BABY JESSICA'S WELL-MADE PLAY to Open at Pipeline Theatre Company in February
Baby Jessica’s Well-Made Play is performed by Mary Round for one audience member at a time via the phone, over two consecutive shows, from the comfort of their own home.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Jan. 19, 2023
Pipeline Theatre Company will present Baby Jessica's Well-Made Play, an interactive performance for one person at a time that is loosely inspired by the 1987 true story of Baby Jessica and the collective experience of her 58-hour rescue. Written by Philip Santos Schaffer and directed by Isabel Quinzaños Alonso, this five-act phone adventure takes audiences to the bottom of a well and back again. Currently in previews and scheduled to run through April 27, 2023, with an opening set for February 27, Baby Jessica's Well-Made Play is performed by Mary Round for one audience member at a time via the phone, over two consecutive shows, from the comfort of their own home. Tickets are now on sale at www.pipelinetheatre.org.
Baby Jessica's Well-Made Play will usher audience members into conversations about fear, hope, self-care, imagination, culture, and memory. Audience members will discover what pulls them up and out of the dark.
"The story of Baby Jessica is one of my first childhood memories where everyone seemed to be paying attention to the same thing," says playwright Philip Santos Schaffer. "I was riveted, too. But now, as an adult, I wonder why the country cared so much about this one baby when so many are allowed to suffer every day without that same kind of concern. As an artist, I believe in creating pretend spaces in which real people can actively make-believe as a mode of learning about themselves (and others), and in which they are invited to share what they have learned and be celebrated in abundance. These are the feelings I hope to inspire!"
In Baby Jessica's Well-Made Play, audience members will be asked to engage in conversations with strangers. While highly interactive, they will never be asked to play a character other than themselves. Throughout the course of the play, they will be provided with tools to determine the extent of their participation and comfort level.
For their safety and the safety of all audience members and performers, there will be an expectation of respectful discourse. Hate speech of any kind, including but not limited to racist, sexist, homophobic, and transphobic remarks, will not be tolerated. A failure to comply with these expectations will result in the immediate termination of the performance. Refunds will not be issued.
The creative team for Baby Jessica's Well-Made Play includes Anna Woodruff (dramaturg), Jorge Olivo (sound design & composition), Matt Engle (Production Stage Manager), and Stefanie Harris (producing consultant).
Performances of Baby Jessica's Well-Made Play are currently scheduled to continue through April 27, 2023. The performance schedule is Sunday through Thursday at 7 PM and Sundays at 2 PM, with a commitment to attend consecutive Part 1 and Part 2 performances. Running time varies. Single tickets, starting at $30, provide access to both performances and can be purchased at www.pipelinetheatre.org.
Critics are welcome as of January 23 for an opening on Thursday, February 27. Press performances will take place on January 23, 25, and 30 at 7 PM and January 29 at 2 PM; February 1, 6, 8, 13, 15, 20, and 22 at 7 PM and February 5, 12, 19, and 26 at 2 PM.
Please visit www.pipelinetheatre.org for more information.
About the Artists
Philip Santos Schaffer
(Playwright) is a playmaker creating interactive performances in intimate and unconventional settings. Their work has been seen in bathtubs across the country, listened to over the phone, and found in a series of living rooms (as well as appearing in more traditional spaces). Philip's work deals with politics, pop culture, intimacy, and empathy through participation, humor, music, and more. They are currently a Performance Project @ University Settlement Artist-in-Residence and have previously been a member of the Performance Project's Fellowship, a MORE Art Engaging Artist Fellow, and a member of The Assembly's Deceleration Lab. Philip has a BFA in Directing from Hofstra University and an MFA in Dramaturgy from Columbia University. They have been an Ensemble Member, Artistic Associate, and Associate Archivist for the Living Theatre, and are currently a Co-Director at Pipeline Theatre Company. Philip is 1/5 of the creative team behind WalkUpArts, which they co-founded in 2015. www.philipsantosschaffer.com
Isabel Quinzaños Alonso
(Director) is a director, producer, and project manager passionate about theater and its capacity to ignite social change. Since 2021 she has worked for the Mellon Foundation where she stewards grants to artists and organizations across the US. Previously she worked at The Public Theater in New York and Out of Joint in London. Isabel has a BA in Directing from Drama Centre London, and an MA in Arts Administration and Cultural Policy from Goldsmiths University.
Mary Round
(Performer) brings an eclectic theater background to Baby Jessica's Well-Made Play. A member of The Living Theatre under the direction of Judith Malina, she performed notably in Seven Meditations on Political Sadomasochism. An Artistic Associate of Voyage Theater Company, she appeared as Elise in their Production of Strindberg's The Pelican. Favorites: Mom55 in I Used to Write on Walls, by Bekah Brunstetter at the Gene Frankel; Bella/Eleanor in Big Love by Charles Mee, at the Lenfest; Actor "A" in Elfriede Jelinek's Shadow. Eurydice Says at The John Cullum Theater; Chrissy, in Hair at the McConnell Theater (with an entire ensemble over the age of 60!).
Anna Woodruff
(Dramaturg) is a dramaturg focused on new play development. She has worked with artistic institutions across the country including The Lark, American Conservatory Theater, Soho Rep., Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, and Roundabout Theatre Company. Past dramaturgy credits include The End of the World Bar and Bathtub and Baby Jessica's Well-Made Play (WalkUpArts), Field, Awakening (Corkscrew Theater Festival), and Manar (Reading @ The New Group). She holds an M.F.A. in Dramaturgy from Columbia University.
Jorge Olivo
(Sound Design & Composition) is an NYC-based sound designer. Credits include The Signature Project at The Sheen Center, Nu Works with Pan Asian Rep, and American Captives at Dixon Place. Associate Sound Design Credits include Sea Wall/Ah Life at the Public and Todd Solondz's Emma and Max at the Flea. He won Best Sound Design 2017 at United Solo for "Hide Your Fires" with Ren Gyo Soh. He also worked on the original incarnation of Baby Jessica as part of Small Plays For Giants with WalkUp Arts and is super excited to bring to life a new version.
About Pipeline Theatre Company
Pipeline's reputation has steadily grown in the Off-Broadway theatre community as a company that produces unexpected, transformative, and highly risky work: Beardo (2017) by Jason Craig and Dave Malloy was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music, and TheaterMania declared it "an unforgettable theatrical experience with the most breathtaking first act finale this side of Les Misérables." Playing Hot (2019) was nominated for an Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best Unique Theatrical Experience and the New York Times called it, "Boisterous and joyous. Equal parts play, concert and dance party." Most recently, Pipeline's production of C. Julian Jiménez's Bruise & Thorn (2022) received a Critic's Pick from The New York Times who said, "Bruise & Thorn counts a memorable authenticity among its best qualities-the work is very queer, very Latinx, very New York City."
Please visit www.pipelinetheatre.org for more information.
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