Barista ... Jackson Hollis
Violet ... Ava Guagliano
THE ULTIMATE MACGUFFIN
By Audrey Kim
Directed by Isaac Tiu
Adam ... Yuuki Lubin
Tate ... Emma Lutsky
Fred ... Finn Slootweg
Mr. Harrison ... Micah Parr
FOR WHOM THE LUNCH BELL TOLLS
By Sam Cleland
Directed by Zoe Goor
Charlie ... Jack Smith
Joe ... Micah Parr
Mike ... Zoe Roth
Nick ... Nathaniel Palmer
Jack ... Jaoden Mathews
Gemma/Lily ... Edie Cohen
Mandy/Teacher ... Lily Tamkin
STARING AT THE SUN
By Jaiden Mathews
Directed by Angelina Sinclair
D-5 ... Elise Fried
O-18 ... Mellow Eaton
P-7 ... Maya Ray
Teacher ... Davis Marks
15-minute Intermission
PATRONAGE
By Zoe Goor
Directed by Davis Marks
Catherine ... Anna Ames
Leonardo ... Jaiden Mathews
Maria ... Lily Tamkin
Charles ... Ellie Borris
THE TROUBLE WITH GROUP PROJECTS
By Natasha Clement
Directed by Mo Zelof
Assistant Directed by Jackson Hollis
Ro ... Mellow Eaton
Ellis ... Clara Berg
Alex ... Caroline Riemer
THE TROJAN WAR: A POP-ROCK MUSICAL
By Sarah Parmet
Directed by Mylah Eaton
Music Directed by Cayley Tolbert-Schwartz
Stage Managed by Shimon Schlessinger
Helen ... Sophia Choi
Paris ... Finn Slootweg
Odysseus ... Ian Kim
Aphrodite ... Emma Lutsky
Athena/Hector ... Maya Ray
Hera/Patroclus ... Cayley Tolbert-Schwartz
Muse/Achilles ... Cole Firshein
Dancer... Hank Schoen
SATURDAY 7:30PM PROGRAM
PATRONAGE
By Zoe Goor
Directed by Davis Marks
Catherine ... Anna Ames
Leonardo ... Jaiden Mathews
Maria ... Lily Tamkin
Charles ... Ellie Borris
THE ULTIMATE MACGUFFIN
By Audrey Kim
Directed by Isaac Tiu
Adam ... Yuuki Lubin
Tate ... Emma Lutsky
Fred ... Finn Slootweg
Mr. Harrison ... Micah Parr
STARING AT THE SUN
By Jaiden Mathews
Directed by Angelina Sinclair
D-5 ... Elise Fried
O-18 ... Mellow Eaton
P-7 ... Maya Ray
Teacher ... Davis Marks
ISN'T IT
by Weston Fox
Directed by Zoe Roth
*presented on the Drama Lab Lawn
Logan ... Clara Berg
Jesse ... Cole Firshein
Morgan ... Keira Haley
15-minute Intermission
FOR WHOM THE LUNCH BELL TOLLS
By Sam Cleland
Directed by Zoe Goor
Charlie ... Jack Smith
Joe ... Micah Parr
Mike ... Zoe Roth
Nick ... Nathaniel Palmer
Jack ... Jaoden Mathews
Gemma/Lily ... Edie Cohen
Mandy/Teacher ... Lily Tamkin
THE TROUBLE WITH GROUP PROJECTS
By Natasha Clement
Directed by Mo Zelof
Assistant Directed by Jackson Hollis
Ro ... Mellow Eaton
Ellis ... Clara Berg
Alex ... Caroline Riemer
THE TROJAN WAR: A POP-ROCK MUSICAL
By Sarah Parmet
Directed by Mylah Eaton
Music Directed by Cayley Tolbert-Schwartz
Stage managed by Shimon Schlessinger
Helen ... Sophia Choi
Paris ... Finn Slootweg
Odysseus ... Ian Kim
Aphrodite ... Emma Lutsky
Athena/Hector ... Maya Ray
Hera/Patroclus ... Cayley Tolbert-Schwartz
Muse/Achilles ... Cole Firshein
Dancer... Hank Schoen
CANINE ROADKILL
By Jasmine Sorgen
Directed by Jaiden Mathews
*presented on the Drama Lab Lawn
Alex ... Anna Ames
Calvin ... Davis Marks
SUNDAY 2:30PM PROGRAM
BAKERY OF LOVE
Book, Music, and Lyrics by Ian Kim | Additional Music by Elizabeth Johnstone
Directed by Regina LeVert
Music Directed by Elizabeth Johnstone
Stage Managed by Shimon Schlessinger
Brian ... Colin Ho
Bertoli Berrini /Dad ... Weston Fox
Julia Germaine/Mom ... Anusha Shayegan
TROUBLE IN THE TV ROOM
By Anusha Shayegan
Directed by Natasha Clement
Assistant Directed by Naiya Gardiner
Jerry ... Jackson Hollis
Carol ... Shiara Navarro
Susie ... Cayley Tolbert-Schwartz
George ... Sam Pulaski
SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL
By Micah Parr
Directed by Clay Hollander
Assistant Directed by Cole Firshein
Cain ... Isaac Tiu
Bradley ... Weston Fox
15-minute Intermission
2024 Playwriting Award Presentations:
The Leon C. Fan '88 Memorial Award for Excellence in Playwriting
The Perry S. Goldman '78 Memorial Award for Creativity in Storytelling
WHAT HAPPENED TO DUNCAN & MILLER?
By Lauren Kim
Directed by Jasmine Sorgen
Miller ... Elise Fried
Duncan ... Weston Fox
Harry/Rob/Pat ... Jack Smith
Mary/Andy ... Ava Guagliano
GUN SHOP
By Dominic Landes
Directed by Jasmine Elist
Assistant Directed by Naiya Gardiner
Sadie ... Calla Fox
Joe ... Sam Pulaski
Bobby ... Ian Kim
WORK LIFE WOES
By Madeline Pimstone
Directed by Mohit Gautam
Assistant Directed by Caroline Riemer
Mike ... Nathaniel Palmer
Kayla ... Shiara Navarro
Jennifer ... Zoe Roth
Lawyer/Danny/Cop ... Isaac Tiu
PEN PALS
By Zoe Roth
Directed by Calla Fox
Charlie ... Sarah Anschell
Hayden ... Jasmine Sorgen
Dylan/Barista ... Jackson Hollis
Violet ... Ava Guagliano
SITE-SPECIFIC SHOWS: How will this work?
CANINE ROADKILL and ISN'T IT will both perform on the Drama Lab Lawn, just a short walk from the theatre lobby. Site-specific performances will take place both at the end of Act I and at the end of Act II during our evening performances. When instructed to do so, head to that location and our ushers will help you find a spot to view the performance.
After the performances conclude, you may head to the quad to enjoy and intermission snack, or head home to enjoy the rest of your evening.
We are grateful for the help and support from the following people:
Beth Slattery, Richard Commons, Laura Ross, Ed Wormald, Jim Crawford and the HW Maintenance Team, the Upper School Deans, the Hearts for the Arts team, and all of the theatre parents for their unending encouragement and support!
Thank you to our Readers Theatre actors, dramaturges, and event assistant:
Dramaturges: Benet Braun, Jasmine Elist, Minita Gandhi, and Victor Lesniewski.
Actors: Maura Grace Athari, Shaun Brown, Paul Culos, Mylah Eaton, Mohit Gautam, Regina LeVert, Mitch Lewis, Ashley Moniz, and Shi Ne Nielson
Reader’s Theatre Assistant: Clay Hollander
Thank you to our September playwriting workshop facilitator, Adam Hunter Howard, for helping us kick off this process!
RECOGNIZING PLAYWRIGHTS: THE LEON C. FAN AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN PLAYWRITING & THE PERRY S. GOLDMAN AWARD FOR CREATIVe STORYTELLING
Harvard-Westlake Theatre Company is privileged to present these awards, generously sponsored by the families of these esteemed alumni. The Leon C. Fan Award recognizes excellence in playwriting and is in its 21st year. The honored playwrights will be announced during intermission during our Sunday afternoon performance.
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