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Wagner New Play Festival 2023

Arts and Entertainment

May 9, 2023

From: Wagner New Play Festival

Schedule:
April 27 - June 10, 2023

I Found a Zipper
by Milo Cramer. Directed by Kim Rubenstein.

An alien comes to earth looking for love and ends up at the Costa Mesa Walk-In Clinic where cures are hard to come by and nobody seems to have any answers. In a phantasmagoric world where nothing and no one is what they seem, I Found A Zipper... asks: What is love? And is love the answer?

The Cast
Human Costume/ Witch: Ellen Nikbakht
Mom: Holly Robertson
Janet: Gabi D'Amico
Kid: Garrett Lee
Alien/ Manager/ Dr. Rudolph: Layth Haddad
Alien/ Dr. Eyelashes: Lisette Velandia
Alien/ Customer/ Patient: Nikki Yar

Time:
April 27, 2023 - 7:00pm: Preview
May 8, 9, 13, June 10, 2023 - 7:30pm
June 10, 2023 - 2:00pm

Location: Theodore & Adele Shank Theatre

Tickets:
General Admission - $20
Alumni & Staff - $15
Student - $10

May 4 - June 9, 2023
Thicker Than...

by Agyeiwaa Asante. Directed by Lamar Perry.

Jillian is ready for a change. Her adult son, Tom, is not. Set in a not-too-distant future where a new kind of technology exists that allows anyone to emotionally "uncouple" from anyone in their lives, Thicker Than… asks what it means to cut off ties with a loved one and move on with your life. Can you ever truly walk away? And what are the ethical and emotional consequences if you do?

The Cast
Tom - Morgan Scott
Jillian - Taiwo Sokan
T.S. - Noah Keyishian
Carla/Shawna - Kyá Lee
Eugene/Elliot - Victor Flores
Kelly/Marie/Stephanie - Ben McLaren
Nurse/Colette/Marisol - Gabriella Marie Johnson
Spencer/River/Travel Agent - Rachel Halili
Marco/Gregory/Cedro - Vincent Hernandez

Time:
May 4, 2023 - 7:30pm: Preview
May 11 - 12, June 8 - 9, 2023 - 7:30pm
May 13, 2023 - 2:00pm

Location: Shank Theatre

May 18 - June 8, 2023
Neha & Neel

by Ankita Raturi. Directed by Rosie Glen-Lambert.

Neha fears she has failed to pass her language and culture down to her seventeen-year-old son, Neel. A summer trip to visit colleges could be Neha’s last chance, if only she can get Neel to visit the historic Hope Diamond and witness a piece of Indian history for himself. Neha & Neel asks what we lose with every generation in America, and if it’s ever too late to connect with your roots.

The Cast
Neha: Swarupa Ellamaraju
Neel: Seth Gunawardena
Arnav/Avatars: Sashank Kanchustambam

Time:
May 18, 2023 - 7:00pm: Preview
May 30, June 3, 7 - 8, 2023 - 7:30pm
June 3, 2023 - 2:00pm

Location: Potiker Theatre

May 25 - June 10, 2023
900 Years

by Preston Choi. Directed by Cambria Herrera.

A complicated stepmother with complicated feelings casts a complicated curse on her complicated step-children. A bold and inventive retelling of an Irish fairytale, 900 Years spans centuries of family drama to explore the consequences of intergenerational trauma and the complex magic of forgiveness.

The Cast
Aoife - Abby Leigh Huffstetler
Lir and Others - Josiah Rey Cajudo
Aoife and Others - Emmalias
Fionnula and Other - Xiaoyu 'Mary' Liu
Aodh and Other - Diego Gonzalez
Understudy for Aoibh and Others - Isel Zarate-Tucker
Understudy for Aoife - Sophia Marcos-Jeronimo
Understudy for Fionnula and Other - Leah Mitchell
Understudy for Lir and Others - Ryan Ritterby

Time:
May 25, 2023 - 7:00pm: Preview
June 1, 2, 6, 9, 2023 - 7:30pm
June 10, 2023 - 2:00pm

Location: Potiker Theatre

May 17 - June 10, 2023
One Acts
Three one-act plays by first-year MFA playwrights presented in a single evening.

The run time for all the one-acts together is 1 hour 45 minutes, including two 7-minute stretch breaks.

Boxed
by Mylan Gray. Directed by Allie Moss.

It's Ryan's first day at a mysterious office where Black men occasionally fight each other to the death. David, the old-timer, does all he can to stay on top, but can't keep up to save his life. In a world that encourages Black men to kill each other to survive, Boxed asks if it's possible for Black men to love each other in the face of state-sanctioned brutality and a culture where lethal violence is an everyday reality.

The Cast
David - June Nyong'o
Ryan - Jalen Davidson

Grippy Sock Vacation
by Beth Hyland. Directed by Ludmila Cardoso de Brito.

It's Family Weekend at Hollybrook Knolls Residential Treatment Center. Caroline is visiting her younger sister, high school senior Isabella. Isabella has a lot to say. Caroline doesn't want to hear any of it, but maybe she'll learn the TikTok dance Isabella wants to teach her. A darkly comic exploration of sisterhood and mental illness, grippy sock vacation explores the secrets we can't afford to keep.

The Cast
Isabella - Sabrina Liu
Caroline - Iris Feng
Isabella Understudy - Mawce Dunn
Caroline Understudy - Vivian White

Just the Two of Us
by Phanésia Pharel. Directed by Madison Mae Williams.

Bean needs her stubborn Haitian American mother to slow down and take her health seriously. Bean's mother needs Bean to get her life together and listen to her advice. A story of two strong women who love each other mightily but don't see eye to eye, Just The Two of us explores the complicated bond between mother and daughter and what it means to live your own version of the American Dream.

The Cast
Lady Of Mind - Leovina Charles
Bean - Colby Muhammad

Time:
May 17, 2023 - 7:00pm: Preview
May 19 - 20, June 9, 2023 - 7:30pm
May 20, 2023 - 2:00pm
June 10, 2023 - 10:30am

Location: Arthur Wagner Theatre, San Diego, CA

Date: April 27 - June 10, 2023

Location:
Theodore & Adele Shank Theatre
Potiker Theater, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive La Jolla, CA 92093
Arthur Wagner Theatre, Galbraith Hall, first floo San Diego, CA 92161

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