SISTER URA SHAZAD Female, African American,40s – the proprietor of the Liberated Bookstore and a fierce advocate for human rights. Suffers from PTSD. She is a fighter and a survivor.
MARK LEE Male, African American, Early 20s – an education major who lost the two most influential men in his life to the terror of the South. He is a dreamer whose dreams have been shattered.
THEODORE HAMMOND Male, African American, Pre/Early Teens – a precocious boy who speaks against the injustice in the world, often to his detriment.
GRACE HAMMOND: Female, Haitian American, Late 20s – Theodore’s mother. A dark-skinned, Haitian immigrant who firmly believes she is not Black.
BARRY DEON: Male, African American, Late 20s – Theodore’s father. A Black Panther. A hero in his son’s eyes. In Grace’s eyes, a terrorist.
MICHAEL* Male, late 30s/early 50s – Ura’s employee at the bookstore she managed in British Guiana. French accent.
AGENT DITMUS* Male, late 30s/early 50s – lead agent at FBI headquarters in Washington, DC. Southern drawl.
AGENT FREELEY* Male, African American, late 30s/early 50s – lead agent at the NYC Field Office. Speaks “proper English”.
*These three roles will be facilitated by the same actor with strong character acting skills and vocal range.
Especially encouraged to submit: strong movers and Jewish actresses of all backgrounds.
Doctor GISELLA Perl (Female, 30s-40s) a Hungarian Jew and a doctor of gynecology. Grounded. Compassionate. Comfort with singing a plus.
The GUARD (Female, 20s) blonde, blue eyed, and beautiful. Mouthpiece for Doctor M. She is always smiling. Terrifying and sadistic.
Female, 20’s, to play a range of women from teens to 30’s. Every prisoner. Every patient. Every woman. Sometimes appears as Gisella’s daughter GABBY.
ABIGAIL, PROPHETESS (Female, any age) known for guiding others toward righteousness. Measured. Biblical, but also a Jewish tante (auntie). Comfort with singing a plus.
HANNAH, PROPHETESS (Female, any age) tested by God through her infertility. Defiant. Biblical, but also a Jewish tante (auntie). Comfort with singing a plus.
None of these characters has to be played by an actor of a particular ethnicity. Other than the rough ages listed, the only requirement is that it’s important to the character of Cole that the actor be a woman of size.
Character Breakdown:
Davina: A woman in her 20s who has worked at the gas station for years. She is plain, typically dressed in a t-shirt, cross necklace, and low ponytail.
Barb: A woman in her 60s who runs the gas station. She has a gray mullet and a rarely seen smile.
Jill: A woman in her early 20s, recently hired at the gas station. She has an impish expression and a green streak in her ponytail.
Cole: A woman in her 20s; Barb’s granddaughter. She is obese, a glamorous dresser, and an aspiring singer.
Ryan: A man in his 20s; he is a firefighter and Cole’s boyfriend.
Cassie: A woman in her 20s; a friend of Cole and Davina’s
Stacey Ann: A woman in her 50s; mother of Cassie and a friend of Barb’s
Marcus: A man aged anywhere from his 40s to 60s; a friend of Barb’s
Lillian Hilmes (she/they) is a Brooklyn based Electrician and Lighting Designer. She graduated from Missouri State University with a BFA in Lighting Design, and is an alumni of The Juilliard School Professional Apprentice Program. Most recently, Lillian designed the 2024 Blackbox Play Festival for The Gallery Players. They were also the Master Electrician for SheNYC’s Off-Broadway debut shows Bloodshot and Fort Huachuca. https://
Shira Wolf is a General Manager at KGM Theatrical where she manages Broadway and Off-Broadway shows of all sizes. A proud ATPAM member, previous credits include The Ferryman, Mean Girls, and To Kill a Mockingbird. Shira co-founded SheNYC’s education program, CreateHER,and has seen over 65 high school students graduate the program as young playwrights and producers. Shira graduated from the University of Michigan with a dual degree in Psychology and Performing Arts Management.
Elizabeth Addison is a multi-hyphenated artist, theatre-maker, and creative recovery coach. She has written three musicals inspired by her recovery journey, “This is Treatment”, “F**k! Now What?!” and “Chasing Grace”, and just began writing her next musical, “In Between…” which will premiere at 54 Below in October 2023. Elizabeth was recently appointed Artistic Director of the New Works Department at 2nd Act and is on the advisory board of The Recovery Theatre Project.
Dena Igusti is an Indonesian Muslim writer born and raised in Queens, New York. They are the author of CUT WOMAN. Their work has been produced and performed at The Brooklyn Museum, The Apollo Theater, Teen Vogue Summit, Players Theatre, Prelude Festival, Center At West Park, The Tank, and more. Their work has been featured in Teen Vogue, HowlRound, American Theatre, and more. They are a 2023 Asian American Writers’ Workshop Open City Fellow.
Danielle DeMatteo is a writer/composer and Artistic Director of SheNYC Arts. After working in the creative department at Jujamcyn Theaters (working on such shows as Kinky Boots, Jersey Boys, The Book of Mormon, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Something Rotten!, two seasons of Encores! at New York City Center, and more), she wanted to put her creative producing skills to work fixing the gender gap in the Broadway industry. She founded SheNYC Arts in 2015 and is eternally grateful to all of the other talented artists who have helped it grow and develop since then. Most recently, she was on the worldwide Production team at Disney Theatrical Group, working on Frozen, The Lion King, and Aladdin around the globe. As a writer, her musicals have run off-Broadway, in Boston, and Chicago; her most recent piece, QUEEN ANNE, was the 2021 recipient of the Brooklyn Arts Council grant for musical theatre. In addition to her work in theater, she was one of the original organizers of the Women’s March on Washington, and has worked on a number of New York political campaigns, including as the Campaign Manager for Art Chang’s 2021 Mayoral run. She was recently featured in Forbes Magazine and was named one of Five Women to Watch as Broadway Returns by Shonda Rhimes’ publication, Shondaland.
Emily Rellis is an actor, producer, intimacy choreographer, certified Lucid Body teacher and has been been working with SheNYC since its inception in 2016. She considers herself a “multi-hyphenate creative” having worked in numerous stage, film and television productions in NYC, LA, and across the regional East Coast market in several aspects. No matter what role she is in, Emily makes it a priority to use the tools of consent, boundaries, and communication to give every actor a sense of true holistic autonomy and empowerment – both on and off set. http://www.emilyrellis.
Erika Miranda is a Mexican/Norwegian actor and producer. She received her BFA in Acting from The Theater School at DePaul University (Chicago, IL). She pursued additional training from the London Academy of Dramatic Arts (London, England) and the Upright Citizens Brigade (New York City, NY). Erika is the Founder of Cafecito Productions and an Executive Producer for SheATL, an offshoot of the SheNYC Arts Initiative. Cafecito Production’s film, Mi Casa, can be seen on all HBO platforms.
Caitlin Hargraves is an American/Chilean actor, educator, and producer based in Atlanta. She received her BFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and her MA from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Currently, Caitlin teaches acting courses as a faculty member at Emory University where she is also the Co-Artistic Director of Theater Emory. She is an executive producer of the SheATL Arts festival and Cafecito Productions, a film production company whose first short film Mi Casa, which Caitlin also stars in, is currently playing on all HBO platforms. Since 2021 Cafecito Productions has made 3 short films, which have screened at film festivals like Palm Springs Short Fest, Cucalorus, Cleveland International Film Festival, and many more!
Eh-den is a multidisciplinary arts administrator working to support artists whose voices often go unheard. She has worked for a wide range of companies and organizations including Brooklyn Academy of Music, The New Group, Third Rail Project, the Public Theater, the Apollo Theater, and New York Public Radio. She is also the Director of Development at SheNYC Arts.
Lauren has been one of the most produced playwrights in America since 2015, topping the list thrice including 2022/23. Her musical adaptation of The Time Traveller’s Wife premieres on the West End this fall. She is a two-time winner of the Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award for I and You and The Book of Will, the winner of the Lanford Wilson Award and a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. She is a playwright, screenwriter, musical book writer and children’s author who lives in San Francisco. She graduated from NYU Tisch as a Reynolds Fellow in Social Entrepreneurship. LaurenGunderson.com
Kristy Thomas was born and raised in Kansas City, MO and has been an educator most of her adult life. She is committed to strengthening communication and relationship building on topics dealing with Diversity in education and other organizations. She also believes that empowering educators to lead discussions in their diverse communities is key to continued educational success. A part of this is the ability to create inclusive work environments for all so that organizations can not only build stronger, but smarter in all aspects. Kristy aims to address the stigma associated with diversity, equity and inclusion with the ultimate goal of fostering dialogue and encouraging action. Kristy has worked with educational institutions, non-for-profit organizations and boards, created videos to address school districts work toward creating equality for all, workshops with teen leadership groups, executive counsels, human resource and recruiting officers and hopes to continue expanding her reach to other groups in need of her services. She holds a certificate in Diversity & Inclusion from Cornell University, MBA in Educational Leadership w/ Principal Certification, MFA in Acting & Directing, and BS in Secondary Theatre and Speech Education. Kristy proudly operates Always Writing 4 U a writing and publishing business in addition to Thomas DEI Consulting LLC.
Rachel Sussman (she/her) is a Tony Award-nominated producer, educator, and entrepreneur committed to cultivating collaborative theatrical work built on trust and transparency. A producer with Plate Spinner Productions, she is also a co-founder of The MITTEN Lab, an emerging theatre artist residency program in her native state of Michigan and The Business of Broadway, an educational initiative to democratize knowledge about the commercial theatre industry. Broadway and national tour: Co-producer on Heidi Schreck’s Pulitzer Prize finalist and Tony Award-nominated play, What the Constitution Means to Me. Other producing credits include the Obie Award-winning production of The Woodsman (New World Stages/59E59), Saturday Night Seder (Story Course), The Peculiar Patriot (Audible Theater at The Minetta Lane), and Eh Dah? Questions for My Father (Next Door at NYTW). In development: Suffs by Shaina Taub, premiering at The Public Theater in Spring 2022. A past Women’s Project Lab Time Warner Foundation Fellow, Rachel was the recipient of the 2018-2019 Prince Fellowship in Creative Producing. She is a graduate of the Commercial Theater Institute and a University Honors Scholar alumna of NYU Tisch. She is an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University’s School of the Arts and New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. www.rachel-sussman.com
Jenna Tatman is thrilled to be a part of SheNYC for the second summer after assistant producing SheNYC’s Noteworthy concert last fall. She is currently a community manager with Serino Coyne and handles the social accounts for Broadway, National Tours and Off-Broadway shows.
Lauren Harris, a Philadelphia Native, graduated with honors from the University of Southern California with a double major in Dramatic Arts (emphasis on Acting) and Spanish (fluent). She has studied at the Berridge Conservatory in Normandy, France, The Pig Iron Theatre Company in Philadelphia, PA, and the British American Dramatic Academy in London, England. Lauren wrote, produced, and co-starred in a feminist web-series titled It’s A Girl Thing, which received Best Series Awards at The Florence Film Awards, London Independent Film Festival, Venice Film Awards, and was featured as part of The California Womens’ Festival, Los Angeles Filmmakers Showcase, Miami Web Fest, and Madrid Film Festival. Most recently, she co-produced, directed, and starred in Defining Dodo, a Latinx/LGBTQ story premiering this fall. For more on Lauren’s bragging rights, visit laurenelizabethharris.com.
Ari Conte is a performer and producer. She has assisted on productions such as Dear Evan Hansen (Broadway), The Greatest Showman (FOX), The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon) and most recently, Tick Tick…Boom! (Netflix) as a Producer’s Assistant. Her one woman show, The Women We Carry, premiered at The Green Room 42 in NYC in June 2019 and then in Massachusetts. She recently studied Commercial Producing at The Commercial Theater Institute as the Fred Vogel scholarship recipient. She is a proud Show Mentor for She NYC Arts. www.ariconte.me.
Elisabeth Frankel is a theatre-maker, working in playwriting, directing, producing, adapting, and dramaturgy. Her original plays include The Visitors; 2076; The German Party; Neuroclear; The Progenies; and Jerusalem is Beautiful. Winner of the Kennedy Center Planet Earth Award; US Marine Corps Heritage Drama Prize; Young Playwrights Inc. National Competition; New Jersey Play Series; and Hopwood Prize for Drama. Finalist for the Playwrights Realm Fellowship; PlayPenn Writers Conference; Actors’ Theatre of Louisville Heideman Award; twice, Columbia@Roundabout Reading Series; Jewish Plays Project; and Drama League Beatrice Terry Residency. Twice semi-finalist for the Eugene O’Neill Playwrights Conference. Education: BFA in Theatre Directing, University of Michigan (Go Blue). MFA in Playwriting, Columbia University.
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