The land occupied by Salem State University is part of Naumkeag, a traditional and ancestral homeland of the Pawtucket band of the Massachusett. We acknowledge the genocide and forced removal of the people of Naumkeag and their kin and we recognize the ongoing colonization and dispossession of Indigenous homelands. We respect and honor the Massachusett tribe and the many Indigenous Peoples who continue to care for the land upon which we gather. We recognize our own responsibility to this land we occupy. We commit to continuously learning and sharing its history and that of the Massachusett and other Indigenous People who have been and remain here. We commit to develop and implement initiatives that work toward repairing the injustices continuously being committed on the Indigenous People of this land. We commit to making our own environmental impact on this land as sustainable as possible. We commit to a renewed and ongoing engagement with the Massachusett and all Indigenous People in and around Salem State.
To learn more about Salem State’s Land Acknowledgement please visit salemstate.edu/LandAcknowledgement.
THEATRE
The Salem State University Theatre and Speech Communication department, in conjunction with the Center for Creative and Performing Arts presents Seventh Annual Veterans’ 10-Minute Play Festival
November 7-9, 2025
Artistic Director
Julie Kiernan
Directors
Esme Allen
Sara Conlon
Stage Manager
Carl Durham
Lighting Designer and Light Board Operator
Astrid Clark
Sound Designers
Hannah Castillo and Francis Doza
Sound Computer Operator
Nia Franklin
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR'S NOTES
It is with deep gratitude that I welcome you to the Seventh Annual Veterans 10-Minute Play Festival. My commitment to facilitating the telling of veteran/ military stories began thirteen years ago when I began teaching in the Veterans Learning Community at SSU. I learned from these students, shared tears with them, and felt deeply proud of them as I watched them acclimate to civilian life. My paternal grandfather was a decorated combat war veteran who served in WWII from 1941-1945 and my maternal grandfather served 1945 through the 50s in varying capacities. While their experiences were vastly different, what was remarkably similar was the lack of any conversation about those experiences once they returned home. This certainly was their choice, and they had every right to that choice, but too often this silence is due to lack of societal support. They are not easy stories to share.
Each year this festival simultaneously impacts three communities. It allows playwrights to share stories of the veteran and military experience, actors an intense character and scene study opportunity to improve their craft and provides the community a place to gather and discuss the themes of the plays and the ways in which live theatre uniquely opens doors for transformative understanding of and empathy of the human condition.
In the spring 2024, I spent the semester on sabbatical as a Fulbright Scholar, teaching and directing in Sofia, Bulgaria, at New Bulgarian University (NBU). One of the projects I brought to Bulgaria was a “Mini Vets Fest” based on the success of this annual festival. Three playwrights from past festivals agreed to participate, and I directed the plays. The NBU performance students cast had the opportunity to learn about US Military culture and experiences in the US as they prepared their roles. The public performance brought together a varied audience, one US playwright via Zoom and one playwright who came live to the theatre to participate. Among the topics discussed during the conversation were how playwriting can benefit those who have served in the military, specifically referencing the current war in Ukraine. There are many Ukrainian refugees living in Bulgaria. It was a very successful event that proved there is a place for such a festival in any community, and this reinvigorated me on the path to expand access to these plays and their use to create conversations in various communities.
For us all to listen, learn and process, we need an opening for these stories to be told, heard and discussed. This is one of those openings. Six courageous playwrights wrote these pieces that two directors and twenty-one actors are bringing to life. It is our hope that with an open heart and mind you will immerse yourself in these worlds and stay after to complete the evening by sharing your thoughts on how these themes and experiences relate to your lives.
Thank you.
Julie Kiernan Artistic Director
PROGRAM
* Stage directions, narration and swing will be covered by Finn Sforza in all plays
In Times of Peace by James Perry
Directed by Esme Allen
Private Jordan Reese
Kate Amador
Specialist Noah Hayes
Jack Newton
Private First Class
Benito Pedreira
Rebecca “Becca” Hayes
Amanda Seidler
Son of Frank by David Middleman
Directed by Sara Conlon
Frank Jayden Theodat
Frankie Steve Wakadilo
Beginning of the End by Darren Thompson
Directed by Sara Conlon
Petty Officer Christina Ramirez
Dannely Castro Alba
Captain Turner
Francesco Dumas
My Box of Regrets by Roger Brookfield
Directed by Esme Allen
Adrian Gia Meola
Father Alexander Shilo
Hard by Stephanie Kline
Directed by Sara Conlon
Staff Sergeant Carina Devlin
Lauren Connors
Staff Sergeant McKee
Ethan Dwyer
Staff Sergeant Markum
Liam Hannon
The Canteen Heart by Christopher Soucy
Directed by Esme Allen
Adams Sara Gluck
Moultrie Logan Koosa
Nurse Williams
Millicent Koromah
Content Warning: for mature audiences
PTSD , violence, graphic descriptions of war, infidelity sexism, death, grief
Audio Warning: sound of explosions and distant gunfire
This performance is being recorded for archival purposes. No other recording of this performance (audio or video) is allowed.
Tonight’s performance will be followed by a talk-back with cast, directors and playwrights (as available).
SPECIAL THANKS
Thank you to Brad Goren-Wilson, Professor Julie Kiernan, Professor Kimberly Poitevin and Tom Laaser for serving as judges for the 2025 National 10-Minute Veterans’ Playwriting Contest that led to this festival. Thank you to the Center for Creative and Performing Arts for its continued support of this contest and festival.
FESTIVAL PLAYWRIGHTS
Roger Brookfield is a US Air Force veteran, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and a retiree from the City of Cincinnati. His plays have been performed in Wisconsin, Texas, Ohio, Minnesota, New York, Washington, Florida, Pennsylvania, and California. His one-act Thank You received a Best Play of the Weekend in San Diego, and a Meritorious Achievement in Montrose, NY. His one-minute plays Colonoscopy and The Most Powerful Doppler in the Tristate were performed at Gone in 60 in New York; and An Old Person at the Bank at Gone in 60 in Houston festivals and can be seen on YouTube via the GI60 site. Recent performances of one-acts Rent Collector, in Hamilton OH, Preston Burlingame , via Zoom by 1st Stage LA, All Our Tomorrows in Pittsburgh, and Auditor in LA.
Stephanie Kline is a Marine Corps veteran who's studied playwriting at the Kennedy Center, DC's Shakespeare Theatre Company and with the Chicago Dramatists. She was a 2024 New Perspectives Theater fellow in NYC, and she won first place in the Veterans Repertory Theater national short play competition. Her plays have been selected for multiple staged readings, productions, and publications across the country.
David Middleman was the cofounder and for several years artistic director of the critically acclaimed Rising Moon Theatre in Dallas, Texas, and has directed or performed in upwards of sixty plays in the Southwest: from Neil Simon, Pinter, and Shakespeare to Mamet, Beckett, and Fassbinder. His full-length play, Christmyth, was produced at Rising Moon Theatre. His short plays have received productions across the country; among them: Chasing the Bear ; Lilac Wine , Where Birds Go To Die and The Uncertain Ones . The Playwrights' Round Table in Orlando, Florida, produced a video of Chasing the Bear that is on YouTube. His one act, The Magi's Guide to Regifting , was produced at the Herberger Theatre in Phoenix. His latest full-length play is Dancing With Mermaids In a Rising Tide , which was commissioned by the Indian River Medical Center in Vero Beach, Fl. He has had a couple of screenplays optioned. Unfortunately, that has not led to the necessity (or wherewithal) of searching for a Malibu beach house. A New College of Florida alum, he was a long-time resident of Dallas, Texas, and has for several years lived in Tempe, Arizona.
James Perry was born and raised in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. He joined the military when he was 19 years old and has been traveling the world ever since. After retiring honorably from the United States Army in 2020, he began passionately pursuing an education in theatre arts—first earning an AA from Las Positas College, and then a BA in Theatre Arts from San Jose State University in 2024. He has since performed in a number of
film and theatre productions throughout the Bay Area. While still new to playwriting, his work has received staged readings and productions at theatres across the United States in Vermont, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, California, Georgia, and Nebraska. James acknowledges that he is a privileged, middle-aged white male, but he is also a feminist, a disabled veteran, and a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community. He believes deeply in the power of theatre to reflect, question, and reshape the world, and advocates for diversity, equity, and inclusion both on stage and off. More of his work can be found online at The New Play Exchange: https://newplayexchange.org/users/72682/james-perry
Christopher Soucy is a playwright living in Savannah, Georgia. Since leaving the Army, he has been a theater professional in the southeast. He has been an actor, puppeteer, director, producer, and filmmaker. He is a founder of Odd Lot Improv, and Savannah Shakes. He hosts the paranormal podcast The Most Haunted City On Earth and co-owns the Savannah Paranormal Museum with his wife.
Clyde Darren Thompson is a US Navy Veteran, playwright, community organizer and comedian from Washington, DC. He currently serves as an Improv Comedy instructor for the Armed Services Arts Partnership, Board Member for the Washington Improv Theater, and Executive Director of the East River Dog Park Group. He is an alumnus of the University of Maryland —College Park, Loyola University of New Orleans—College of Law, and The George Washington University School of Business. He currently performs comedy with his Improv team, Baggage Claim, and his Sketch Comedy team, The RENS. When not writing, he enjoys community service, golfing, fishing, tennis, running, and being lazy with his dog, Barrow.
CREATIVE TEAM
Esme Allen (Director) (she/hers) is a Boston-based actor, educator and designer. Boston-area acting credits include Hurricane Diane (Huntington Theatre); Gloucester Blue, North Shore Fish (Gloucester Stage Company); Romeo and Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing , The Cherry Orchard , Middletown and The Merry Wives of Windsor (Actors’ Shakespeare Project); Muckrakers, Elephant Man and Amadeus (New Repertory Theatre), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Greater Boston Stage Co.); Dog Paddle (Bridge Repertory Theater) and Coriolanus (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company). Television credits include The Good Wife (CBS). She earned her MFA in Acting from The California Institute of the Arts. She is a Resident Acting Company Member with the Actors’ Shakespeare Project and teaches at Salem State University and Wheelock Family Theatre at BU.
Sara Conlon (Director) is a Northshore based actor, director and theater educator. She earned her MFA in Acting from Pennsylvania State University and BA in Theatre from University of New Hampshire. Sara currently teaches in the Theatre and Speech Department at Salem State University and Northern Essex Community College. She is a Company Artist at The New Hampshire Theatre Project. NHTP credits include Elephant in the Room Series®, Mr. Bennet/Charlotte Lucas (Kate Hamill's Pride and Prejudice). Other acting credits include Izzy in Rabbit Hole (Seacoast Rep), Almost, Maine (Salem State Summer Theatre) Reaping (The Actor's Studio In Newburyport) Olivia in Twelfth Night (Penn State Pavilion Stage) Directing Credits include: Roe (Salem State University) The Visit (Salem State University) The Veterans Play Festival (Salem State University) O, Beautiful (Salem State University) and The Burn (Salem State University). Sara would like to thank her husband and two beautiful children for all the love and support they provide.
Julie Kiernan (Artistic Director) is an associate professor of theatre and speech communication at Salem State University. As a Fulbright Scholar, she traveled to Sofia, Bulgaria, in the Spring 2024 semester to teach and direct theatre at New Bulgarian University. In 2016, she received Salem State University’s Distinguished Teaching Award. She is the artistic director of SSU’s annual National 10-minute Veterans’ Playwriting Contest and Festival (7th annual 2025). She directs regularly for the department Collective Rage (2025), Antigone (2023), First Year Lab (2022), Orlando (2021), and Top Girls (2019). She teaches performance and oral communication courses.
In addition to her work within the department, she serves as SSU Faculty Fellow for Global Engagement (2018-2022 and 2024-2026) and Faculty COIL Coordinator (2020-23). In this capacity, she trained 30 faculty in COIL (collaborative online international learning) pedagogy. This work received the 2021 AASCU Excellence and Innovation Award for International Education and a 2021 IDEAS grant from the US State Department.
Before joining Salem State, Kiernan received her Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree from the University of California, Irvine, and was a professional actress in Los Angeles. She has traveled internationally as an actress, a study abroad faculty leader, a presenter, and a consultant. Kiernan’s TED Talk, “Setting the Stage for Human Connection,” focuses on her theatre education research. Her other research interests include feminist theatre, contemplative pedagogy, value-creation education and building intercultural competence.
THEATRE AND SPEECH COMMUNICATION DEPARTMENT
Full-Time Faculty
Esme Allen
Ginger Eckert
Ali Filipovich
Kaela Mei-Shing Garvin
Ryan Goodwin
Michael M. Harvey
Julie Kiernan
Christopher Morris, Chairperson
Peter Sampieri
Visiting Lecturers
Brianne Beatrice
Sara Conlon
Seán Dixon-Gumm
Brad Goren-Wilson
Stacey Horne-Harper
Alex Jacobs
Margaret McFadden
Peyton Pugmire
Rachel Rose Roberts
Allen Vietzke
Samantha Weisberg
Faculty Emeriti
Celena Sky April
William Cunningham
James J. Fallon
Myrna Finn
David Allen George
Thomas J. Hallahan
Elizabeth Hart
Jane Hillier-Walkowiak
Vera Sheppard
Whitney L. White
Patricia Zaido Staff
Stuart Grieve
Adelaide Majeski
Ashley Preston O’Toole
Tim O’Toole
Anna Splitz
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
Center for Creative and Performing Arts
Karen Gahagan, Director
Dylin Sharkey, Creative Arts Student Assistant
Theatre Production Coordinator
Ashley O’Toole
Theatre House Manager
Adelaide Majeski
Support Tomorrow’s Artists
The Center for Creative and Performing Arts
Invest in the arts and support the development of a new generation of artists with a gift to the Center for Creative and Performing Arts. Donors at $250 or more receive invitations to donor-exclusive events including back stage tours, cast and director meet and greets, the Lifetime Achievement in the Arts Awards Evening, and other special events.
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