Announcements

The page contains a living archive of all announcements sent to members in our contact group. Anything that is circulated there can be found here! If you'd like to be added to our email list, please send us an email with your request to be added to DaisyTheatricals@gmail.com. 

March 26, 2024

Hi all -

We're happy to announce our first presentation of 2024: DROWNED DIVAS by Dylan Gurerra. This reading will take place on Monday, April 15th at 7:30PM . We hope that you can join us and stay for the talkback afterwards to share your thoughts! 

"Does Shakespeare suffocate you like a fish out of water? Do you need glamour more than a Floridian politician needs to get Hooked on Phonics? Hamlet’s Ophelia and Hollywood’s Natalie Wood have news to share from beyond their watery graves. With new love for a dreamy man ~Narcissus~ and a new outlook on (after)life, will these women leave you gagged or just gagging? As the Bible said, pretty hurts…and it hurts so good in this post-mortality drag diptych inspired by countless hours of unbiased, academic research (none of which was done on Wikipedia or X). Drowned Divas puts history to bed and tackles the age old questions: Was my MFA worth anything? Will I be a star or will I eat day-old ramen out of a spaghetti stained plastic tupperware for dinner...again? And why on earth do men suck harder than the RNC party bottom?"

CAST & CREATIVES

Ophelia/Natalie Wood: Yan-Carlos Diaz

Narcissus/Stage Manager/Special K: Catherine Luckenbach

Directed by Maeve Kelley Baker (playwright of Snowball, our first ever Daisy Theatricals presentation!)

To RSVP, please use this form! 

We hope to see you there! As always, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to let us know.

All the best,

Randall and Allyson

February 13, 2024

Hello all - 

Allyson and I hope that you've had a wonderful start to the new year! We are very excited to announce our upcoming season for Daisy Theatricals in 2024. Below you’ll find more information on the projects we plan to present throughout the year:

***

SPRING

Drowned Divas by Dylan Gurrera

"Does Shakespeare suffocate you like a fish out of water? Do you need glamour more than a Floridian politician needs to get Hooked on Phonics? Hamlet’s Ophelia and Hollywood’s Natalie Wood have news to share from beyond their watery graves. With new love for a dreamy man ~Narcissus~ and a new outlook on (after)life, will these women leave you gagged or just gagging? As the Bible said, pretty hurts…and it hurts so good in this post-mortality drag diptych inspired by countless hours of unbiased, academic research (none of which was done on Wikipedia or X). Drowned Divas puts history to bed and tackles the age old questions: Was my MFA worth anything? Will I be a star or will I eat day-old ramen out of a spaghetti stained plastic tupperware for dinner...again? And why on earth do men suck harder than the RNC party bottom?"

Bloom New Play Festival

Towards the end of spring, we'll be hosting a group of playwrights, directors, actors, and dramaturgs and creating a collection of brand new 15-minute pieces! 

SUMMER

The Feminine Urge by Caleb Dukes

"Carson, a trans sex worker turned serial killer living in New York City, deals with giving into expectations, processing and accepting her thirst for revenge, and the nature of feminine and masculine relationships. Meant for mature audiences, "The Feminine Urge" grapples with what it would be like to give into the queer villainy trope in a comedic, unfiltered way. Can you justify violence?"

Daisy Theatricals Directing Lab

In late summer, we'll invite a group of directors to explore the process of preparing for and executing staging rehearsals!

FALL

Babylon and Twist by Monique Giroux

"Babylon and Twist are childhood friends with hard-knock pasts. They are on the verge of becoming famous as the comedy duo: Babylon and Twist.  Their TV show is about to explode and might be picked up by Netflix! But will simmering jealousies, insecurities and an inclination to self-sabotage ruin their chance at the big times? Do they deserve to be famous, or is being on the outside where they belong?"

The Director's Pitch Party 

With co-facilitator Hannah Katz, we will be hosting a group of directors to work together on creating the perfect pitch for directorial concepts in the fall! 

UPCOMING PROJECTS FROM THE COMMUNITY

Flight Risk by Dakota Silvey - Gene Frankel Theatre, March 6 - 10

"A hunter and a midwife are stranded in the Alaskan wilderness with their wounded pilot. As near-death confessions come forth, we are left to question who, if anyone, is telling the truth. Can a lifetime of good make up for a moment of bad?"

Dakota Silvey, the playwright of one of our previous presentations (WILDFIRE) has gotten an incredible opportunity to expand their piece into a full-length script - they will be presenting at the Gene Frankel Theatre from March 6 - March 10! Tickets can be secured at this link! 

If you have upcoming projects you want included on future emails, don't hesitate to let us know!

***

We hope that each of you can join us for as many of these projects as possible! We will be in touch with more information on each event as they get closer.

All the best,

Randall & Allyson

September 1, 2023

Hello all -

We hope that this email finds each of you well- Allyson and I wanted to take a moment before the Labor Day holiday and reach out to you all to share our gratitude for sticking along with us for this past year of New Play Development! While we've been spending time looking ahead at the upcoming year of programming, we realized that it may be a good time to take a step back and learn more about each of you- especially considering that our group has almost quadrupled in size since our first reading. 

At your convenience, please fill out this Interest Form- we've got a lot of moving parts here at Daisy Theatricals, so it will be really helpful for us to know who is interested in working on what, (even if it's just being an audience member for readings!) We want to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to work on your craft in whatever ways are possible.

We look forward to sharing what Daisy Theatricals will be up to for the next year very soon! 

All the best,

Allyson and Randall

P.S. I read the following article today and wanted to share it with the collective- there is so much here that embodies our mission and I'm glad we have this space where we can share our artistic thoughts and grow our theatrical community! Looking forward to seeing you all again and working on more projects together: https://rescripted.org/2023/08/30/what-is-genz-theatre/ <3 Allyson

DaisyTheatricals.org

August 18, 2023

Hello all! 

Lots going on this week- here is another invite for you! Daisy Theatricals is collaborating with a group of artists to present a Staged Reading of their new interactive comedy, The Fantastical Seven: a sword & sorcery & steampunk spoof written by Andrew Agress!

This presentation will be held in Studio 3 of New York City Center on Thursday, 8/24 at 7:30PM - availability is first-come first-served - you can RSVP here! We'll be holding a brief talkback after the piece and would love to hear your thoughts!

The Fantastical Seven tells the story of a magical heroine destined to save the planet... until she fails and it's up to her ragtag fellowship of misfit friends to aid her. Spoofing fantasy works and satirizing the myth of the individual, the show engages the entire audience. Saving the world isn't a job for just one person, after all. 

All best,

Randall and Allyson

DaisyTheatricals.org

June 26, 2023

Hello everyone - 

I hope that this email finds you well! Allyson and I are very excited to announce the reading for our newest Talkin' Theatre project, MANIC PIXIE DREAM GIRL by Lily Welsh! 

After working with our development cohort over the last few weeks, Lily's piece is ready to be put on its feet. We would love to invite you to join us on Thursday, July 13th @ 7:30PM, in New York City Center's Studio 3. Spaced is limited and is First Come First Served. 

Cast

Eva - Rachel Sabo Hedges

Brenda - Sophie Mings

Scott - Conor Andrew Hall

Manic Pixie Dream Girl follows Scott, a self-described playwright, meets his muse in the young poetry student Eva. As he crafts what he thinks will be his masterpiece around this new love interest, Eva's personality refuses to be flattened by his idealized version of their horrific pseudo-relationship.

As always, if you need anything, don't hesitate to reach out!

All best,

Randall and Allyson

DaisyTheatricals.org

April 18, 2023

New TALKIN' THEATRE Development Process - MANIC PIXIE DREAM GIRL by Lily Welsh:

We're excited to announce our next Talkin' Theatre development process with a returning playwright- Lily Welsh! We are looking to form the development cohort for MANIC PIXIE DREAM GIRL, which will meet on the following dates:

May 1st 7:30-9:30

May 8th 7:30-9:30

(Break week)

May 22 7:30-9:30

May 29 7:30-9:30

Here is a brief synopsis: 

Manic Pixie Dream Girl follows Scott, a self-described playwright, as he meets his muse in the young poetry student Eva. As he crafts what he thinks will be his masterpiece around this new love interest, Eva's personality refuses to be flattened by his idealized version of their horrific pseudo-relationship.

If you are interested in being a part of the development cohort for this play, please fill out this brief form.

All best,

Randall & Allyson

DaisyTheatricals.org

April 15, 2023

Hello all,

We've got a few exciting opportunities coming up on the horizon- keep an eye out for more emails coming! In May, we'll be presenting:

A Staged Reading of WILDFIRE by Dakota Silvey!

Last year, we were able to present a reading of WILDFIRE, a wonderful piece created by Dakota Silvey. We are taking another step in the developmental process for WILDFIRE by presenting a staged reading of it on Wednesday, May 17th at 7:30PM.

Wildfire follows a wildland firefighter 'Hotshot' crew as they live and work on a record-breaking fire in the California wilderness. Between long days of sheer danger and excitement come scenes of vulnerability and personal conflict. Alex endures these hardships while working as a woman in a male-dominated career field while Wallace attempts to prove himself during his first firefight.

To RSVP for the staged reading on May 17th at 7:30PM, please fill out this form! 

Directed by Randall C. Simmons

Featuring

Jean Gordon as Ameri/Hotshot

Erik Conover as Monahan

Julen Barini-Brown as Wallace

Conor Andrew Hall as Brown

Derrick Peterson as Marshall/Big Ernie

Nik Pagán as Debraska

We are in search of two volunteers for this production - please feel free to forward this information to anyone who might be interested:

Sound Designer and Op: A person interested in assisting the development of a soundscape and who can run that sound from their laptop/tablet for the rehearsals/reading. Experience appreciated, but not necessary. Please fill out this form if interested.

Lighting Designer and Op: A person interested in assisting in the development of an overall lighting design for the reading and who can run those lights for the rehearsals/readings. This reading will play a lot with darkness, flashlights, and a few other smaller instruments. Experience appreciated, but not necessary. Please fill out this form if interested.

As we continue to refine our programs, we are always looking for new ways to create opportunities for emerging artists. If you have an idea for a piece in development or for a role you can fill in our production process, we’d love to hear from you! Reply to this email with your thoughts, and we will begin that conversation ASAP.

Best,

Randall & Allyson 

March 18, 2023

Hello all!

We will be hosting a staged reading of CONFIRMED by Kristen Milburn on Saturday, March 25th at 7PM in Studio 5 at New York City Center! Below is the synopsis of the piece. Our audience size is limited, so if you are interested, please fill out this RSVP form. RSVP's will be accepted on a first-come-first-served basis. We would love to have you there! There will be a short feedback session following the presentation led by our team. 

CONFIRMED is a play that follows a group of 14-year-old girls as they scramble to finish their volunteer requirements in the weeks leading up to their Confirmation and formal designation as adults in the Catholic Church. As they write greeting cards, stuff envelopes, and glue macaroni pasta, they also question what it means to be a good person, when you finally gain the wisdom that comes with being an adult, and how they fit into an institution that values good deeds on principle while not supporting LGBTQ rights in practice. While the story is told through a religious lens, the central themes are less about Catholicism and more about the pressures of growing into yourself and growing up without having all the support you need to do so.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to send us an email!

All best,

Randall & Allyson

January 22, 2023

Hi all!

We hope everyone has had a wonderful start to their year! Allyson and I have missed you all dearly, and we are excited to share some updates with you. We appreciate you all for your patience while we juggled some new ideas.

After evaluating the process of Talkin’ Theatre, Allyson and I really wanted to make sure that we were being effective with our time and that the process as a whole can serve the playwrights’ development goals. While the structure in place led to some really exciting discoveries, we wanted to provide more opportunities for a play to incubate.

Rather than having a single meeting for each play, we want to strive to make this a free New Play Development Program. We plan to do this by bringing together a group of people who are interested in committing to a development process which meets virtually each week with the playwright. We imagine that the total number of meetings might vary from playwright to playwright, but we assume that these processes might be about a month and a half long, or 5-6 meetings.

These meetings will be focused around a single play by a single playwright. We will come in having read the play and really taking the time to discuss adjustments; afterwards, the playwright can bring in new material the following week and we can go even deeper. The goal is that after that process, the play could be presented by our group as a reading. Those not actively participating in each process can still and join us for each reading! Not all playwrights will want to do a reading, and that’s okay too!

Allyson and I feel that there will probably be a limit on the number of participants for each session. With more than 10 or so people, virtual spaces tend to become difficult in terms of communication. While this means that not everyone can participate in each process, we hope to rotate folks based on interest. Sign up for each process will be pretty simple: Allyson and I will send out a synopsis of each play, and those who are interested in participating will respond to our email. It will be first come first serve, but preference will be given to those who have not gotten the chance to participate yet. Anyone chosen will need to commit to every weekly meeting in the process. 

We think this will provide an opportunity to those who are interested in Directing. We will select one person in each process to direct the reading, if the playwright requests one. Directors may be a little more involved with a 2 hour rehearsal the day of or the day before a reading. This will allow for more of a 'staged' reading structure. For directors, we ask that you self-identify your interest in directing when sending an email.

For the playwrights who have already had a reading with us: we encourage you to resubmit if you would like to participate in this new process!

For the playwrights who have not had the opportunity to read their script with us yet: we want to provide you with the first opportunity to test out this new format. 

If you have any questions, let us know! We know this might be quite the info dump, but Allyson and I hope that this new structure can help us to continue creating some wonderful work! 

We'll be in touch with playwrights to look at scheduling our first session. Once we have that nailed down, we will send out an email to everyone to sign up.

All best,

Randall & Allyson

October 25, 2022

Hi all,

I hope this finds you well! We're looking forward to meeting again this SUNDAY, 10/30, from 6PM-8PM in Studio 5 at New York City Center (130 W 56th Street). 

10/30 - COPE IN WONDER by Lily Welsh

"Based on the Ballet Coppelia, Cope in Wonder tells the story of Hildy. After confessing her love to her noticeably enthused boyfriend Fred, Hildy starts to connect in dreams to a new mysterious girl. However this new mysterious girl, Alice, is not a girl at all. She is a life sized doll created by a mad scientist named Dr. Coppelius. As Hildy and Alice grow closer in dreams, they both grow to realize they can find real happiness in each other."

Cast:

HILDY - Lee Simes

FRED - Matthew Lopez

DOCTOR COPPELIUS - Harrison Taylor

ALICE - Allyson Broyles

JANE/ENS 1 - Maddie Conti

MARY/ENS 2 - Kathleen Ormond

ENS 3 - Juan Roman Jr.

We hope that you'll join us!

All the best,

Randall & Allyson

October 3, 2022

Hi all,

Thank you for your patience during the month of September - Allyson and I are happy to say that we've got the month of October ready to go! Due to space constraints, we'll be moving this month's meetings to SUNDAYS, from 6PM-8PM.

10/9 - WILDFIRE by Dakota Silvey

"Wildfire is a harrowing tale about a squad of firefighters on the doorstep of the largest fire of their lives. With the looming threat of death before them, they explore past traumas, generational prowess, expired ideals of masculinity, and new ideals of femininity in a profession that primarily relies upon outdated traditions under the guise of austerity."

Casting as follows:

Ameri/Hotshot - Stephanie Landing

Monahan - Michael J. Newman

Wallace - Matt Lopez

Debraska - Billy Oxendine

Brown -  Gabe Dorsett

Marshall/Big Ernie - Randall Simmons

We'll be located in Studio 4 at New York City Center (131 W 56th Street.)

10/30 - COPE IN WONDER by Lily Welsh

"Based on the Ballet Coppelia, Cope in Wonder tells the story of Hildy. After confessing her love to her noticeably enthused boyfriend Fred, Hildy starts to connect in dreams to a new mysterious girl. However this new mysterious girl, Alice, is not a girl at all. She is a life sized doll created by a mad scientist named Dr. Coppelius. As Hildy and Alice grow closer in dreams, they both grow to realize they can find real happiness in each other."

More info to come on casting! 

For 10/30, we'll be located in Studio 5 at New York City Center.

As always, check out our Facebook page to share the meeting and invite your friends! 

If you have any questions, feel free to let us know.

All best,

Randall & Allyson

September 7, 2022

Hi all,

We appreciate all the wonderful support for Ben during our last meeting and we thank those who were able to make it! 

Allyson and I have decided to cancel the September Meetings for a variety of reasons - we're moving apartments, lack of space at NYCC due to Fall for Dance, etc, etc. We're sorry for any inconvenience this might cause, but we are going to take the time to really get solidified for future meetings, which will start back in October. 

In any case, we look forward to seeing you again soon. If anyone needs anything, don't hesitate to reach out. If you'd like to see Fall For Dance at New York City Center, let me know! Seats are only $23!

Wishing you all a restful September,

Randall & Allyson

August 17, 2022

Hello everyone,

We're extremely excited to continue next week with Ben Boecker's MY TRUE LOVE (A Perfect Musical Fairytale)! 

Unlike the last meeting, there is no RSVP needed, and no capacity limit involved. 

We will be meeting on 8/22 from 7PM-9PM in Studio 4 of New York City Center (130 W 56th Street). We hope that you can join us in providing Ben with our insight to this wonderful piece! As always, don't hesitate to spread the word and bring some pals along.

Many thanks to our wonderful readers for this event:

Cedarella: Erika Spondike

Henrietta: Maeve Kelley Baker

Carmaletta: Lily Welsh

Pat: Maddie Conti

Julianna/Flowerpot: Mary Illes

Hunter: Kemari Bryant

Henrik/Love-Machine: Noah Steiner

If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

All the best,

Randall & Allyson

August 2, 2022

Hi all,

Thanks for such a fabulous first outing last week - it was a wonderful time and we were able to provide Maeve with a TON of great feedback! 

At our next meeting, on August 8th from 7PM-9PM, we will be reading Ephraim Birney's PLAYING POSSUM! The location will be 130 W 56th Street (NYC), in Studio 5B of New York City Center.

Unfortunately, we were not able to secure a larger space for this reading, so we will have to cap the attendees of this reading at 15. We won't need to do this for future readings, but we'll have to take first-come, first-served RSVP's for this one. Don't worry, we will also be recording this reading for those who cannot attend! If you'd like to RSVP, please respond to this email. The cast does not need to RSVP for themselves. Once we hit the cap, we will put your name onto the waitlist incase anyone needs to cancel. 

Here are our gracious volunteers for this upcoming reading: 

Dorian - Rebecca Wilson

Flick - Ephraim Birney

Linus - Michael Newman

Rebecca - Lauren Easton

Make sure to follow us on Facebook, where we will be posting SNOWBALL and all future readings!

If you have any questions, please let us know!

Thanks,

Randall & Allyson

July 18, 2022

Hello all,

We're excited to kick things off next week with Maeve Kelley Baker's SNOWBALL.The reading will take place from 7PM-9PM in Studio 4 at New York City Center (130 W 56th Street). 

Please give a big shout out to the readers who have volunteered to participate in this first go-around! Here is the casting:

MAC: Madeline Saintsing

CUSTOMER: Noah Steiner

ENSEMBLE TRACK 1: Lee Simes

ENSEMBLE TRACK 2: Harrison Taylor

The reading itself will only take about an hour - the rest of the time will be allocated to discussing the piece.

We look forward to seeing you there - and feel free to bring along anyone who might be interested in joining us! If you haven't already, make sure to join us on Facebook at Talkin' Theatre!

All best,

Randall & Allyson

July 12, 2022

Hi all,

Thanks to those who were able to attend yesterday's Meet & Greet - it was wonderful to finally get to put some names to faces!

One of the things that we spoke about yesterday was having an open forum to announce upcoming projects and opportunities from the group! If you have any information that you'd like to be forwarded to the group, please email us the information and we will send it out! This can be plays, performances, auditions, jobs - anything you want to share.

Phil Reissman is excited to share two projects with us: 

1. A thrilling 15-minute audio drama written by Phil about the International Space Station, completely free at this link! 

2. Phil directed a short play that will be presented with a collection of other shorts this Saturday from 12PM-1PM at the Fifth Avenue Theatre (650 Fifth Avenue) - more information is located here! 

Thank you, Phil!

Keep an eye out for an email next week about our July 25th meeting and our FIRST reading! In the meantime, join us at Talkin' Theatre on Facebook, where we will post things like pictures, videos, and invites for the readings!

Wishing you all well,

Randall & Allyson

July 4, 2022

Hello all,

Thank you for your patience as we are rounding up script submissions. A big shout-out to all who submitted! Please feel free to send a submission if you haven't done so. Submission links are listed below!

For our first official meeting, we will be holding a Meet & Greet from 7PM-8PM on July 11th (Studio 4 at New York City Center, 130 W 56th Street.) Since most of us are strangers, we'd like to dedicate our first gathering to getting to know one another. We will provide snacks/refreshments and answer any questions you may have about this process. 

For the following meeting on July 25th, we are excited to announce that we will be reading Maeve Kelley Baker's SNOWBALL! We will be reaching out to various readers to determine availability in the coming weeks, but we hope to see everyone there!

As always, please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions you may have. We are looking forward to meeting you on the 11th! 

Stay well,

Randall & Allyson

June 23, 2022

Hello everyone!

Thank you for your patience while we worked to finalize all of the details of this project. We are proud to say that we've got everything set for the month of July. Our New Play Development Group, Talkin' Theatre, is ready to go!

We are currently accepting submissions for those who would like to participate as Playwrights and Readers. Feel free to even submit as both! The following is our tentative process for Talkin' Theatre meetings. If you have any questions, please shoot us an email :)

Here is an overview of the process:

- Readers and Playwrights submit their information and availability.

- Allyson and Randall (the Co-Producers) will read and select the plays to be presented based on availability. Talkin' Theatre will take place on the second and fourth Monday of the month from 7:00PM-9:00PM, with the first two meetings taking place on July 11th and July 25th. All meetings will take place at New York City Center, 130 W 56th Street, NYC. The studio space will depend on the date.

- Once plays are assigned, selected readers will be contacted to determine availability. 

- Scripts will be sent to readers one day prior to the reading.

- All are invited to attend every meeting, regardless of your role. The more the merrier!

Here is the sign up link for readers:

https://forms.gle/cQDbqLQbZrDTN2bx9

Here is the sign up link for playwrights:

https://forms.gle/D967tpMKQhfHAqLB8

All best,

Randall and Allyson