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Productions

​Drowning Ophelia

"...witty, poetic, and psychologically true." - Theatre Storm
"...a present-day drama that explores timeless truths." - Broad Street Review
"This poetic and powerful production...understands that sometimes what’s in our head is more real than what’s outside of it." - Phindie
University of Indianapolis's live streaming production of Drowning Ophelia is coming April 20-24, 2021. Click here to preregister.

Moscow, 2019


​Directed by Carly McMinn for The University of Idaho

Cast: 

Alexa Lamers as Ophelia

Katharine Sonas as Jane

Joseph Winder as Adam

Rhys Colson as Edmund


Photos by Chian-ann Lu

Drowning Ophelia at the University of Idaho
Argonaut Feature
Inland 360 Feature
Rocky Mountain Feature

Philadelphia, 2016

​Directed by Daniel Roberts for Eager Risk Theatre & Ensemble Atria


Cast:

Lindsay Andreanszky as Ophelia

Victoria Rae Sook as Jane

Levi Morger as Adam

Erik Endsley as Edmund


Photos by RKD Photograpy
Drowning Ophelia at Philly Fringe
Broad Street Review
Phindie Review
Theatre Mania Feature

Scranton, 2016
Directed by Jonathan Strayer for Gaslight Theatre Company

Cast:

Jessica McDonough as Ophelia

Alicia Nordstrom as Jane

Timothy McDermott as Adam

Jeremy J. Kemmerer as Edmund

​Photos by Brad Barry
WVIA Art Scene Interview
Abington Journal Feature
Times Leader Feature
Electric City Feature
NEPA Scene Feature

San Francisco, 2013

 
​Directed by Ellery Schaar for Repurposed Theatre

Cast:

Kirsten Dwyer as Ophelia

Katharine Otis as Jane

Ryan Hayes as Adam

Will Trichon as Edmund


Photos by Ted Davis and Robbie Sweeney ​

TheatreStorm Review
HowlRound Article on Drowning Ophelia

"Abused" - An MFA Design Thesis by Allyson Conover 

Picture
"Abused" 2019
A Creative Thesis by Allyson Conover
​featuring characters from ​Drowning Ophelia




Drowning Ophelia was selected by Allyson (Kochanek) Conovor, a student of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts MFA program, as one of two plays used in her final Wigs & Makeup Thesis Project, "Abused."

From Allyson: "I believe art lives and breathes when it is given purpose and meaning. As artists, we have a unique opportunity to say what we want in whichever creative way we can dream of. For my thesis, I wanted to use my platform to bring awareness to abuse. Far too many silent victims go throughout life stifled and broken because there is not enough empathy towards them and their situations. I chose Shakespeare's The Winter’s Tale and Rachel Luann Strayer’s Drowning Ophelia because in each show there is a victim and an abuser. If you or someone you know has suffered from abuse of any kind whether it be emotional, physical, verbal, or psychological, I want you to know I empathize with you and have attempted to encapsulate these feelings and emotions through my art."

You can see more of Allyson's work here.
Models:

Carson Grant as Ophelia

Kate Baxter as Jane

Aaron Hungerford as Adam


Photos by Jack Layer

Wigs & Makeup by Allyson Conover
Buy Drowning Ophelia

​The Poe Asylum

La Plume, 2018

Directed by Rachel Luann Strayer for Keystone College

Cast: 
​

Patients - Michael Calabro ("The Black Cat"), Colin Franko ("The Tell-Tale Heart"), Samantha Layne-Perkins ("The Premature Burial), Dalton Nixon ("The Pit and the Pendulum"), Aleigh Smith ("The Raven")

Figures - Jasmin Cone ("The Black Cat" & "The Tell-Tale Heart"), Timmy Dempsey ("The Raven" & "The Tell-Tale Heart"), Michelle Romano ("The Pit and the Pendulum" & "The Tell-Tale Heart"), Felicity Rudden ("The Pit and the Pendulum" & "The Premature Burial"), Jessica Troy ("The Pit and the Pendulum" & "The Premature Burial")

Hope - Eileen Walsh

Interactive Cast - Laura Doyle, Dana Jackson, Jillian Alyse Kemmerer, Qwintin Krenitsky, Aaron Leety, Karin Mappes, Alex Nebraski, Meg Oyer
The Poe Asylum at Keystone College
Abington Journal Feature
No Proscenium Feature

Scranton, 2016


​Directed by Jeremy J. Kemmerer, Jonathan Strayer, and Rachel Luann Strayer for Ghostlight Productions

Cast: 

Patients - Grace Doolittle ("The Tell-Tale Heart"), Laura Doyle ("The Premature Burial"), KK Gordon ("The Tell-Tale Heart"), Jeremy J. Kemmerer ("The Pit and the Pendulum"), Jillian Alyse Kemmerer ("The Tell-Tale Heart"), Jonathan Strayer ("The Tell-Tale Heart"), Rachel Luann Strayer ("The Raven")

​Figures - Joel Gardoski ("The Premature Burial"), Crista Gaskill ("The Premature Burial"), Dana Jackson ("The Premature Burial"), Julia Risitano ("The Premature Burial"), Luke Sayre ("The Raven"), CSU Acting Students ("The Pit and the Pendulum")

Interactive Cast - Nikki Lucier-Denison, Karin Mappes, Cecilia Sayre
The Poe Asylum at Scranton Fringe
Read The Poe Asylum on NPX

Gaslight Theatre Company: PlayRoom

Over the course of eight years I was commissioned to write eight unique short plays for Gaslight Theatre Company's PlayRoom Series. Conceived by Matthew S. Hinton in 2012, PlayRoom takes one ordinary room of a house and stages multiple stories by several playwrights. All of my short plays for PlayRoom can be read on New Play Exchange.

  • Home for the Holidays: Ghost Story - 2019
  • Dining Room: Sisters - 2018
  • Back Porch: Safe as Houses - 2017
  • Garage: It's Enough - 2016
  • Master Bedroom: In the Dark - 2015
  • Attic: The Next Step - 2014
  • Bathroom: A Clean Bathroom - 2013
  • Kitchen: Empathy - 2012
Picture
Picture
Brandi George and Meaghan Alfano in The Next Step, directed by Wendy Hinton, 2014
Read PlayRooom Plays on NPX

Playwriting in Quarantine

While live theatre productions have been postponed during COVID-19, there has been a new push for online theatrical content. I have been privileged to be a part of this brave new world of online theatre with virtual readings and productions of the following short plays and monologues.
​Produced by Auburn University: 
Light
Light the Way Back


Produced by Centerstage Theatre:
Ghost Story

Produced by Millersville University Theatre:
I'll Be Zooming You
Light the Way Back
Safe as Houses
The Next Step


Produced by The One-Minute Play Festival:
Light
Picture
Tony Ortega performs QUARANTINE EATING for Theatre is the Cure.
Picture
A scene from Auburn University's production of LIGHT THE WAY BACK.
​Produced by Theatre is the Cure:
Quarantine Eating 
Still Life  
Ghost in the Wall


Produced by The Bechdel Group:
Character Points

Produced by Creative Works Lancaster:
​The Single Ladies Cozy Murder Book Club

Produced by SUNY Plattsburgh: 
The Next Step
Read Quarantine Plays on NPX
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