Veterans 10-Minute Play Festival 2020
November 1-11, 7 pm vimeo.com/salemstatearts
THEATRE The theatre and speech communication department, in conjunction with the Center for Creative and Performing Arts and Salem State Veterans' Affairs, presents
VETERANS 10-MINUTE PLAY FESTIVAL 2020 Artistic Director Julie Kiernan
Directors Esme Allen, Alex Jacobs, Julie Kiernan, and Matthew Korahais
Stage Manager Abigail Poor
Please be advised that plays selected for the 2020 Festival contain themes of suicide, PTSD, war, violence, and strong language.
CHAIRPERSON LETTER Dear Theatre Patrons, Welcome to the Salem State Theatre and Speech Department 20202021 season. As we all know, 2020 continues to be a turbulent year of pandemic, social injustices and a divided nation. We are living in uncertain times. I am so very worried about the health of our faculty and staff, our students, and our patrons. However, the theatre must strive to tell new stories, inspire and invigorate audiences. We open our season with Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s The Visit, a riveting, dark comedy about a scorned woman›s revenge, which explores the darkest depths of human nature. Adjunct professor, Sara Colon, is directing the play. The play is being presented via Vimeo. The second production of the season is Paula Vogel’s The Long Christmas Ride Home, offering a reminder that, for many people, the holidays are the most difficult time of the year. The play is directed by Prof. Peter Sampieri, filmed on the Sophia Gordon’s Mainstage, and will be streamed via Vimeo. Next, for our third production, we are producing, Sophie Treadwell’s Machinal, considered one of the pinnacles of the American Expressionist theatre. The play follows the case of convicted murderer Ruth Snyder, the first woman executed by the electric chair in the country. The play is under the direction of Adjunct Professor Esme Allen and will be presented via Vimeo. Finally, we close our season with Moisés Kaufman’s The Laramie Project, a documentary style play focusing on the reaction to Matthew Shepard’s death; a student at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, Wyoming. The play is directed by Prof. Bill Cunningham and is being presented via Vimeo. Please follow Salem State’s Department of Theatre and Speech’s social media, as there may be a few more surprises in store for this season! Wishing I could see you all live and in person in the theatre, Jerry L. Johnson Interim Chairperson
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR’S NOTES It is with deep gratitude that I welcome you to the Second Annual Veterans 10-Minute Play Festival. My commitment to facilitating the telling of Veteran/Military stories began six years ago when I started teaching in the Veterans Learning Community at Salem State University. I have learned from these students, shared tears with them, and felt intensely proud of them as I watched them acclimate to civilian life. My paternal grandfather was a decorated combat war veteran who served in WWII from19411945, and my maternal grandfather served from 1945 through the ’50s in varying capacities. While their experiences were vastly different, what was remarkably similar was the lack of conversation about those experiences once they returned home. This certainly was their choice, and they had every right to that choice, but too often, this silence is due to a lack of societal support. They are not easy stories to share. In order for us all to listen, learn, and process, we need an opening for these stories to be told, heard, and discussed. This festival is one of those openings. The current COVID-19 pandemic has changed our format to virtual this year. We received over 100 submissions, and we have selected nine to share. Each day, November 1 through November 9, we will release one 10-minute play on our social media platforms, with all nine being available for viewing by November 10. Nine courageous playwrights wrote these pieces that four directors and twenty-two actors are bringing to life. We hope that with an open heart and mind, you will allow yourself 10-minutes each day to immerse yourself in these worlds and then join us on Veterans Day, November 11 2020, at 7 pm in a virtual discussion. Pre-registration for that discussion is available at salemstatetickets.com. This evening will include the playwrights, directors, actors, and a panel of Veterans. We invite you to complete the evening by joining us, listening in, and sharing your thoughts on how these themes and experiences relate to your lives. Thank you. Julie Kiernan Artistic Director
A More Perfect Union by Kim Kolarich Directed by Julie Kiernan Rebecca.............................................................................................Alyssa Fluet Cody............................................................................................ Ryan McCarthy Lynn........................................................................................................Tim Etzel A Sunday by Jean Koppen Directed by Esme Allen Sarah......................................................................Charlotte “Charlie” Sullivan Father........................................................................................... Terrence Moos Mother...........................................................................................Sarah Durning Mary Pat............................................................................................Alyssa Fluet Catherine………………………………………….. ............................... Camryn Holt Bill................................................................................................ Ryan McCarthy After the Beep by Matthew Stoffel Directed by Julie Kiernan Mom/Jennie/Automated Female Voice.................................... Melissa Poirier Terry/James................................................................................. Terrence Moos Emily.......................................................................................... Rose Beardmore Rhonda....................................................................................... Margaret Gould Dad/Ross/Rodney.............................................................................Alex Jacobs Lost & Found by Kirt Shineman Directed by Alex Jacobs Alicia…...................................................................Charlotte “Charlie” Sullivan Jacob........................................................................................... Ryan McCarthy Arlyn....................................................................................... Matthew Korahais Separation by Christopher Notarnicola Directed by Julie Kiernan V............................................................................................... Julia McDonough VA...................................................................................................Sarah Durning
The Recruiters by Matthew Mobley Directed by Matthew Korahais Trackpad....................................................................................... Melissa Poirier Alvin......................................................................................... Marck-Hens Jules Mav....................................................................................................Taylor Willis Buzz..................................................................................................... Esme Allen Slaughter...................................................................................... Terrence Moos The Volunteer by James Bruns Directed by Matthew Korahais Ana.................................................................................................Sophie Collins Rosario...................................................................................... Amanda Clifford The Workshop by Kevin Basl Directed by Alex Jacobs Julie................................................................................................ Rachel Young John......................................................................................... Joseph Bernabeo Meg............................................................................................. Margaret Gould Steve..................................................................................................Alex Jacobs Mark....................................................................................................Tom Laaser Tom............................................................................................ Brian Thibodeau With Love for Our Brother Man by Donna Latham Directed by Alex Jacobs Officer Edwards...................................................................... Julia McDonough Makayla............................................................................................... Mary Reed A special thank you to Stacey Horne and Becca Jewett for their work with the backdrops and props. ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF Center for Creative and Performing Arts................ Karen Gahagan, Director Project Manager.......................................................................Angelina Benitez Production Coordinator and House Manager..........................Ashley Preston
CAST Rose Beardmore (Emily in After the Beep) is a freshman pursuing her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in theatre performance. This is her first role at Salem State University. Previous credits include Ms. Hannigan (Annie), Peter (Peter Pan), Dorothy (Thoroughly Modern Millie), and Villian (Almost, Maine). Amanda Clifford (Rosario in The Volunteer) is a sophomore pursuing her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in theatre performance. This is her second role at Salem State University. Previous credits include Barbara Ehenreich (Nickeled and Dimed), Queen of Hearts (Alice in Wonderland), Marcia (O Beautiful), and Queen Mother Elizabeth (Ladies of the Tower). Sophie Collins (Ana in The Volunteer) is a sophomore pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in theatre performance. This is Sophie’s second production at Salem State University. Previous roles include Mrs. Loomis (O Beautiful), Rosie (Mamma Mia), Tonja (The Tailor), Alice (Thoroughly Modern Millie), Peter Quince (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), and Debbie Wilkinson (Billy Elliot). Sarah Durning (VA in Separation and Mother in A Sunday) is a transfer student pursuing her Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre performance. This will be her first role at Salem State University. Previous credits include Margie (Good People), Meredith (Five Women Wearing the Same Dress), Cecily Pigeon (Odd Couple) and Marvalyn/Villian/Marci (Almost, Maine). Tim Etzel (Lynn in A More Perfect Union) graduated in May of 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts in Performance and a Bachelor of Science in Business. Previous credits at Salem State University include Ernest (Bedroom Farce), Quince (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Marvin (Enter Laughing), and Bartley McCormack (The Cripple of Inishmaan). He is a recipient of the Merit of Production Leadership award from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, as well as a KCACTF Region 1 ensemble award for Bedroom Farce. Currently, he and a group of fellow alumni of the SSU Theatre Department are producing their own sketch series on Youtube for their site “Famous Secret Agent”. Alyssa Fluet (Rebecca in A More Perfect Union and Mary Pat in A Sunday) is a freshman pursuing her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in performance. This is her first role at Salem State University. Previous Credits include Donna Sheridan (Mamma Mia), Baker’s Wife (Into the Woods), and Marmee (Little Women).
Margaret Gould (Rhonda in After the Beep and Meg in The Workshop) is a freshman pursuing her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in performance. Previous roles include Paulette (Legally Blonde), Fritzie (Cabaret) and The Queen (Epic Proportions). Camryn Holt (Catherine in A Sunday) is a freshman pursuing her Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre arts. This is her first role at Salem State University. Previous credits include Maureen Johnson (RENT ), Jo March (Little Women), Rizzo (Grease), and Vivienne Kensington (Legally Blonde). Marck-Hens Jules (Alvin in The Recruiters) is a freshman pursuing his Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre performance. This is his first role at Salem State University. Previous credits include Charlie (Charlie and The Chocolate Factory), Green Troll (The Bridge), Hades (Eurydice), Lyf (With Two Wings), and Papa Ge (Once on this Island). Tom Laaser (Mark in The Workshop) is a graduate student pursing his Master of Arts in Teaching English as a Second Language. This is his first role at Salem State University. His play Waiting Together was produced as a staged reading at Salem State University previously. His written work has appeared in As You Were, Oxford Brookes’ Anthology My Teeth Don’t Chew on Shrapnel, Medic in the Green Time Anthology, and Hero’s Voices. Ryan McCarthy (Cody in A More Perfect Union, Jacob in Lost & Found, and Bill in A Sunday) is a freshman pursuing his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in performance. This is his first role at Salem State University. Previous credits include Bertram Cates (Inherit the Wind), Corny Collins (Hairspray), Soloist (Godspell), and Pinocchio (Shrek the Musical). Julia McDonough (V in Separation and Officer Edwards in With Love for Our Brother Man) is a junior pursuing her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in theatre performance. Previous Salem State credits include Jesus (O Beautiful), Angie/Dull Gret (Top Girls), Alice (Vinegar Tom), and Samantha Stewart (Uncommon Women and Others). Other previous credits include Martha Dobie (The Children’s Hour), Yente (Fiddler on the Roof ), Rebekah Muldoon (Anatomy of Gray), and Mrs. Trotsky (Variations on the Death of Trotsky). Awards: Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Region 1 Irene Ryan nominee (2020) METG Acting Awards for Dr. Waller/ Rita in Distracted (2016), for Martha Dobie in The Children’s Hour (2017), and for Rebekah Muldoon in Anatomy of Gray (2018).
Terrence Moos (Terry/James in After the Beep, Father in A Sunday, and Slaughter in The Recruiters) is excited to be a part of Salem State University’s second Annual Vet’s Play Festival. This is his first production at Salem State University. Previous credits include John Hinckley (Assassins), Arpad/Sipos (She Loves Me), Lucas (The Addams Family), Mr. Fox (Fantastic Mr. Fox), Ernst (Cabaret) as well as a Company Member and Manager for the Massachusetts Regional Premier of P.I.E. Story Theatre. Melissa Poirier (Mom/Jennie/Automated Female Voice in After the Beep and Trackpad in The Recruiters) is a junior pursuing her Bachelor of Arts degree in theater performance with a minor in dance. This is Melissa’s second year working with the Veterans Play Festival as her previous role was Laura (Shadows on The Wall). Mary Reed (Makayla in With Love for Our Brother Man) is a freshman pursing her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in theatre design. This is her first show at Salem State University. Previous credits include Ashes (Emergency), Miller (Waiting for Lefty) and ensemble member (Ruined). Charlotte “Charlie” Sullivan (Alicia in Lost & Found and Sarah in A Sunday) is a freshman at Salem State University aiming to be in the Bachelor of Fine Arts program. Previous roles include The Cat in the Hat (Seussical), Corny Collins (Hairspray), Rapunzel’s Prince (Into the Woods), and The Wicked Witch of the West (The Wizard of Oz). Taylor Willis (Mav in The Recruiters) is a freshman pursuing her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in theater performance. This is her first role at Salem State University. Previous credits include Olive (25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), Tilly (Melancholy), Vanessa (In the Heights), and Hall (Men on Boats). Rachel Young (Julie in The Workshop) is a junior pursuing her Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre performance. She was recently cast in Salem State University’s staged reading of O Beautiful. Previous credits include Aide Warren (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) Aaron (Legally Blonde) Prudy Pingleton (Hairspray), and Superintendent (The Drowsy Chaperone).
FESTIVAL PLAYWRIGHTS Kevin Basl is a writer, musician and activist living near Ithaca, New York. He holds an MFA in fiction from Temple University, where he has taught writing. His work has been published in War, Literature and the Arts; Prometheus Dreaming; O’Dark Thirty; Miramar Poetry; Truthout, and elsewhere. He served in the U.S. Army as a mobile radar operator, twice deploying to Iraq. Since 2013, he has facilitated numerous art and writing workshops for service members, veterans and their communities, with Warrior Writers, Combat Paper NJ and Frontline Arts.
James F. Bruns is a playwright born and raised in Chicagoland and now residing in Falls Church, Virginia. For 26 years, he served in the Air Force Reserves as an Intelligence Analyst; first assigned to the 459th Airlift Wing at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. Then later becoming an Individual Mobilization Augmentee (IMA) with the United States Southern Command in Miami, Florida. With SOUTHCOM, he performed multiple active duty tours at US embassies throughout Latin and South America; and with NATO troops in Naples, Italy; at European Command Headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany and lastly, with Pacific Air Forces at Yokota Air Base, Japan. After retiring, he began his playwriting career and has produced a show every summer since 2015, at the Capital Fringe Festival in Washington D.C. Starting with ‘American Lit’ called “serious and intriguing” by the WASHINGTON POST. The next year was ‘Confederates’ “a show for Civil War buffs and theater lovers” said DC METRO THEATER ARTS. In 2017; his play about the Kennedys was ‘Lancer & Lace’ described as “a solid dramatic concept” by DC THEATRE SCENE. Following that was ‘Black Confederates’ called “explosive and relevant to today” by BROADWAY WORLD. And last summer was the premiere of ‘Caribbean Command’ a play about the current state of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Kim Kolarich’s plays have been produced at Circle Theatre’s New Works Festival III, the Et Cetera Festival at the Experimental Theatre, The Dandelion Theatre in Chicago, and the Estrogenius Festival in New York. Her play Far Rockaway received honorable mention and a staged reading at the Pittsburgh New Works Festival. Her full-length play Three Chords was a semifinalist for the O’Neill Playwrights Conference and Screencraft’s Stage Play contest. Her plays have also been published in several literary magazines.
Jean Koppen lives in Northern Virginia and her plays have been produced locally at Keegan Theatre, Active Cultures Theater, D.C.›s Capital Fringe Festival, Port City Playhouse, and across the country and Canada at SkyPilot Theatre (LA), Kuma Kahua Theatre (Honolulu), Strangeloop Theater (Chicago) and The Alumnae Theatre (Toronto). Jean’s play “Capsmittment” was Active Culture’s 2012 playwriting competition winner and “Got a Light?” was a finalist in City Theatre’s 2019 National Award for Short Playwriting. Jean is an alumnae of the Kennedy Center Playwrights Intensive, a founding member of Pipeline Playwrights and a Dramatist Guild member. www.jeankoppen.com
Donna Latham is an award-winning playwright in the wild. Her plays have been produced coast to coast and in Northern Ireland, Ireland, England, France, Scotland, and Indonesia. Most Wretched Deathbed Fever Dreams of Edgar Allan Poe earned the Design Storm Collaboration Award at Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, where Donna was a guest artist. Be Bold, Be Bold received the Silver Award at the HearNow Festival. The new play Suffer A Witch received a staged reading during RSPC’s Governor’s Island Residency and also at Williams Street Rep in the Chicago area. It recently premiered at Houston’s Company OnStage. And We Will Share the Sky was a KCACTF David Mark Cohen Playwriting Award Finalist and recipient of the National Theatre for Young Audiences Playwriting Award from the University of Central Missouri. The Haunted Widow Lincoln, which went up at the Batavia Arts Council and Rover Dramawerks in Plano, Texas, was a semi-finalist for the Playwrights First Award and the Vittum Prize. It had readings with the Bechdel Group in NYC, Houston Scriptwriters, and the Civic Theatre of Lafayette. Coyote’s Moon went up at the La MaMa Theatre 50 Block Party in New York. Donna’s short plays are included in The Best American Short Plays 2016-2017, The Best American Short Plays 2014-2015, and 2016’s Best Ten-Minute Plays anthologies. A resident playwright at Rising Sun Performance Company NYC and a script reader for Houston’s Alley Theatre, Donna’s a proud member of the Dramatist Guild. Get the scoop at donnalatham.com
Matthew J. Mobley is a fiction writer, poet, and playwright from the Great Smoky Mountains region of Tennessee. Matthew retired after a lengthy Army career at the rank of Major after serving as an Infantry Soldier, Ranger-qualified Paratrooper, Reconnaissance Scout, Sniper Team Leader, Drill Sergeant, Airborne Infantry Platoon Leader, and Airborne Infantry Company Commander with multiple combat deployments around the world. His previous literary work has appeared in O Dark Thirty, Bridge Eight, Tahoma Literary Review, and F(r)iction, among others. His first fulllength poetry and flash fiction collection, Four Dispositions of War, was shortlisted for the Sexton Prize and will be published by London’s Black Spring Publishing in early 2021. Matt enjoys barefoot running as many trails as possible in the Smoky Mountains and, since he believes in the statement what’s past is prologue, finds no contradiction in his former life as a career United States Army infantry warrior and his current life as a nature-loving eco-conscious vegan warrior.
Matthew Stoffel is a playwright living in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His scientific morality play, Artificial, premiered at the Minnesota Fringe Festival in 2019. A staged-reading of Matt’s first play, Below the Fold, was selected as the inaugural Black Hills Playhouse Fringe Series production. Matt has had staged-readings with Monstrous Little Theatre Company, and several of his plays received educational mountings at Augustana University. Christopher Notarnicola served four years with the United States Marine Corps before receiving his MFA in creative writing from Florida Atlantic University. His work has appeared in Best American Essays, Consequence Magazine, Hotel Amerika, Image Journal, North American Review, The Southampton Review, and elsewhere. He lives in Pompano Beach, Florida.
Kirt Shineman (playwright and dramaturg): Great Plains Theatre Conference (The Pornographer), O’Neill National Play Conference (Good Grief- semi-finalist, Forbidden Glass- semi-finalist, Germs and Virusessemi-finalist), Athena Theater (Good Grief ), TheaterWorks Westival New Play Festival (Benkelman and Junction Creek), The Hormel New Works Fest (Cloning Peter), and is a Kennedy Center ACTF National and Regional Finalist (various plays). Shineman’s work is published: Stage It! 4, Allie Opp’s Last Fantastic Day and available on the NPX (New Play Exchange). As a dramaturg he’s worked with playwrights such as Philip Dawkins, Angelica Howland, and Y York. He is a Dramatist Guild and LMDA member. Email: ka_shine@msn.com Website: https://kashine.wixsite.com/ website
CREATIVE TEAM AND PRODUCTION STAFF Julie Kiernan (Artistic Director and Director of Separation, A More Perfect Union, and After the Beep) an Assistant Professor of Theatre and Speech Communication, teaches in theater, speech communication, and education at Salem State University. In 2016 she received the universities Distinguished Teaching Award. Professor Kiernan also serves in the capacity of Faculty Fellow for Global Engagement. She is a founding faculty of the Veteran Scholars Learning Community at SSU. She coordinated the 1st and 2nd annual National 10-minute Veterans’ Playwriting Contests that have led to these festivals in 2019 and 2020. In May of 2018, she directed a staged reading of Waiting Together by Tom Laasar, a student veteran and playwright. In Fall 2019, she directed the department mainstage show is Top Girls by Caryl Churchill. She earned her MFA in theatre from the University of California, Irvine in 2001. Before joining Salem State, she was a professional actress in Los Angeles. She has traveled internationally as an actress, a faculty leading students, presenter, and consultant. She builds sustainable short-term study abroad courses for a variety of universities. Her research interests include theatre pedagogy, contemplative pedagogy, value-creation education, building intercultural competence, and creativity.
Esme Allen (Director of A Sunday and Buzz in The Recruiters) is a Bostonbased actor, educator, and designer. Boston-area acting credits include Muckrakers, Elephant Man and Amadeus (New Repertory Theatre), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Greater Boston Stage Co. IRNE Nomination); Gloucester Blue, North Shore Fish (Gloucester Stage Company); Much Ado About Nothing, The Cherry Orchard, Middletown and The Merry Wives of Windsor (Actors’ Shakespeare Project); Dog Paddle (Bridge Repertory Theater IRNE Nomination) and Coriolanus (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company). Television credits include The Devil You Know (HBO); The Good Wife (CBS). Scenic design credits include Bridge Repertory Theater’s production of Who is Eartha Mae?, Mud Blue Sky, Julius Caesar, and Gidion’s Knot. She earned her MFA in Acting from The California Institute of the Arts. She is a Founding Artistic Associate of The Bridge Repertory Theater, a Company Member with the Actors’ Shakespeare Project and teaches at Salem State University.
Alex Jacobs (Director of With Love for Our Brother Man, The Workshop, and Lost & Found, and Dad/Ross/Rodney in After the Beep and Steve in The Workshop) Originally hailing from the UK Alex Jacobs is now a Boston area teaching artist. He received his BA in theatre from The University of Leeds and his MFA from Brandeis. At Salem he is known for Movement for the Stage, Introduction to Performance, Auditioning and many an Oral Communication class, amongst others! Outside of teaching at Salem State, Brandeis & Bridgewater he can be seen regularly on the Boston area stage his last role being in MoonBox’s Rocky Horror Show in Harvard Square.
Matthew Korahais (Director of The Recruiters and The Volunteer and Arlyn in Lost & Found) is an actor, playwright and dramaturg originally from Queens. He was an ensemble member in The Nature Theater of Oklahoma’s Life & Times (OBIE, Guardian Best Theater Pick), appeared as the Coffin Salesman in Pedro Reyes’ DOOMOCRACY, presented by Creative Time and directed by Meghan Finn, and Sarah Delappe’s Richard in 9 Poses for Clubbed Thumb, Richard Maxwell’s Samara for Soho Rep, directed by Sarah Benson, and most recently in Kate Benson’s Where Are We Going? at Northern Stage. Abigail Poor (Stage Manager) is a freshman pursuing her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in stage management. This is her first show at Salem State University. Previous credits include Stage Manager (Matilda), Stage Manager (Challenger: To Touch the Face Of God), and Stage Manager (Beauty and The Beast Jr.).
THEATRE AND SPEECH COMMUNICATION DEPARTMENT Celena Sky April Esme Allen Brianne Beatrice Bryn Boice William Cunningham Sara Conlon Matthew Emerson James J. Fallon, Professor Emeritus Myrna Finn, Professor Emerita Stuart Grieve Thomas J. Hallahan, Professor Emeritus Michael M. Harvey Elizabeth Hart, Professor Emerita Jane Hillier-Walkowiak Stacey Horne-Harper Alex Jacobs Becca Jewett Jerry L. Johnson, Chairperson Julie Kiernan Matthew Korahais Christopher Morris Tim O’Toole Ashley Preston Jill Rogati Peter Sampieri Vera Sheppard, Professor Emerita Richard Snee Allen Vietzke Whitney L. White, Professor Emeritus Patricia Zaido, Professor Emerita
MILITARY FRIENDLY SCHOOL AWARDS AND HONORS Top College and University by Military Advanced Education
Best Military Friendly School 2020
