New Play Reading Series

RIANNA SIMONS (WRITER) is a Bermudian-British playwright and writer. Her debut play White Girls Gang was shortlisted for the 2023 Yale Drama Series Prize and longlisted for the Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting as well as the Mustapha Matura Award. Rianna has worked with the Almeida Theatre as a part of their ‘Anthem’ writer’s group and at the Royal Court Theatre on attachment. She currently works at the National Theatre Archive.

GUS HEAGERTY (DIRECTOR) is a director, writer, actor and producer of works for stage and film. He is the founder of i am a slow tide, a performance collective that activates alternative pathways of consideration. Under the banner of slow tide, Gus produced and directed two critically acclaimed productions: Agnes Borinsky’s Brief Chronicle, Books 6-8 and Jacob Perkins’ The Gold Room. On social media (@gus.heagerty), Gus creates satirical videos that center on the performance of identity. He holds a BFA from North Carolina School of the Arts.

GUS BIRNEY (MAL) is a dynamic actress currently starring in Season 2 of Shining Vale on Starz, opposite Courteney Cox, earning a Saturn Award nomination. She recently wrapped roles in The Last Frontier (Apple TV+), Black Rabbit (Netflix), and Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen. Onstage, she starred in Broadway’s The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window and Our Class, earning Outer Critics Circle and Lucille Lortel Awards. TV credits include Dickinson, The Mist, and guest spots on major shows. Film credits span Plan B, I’m Thinking of Ending Things, and more. Gus is also a singer-songwriter based in NYC.

OMARI CHANCELLOR (KEN) received their MFA from NYU Tisch's Graduate Acting Program. Next up, Chancellor will be seen recurring in Ryan Murphy’s “American Love Story” for FX. Previously, Omari was seen in a supporting role in Peter Farrelly’s film, The Greatest Beer Run Ever for Apple+, which had its world premiere at TIFF. On-stage he co-starred in AMANI at Rattlestick Theater Off-Broadway. Other credits include “Elsbeth” (CBS), “Why Women Kill” (Paramount+), and soft (The Williamstown Theater Festival). Omari is a member of Gyaldem.us. a Brooklyn-based art collective.

MICAELA DIAMOND (JESS) is a Tony and Grammy Award nominated actor for her star turn as Lucille Frank in Parade on Broadway. She made her Broadway debut as ‘Babe’, the youngest Cher, in The Cher Show. Other appearances include Sondheim’s final musical, Here We Are, The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical, Leonard Bernstein’s opera Mass at the Kennedy Center, Williamstown Theatre Festival’s Row, and Ethan Coen’s A Play Is A Poem in Los Angeles. In TV and film, most recently Micaela appeared as series regular “Sister Megan Duval” in Ryan Murphy’s “Grotesquerie”. Additional credits include CBS Studio’s “Elsbeth,” NBC’s “Jesus Christ Superstar Live,” Netflix And Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Tick, Tick…boom!,” and “Up Here” on Hulu. Diamond grew up in New York City and is a graduate of LaGuardia Arts High School in New York.

Lucy Freyer (EM) can currently be seen in the FX series “Adults” on Hulu. Freyer graduated from Juilliard in 2020 and shortly thereafter made her New York stage debut in The Wanderers opposite Katie Holmes at the Roundabout Theatre Company, a performance for which she received the Theatre World Award. Freyer made her film debut in IFC comedy Paint opposite Owen Wilson. She is based in New York City.

KAIA GERBER (LIZZIE) is an actress, model, and literary curator. She stars in Apple TV+’s Palm Royale and has appeared in Saturday Night, Bottoms, Overcompensating, and the upcoming A24 film Mother Mary. Her earlier screen credits include "American Horror Story: Double Feature" and "American Horror Stories". Gerber is the co-founder of Library Science, a literary platform that curates libraries and conversations. This summer, Library Science will be publishing a series of plays developed at the Williamstown Theater Festival under its own namesake imprint.

AMANDLA JAHAVA (HANNAH) is a first generation Kenyan-American actor, writer, and director based out of New York. Unfortunately her tribe is not the tribe that runs (they’re next door), so she had to settle on becoming a storyteller. She passionately creates and advocates for African stories from an African perspective for African people. Her first short film, Vuka, was shown at festivals in Switzerland, Amsterdam and Oaxaca. She is currently in post production for her second short film, Nonviable which she wrote and directed. She can be seen in Issa Rae’s Rapsh!t and Ava Duvernay’s DMZ. Some people call her a pilot princess having booked the leads of the FX produced Peep Show and Lena Waithe’s produced How To Make Love To A Black Woman. Film credits include the co-lead of This Will Never Work, directed by Marina & Nicco. She made her off-broadway debut in Dave Harris’ Exception To The Rule. Regional theater credits include: Geffen Playhouse, Arizona Theater, Denver Theatre Club. She received her MFA in Acting from the fka Yale School of Drama ‘19 and a BFA in Acting from CalArts ‘16.

LILY MCINERNY (JANE) made her professional acting debut starring in Jamie Dack’s feature film Palm Trees And Power Lines, for which she received a 2023 “Breakthrough Performance” Independent Spirit Award Nomination. McInerny currently stars alongside Chloë Sevingy and Claes Bang in the film adaptation of Françoise Sagan’s classic novel, Bonjour Tristesse, from director Durga Chew-Bose. On television, McInerny had a pivotal role in season one of Hulu’s "Tell Me Lies" in 2022. Also in 2022, she made her New York stage debut starring in Bess Wohl’s off-Broadway play, Camp Siegfried, directed by David Cromer for Second Stage Theater. In January 2024, McInerny returned to the stage in Jack Serio’s lauded Off-Off Broadway production of The Animal Kingdom, opposite David Cromer. McInerny was raised in New York City and studied Drama at Laguardia High School and Bennington College.

YEL RENNALLS (STAGE DIRECTIONS) is a screenwriter, director, performer, and curve model based in Queens, NY. Her creative work explores themes of identity, desire and morality across film and performance. Yel's second narrative short film GLOWORM - which they self produced, wrote, directed and performed in - is currently in post-production.

JACOB RUSSELL (PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER) For the last three years Jacob has stage managed the Pulitzer Finalist, Here There Are Blueberries across the country as the Production Stage Manager for the national tour and NYTW after having been the Assistant Stage Manager at La Jolla Playhouse & Shakespeare Theatre Company. Jacob has served as Production Supervisor/Production Stage Manager for Krymov Lab NYC on Pushkin’s Eugene Onegin: In Our Own Words (Under the Radar) & Big Trip (La MaMa). Select theatre stage management credits: Good Vibrations, Chekhov's First Play (Irish Arts Center), Temporary Occupant (Clubbed Thumb), The Essential Straight and Narrow (The Mad Ones), The Library (The Public Theater). Velour: A Drag Spectacular!, to the yellow house, Kiss My Aztec!, The Who’s Tommy benefit concert (La Jolla Playhouse). M.F.A.: University California San Diego.

GRETA STEEVER (ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER) (She/Her) is a Brooklyn-based stage manager and arts fabricator pursuing a B.F.A. in Design and Production from the University of Michigan. She’s worked on short-term projects at Lincoln Center Theater Broadway Teachers Workshop, and is incredibly excited to be joining Williamstown Theater Festival this season! Greta has a passion for all things art and theater, and loves to share this interest with others!

​​KASSON MARROQUIN (ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER) (They/He): Williamstown: Camino Real. Off-Broadway: Becoming Eve (NYTW); Orlando (Signature Theatre); Wet Brain (Playwrights Horizons & MCC), The Thin Place (Playwrights Horizons); Wolf Play, The Light, Charm (MCC); Montag (Soho Rep.); Hamlet, Oresteia (The Park Avenue Armory); Cymbeline (NAATCO); Out of Time (NAATCO & The Public Theater). Regional: Your Local Theater Presents: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, Again, Kill Local (La Jolla Playhouse); Quixote Nuevo (Hartford Stage). Dance/Touring: Pilobolus at The Joyce Theater (Pilobolus); DESCENT (Kinetic Light). Music/Opera: The Counterfeit Opera, The Marriage of Figaro (Little Island); Path of Miracles, Tree of Codes (Spoleto Festival USA). Events: MCC Theater’s Miscast, Yo-Yo Ma’s Day of Action, Queer Liberation March Rally. Education: BA, University of North Texas & MFA, UC San Diego.

ACTORS’ EQUITY ASSOCIATION founded in 1913, is the U.S. labor union that represents more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers. Equity endeavors to advance the careers of its members by negotiating wages, improving working conditions and providing a wide range of benefits (health and pension included). Member: AFLCIO, FIA. ActorsEquity.org #AskIfItsEquity

GRACIE GARDNER (Writer) Gracie's play Pussy Sludge was selected for Theatertreffen Stückemarkt in Berlin, and previously received the Relentless Award; it was developed by Less Than Rent at HERE Arts Center, and The Old Vic in London. Her play Athena (New York Times Critics’ Pick) was presented by The Hearth at JACK. Gracie is the recipient of the Katherine Owens/Undermain Fund for New Work, a Theater of the Future Fellowship, the McKnight National Residency and Commission, an Ensemble Studio Theater Sloan Foundation Commission, the James E. Michael Award, the James Stevenson Prize, a Claire Tow Residency, and she is a Samuel French OOB Festival winner. She’s a proud member of New Dramatists, an alum of Ars Nova Play Group, and Youngblood, and she has received commissions from Clubbed Thumb, and Manhattan Theatre Club. As an interactive writer, she's written Annapurna titles Open Roads, and Maquette, and is currently writing for the upcoming Bioshock game.

DUSTIN WILLS (DIRECTOR) was recently described by the Obie Award Committee as having an “ability to navigate chaos with precision,” and that about sums it up. Recent productions include The Counterfeit Opera and Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro at Little Island (Best Theater of 2024, New York Magazine), Hansol Jung’s Wolf Play (2023 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Direction and Production), and John J. Caswell Jr.’s Wet Brain (Playwrights Horizons/MCC). Dustin has devised new work with Teatro L’Arciliuto in Rome, Italy, trained with Augusto Boal in Theatre of the Oppressed legislative performance, and for a couple of years gave rogue tours of the Vatican. He is a 2023 Obie Award winner, Princess Grace Award recipient, and Baryshnikov Center Artist Resident 2018. He teaches in the Directing and Playwriting programs at the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale.

GREG KELLER (Ferdinand) was born and raised in New York City and has spent most of his career there, originating roles in new plays. This past year he received an Obie Award for Sustained Achievement in Performance, a Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Featured Performance in Marin Ireland’s pre-existing condition, and was in Yellow Face on Broadway, which received a Tony nomination for Best Revival of a Play.

DORCAS LEUNG (Stage Directions) is a multi-disciplinary artist based out of New York City. She last completed a run of The Counterfeit Opera (Little Island, NYC) as Polly Peachum, a new take on the legendary satire – The Beggar’s Opera. Upcoming: Last Call, a play with cocktails (EnGarde Arts/The Pack Company). Other credits include, Broadway: The Notebook as Georgie/Others (u/s Young Allie), Gigi Van Tranh in Miss Saigon. Off-Broadway: Dou Yi in Snow in Midsummer (Classic Stage Company). Juliet in Romeo & Juliet, translated by Hansol Jung (NAATCO/Two River Theater). Tour: Roles of Eliza, Angelica, Peggy/Maria, Hamilton (1st National). Select Regional Houses: Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theater, Dallas Theater Center, Barrington Stage Company, Goodspeed Opera House, The MUNY. Television: “Bull,” “Madam Secretary” (CBS).

SUSAN SARANDON (EMMA) The extremely versatile Susan Sarandon brings her own brand of sex appeal and intelligence to every role – from her fearless portrayal of Annie Savoy in Bull Durham to her Oscar-nominated performances in Thelma & Louise, Lorenzo’s Oil, The Client, and Atlantic City, to her Academy Award- and SAG Award-winning role as Sister Helen in Dead Man Walking. She made her film debut in Joe (1970), followed by early credits like The Front Page, Pretty Baby, The Great Waldo Pepper, and the cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Her acclaimed film work includes The Witches of Eastwick, White Palace, Stepmom, Igby Goes Down, Romance & Cigarettes, Enchanted, The Lovely Bones, Jeff Who Lives at Home, Tammy, The Meddler, Blackbird, The Jesus Rolls, and most recently, Blue Beetle, The Gutter, and Nonnas. Sarandon has also built a rich television career, receiving Emmy, SAG, and Golden Globe nominations for her work in Feud: Bette & Joan, Bernard and Doris, and You Don’t Know Jack. She’s made memorable appearances on Friends, ER, 30 Rock, The Big C, Search Party, and more. Her voice work includes The Simpsons, James and the Giant Peach, Rick and Morty, and Skylanders Academy. Next, Sarandon will appear in The Accompanist opposite Aubrey Plaza, continuing her legacy of bold, captivating performances across mediums.

KATE WALSH is widely known for playing Dr. Addison Montgomery on the ABC dramas “Private Practice” and “Grey’s Anatomy.” Theater: Jordans (Public Theatre NY); Mary Stuart (Perth International Festival); The Other Place (Fremantle Theatre Company); If I Forget (Roundabout); Dusk Rings a Bell (Atlantic); Orlando (The Actors Gang); Flight Courier Service (Cooke County Theater Company); The Four Twins (Ontological Theater); Burn Manhattan Improv, Born Guilty (Red Orchid Theatre); Moon Under Miami (Remains Theater); Troilus and Cressida (Shakespeare Rep); The Danube (Piven Theater Workshop); Tooth of Crime (aka Theater); Other TV Credits: “Emily in Paris,” “Sprung,” “The Umbrella Academy,” “13 Reasons Why.” Film: Honest Thief, Almost Love, Sometime Other Than Now, Girl’s Trip, #RealityHigh, Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House. Walsh is also the founder of the award-winning lifestyle beauty company, Boyfriend®.

ORLA PATTERSON (Production Stage Manager) is a stage manager, designer, and theatre artist. She graduated from New York University with a BFA in Drama, where she focused on directing, stage management, design, and filmmaking as well as studied acting in Berlin. She has recently worked on productions at The Flea Theater, Under St. Marks, Dixon Place, and Soho Playhouse. She is very excited to be a part of Williamstown Theatre Festival’s New Reading Series!

KASSI WILSON (ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER) Past credits include Broadway: SIX: The Musical, Hamilton, Hell’s Kitchen, Sunset Blvd and Smash. Off Broadway: Hell’s Kitchen (The Public Theater), Public Works’ The Tempest (The Public Theater), King James (Manhattan Theater Club), The Harder They Come (The Public Theater), A Raisin In The Sun (The Public Theater), Fat Ham (The Public Theater), Our Dear Dead Drug Lord (WP Theater). Regional: The Scarlet Letter (Two River Theater Company). Other past live event credits include Broadway Bares, The Tony Awards and Afropunk. She is thankful to join W71 in supporting this process!

ACTORS’ EQUITY ASSOCIATION founded in 1913, is the U.S. labor union that represents more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers. Equity endeavors to advance the careers of its members by negotiating wages, improving working conditions and providing a wide range of benefits (health and pension included). Member: AFLCIO, FIA. ActorsEquity.org #AskIfItsEquity