THE GENDERLESS PLAY EXPERIMENT Written By C. Quintana This production is commissioned and produced by the Carthage College Theatre Department as part of the New Play Initiative. SETTING A Theatre TIME The Present CHARACTERS/SOUL TYPES YOU 1, the caretaker
Mitchell Clark
YOU 2, the educator
Katie Layendecker
YOU 3, the thinker
Matthew Corgiat
YOU 4, the performer
Paige “PJ” Hebbring
YOU 5, the leader
Lorelai Amborn
YOU 6, the spiritualist
Lily Anderson
STRANGER, an everyday person responding to an ad
Jessica Skonesey
PRODUCTION and DESIGN TEAM Director Stage Manager Scenic Designer Costume Designer Flint Technical Director Lighting Designer Assistant TD Festival Lighting Coordinator Composer Music Coach Assistant Stage Manager
Lucky Stiff Paige Downey Martin McClendon Kim Instenes Martin McClendon William Newcomb Slim Simonini Gabrielle Tifft Ben Bonnema Matthew Hougland Lilia Hackert
Properties Run Crew Sound Mix Operator Light Board Operator Spotlight Operator Sound Board, Assistant Sound Design Costume Crew Head Costume Crew
Zoe Landry Dominic Luzwick, Alexis Cervantes Alyssa Sargis Owsen Holecko Colin Campbell Daniel Michalec Ellie Neybert Tiffany Borger, Sarah Loster
*SPECIAL THANKS* I am supremely grateful to the group of theatremakers who workshopped the first full-length version of this play at Carthage College in December 2022. They included the following: Kurt Meinhardt, Ria Palomarez, Lane Breimhorst, Marielle Shiring, Becca Robertson, Nicky Caldwell, Ruiqing Zhu, Martin McClendon, and Herschel Kruger I am also very thankful for MeetCute: LA where we presented a ten-minute excerpt of an early version of the play in August 2019, directed by Hannah Wolf with the following cast: Nathan Streifel, Austin Kilch, Joshua Rivas, Provvidenza Catalano -C. Qunitana
DIRECTOR’S NOTES This is a love story. Just after the invention of the covid vaccine I spent a weekend in Anaheim, CA to visit Disneyland with extended family for the first time since 2020. The park was shut down that weekend due to a spike in the virus so there we were, me and six septuagenarians in couples, two of whose partners had passed away in recent years. So we sat, and we imbibed legal substances, we played guitar and sang and tried to hold on to the small joy of being together in a condo just a little too far from the ocean. I had recently begun to transition and one 77 year-old got curious after a few hours of drinking. He started asking questions, some respectful and some not, but all of them from a place of deep love and confusion and curiosity. “Do you shave now?” he asked. “Am I allowed to fight you like a man?” This last one was, I think, a joke. “Who are you attracted to?” He asked, and I answered, and slowly he began to speak about how much he had loved his late wife, and how difficult he was finding trying to date again when she was always on his mind. I asked him “If you don’t think you can date women anymore, would you ever date another kind of person?” At first he scoffed, a knee jerk reaction that he immediately registered and became puzzled by. “I do think boys are cute. I always have. But I never really thought that meant anything.” He thought for a little while longer and then looked up at me with a lost, childlike expression that honestly broke my heart. “I did what I thought I was supposed to do,” he finished.
I share this story with you because of the questions asked (directly and indirectly) in the play you're about to see: can you look at someone and know who they are attracted to and what their gender is? What dangers might we face if we go through a process, like some of these characters do, of questioning, examination, and adjustment, until we land in the fullness of ourselves (whether that means we confirm that we are straight and cisgender, or whether a different kind of world might open up to us)? What joy are we denying ourselves if we refuse to get to know ourselves deeply?
The Genderless Play Experiment is an exuberant, funny, ritual celebration of gender and sexual identity. It’s at times explosive, at times contemplative, but always always seated in a flowerbed of joy. Apologies for the cliche, but it takes many hands to tend a garden, and it takes many “you’s” to make a play - the yous on stage and the yous here in the audience. I encourage you for the next hour or so to examine the fullness of yourself without fear, as much as you are able and willing to. To live in the midst of questioning, of responding, and ultimately in the midst of glitter, and find the way together. I hope for all of us that this journey of getting to know who we truly are will be lifelong, and that as we grow and age our paths will contain many more questions and many more answers. Like I said, it’s a love story… a surprise love story. The best kind.
PLAYWRIGHT’S NOTES Dear Friends, As a writer, there’s nothing better than a kind person approaching you with an opportunity to support “whatever you want to write.” THE GENDERLESS PLAY EXPERIMENT (GPE, as it is now lovingly called) was a dream project I longed to expand into a full-length play and, suddenly, I had the chance to develop the idea with a team of ready collaborators. From my first visit in December 2022 for our initial workshop and reading, I quickly learned how special the Carthage College theater community is — reminded of my own beloved alma mater. That weekend, the performers, a mix of students, alumnae, and faculty, dove in wholeheartedly and helped deepen the script in fantastic ways – and that was just the beginning! I began writing this play inspired by Jeanette Winterson’s novel WRITTEN ON THE BODY, a love story in which the narrator’s gender is never revealed. I wondered whether I might successfully execute a similar premise in a play, challenging my and our notions of perceived gender, when we, the audience, see and experience real bodies on stage, in person, as in life. At the center of building this play has always been joy— the desire to create a celebration on stage, and a real PLAY, in every sense of the word. Lucky Stiff entered as director and has wholeheartedly embraced
and expanded upon this vision alongside a wonderful cast and design team. The Carthage creative team for GPE is truly the gifted embodiment of “YES, AND.” And so, it is with abundant gratitude that I invite you into this beautiful, zany world we have created together. A world where everyone is invited, everyone is remarkable, everyone is worthy of being seen. My great hope is that you will leave this theater feeling a bit more buoyant and a bit more loved and full of love. After all, anything is possible in the theater. This play is for you, so let it be yours. Thank you for joining us. -CQ
CAST BIOGRAPHIES Mitchell Clark (YOU 1 - Caretaker) is a sophomore majoring in Computer Science and minoring in Theatre. His past credits include Motel in FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, Bela Zangler in CRAZY FOR YOU, and several parts in THE DINING ROOM at Oak Creek High School, as well as Haemon in ANTIGONE at Carthage College. He would like to thank sisters Megan and Miranda as well as his grandparents Larry and Julie. He is so proud to be a part of such a beautiful show filled to the brim with love and tenderness and hopes you enjoy it as much as he and his castmates have. Katie Layendecker (YOU 2 - Educator) is a junior Theater Performance and English major with a Creative Writing emphasis at Carthage college. She played messenger/chorus in ANTIGONE Fall 2022 and was a part of the SURE project to help write the Kenosha Verbatim Project Summer 2022-Spring 2023. She has also been in THE GLASS MENAGERIE Fall 2021 and ELEEMOSYNARY Fall 2022 for directing scenes. Playwriting is one of her passions, and she is so grateful to be in this original production. She would like to thank everyone in the production who has come on this journey with her, as well as her friends and family who have always supported her. She hopes everyone loves THE GENDERLESS PLAY EXPERIMENT as much as she does. Matthew Corgiat (YOU 3 - Thinker) is a junior Theatre Performance major with a Psychology minor. This is his third performance role at Carthage, having previously acted as Anthony in I & YOU, M in LUNGS, and Two in BIG GUNS. He has also worked as Assistant Technical Director for ORDINARY DAYS. He is extremely excited for this performance, and he would like to thank the production team and cast for their positivity and support throughout the production. Paige “PJ” Hebbring (YOU 4 - Performer) is a sophomore Theatre Major and a double minor in education and English. She is excited to take part in her third Carthage College production and to have been allowed to be a part of such a great team of artists. Her previous Carthage College Theater credits
are for chorus member in ANTIGONE and as the Stage Manager for LUNGS. She is also a member of the Merely Players Improv Group. She wants to thank her friends, family, boyfriend, and bulldog Lucy for always supporting her theatrical endeavors (and busy schedule). She wishes everyone to have fun and enjoy the show! Lorelai Amborn (YOU 5 - Leader): is a freshman at Carthage majoring in Theatre and minoring in Secondary Education! She is so excited to be participating in her first college production! Past credits include CHICAGO (Hunyak), CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (Mrs. Teavee), TREVOR THE MUSICAL (Cathy), MEAN GIRLS (Karen Smith), and GROUNDHOG DAY THE MUSICAL (Stage Manager). She would like to thank Herschel for encouraging her to audition for this play! She would also like to thank CQ and Lucky for all the resources and help they have given the cast throughout this process! Lastly, huge thanks to her mom, dad, and weiner dog Rudy for being her biggest fans!! Please enjoy the show! :) IG: lorelaiamborn Lily Anderson (YOU 6 - Spiritualist) Lily is a Computer science major and a theatre minor and is so excited to help in the debut of this show! Lily can be found at the tutoring center when not in the costume shop or rehearsal, helping people learn C++ or practicing for Mock Trial (Hi, team!). This is Lily’s third show with Carthage College and the second main stage. In Freshman year, Lily played ONE in BIG GUNS. In sophomore year, Lily performed as Eurydice and a chorus member in ANTIGONE. The best part of rehearsal, in Lily’s opinion, is the connection between the cast, stage managers, director, writer, and crew of this show. Jessie Skonesey (Stranger) is a Theatre Performance major with a French minor. Previous roles Jessie has played at Carthage were Antigone (ANTIGONE) in fall 2022 and Ms. Delaney (FML: HOW CARSON MCCULLERS SAVED MY LIFE) in spring 2023. She would like to thank the outstanding professionals behind the scenes that made THE GENDERLESS PLAY possible for her and her talented cast mates. But most of all, she would like to thank Brian and Michelle Skonesey for their endless love and support in all that she does.
PRODUCTION TEAM BIOGRAPHIES Lucky Stiff (Director) (they/them) is a trans/nonbinary director, writer, and performer working in Chicago and New York. Their work in new play and musical development and nightclub culture-inspired performance art has been featured at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Goodman Theatre, Blue Man Group Chicago, Boy Friday Dance Company, Ensemble Studio Theatre, and the McKittrick Hotel (Sleep No More NYC) among many others. In 2022, they were a visiting artist at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland developing a new musical by Jonathan Bauerfeld and Casey Kendall in partnership with the American Music Theater Project, as well as a Lead Artist for an original performance piece in development at Mercury Store (Brooklyn, NY). This will be their third year performing in drag as the Ghost of Christmas Past in Goodman Theatre's Christmas Carol, a Chicago holiday tradition for four decades. They are a member of the Leon Levy Foundation Roundabout Director's Group for 2023/24. They hold an MFA in Directing for Theater from Northwestern University where they received a grant from the Center for Interdisciplinary Research in the Arts for their original site-specific production BELOW: An Underworld Story.
C. Quintana [CQ] (Playwright) (she/any)is a queer writer with Cuban and New Orleans roots based on Canarsee and Munsee Lenape land in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn. Quintana’s plays have been developed and produced nationwide and include: The THE 126-YEAR-OLD ARTIST (Audible), AZUL (Diversionary Theatre), SCISSORING (INTAR, available via Dramatists Play Service), CITIZEN SCIENTIST (Barrington Stage Company Burman New Play Award), EVENSONG (Astoria Performing Arts Center), ENTER YOUR SLEEP (Yale Cabaret), and more. CQ is the recipient of grants & fellowships from New York State Council on the Arts, Café Royal Cultural Foundation, MacDowell, Playwrights Realm, Van Lier/New Voices at The Lark, CubaOne, Lambda Literary, and Queer|Art, as well as commissions from The Kennedy Center, The Civilians, and the Ensemble Studio Theatre/Alfred P. Sloan Project. Most recently, Life Jacket Theatre Company selected CQ as the inaugural playwright for its 2023-2024 Trans National Playwriting Commission. CQ’s television writing credits include the forthcoming ALERT (Season 2 | Fox/Sony), ORPHAN BLACK: ECHOES (AMC/Boat Rocker), and THE BAKER AND THE BEAUTY (ABC/Keshet). CQ is a proud graduate of the late College of Santa Fe (RIP) and holds an MFA in Playwriting from Columbia University. Special thanks to Hershel, Carthage, and the whole cast and crew for their profound generosity throughout this entire process. For more, visit cquintana.com or @cquintanatown Martin McClendon (Co-Director, projection design) teaches, directs, and designs scenery for Carthage Theatre. He has received KC/ACTF Certificates of Merit for scenic design for the Carthage productions of MAN OF LA MANCHA, BOEING BOEING, ONE DAY IN THE SEASON OF RAIN, DEAD MAN’S CELL PHONE, and a collaborative certificate for video technology for THE BREATH OF STARS. Martin was also honored to receive the Association for Theatre in Higher Education Innovative Teaching Award for 2016-17 for his work with students in developing veteran theatre projects, including the Veteran Night of the Arts fundraiser. Before coming to Carthage, Martin spent 10 years working as a professional actor, carpenter, and scene designer in Chicago and Los Angeles. He was nominated three times for Non-Equity Jeff Citation Awards while designing scenery for the Defiant Theatre Company, Chicago. In addition to designing scenery, video, and sound at Carthage, regional scene design credits include Milwaukee Chamber Theatre and First Stage Children’s Theatre (Milwaukee, WI), Actor’s Ensemble (Rockford, IL), and The Evidence Room and Odyssey Theatres (Los Angeles, CA). Onstage appearances in Chicago include MOJO and SKYLIGHT (Steppenwolf), DANNY BOUNCING (Victory Gardens) and THE CRIPPLE OF INISHMAAN (Northlight). On-camera work includes several independent movies, episodes of ER and EARLY EDITION, and numerous commercials. He is a proud member of Actor’s Equity and SAG/AFTRA. Martin received his MFA in acting from the University of Illinois Champaign/Urbana, and his BFA in acting from Rockford College. He would like to thank his beautiful wife Jennifer and his wonderful kids Arabella and Horatio for their support and inspiration. William Newcomb (Technical Director, Assistant Professor of Theatre) holds a B.F.A. in Technical Theatre from Tarleton State University, Stephenville, Texas, and an M.F.A. in Arts Administration from Southern Utah University. He was assistant manager of the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre for two years before coming to Carthage. William also served as production Manager for the Optimist Theatre’s Shakespeare in the Park. William is a national member of USITT. Other credits include technical director of the Wells Fine Arts Center at Tarleton State University, assistant technical director at Oberlin College, scene shop foreman at Ohio Light Opera, and assistant to the production manager of the Utah Shakespearean Festival.
Kim Instenes (Costume Designer, Associate Professor of Theatre) holds an MFA in Costume Design and Technology from Ohio University, and a BA in Theatre from UW-Whitewater. Kim continues to work as a freelance costume and make-up designer in the Milwaukee/Chicago area. Professional design credits include THE SNOW and BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER, as well as the musical BIG at Milwaukee’s First Stage Children’s Theatre, the JEEVES Trilogy and INDECENT at Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, and numerous shows at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Renaissance Theatre Works, Utah Shakespearean Festival and the Racine Theatre Guild. Design work at Carthage includes SOMETHING ROTTEN and costumes for the world premieres of NO NAME by Jeffrey Hatcher and GHOST BIKE by Laura Jacqmin, to name a few. GHOST BIKE won her a Certificate of Merit from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival for costume and makeup design and an invitation to show her work at the Festival. Kim is excited to be a part of the Theatre Department here at Carthage as it strengthens and strives to create theatre artists of the highest quality. She enjoys the thrill of watching a student understand what a costume does for their character and watching that character come to life as a result. She would also like to thank her family, husband Doug, and children, Lauren and Dalen, for their continued support of her creative endeavors. Paige Downey (Stage Manager) (she/her) is a sophomore Stage Management and Directing double major with a minor in Dance. This is her 4th show here at Carthage. Credits included dancing in, IN THE MOMENT DANCE SHOW Fall 2022, Co Stage Manager for, FML: HOW CARSON MCCULLERS SAVED MY LIFE Spring 2023, Costume Crew for LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL Spring 2023. Paige is so excited to be working on the new play initiative here at Carthage and has had a wonderful time working with Lucky, CQ, and all the Cast and Crew for GPE. She would like to give a special thank you to her friends and family for always being her biggest supporters, along with Lilia her assistant stage manager for GPE. “I wouldn’t have been able to make it this far without you guys so thank you.” Lilia Hackert (Assistant Stage Manager) (she/her) is a freshman at Carthage, who is double majoring in stage management and business management. She is so excited to be working on her first college play and jumping into this new opportunity! Previously, she has worked on IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE, NEWSIES, UNHEARD, and JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT. She would like to thank her friends and family for supporting her in this new stage of her life, as well as this amazing cast and crew. She would also like to thank the cast and crew of GPE and especially thank Paige Downey for being such a wonderful stage manager and mentor to her throughout this process. Zoe Landry (Properties) is a Junior Theatre-Technical Direction major. Her previous credits at Carthage are as Properties designer for SOMETHING ROTTEN, MEMENTO MORI, and LEGALLY BLONDE. She is excited to have the opportunity to work on her second new play initiative Daniel Michalec (Assistant Sound Design) Hello! Daniel is glad to be here as it is his first production with Carthage! He did his best to get the best sound effects so it should be a *chef's kiss*. He hopes you enjoy the show as everyone put in their best effort! Fun fact- He loves cats.
The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, part of the Rubenstein Arts Access Program, is generously funded by David M. Rubenstein. Special thanks to The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust for supporting the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’ Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. Additional support is provided by The Honorable Stuart Bernstein and Wilma E. Bernstein; and the Dr. Gerald and Paula McNichols Foundation. Kennedy Center education and related artistic programming is made possible through the generosity of the National Committee for the Performing Arts. This production is entered in the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF). The aims of this national theater education program are to identify and promote quality in college-level theater production. To this end, each production entered is eligible for a response by a regional KCACTF representative, and selected students and faculty are invited to participate in KCACTF programs involving scholarships, internships, grants and awards for actors, directors, dramaturgs, playwrights, designers, stage managers and critics at both the regional and national levels. Productions entered on the Participating level are eligible for invitation to the KCACTF regional festival and may also be considered for national awards recognizing outstanding achievement in production, design, direction and performance. Last year more than 1,500 productions were entered in the KCACTF involving more than 200,000 students nationwide. By entering this production, our theater department is sharing in the KCACTF goals to recognize, reward, and celebrate the exemplary work produced in college and university theaters across the nation.