Program A

August 22-25

Evie & Frannie Take a Detour

by scott gibson of evergreen, co

Produced by Stray cat theatre company

Evie's and Frannie's pleasant afternoon outing is interrupted by recent prison escapee Grace who needs their assistance in doing away with her philandering husband.

Scott Gibson is a Colorado native whose plays have been produced in Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, New York, Miami, Dallas, and several other U.S. locations as well as in Great Britain. His play Cross Words won the Chameleon Circle Theatre's full-length play festival in Saint Paul, and his one-act, The Injured Party premiered in April 2024 at Jack's Theatre in London.

CAST/CREW

Barbara Burgess-Lefebvre (Director) is a Theatre and English Literature professor at Robert Morris University and holds a Master of Fine Arts in Directing from Illinois State University. She most recently directed So There’s a Leprechaun Now (R-ACT Theatre), Mr Burns; a post electric play (Little Lake Theatre), These Shining Lives (South Park Theatre), and Up and Away (Stray Cat Theatre for Pittsburgh New Works Festival) which earned the best play award for 2023. She was recently seen in Split Stage's Death of a Salesman (Linda Loman). Barbara performs with the Dinner Detective at the historic Omni Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh. She also works for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust as a part of the Disney Musicals in Schools program.

Jack Lefebvre (Producer/Stage Manager)

Chelsea Kikel (Grace) is excited to return to the Pittsburgh New Works Festival. Some of her previous credits include Margie from Soldier’s Heart with Theater-by-the-Grove at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Kayleen from Gruesome Playground Injuries, and Catherine from Proof both with IUP’s Acorn Project Studio Theater, and Mary Warren from The Crucible with The Heritage Players. She was recently seen in last year's PNWF production of Reunion (Love in 3 parts) with The Heritage Players, The Bobcat Player’s production of One Man, Two Guvnors, and The Summer Company’s most recent production of Serenade. Chelsea is also an award-winning sound designer and photographer. She would like to thank her family for their never-ending support.

Sarah Leigh Orbin (Frannie) is thrilled to make her New Works debut with Stray Cat Theatre. She was recently seen as Jess in R-Act’s Oh, So There’s a Leprechaun Now?, as Colleen in Little Lake Theater’s Mr. Burns, a Post Electric Play, and as Coach in Stage 62’s Descendants. She also plays Detective Trixie Heart in the long running murder mystery show, The Dinner Detective. When she isn’t acting, Sarah helps fellow Pittsburghers buy and sell houses. You can find her on TikTok @sarahorbinrealtor where she posts silly things she’s found in houses. Thanks to Barbara, Valerie, and Ziena.

Audrey Wells (Evie) is excited to make their PNWF debut with Evie & Frannie Take a Detour! Since moving to Pittsburgh in 2021, they have appeared in several shows such as Radium Girls, Mr. Burns: a Post Electric Play, and Urinetown. Some of their favorite roles include Shelby Eatenton in Steel Magnolias and Katherine Wiley in Radium Girls. When not acting, Audrey manages digital communications for the City of Pittsburgh and the Mayor. They would like to thank Barbara for this opportunity, their fellow Golden Girls Chelsea and Sarah for being so warm and kind, and their friends & family (special shoutout to MP & GB) for the endless love and support they provide!

They Said, They Said

by Brenda Kenworthy of garden grove, ca

Produced by mckeesport little theater

Parents are brought into Temple Beth Shalom to talk about the behavior of their twin sons at Hebrew School. But what exactly was that behavior, and which of the twins committed the supposed offense? Did anything actually happen?

Brenda Kenworthy has a BFA from UCLA in Fine Art and an MFA in Theatre from the California Institute of Arts. She also attended RADA. She is a member of Orange County Playwrights Alliance. Her shorter plays, including Godzone, Leather Jacket, and Daddy’s Girl, have been produced in California, Utah, and New York. Her piece Vagina Blue, Vagina Green was presented at Breath of Fire Theatre Company’s 2018 New Works Festival. Another short play, Mab’s Rabbits, received a Zoom reading from the Frostburg Center for Literary Arts One-Act Play Competition 2021, then appeared as a staged reading at the 2022 Page to Stage Festival at the Curtis Theatre in Brea, CA. That same play received an award from the William Faulkner Literary Competition in 2023. Her first full length piece, Dragonfly, has been published in the Artemis Arts Wisdom Anthology’s 2022 edition. Another full length play, Daughter of Genius, was given a staged reading at the Page to Stage Festival in Brea in August of this year. When not writing, Brenda is an acting instructor at South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa, CA. She is married and is the proud mother of twin sons.

CAST/CREW

Patrick Daniels (Director) is a writer, director and actor who has lived and worked in Texas, California and Pittsburgh. He has most recently appeared onstage as Mr. Locks in Goldilocks and the Three Bears and Roat in Wait Until Dark, both at Little Lake Theater. His book “47 Sonnets” is available for purchase on Amazon and the accompanying audio book as read by local actors is streaming for free on Spotify and Amazon Music.

Jennifer R. Vertullo (Producer) is proud to be part of this year's team representing McKeesport Little Theater. Producer credits include Exit the Body, Gabriel, The SpongeBob Musical, Tony and Tina's Wedding, The Lion King KIDS, and currently Ride the Cyclone. Jennifer is a proud member of the McKeesport community, serving as the president of MLT, McKeesport Regional History & Heritage Center, and the McKees Point Development Group. She is Executive Assistant to McKeesport Mayor Michael Cherepko.

Milo Carey (Stage Manager) is thrilled to be participating in the Pittsburgh New Works Festival for the first time. They are excited to bring a fantastic script to life alongside a dedicated, kind, and talented cast and crew. As a board member of the Geyer Performing Arts Center, Milo is passionate about helping local theater thrive. Milo loves immersing themselves in theater classes, workshops, and texts. This year they have particularly enjoyed classes at Ensemble's studio, AACT's theater management workshops, American Theater Wing play reader's club, and TIE's courses for theatrical intimacy training. If you have any recommendations in that vein, find Milo and tell them. Milo would like to thank McKeesport Little Theater for the opportunity to work with them on this production.

Nancy Caronia (Rivka Blumenthal) is thrilled to be making her debut with PNWF. A New-York trained actor and director, Nancy's favorite roles include Catharine in Suddenly, Last Summer, Jessie in Night Mother, and Ana Mendieta in the one-woman show Madre Selva. Recently, she played Mrs. Fryer for Heritage Players' Radium Girls and the Alien Chief in Spicy Aliens for Stage Warp Productions. She will appear in Little Lake Theatre's Little Women in the fall. A long-time Tai Chi practitioner, Nancy has taught the martial art to students in the BFA program at NYU and with the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute.

Alex Naglich (Michael Primmer) is excited to be making his debut with McKeesport Little Theater. Alex has performed in various plays in Montana such as Julius Ceasar at the David M. Hashley Theatre and Alexander and The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day at The Verge Theatre, and is thrilled to start performing in Pittsburgh! Alex is a PhD Student in Biomechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University with the goal of being a Professor, and he finds that teaching and acting have a great deal in common.

Jess Uhler (Schuyler Cagan) is thrilled to be participating in her first Pittsburgh New Works Festival! Jess is a local actor, on stage and in film. Some of her feature film credits include Godless Children, Massacre Academy, Wolf Hollow, The Boonies, and The Gymnast, as well as independent shorts such as Black Pines, The E-Code, A Soul’s Window and many others. Jess was last seen on stage in Animal Farm with Stage Warp Productions, following Riverfront Theatre Company’s regional premiere of If/Then, Iron Horse Theatre Company’s Now And Then and Mon River Arts production of Rock of Ages.

Daniel LaMond (Ayal) is so excited to be participating in the New Works festival for the first time. He loves helping get new stories in front of an audience. Favorite credits include: Marvin from Falsettos, Ensemble in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, and Tilden from Buried Child. B.F.A in Acting from Clarion University; Associates in Music Theatre from NYCDA. Forever grateful for the support from my family and my love Betsy.

I Do?

by f.j. hartland of johnstown, PA

Produced by glass fox productions

Pauline Thompson said, "Love is blind. Marriage is the eye-opener."

F.J. Hartland holds the PNWF record for most appearances as a playwright, winning "Best Play" four times (Postcards from a Dead Dog, Funeral in the Rain, Shaving Lessons and Half-Windsor Knots, and The Perhaps). His play Across A Crowded Room was the winner of Little Theatre of Alexandria's One-Play Contest. He has had plays published by Concord, Next Stage Press, Original Works and journals such as Exposition review, Good River Review, and The Louisville Review to name a few. He has been a member of Actors Equity Association since 1991. Read more of his work on the New Play Exchange.

CAST/CREW

Jackie Mishol (Director) is an in-demand professional director working across the country. Her 2024 directing projects have included breakout short film The Couriers (Nominee Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Woman-Led Project, 48HFP); multiple projects with Pittsburgh CLO’s Creative Vision program; and the successful U.S. transfer of The Viral Group Australia’s Broadway on Tour in St. Louis, green-lighting its tour and a nationwide partnership with Dave & Buster's. She's also passionate about new works (a previous director of workshopping for Scotch’n’Soda Theatre, the same place Stephen Schwartz of Wicked fame’s Pippin was developed), mentoring a new generation of artists in residence with the Film Academy at WQED (Pittsburgh PBS)/WQED Filmmakers, Disney Theatrical Group’s DMiS Program, and Quantum Theater, and how we stage women and stage queerness today. www.jackiemishol.com @misholimpossible

Aidan Quartana (Assistant Director/Intimacy Choreographer) is a director and educator hailing from Northern Virginia. Favorite directorial projects include Carrie the Musical, Clue, Urinetown, and A Clockwork Orange. As an instructor, Aidan has worked with theatre students of all ages at the Pittsburgh CLO Academy, Stagedoor Manor, and various theatre companies and schools in the greater Washington, D.C. area. Many of Aidan's students have gone on to study theatre at prestigious universities and colleges, and have performed at the Jimmy Awards, various regional theatres, and on Broadway. Aidan is a graduate of Point Park University's Conservatory of Performing Arts and currently serves as the Education Associate at Pittsburgh CLO.

Soren DeNiz (they/he) (Producer) is a creative entrepreneur and co-founder of Glass Fox Productions, an audio storytelling company focused on creating diverse and accessible opportunities in the local arts scene through audio. Soren directed for the Pittsburgh New Works Festival last year under Play On Words, the theatrical podcast hosted by Glass Fox. Other recent theatrical endeavors include acting as Baby Bear in Goldilocks and the Three Bears at Little Lake Theatre and stage managing various productions at Gemini Children's Theater. Aside from theater, Soren also works as a teaching musician and is a graphic design student at CCAC. They are so excited to be involved for a third year in the festival and are thrilled with the team working on I Do? for this season.

Mackenzie Martin (Stage Manager) is excited to once again be a part of the Pittsburgh New Works Festival. Her recent theatrical credits include audio editing for Food for Groundling's audio productions of Richard III and Hamlet, performing in the Summer Company's production of Serenade, and performing in the Glass Fox’s production of The Yellow Wallpaper, releasing later this fall on the Play On Words Podcast. More about her work and information about upcoming Glass Fox Productions performances can be found at https://www.glassfoxproductions.com/.

Todd Ballenger (Father of the Bride) is thrilled to appear with Glass Fox Productions in this year's PNWF! Most recent appearances include The Setup (Ronald) and The Audition (M.R. Irving) with Iron Horse Theatre Company as well as Two Lines (Michael) and Across A Crowded Room (HIM) with the South Hills Players. Other favorite stage credits include Doubt: A Parable (Fr. Flynn), The Odd Couple (Speed), and 12 Angry Men (Juror Eight), all with Ghost Light Productions in Pittsburgh, PA. Todd is a veteran survivor of Pittsburgh's 48-Hour Film Project as an actor and has garnered writing credits for the short films Summer Stalk, A Taste for Murder, and The Last Ride of Dick Dice (Ghost Light Productions).

Andy Coleman (Father of the Groom) is excited to be returning to the New Works stage. Most recently, he appeared as Brick in Little Lake Theatre Company’s sold out run of Jimmy Buffett’s Escape to Margaritaville and in their 2023 season as Ben Jonson in Lauren Gunderson’s The Book of Will. Some favorite roles from The Beforetimes include Mario in Your Princess is in Another Castle (PNWF), Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls (Stage 62) and Uncle Hamish in F.J. Hartland’s Be Our Guest (Theatre Factory). By day, Andy works as a project manager at Carnegie Mellon University and resides in Brookline. Much love to Sierra, Digby, Rocko the TacoMan, Debbie and TrashCat.

Sarah Deasy (Mother of the Groom) is an art-school drop out and fortune teller extraordinaire (you should get that mole checked out). This is her 4th year at the Pittsburgh New Works festival (Higher Ground '21, The Bride in the Blackout '22, and Up and Away '23), and is excited to be back. Other highlights of her theatre career are: The Pittsburgh Savoyards (most recently as Soapy Smith in The Gift of the Magi), 4D Productions (Roxanne in Girl Gone), Gemini Children’s theatre (most recently as Molly Dolly in A Special Toy), and Big Storm Productions (Very Berry Dead as Ma). When she isn’t performing she is an aspiring author, swamp witch, and human to two cats.

Liam Gannon (Best Man) is delighted to be making his debut with Glass Fox. His favorite credits include Wee Beasties with Uncumber Theatrics, Melancholy Play and Clown Bar with MICA Thespians. He also directed his first short film, Ava, for the 48 hour film festival with Chasing Stars. He has a Fine Arts degree from Maryland Institute College of Art and has trained will Jill Wadsworth at the Donna Belajac Actors Studio.

Michelle Gibson (Mother of the Bride) is delighted to be back on the PNWF Stage debuting with Glass Fox Productions. Recent stage highlights include the Lead in Off-Broadway production A Sketch of New York, Marilyn Monroe’s role of The Girl in The Seven Year Itch and Marmee in Little Women. She has trained with the William Esper Studio in NYC and locally under Jill Wadsworth. Michelle is represented by Docherty Agency for film and TV. Recent film credits include Dr Ann Harper in Vindication, and Mama in The Damned Lands premiering at The State Theater, Uniontown, PA in October 20th. She’s also involved with 48Hour films. More about Michelle at MichelleGibson.com and IMDb.me/Michelle Gibson. Michelle thanks Ken, Savannah and her horse Charlie for their love and support!

Maddy Rice (Bride) is returning to the stage for the first time since college after their last show was cut short in March 2020. Since then, they've worked in virtual reality research, as a bartender, and is currently the Production Coordinator at City of Asylum Pittsburgh. Come to a *free* program there and you'll see them in the back running audio, cameras, projections, the livestream, etc. They have a degree in Justice and Peace Studies from Georgetown University (where they also acted, directed, and designed for the stage), a certification in User Experience Design, and a drive to contribute as much as a conscious creature can to our shared future.

Chris Russell (Best Man) is excited for the opportunity to participate in the production of I Do? with such an incredible and creative team/crew and cast. Chris has been very active within many musicals in community theater, so this has been a very new but also very exciting process to work through. Chris would like to thank everyone who helped the young artist embrace their passion for the stage! To many more..

Parker Stephens (Groom) is excited to return to the Pittsburgh New Works Festival and to be working with Glass Fox Productions. His recent credits include Steel City Shakespeare Center’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Demetrius/Bottom), SCSC’s Henry V (Bardolph, Constable, etc), SCSC’s Emma (Frank Churchill), and The Theatre Factory's Frank and Franny with Love (Johnny) in the 2023 Pittsburgh New Works Festival. He also regularly works with Puppets In Performance, bringing a healthy dose of felted antics to the Swissvale Library Open Mic Nights.