IF THE CREEK DON’T RISE
By Tyree Marshall
Directed by Melissa Coleman-Reed
•Dramaturgy by Katherine Vondy •Stage Management by Athena Saxon
•Post-Show Talkback Moderated by TBA •Assistant Stage Management: Brynn Knickle
With…Donna Simone Johnson*, Sharlee Taylor*, David Kepner & John Sweet
Running Time: 90 minutes with one brief intermission; followed by a talkback
Join us after the talkback at Bar One (N Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027) to keep the conversation going!
*The Actor appears through the courtesy of Actors' Equity Association. This production is presented under the auspices of the Actor’s Equity Los Angeles Membership Company Rule
By Tyree Marshall
Directed by Melissa Coleman-Reed
•Dramaturgy by Katherine Vondy •Stage Management by Athena Saxon
•Post-Show Talkback Moderated by TBA •Assistant Stage Management: Brynn Knickle
With…Donna Simone Johnson*, Sharlee Taylor*, David Kepner & John Sweet
Running Time: 90 minutes with one brief intermission; followed by a talkback
Join us after the talkback at Bar One (N Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027) to keep the conversation going!
*The Actor appears through the courtesy of Actors' Equity Association. This production is presented under the auspices of the Actor’s Equity Los Angeles Membership Company Rule
Amy Tofte (Playwright) Amy Tofte (playwright - she/her) is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter who received a Nicholl Fellowship in screenwriting from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Her play Righteous Among Us (2020 Todd McNerney Award) had a staged reading at Urban Stages (off-Broadway) in 2023. She was recently a playwright with the Evolving Playwrights Group at Circle X Theatre where she completed a new play inspired by the climate crisis called Rain Dog War. She has been in residence at the Autry Museum of the American West, Brush Creek, Monson Arts, The Kennedy Center, Headlands Center for the Arts, and Yaddo with work produced and developed throughout the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and twice at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She is a proud member of The Dramatists Guild. MFA, CalArts.
Paula Rebelo (Director - she/her) is a Brazilian actress and director based in Los Angeles. Select credits, Do You Feel Anger? (Circle X Theatre) Cry It Out (Company of Fools), The River Bride (Arizona Theatre Company), The Clean House (Boise Contemporary Theater), The Temptation of St. Antony (Four Larks), and Theatre Movement Bazaar’s Big Shot, Grail Project, and most recently Tiny Little Town - which was awarded the Mervy Stutter’s Spirit of The Fringe Award and received a special commendation from the Musical Theatre Review’s Best Musical Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (2024) followed by a run at the Greenwich Theatre in London. Paula has received two Ovation Awards and an LA Theatre Bite award for her work on the LA stage. TV credits include Station 19, S.W.A.T., and The Upshaws. She holds a B.F.A. from CalArts. www.paularebelo.com
Emma Zakes Green (JAN - she/they) - Emma Zakes Green is a writer, director, and performer based in Los Angeles. On stage or off, Emma brings a love text, music, and impossible feats to every creative endeavor. Her work in theatre has been seen at LACMA, REDCAT, Bootleg, Son of Semele, Automata, Human Resources, Machine Project, among others. Emma holds an MFA in Acting from CalArts.
Cameran Surles (Margaret) is an actress/ writer/ producer in LA. She has appeared in numerous network TV shows and studio and indie feature films. She's a longtime student of Steppenwolf in Los Angeles and a company member of The Vagrancy. She has studied writing and directing through Sundance and produced a pilot for HBO Max as well as 3 feature films. She lives in West Hollywood with her husband and son who she can't believe is almost 1 year old.
Whitney Ellis (Betsy) is an actor, writer, and director. She earned her BA from UCLA's School of Theater, Film, & Television and won a fellowship to complete her MFA in Acting at USC. Whitney has appeared in several plays and films, one of her most recent film credits being an Official Selection of the Academy Award and BAFTA qualifying LA Shorts International Film Festival that she wrote, directed and acted in. Instagram: @whitneyellisisland
Caitlin Hart (Producer & Founding Artistic Director - she/her) Caitlin has worked for over 15 years as a professional storyteller - focusing on live performance. As Producing Artistic Director of The Vagrancy, she commissioned over 60 plays by women, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and artists with disabilities. The work has been featured on Broadway On Demand and The Breath Project Archives, a project that works to “actively dismantle structural racism in the American Theater.”
She holds a B.A. in Theatre Arts and completed the Atlantic Theatre company’s two-year Professional Acting Conservatory in NYC. Some favorite directing credits with The Vagrancy include Romeo and Juliet (Broadway World 2018 Best Play Nominee), Macbeth (Broadway World 2017 Best Play Nominee) and What of the Night? (Ovation Recommended; Best Ensemble Nominee; West Coast Premiere). She is a proud associate member of SDC. You can see her resume and learn more about her theatre work at caitlinhartdirector.com. |
Jaisey Bates (Playwright - they/she/any) is a neurodivergent poet playwright singular plurality. Awards include Marin Theatre Company’s Emerging American Playwright Prize. Selections include the Bay Area Playwrights Festival, Clamour, Cutting Ball, Native Voices at the Autry and The Vagrancy theater festivals. Finalist recognitions include NPC and the Princess Grace and American Blues Theater Blue Ink awards. A thousand thousand thanks to The Vagrancy for inclusion, and to the director and cast for gifting Anthropocene oceans of weird words your courageous hearts, talent and time! NPX and the-peoplehood.com
Jessica Blum/Director (she/her) is a Los Angeles-based actor and storyteller with a knack for diving deep into characters and narratives. She earned her Film and Media Studies degree at UCSB and has trained at Identity Drama School of Acting. Recently, she wrapped her first feature film, Cancer, as a co-lead. When not gracing the screen in commercials or indulging her passion for indie films, you can find Jessica leveling up in video games or hanging out with her two rescue cats—who, by the way, still refuse to take direction.
Toni Monroe (They -She/they) is Los Angeles based performer and writer. Although her normal endeavors include martial arts and stunts, she is thrilled to be performing in a different medium for Of Words and Water. Monroe trained at Identity Drama School of Acting, which strengthened her love for the stage and live performance. However, her inspiration comes from the students she teaches at TASA Martial Arts. If you can’t find her performing stage pieces, you’ll often find her performing martial arts shows or doing parkour across the city.
Alex Foley EARTHSONG (ONE) - She/they) is thrilled to be part of Of Words and Water. Originally from St. Pete Beach, Florida, she graduated from Florida State University with a degree in Sociology. After moving to Los Angeles, Alex spent nine years performing in Disney shows and parades, honing her craft and developing a love for live performance. She trained as an actor at IDSA and has appeared in commercials for brands like Apple. Alex enjoys exploring the arts and connecting with fellow creatives when she's not on stage.
Brooklyn Ruiz (EARTHSONG (TWO) - she/her) Brooklyn is a Los Angeles-based performer and teaching artist. She works closely with Next Level Theatre Company as an Executive Assistant and Sound Operator for her lifelong mentor Sofia Covarrubias. Currently, she is working towards her BA in Journalism and Theatre at California State University, Los Angeles. As a proud Los Angeles native, she hopes to continue to create diverse and inclusive communities of theatre makers in the city that has always inspired her.
Amy Tofte (Playwright - she/her) is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter who received a Nicholl Fellowship in screenwriting from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Her play Righteous Among Us (2020 Todd McNerney Award) had a staged reading at Urban Stages (off-Broadway) in 2023. She was recently a playwright with the Evolving Playwrights Group at Circle X Theatre where she completed a new play inspired by the climate crisis called Rain Dog War. She has been in residence at the Autry Museum of the American West, Brush Creek, Monson Arts, The Kennedy Center, Headlands Center for the Arts, and Yaddo with work produced and developed throughout the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and twice at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She is a proud member of The Dramatists Guild. MFA, CalArts.
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*These readings were made possible in part by a grant from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs & is supported, in part, by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission.