JUNE 16 AND 17, 2023
Yale Repertory Theatre/David Geffen School of Drama at Yale
James Bundy, Artistic Director/Elizabeth Parker Ware Dean
Florie Seery, Managing Director/Associate Dean
Chantal Rodriguez, Associate Dean
Carla L. Jackson, General Manager/Assistant Dean
Two evenings of original plays written by students from Barnard Environment Studies Interdistrict Magnet School in New Haven.
Ahmed Turay Issac Oliver Joshua Togbah Ky’Moni White
Naomi Forbes Ny’Asia Cloud Ramaya Lewin Zhanée Goins
Support for the Dwight/Edgewood Project is provided by: Esme Usdan Community Youth Fund
Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Foundation
directed by Doaa Ouf
CAST:
Leah: Giovanna Drummond*
Sunny: Ida Cuttler
by Ahmed Turay, sixth grade directed by Doaa Ouf
CAST:
Sean: Mariah Copeland*
Corenelius: Grayson Richmond
by Issac Oliver, sixth grade directed by Rebecca Flemister
CAST:
Byard: comfort ifeoma katchy*
Dear: Hannah Gellman
by Ramaya Lewin, fifth grade directed by Rebecca Flemister
CAST:
Malice: Malik*
KK: Mariah
Ky’moni is an 11-year-old playwright who enjoys playing outside with her family and eating vanilla ice cream. She feels awesome about her play, Leah and Sunny’s Power, and hopes people feel happy by the end of her show. She wants to thank her friends and family.
Ahmed is a playwright whose favorite foods include sushi, chocolate, and popcorn. In his free time, he loves napping, gaming, and playing basketball. He would like to thank his mom; Mariah, his mentor; and himself, for all his hard work this past month.
My name is Issac. I’m from my parents’ house. I am bettter than James Harden and Russell Westbrook at basketball. Also, I can write a play in just one hour. I would like to thank Dani and comfort!
My name is Ramaya Sky Lewin. I’m ten years old and in the fifth grade. My favorite color is black. The things that I love the most are myself, my family, my friends, drawing, and singing.
*playwright’s mentor
by
Joshua Togbah,sixth grade directed by Rebecca Flemister
CAST:
Jack: Hannah Gellman*
Jackie: Giovanna Drummond
Joshua is a student at Barnard School. His favorite foods are fufu, rice, and pizza. He likes to do music, art, and talk to his friends for his free time. He thanks his mentor, his teacher, and his parents.
by
Naomi Forbes,seventh grade directed by Rebecca Flemister
CAST:
Princess Zahara: Esperanza Rosales*
Prince Alexander: Malik James
by Zhanée Goins, sixth grade directed by Doaa Ouf
CAST:
Beatrice: Ida Cuttler*
Daphne: comfort ifeoma katchy
by Ny’Asia Cloud, fifth grade directed by Doaa Flemister
CAST: Jacob: Grayson Richmond*
Miranda: Esperanza Rosales
Naomi is a student at Barnard. She enjoys anime and Burger King and has a lot of love for her younger sister, Ny’Asia. She would like to thank Malik and Esperanza for their work in making her beautiful play come to life!
Zhanée is a sixth grader from Barnard Environmental School. During Zhanée’s free time, she likes to hang out and talk with friends, play with her kittens, and hang out with family. Zhanée would like to thank her parents, mentors, and D/EP.
My name is Ny’Asia Sharisse Cloud. I’m in fifth grade, graduating to sixth grade. I would like to thank my mother for signing the papers so I could be in D/EP. I hope you like the show!
*playwright’s mentor
a.k. payne (Teaching Artist, shey/they) is a playwright and theatermaker with roots in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her plays love on and engage Black lives and languages beyond the confines of linear time to find/remember stories that might create conditions for our collective liberation(s). They hold a B.A. in English and AfricanAmerican Studies from Yale College and an MFA in Playwriting under Tarell Alvin McCraney from fka Yale School of Drama. Their work has been a finalist for the L. Arnold Weissberger New Play Award and the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. They are a grandchild of the Great Migration; a descendent of a music teacher; a queer & non-binary abolitionist affected in community by the ‘New Jim Crow;” and of a great lineage of Black women storytellers and living-room archivists; all of which deeply informs, uplifts and amplifies their work as a playwright, community organizer and spacemaker.
Colleen Rooney (Lighting Designer, they/she) is a second-year stage manager at the David Geffen School of Drama. They are thrilled to be able to continue pursuing their other passion in lighting design with D/EP. Lighting credits include A Doll’s House and New Voices 2019 (University of Oregon). Other work at the drama school includes stage management on WAKE for the Langston Hughes Festival, UDO at Yale Cabaret, and Color Boy for the Carlotta Festival of New Plays.
comfort ifeoma katchy (Writing Mentor, she/her) is a playwright and actress from houston, tx. she is a rising second-year mfa-playwriting student at the drama school at yale. she is so excited to be presenting these incredible plays written by this talented cohort of young writers. she thanks issac for his hard work and the entire d/ep staff and crew for such a fun summer. cheers!
Doaa Ouf (Director, she/her) is a Director, Producer, and Projection Designer from Cairo, Egypt. Before starting as an MFA candidate in Projection Design at Yale University, Doaa worked at Philly-area theaters, including Walnut Street Theater and South Camden Theater Company. Select credits include: the ripple, the wave that carried me home (Assistant Projection Designer), Gypsy (Associate Projection Designer), Popcorn Falls (Associate Director), Macbeth (Projections Programmer), Next to Normal (Assistant Projection Designer), The 5 Stages (Producer/Director), Murder by Midnight (Director), The Spitfire Grill (Associate Director), Summer Play Fest (Producer), She Kills Monsters (Projection Designer). Doaa has also worked in film and animation as a Producer, Director, and Video Editor. She is thrilled to have worked with the young playwrights and helped bring their plays to life.
Emalie Mayo (Project Coordinator, she/her) has been with Dwight/ Edgewood Project since 2014. Emalie is an office administrator at Yale Rep/ School of Drama since 2009. An arts advocate/activist/administrator, Emalie is dedicated to youth programming designed to strengthen self-esteem through creative expression, and focused on equity, liberation, access, social justice - including the artEquity National Facilitator Training, the Elm CityUROC training ‘Undoing Racism’, and the Community Leadership Program in New Haven. For Dad.
Esperanza Rosales (Writing Mentor, she/they) is a trans Guatemalan writer and teacher, born in Guatemala City and raised in Norwalk CT. She received her BA in English from Princeton before heading off to Los Angeles to teach ELA at a middle school in Huntington Park. She
recently graduated from the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale with an MFA in Playwriting, where she was co-producing artistic director of Yale Summer Cabaret’s 2022 season Summer of Love, and worked as a teaching artist at Wilbur Cross High School this past
spring. Her play, Color Boy, a story about a teacher, his student, and their past, was a part of the Carlotta Festival of New Plays. Her dream is to one day lead her own performing arts school & dance theater company. She is inspired by Naomi’s writing and will never forget her or this experience.
Giovanna Drummond (Writing Mentor, she/her) is so excited to bring Ky’Moni and Joshua’s plays to life. Of all the plays she’s done at the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale, these two certainly take the cake. She wants to thank Ky’Moni and Joshua for trusting her with their words and the D/EP staff for all their hard work. Enjoy, Kiddos!
Grayson Richmond (Writing Mentor, he/they) is a rising middle year actor at DGSD at Yale. He is so proud & honored to be participating in D/EP for the first time this year as a Writing Mentor as well as a performer. These young artists have created plays that have both challenged & inspired me. We are so excited to share their work with you!
Hannah Fennell Gellman (Writing Mentor, she/her) is a teaching artist, dramaturg, and MFA candidate in Dramaturgy & Dramatic Criticism at Yale. Prior to D/EP she has worked as an educator at Elm Shakespeare Company, Berkshire Theater Group, Lookingglass Theatre, and Shakespeare & Company. Her production credits include the ripple, the wave that carried me home by Christina Anderson (Yale Rep), Wake by Stefani Kuo and Hedda Gabler (DGSD) and Dr. Ride’s American Beach House and soft apples (Yale Cabaret). She has also collaborated on developing contemporary dance pieces with BODYSONNET and Qualia Dance Collective. She holds a BA in English from Carleton College. One big Shout Out to these brilliant playwrights and the whole D/EP team for bringing their work to life!
Hannah Louise Jones (Production Stage Manager, she/her) is a rising second-year Stage Management MFA candidate at the David Geffen School of Drama, where her stage management credits include Furlough’s Paradise, Julius Caesar and WAKE. This is her first year working with D/EP, and she is elated to support bringing these stories to life. She wishes to thank Emalie Mayo, Sami Cubias, a.k. payne and Maya Louise Shed for their friendship, guidance, care and leadership throughout this process. She also wishes to thank all of the theatre educators of the past and present who have continued to support her to be the learner and theatre maker she is today. Hannah holds a BA in theatre, education and black feminist thought from Hampshire College with a Multicultural Theatre Certificate from UMass Amherst.
Ida Cuttler (Writing Mentor, she/her) is a San Francisco native. Before coming to New Haven, she made theater for 10 years in Chicago with The Neo-Futurists and Playmakers Laboratory. One time she participated in a donut-eating competition (and lost).
Malik James (Writing Mentor, he/ him) is a fourth-year actor at the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale. He is a Texas Native who holds a BFA in Acting with a minor in Mass Communications from Texas State University. Some of his credits include Choir Boy (AJ), The Crucible (John Proctor) and The Harvest (Chuck). He is extremely grateful for this opportunity to work with these 8 wonderful playwrights and can’t wait to see what the future holds for them.
Mariah Copeland (Writing Mentor, she/ her) is a rising second-year actor at DGSD and thrilled to be Ahmed’s mentor for the DE/P! She has worked in theatre with young audiences at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, Filament Theater, Emerald City Theatre, Northwestern University, and others. Just like her characters in the D/EP plays, she’s very passionate about croissants and making new friends!
Maya Louise Shed (General Manager, she/her) is a second-year MFA candidate in Theater Management with experience as a producer, educator, community engagement advocate, cultural consultant, and director. She is a native of Northeast Ohio and obtained her BFA in theatre arts administration from Howard University in 2021, graduating summa cum laude and also training in classical voice. Before arriving at Yale, she worked as a lead teaching artist at Shakespeare Theatre Company and the assistant producer and manager of community engagement at Studio Theatre, both in Washington, DC. Outside of theater, she loves fitness, shopping, cooking new foods, and rewatching The Office for the umpteenth time.
Natalie King (Costume Co-Designer, she/her) is delighted to be making her debut as a costume designer for D/EP 2023! She is in her final year as an MFA candidate in Theater Management and has served as Co-Managing Director of Yale Cabaret, Interim Director of Development at Westport Country Playhouse, Assistant Managing Director of Yale Repertory Theatre, and Creativity Fellow at the Heinz Endowment. Prior to Yale, she was Institutional Giving Manager at Theatre Development Fund (TDF) and Director of Development for New York Deaf Theatre in New York City. Natalie has worked as a general manager, stage manager, and sound engineer with TheaterWorks USA, Frances Black Projects, Stairwell Theater, and New York Musical Festival and has performed professionally with dance choreographers Pat Graney, Nusha Martenyuk, and Richard Dickinson, and companies Pennsylvania Ballet and Hudson Vagabond Puppets, among others. B.A., Oberlin College.
the University of Art, Tehran, Iran. His recent credits include Macbeth and Furlough’s Paradise (David Geffen School of Drama). He has done many productions in Iran as a set & costume designer and got nominated for the best-set designer at the Intentional Theatre Festival in Iran. Omidakbari.com
Rea J. Brown (Costume Co-Designer, they/them) is a second-year MFA candidate in costume design at the David Geffen School of Drama. They received a B.A in Theater & Performance Studies and Visual Arts from the University of Chicago in 2022. Before New Haven, their work has been shown at the University of Chicago, Steppenwolf 1700, and Theater Wit. Rea is grateful to have closed out their first year at DGSD with the D/EP team and playwrights of year 2023.
Rebecca Flemister (Director, she/her) is a multidisciplinary artist, dramaturg and scholar from Ontario Canada. She has a BA in English and Theater studies from the University of Toronto. She was a 2019 emerging art critic with the national ballet of Canada and Canadian Opera Company, and an educator for the first ever Toronto Biennial of Art. She has been a dramaturg for Tarell Alvin McCraney’s Choir Boy at Yale Rep as well as several student productions at DGSD. Rebecca is passionate about creating equitable access to the arts, and fostering confidence and individuality in theater makers of every age.
Omid Akbari (Scenic/Projections/ Props Deisgner, he/him) is a scenic designer and costume concept artist. He is currently a fourth year pursuing an M.F.A in set design at David Geffen School of Drama. He received his bachelor’s degree in Set design from
Samanta Cubias (Producing Director, she/her) is an MBA/MFA candidate at the Yale School of Management and the David Geffen School of Drama. Prior to coming to Yale, she worked in marketing at Berkeley Repertory Theatre and completed her undergraduate degree at UC Berkeley, where she studied Political Science and Theater and Performance Studies. She is so excited to be a part of D/ EP 2023 and is grateful to be working with such talented playwrights and collaborators.
Steph Burke (Production Manager and Technical Director, she/her) grew up in Queens, New York before moving to Wilkes-Barre, PA for her BA in theatre. Following undergrad she was an electrics intern at The Juilliard School and then the Technical Director at King’s College (WilkesBarre) for 3 years. She spent the last 4 years freelancing across New York City, and was the Production Coordinator for The Sheen Center for Thought and Culture before coming to Yale. Steph is thankful for the Dwight/Edgewood Project, and hopes these young playwrights continue to grow in their imagination, creativity, and individuality. All of you can achieve amazing things when you set your mind to it, work hard, and believe in yourself. We believe in you! Thank you to the playwrights, mentors, leadership, stage management, and the creative team, and Matt, Jen, Nickie, Bennet, and Eric for everything! Be kind, always. Break all the legs!
Xi (Zoey) Lin 林曦 (Sound Designer/ Composer, any pronouns), a native of Nanjing, China, holds a BA in Theatre Arts and a B.Music in Piano Performance from Lawrence University. She recently graduated from the DGSD Technical Internship (Sound) program and is looking forward to embarking on her journey as a Sound Design MFA candidate. Previous credits include original music composition for「CORAL 珊瑚」 (digital fashion film presented at Beijing Fashion Week), the Carlotta Festival of New Plays 2023 (Iseman Theatre, production sound engineer), Next to Normal (Yale University Theatre, assistant sound designer and engineer), Detroit ’67 (Princeton Summer Theatre, sound designer), etc. xizoeylin.com
Created in 1995, the Dwight/Edgewood Project (D/EP) pairs middle-school students from Barnard Environment Studies Interdistrict Magnet School with David Geffen School of Drama students who serve as their dedicated writing mentors, production team, and managers in this intensive, four-week, after-school playwriting program.
The first week of the program focuses on building trust and joy in the company and introducing our Playwrights to the concept of Playmaking: what are the tools needed to write a play? We played theater games, created community agreements, and discovered how we want to work with one another as an ensemble.
The second week akes a deeper dive into the Playmaking process. We spent time with each member of our creative team, learning about the different jobs that bring a play to life. Once we created our playwright toolboxes, complete with all of the tools we needed to write a play, each Playwright was paired with a writing mentor who would work with them one-on-one over the next two weeks. This week culminated at our writing
retreat, a two-day process at Killam’s Point where the final plays were written. The full team spent the weekend immersed in nature, bonding with one another, and of course, writing!
Weeks three and four are devoted to rehearsing, designing, and putting all the technical elements together.
At the end of week four, the project concludes with the presentation of the Playwrights’ eight original plays, designed and performed by the David Geffen School of Drama student production team and writing mentors. The D/EP Company presents four different plays each night, to honor their words and imaginations!
Playmaking is a course developed by Daniel Sklar and taught at the NYC-based 52nd Street Project. Playmaking teaches children to express creative impulses in writing and to work cooperatively with others. In the process of writing their plays, the students build not only literacy skills, but they also begin to trust their own impulses. Their plays say, “This is what I feel, what I think—who I am”!
Special thanks to:
Adrian Hernandez, Bennet Goldberg, Betsy Hyde & staff at Killam’s Point Conference Center, Carla L. Jackson, Chantal Rodriguez, David Mitsch, Development Studio 49, Eric Lin, Erin Sims, Evdoxia Ragkou, Jen McClure, Kelley Dearborne, Kelly O’Loughlin, Matt Welander, Matteo Lanzarotta, Nickie Dubick, Sarah Levine, and Tara Davila.