QUEER READING SERIES 2023
MARCH 29, 7:00pm
2520 Galena Street, Aurora CO
TICKETS
$7.00 GENERAL PUBLIC
THE PLAYS
aN aMERICAN DISASTER BY RACHAEL C. JOHNSON
An American Disaster is a play about the gray area between the truth of how you and your significant other see your relationship, versus the way others view it externally. For Alva and Seth Cherry, their healthy, normal (at least to them) relationship goes viral in the worst way possible. Then, in the most public of ways, they are left to figure out how to clean up their image and move forward as a couple.
DELIVERED BY JEFFREY NEUMAN
The story of four people whose lives collide when they witness a strange and disturbing occurrence. Based on real events, it is a play about the dangerous crossroads of homophobia and complacency.
THE PLAYWRIGHTS
rACHAEL C. JOHNSON (she,her)
an american disaster
Rachael is thrilled to share AN AMERICAN DISASTER to And Toto too Theatre Company audiences for its Queer Reading Series. Rachael started writing while working in production at the Starz network in Englewood, Colorado where she wrote and produced one of the network’s first original programs called Looking for Stars, and covered film junkets for Starz in Black. After Starz, Rachael worked for a motion picture literary agent in Los Angeles and pursued journalism. As a journalist, Rachael worked for Roll Call, NY1 News, and was an editor of the publication Indian Country Today. She has also worked as a theater critic for the Washington City Paper in Washington, D.C., and written for NBC, and Quartz. She has presented short plays of her work at theaters in Washington, D.C., including the FRESHH Inc Theater Company (now defunct), Theater Alliance’s Hot House and the Page-to-Stage Festival at the Kennedy Center. Her TV writing has earned her a Second Round placement (top 20 percent out of more than 14, 000 applicants) at the 2021 Austin Film Festival, recognition from Roadmap Writers through its BIPOC Initiative, as well as placing second in the Independent Filmmaker Pitchfest. Rachael hopes to tell more stories in theater and on screen that feature women of color and underrepresented groups. She was born and raised in Colorado where she now lives with her fiancé Joseph and dog Philly.
jeffrey neuman
Delivered
Jeffrey Neuman is an award-winning playwright whose work has been performed at theaters, festivals, and universities across the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom. His plays have been produced and/or developed by Denver Center Theatre Company, Emerging Artists Theatre Company, LaMaMa Experimental Theatre Club, National Public Radio, Stage Left, Edinburgh Fringe, FUSION Theatre Company, and the Samuel French Off Off Broadway Festival, among many others. His most recent play, The Headliners, was honored with a 2022 Woodward/Newman Award citation and will receive a world premiere at Cherry Creek Theatre (Denver) in May 2023. Additionally, Jeffrey is a Heideman Award Finalist, an O’Neill Finalist, cofounder of Colorado’s Rough Draught Playwrights, an inaugural fellow in the Denver Center for the Performing Arts Playwrights’ Group, and Colorado’s Regional Ambassador for the Dramatists Guild of America. He was a founding company member of Benchmark Theatre, where he received two True West Awards for his “tireless commitment to community-building” for Front Range and Colorado theaters. www.theaterbyjeff.com
THE DIRECTOR
Madison kuebler (she/her)
Madison is so excited to be back home in the theatre world and is honored to be working with And Toto too for the Queer Reading Series. She's worked as a sound designer, actor, and director for various companies in Denver over the last 9 years. She has a BA in Theatre from Metropolitan State University with a Minor in Women's Studies and is very passionate about telling stories from and about the Queer and LGBTIA+ community. She works in Death Care and currently works for a company passionate about conserving land to create eco-friendly memorial forests. She is also a certified Death Doula.
THE ACTORS
Tresha Ferris-(she/her)
(alva,Shirita)
Tresha Farris is a multidisciplinary theatre artist and Colorado native. Credits include: Lily in The Book Club Play, Howie Newsome in Our Town, and Bree in The Family Tree (Arvada Center), Boo Hag in One Way-Back Day, Susan White in United Fight 232, and Somebody in Everybody (The Catamounts), Abraham Lincoln in JQA and Nina in The Nina Variations (BETC Theatre), Pearl in Bull in a China Shop (Benchmark Theatre Company), and Aaron in Titus Andronicus and Cordelia in King Lear (Fearless Theatre Company). She is represented by Wilhelmina Denver. treshafarris.weebly.com
jeff jesmer (He/Him)
(Sam, Pete)
Jeff Jesmer is very excited to share this experience with a live audience. Thank you for supporting live theatre in our community. Jeff works around Denver as a Set Builder/designer and as an Actor. He hopes you enjoy the evening and wishes that you spread the word of this and other live theatre around Denver. Jeff would like to thank Julie and our fur-babies for the most love any one person could handle.
SEAN MICHAEL CUMMINGS(he/him)
(Seth,dave)
SEAN MICHAEL CUMMINGS is an actor and writer based in Denver, CO. ACTING: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It (Colorado Shakespeare Festival); The Social Dilemma (Netflix); District Merchants, 39 Steps (Miners Alley Playhouse); Twist Your Dickens (Aurora Fox); The Nina Variations, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, (Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company); Dinner (Edge Theatre Company) and many others. WRITING: Toxoplasmosis (Denver Center), Bazaruto (Phamaly), Snipes (Northwest Playwrights’ Alliance). Sean writes for MarketWise Research and is represented by Big Fish Talent.
adrienne martin-fullwood(she/her)
(Flo)
Adrienne Martin-Fullwood – was last seen at 5280's Artist Co-Op, 'Colorism', And Toto too Theatre, Who will Sing for Lena, Arvada Center, The Great Gatsby (Mrs. McKee & Mrs. Michaels) (us), A Raisin in the Sun(Ruth) and Intimate Apparel as (Esther)(us). The Venue, Hairspray (Motor Mouth), Aurora Fox Space Theatre, Tell Martha Not to Moan (Martha) (nominated Best Actress in a Drama), 72nd Avenue Theatre, The Container (Fatima) Curious Theatre, Fences (Rose), Shadow Theatre, Flyin West(Sophie) and Four Queens No Trump(Esther) and a long list of other community theatre productions not to exclude a long list of many T.V. Commercials and Corporate Industrials and voice over commercials.