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2018 Theatre Festival The Bridge PHL

Thursday November 1st through Sunday November 4th, 2018
All Evenings @ 7:30pm
Saturday & Sunday Matinees @ 2:00pm
at The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street, Philadelphia

Which artists are performing on which days?
Please scroll down for the full festival performance schedule!

Tickets available for cash at the door or by clicking the Purchase Tickets button below.
Tickets Per Performance Set
(enjoy all the shows being performed during the matinee or evening you select):
$15
​
Full Festival Pass
​(attend any and all matinee and evening performances throughout the run of the festival):

$40 
About The Festival
The Bridge PHL is a production company based in Philadelphia, PA. Conceptualized in 2015 by founding members Gabrielle Corsaro, Hannah Tsapatoris MacLeod, Kathy Harmer and Meryl Lynn Brown and using the vehicle of performing arts in a theatre-style setting, these four women set out to create a dialogue about race, culture and empowering marginalized peoples against a political backdrop that often overlooks people of color. It is our deepest desire to inspire awareness and activism in confronting the negative stereotypes and ignorance so prevalent in our current political climate.

Since 2015, our team has grown into a power packed group of writers, actors, directors, activists and more. It is our mission to foster healing connections between our rich and diverse communities by encouraging openness and dialogue about perspectives on racial prejudice, privilege, inclusion, intersectionality and bias. Our annual theatre festival each autumn welcomes both experienced and new artists wishing to engage in this mission and to further our endeavor to Build The Bridge PHL!

2018 brings our 3rd Annual Theatre Festival to the stage, and we are excited about all that is in store. The expanded format provides a platform for 16 shorts including drama, comedy, dance, song, poetry, and more. Join us November 1st through 4th at The Rotunda as we delve head first into an environment which embraces diversity, intersectionality, and building bridges that span the divide across cultural differences, racial separations, and which seek to inspire healing connections between our communities.

2018 Festival Artists & Team
Writers
Andre N. Jones, Autumn Konopka, Christine Emmert, Craig Liggeons, Gabrielle Corsaro, Jody Austin, Kerri Kochanski, Lia Menaker, Marie Turco, Mark B. Knight, Susan Chase, Tiffani Dean, TS Hawkins

Directors and Assistant Directors
Autumn Konopka, Charlese Hawkins, Edgar Lee Faucett, Gabrielle Corsaro, Hannah Tsapatoris MacLeod, Indiya Glenn Everett, Jerry Rudasill, Kamillah Abdul, Katrina Shobe, Kim Brown, Lois Moses, Ra Wilson, Susan Chase, Tiffani Dean

Performers
Ahshylonda Stephenson, Alyssa Bowser, Amanda Kay Livezey, Andre N. Jones, Beverly Gunn, Briyana D. Clarel, Candy Williams-Hagamin, Carter Brown, Celeste Thompson-Allen, Chevon Phifer, Chik Mason, Christine Emmert, Craig Liggeons, Desirae Bush, Dionne McCray, Francisco Joseph, Gabrielle Corsaro, Hannah Tsapatoris MacLeod, Ian Thomas, Indiya Glenn Everett, Janelle T. Harvey, Jennifer Jubilee, Kelci Schlierf, Kyson Martin, Lani Skelley, Lia Menaker, Maria Genao Beltre, Mark B. Knight, Lily-Mae Claire, Megan Krause, Mellitta McKethan, Naveah Davis-Corbett, Quashawn White, RacQuel Sasha Colon, Rhashea Lynn Harmon, Richard Emmert, Robert Dobbs Sr., Robert L. Dobbs III, Roshi Kasturi, Sabriaya Shipley, Shaenna Bradley, Shanice Brooks, Spencer Ventresca, Stephen Mancini, Susan Chase, Tanesha M. Ford

Production Team
​Lori Walsh - Stage Manager
Angel Ezell - Technical Director
Arthur Lafrentz Bacon - Composer, Musical Director
Carla H. Ezell - Graphic Designer, Web Designer, Photographer
Tracey Hawthorne - Assistant Stage Manager
Ada Adhiyatma - Assistant Technical Director
TS Hawkins - Program Designer
Peter MacLeod - Set Designer, Builder


Board Of Directors
Gabrielle Corsaro, Co-Artistic Director
Hannah Tsapatoris MacLeod, Co-Artistic Director
Carla H. Ezell, Production Director
Kathy Harmer, Founding Member

Festival Testimonials 
"I was there, I felt the love, I bathe in the creative energy; and I will be back." -Niya Colbert, Actress

"The energy of the festival was beautiful. It was beyond comforting to be in a safe/brave space." -TS Hawkins, Playwright

The 2018 Bridge PHL Theatre Festival Plays and Performances!
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15 Minutes of Fun
Written/Directed/Performed By: Craig Liggeons
Synopsis: Walking it back to the way things were.
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A Mother’s Love
Written & Directed By: Susan Chase
Cast: Janelle T. Harvey, Carter Brown, Susan Chase
Synopsis: Two women from different worlds discover a shared passion.
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The British American Civil War
Written By: Mark B. Knight
Director: Jerry Rudasill
Synopsis: The tale of two (not so) great loves - divided by a common language.
Cast: Mark B. Knight, Beverly Gunn, Amanda Kay Livezey

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The ​Dancer: A Poetic Play Short
Written By: Tiffani Dean
Director: Edgar Lee Faucett 
Assistant Director: Tiffani Dean
Executive Producers: Tiffani Dean & Jody Austin
Synopsis: A little girl’s journey in realizing her life’s dreams.
Cast: Celeste Thompson-Allen, Alyssa Bowser, Naveah Davis-Corbett
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Don't Wanna Dance With Ghosts
Written By: TS Hawkins
Director: ​ Katrina Shobe
Assistant Director: Charlese Hawkins
Synopsis: A
choreopoem experience on how past poisons could taint the future when love strips the mind of closure.
​Cast: Sabriaya Shipley, Briyana D. Clarel, Maria Genao Beltre, Tanesha M. Ford

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Dragon/Tiger Danzing
Choreographer: Chik Mason
Synopsis: Dragon/Tiger Danzing is a dance form that has been combined using ancient forms of Shao Lin Temple Gong fu that evolved into a highly advanced and sophisticated form of art that is used in both dance as well as combat. 
Dancers: Rhashea Lynn Harmon, Chik Mason

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How to Get There
Writer/Director: Autumn Konopka
Assistant Director: Lois Moses
Synopsis: In this multimedia choreopoem, a white teacher faces her own privilege while confronting the obstacles and distances between herself and her students.
Cast: Quashawn White, Stephen Mancini, Autumn Konopka
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Noise
Written/Performed by: Lia Menaker
Synopsis: Written after Trump was elected president, "Noise" explores the division, frustrations, and constant noise surrounding the political climate in America. How, among the noise, do we act with intention, and from a place of unity, without compromising doing what we feel is right?
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Pattycake
Written By: Kerri Kochanski
Director: Ra Wilson
Assistant Director: Kamillah Abdul
Synopsis: 
5 African-American girls and their Caucasian friend are stopped by the "N word" during a seemingly "innocent" game of pattycake at YMCA summer camp.
​Cast: Desirae Bush, RacQuel Sasha Colon, Indiya Glenn Everett, Janelle T. Harvey, Megan Krause, Ahshylonda Stephenson

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The Plague Seeker
Written By: Christine Emmert
​Synopsis: 
Destined to wander forever, he came into the village one night with his bell.
Cast: Christine Emmert and Richard Emmert

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The Sanity Trials
Written By: Marie Turco
Director: Hannah Tsapatoris MacLeod
Synopsis: A woman's struggle to remain sane beneath the scrutiny of the state.
Cast: Jennifer Jubilee
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She Speaks Not:  Breaking The Silence
Written By: Jody Austin
Director: Edgar Lee Faucett
Assistant Director: Tiffani Dean
Synopsis: A poetic short play about breaking the silence of domestic violence. 
Cast: Shanice Brooks, Ian Thomas, Candy Williams-Hagamin, Naveah Davis-Corbett, Robert L. Dobbs III, Shaenna Bradley, Mellitta McKethan, Dionne McCray, Roshi Kasturi, Des Bush, Lani Skelley, Chevon Phifer, Francisco Joseph, Kyson Martin, Robert Dobbs Sr.

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Strident
Written By: Andre N. Jones
Director: Kim Brown
Synopsis: In 2525, the World Historical Museum shows us that the diversity movement of the 21st century has failed… But in what way?
Cast: Kelci Schlierf, Lily-Mae Claire, Spencer Ventresca, Andre N. Jones
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They Don't Care About Us
Director: Indiya Glenn Everett
Synopsis: This piece is about two groups of people who fight because of the difference in the color of their skin. It is done in the form of a dance with a small speech in the beginning.
Cast: Indiya Glenn Everett and Ahshylonda Stephenson
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What You Stand For
Written By: Gabrielle Corsaro
Directors: Gabrielle Corsaro, Hannah Tsapatoris MacLeod, Susan Chase

Synopsis: Three liberal white women and the violence of  white silence.
Cast: Hannah Tsapatoris MacLeod, Susan Chase, and Gabrielle Corsaro

Festival Performance Schedule
All performances will be at The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street, Philadelphia
Thursday November 1st
​@ 7:30pm

Pattycake
She Speaks Not
The British American Civil War
The Plague Seeker
The Dancer
​The Sanity Trials
​A Mother's Love

Friday November 2nd
@ 7:30pm

** Talk Back session after show.**
Don't Wanna Dance with Ghosts
Dragon Tiger Danzing
How to Get There
The Don't Care About Us
She Speaks Not
15 Minutes of Fun
The Plague Seeker
The Dancer
The Sanity Trials
A Mother's Love
Saturday November 3rd
​@ 2:00pm

Pattycake
The Sanity Trials
How to Get There
The Plague Seeker
Don't Wanna Dance with Ghosts
Noise
The British American Civil War
They Don't Care About Us
What You Stand For
Saturday November 3rd
​@ 7:30pm

Don't Wanna Dance with Ghosts
Strident
The British American Civil War
The Dancer
15 Minutes of Fun
Noise
She Speaks Not
A Mother's Love
They Don't Care About Us
What You Stand For
Sunday November 4th
@ 2:00pm
** Talk Back Session after show.** 

She Speaks Not
How to Get There
They Don't Care About Us
A Mother's Love
Don't Wanna Dance with Ghosts
Strident
The Dancer
The British American Civil War
Pattycake
What You Stand For
Sunday November 4th @ 7:30pm
Strident
The Plague Seeker
The Sanity Trials
How to Get There
The British American Civil War
Pattycake

The 2018 Bridge PHL Theatre Festival program. Designed by TS Hawkins. Presented by flipsnack.

Special Thanks
The Rotunda, Gina Renzi, TS Hawkins, Carla H. Ezell, Angel Ezell, Ada Adhiyatma, Lori Walsh, Arthur Lafrentz Bacon,
​Tracey Hawthorne, Peter MacLeod, Ash Lethal, Strickland Row Condominiums, Danni Morinich / Landed Gentress, American Historical Theatre, Juliet Stams, Sanai Miller.
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The Bridge PHL Theatre Festival is a fiscally-sponsored project of Fractured Atlas.  To make a tax-deductible donation please click here.

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The Bridge PHL strives to foster healing connections between our rich and diverse communities by encouraging openness and dialogue on racial prejudice, privilege, inclusion, intersectionality and bias.
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