WTFringe Lab 2023 and Jurassic Satellite to Present DINOSAUR ON THE MOON This Month

The WTFringe Lab 2023 will present Dinosaur on the Moon, a play created by the theater ensemble Jurassic Satellite. The piece was devised by the following members of the company: Ariel Fay Gray, Dillon Heape, Natalie Kane, Sandy Lam, and Abi Walls. The production will be presented as part of the 2023 National Women’s Theatre Festival at the North Carolina State University’s Frank Thompson Hall (2241 Dunn Ave, Raleigh, NC 27606) with performances on Saturday June 24th at 2:30 p.m. and Sunday June 25th at 4:30 p.m. The performance will also be available to watch virtually on Sunday, July 1 at 4:00 p.m. The link for the streamed performance will be active for a 48-hour period. Tickets ($15 or Pay What You Can) are available for advance purchase at https://womenstheatrefestival.com. The performance will run approximately 45 minutes. 

DINOSAUR ON THE MOON is a devised, multidisciplinary, theatrical experiment that explores the relationships between ourselves, our pasts, and our futures through the stories of our real and dreamt “elders” – those who came before us, those who survived, and those who did not. Drawing from the creators’ collective identities, experiences, and backgrounds, DINOSAUR ON THE MOON imagines mythologies of ourselves and our communities that are full of joy, healing, and belonging.

Written, directed, designed, and performed by: Ariel Fay Gray, Dillon Heape, Natalie Kane, Sandy Lam, and Abi Walls.

Ariel Fay Gray

(she/her) is a multi-racial moon child, mom-ager and performer. This is her 3rd season with The National WTF! Typically behind the scenes as a Stage Manager, in-person and virtually, Ariel performed in The National WTF’s The Momversations Project Summer 2022; centering on the bittersweet experience of marginalized pregnant bodies and parent artists. In addition to working as the WTFringe23 Production Manager, Ariel is excited to explore the moon producing, directing, and performing as a member of the WTFringeLab23’s outrageously RAWR-some cohort, Jurassic Satellite. 

Dillon Heape

(they/them) is a genderqueer actor, musician, writer, director and photographer based in New York City / Lenapehoking. They write for the Webby Award-winning podcast F*CKING SOBER: THE FIRST 90 DAYS. Dillon has toured Japan twice as a principal vocalist in DISNEY ON CLASSIC with The Orchestra Japan. They hold an MFA in Acting from the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, where they're also an instructor in the Professional Development Training program. Dillon is a member of the WTFringeLab23 Directing/Producing cohort and a proud founding ensemble member of Jurassic Satellite. @dillonheape

Natalie Kane

(she/her) is a New York-based director, stage manager, and all-around theatremaker passionate about sharing new and reinvented stories with heightened language and innovative movement at their core. Favorite directing credits include Zig-Zag (Premiere the Play podcast), Athena (NeverDark reading), and The Winter’s Tale (Evergreen Theatre Collective). In varied artistic and literary roles, she has worked on recent seasons at Roundabout Theatre Company, Gloucester Stage, Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, and National Playwrights Conference. Natalie is a proud alumna of Kenyon College and National Theater Institute. She is tremendously grateful to her WTFringe Lab co-devisers for their creativity, bravery, and support throughout this process, and for letting her set a scene on the moon. www.NatalieKaneDirector.com, @nataliekane1323 

Sandy Lam

(she/they) is a queer, female-identifying, Asian American storyteller. She is particularly passionate about creating and amplifying stories that explore Asian American identity, culture, belonging, and healing. She’s previously self-produced, wrote, and performed in her semi-autobiographical play “So Lucky,” and has had her short play “Twitter Feed” produced by Theatre Three and New Manifest Theatre. She also enjoys creating spaces for connection and learning through community gatherings, which she has hosted in collaboration with organizations such as Austin Emerging Arts Leaders and the Austin Asian American Film Festival. Sandy hopes to discover a dinosaur on the moon someday (maybe she already has.)

Abi Walls

(they/them) is a writer, director, producer, and stage manager who - in addition to these many hats - juggles balls, pins, and pastry knives. Some of their favorite projects include directing Gary Henderson’s Skin Tight at Colorado College, producing the devised interactive horror performance Drip, and their short play in-memory, which was recently produced in the Riot Act Theatre New Play Festival. Abi holds a BA in Theatre from Colorado College, and is a founding ensemble member of Jurassic Satellite, as well as a member of the WTFringeLab23 Directing&Producing cohort. @abi.walls

WTFringe Lab, a virtual training program culminating with an in-person production, is a professional bootcamp for theater makers where participants gain a deep and extensive amount of MFA-adjacent training in a short amount of time. It’s a radical infusion of directing/producing knowledge for those who wish to receive further training in theatre but who may not have the time, money, or access to pursue an MFA. WTFringe Lab is a key component of National WTF’s mission to contribute to the pipeline of theatre artists working towards accessibility and parity in our industry. 

The mission of the National Women’s Theatre Festival is to create, produce, and promote extraordinary theatre by women and artists of all underrepresented genders with the ultimate goal of 100% parity in the US theatre industry. They gather artists from North Carolina and across the nation at their annual events, helping to create a pipeline of extraordinary talent that will revolutionize theatre as we know it. Since its founding in 2016, the National Women’s Theatre Festival (WTF) has produced 23 mainstage theatrical productions, 64 Fringe-style shows, and over 125 staged readings, and hosted over 250 workshops and panels. Their signature event is an annual summer festival of plays, workshops, and all things theatre. In 2023-2024 National WTF will mount its first mainstage season in three years, featuring 3 fully staged plays, performed in Raleigh, NC. WTF creates opportunities for underrepresented gender theatre makers to develop and practice skills in a supportive and creative environment, and to have their talents recognized. www.womenstheatrefestival.com

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