Roundabout Youth Ensemble to Present World Premiere of I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM This Month

Roundabout Youth Ensemble, an after-school and summer program for NYC public high schools, will present the world premiere of the new play I Scream, You Scream by Lia Spahn directed by Christopher Etienne at Black Box Theatre in the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre (111 W. 46th St.) on Saturday, August 13th (2 pm & 7pm) and Sunday, 14th (2 pm).

I Scream, You Scream features: Abbygail Khandros ("Cherry Garcia"), Nathan Saeroon ("Chip Graham"), Nathan Saeroon ("Chip Graham"), Luke Bullock ("Marsh"), Angie Etwarroo ("Rocky") and Jakyrah Sanchez ("Sherane").

The design team leaders include: Jesse McDonald (Set Design), Cathleen Conte-Marrero (Lighting Design), Shayla Lee-Henry (Costume Design), Thelonius Hopson (Sound Design), Christain Rosa Robles (Marketing), Joey Correa (Production Manager), and Londyn Miller (Stage Manager).

Roundabout Theatre Company's student-led theatre company, Roundabout Youth Ensemble (RYE) is a student-run theatre company, modeled after Roundabout's professional theatre production process. The Ensemble is made up of student leaders and participants representing 25 NYC Public High Schools and are responsible for every artistic and managerial decision for the original production, from writing and directing the play to designing technical elements, calling cues, and marketing the show.

I Scream, You Scream depicts four friends making a pact out of fear of drifting apart from each other. But things don't go as planned. Relationships, secret crushes, and drama all get in the way of these four friends. Slowly, their fear becomes a reality. Will they be able to keep their pact or will their friendship deteriorate at a 60's style ice cream shop?

"What happens when the future is pending and riddled with uncertainty?," said playwright Lia Spahn, a senior at Repertory Company High School for Theatre Arts. "When change is inevitable, and fear creeps in? When we start longing for the simple past, while time pulls us towards the unknown?"

"This production shows the difficulties of maturing through ice cream, something that is mainly seen as a fun and tasty treat," said marketing leader Christain Robles, a junior at Kingsborough Early College Secondary School. "Not only that, but actual high school students portraying these characters makes the play all more real for the audiences watching. The goal is to have every person leave with something to think about."

For more information, visit https://www.roundabouttheatre.org/RYE.

CHRISTOPHER ETIENNE

(Director) has just graduated from Kingsborough Early College Secondary School and is attending SUNY New Paltz in the fall for Theatre Studies. He's the director for the production of I Scream, You Scream. This is his first year directing with Roundabout, last year he was one of the three playwrights in Roundabout Youth Ensemble's production of Fractured. In his free-time Christopher enjoys writing and listening to all things musical theatre. His all-time favorite ice cream flavor is Pistachio.

ABBYGAIL KHANDROS

(Cherry Garcia) is an upcoming sophomore at Edward R. Murrow High School. She is playing Cherry for the production of I Scream, You Scream. This is her first time being part of Roundabout Youth Ensemble. In the past, she has been in several school productions and sang at American Young Voices. In her free time, she likes to listen to music (Broadway, classic rock, and alternate being the ones she listens to the most), enjoys reading books, and loves to write stories as a member of her school's writing institute program. Her favorite ice cream flavor of all time is strawberry cheesecake.

NATHAN SAEROON

("Chip Graham") is a 16-year-old upcoming Senior at Talent Unlimited High School. He plays "Chip Graham '' in I Scream, You Scream and it's his first time acting at Roundabout. Nathan has acted before for his schools and their productions, one of them being Moana which his school had piloted for Disney. At his performing arts school, his major is instrumental, where he plays guitar and piano. Nathan's favorite ice cream flavor is Rocky Road, which he thinks is at least top 5.

LUKE BULLOCK

("Marsh") is an actor, artist, and creative living in New York. He is honored to be a part of I Scream, You Scream, and has had the opportunity to work with talented actors and artists. "Being able to work on a show that shows the reality of growing up, trying desperately to fit in, all while wrestling with budding queerness has been such a privilege. Learning to love theatre again has been unforgettable." His favorite ice cream flavor is chocolate

ANGIE ETWARROO

("Rocky"). Alyssa/Angie Etwarroo has previously acted in several high school drama club productions: Macbeth, a Midsummer Night's Dream, an original take on the Wizard of Oz, and Hair the musical. In the summer of their freshman year, they were also in RYE's production of Thicker Than Water. They're a recent graduate of the High School of Art and Design and are set to enroll in Queen's College this fall. While theatre is one of their biggest passions, they're also very into animating and illustrating.

JAKYRAH SANCHEZ

("Sherane") is an early graduate from Bronx Theatre high school as a junior. She will be using this gap year to explore auditions and the acting industry to become a professional actress. I Scream, You Scream is her first audition she ever went to and received a role for the show. She's very independent when it comes to goals because she's determined to complete them. Becoming an actress has always been her dream and she's here to make her dream come true. Next step is going to California and going to LA drama academy for the fall of 2023. She hopes to audition for any roles out there to enjoy the experience of acting out different characters and learning about them. Bailee Madison inspired her to become an actress.

Established in 1996, Education at Roundabout annual serves over 30,000 people throughout New York City's five boroughs and beyond. Roundabout offers nationally recognized programs that use the power of theatre to inspire, engage, and promote social equity through three core area: Career Training, Community Partnerships, and Teaching and Learning. The deep impact and breadth of our work is a result of programs and curricula curated specifically to build lasting relationships with students, teachers, early-career professionals, audiences, and our local communities.

Roundaboutheatre.org/education

Roundabout Theatre Company celebrates the power of theatre by spotlighting classics from the past, cultivating new works of the present, and educating minds for the future. A not-for-profit company, Roundabout fulfills that mission by producing familiar and lesser-known plays and musicals; discovering and supporting talented playwrights; reducing the barriers that can inhibit theatergoing; collaborating with a diverse team of artists; building educational experiences; and archiving over five decades of production history.

Roundabout Theatre Company presents a variety of plays, musicals and new works on its five stages: Broadway's American Airlines Theatre, Studio 54 and Stephen Sondheim Theatre, and Off-Broadway's Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre, which houses the Laura Pels Theatre and Black Box Theatre.

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Education programs at Roundabout are also supported in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.

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