Tennessee Playwrights Studio Presents ONLYFAM - The Hilarious New Comedy By Mary McCallum

Tennessee Playwrights Studio has announced the world premiere production of OnlyFam - a new comedy written by Mary McCallum and directed by Shawn Whitsell.

Synopsis: When Willow returns home after her mother's funeral to clean out the family house, she finds herself at odds with her conspiracy-obsessed brother, who refuses to let the property go. Between uninvited visitors and sibling rivalry, the family must confront their past and present, and figure out if they can find closure and reconciliation.

The cast of OnlyFam includes: Molly Breen, Alicia Haymer, Jene India, Mary McCallum, Tamiko Robinson Steele and Shawn Whitsell

Other theatre artists contributing to OnlyFam include: Daniel DeVault (Lighting Design), Jonah Burch (Sound Design), LaTia Lewis (Understudy/Asst. Stage Manager), Nikki Staggs (Stage Manager), Todd Seage (Set Design & Construction), Amy Syvenson (Light Opps/Set Construction)

"I'm beyond excited to be working with my friends on what I know will be an amazing production. It's been years since this combination of actors have been on stage at the same, so this is a theatre reunion of sorts. We're going to have a lot of fun and we can't wait for audiences to share this experience with us." says Shawn Whitsell, director of OnlyFam and actor playing Michael.

"I'm so thrilled that TPS has the opportunity to produce one of Mary McCallum's original scripts. Her comedies are always hilarious and rank as favorites among Darkhorse Theater patrons. I'm also happy to reunite with this group of actors together again onstage. We have so many memories of performing together in Nashville and traveling together with Mary's shows, I know there will be many laughs in store for the audience and the actors during this experience" says Molly Breen, director of Tennessee Playwrights Studio, who also plays Charlotte in OnlyFam.

Dates and times for OnlyFam are: June 7, 8, 9, 13, 14, 15 (all shows at 7:30 pm except Sunday, June 9th 2:00 p.m. matinee) at the Darkhorse Theater - 4610 Charlotte Avenue, Nashville, TN 37209. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. General ticket sales begin May 9th.

Visit tnplaywrights.org for ticket information.

About Mary McCallum

Mary McCallum received her B.S. and M.B.A. from Vanderbilt University. She is the founder of SistaStyle Productions (www.sistastyleproductions.com). Some of her favorite theater credits include THE MOUNTAINTOP, FLY, GIRL!, THE FACE OF EMMETT TILL, NEVER BEEN HOME, WAITIN' 2 END HELL, A RAISIN IN THE SUN, THE STORY, LYSISTRATA, THE DESIRE, PRETTY FIRE, LONG TIME SINCE YESTERDAY, LOUIE & OPHELIA, HUNGER IN PARADISE, and THE DANCE ON WIDOW'S ROW. She has also appeared in several films & T.V. One's "Fatal Attraction". Her play "SingleVille" was a winner of the D.C. Black Theatre Festival One Act Battle and was a mainstage selection for the National Black Theatre Festival. Her play "Six Triple Eight" took top prize at the Atlanta Black Theatre Festival and Tampa Bay Theatre Festival. The movie "SingleVille" won several awards in 2018 including Best Feature at the Twin Cities Black Film Festival and IBFF. "Chasing Jeremy" was a screenplay winner at the British Urban Film Festival and a finalist at the Urban World Film Festival. Her screenplay "Six Triple Eight" also won Best Screenplay at the 2021 JNX Film Festival and British Urban Film Festival. In 2020, she was selected as librettist for Nashville Opera's first mainstage commission "One Vote Won", for which she received a Telly Award and a regional Emmy nomination. In 2022, she worked as a commissioned librettist on her second opera "Beatrice" for Portland Opera, and in 2023 her third opera "Charlie and The Wolf" for Cedar Rapids Opera. Her play "Why Goodbye" recently won "Best Playwright" at the 2023 Atlanta Black Theatre Festival.

About Shawn Whitsell

Shawn Whitsell is a playwright, actor, director, producer and founder of the Destiny Theatre Experience. He has worked with Tennessee Playwrights Studio, Nashville Children's Theatre, Nashville Repertory Theatre, Dream 7 Productions, Monument Theatre Company, SistaStyle Productions and other theatre production companies. He also tours "23/1," his one-man show about solitary confinement, which the Nashville Scene called "The Best Blend of Theatre and Activism." When he isn't doing theatre, Shawn facilitates a variety of workshops, ranging from drama to spoken word to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Shawn is also the proud father of Destiny.

THAT WOMAN - THE MONOLOGUE SHOW - Fringe Festival Tour

Tennessee Playwrights Studio has announced that a 60-minute festival version of THAT WOMAN - THE MONOLOGUE SHOW - co-created by Molly Breen and Angela Gimlin - will be touring various U.S. Fringe Festivals beginning in July with the KC Fringe. Other Fringe Festivals lined up include: MN Fringe, Rochester Fringe, Elgin Fringe, Philly Fringe and St. Lou Fringe. Plans are underway to take the show to Edinburgh Fringe in 2025. Actors performing in the festival will be a combination of actors from Nashville and actors local to the festival city. THAT WOMAN - THE MONOLOGUE SHOW first premiered at the Darkhorse Theatre in 2022, alongside THAT WOMAN - THE DANCE SHOW. The script is comprised of monologues by the following Nashville actors/playwrights: Molly Breen, Dianne DeWald, Angela Gimlin, Nettie Kraft, April Hardcastle-Miles, Alicia Haymer, Ang Madaline-Johnson, Mary McCallum, Elizabeth Turner and Jennifer Whitcomb-Oliva. Nashville theatre-goers will also see a special one-night encore performance of the full production at Third Coast Comedy this fall in October, as a fundraiser for the Aftyn Behn re-election campaign.

About Tennessee Playwrights Studio

Tennessee Playwrights Studio (TPS) is a playwright development lab and theatre production company directed by Molly Breen and founded in 2018 by Kenley Smith and Molly Breen to offer in-state playwrights the opportunity to develop fresh, incisive scripts that reflect a changing world. The TPS fellowship program helps playwrights develop new plays from idea to first draft in a supportive workshop setting. In 2019, TPS began mounting full theatre productions by Tennessee playwrights/creators, including: MAIDENS by Kenley Smith, THAT WOMAN - The Monologue Show (2022), THAT WOMAN - The Dance Show (2022), DON'T LOOK BLACK - A MORAL STORY by Preston Crowder (2022), THE SINS OF THE CITY by Shawn Whitsell (2022), and FAN ME WITH A BRICK by Kenley Smith (2023). In January of 2021, TPS formed a partnership between TPS and two of the most productive and dynamic Black-owned theatre companies in Nashville: Destiny Theatre Experience and SistaStyle Productions for collaboration on the production of new works and educational programs, such as TPS Talks and TPS Scripts. TPS is also a partner company of the Del Shores Foundation, whose mission is to find and facilitate the development of new southern queer artistic voices through bringing together artists and working professionals, amplifying new work and connecting artists to platforms for the creation of the work. TPS is a resident company of the Darkhorse Theater in Nashville, TN and is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization.

Post-pandemic Nashville theater audiences have witnessed a groundswell of creativity as local companies have made the production of original works part of their programming initiatives. While the result might best be described as hit-or-miss depending on perspective, one company's efforts have been constant, abiding and transformative. Tennessee Playwrights Studio, co-founded by Molly Breen and Kenley Smith, has led this creative renaissance since its very beginnings and over the past several years has been responsible for nurturing the talents of a wide array of artists. We could not be more grateful to TPS and its founders for everything they've accomplished; it is truly noteworthy. - Jeffrey Ellis, BroadwayWorld Nashville

 

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