Emily Stout's GROWNUP to Have NYC Premiere This Spring

The downtown theater ensemble The Associates, in association with consulting producer and Screen Actors Guild Award nominee Jefferson White ("Yellowstone") will present the new play Grownup, written by and performed by Emily Stout, premiering in New York this Spring. Grownup, directed by Mary Rose Branick, will begin performances Friday, April 21, 2023 and officially open Saturday, April 22, 2023 at MITU580 in Brooklyn.

Actor, writer, and New York's hottest babysitter Emily Stout passes on to us the verbatim wisdom of Cate (age 9), Lucy (age 8), Wren (age 11), and Vanessa (age 11½)-the children she's taken care of over the years, and interviewed. As Emily absorbs their perspectives on losing teeth, pets, and loved ones, she reflects on the rollercoaster of her own childhood. From insomnia in third grade to being dumped by proxy in seventh, her memories lead her closer and closer to a grand finale that she expects but doesn't know how to recognize. Grownup is a hilarious one-woman show centered around how absolutely excruciating it can be to grow up, and what it even means to finally be a grownup.

Peregrine Teng Heard, artistic director of The Associates, said, "We cannot wait for audiences to see the playful-painful, edge-of-cringe self-portrait Grownup, by founding company member Emily Stout. The play exemplifies the spicy blend of humor and dramatic heft that is uniquely Emily's. Her writing will always make you belly-laugh, and it will make you marvel at her boldness. After a long Covid hibernation, we were craving the wisdom that's wrapped up in this tale of pre-teen agony."

Emily Stout said, "Grownup began seven years ago when I was in comedian Judy Gold's solo performance class in New York City, and that seed grew into a complete outdoor production in California while I was at UCSD for my MFA. I'm thrilled to reunite with the terrific team of artists who helped me shape the show into something I'm proud to bring back home to New York, baby!"

Grownup features scenic and projection design by Nicholas Ponting, lighting design by Bryan Ealey, costume design by Daniella Toscano, sound design by Andrew Lynch, stage management by Amber Dettmers, and production management by Jacob Russell.

Performances for Grownup begin April 21, 2023 at MITU580 in Brooklyn for a limited run. Tickets begin at $10 are now available for purchase at https://grownup.brownpapertickets.com.

Grownup is produced by The Associates Theater Ensemble (Peregrine Teng Heard, Artistic Director), with Jefferson White serving as consulting producer. For more information visit www.theassociatestheater.com/plays. Follow Grownup @associatestheater.

About The Associates Theater Ensemble

The five founding members of The Associates met at Actors Theatre of Louisville, where they trained together in devising original pieces and forged a creative vision that they rely on to this day. With a fierce appetite for contradiction and complexity, they collectively write and produce original plays that question modes of identity in America. www.theassociatestheater.com. @associatestheater

Artist Bios

Emily Stout

(Writer and Performer) has worked extensively in New York and all over the country, with Billions' David Costabile and Maggie Siff, Broadway's Kate Baldwin and Wendy Rich Stetson, with folks associated with Lincoln Center, Manhattan Theatre Club, Second Stage, and countless other theaters......as a babysitter. Theater credits include: Pick Me Last by Idris Goodwin (La Jolla Playhouse), Rules of Comedy (Humana Festival), A Christmas Carol, Dracula, and Our Town (Actors Theatre of Louisville). Readings/workshops include: Dave Harris's Watch Me (O'Neill Playwrights Conference), Mara Nelson-Greenberg's The Haunting at Camp Winona (ACT, Berkeley Rep), and Keiko Green's Insignificant Bugs (Seattle Rep). MFA in Acting from UCSD, BA in Theatre and Minor in Classical Languages and Civilizations from Fordham University. Proud graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy. @stout.like.the.beer emilypstout.com.

Mary Rose Branick

(Director) is an actor, director, and collaborative theatre artist from San Francisco, CA. She is currently based in Los Angeles. Directing/devising credits include: GROWNUP (Theater Mitu), Smoochy Girl (Hudson Theatre) Harriet (Willamette University, UC San Diego). Regional performing credits include: The Coast Starlight u/s (La Jolla Playhouse), Tomorrow Will Be Sunday (Chautauqua Theatre Company). UC San Diego credits include: How to Defend Yourself (World premiere), Revolt. She Said, Revolt Again., What of the Night, Mother Courage and her Children. Film credits include: LIKENESS, The Ballad of Hands and Feet, Young Harper. Education: BA Theatre, Willamette University. MFA Acting, UC San Diego. Chautauqua Conservatory. Representation: Susan Zachary at the Zachary Co. @maryrosebranick maryrosebranick.com.

Nicholas Ponting

(Set and Projection Designer) is a multidisciplinary designer and stained glass artist based out of San Diego, CA. Current and recent projects: La Lucha (Optika Moderna in collaboration with The La Jolla Playhouse & MCASD), Mud Row (Detroit Public Theatre), Everybody (Antaeus Theatre Company) Animals Out of Paper (Chautauqua Theatre Co.), On Gold Mountain (LA Opera), Teatro Piñata (Optika Moderna/The New Children's Museum San Diego). He is a frequent collaborator with David Reynoso and Optika Moderna, creating immersive installations/performances in San Diego, CA. MFA - UC San Diego. BA - Western Washington University. Member of AEA. To learn more about Nick, his work and upcoming projects visit nicholasponting.com IG: @nicholasponting.

Daniella Toscano

(Costume Designer) is a Mexican-American costume designer and visual artist, originally from Southern California and raised in Las Vegas, NV. Alongside costume design projects, she's also worked extensively in costume shops around the country, and has developed skills in multimedia design as a way to further explore theatrical storytelling in the digital landscape. She received her Masters in Fine Arts in Costume Design at the University of California, San Diego, and is interested in new works and reimagining the classics. Recent Costume Design credits include: El Huracán (Cygnet Theatre), The Piano Lesson (Kansas City Melting Pot Theatre), The Who's Tommy (Flint Repertory Theatre), The Three Feathers (Steamboat Opera), Everybody, Elektra (UCSD Theater), Elephant (A World Premiere at Benchmark Theatre).

Bryan Ealey

(Lighting Designer) is a Houstonian, Board Member for NobleMotion Dance Company (Houston), and third-year MFA Lighting Design student at University of California San Diego. He holds a BA in Drama from Prairie View A&M University. Upon graduation, he freelanced around Houston theaters as an audio and lighting technician and has toured across the country in large concert venues such as The Fox Theatre (Detroit) and Madison Square Garden (New York) as an Audio Assistant with International R&B Artist, Teena Marie-all while being an Audio Engineer and Lighting Designer at House of Blues - Houston and Lighting Director for River Pointe Church in Richmond, Texas. In the 14-year span of his career, he has also worked as the AVL Supervisor and Associate Production Coordinator at Stages Theatre (Houston) until his arrival at Sam Houston State University - Dance Dept. (2015-2020) as their Dance Technical Director. Along his career, he has been fortunate enough to design for several theaters and dance companies: Main Street, Stages, The Landing Theatre Company, Houston Grand Opera, Unity, Horse Head, Classical Theatre Company, NobleMotion Dance, Open Dance Project, Social Movement Contemporary Dance, Houston Contemporary Dance, Urban Souls Dance, and Von Ussar Danceworks. Bryan's passion for lighting design is rooted in the fundamental ability to shape the stage in a frame that supports, gives focus, and elevates the performance. As technical and visual artists, we are here to service the story being told, whether it's being presented through theatre, dance, or music.

Andrew Lynch

(Sound Designer) is a composer, sound designer, and performer. Recent projects include The How and the Why with director Austin Pendleton at the Sheen Center, Downtown Stories with directors Morgan Green and Jessica Holt for En Garde Arts, and The Eye Which We Do Not Have created by Kate Brehm developed at Harvard University, The O'Neill Theatre Center and presented at HERE Arts 2022 Puppetopia Festival. He is a cofounder of the Brooklyn art space Cloud City, and last year he was a Mitchell Fellow in Composition and Sound Design at the Mitchell Center for the Arts in Houston, Texas.

Peregrine Teng Heard

(Producer) is an actor, playwright, and Artistic Director of The Associates Theater Ensemble, which she founded with four fellow deviser-performers in 2014. Peregrine's plays include Redemption Story, Mabel Bidewell, and Maggie and Winnie in The 13th Time (National Ten-Minute Play Competition finalist, 2018). With The Associates, she has devised and performed in Sheila, Black Protagonist, and Freesome. Other acting credits include: Chuck Mee's soot & spit (New Ohio), Ski End (Piehole), Call Out Culture; or, the unbearable whiteness of being (Ars Nova ANTfest), Sehnsucht (JACK), and voiceover on several national commercials. Peregrine earned a handy B.A. in East Asian Studies at Yale. www.peregrineheard.com

Jefferson White

(Consulting Producer) is an actor, writer and producer whose career spans blockbuster television (Yellowstone, The Twilight Zone, Invasion) and critically acclaimed indie films (Eileen, God's Country, No Future). In his personal work he seeks to create opportunities for young artists to grow and develop together in a collaborative, equitable, process-oriented environment.

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