The festival runs November 9-11, 2023 at the Chain Theatre.
Breaking & Entering Theatre Collective will present Pea Fest 2023 featuring Cockroaches in rep with
It Was Nice Meeting You at The Chain Theatre from November 9 - 11, 2023.
PEA FEST, or the PRE-EMERGING ARTIST FESTIVAL is an opportunity for early career theatremakers to connect with their artistic peers in meaningful ways while collaborating on fresh new works. Breaking & Entering Theatre Collective is dedicated to giving opportunities to and promoting the work of Pre-Emerging Theatre Artists. Presented for a limited one weekend run at the Chain Theatre, PEA FEST is the culmination of our season and an important development opportunity for the artists we serve. PEA FEST 2023 is our fourth annual new works festival, and our third in person at the Chain's Studio Theatre.
All three nights of the festival will feature both COCKROACHES (written by Emma Schillage, directed by Emma Richmond) and IT WAS NICE MEETING YOU (written and directed by Declan Zhang). The two casts feature Alexis Cofield, Alyssa Parkhurst, Arcadia Sussman, Aya Turner, Casey Worthington, Christian Negron, Frank Murdocco*, Giuliana Mancini, Patrick Yeboah, Laura Galindo, and Zoey Peacock-Jones. The design team includes Emily/Bubeck (Props), Hannah Bird (Costumes), Julianne Mason (Sound, Cockroaches), Karma Masselli (Set), Kyle Brenn (Sound, It Was Nice Meeting You), Páraic McLean (Lights), with intimacy direction from Beth Gloison and stage managed by Kat Sloan Garcia.
*appears courtesy of Actors Equity Association
Performances begin at 7PM on November 9th, 10th and 11th.
Written by EMMA SCHILLAGE
Directed by EMMA RICHMOND
Featuring AYA TURNER, ARCADIA SUSSMAN, ALYSSA PARKHURST, ZOEY PEACOCK-JONES, CASEY WORTHINGTON
COCKROACHES is a Southern Gothic dark comedy inspired by Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis. It tells the story of three sisters as they deal with the fallout of their mother's most recent suicide attempt. Momma has been acting strange since returning home from the hospital, causing eldest daughter, Jenny, to come home from college, middle child Charlie, to act out, and youngest child, Sissy, to follow in her mother's footsteps. As Momma becomes less and less human, the sisters must learn how to care for themselves and each other before it is too late.
Written and Directed by DECLAN ZHANG
Featuring CHRISTIAN NEGRON, PATRICK YEBOAH, Frank Murdocco*, GIULIANA MANCINI, Alexis Cofield, LAURA GALINDO
*Appears courtesy of Actors Equity Association
Mickey is coming and it is his birthday and we will sing over his birthday cake and have a birthday party. Wait, that was yesterday. No, he never came, so now it's tomorrow. I'm bringing this guy I met the other day- no, it was today, it was this morning. I think he might be the one. What was his name? Sorry, we have to go inside and sing! IT WAS NICE MEETING YOU!
Breaking & Entering is a small collective of Artists that have chosen to build community with one another and create opportunities for all Pre-Emerging Artists seeking an artistic home in NYC. PEA FEST 2023 is produced through the support of Breaking & Entering's Line Up members, including Declan Zhang, E.B. Hinnant, Emily/Bubeck, Michael Ortiz, Michelle Chan, and Molly Van Der Molen. IT WAS NICE MEETING YOU began as a workshop at Breaking & Entering.
"B&E has been an amazing resource for making genuine connections with new, like-minded artists. Through B&E's Creative Gym Buddies program I've had really fruitful collaborations that I never would have found otherwise. I'm so grateful to the team at Breaking & Entering for lifting me up and pushing me to make my work, especially when I felt unworthy of that care."
- Declan Zhang
To support the work of Breaking & Entering Theatre Collective, make a tax-deductible donation to Breaking & Entering through this link.
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