The Fall 2020 Line Up
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The Salon Series
What is it?
The Salon Series is TSR's semi - monthly reading series and new play development lab. The goal of the Salon Series is to create space for new plays to receive exposure in front of a supportive audience in a comfortable setting (it used to be a living room, but now it's all our living rooms via Zoom!). Be sure to BYOB and snacks!
Afterward, the company invites the audience to mingle with the actors, each other, and the playwright.
If you are a playwright and would like to submit, please send a 10 page sample of your play as well as a short biography to theskeletonrep@gmail.com.
Afterward, the company invites the audience to mingle with the actors, each other, and the playwright.
If you are a playwright and would like to submit, please send a 10 page sample of your play as well as a short biography to theskeletonrep@gmail.com.
Upcoming Salons
Synopsis
Abhinaya: A Dance Play follows a few weeks in Avni's life as she prepares for her dance debut. Avni's family is rebuilding after a painful separation. Her mother, Rekha, is trying to balance self-care with caring for her children. Avni's grandmother, Ammama, misses her home and is critical of the American way of life. Megha, Avni's older sister, is trying to understand what it means to forge her own path as the child of immigrants. Avni makes sense of these family changes and challenges through the mythology she learns in her Indian classical dance class. As she practices, she misses her father and the artistic connection they shared. Will he come back into her life? Will she become the dancer that he believes her to be? Do traditional art forms have a place in a modern world? Where is the source of mysterious music that weaves in and out of the family's life?
Abhinaya: A Dance Play follows a few weeks in Avni's life as she prepares for her dance debut. Avni's family is rebuilding after a painful separation. Her mother, Rekha, is trying to balance self-care with caring for her children. Avni's grandmother, Ammama, misses her home and is critical of the American way of life. Megha, Avni's older sister, is trying to understand what it means to forge her own path as the child of immigrants. Avni makes sense of these family changes and challenges through the mythology she learns in her Indian classical dance class. As she practices, she misses her father and the artistic connection they shared. Will he come back into her life? Will she become the dancer that he believes her to be? Do traditional art forms have a place in a modern world? Where is the source of mysterious music that weaves in and out of the family's life?
Synopsis
Consisting of fourteen short plays and divided into two acts, the epic-length Myth Me in Manhattan retells Ancient Greek stories by setting them in modern-day New York City. Familiar deities, heroes, villains, and prophets navigate post-graduate life, sexual power dynamics, romantic relationships, repressed trauma, and impending international war by coming together, falling apart, wreaking havoc, and creating new lives for themselves in some of the famed metropolis’s most historic settings, as well as a few of its most underrated hidden gems. This salon is an excerpt taken from the autumn section of the collection’s larger narrative.
Consisting of fourteen short plays and divided into two acts, the epic-length Myth Me in Manhattan retells Ancient Greek stories by setting them in modern-day New York City. Familiar deities, heroes, villains, and prophets navigate post-graduate life, sexual power dynamics, romantic relationships, repressed trauma, and impending international war by coming together, falling apart, wreaking havoc, and creating new lives for themselves in some of the famed metropolis’s most historic settings, as well as a few of its most underrated hidden gems. This salon is an excerpt taken from the autumn section of the collection’s larger narrative.
Synopsis
The time is the eternal now. The place is The Coffee Shop in a hometown, where Emmy works. Her coworker Echo comes in one day distraught over something on the radio. We find out that superstar Rick Luck has released a new album, and he’s kicking off his tour in said hometown, which is also his hometown, and Rick Luck and Echo were first loves. When he got famous, he took off with the music they made together, never to be heard from again. Until now. Emmy convinces Echo to confront him after the concert but when she can’t, Emmy takes matters into her own hands. “Emmy: Or The Nemesis of Narcissists” is a contemporary retelling of the Narcissus myth.
The time is the eternal now. The place is The Coffee Shop in a hometown, where Emmy works. Her coworker Echo comes in one day distraught over something on the radio. We find out that superstar Rick Luck has released a new album, and he’s kicking off his tour in said hometown, which is also his hometown, and Rick Luck and Echo were first loves. When he got famous, he took off with the music they made together, never to be heard from again. Until now. Emmy convinces Echo to confront him after the concert but when she can’t, Emmy takes matters into her own hands. “Emmy: Or The Nemesis of Narcissists” is a contemporary retelling of the Narcissus myth.
Synopsis
After losing her job at a “feminist” influencing agency, Catholic blogger and Twitter personality Alice Barnes is searching for a new direction. When a popular progressive account criticizes her content, she is at first indignant, but then sees an opportunity. Alice endeavors to transform herself into the online face of Catholic Reparations, hoping to bridge the gap between herself and communities harmed by the Church. But unlike the Sacrament of Reconciliation, reparations do not entail absolution. And the more Alice attempts to effect healing, the more pain she causes.
After losing her job at a “feminist” influencing agency, Catholic blogger and Twitter personality Alice Barnes is searching for a new direction. When a popular progressive account criticizes her content, she is at first indignant, but then sees an opportunity. Alice endeavors to transform herself into the online face of Catholic Reparations, hoping to bridge the gap between herself and communities harmed by the Church. But unlike the Sacrament of Reconciliation, reparations do not entail absolution. And the more Alice attempts to effect healing, the more pain she causes.
Previous Salons
Performed by Karsten Otto, Danny Newman, Miranda Poett, Isabella Jane Schiller and Austin Carby
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APPALACHIAN PACHINKO!
Written by Joshua Young Directed by Ria T. DiLullo 11/23/19 Synopsis: Siblings Bud and Sissy decide to open a Pachinko Parlor in their impoverished town’s derelict coal mine. When Sissy plays the game she’s transported to a frightening phantasmagoric fantasyscape and she must embrace these newfound powers of Pachinko in order to save her town. |
Michelle Cage, Evelyn Carvera, Danny Newman, and Miranda Poett
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ALL HALLOW'S EVE
An evening of seasonal shorts, followed by a highly decorated Halloween Party! directed by Ria T. DiLullo 10/25/19 "Sorghum" by Joshua Young "Scary Story" by Sophie Costanzi "Oshun" by Evelyn Carvera, and "Skylar's Halloween Pageant and an Enormous, Incongruous, Cacophonous, Conglomeration of Ghosts" by Michelle Cage |
Performed by Miranda Poett, Elvin McRae, Nick Ong, Scott Martineck, Barron Bass, & Gael Schaeffer
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CONFESSIONAL
written by Emily Claire Schmitt directed by Ria T. DiLullo hosted by The Tank 6/16/19 When the young sister of an old friend is killed in an unsolved shooting, Abby cannot help but feel a deep personal connection to the tragedy. But is her creeping sense of guilt merely a byproduct of her Catholic upbringing, or are the persistent childhood memories of sinister encounters with her brother pointing to a darker truth of her own complicity? |
Performed by Nya Noemi, Michelle Cage, Miranda Poett, Courtney McClellan, Barron Bass, & Scott Martineck
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HOMECOMING
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Performed by Miranda Poett, Courtney McClellan, Barron Bass, Jennie Hughes, Izzy Schiller, and Benjamin-Ernest Abraham
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IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK
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Performed by Teresa Attridge, Barron Bass, Michelle Cage, Elijah Guo, Scott Martineck, Miranda Poett, Isabella Schiller, & Emily Claire Schmitt
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SCENES FROM SERVICE PART II
written by Caroline Bennett, Michelle Cage, Lora Danley, Elijah Guo, Dani Martineck, Scott Martineck, Alex Parrish, and Emily Claire Schmitt directed by Ria T. DiLullo 11/10/18 The prompt: Take a mythological or legendary figure and place them inside a service industry. |
Performed by Miranda Poett, Michelle Cage, Barron Bass, Courtney McClellan, Brendan Cataldo, John Racioppo, Emmanuel Linden-Broner, Joe Loper, Claire Buckingham, and Dani Martineck
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AGRODULCE
written & directed by Ria T. DiLullo 7/29/18 Italian for bittersweet/sour-sweet. Agrodulce was initially presented as a salon in January 2015 under the title "Grief Lines." Ria T. DiLullo has reworked her first one-act play that looks at a family during the 24 hours surrounding the sudden death of the matriarch. The story happens out of chronological order, instead unfolding like memory. It is sad, funny, bitter, and sweet. |
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FILL THE VOID & TURN OFF THE DARK
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Performed by Barron Bass, Ria T. DiLullo, Elijah Guo, Dani Martineck, Sophie Max, Gavin Myers, & Miranda Poett
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SCENES FROM SERVICE
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Performed by Teresa Attridge, Isabella Dawis, Elijah Guo, Courtney McClellan, Nick Ong, & Miranda Poett
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GOBLIN GIRLS
by Katelynn Kenney 3/24/18 Mr. Bell was a walking cliche looking for a story to write, and he found one in an unlikely place —a panhandling performer named Puck. The story he was given: the origin and adventure of two girls raised by a goblin in a magical world hidden among New York City's underground. When Puck disappears, two girls find their way to Mr. Bell's doorstep, claiming Puck as their guardian. Their mission: to find their Puck at all costs. And, when a secret goblin plot unravels, maybe save humanity in the process. Goblin Girls is a contemporary fairytale, coming-of-age story, and morality play, about the misfits of the world and how humans can often be more monstrous than the monsters in their own stories. |
Performed by Courtney McClellan, Dani Martineck, Elijah Guo, Brendan Cataldo
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SURPRISE, SURPRISE
by Lora Danley 2/24/18 Susan is unaware that her partner Anna occasionally sleeps with her best friend Paul. Paul is perpetually single and gay, until he meets Michael. Anna's partner, Susan, doesn't know of their "secret special friend time." When one of their dalliances leads Anna to have a surprise baby, all four of them must figure out what to do with their relationships and the new child. |
Performed by Miranda Poett, Linda Kress, Elizabeth Scopel, Hannah Jane Ginsberg, Miranda Wilson, Courtney McClellan & Teresa Attridge
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WHATCHAMACALLIT: A MYSTERIOUS BIRTH MUSICAL
Creators: Emily Claire Schmitt, Emily Rose Simons, Ria T. DiLullo 11/12 @ 7pm Whatchamacallit: A Play About Jesus was a salon in March 2015. The Skeleton Rep had a run of the play in Spring 2016. Since then, we have been hard at work and play, turning the story into a musical. In a special invite-only Sunday edition of the Salon Series, we heard the first draft of our new story, including one hour of music and lyrics. |
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DETENTION #44: EXPLORE MODERN MYTH
in partnership with the active students of Primary Stages ESPA 10/20 @ 7pm Inspired by my mission statement to explore modern myth, playwrights of ESPA have been prompted to write a 10-minute play for no more that 4 actors that takes a character from mythology or legend and places them in the contemporary world. This salon featured work by Michael Brennan Ing, Ria T. DiLullo, Molly Horan, Monica Keaton, Diana Middleton, & Joshua Young. (For further information about participants and the work, please email.) |
Performed by Teresa Attridge, Barron Bass, Claire Buckingham, Courtney McClellan, & Kingsley Nwaogu
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WENDELL AND PAN
by Katelynn Kenney 9/29 @ 7pm 11-year old Wendell Barnes and his family arrive at his ailing grandpa’s home and is welcomed by his best friend and 12-year old dead aunt, Pan. When Pan concludes that what may be best for Grandpa is to kill him and put him out of his misery, Wendell faces the choice of being at odds with his best friend or his own budding beliefs. |
Performed by Sarah Matteucci, Charlotte Pines, Courtney McClellan, Roxy Reynolds, Camille-Bettina Atkinson, John Carlin, Susannah Jones & Maria DiFabbio
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A Call to Action: We Should Know Her
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Performed by Amanda Bruton, Hannah Jane Ginsberg, Chase Kuertz, and Jasmine Stiefel
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HUNGRY by Lia Romeo
directed by Ria T. DiLullo 4.21.17 Amy is trying. Trying to lose weight, trying to be popular, trying to do well in school... but it's not working out very well. When a minotaur suddenly shows up in her backyard, Amy finds the unconditional acceptance she's been looking for... but when the "mean kids" start turning up dead, she realizes that being best friends with a man-eating mythological beast might have its drawbacks. Will the minotaur be her salvation or her downfall? |
Performed by Barron Bass, Cristina Pitter, Dante Alexander, Alejandra Rivera, John Carlin, Courtney McClellan, and Charlotte Pines.
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SEVERANCE by Jack Horton Gilbert
directed by Ria T. DiLullo 3.24.17 The Earth has stopped spinning. Below life has all but ended and above six astronauts now find themselves trapped. With no hope of rescue and nothing left to them but time, together they must decide how to move forward. But as time stretches out, and the pressure mounts, the growing boredom, monotony, and the voices in their minds call to question all that makes them human and the dark measures they're each willing to take in order to survive. |
Actors this evening included Eliza Simpson, Barron Bass, Teresa Attridge, Timothy French, Brittany Sowards, & Gil Polk (as well as writers Amanda Bruton, Veronica Cooper, Emily Claire Schmitt, & Ria T. DiLullo)
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A Call to Action: Take Your Broken Heart & Make it into Art
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Performed by Colin Waitt, Tyler Gardella, Sydney Blaxill, & Andi Morrow
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SCRATCHING by Britton Buttrill
Directed by Ria T. DiLullo 03.11.2016 Sex, drugs, and illegal tattoos collide in a nameless Southern blue-collar town. A doomed circle of unrequited love unfolds between four souls, causing brothers to confront the past, the present, and ultimately each other. |
Performed by Jonathan Huggins, Courtney McClellan, Rebecca Burton, & Matthew Van Gessel
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SHELTER by Jack Horton Gilbert
Directed by Ria T. DiLullo 02.19.2016 We messed up. Hawaii: sunk, the South-West: burnt to a crisp, the ice-caps: melted, California: Gone, and the rest of the world's not doing much better. Now, living in an Autonomous Shelter 3,000 feet below the ground along with his trusty robot pal iZak and an AI system affectionately named "Mom", Peter Barnes might just be the last living person on Earth. And he's just run out of food. Answering the age-old question; if you broadcast a radio-show, and no one's alive to hear it, does it still rock 'n' roll? |
Performed by John Racioppo, Robert Emmet Lunney, Jak Watson, Gil Polk, Brandon Johnson, Elizabeth Scopel, & David Cohen
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THE NORSE by Allan Staples
Directed by Ria T. DiLullo 01.22.2016 The lives of a star professional athlete and the reporters assigned to cover him are forever changed when a shocking incident propels each of them into surprising new directions. Set amidst the ruins of the newspaper industry and the flourishing world of sports, THE NORSE examines the parasitic connection between the two and how that connection is capable of destroying lives. |
Performed by Sammi Katz, Hanlon Smith-Dorsey, Scott Thomas, McKenna Cox, & Courtney McClellan
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JOLEY by Caitlin Saylor Stephens
Directed by Ria T. DiLullo 12.04.2015 After a long separation, Jim and Joley, two Tennessee mountain lovers reunite one hot n' heavy evening in a broke-ass bar. But when Joley reveals her battle wounds from a particularly violent episode of domestic abuse, the two are challenged with the task of confronting their wrongs, unearthing their truths, finding forgiveness, and burying a body. |
Performed by Terkeisha Tyler, Edgar Edguia, Gil Polk, Miranda Poett, & Erik Olsen
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WHILE WE WAIT by Charly Evon Simpson
Directed by Ria T. DiLullo 11.13.2015 Letters and airplane tickets fall from the sky. Memories, like snowflakes and feathers, come in on a breeze. Grace waits for an email to come. James waits to send it. And as they wait, they replay memories, imagine futures, and deal with a present that is sometimes lovely and sometimes sad. While We Wait is about a relationship--the erosion, the peaks and valleys, the beginning and the end…and the urge to start it all over again. |
Performed by Dean Temple, Andi Morrow, Jonathan Huggins, & Rebecca Burton
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EVANGELICAL by Britton Buttrill
Directed by Ria T. DiLullo 10.15.2016 Tessa, a twenty-something New Jersey bartender, is forced to move to the American heartland where her mother has found a new life with her Born-Again Christian husband, Jay. There, Tessa finds her new stepbrother, Ty, an Evangelist-in-training, having returned home after a traumatic incident at his Bible camp. As tensions between the four of them build, Tessa takes it upon herself to rip open past and present wounds, shaking this fractured family's belief system to its core. At the end of a brutal 24 hours in the suburban Bible Belt, who will find Salvation and who will be left behind? |
Performed by John Carlin, Colin Waitt, Lillith Fallon, Marisa Fratto, & Wiliam Barnet IV
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SPINOZA'S ETHICS by Emily Claire Schmitt
Directed by Ria T. DiLullo 09.18.2015 Inspired by the true story of an extraordinary and average woman's struggle for love and faith in 1960s America, Spinoza's Ethics follows Ruth as she weaves in and out of marriages, vocations, and states of existence, accompanied always by the early Enlightenment philosopher Baruch Spinoza. Because everything that is simply is. |