STAGE & SCREEN
FULL PRODUCTIONS
THEM
Awesome Theatre, Fall 2021
Written By J. Elliott Mendez
Directed by Nikki Meñez
“A cautionary tale about indifference and the end of the road.”
“When the hunger for justice means you’re on the menu.”
While trying to outrun the apocalypse, four strangers hunker down in an all-but-abandoned house for the night. As the world ends outside, the secrets of each, Dakota – a suburban mom, Argentina – a grassroots political activist, and Milwaukee – the group’s gun-toting self-proclaimed protector, come crawling out and pulling at the ties that bind them together. But one by one they realize that Cincinnati hides the most dangerous secret, and that it may come back to bite them. With time running out to make a final run for the safe zone, these unlikely allies will first have to answer the question that looms; “is it us or THEM?”
CHaSeD
EXIT Theatre, Summer 2020 (postponed to 2021)
Written by J. Elliott Mendez
Directed by Amanda Ortmayer
Following the events of “Supremacy” a centuries old mystic returns with warnings of a coming darkness. It is a darkness that devours every good thing; feeding on the innocent and helpless. Now, Zoe, an orphaned street magician out for revenge, must decide if destroying one monster is worth her becoming another.
SUPREMACY
EXIT Theatre, Summer 2019
Written by Jason Mendez
Directed by Amanda Ortmayer
”A modern-day superhero story about race, power, and collective responsibility.”
Connor, an adopted black youth, has lived his entire young life flying under the radar, adhering to the rules of “the talk.” When an officer involved shooting thrusts him into the crux of his city’s mounting racial & political animus, between opposing movements for power, he is set on a journey of mythic proportions to learn the truth of his heritage. A revelation that holds the key to the greatest superpower against man’s inhumanity to man.
STAGED READINGS
Belenus or “La Boca”
Directed by Sara Judge
SF Olympians Festival X, 2019: You’ve Got Gaul!
When her family is separated at the border, Rosa, a teenage immigrant, is forced to weigh the consequences of outright resistance against her vow to find her young sister whatever the cost. It’s a path that leads her to the heart of a conflict, in a community at odds with itself. Divided by perception, fear and the struggle to be seen and heard, and set to the musics of revolution, Bella must find her own voice and her sister before they both are found out.
The image of Belenus was created by Nathan Anderson
Cupid or “Mockingbird”
Directed by Sara Judge
SF Olympians Festival IX, 2018: Roman Holiday
A story about the baggage a couple brings to the table when that invisible pull that connects them, just won’t let either leave without having the last word. Fueled by that last bit of minimalism that lingers at the bottom, their argument forces them to ask the hard question – “Do you really need that?” It’s a tale of love and Letgo, and what they are ultimately willing to do to save their vacation… and maybe their relationship.
The image of Cupid was created by Emily C. Martin
Horus or “Supremacy”
Directed by Sara Judge
SF Olympians Festival VIII, 2017: Mediterranean Cruise
A black youth is unwittingly set on a path to discovering his true parentage when a run in with law enforcement goes awry. Being raised by his adoptive parents, amidst a culture of racial tensions, travel bans and deportations; in a city on the brink of tearing itself apart, coming to terms with the revelation that he has the power of the gods is the easy part. Deciding what to do with that power, however, that is another story altogether.
The image of Horus was created by Brett Grunig
Hades or “Imagine Different”
Directed by Adam Odsess-Rubin
SF Olympians Festival VII, 2016, Harvest of Mysteries
In this telling Hades embodies an eccentric tech mogul that’s hell bent on ruling the industry and finding ways to use technology to help us connect, be understood and love. On the eve of unveiling his company’s newest and sure-to-be world changing innovation, Hades reminds us he is ever more complex than we expect.