Salt Lake Acting Company - NPSS

THE TURNAWAY PLAY
by Lesley Lisa Green

PANELISTS:
Josephine Holubkov
Jackie Morgan
Representative Angela Romero
Annabel Sheinberg (Moderator)
Erica Torres

CAST LIST:
Latoya Cameron– Serena, Angel, Kiara
Jazmin Delgado – Luisa, Sofia, Martina
Adriana Lemke – Rhonda, Amy, Brenda
Tracie Merrill-Wilson – Dr. Foster

PRODUCTION TEAM:
Director – Cynthia Fleming
Production/Stage Manager – Jennie Sant
Lighting Designer – Elliot Moore
Projection Programmer – Bridgette Lehman 
Hat Designer – Erika Ahlin

BIOS:

PANELISTS:

Josephine Holubkov
Josephine Holubkov grew up in Salt Lake City and was interested in reproductive justice and political activism from a young age. While attending West High School, Josephine was on PPAU's Teen Council for two years, serving on the Teen Council Advisory Committee for one year. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Josephine worked the 2020 election as a grassroots organizer with Planned Parenthood North Central States. In college, she worked as a Communication and Consent Educator (CCE) for three years, and was promoted to be a Project Coordinator during her senior year, where she developed a community-centered framework of survivor support. After receiving her B.A. in Linguistics from Yale University, Josephine is now preparing to apply to veterinary school, and plans to continue advocating for survivors and racial and reproductive justice while pursuing her career.

Jackie Morgan
Jackie Morgan is a seasoned political strategist, with years of experience working on political and issue campaigns, public affairs, and legislation. She has worked in Utah politics for over 10 years, helping numerous campaigns, candidates, and causes including as the Deputy Communications Director on the Mike Weinholtz for Governor campaign, Volunteer Director on Better Boundaries, and Campaign Manager or Senior Advisor for more than 25 local candidates. She most recently served as the National Campaigns Director at Stand for Children where she worked with nonprofit and advocacy organizations to drive educational equity and racial justice across the country. Currently, Jackie is a Senior Partner at Elevate Strategies, where she focuses on helping Democratic candidates in Utah make meaningful progress and change. Through Elevate, she leverages data-driven strategies, mentoring, and support to reshape Utah’s political future.

Representative Angela Romero
Representative Angela Romero represents House District 25 in the Utah State Legislature and is currently the House Minority Leader. She heads the first all-female House minority leadership team in the Utah State Legislature.

At the state legislature, Representative Romero has been a champion for women and children. Representative Romero works on legislation for victim’s rights, human trafficking, and sexual assault and domestic violence prevention. During her service, Representative Romero successfully passed the Prison Rape Elimination Act and the Statewide Sexual Assault and Interpersonal Violence Prevention Program appropriation request of 3.6 million dollars. She also worked diligently to secure funding to end the rape test kit backlog. Representative Romero also sponsored legislation creating Utah’s Murdered and Missing Indigenous Relatives Task Force.

Outside her legislative capacity Representative Romero works with local government, overseeing community programs and initiatives in the Division of Youth and Family Programs, including supervising the YouthCity Government Program and My Brother’s Keeper. Representative Romero is dedicated to ensuring youth have access to the political process and civic engagement.

Annabel Sheinberg
Annabel Sheinberg is a member of The Turnaway Play Team with a long history of working to advance sexual and reproductive freedoms in Utah.  She has a special interest in projects focused on youth development, community organizing, non-profit management and promoting democracy and justice. During her career she worked in several states including 15 years with Planned Parenthood Association of Utah. She is thrilled to partner with SLAC in bringing The Turnaway Play to Utah for the first time.

Erica Torres
Erica Torres is dedicated to uplifting and empowering communities through a strong commitment to social and reproductive justice. She strives to create meaningful change through education and community engagement. With a background in Public Health focused on community health, Erica brings over 15-years of experience in women's health, including a decade specializing in abortion care, contraceptive counseling, pregnancy options education and community health education.

Currently, she serves as an instructor at the University of Utah's School for Cultural and Social Transformation, where she teaches Reproductive Justice. Additionally, she works as a Community Engagement and Training Specialist at the ASCENT Center for Reproductive Health within the Family Planning Division of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Utah; a role that she is also able to sprinkle in some research to keep her work exciting and impactful.

ACTORS:

Latoya Cameron
Latoya Cameron (she/her) is thrilled to be part of this important reading at SLAC during such a crucial time. She is an actor, singer, writer, director, and an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Dramaturg. She recently co-directed Whitelisted which is currently in performances in the Upstairs Theater at SLAC (if you have not seen it yet, you do not want to miss it! If you have, THANK YOU and come again with some friends). You might have seen her at SLAC in: You Will Get Sick, Passing Strange, Four Women Talking About the Man Under the Sheet, Form of A Girl, Stupid Fucking Bird to name a few. Other stages: The Clean-Up Project (named the Utah Review's Top Utah Enlightenment Moment in 2022), Singing to the Brine Shrimp, A/Version of Events, Mama, Ruff!, Different = Amazing, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, (Plan-B Theatre Company), Rocky Horror Show (2014 & 2015), Elf, the Musical (2013), RENT (Pioneer Theatre Company), Shakespeare in Love, Treasure Island, As You Like It, Henry V, Mary Poppins, Much Ado About Nothing (Utah Shakespeare Festival), The Color Purple, Closer (Wasatch Theatre Company), A Christmas Carol (Denver Center of the Performing Arts), Shelter, the Musical (New York Musical Theatre Festival). Directed: Whitelisted (co-directed with Tito Livas), Sankofa, this Journey: Go Back and Get It! (Salt Lake Acting Company and UBLAC collaboration), Town Hall (University of Utah), Title of Show (The Grand), RENT (The Ziegfeld Theater). Thank you for being here tonight.

Jazmin Delgado
Jazmin Delgado (she/her) graduated last May with a BFA in musical theater from the University of Utah! Previous credits include Natasha u/s in Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 (Pioneer Theatre Company), Annabeth u/s in The Lightning Thief (Babcock Theatre), Juniper in Smoke and Mirrors (Lagoon) and Teresita in West Side Story (West Valley Arts). Jazmin would like to thank SLAC for the opportunity and she dedicates this show to the upcoming election. Instagram: @jazmin.viquez

Adriana Lemke
Adriana Lemke (she/her) is a Salt Lake City based theatre-artist and movement professional. She was last seen on SLAC’s stage in the NPSS reading of Burst by Rachel Bublitz. As fight and intimacy director, her work has been part of SLAC’s productions of Whitelisted, Hairy & Sherri, and Sleeping Giant. Some of her favorite acting credits include Fabiana Cunningham in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, and Des-Neiges Verrette in Les Belles Soeurs.

Tracie Merrill-Wilson
Tracie Merrill-Wilson (she/her) is always grateful to work with SLAC, and is excited to be among this amazing group of artists. Previous SLAC credits include The Wolves, Rapture Blister Burn, Ice Glen and the 2010 Fearless Fringe Festival (SB Dance’s Yoga Confidential and The Harvey Girls). Other favorite local and regional works include: PG Anon, One Big Union, Lady Macbeth, and Di Esperienza with Plan-B; Eleemosynary, Selma 65, Cheat, and Stop Kiss with Pygmalion; Rings at The Grand Theatre; Dracula at PTC; Rare Bird at the U; The Rainmaker at Hale; Metamorphoses and As You Like It at the Clarence Brown Theatre; La Bete and The Tempest at Theater at Monmouth; and three Shakespeare tours (Taming of the Shrew, Othello, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet). Film and TV credits include 127 Hours and Disney Channel’s Den Brother. A member of AEA, she received her MFA from UT-Knoxville and a classical degree from Weber Douglas Academy in London. Tracie also takes great pride in being involved in readings to develop new plays. Endless love to her family, and huge thanks to her Dad for hours spent running lines. 

A HERO'S JOURNEY
A New Play for Young Audiences
By Hannah Keating and Niko Krieger

This reading is performed as a part of SLAC’s New Play Sounding Series and in conjunction with KID SISTER Theatre Collaborative. 

CHARACTERS:
ONE/BOY – Camden Barrett
TWO/GIRL – Aly Carter

PRODUCTION TEAM:
Director: Niko Krieger
Asst. Director: Hannah Keating
Stage Manager: Bella Dixon
Set Designer/Graphic Designer: Makena Chatlin
Sound Designer: Ben Worstell

BIOS:

Camden Barrett (ONE/BOY): [they/them] recently graduated from the University of Utah with a BFA in Theatre as part of the Actor Training Program (ATP). Recent acting credits: Everybody (Usher, God, Understanding/dir. Robert Scott Smith) and As You Like It (Rosalind/dir. Robert Scott Smith) at the University of Utah. Recent directing credits: Radiant Vermin (Director) at Salt Lake Acting Company as the inaugural production of SLAC’s Making Space for Artists Program with Flying Bobcat Theatrical Laboratory. Most recent research projects include King Lear, as a collective ATP senior project (Director, and Co-Collaborator with Multi-Disciplinary Design Alumna Angela Rauf), and Because We Can’t Sew, a Design + Theatre independent study of Paula Vogel’s The Baltimore Waltz with Angela Rauf (co-mentored by assistant professors Alexandra Harbold and Steven Chodoriwsky). Camden is the co-founder and co-artistic director of KID SISTER Theatre Collaborative, a non-profit organization based in Salt Lake City. Camden was recently accepted to the MFA Advanced Theatre Practice course at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and will be based in London starting in the Fall (2024). For more information visit: www.camdenbarrett.com. 

Aly Carter (TWO/GIRL): [she/they] is a recent graduate from the University of Utah’s Actor Training Program. Recent credits include The Department of Theatre productions Dancing at Lughnasa (Chris) dir. Sarah Shippobotham; The Tempest (u/s Alonso) dir. Melinda Pfundstein; The Sweet Science of Bruising (Nancy) dir. Alexandra Harbold; a collective Senior Capstone Project KING LEAR (Goneril/intimacy coordinator) dir. Camden Barrett, and KID SISTER Theatre Collaborative’s Kite Flyer and Everything is about Something. 


Niko Krieger (Director/Playwright): [he/him] is currently studying at Rose Bruford College to receive his MFA in Contemporary Directing by next fall. Most recently, he directed undergraduate students in an abridged version of Pomona by Alistair McDowall. While growing up in Maryland, he performed in a children’s theatre company that sparked his love for theatre. After studying theatre at the University of Utah, Alexandra Harold helped him find true joy working behind the scenes. He cannot believe the generosity and support of all his collaborators, friends and family as KID SISTER Theatre Company closes out their 3rd year of summer adventures. A special thanks to Caden, who let him escape to the mountains for the ENTIRE summer and to Camden who continues to amaze him on this wild adventure together as KID SISTER moves to London! @okayniko

Hannah Keating (Playwright/Asst. Director) [she/they] is so grateful to be back at SLAC for the New Play Sounding Series, and to work in collaboration with the KID SISTER “dream team.” A Hero’s Journey is Keating and Krieger’s second script together – they presented a reading of their first project Moon Beach at Good Company Theatre last year – continuing a tradition of creating to survive “the dog days of summer.” Keating’s recent credits include: Asst. Director/Choreographer: SLAC Summer Show: Close Encounters in the Beehive; Asst Director: The Book Club Play (UofU); Choreographer: Something Rotten! (CenterPoint Academy); Performer: Elephant and Piggie’s: We Are In A Play (SLAC), 42nd Street (CenterPoint Theatre), A Year With Frog and Toad (SLAC), Something Rotten (Pioneer Theatre). BFA/BS University of Utah ‘22. www.HannahKeating.com / @iamjustkeating

Bella Dixon (Stage Manager): [she/her] is a graduating senior in the stage management program at the University of Utah. Her past credits at the U include: Dancing at Lughnasa (Studio 115, SM), The Sweet Science of Bruising (Babcock Theatre, 1st ASM), The Old Man and The Old Moon (Babcock Theatre, 2nd ASM), and Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed: The Rock Experience (Babcock Theatre, PA) Some of her outside credits include: Big Brother: Season 25 and Season 26 (Production Support PA), Ballet West: Dracula (Capitol Theatre, SM Intern), Ririe-Woodbury: Groundworks (Rose Wagner PAC, SM Intern). She would like to thank everyone for supporting her throughout this theatrical journey! Portfolio: www.BellaDixon.com

Makena Chatlin (Set Designer): [she/her] Makena is a multimedia artist from Boise, Idaho, currently based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Her passion for music has developed her interest in the fusion of visual and performance art. While her primary expertise lies in illustration, she delights in experimenting with a variety of artistic mediums. Her work seeks to merge artistry with innovation, pushing the boundaries of how art is experienced and interpreted. Outside of creating posters, album art, and background visuals for musicians, Makena plays in her own punk rock girl band, 4PLAY. Makena’s art goes beyond mere visuals, creating bold, immersive experiences that captivate and provoke.

Ben Worstell (Sound Designer): [he/him] Ben loves creating sounds and music. He is a current member of the music collective 909 WorldWide with a compilation album releasing Sept 9th 2024. https://www.909worldwi.de/

​​

Cast and Creative Team for Sunny in the Dark
From top Left: Jennica Anusua; Dan Beecher; Matthew Ivan Bennett; Alvaro Cortez; Brenda Hattingh Peatross; Ainslie Shepherd; Ben Young; Elaine Jarvik, Morag Shepherd

Bios:

ELAINE JARVIK: (PLAYWRIGHT) most recent play at the Salt Lake Acting Company was Four Women Talking About the Man Under the Sheet in 2021. Previous plays at SLAC include Two Stories (2015) and (a man enters) (2011, co-written with her daughter Kate Jarvik Birch). Other plays include productions at Plan-B Theatre — An Evening With Two Awful Men, Based on a True Story, and Marry Christmas, as well as the children’s play River. Swamp. Cave. Mountain. — and The Coming Ice Age for Pygmalion Productions. She is a former newspaper reporter and current drummer with “The Distractions.”

MORAG SHEPHERD: (DIRECTOR) is one of the producers of Sackerson Theatre and the artistic director of Immigrant’s Daughter Theatre. She is a member of the Plan-B writers lab, where her play My Brother the Vampire, and Not One Drop (David Ross Fetzer grant recipient) has performed. Her play Worship recently performed with the Utah Arts Alliance (The Utah Review top moment of 2023); her play Do You Want to See Me Naked (Critics Choice Award, and Best Solo Performance) has performed in Salt Lake City, Tucson, and The United Solo Festival in New York City. Her site-specific play, Cherry Wine in Paper Cups performed outside the Salt Lake City library summer 2020, and her immersive play, A Brief Waltz in a Little Room performed throughout 2019 in Salt Lake City (The Utah Review top ten moments of 2019). Recent directing credits include Last Lies of My Mad Mother by Julie Jensen, The Beauty Queen of Leenane by Martin McDonagh, Melancholy Play by Sarah Ruhl, Body Awareness by Annie Baker, and Let the Right One In by Jack Thorne. 

JENNICA ANUSUA: (AJ) is an actress, musician, writer and director with a Masters in global mental health and a passion for supporting those who have survived complex trauma and violence. She loves the notion of the journey - from travel and cultural immersion to examination of the internal emotional landscape. Jennica is deeply passionate about the way we as humans connect, and believes that storytelling is both integral to who we are and has immense power to heal and build community. She is thrilled to return to the SLAC stage for this project and work alongside other brilliant artists. Recent credits include Yoga Play (SLAC), Night of Wrath, Mystic Mishap the Series, Falling for Christmas (Netflix) and Royal Façade.

DAN BEECHER: (TOM) has been acting in Salt Lake for well over 30 years. He attended the University of Utah’s Actor Training Program, and has since acted with most companies in the valley. SLAC audiences last saw him in Hand to God.

MATTHEW IVAN BENNETT: (ASTROPHYSICIST) has worked with SLAC, Pioneer, Pygmalion, Sackerson, Wasatch, Utah Shakespeare, and Plan-B Theatre. Since 2005, he’s premiered over 20 plays with Plan-B, including 13 radio plays with KUER’s RadioWest. Last year, his play From June to August was the Official Selection at Meanwhile Park. His one-person play Eric(a) won the Best Drama award at the United Solo Festival in New York. Twice he’s contributed to Great Plains Theatre Commons and was a finalist at the O’Neill for Let Down Your Hair (also workshopped at SLAC). He’s worked with Omaha Community Playhouse, The Constructivists in Milwaukee, and his short plays have appeared in Seattle, Toronto, NYC, and DC. His poetry has been published with Sugar House Review, Western Humanities, Utah Life, and unearthed. His feature film The Whole Lot (dir. by Connor Rickman) was an Official Selection at the Philadelphia Independent Film Festival in 2022 and at several others. Matt is a recent alum of Futurescapes and is a member of the Dramatists’ Guild. His next projects are: Mother of the Maid at Pygmalion; In Your Dreams at Sackerson; and, an absurdist comedy of his, Non, will play at the Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival this summer.

ALVARO CORTEZ: (MAN/DAD/PRIEST) is a local actor both in film and theatre based in Salt Lake City. A 2020 pandemic graduate from Westminster College in the B.F.A program. Alvaro started in his actor training since his Junior year at Hillcrest High in Midvale, Utah. Where he was first able to learn and work on his craft with dedicated faculty. Most recent work was in the Alliance Theater in the The Fringe Festival/The Classical Greek Theater Festival in The Bacchae (Dionysus) And a one man show of The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey. Other show credits have been Romeo and Juliet (Tybalt) & Much Ado About Nothing (Don Pedro), as well as The Memory of Water (Mike), The Zoo Story (Peter), and The Christians (Elder Jay) at Westminster College.

BRENDA HATTINGH PEATROSS: (ELISE) is excited to be a part of today’s reading and to be working with this group of local theatre collaborators in particular, many of whom she has had the pleasure of working with before. Eight years ago she acted with Daniel Beecher (playing Tom) in Stage Kiss, her first SLC production. Most recently she appeared as June in From June To August by Matthew Ivan Bennett who will be appearing as the brilliantly quirky astrophysicist in today’s reading. Brenda also appeared as Phyllis in Body Awareness at Pygmalion Productions, directed by today’s multi talented director/playwright/producer Morag Shepherd. Brenda acted in the multi-media play A Brief Waltz featuring playwrights Matthew Ivan Bennett and Morag Shepherd and in Shepherd’s play Poppy’s In The Sand. A year ago Brenda had the pleasure of doing a staged reading opposite the talented Ben Young in another play written by Matthew Ivan Bennett. Brenda is always excited to work with playwright Elaine Jarvik, whom she has done some readings with as well as understudying a part in one of Jarvik’s plays performed here at SLAC. Collaboration has always been at the heart of what Brenda enjoys about acting and today’s reading is no exception. How lovely to be able to work with all these talented people again! 

AINSLIE SHEPHERD: (SUNNY) is in 8th grade and enjoys painting, drawing, soccer, and crocheting. She recently played Chloe in Worship with Immigrant’s Daughter Theatre, and she also appeared in Sackerson’s production of A Brief Waltz in a Little Room. Ainslie is very thrilled to be Sunny in Sunny in the Dark. 

BEN YOUNG: (READER) is a graduate of the University of Utah’s Actor Training Program. Previous credits include Climbing With Tigers (Algernon) and You Will Get Sick (1) with Salt Lake Acting Company; Gruesome Playground Injuries (Doug) with Wasatch Theatre Company; Big Love (Constantine), Our Country’s Good (Phillip/Wisehammer), The Odyssey (Odysseus) with the University of Utah’s Theatre Department; My Brother Was a Vampire (Callum), River. Swamp. Cave. Mountain. (JJ), Alli and #3 (#3) with Plan-B Theatre Company.

We are pleased to announce our next New Play Sounding Series free reading of Let Down Your Hair by Matthew Ivan Bennett. The reading will take place on Monday, May 1st, 2023 at 7 PM.

Written by SLAC alum Matthew Ivan Bennett (The Caretaker) and directed by Alexandra Harbold* (The Wolves, Death of a Driver) with Bridgette Lehman as Stage Manager. The cast features SLAC alumnus and several newcomers. SLAC alum include: Colleen Baum* (Four Women Talking About the Man Under the Sheet) as Frau Göthel, Alex Smith (NPSS - The Obsolete Unkindness of Ravens) as the Reader, and Ben Young (Climbing With Tigers) as Fable. Newcomers are Caro Ciet as Rapunzel, Amona Faatau as the Prince, and Brenda Hattingh Peatross as Hettie Wiegle. 

Let Down Your Hair is described by the playwright as follows: 

Let Down Your Hair is a modern re-telling of Rapunzel through the lens of sex education in America. In the 1812 edition of the Brothers Grimm tale, the fairy (later changed to an evil human) knew the prince had been visiting the tower after 12-year-old Rapunzel got pregnant.

Despite the fact that we still grapple with early unwanted pregnancies in 2023, most people only know the whitewashed version of this classic. Let Down Your Hair restores the cautionary-tale boldness of the original, using comedy, politics, and a talking cat.

RSVP Here

While admission to the NPSS reading of Let Down Your Hair is free, reservations are required. They can be reserved directly via the link above, or by contacting the SLAC Audience Relationship Team at or calling 801-363-7522.

For more information on the New Play Sounding Series, please click here.

*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States

We are pleased to announce our next New Play Sounding Series free reading of Can I Say Yes to That Dress? by Sarah Shippobotham. The reading will take place on Monday, February 27th, 2023 at 7 PM.

Written and performed by SLAC alum Sarah Shippobotham (SLACabaret: Down the Rabbit Hole, Tribes) and directed by Jamie Rocha Allan (Land of No Mercy) with Alexandra Harbold (Hand to God) as Dramaturg, and Jennie Sant* as Production Stage Manager. Can I Say Yes to That Dress? is described by the playwright as follows: 

Stuck in a wedding dress changing room, a middle-aged woman questions her life choices and what it means to be a woman. This one-person show asks what happens if you feel like you don't fit into the socially accepted norms of femininity and femaleness.

RSVP Here

While admission to the NPSS reading of Can I Say Yes to That Dress? is free, reservations are required. They can be reserved directly via the link above, or by contacting the SLAC Audience Relationship Team at or 801-363-7522.

*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States

As we gear up for an exciting 51st Season, we're pleased to announce the final New Play Sounding Series reading of our 50th: Let’s Fix Andy by Rachel Bublitz.

The free reading will take place in SLAC’s Upstairs Theatre on Monday, August 1st at 7pm. Let’s Fix Andy is described by the playwright as follows: 

Andy’s best friends, Logan, Marcus, and George, decide it’s time they step in after he’s been dumped by his long time girlfriend, to snap him out of his funk. Each armed with their own idea of what Andy needs, they drag him to the gym, the bar, and the woods. They can’t lose another friend. A play about friendship, body image, and feelings… Even the feelings we tell ourselves not to feel.

Let’s Fix Andy marks the second New Play Sounding Series reading for Bublitz. Her play Burst received a reading at SLAC in September, 2018. Burst has since gone on to be named as a finalist in the 2022 National New Play Network Showcase. Another previous work by Bublitz, Ripped, received a special reading for university students at SLAC in 2017.

RSVP Here

In anticipation of the August 1st reading, Bublitz provided the following statement: "I jump at any opportunity to work at Salt Lake Acting Company. They've helped me develop a couple of my plays (Ripped and Burst), and I'm thrilled for this new opportunity to work on Let's Fix Andy there. I always find the level of artistry and support through the roof, and being a local writer, I love how they connect with other local artists."

Comprising the cast of the NPSS reading of Let’s Fix Andy are SLAC alum Tito Livas (SLACabaret: Down the Rabbit Hole) as George, Topher Rasmussen (Fun Home) as Logan, and Jordan Reynosa (Elephant & Piggie’s “We Are in a Play!”) as Marcus. They are joined by Aidan Tappert (Liminal: A New Work at the University of Utah), who makes his SLAC/NPSS debut as Andy. Chris Curlett, a recent cast member of Passing Strange, will read stage directions. Directing the reading will be Jason Bowcutt, who also co-directed SLAC’s 50th Season opener, Four Women Talking About the Man Under the Sheet.

While admission to the NPSS Reading of Let’s Fix Andy is free, reservations are required. They can be reserved via the link above or by contacting the SLAC Audience Relationship Team at or 801-363-7522.

All SLAC attendees must show proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID test taken within 48 hours of the event. (No home tests.) Masks are optional. For more information about Salt Lake Acting Company, visit SaltLakeActingCompany.org.

We're delighted to announce our first in–person New Play Sounding Series reading in over two years: Sleeping Giant by Steve Yockey. The free reading will take place in SLAC’s Upstairs Theatre on Monday, May 2nd at 7pm.

Salt Lake Acting Company audiences will remember two previous world premieres authored by Yockey: Blackberry Winter (2015) and Mercury (2017). Since seeing Mercury receive its world premiere at SLAC, Yockey has gone on to become a multi award-nominated (WGA, PGA, Emmy) creator of the popular HBO Max series The Flight Attendant.

Sleeping Giant, a new play which will also receive a full production at SLAC next season, is described by the playwright as follows:

When a firework-filled marriage proposal goes very wrong, the accompanying explosions wake up something very old that’s been sleeping in the nearby lake for thousands of years. What follows are intimate, darkly comic, and sometimes startling vignettes about the lengths people go when they desperately want something to believe in.

“After truly killer experiences with Blackberry Winter and Mercury, SLAC has become a vital and dynamic creative partner,” stated Yockey. “Their artists and their audiences just get it. And Cynthia [Fleming] sets the bar for artistic excellence. I'm thrilled to be back.”

Comprising the cast of the NPSS reading of Sleeping Giant are SLAC alum Alexis Baigue (Stupid F***ing Bird), Lily Hye Soo Dixon (Mercury), Tito Livas (Mercury) and Cassie Stokes-Wylie (Death of a Driver). Kimi Handa Brown, playwright from last year’s NPSS reading of Daddy Issues, will read stage directions. Directing the reading will be Emilio Casillas in his SLAC directorial debut. Casillas is also a co-writer of the upcoming #SLACabaret 2022.

RSVP Here

While admission to the NPSS reading of Sleeping Giant is free, reservations are required. They can be reserved directly via the link above, or by contacting the SLAC Audience Relationship Team at or 801-363-7522.

Please note: all SLAC attendees must show proof of full vaccination and wear a properly-fitting mask. Please visit our COVID-19 safety guide for more information.

Production images from Mercury and Blackberry Winter. All images by David Daniels.

As our record-breaking New Play Sounding Series enters its 26th year of nurturing exciting works from some of the country's most gifted voices, we're pleased to announce the February 17th reading of local playwright Shawn Fisher's new play, THE (obsolete) UNKINDNESS OF RAVENS. Shawn Fisher

After many miles and days of hiking through relentless rain, six waterlogged strangers converge on a tiny mountain shelter that they are forced to share. Deb, a wilderness-loving professor of ornithology, and her wife Marley, an urban food truck chef are journeying to save their marriage by rediscovering why these two opposites fell in love in the first place. "Brando" is about to be kicked out of college and takes his awkward fantasy-loving younger step-brother, Paul, into the mountains where they discover the meaning of strength, loyalty and brotherhood. Bee, an impulsive 16 year old, and her new 40-year-old companion Edward travel the trail together, until their relationship is challenged by Bee and the others at the camp. As they each attempt to dry out and struggle for their own small patch of relief, they soon discover that some journeys are not meant to be taken alone.

THE (obsolete) UNKINDNESS OF RAVENS marks Fisher’s fourth play to receive a NPSS reading. According to the playwright, “It’s easy to convince myself that something I have written is either fabulous or disastrous, both of which are almost always wrong. There is always something worth keeping and something that needs changing, but until we experience an audience’s response and hear their feedback, it’s a lot of guesswork.” In regard to the importance of feedback from SLAC patrons, Fisher adds, “[the audiences] truly give us a sense of how the plays are being received. This is the most vital final link between the private process of sitting alone at the keyboard and a fully produced public performance of a play. I am so grateful that SLAC and the supporters of the New Play Sounding Series give us the time, space, and support to do this.”

Clockwise from top left: Mollee Barse, AJ Black, Cat Evangelho, Anne-Marie Kate, Matt Koenig, Cameron Neeley, and Alex Smith

Appearing in THE (obsolete) UNKINDNESS OF RAVENS are Mollee Barse (Marley), AJ Black (Brando), Cat Evangelho (Debra), Anne-Marie Kate (Bee), Matt Koenig (Edward), and Alex Smith (Paul). Richie Call serves as director, Cameron S. Neeley will read stage directions, and Tanner Sase is stage manager.

Founded in 1994, Salt Lake Acting Company’s New Play Sounding Series (NPSS) is the longest-running reading series of its kind in Utah. Past works that have been workshopped in the NPSS to later receive full productions at SLAC (and elsewhere) include SILENT DANCER and HARBUR GATE by Kathleen Cahill, MERCURY by Steve Yockey, STAG’S LEAP by Sharon Olds, THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY OF STEVE JOBS by Mike Daisey, A SLIGHT DISCOMFORT by Jeff Metcalf, and THE RECEPTIONIST by Adam Bock. Elaine Jarvik’s FOUR WOMEN TALKING ABOUT THE MAN UNDER THE SHEET, featured during last season’s NPSS, will receive its world premiere at SLAC March 12-22, 2020.

THE (obsolete) UNKINDNESS OF RAVENS is free and open to the public. Reservations are required and can be made via SLAC’s website or by calling 801.363.7522.

SLAC acknowledges

for their generous support of the New Play Sounding Series.

Playwright William Missouri Downs Coming to Salt Lake for
Salt Lake Acting Company's New Play Sounding Series Free Reading of
MAD GRAVITY

SLAC's New Play Sounding Series presents a free reading of MAD GRAVITY by William Missouri Downs and directed by John Caywood on Monday, September 30, 2013 at 7:00pm. SLAC is thrilled to welcome Williams Missouri Downs back to the theatre after producing his play THE EXIT INTERVIEW last April. This one night event will feature a reading of this hysterical new play along with a question and answer session with the director, cast and the talented and engrossing Williams Missouri Downs. This creative, absurd play is the Winner of the 2013 Reva Shiner Comedy Award from the Bloomington Playwrights Project and a 2013 finalist at the Eugene O'Neill. The New Play Sounding Series is a part of SLAC's outreach programming which provides an essential testing ground on which playwrights can see their work in progress and receive insightful feedback from the audience in a post-play discussion. We thank the Jarvis and Constance Doctorow Family Foundation for their support of this vital program.

MAD GRAVITY is a comedy about Archie and Eudora, two Dada performance artists who have built a theatre in their living room. Every night before a live audience they act out their lives. You've heard of reality television; think of it as reality theatre. They want to build a second experimental space in their kitchen but they just cannot take any more kitchen sink realism. Artaud would be proud of them.

This Theatre of Cruelty performance concerns their teenage daughter who wants to marry the son of Joe and Mary. All the parties involved have been invited to the house/theatre. But when the kids forget to tell Joe and Mary about the live audience all hell breaks lose.

Things go from bad to worse when they discover that a comet has been spotted in the night sky. There is a 50/50 chance it will hit the earth. Everyone, including the audience, may have only an hour to live. This forces the parents to stop arguing about insignificant things like marriage and start arguing about great philosophical questions of life: Is the comet a sign from God or is it just gravity? And what the hell is performance art?

The one page second act (that's right the second act is one page long) does something no play has ever attempted in the history of theatre - it lets the audience in on the meaning of life.

Playwright William Missouri Downs is a unique and creative talent and SLAC is excited to give Salt Lake City audiences the special opportunity to not only enjoy his hilarious play, but to also interact with Downs and learn more about him, the play and his creative process. This special free night of theatre is not to be missed.

THE PLAYWRIGHT

WILLIAM MISSOURI DOWNS
William holds an MFA in acting from the University of Illinois and an MFA in screenwriting from UCLA. He was also trained in playwriting at the Circle Repertory Theatre in New York under Lanford Wilson and Milan Stitt. Since, he has authored over twenty plays, including INNOCENT THOUGHTS, the winner of the National Playwright's Award; JEWISH SPORTS HEROES AND TEXAS INTELLECTUALS, which took first place at the Mill Mountain Theatre's Festival Of New Plays; SEAGULLS IN A CHERRY TREE, the winner of the Larry Corse Prize for playwriting; KABUKI MEDEA, which won the Bay Area Critics Award for best production in San Francisco and the Jefferson Award for best production in Chicago; and THE EXIT INTERVIEW, the winner of the 2012-2013 rolling opening from the National New Play Network. Mr. Downs has had nearly 100 productions from New York to Singapore and from Israel to South Africa, including LORT theatres like the Kennedy Center and the Berkeley Rep. He is a full voting member of both the Dramatists Guild and the Writers Guild of America. While in Hollywood, Mr. Downs wrote for such NBC sitcoms as MY TWO DADS (starring Paul Reiser), AMEN (starring Sherman Hemsley), and THE FRESH PRINCE OF BEL-AIRE (starring Will Smith). He also won the Jack Nicholson Award for screenwriting and sold the movie EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE to Tri-star.

After many years in Manhattan and Hollywood, Mr. Downs now enjoys living in the wide-open spaces of Wyoming. As head of the playwriting program at the University of Wyoming, Bill has won over a dozen teaching and research awards. He also teaches in the Religious Studies Department. His favorite thing to do is to find ancient temples and theatres - this quest has taken him to Egypt, France, Turkey, England, Greece, Italy, and China. Additionally, Mr. Downs is also the author of a number of books including: THE ART OF THEATRE (Wadsworth) an introduction to theatre book used at over 100 universities, NAKED PLAYWRIGHTING (Silman/James) a popular writing guide, and SCREENPLAY: WRITING THE PICTURE (Silman/James), which is used at top film schools in the United States and Poland. Samuel French and Playscripts have also published several of his plays.

THE DIRECTOR

JOHN CAYWOOD
John is pleased to return to SLAC following earlier productions of GOD OF CARNAGE, BATBOY, INCORRUPTIBLE and six versions of SATURDAY'S VOYEUR. John landed in SLC in 1987 from New York City for a one season residency at Pioneer Theatre Company. After 13 seasons with the company, John became Producing Artistic Director at Park City's Egyptian Theatre Company. Other Utah directing assignments include The Grand, Tuacahn,, Sundance Summer Theatre and Utah Musical Theatre. Favorite projects include BATBOY, THE MUSICAL RUTHLESS, THE MUSICAL, and of course, THE EXIT INTERVIEW. John is the Interim Executive Director of Kingsbury Hall at the University of Utah. It is fairly clear that he prefers Utah to New York.

CAST
Anne Louise Brings, Darrin Doman, Andra Harbold, Tracie Merrill, Zack Phifer, Holly Fowers - Reader