All New Cells

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Baseline Synopsis (See below for More Detailed Story Information)

When Nils's ex-girlfriend dies suddenly, he is dragged back into a toxic online roleplay scene he swore he'd never return to. He'd been doing okay sticking to his seven-year plan for getting over their breakup - but now, everyone either blames him or expects him to have answers, and he's getting nasty anonymous messages that might be coming from beyond the grave. A nuanced examination of identity, trauma, assault, grief, and mental health through an online world.

Baseline Content Note

"All New Cells" contains references to suicide, child sexual abuse and self harm, which are discussed, but not depicted; themes include transphobia and online bullying.

Spoiler Warning!

Story Line, Content Information, Themes, Fandoms, Memes and References, and Dramaturgical Information

“Becoming is exhausting.”

Dramaturgical Themes

All New Cells is a powerful story of disconnection and a search for identity contrasting how we live IRL (in real life) and how we present to the online world. The importance of role-play gaming and the construction of new personalities in new bodies is woven through the fabric of Nils’ story and personal development, as is the theme of creating power for and over yourself in a world where people often feel powerless. All New Cells touches on the way in which the digital ghosts of our past come back to haunt us. Ultimately, as Nils’ story shows, we can find agency for ourselves in a digital world and carry that agency into the life we live in the real world. We have the power to redefine ourselves.

Director Alison Kozar notes that we are exploring queer characters in a queer affinity space and there are aspects of these characters that have emerged or are emerging and are still in flux, as queerness so often is.

Synopsis (may contain…Nay! definitely contains spoilers):

All New Cells tells the story of Nils, a transgender man in his early 20s who is recovering from the trauma of an abusive sexual relationship with Lux, a cool femme lesbian chick in her early 30s. In order to escape Lux and to move forward with his transition, Nils has abandoned the vampire fiction online roleplay and writing board he joined at 16.

“It's not like we broke up and I got sole custody of Sailor Moon and Sherlock.”

The story is told almost entirely through instant messaging conversations between the characters, including Lux’s best friend Aeon (a mom in her early 30s) and Moody, an intense and self-focused 20-something. Despite their largely digital interactions and geographic separation, they are deeply involved with one another on a personal and emotional level. All New Cells is steeped in memes and references: the theme of vampire fanfic is particularly crucial as the characters explore elements of consent and control, violation and power, angst, and the feeling of having been altered forever for the worse.  Regardless of which fandoms the observer may belong to, the characters are instantly recognizable in their passion for expressing their fandoms through activities ranging from fanfiction to  cosplay and fan conventions to online RPGs.

Content Information (aka, The Trigger Warning)

At the top of the show, we learn that Lux has committed suicide, after a rejected attempt to connect with and apologize to Nils. Aeon shares the news with Moody and with Nils via IM. At the same time Lux’s death is announced, Nils begins receiving nasty public but anonymous hate messages. Everything Nils, Aeon, and Moody believe about themselves changes as they discover who Lux really was and her choices as leader of their online community. In particular, Aeon and Moody learn in more detail about Lux grooming Nils for an inappropriate sexual relationship from the time he was 16, through gifts, through explicitly sexual vampire fiction writing exchanges, and on trips to fan conventions.

“The internet raised us”

Moving between the present and the past, through chat log conversations and the occasional IRL interaction, these individuals struggle with all the things that we recognize in our own lives. Grief. Guilt for sins of omission. Seeking forgiveness (and granting it or not.) Exploring their identities. Choosing to become who they are in a world where knowing who you are is not always easy or comforting. Director Alison Kozar notes that we are exploring queer characters in a queer affinity space and there are aspects of these characters that have emerged or are emerging and are still in flux, as queerness so often is.

Why this show? Why now?

The board and staff of The Shattered Glass Project are dedicated to bringing stories to the stage that are unique and which have been selected for telling by theatre artists whose voices have been suppressed.  Trans and GNC folks and women are being suppressed like hell right now, all across the United States and the world. Every day, across the US, it is becoming less safe and less legal to simply BE. We are not going to let this story go untold.

We find universality in the specifics. All New Cells is a very specific story that encompasses enormously universal themes around finding out who we are. Nils represents every kid ever in terms of finding his identity, but his struggles are greater. Aeon stands in for all the parents watching a loved child grow and become; as well as for those of us who only see what we want to see until we can no longer ignore what is happening right in front of us.

We are all nerds of one sort or another. Artistic director Rebecca O’Neil, a straight cisgender GenX white woman, grew up on the original Star Trek re-runs, MASH, Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern, and a hefty side dose of watching her brother play Dungeons & Dragons in the early 1980s. Her fan fiction was a mashup of Vulcans and dragons going through pon farr. Plus George Harrison and Harrison Ford. Sorry.

Director Alison Kozar, mixed arab neurospicy queer, grew up on Douglas Adams novels, X-Files fanfic, and did MUD cartography. (Don’t know what a MUD is? Imagine if World of Warcraft was entirely text-based.) They did vampire roleplay with some of the original folx from White Wolf, and freeform roleplay on IRC (the forerunner to Discord.) They have put more time into Mass Effect than you knew was possible or healthy, and they probably have a headcanon for that show you like.

Playwright Aliza Goldstein, a queer Jewish millennial, came of age thoroughly immersed in the worlds of Star Wars fan fiction and play-by-post forum roleplay games on Neopets, Gaia Online, and standalone websites, and knows first-hand how theses spaces can foster both creativity and exploration as well as… incredibly poor interpersonal boundaries. She was not allowed to play video games as a child, which naturally means she now works in game development as an adult.

 

Who Are We?

Cast Members

Lux - Zenaida Rose Smith

Moody - Kay Taylor Yelinek

Nils - Kasper Cergol

Aeon - Jasmine Lomax

Creative Team

Director - Alison Kozar

Intimacy Consultant - Francesca Betancourt

Deck Stage Manager - Maycee McQuin

Lighting Design - Chih-Hung Shao

Costume Design - Fawn Bartlett

Production Assistant - Erin Lammie

Photography - Kirk Hostetter

Playwright - Aliza Goldstein

Casting Director - Buddy Todd

Calling Stage Manager - Brandon Ellis

Properties & Set-Dressing Design - Jessamyn Bateman-Iino

Sound Design - Madelyn Zandt

Graphic Design - Lara Kratz

Producer/COVID Safety Officer - Rebecca O’Neil

Cast

  • Kasper Cergol (he/him)

    Nils

    All New Cells will be Kasper Cergol’s first production in Seattle since moving from Baltimore. After struggling to find his place within his university’s theatre program, he studied electronic media and film with a radio/audio concentration. Although still exploring what career path he wants to pursue long-term, the constant in Kasper’s life is a devotion to storytelling through performance. His other interests include sewing, music (cello, guitar, and voice), and environmental conservation.

  • Jasmine Lomax (they/them)

    Aeon

    Jasmine Lomax (They/ Them) graduated from Cornish College of the Arts, majoring in Original Works. Over the pandemic, they have also been working towards certification as an Intimacy Director. Since transplanting from Boise, ID. They have supported the Seattle Theater Community in the roles of Actor, Director, Intimacy Director, Dramaturg, Stage Manager, and Playwright. When they are not on the stage, you can find them working with Delta Dental of Washington as one of their magical tooth fairies!

  • Kay Taylor Yelinek (they/them)

    Moody

    Musician, actor, artist, Kay Taylor Yelinek does it all. They discovered a love of performance after beginning their higher education journey at Seattle Central College, and followed it all the way to Hollywood, California to graduate from AMDA College and Conservatory of the Performing Arts. This is the second time Kay has worked with The Shattered Glass Project, and is honored to have been invited again to participate in All New Cells.

  • Zenaida Rose Smith (she/her)

    Lux

    Zenaida is a mixed Filipinx producer, director, and actor. Recent Seattle acting credits include Mrs. Caliban, Little Bee (Book-It); The Thanksgiving Play (Seattle Public); Trevor, Year of the Rooster (MAP); The Neverborn, The Lost Girls, Puny Humans (Annex). They are also Production Manager at ArtsWest, producing staff at 18th & Union and MAP Theatre, and a board member with 14/48 Projects. Next catch her directing Bloodletting with Porkfilled Productions in fall 2023.

Creative Team

  • Aliza Goldstein (she/they)

    Playwright

    Aliza Goldstein is a playwright based in Orange County, CA and just happy to be here. B.F.A. Dramatic Writing, New York University (2013). Plays include IZZY ICARUS FELL OFF THE WORLD and A SINGULAR THEY. Winner: 2013 John Golden Prize for Undergraduate Playwriting; 2015 Ebell of Los Angeles Playwright Prize; 2017 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Ted Schmitt Award; 2020 SETC/Stage Rights Ready to Publish Award. Find me on New Play Exchange!

  • Alison Kozar (they/them)

    Director

    Alison is a multidisciplinary theatre artist facilitating brave storytelling through directing, stage management, and sound design. Recent projects: Intiman's Two Mile Hollow , and All New Cells and Gallery of Perspective and Light (Shattered Glass Project.) Other selected projects: Intiman's The Mystery of Irma Vep and The Events, dani tirrell's Black Bois, WET's Is God Is, MAP Theatre's Year of the Rooster. Alison believes in healing the world, feminist science fiction, radical self-worth, and antifa. professionalmomfriend.com

  • Brandon Eller (he/him)

    Calling Stage Manager

    Originally from STL, Brandon moved to Seattle in 2015 to escape the midwest and work as a stage manager. He has worked with sever local theatres, including Annex, Cafe Nordo, 12th Ave, and Theatre off Jackson. Favorite past productions: "Cymbeline" (ASM, with Seattle Shakes Wooden O), "Our Country's Good" (SM, with Strawberry Theatre Workshop), and "Scott Shoemaker's War on Christmas" (SM, with Shoes & Pants Productions).

  • Hana Oh (she/her)

    Deck Stage Manager

    Hana (she/her) recently moved back to Seattle, returning to her family and hometown. She loves being onstage and back (and, of course, in the audience), witnessing stories come to life. She believes theatre is one of the most magical forms of storytelling that brings various people with different backgrounds together. Currently, Hana teaches children with Seattle Children’s Theatre. She would like to express her gratitude for the opportunity to be part of this production.

  • Jessamyn Bateman-Iino (they/them)

    Set-Dressing and Properties Design

    Jessamyn Bateman-Iino (they/them) is a Seattle area prop master and stage manager. Past favorite shows include Jesus Christ Superstar (Reboot Theatre) and The Last World Octopus Wrestling Champion (ArtsWest). They also make cute and creepy crafts, which can be found at mutinyhall.com.

  • Fawn Bartlett (she/her)

    Costume Design

    Fawn Bartlett is a graduate from the University of Washington’s MFA Costume Design Program. Her background in fashion design and telling a story with clothing ultimately lead her down the extraordinary path of theatre. Her designs are always from the heart and from the heart of the story. As ever, Fawn dedicates her work to her beloved Mother and Father, to her incredible husband, and to her amazing and beautiful little one

  • Chih-Hung Shao (he/him)

    Lighting Design

    Chih-Hung is a professional lighting designer in Seattle area. His most recent lighting design was As It Is In Heaven by Taproot Theatre. He has worked with McCaw Hall, Seattle Rep, Book-It Repertory Theatre, and Jones Playhouse to name a few.

    Other selected lighting design credits include Miss Step(Village Theatre-Issaquah), An Endless Shift(ArtsWest Playhouse), Becoming Othello(Center Theatre), Elf: The Musical(Magnuson Community Center), Not/ Our Town(12th Ave Arts), She Devil of the China Seas(Theatre Off Jackson).

  • Madelyn Zandt (she/her)

    Sound Designer

    Madelyn is an audio engineer and designer. She is an Intiman Starfish alumn and has worked with Intiman, Williams Project, ArtsWest, Jefferson and Rainier Community Centers, Franklin High School, Orca K-8, and El Centro De La Raza. She lives here in Seattle in her multigenerational Filipino home with her family and three troublesomely cute bunnies.

  • Buddy Todd (they/them)

    Casting Director

    Buddy Todd has acted, directed, and choreographed throughout the Seattle region with organizations such as Pork Filled Productions, Pacific Play Company, Renton Civic, Theatre 9/12, Bainbridge Performing Arts, Edmonds College, Snoqualmie Falls Forest Theatre, FantasticZ, and more. Buddy is also a teaching artist with Studio East and Seattle Children's Theatre.

  • Lara Kratz (she/her)

    Graphic Design

    Lara Kratz is a Seattle-based graphic designer with a career that spans over 20 years of work with major Seattle-area brands, but also has a background in theatre, including Ferndale Repertory Theater, and Redwood Curtain Theatre in California, participating as an actress, stage manager, and in both costume and scenic design. She served on the TSGP board from 2019-2020. Lara is proud to be a part of The Shattered Glass Project, because she firmly believes in advocating for the increased representation of women in the theatre world, both on stage and behind the scenes.

  • Rebecca O'Neil (she/her)

    Producer/Scenic Designer

    Rebecca O’Neil is a Seattle-based producer, actor, and director with a passion for equity in the theatre and a profound interest in using the theatre to tell stories about all kinds of people, at all the intersections in their lives. Current projects include the upcoming Incubator/Mentor Program; the 2023 TSGP Script Development Festival ; and The Lysistrata [protest] Devising Project. She most recently directed ArbusSpeaks at Freehold; and Much Ado About Nothing on the Zoom stage. She is the proud mother of Jade, Gemma and Rafferty, and grandmother of Leila. Peter: I couldn’t do this without you.