INCELS AND OTHER MYTHS
I met playwright Ally Sass via a mutual friend and fell madly love with her play, Incels and Other Myths. Together, we produced a 90-minute version of the full-length piece for the New York Theater Festival. This was my first time working through the writing/revising process with a playwright to meet the needs/rules of this particular festival. The process was both rewarding and challenging as we dealt with limited resources and a three-hour tech to put up our weekend of performances. We crowdfunded $6,000 to pay the actors for their time, rent rehearsal spaces in NYC, and elevate our lighting, sound, and costume design.
Out of over 100 plays, I was one of 8 nominees for Best Director at the New York Theater Festival Awards later that year.
Presented in the Fall/Winter 2023 New York Theater Festival.
Written by Ally Sass
Directed by Jamey Miller
Produced by Ally Sass, Jamey Miller
Asst. Producer: Matthew Swain
Production Manager: Alex Duncker
Lighting and Sound Designer: Alex Duncker
Costume Design: Kat Lawrence
CAST
Nicole Albanese
Allison Blaize
Aidan Close
Joseph Dalfonso
Thomas McLaughlin
Katherine Schaber
Matthew Swain
Julien Tornelli
Synopsis:
Incels and Other Myths takes us on a mother and son's epic journey into the complex digital landscape of gender, power, and mythology. When Elaine's son Avery informs her that his online video game guild consists of “incels,” men who desire sexual relationships though are unable to find them, Elaine decides she must save Avery from spiraling deep into a notoriously wrathful and misogynistic community. Through their descent into fraught online territory, Avery and Elaine discover unexpected and intoxicating new realities that shape how they see their own worlds.
