PROGRAM 12

Blanket by Bui Ngoc Hieu

Leaving by Kat Tobits

Lovejoy on Lovejoy by Richard Lovejoy

Kat Tobits (she/her, playwright/director) is delighted to be making her professional writer/directorial debut with Leaving. She is currently studying theatre directing at Purchase College, where she has held various roles in theatre productions, including How to Defend Yourself (AD), Kill the Man! (Director/Playwright), and Erica Schmidt’s Mac Beth (Banquo). Eternal love to her family and friends!

Aidan D. Lally (DJ) is a writer, actor and model based in New York City. He has recently graduated from the Screenwriting and Playwriting program at Purchase College. He has performed in various plays and films while attending Purchase including Life After Cali, and Pretending. Aidan also enjoys performing stand-up comedy and playing piano. He thanks you for your time and attention. 

Jackson Sorice (he/him, Sal) is thrilled to be a part of the cast of Leaving! Past credits include How Defend Yourself (Eggo), As You Like It (Silvius), and The Play That Goes Wrong (Jonathan). Jackson is in his second year at Purchase College where he is studying Theatre and Performance. Many thanks to his mom, dad, and Ryder for their continued support. 

Gawain Mosher (he/him, DJ/Sal swing) is a senior Literature/Anthropology major at SUNY Purchase College. He has performed in many theatrical productions in New York and Connecticut, most recently As You Like It (Charles/Phebe) and Pippin (Leading Player). He would like to thank his friends and family for their endless support.

Content warning: This play contains a graphic description of a lynching.

The Team

Paige Blansfield - Producer

Shaun Bennet Fauntleroy - Director

Richard Lovejoy – Playwright/Performer

The Bios

Shaun Bennet Fauntleroy (Director) is an actress, playwright, director, intimacy choreographer, and teaching artist. Shaun is a recipient of the Theatre Hall of Fame’s 2017 Emerging Theatre Artist Award and a 2019/20 Sheen Center Fellow grant. She was selected as a co-director of the Amoralists 2020/2021 ‘Wright Club, and was one of Gingold Theatrical Group’s 2018/2019 Speakers’ Corner playwrights and teaches at Stella Adler (Acting) and at NYU | Tisch School of the Arts (Acting, Directing). AEA, DGA  www.shaunbfauntleroy.com

Richard Lovejoy (Playwright/Performer) is a prolific actor and writer. He wrote and starred in the short film Push Up and the 2015 feature film The Widowers, which won Best Narrative Feature at the 2nd Chain Film Festival. Richard appears in the monthly soap opera for the stage It's Getting Tired Mildred and is a co-host on the podcast Gamers with Jobs Conference Call. www.richardlovejoy.com www.gamerswithjobs.com 

Full dramaturgy is available at https://richard-lovejoy.squarespace.com/lovejoy-on-lovejoy

The Community that Made It Possible

Special Thanks: Paige Blansfield, Amanda Goertzen, Kent Meister, Ben Beckley, The Assembly, The Chain Theatre

Bùi Ngọc Hiếu A three-peat appearance at the Chain Theatre One Act Festival, Hieu Bui is a multidisciplinary storyteller in his 1st year at the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale pursuing his MFA in Acting. He is committed to sharing the stories of his family and exploring the roots of his Vietnamese heritage. He would like to thank his family: Ba Tuan, Anh No, Anh Ne, and Chi Thao.

Grace Zhang (they/them) is a filmmaker from New York, and co-founder of the production company Ozu Was Right. Their short films DOG STORY and SNAKESKIN have screened internationally, and they believe in artmaking as a way to break binaries and imagine more equitable futures for queer and trans people of color. They are elated to work with this team to bring BLANKET to life!

Trí Lê (he/him) is a Vietnamese/American actor committed to uplifting diverse stories and narratives. Training: Columbia MFA. Thank you for coming!

Lennox T. Duong is from Fresno, CA. She graduated from The Juilliard School with her MFA in 2022. Amongst her favorite roles are Imogen in CYMBELINE, Masha in THREE SISTERS, Amina in DANCE NATION, and Mulan in MULAN AND THE BATTLE ON BLACK MOUNTAIN. She's recently worked on a new musical, HELLO KITTY MUST DIE, at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 2023. She's workshopped new plays with La Jolla Theater Company, Durango Playfest, Local Theater Company, and NAATCO. lennox.t.duong

Jueun Kang (she/they) is a Korean performer and multidisciplinary artist. She planted her first seed as an actor, honing her horizon of human nature. She has been expanding these roots through her creative process, from delving with superficial elements to synesthesia experiences, venturing into the world of performance from a multidimensional angle. Her work often seeks out the most wildlife force between surrealism and fantastical escapism, taking inspiration from traditional Korean rituals, folklore, circus dynamism, and wonders of natural environments. Jueun has performed at venues such as Soho Playhouse, The Cell Theatre, Artroom Blue(Seoul), Sungkyun Theater(Seoul), The Brick Theater, Playwrights Downtown and has also been part of Monika Weiss's public monument project, Nirbhaya. 

Jack Kneessy Jack is excited to be making his NYC theatre debut at the Chain Theatre One Act Festival with BLANKET. Originally from Kansas City, Jack is a multidisciplinary theatre artist based in New York City. He would like to thank Hieu and Josh. Insta: jackkneessy

Josh Feye Josh is a dramaturg and drama critic based in Brooklyn, New York. Some previous dramaturgy credits include THE INHERITANCE at Unicorn Theatre, ME, MYSELF, AND DREW at Chain Theatre Summer One Act Festival, and DOG SEES GOD at UMKC Theatre. His drama criticism is published on his Substack called THE DIONYSIAN DREAM. All the love and gratitude to Hieu, Grace, Jack, the cast of BLANKET, family, and friends.