The Center at West Park presents

WRITTEN BY DARIA KENT
DIRECTED BY MAIYA PASCOUCHE

CAST

Virginia Clemm/Ginny: Catherine Hope (she/they)
Edgar Allan Poe/Allan: Christian Regan (they/them)

CREATIVE TEAM

Playwright & Producer: Daria Kent (she/her)
Director: Maiya Pascouche (she/her)

Production Stage Manager: Mars Neri (they/them)
Intimacy Coordinator: Beth Golison (she/her)
Set Design: lucas a degirolamo (he/they)
Lighting Design: Chris Voegels (he/him)
Costume Design: Sharone Malka (they/them)
Props Design: Alexis Chapin (she/her)

Graphic Design: Austin Spero (he/him)
Social Media and Fundraising: Alexis Chapin (she/her)

Artist BIOS

ALEXIS CHAPIN (She/Her) is an artist living in New York City. She is originally from Massachusetts and graduated from the Fordham University Playwriting program in May of 2021. She loves theatre that challenges our worldviews and changes us from within. She loves all things queer, punk, and outer space. Her work has been seen at Fordham and on Zoom, but she hopes to make it to the big leagues soon, like Microsoft Outlook or Facetime. She is so proud of the work that Daria, Maiya, and the whole Virginia/Poe team have done, and she hopes you enjoy your time with us this evening. Also, thank you Z!

LUCAS A DEGIROLAMO (He/They) is a Brooklyn-based production designer, director, and installation artist. He often designs spaces and environments for theater and film, but also frequently works in collage, sculpture, and video. lucas' work takes a specific interest in queer futures, past survival and into liberation. They've worked across NYC in spaces like The Tank, Access Theater, Torn Page, Dixon Place, Playwrights Downtown, and La Plaza Culturale. Upcoming: set design for Daniel Holzman's Middle School Play at New Design High School. BFA: NYU/CONT. ED: SVA. www.lucasadeg.com/@lucasdegirolamo.

BETH GOLISON (She/Her) trained as an Intimacy Director at NYU Tisch, where she took the first-ever collegiate-level Intimacy Direction course. Since then, she has Intimacy Directed several plays at Playwrights Downtown, including 4 girls the first letter e by Maguire Wilder and Punch Me in the Face. Beth believes that storytelling is how we share warmth and whatever wisdom we have with one another. She is always excited to work, and works to bring optimism, discipline, and care into the room (for each other, for the material, and for each other's material.

DARIA KENT (She/Her) is an emerging writer and theatre artist in New York City. She grew up in Maryland where she developed a love for storytelling, live performance, and Chesapeake blue crabs. Daria received her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre (Playwriting) and English from Fordham University at Lincoln Center. Her work centers on exploring queer/non-traditional intimacies and envisioning new worlds. She strives to create work that is feminine, highly imaginative, provocative, and—most importantly—weird. Thank you to the entire Virginia/Poe cast and creative team for devoting yourself to this piece. And thank you to Kate DiRienzi for bringing this team together!

SHARONE MALKA (They/Them) is a costume and scenic designer, maker, and artist, with a BFA from NYU. They are fascinated by how we relate to history and how we use it to tell modern stories, but mostly they just like fancy dresses.

MARS NERI (They/Them) is a junior Stage Management major and Gender Studies minor at Fordham University. They are also a chair for Fordham Theatre’s BIPOC Alliance, and the 2021-2022 head of the Fordham Theatre AAPI Affinity Group. Most of their work is with the Fordham Theatre program, but they’ve also done work with Signature Theatre DC, the Song Collective, Leviathan Lab, and worked on the Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder Abridged fundraiser for Stop AAPI Hate. They’re devoted to doing work that brings unheard voices and untold stories to light.

MAIYA PASCOUCHE (She/Her) is a theater director-songwriter-adaptor. Originally from Connecticut, she has found her true home in the multifarious neighborhoods of New York City. She studied Drama at NYU Tisch. Her work strives to challenge the cis, hetero-normative narrative commonly found in the theatrical canon by placing women and LGBTQ+ characters at the forefront of her pieces. It is the vulnerable act of making theater that keeps her alive. Maiya’s work has been seen at Playwrights Downtown, Theaterlab, and digitally as a Line Producer for The Homebound Theater Project. She is grateful for the opportunity to create in a space as breathtaking as The Center at West Park.

LUCAS SAUR (He/Him) is a composer and multi-instrumentalist from NYC. He has written music for theater, musical theater, film, dance, and video games. He has performed in off-Broadway pit bands and played to venues such as Webster Hall and (Le) Poisson Rouge. His compositions and scores have been performed at The Lincoln Center, Theater Lab Midtown, Gibney 280, and Playwrights Horizons Downtown Theater School, among others. Lucas is known for his work as bassist and co-producer for NYC-based pop group Melt, and for the score to the video game Smile for Me.

CHRISTIAN REGAN (They/Them) is an actor/singer/songwriter/all-around clown lady based in Queens, NY. They currently attend NYU Tisch through the Stonestreet On-Screen acting program with plans to graduate in Spring 2022. Much thanks and love to Maiya, Catherine, Daria, Mars, Lucas, Lucas, Alexis, Sharone, and Chris for creating something wonderful.

CHRIS VOEGELS (He/Him) is a New York-based Designer, Actor, and Technician. He graduated from NYU Tisch School of the Arts, in 2020 where he acted and designed several student-created works. Since graduating, he has been a freelance technician for several companies around the city including Ars Nova and Clubbed Thumb. Recent design credits include I Love White Men (Caveat NYC, ANT Fest @ Ars Nova), Spring Awakening (Playwrights Horizons Theatre School), and Annie Aspen’s Musical Space Spectacular (ANT Fest @ Ars Nova). @chrisvoegels | chrisvoegels.com

CATHERINE YOUNG (She/They) is a recent graduate of SUNY Purchase Acting Conservatory. Their acting studies began under the greatest storyteller they know, their grandmother. Family stories and Kentucky folktales sitting around her grandmother’s kitchen table for hours. Some of their favorites at Purchase Rep are Rosalind in As You Like It, Zillah in A Bright Room Called Day (Revisited), and Young Woman in The Possibilities. They would like to thank her friends and family for their support and love, Company 45 for stoking the fire, and the angels for all the patience and grace.

PRODUCTION AND MAJOR SUPPORT Credits

Special thanks to our backers on Kickstarter who made this production possible:

Renata Hayes, Sandy Werner & Thomas Kent, Steve Kerschenbaum, Nily & Yarden Malka, Thomas P., Julie & Bob Wagman, Erin Slattery Black, Carol Boardway-Chapin, Bethany Hsiao, Laura Kent, Michael Kent, Alesha Borbo Kilayko, Liz Model, the Samper family, Roger Saur, Sarah Fagan, Jeremy Lyman, Maria Samper, Line Bower, Jennifer Crookes Carpenter, Maria Conte, Dawn Fairbanks, Chloe Djomessi Siakam, Rae Kerschenbaum, Sophia Koval, Jessica Speck, Daniel Holzman, Leah Garzo, Samirah Mashayekh, Erik Peterson, Megan Stewart, Julia Walker, Vivienne Blouin, Bob G., Raemae Kok, Sergey Kochergan, Sloan Mulloy, and Nanouli

VIRGINIA/POE was originally produced by The Center at West Park.

Special Thanks

Thank you to Materials for the Arts, the NYU - Tisch Costume Shop, and the entire Center at West Park staff

About the Center AT WEST PARK

The Center at West Park is a community performing arts center based in the historic West Park Presbyterian Church, a New York City landmark. We present engaging and boundary-pushing early-career and established artists through our artist residency programs, provide affordable rental space for artists to develop their work, and steward the restoration of our historic home’s landmark exterior. The Center is a secular, 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization.

This program is made possible by the generous support of audience members like you. To make a donation to support future residencies, go to centeratwestpark.org/donate.

Staff

Natasha Katerinopoulos, Managing Director
Zachary Tomlinson, Artistic Director
Dane Jerabek, Marketing Associate
Kate Sann, Development Consultant
Daniel Hess, Videographer
Tarela Kelvin Ebiotu, Videographer
David Shocket, Consulting Technical Director
Gary Eisenkraft, CPA, Accountant
Mercedes Marrero-Alvarado, Porter
Dion Thompson, Porter

FALL 2021 GUEST CURATORS

Debra Ann Byrd
Melanie Greene
Elliot Reed

OBJECT MOVEMENT CURATORS

Maiko Kikuchi
Rowan Magee
Marcella Murray
Justin Perkins

Board of directors

Marian M. Warden, President
Marsha Flowers, Vice President
Theodore S. Berger, Treasurer
Beryl Abrams, Secretary
Robert L. Brashear
Jennifer Rogers Carlock
Don Frantz
Derrick McQueen
Mitchell Schamroth
Susan E. Sullivan