The Laramie Project
Nov 4, 2018 @ Pride Arts Center
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Directed by Jason Gerace
Presented in Association with About Face Youth Theatre Sunday, November 4 at 7:30pm FEATURING Alexandra Alontaga, Colleen DeRosa, John Ferrick, James Fleming, Millie Hurley, Andrea Lattanzio, Jeri Marshall, James Vincent Meredith, Brian Parry, Savanna Rae, Tyler Ravelson, John Taflan, Shannon Leigh Webber, and Will Zahrn, plus AFYT members Mal Blasingame, Sharon Pasia, and Angelica Grace. The reading will be followed by a Q&A session including Kelli Simpkins (member of the Tectonic Theatre Project and original co-creator of THE LARAMIE PROJECT), and Donny Acosta (Associate Artistic Director, AFT). |
Jason Gerace (Director) is a freelance director in Chicago, and was the recipient of the 2014 Non-Equity Jeff Award in Outstanding Direction for Great Expectations with Strawdog Theatre Company. Recent productions: Suddenly Last Summer (Raven Theatre), You Can't Take it With You (OPFT). Regional credits: Last Train to Nibroc (Haven Theatre), The Source (Route 66 Theatre), Threesome (Other Theatre), Wrecks (with John Judd; Chicago), Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Opus (RedTwist Theatre, Chicago). Jason originally hails from Anchorage, Alaska and holds an MFA in Directing from The University of Oklahoma. He is an associate member of SDC, and was Artistic Associate of American Theater Company since 2008.
special guests
Kelli Simpkins is a theater, film and television actor. She has been a company member of NYC’s Tectonic Theater Project since 1999. She is one of the original creators/dramaturges/performers of The Laramie Project and appears in HBO’s The Laramie Project, for which she and fellow company members share a Humanitas Prize and an Emmy nomination. She is a Tectonic Moment Work teaching artist and has led training labs throughout the country. She co-wrote, directed and devised an original play with students at Western Michigan University called Good Death, which was subsequently performed at the Kennedy Center’s Region III American College Theatre Festival. Kelli is a contributing writer to the book MOMENT WORK—Tectonic Theater Project’s Process of Devising Theater, which was published in April 2018.
After living in New York for fifteen years, Kelli relocated to Chicago. In the last twelve years, she has worked in Chicago at Steppenwolf Theatre, The Goodman, American Theater Company, Timeline, Victory Gardens and About Face Theater, where she is an artistic associate. Kelli often returns to NYC to perform (CHARM at MCC-2017) or to devise and develop work with longtime artistic collaborators (SPILL at Ensemble Studio Theatre-2017: a project Kelli dramaturged and performed in and helped to create over 5 years). Upcoming plays in development: Bull in a China Shop at About Face Theatre and CASA CUSHMAN--a residency at the Drama League in NYC, with one of her main collaborators, Leigh Fondakowski. Kelli can be seen in A24’s film SLICE, which will be released in 2018. She is a proud recipient of the 2013 3ARTS award. Kelli is additionally represented by NYC manager Jodi Schoenbrun Carter at 1022m Management.
After living in New York for fifteen years, Kelli relocated to Chicago. In the last twelve years, she has worked in Chicago at Steppenwolf Theatre, The Goodman, American Theater Company, Timeline, Victory Gardens and About Face Theater, where she is an artistic associate. Kelli often returns to NYC to perform (CHARM at MCC-2017) or to devise and develop work with longtime artistic collaborators (SPILL at Ensemble Studio Theatre-2017: a project Kelli dramaturged and performed in and helped to create over 5 years). Upcoming plays in development: Bull in a China Shop at About Face Theatre and CASA CUSHMAN--a residency at the Drama League in NYC, with one of her main collaborators, Leigh Fondakowski. Kelli can be seen in A24’s film SLICE, which will be released in 2018. She is a proud recipient of the 2013 3ARTS award. Kelli is additionally represented by NYC manager Jodi Schoenbrun Carter at 1022m Management.
Donny Acosta is a queer performance artist from Orange County, California. He started working with About Face as a youth ensemble member and a member of the Youth Task Force. He has devised and performed his work all over the city including the Museum of Contemporary Art, Stage 773, the Abbie Hoffman Died for your Sins Theatre Festival, and Salonathon. He is a proud ensemble member of the Drinking and Writing Theatre and artistic associate of the Wild Atlas Theatre Company.