November is for Gratitude
From the Artistic Director…
You can’t make theatre without a bunch of people who do a lot of hard, inventive, interesting, artistic, and brilliantly collaborative work, often above and beyond the call. I’m grateful to every single blessed person who makes The Shattered Glass Project happen.
One very special group of people who have all my gratitude is the indistinguishably intertwined folks who make up our board and our mostly volunteer staff. These are the people who took the wispy ideas out of my head and heart and made them come to life:
director and sound designer Alison Kozar;
director and educator Sophe Friedman;
director, teaching artist and actor Buddy Todd;
community organizer and world traveler Kristina Washburn;
grant writer and killer soprano Cristin Miller;
graphic design and papier mache maven Lara Kratz;
and finally playwright, actor, marketing coordinator, master of all they survey on Facebook, AND my fearless collaborator in our ongoing efforts to dominate world theatre, the outstandingly talented Carolynne Wilcox.
Three other folks, who were in at the beginning include Jill Hostetter, Roxy Hornbeck, and Sabel Roizen - we miss your collective sagacity!
I’m equally grateful to the dozen or more working theatre makers who are meeting, networking, and sharing ideas with the 2023/24 Incubator/Mentor Cohort members, including Shermona Mitchell, Maureen Hawkins, Claire Zaslove, John Langs, Yussef El Guindi, and Desdemona Chiang, who joined us on October 9th for an in-depth discussion about how to navigate the playwright/director relationship. There isn’t enough money to pay for the wisdom, experience and creativity in that room. Thank you all so much for your time and generosity - I’m grateful for the money from the City of Seattle Hope Corps grant which allows us to give stipends to all our teaching artists.
Lastly and most importantly, I am grateful to all of YOU - audience members, donors, friends and family. Some of you are also theatre makers. All of you are the multiplier in the equation which allows us to make theatre, share stories, and amplify and empower women, non-binary and trans artists as creative leaders and decision makers.
Thank you all for making this community what it is!
-Rebecca O’Neil
Artistic Director
The Shattered Glass Project
NOW STREAMING!
Clockwise from the top: Zenaida Smith (they/them) as Lux, Jasmine Lomax (they/them) as Aeon, Kay Taylor Yelinack (they/them) as Moody and Kasper Cergol (he/him) as Nils in Summer 2023’s All New Cells by Aliza Goldstein.
Streaming Online through November 20
All New Cells centers on Nils, a young trans man. 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. 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.
Why this show and why now?
The Shattered Glass Project is 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 as an organization and as members of the theatre community are not going to let this story go untold.
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, not only can we find agency for ourselves in a digital world and carry that agency into the life we live in the real world, we can also create victory for ourselves through acknowledging and incorporating the trauma we have experienced rather than excising it from our experience. We have the power to define and redefine ourselves.
Director Alison Kozar also notes that in All New Cells 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. They say that when they were growing up, “[the] internet connected me to people like me, and people who liked me for me… It was a place where I didn't have to be me, but at the same time, I could share my secret thoughts and feelings without myself getting in the way.”
Playwright Aliza Goldstein says in their playwright’s notes, “All New Cells (is) a play inspired by the roleplay forums of my youth, the people who I met there, and the people who I was there….(A) beautiful, desolate, anonymous hellscape-cum-wonderland where you and me were free to be a hundred thousand kaleidoscopic versions of ourselves…. I hope you’ll recognize the characters who inhabit it. They live, I think, in every community, and in fandoms especially. If you feel seen by this play, I’m glad: I want to see you.”
GIVING TUESDAY IS COMING NOVEMBER 28
Giving Tuesday is coming. Please join in this worldwide effort to practice radical generosity and support the nonprofits organizations in our community - as much as we would love to receive a gift from you, we simply encourage you to give from your heart. For more information about this unique annual event, visit https://www.givingtuesday.org/united-states/.
And if you feel like it, you can beat the holiday rush and give to The Shattered Glass Project on our donation page at https://poweredbyshunpike.org/c/PBS/a/shatteredglass/donate/.
You know we at SGP will be incredibly grateful.
NOVEMBER IS FOR GRATITUDE
Divya Rajan (current directing cohort)
Morning moments where I sip & savor my cup of coffee.
Support of my family that allows me to pursue the arts.
All the opportunities of learning & growth that have come my way this year - TAT Lab, Margolis Method, Shattered Glass Project, and to Pratidhwani for my first original-solo work.
Miriam Tobin (Associate Artist, Through the Window)
I'm grateful for Rebecca's energy, enthusiasm, and openness. She has created a space for artists to come play, and her willingness to try new things is greatly appreciated. Shattered Glass is a small but mighty company that is weaving its tenacity into the Seattle landscape.
Aimee Decker (Associate Artist, Loom)
I am grateful for the endless patience & stubbornness of the people who have refused to give up on me. 🌟
Jasmine Lomax (Associate Artist, All New Cells & Cohort Teaching Artist)
I'm thankful for family, both blood and chosen.
I'm thankful for my puppy, Griz.
I'm thankful for risk, both artistically and in life.
Aarti Tiwari (Associate Artist, Through the Window)
For TSGP- first of all thank you for that question, I hadn’t thought about it.
I am happy and grateful for incredible and meaningful new friendships I have been able to nurture and exciting stories I have been able to explore through theatre and film productions I have been part of in 2023. It’s been a kick- starter in many ways.
WELCOME, JASMINE RITTER!
Jasmine Ritter, SGP’s New Production Stage Manager
We’re thankful and delighted to announce our search is over! Join us in extending a welcome had to the 2023/24 cohort’s new production stage manager, Jasmine Ritter!
Jasmine (She/Her) is a graduate of Seattle University (SU) and local freelance Stage Manager. Her recent work includes Antigone: That Play I Read In High School with ACT's Young Core Company, Maybe with Book-It Theater, Nora: A Doll's House at SU, and the first Portable Play Festival at 18th & Union.
What’s Up Next!
Join us on December 11, 7:30pm at Seattle Public Theatre for excerpted readings (20-minute selections) of 3 short plays written & directed by the current cohort. Featuring work from Christie Zhao, Lisa A Price, Divya Rajan, Jourden Keith, Aidyn Stevens, Mariah Lee Squires and S.W. Jones.
Info and PWYW tickets available HERE