The Thalian Blackfriars’ Second Annual New Works Festival
Directors: Wyn Thomas and Rhianna Walton

Anthology series of original works by UGA students

Performances October 25-27, 2024

Plays:

WHISKERS! written by Jenna Gubran
Directed by Wyn Alyse Thomas
Assistant Director Charlotte Pollack
A group of teenages gather for a homecoming after party, grappling with both their feelings and a feral cat.

Unstable by Bridget Blanchard
Directed by Arushi Raza
A brother and sister try to reconcile while choking on grief.

The “Bug” Play written by Abby McWethy
Directed by Alexandra Hutchison
Assistant Director Brantley Taylor
Gregory is trying to kill a bug.

Examination written by Wyn Alyse Thomas
Directed by Vale Prosper
Best friends Maggie and Ella spend five consecutive New Year's Eves together and set resolutions. As Ella faces confusion over her own sexuality and experiences mental health issues, she projects her struggles onto Maggie, giving unwarranted analysis of Maggie’s mental health issues and trying to force her out of the closet.

A Stranger Comes Knocking written by Neharika Koppineedi
Directed by Jenna Gubran
Assistant Director Bobby Gillespie
A group of friends on a holiday vacation is terrorized by a mysterious stranger who forces them to choose one among them to die. As they become increasingly desperate, paranoia takes hold and they begin to turn on each other.

Explorer 51: A Elegy For The Dying written by Willow Lockridge
Directed by Rhianna Walton
Assistant Director Gabby Almon
When Explorer 51 loses their only friend and confidante, their need for vengeance only leads to self-destruction.

By Matthew Lopez
Directed by Leslie Kimbell

Performances October 4-13, 2024

When a drag show comes to town, Elvis impersonator Casey, trades in his role as “The King” to become an all-out QUEEN with the help of some new friends who become the second family he never saw coming. The Legend of Georgia McBride takes us on a delightful journey of self-discovery through song, spectacle, and sequins!

The Icarus Monologues
Written and Directed by Libby Grace Garrett

Stories have been warped since time began. Twisted and turned into something they are not. The Icarus Monologues explores how stories have been twisted by their tellers, and history by its winners, through the medium of Greek gods and goddesses. Join this old cast of characters through a new lens, and journey into history (re)told.

Show Dates:
Friday, June 28, 2024   8:00pm
Saturday, June 29, 2024   8:00pm
Sunday, June 30, 2024   2:00pm

Admission:
$5 for Adults

Address: 115 Grady Avenue, Athens, GA 30601

Navigators

Navigators, Asia Meana’s adaptation of a short story by Mike Meginnis, tells the story of a trying period in the life of 10-year-old Mykah and her father, Dustin. Their mother and wife, respectively, has left. To keep themselves occupied, Mykah and Dustin are playing a game called Legend of Silence. The game is unlike most other games they’ve played in that the heroine, Alicia, diminishes rather than grows in power as the game progresses. Navigators features animation by Adam Mizell, choreography by Sarah Wildman, and an original score by Scott Hawkins.

CAST:
Mykah – Evie Hawkins
Dustin – Jared Rogers-Martin
Tracy – Chelsea Toledo
Alicia – Sarah Wildman

Directed by Asia Meana
Assistant Directed by Osa Osawaru

Show Dates:
Friday, May 3, 2024   8:00pm
Saturday, May 4, 2024   8:00pm
Sunday, May 5, 2024   2:00pm

Admission:
$5 for Adults

Address: 115 Grady Avenue, Athens, GA 30601

Love Letters
Written by A.R.Gurney

Join us for a one-night only special engagement of Love Letters by A.R. Gurney performed by guest actors Daphne Ostle and Vince Rossano of the Lakeside Players. The event is a fundraiser for the Jeannette Rankin Foundation, which empowers women age 35 and older to complete their college degrees and transform the next chapter of their lives. Admission is only $5 with opportunities to donate to the Jeannette Rankin Foundation at the event and online.

Show Dates:

• Friday, March 8, 2024   8:00pm

Admission:
$5 for Adults

Address: 115 Grady Avenue, Athens, GA 30601

Love is a Blue Tick Hound and Other Remedies for the Common Ache
Written by Audrey Cefaly
Directed by Abigail Jenkins

Love is a Blue Tick Hound is a collection of four one-acts.

Fin & Euba inhabit a suffocating world. Big dreams, small town prospects. As is their ritual, they sit out on the porch this late Autumn night, watching the cars go by… drinking, bitching, and planning their escape. 

In Clean, Lina, a worn out waitress, is having the ‘worst day of her life.’ She and Roberto, a quiet, unassuming dishwasher, and one who has admired her from afar, sit alone in the diner at midnight and share stories about their lonely lives.

In The Gulf, the divide between Kendra and Betty mimics the very world that devours them: a vast and polarizing abyss. On a quiet summer evening, somewhere down in the Alabama Delta, Kendra and Betty troll the flats looking for red fish. After Betty begins diagnosing Kendra’s dead-end life with career picks from What Color is Your Parachute, their routine fishing excursion takes a violent turn.

In Stuck, Bobbi and Maggie are out on their second date when things go terrible wrong. Eager for acceptance, Bobbi pretends to be more than she is. Maggie, new to the world of dating, struggles to calibrate as she lurches forward into the unknown. 

Show Dates:

• Friday, March 1, 2024   8:00pm
• Saturday, March 2, 2024   8:00pm
• Sunday, March 3, 2024   2:00pm

Admission:
$5 for Adults

Address: 115 Grady Avenue, Athens, GA 30601