Brenda Braxton, Marc Kudisch & More to Star in CALL ME ABIGAIL Staged Reading

Out of the Box Theatrics (2022 Drama Desk nominee for Baby) and Jennifer Campos Productions will present a staged reading of CALL ME ABIGAIL by Shelli Pentimall Bookler on Monday, October 17, available for in person or livestream viewing.

CALL ME ABIGAIL is a comedic drama about a father and daughter conflict based in politics and the adult entertainment industry. Though focusing on family conflict, obscenity is challenged in light of other scandals highlighted, giving a unique perspective of art and censorship.

Directed by Christina Sajous, CALL ME ABIGAIL will star Brenda Braxton (Tony nominee for Smokey Joe's Café), Britney Coleman (Company, Tootsie, Sunset Boulevard and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, all on Broadway), Sam Given (The Inheritance on Broadway), Marc Kudisch (3-time Tony Award nominee for 9 to 5, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Thoroughly Modern Millie), Gabrielle McClinton (Paradise Square, Chicago, and Pippin, all on Broadway) and Adie Merrell (Young Frankenstein at Stage West Calgary and Hair at Canadian Stage). Casting by Claire Yenson.

CALL ME ABIGAIL will be presented Monday, October 17 at 7:15pm at TheaterLab (357 W 36th St. 3rd floor, New York, NY 10018). Tickets are $10 for in person seating or $12.50 for live-streaming access at www.ootbtheatrics.com.

Shelli Pentimall Bookler

(Playwright) holds an M.F.A. in Playwriting from Temple University, an M.A. in Theatre Arts from Eastern Michigan University and studied directing at The Actor's Studio at the New School. As a playwright several of her original plays have been produced including her original musical Snyder v Phelps which premiered at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival. Other plays produced include Addicted, Honeydew, All the Dead Biddles, and Bird in the Window. She was a finalist for the New American Voices Playwriting Series at Landing Theatre in Houston (Pieces of the Pie), a semi-finalist for the American Association of Community Theatre (Bird in the Window and Pieces of the Pie), a finalist for Dayton Playhouse's Futurefest 2019 (On the Horizon) a finalist for the Midwest Dramatist Center's Playwriting Conference in Kansas City (The Interview), and a finalist for the City Theatre National Short Playwriting contest in Miami (The Shame Play). She is an Associate Professor of communication and theatre at Bucks County Community College in Newtown, Pennsylvania. She is a member of The Dramatist Guild, and the Witherspoon Circle, as well as an actor, director, and choreographer in Philadelphia.

Christina Sajous

(Director). Sajous' Broadway acting credits include Spongebob Squarepants, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, American Idiot, Baby It's You! and Tupac Shakur's Holler If Ya Hear Me. Off-Broadway, she has been seen in Joe Iconis' Broadway Bounty Hunter and Out of the Box Theatrics' 2019 production of Baby. Regionally, she performed in Paradise Square (Berkeley Repertory Theatre), The Prince of Egypt (TheatreWorks), Carmen: An Afro Cuban Musical(Tectonic Theatre Project), directed by MoisésKaufman, Romeo & Juliet (Baltimore Symphony Orchestra), and Disgraced (Denver Center of Performing Arts). She appeared in the Emmy Award-winning "Jesus Christ Superstar Live" (NBC) starring John Legend and Sara Bareilles and "The SpongeBob Musical: Live OnStage!" (Nickelodeon). Her other TV and film credits include "Run the World" (Starz), "Chicago Med" (NBC), "Blue Bloods" (CBS), "Alpha House" (Amazon), "One Life to Live" (ABC), "Broadway Idiot" (Netflix), and "Brazzaville Teen-Ager" directed by Michael Cera. Christina attended New York University: Tisch School of the Arts, and the International Theatre Wing in Amsterdam.

Out of the Box Theatrics

(OOTB) is an Off-Broadway not-for-profit committed to lifting the voices of marginalized communities through the stories they tell. OOTB challenges audiences to experience work outside of their expectations and strives to diversify American theater by providing an inclusive and accessible platform for artists and patrons. OOTB was founded in 2015 by Elizabeth Flemming. Past productions include the Drama League nominated The Last Five Years, The Pink Unicorn, Baby (Drama Desk Outstanding Revival nominee, Off-Broadway Alliance Best Revival nominee), "Master Harold" ...and the Boys, Songs for a New World, Shoes & Baggage, ...Charlie Brown, Nocturne, and Into the Woods. In addition to mainstage programming, OOTB offers the new works initiative Building the Box. FB, IG, Twitter @ootbtheatrics www.ootbtheatrics.com

Jennifer Campos Productions

was founded to promote diverse and inclusive theatrical productions across the country. For over 15 years, Ms. Campos has worked with several off-Broadway theater companies including The New Group and Primary Stages in various capacities. Most recently, Ms. Campos' producing credits include Jane Anger starring Michael Urie; The New Group Off Stage production of Waiting for Godot with Ethan Hawke, John Leguizamo, and Wallace Shawn; and Out of the Box Theatrics' production of Baby.

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