Thank you for joining us at SEWING BEARS: A PLAY WITH POCKETS!
SEWING BEARS:
A PLAY WITH POCKETS
a theatrical experiment
by 2020 parity development award winner Jonathan alexandratos
Directed by Jessica Bashline
CO-PRODUCED BY PARITY PRODUCTIONS
Sewing Bears: A Play with Pockets is about the resistance to the 1907 teddy bear moral panic. Briefly, in 1907, Father Michael Esper gave his last sermon which warned that teddy bears would result in "race suicide" in the U.S. as young girls would play with them instead of baby dolls, and therefore never learn to be "good mothers." This obvious nonsense was loud enough that it sparked a nationwide moral panic against which women and girls pushed back.
To create the piece, playwright Jonathan Alexandratos and director Jessica Bashline will use "The Colbert Method."
Recently, late night host Stephen Colbert mentioned he and his friends used to take plays from concept to stage in nine days.
"We are going to replicate that experiment with Sewing Bears. We believe the short time frame will add an element of play to the work we do, and prove that the creation of theatre can happen, as activism does, in a pop-up rapid response fashion."
-Jonathan Alexandratos
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All proceeds from ticket sales will go towards paying the actors who have given their time for this project as well as to the wonderful organization GIRLS WHO CODE.
In 1995, 37% of computer scientists were women. Today, it’s only 24%. The percent will continue to decline if we do nothing. We know that the biggest drop off of girls in computer science is between the ages of 13 and 17.
https://girlswhocode.com
CAST
Veronica Dang (she/her) is an actor/writer/director/comedian and creator of acclaimed webseries Subway: The Series. She also founded NYC's premier Asian American sketch comedy team Model Majority which has been featured in the New York Times, Good Morning America, CBS and more. Highlights: Ideal Husband, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Romeo & Juliet, Law & Order: SVU and SNL. www.iVeronicaDang.com
Kristin McCalley (she/her) is an actor, director, producer and devising-artist, with over a decade of experience in Nashville, New York City and the Catskills. McCalley holds a BFA in Theatre from Belmont University and has worked with companies such as Nashville Children’s Theatre, Nashville Repertory Theater, Blackbird Theatre, Playhouse Nashville, Actor’s Bridge, Spaghetti Theatre, Verge, and her own production company, The Party.
Dexter Warren (he/they) is a Brooklyn based multi-hyphenate artist and stage manager alumnus of NYU Steinhardt Vocal Performance Musical Theatre. They both performed in and stage managed the all trans and gender expansive Off-Broadway production of The Civility of Albert Cashier. As a storyteller at their core, Dexter aims to uplift and provide performance opportunities for historically excluded people.
Chuck Willey (he/him) most recently seen at Westbeth Arts Center with Cosmic Orchid's spring reading series. He was a member of 29th Street Rep, where he appeared in many productions including Blue Window, The Censor and Charles Bukowski's South Of No North. A graduate of Syracuse University's theater program, he is a proud father of two sensational young adults. Endless thanks for her love and support to my wife Angela.
CREATIVE TEAM
Jonathan Alexandratos (they/them/theirs) is a New York City-based playwright. Their work advocates for those who live in the glitches of oppressive systems. Jonathan's award-winning plays have been produced internationally with support from Parity Productions, PEACE Productions, Pipeline Theatre Company, Fresh Ground Pepper, the Queens Council on the Arts, and others. Recently, Jonathan edited and contributed to Beyond the Binary: Works by Eight Non-Binary Playwrights which is out now from Next Stage Press.
Jessica Bashline (she/her) is a theater artist, working as a playwright, director, and performer. Her plays include: Ann and Me: or the big bad abortion play, which won the United Solo Festival “Best Storyteller” Award for 2023, a solo piece about abortion has been developed in collaboration with American Theater Northwest and Syracuse Stage. Her plays are available at Next Stage Press, as well as New Play Exchange. Jessica has received awards and fellowships for her work from the Drama League, SDC, NYU, UM, Miami Dade Cultural Council, among others. She is a member of AEA, the Dramatist Guild and the SDC.