I LOVE XXX
By Meng Jinghui, Shi Hang, Wang Xiaoli, and Huang Jingang
Directed by Tushar Matthew and Alison Qu
A “language carnival that combines simplicity of content and poetic lyricism,” this story raises questions about the relation of the individual to the collective in post-socialist society and China’s attempt to reconcile its past with its present and future. I LOVE XXX is an ongoing invitation for young people to challenge prevailing norms and never stop exposing hypocrisy.
February 5-8, 2024
Jackie Liebergott Black Box
All performances open to the public
Run Time: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Content Advisory: TBA
I LOVE XXX
Creative Team
Scenic Design
Luciana Stecconi
Costume Design
Athena Parkman
Lighting Design
Matt Dandino
Sound Design
Lorenzo Sosa Lopez
Video Design
Emery Frost
Props Lead
Sarabeth Spector
Hair & Makeup Design
Liv Miller
STAGE MANAGER
Esther Chilson
PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR
Oliver Worner
DramaturgS
Riley MacMoyle & Nanxi (Cecilia) Shao
Education Director
Emily Schmid
A note from the
Directors, Tushar Matthew & Alison Qu
“In my plays, there is anger, there is doubt, there is humor, there is poetry, there is absurdity, there is passion, there is insanity, there is irrationality, there is irreverence, there is subversion, there is destruction as well as construction, there is love and there is youth, there is complexity and there is simplicity, there is growth and there is completion.”
– Meng Jinghui
Meng Jinghui is one of China’s most prominent contemporary theatremakers, particularly known for his rebellious, avant-garde, out-of-the-box dreaming of the mundane, tainted with the forever youthful flavor of Chinese 80s melancholy. People grew up mesmerized or confused by his work–Meng painted bold strokes for the Chinese theatre of the last 30 years, with I LOVE XXX being a show he devised when he was in acting school. Imagine a bunch of acting students in college dorms, shouting at each other about the things they love!
Our production of this seminal avant-garde play, deftly translated to English by Claire Conceison, is set in a partially obliterated classroom. The world beyond the closed door of the classroom is in a state of upheaval and turmoil. Inside, a group of students grapple, sing, and dance with the history of China, the world, and their place within it. The action on stage is buoyed throughout by the very Asian, post-socialist ideological tussle of the collective versus the individual.
The place where we witness this tussle the clearest is Communist China. In the United States, it is still embraced as inherently patriotic (albeit classist and racist) to look at Communist China with a pair of eyes from the Red Scare era. Yet, this Communist China raised a generation of Chinese siblings with its tiger mom arms, longing for ideologies, meanings, and awakenings to grow from physical love to spiritual love. We were taught to love our country and classmates just like the way we love our third great aunt and the farmer who grew our rice.
In this play, we don’t question this taught love. And in this play, we constantly come up against what we are taught versus what we are coming to understand of this world. This is a world of contradictions, and the ensemble embodies this. They are curious, rebellious youths full of desire and big ideas one minute, and then they are compliant, parroting puppets speaking words they do not understand the very next. In many ways, they are discovering the absurdity of living or as Camus describes it, the “confrontation between the human need (for happiness and for reason) and the unreasonable silence of the world.”
It’s clear to us that on our own, we have little control over the actions of our countries or the systems we inhabit. Yet, when we stand alongside others, other soft walls of flesh shielding the last resorts of kindness, compassion, and clarity, holding on to each other in the darkest times, singing songs of our best memories and our best-imagined futures, we are able to hold up this “bountiful era of love.”
And when we love each other with such ferocity, we are also able to have the courage to open the door and gaze unflinchingly into the unreasonable silence of the world.
A note from the
Dramaturgs, Nanxi (Cecilia) Shao & Riley MacMoyle
How devising as an ensemble has changed the way we view our world.
Devise: to plan or invent by careful thought
Working on a show that has no plot and no characters might seem like an impossible feat. What is the storyline? How will there be a beginning, middle, and end? Will the audience be able to understand the show? Meng Jinghui’s I Love XXX has no plot and no characters. The very fact that this play exists is proof that it is possible. The text was born through a word game; beginning each statement with the phrase “I Love.” The movement and blocking were devised by the ensemble. Every version of this play that has existed, including productions of this translation by Claire Conceison, have been different. Through the use of devising together as an ensemble we have created a space in which students take charge of how they learn and view the
world. The ensemble is a collective, and collectivism is one of the many lenses through which we have looked at this journey. Of course, where there is collectivism, there is also individualism. Throughout rehearsals, our cast and production team have taken a step back to really look at the intersections between collectivism and individualism, and how the two themes have become more clear as the process has continued.
The recurring theme of “love” permeates the text, at times sincere, at times ironic, pushing audiences and performers alike to question societal expectations and the authenticity of human connection. “Love all beings with the madness you have for the world”—was spoken by an audience member who attended I Love XXX in China. a sentiment that resonates with the play’s chaotic yet deeply emotive exploration of existence. Each line challenges actors to bring their personal histories into the collective experience, weaving together the fragmented realities of modern life. This fusion of personal and communal perspectives creates a dynamic performance that mirrors the complexity of the world itself.
Living in a world where “words” hold such power—shaping debates, performances, decisions, and even drafts within our minds—it’s fascinating to encounter a work where words are both captivating and mundane. In I Love XXX, the lines themselves seem to oscillate between profound and trivial, challenging the audience to focus not solely on their meaning but on how they are presented. Here, the significance of the words diminishes, giving way to the collective energy, rhythm, and physicality of the performance, which become the true essence of the piece. It’s not just what is said, but how it is embodied, that resonates.
Meet the
Cast
SOFONYAS
REIGN BAILEY
XANDRIA BAO
CYY CHEN
RUOCHEN HU
RILEY SAGE MACMOYLE
CALLIE PANG MAYER
JENNIFER NAAR
RAINER OCHS
NICHOLAS PAPAYOANOU
JULIET SIMON
ANTHONY SPIDELL
XINYI SUN
RYN YI
LINRAN ZHANG
Understudies
GABRIELA CABA ABREU
LUCABELLA SANGIN
FREDDIE THORNLEY IV
Meet the
Artistic and Production Staff
Assistant Director — TAJ DHARMADJI
Observing Director –– NANXI (CECILIA) SHAO
Vocal Coach –– TOM GIODANO
Assistant Scenic Designer — KIERAN GRAEFF
Paint Charge — JOE KEENER
Assistant Costume Designer — ZEE COWAN
Wardrobe Supervisor — MARISSA WOLF
Assistant Wardrobe Supervisor — MARIA RENEE HERMAN
Assistant Lighting Designer — LIZZIE LAMB
Production Electrician — ELI GOLDBERG
Lead Electrician — CALLIE HERZOG
Assistant Sound Designer — SKYLAR D’AMORE
Production Sound Engineer — SARAH MILLER
Assistant Production Sound Engineer — CATALINA MAYORAL
Assistant Props Lead — LINDSEY WETTSTEIN
Co-Technical Director — DAVIS KRANCHALK
Assistant Stage Manager — JANIE HILLMAN
2nd Assistant Stage Manager — JOANNA SU
2nd Assistant Stage Manager –– MADDIE WRIGHT
Production Assistant — VICTORIA ROMANO
Associate Production Supervisor — NONA FERNEY
Assistant Production Supervisor — BEN BROWDER
Company Manager — IAN ROSSIN
Assistant Company Manager — NATHAN HORWITZ
Assistant Company Manager — JESSE LIPSHUTZ
Run Crew
ELLA BARRETT, CASS CHEUNG, ILA DELAROSA, ECLIPSE GARRETT, LOLA GRILLO, GABBY LAATZ, LEO MARGIL, ABBY MARR, ALBIE NAIDITCH, LAUREN WHITAKER, SADIE YOUNG
Cast Bios
SOFONYAS — Ensemble
BFA ’26 Acting. Emerson Stage credits: NFSW Goose (Lloyd). Regional Theatre credits: On Golden Pond at Vegas Theatre Company (Billy Ray Jr.); The Color Purple at The Smith Center (Grady/Harpo); Dead Poets Society: A New Musical Workshop at Vegas Theatre Company (Gerard Pitts). Emerson College credits: Pass Over (Kitch), Romeo and Juliet (Paris, Montague, Sampson), Metamorphosis (Gregor Samsa – EVVY Award Winner for Best Lead), Jelly’s Last Jam (Jack the Bear), True West (Austin/Lee/Saul us). Jimmy’s Travelling ALL-STARS Comedy (talent/writer). All Glory to the man upstairs, would not be here today without him.
REIGN BAILEY (she/her) — Ensemble
BFA ’27 Theatre & Performance. Emerson Stage Debut! Thanks to Rory Higgs for all the support and encouragement.
XANDRIA BAO (she/her) — Ensemble
BFA ’27 Theatre & Performance. Emerson Stage Debut! Emerson College credits: Assemblywomen and the Farce of Democracy (Elsa). Regional credits: Hairspray (Prudy); Time and The Conways (Joan Helford); Jack Studio Theatre’s Butterflies (Langhua’er); Peckham Fringe Festival’s Miracle (Alisa). Thank you to my beloved friends for always believing in me, and special thanks to my mom, grandma, and great-grandma for shaping me into the woman I am today with their strength and wisdom. I LOVE YOU!!! @xandria_wawa
GABRIELA CABA ABREU (she/her) — U/S Ensemble
BFA ’25 Theatre & Performance. Emerson Stage credits: NewFest Short Works’ Hear Me Out (Partner A). Emerson College credits: EmShakes’ The Sea Ends At Troy (Hecuba). Other credits: MCC’s A Dead Man’s Cellphone (Carlotta), MCC’s Before The Coffee Gets Cold adaptation (Director), MCC’s Rocky Horror Show (Ensemble). Thanks to my family and friends for their support.
CYY CHEN (he/him) — Ensemble
BFA ‘25 Theatre & Performance. Emerson Stage Debut! Other credits: The Comedy of Errors (Angelo) and Romeo and Juliet (Friar Laurence) at the Central Academy of Drama; The Imperial Express (Emperor Guangxu), Romulus the Great (Achilles), Thrill My Heart (“Not Adam”), Quarantine (man), and Dr. Knock (Mousquet) at Beijing Dahua City Centre for the Performing Arts. Thanks to all of my professors, my friends, my girlfriend, my family, the cast and crew of I LOVE XXX, and our directors, Tushar and Alison for their support! Instagram: @cyy_yaoyi
RUOCHEN HU — Ensemble
BFA ‘25 Acting. Emerson Stage credits: How We Got On (Ensemble); Mary, Sweet Mary (Assistant Director). Emerson College credits: Kidding Around’s Moksha (Rodha); ChuangLab’s Secret Love For the Peach Blossom Spring (Yun Zhifan), The Orphan of Zhao (ChengYing, ChengBo), Sputnik LaiKa (Playwright & Director); and EmShakes’ Romeo & Juliet (Montague). Other credits: 300 Migratory Birds Section’s Crack (Yingying, Chuanfu) at Aranya Theatre Festival.
RILEY SAGE MACMOYLE (she/her) — Ensemble & Co-Dramaturg
BFA ‘25 Theatre & Performance. Emerson Stage credits: NFSW The Hotel Visitants (Loved), NFSW Roadmap (P). Emerson College credits: Mercutio Troupe’s My Dearest Apologies (Choreographer), emShakes’ Death of a Salesman (Bernard/Letta), MTS’ Chicago! (Co-Choreographer). Other credits: The Premier Theatre Company’s Oklahoma! (Dream Laurey), The Premier Theatre Company’s Into the Woods (Little Red). Thank you to everyone who made this show happen, it has been the greatest gift, and to my family for their love and support always! I love this show. What a beautiful world we created. @rileymacmoyle
CALLIE PANG MAYER (she/they) — Ensemble
BFA ’26 Theatre & Performance, Dance & WGSS Minor. Emerson Stage credits: Imogen Says Nothing (Understudy Anna Roos/Bear On Ice). Emerson College credits: Emshakes’ A Midsummer Night’s Dream! (Hermia); Jake Tolentino’s Antony and Cleopatra! (Agrippa); Kidding Around’s A Tail of Socks the Street Cat (Aristotle); DirectorsFest Fall 2023 (Wren, Raelynn); Jelly’s Last Jam! (Asst. Costume Designer). All my love to this wonderful cast and crew, you guys seriously rock. Special thanks to my friends, family, and Callie Pang Mayer supporters worldwide. I love you. I love, and so there was you. @typicalcallie
JENNIFER NAAR (she/her) — Ensemble
BFA ’26 Theatre & Performance. Emerson Stage credits: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (U/S Track 4&8). Emerson College credits: Kidding Around’s Barry and the Bear (Willow). Other credits: Denver Academy’s Radium Girls (Grace Fryer). I would like to thank my beautiful friends and family for always supporting me, for without their support, I could not do what I love <3 let’s connect over on instagram: Jennifernaar
RAINER OCHS (he/they) — Ensemble
BFA ‘27 Theatre & Performance. Emerson Stage credits: Imogen Says Nothing (U/S Crier/Isaac/Conrade/Benedick). Emerson College credits: Mercutio Troupe’s My Dearest Apologies (Male Swing). Regional credits: Les Misérables (Thénardier) at Bay Shore High School; A Comedy of Errors (Antipholus of Syracuse) at Islip Arts Studio Theatre. Thank you to my family and my friends for always being there for me and supporting me! @rainerochsofficial
NICHOLAS PAPAYOANOU — Ensemble
BFA ’26 Theatre & Performance. Emerson Stage credits: 16 Winters… (Ghost of Dead Prince), NewFest Short Works – Geese Not Gooses (Hughes). Emerson College credits: Emshakes’ The Sea Ends at Troy (Agamemnon); Kidding Around’s A Tail of Socks the Street Cat (Socks). Regional credits: Moonbox Productions’ Mermaid Hour (Jacob), Boston New Works Festival 2023 – The F&L at 13300 (Ensemble); Apollinaire Theatre’s The Suppliant Women (Men/Citizens Chorus). Thank you to my family and friends for their constant love and support!
LUCABELLA SANGIN (she/her) — U/S Ensemble
BFA ’26 Theatre & Performance. Emerson Stage Debut! Emerson College theatre credits: Kidding Around’s June July August (Harper); Mercutio Troupe’s Romeo and Juliet (Friar Lawrence) and The Hill (Death); Rareworks’ Not My Fault (Kate). Emerson Comedy Workshop (Head Writer). Thank you to all my amazing friends and family, I feel beyond lucky to have you all! @bella.sangin
JULIET SIMON (she/her) — Ensemble
BFA ’26 Musical Theatre. Emerson Stage credits: Bat Boy (U/S Shelley, Ruthie/Ned), The Impracticality of Modern Day Mastodons (U/S Inga/Delores), POTUS (U/S Stephanie). Emerson College credits: MTAG’s Fun Home (Medium Alison), A Chorus Line (Bebe), and The Wild Party (Reno). Mercutio Troupe’s Our Dear Dead Drug Lord (Zoom). Kidding Around’s June July August (Gracey). Regional credits: Ragtime: Symphonic Concert (Ensemble) at Boston Symphony Orchestra, Our Dear Dead Drug Lord (Zoom) at Crave Theatre Company. Thank you to my family, Zeke and Grace, and to this amazing cast and team for inspiring me every day! @juliet.simon
ANTHONY SPIDELL (he/him) — Ensemble
BFA ‘26 Acting, Dance Minor. Emerson Stage credits: Imogen Says Nothing (Richard Burbage), 16 Winters (U/S Pol + Bear). Emerson College credits: Pass Over (Director), Jelly’s Last Jam (Buddy Bolden, Dance Captain), MTAG’s Wild Party (Mr. Black + Eddie U/S), Emerson Urban Dance Theatre’s Sincerely, EUDT (Dancer), Emerson Urban Dance Theatre’s PANIC (Dancer). Thanks to my family and close friends for all of their constant support! Instagram: @anthony.spidell
XINYI SUN — Ensemble
BFA ’27 Theatre & Performance. Emerson Stage Debut! Other credits: Suor Angelica (Ensemble) at University of Minnesota Opera Theatre; Die Fledermaus (Ensemble) at University of Minnesota Opera Theatre
FREDDIE THORNLEY IV (he/him) — U/S Ensemble
BFA ‘27 Theatre & Performance. Emerson Stage credits: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (Track 9). Emerson College credits: Emerson Urban Dance Theatre’s PANIC, Sincerely, EUDT, and R.E.M. Outside credits: Carousel (Snow-child), The Caucasian Chalk Circle (Michael), The Who’s Tommy (Tommy), A Christmas Carol (Youth Ensemble), Titanic (Jack), Our Town (Ensemble), The Death of Trotsky (Trotsky), The Love of Three Oranges (Leandro). Thank you to all my friends and family for the support. @freddie.thornley.
RYN YI (they/he) — Ensemble
BFA ’26 Theater & Performance, Sociology and Anthropology Minor. Emerson Stage Debut! Thank you to all my friends and family. Free Free Palestine!
LINRAN ZHANG (she/her) — Ensemble
BFA ’25 Theatre & Performance. Emerson Stage Debut! Emerson college credits: Chuang Stage’s The Orphan of Zhao (Zhao Shuo and Han Jue; Chuang Lab’s Sputnik LaiKa (23-year-old-self); Kidding Around’s Moksha (Hermit Hob). Thanks to all I love and all I hate in the world! Instagram: @ZHANGLINRAN0727
Creative Team Bios
TUSHAR MATTHEW (he/him) — Co-Director
Tushar Mathew is a theatre maker, actor, and teacher from Kerala, India. Tushar’s teaching and creative pursuits often focuses on physical embodiment, storytelling, and our relationship to the natural world. He is also deeply interested in how the playing of games acts as a portal towards self awareness, ensemble building, listening, and understanding dramatic conflict. He is the co-founder of the Otherland Theatre Ensemble, a physical theatre devising company who tell stories of underdogs and outcasts who inhabit outrageous worlds and are moved by universal struggles. His current preoccupations include reframing narratives to center animal protagonists, dystopian worlds, an AI Bot named Secret Hyena, and our relationship with our neighbors. Tushar is currently an Assistant Professor in the Performing Arts Department at Emerson College.
ALISON YUEMING QU (she/they) — Co-Director
Alison Yueming Qu is a Chinese American Director, Creative Producer, Dramaturg, and Community Organizer. Alison curates joyful, transformative, and radical spaces for Asian American artists, using arts and culture to drive community activism and translingual expression. Alison is the Associate Producer of HowlRound Theatre Commons (Office of the Arts, Emerson College) in addition to being the Co-Founder & Executive Director of CHUANG Stage, Boston’s Asian American theatre company in residency at the Boston Center for the Arts. Alison is the advisor to CHUANG Stage’s sister student organization, CHUANG Lab, a Mandarin-English bilingual student theatre troupe at Emerson College. As a director, dramaturg, and speaker, Alison has worked with institutions such as the Pao Arts Center, ArtsEmerson, Huntington Theatre Company, Guerilla Opera, Asian American Playwrights Collective, and Central Square Theater. Recognized as a 2023 ARTery Maker by WBUR (Boston’s NPR station), Alison is celebrated as one of the emerging artists of color shaping Greater Boston’s cultural landscape. She serves on the board of the Boston Cultural Council (Mayor Michelle Wu’s Office of Arts and Culture) and the Consortium of Asian American Theaters and Artists (CAATA). BFA: Emerson College (Theatre ’20).
LUCIANA STECCONI (she/her) — Scenic Designer
Luciana Stecconi’s previous designs for Emerson Stage include Working, Spring Awakening, Into the Woods, Cabaret, and 16 Winters, Or The Bear’s Tale. She has designed for Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, The Huntington Theatre Company, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Studio Theatre, Round House Theatre, Signature Theatre, The Kennedy Center Theatre for Young Audiences, Mosaic Theater, Theater J, Everyman Theatre, Olney Theatre Center, Contemporary American Theatre Festival, Georgetown University, Catholic University, American University, Imagination Stage, and many more. She’s an Associate Professor and the Scenic Area Advisor at Emerson College. Stecconi holds an MFA in design from Brandeis University and is a member of USA Local 829.
ATHENA PARKMAN (she/her) — Costume Designer
BFA ‘25 Theatre Design & Technology. Emerson Stage credits: Little Women (Costume Designer), The Loyals (Assistant Costume Designer), The Secret In The Wings (Wardrobe Supervisor), The Spitfire Grill (Assistant Costume Designer), As You Like It (Assistant Wardrobe Supervisor), Into the Woods (Wig Dresser), and The Late Wedding (Wardrobe Crew). Other credits: Once Upon A Carnival (Wardrobe Supervisor) and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Wardrobe Supervisor) at Moonbox Productions. Thanks to all my family and friends that have supported me, I love you!
MATT DANDINO (he/they) — Lighting Designer
BFA ’26 Theatre Design & Technology. Emerson Stage credits: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (Production Electrician), POTUS (Sound Designer), Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 (Assistant Lighting Designer), 16 Winters (Sound Designer), The Impracticality of Modern-Day Mastodons (Lead Electrician), Bat Boy The Musical (Lead Electrician), Little Women (Assistant Sound Designer), Cabaret (Assistant Lead Electrician), Mary, Sweet Mary (Assistant Sound Designer), Paris (Assistant Lead Electrician). Emerson College credits: My Dearest Apologies (Lighting Designer), The 43nd EVVY Awards (Lead Electrician), The 42nd EVVY Awards (Assistant Lead Electrician).
LORENZO SOSA LOPEZ (he/they/she) — Sound Designer
BFA ’26 Theatre Design & Technology. Emerson Stage credits: Imogen Says Nothing (Sound Designer), Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 (Co-Production Sound Engineer), How We Got On (Asst. SD), Cabaret (Asst. PSE), Secret in the Wings (Asst. PSE), The Spitfire Grill (A2). Emerson College credits: How Macy Survived Without Her Wisdom Teeth (SD) and Gold (SD) for RareWorks Theatre Company. Regional credits: Hartford Stage’s Simona’s Search (Asst. SD), Lyric Stage’s Crumbs From the Table of Joy and Trouble in Mind (Asst. SD). Gracias a mi familia por su apoyo eterno.
EMERY FROST –– Video Designer
BFA ’27 Theatre Design & Technology. Emerson Stage credits: Imogen Says Nothing (Assistant Lighting Designer), Natasha, Pierre and the… (Assistant Lighting Designer), Bat Boy: The Musical (A2). Emerson College credits: MTS’ EFA Cabaret 2024 (Projections Designer), Rareworks’ Hookman (Sound Designer/Composer). Other credits: Central Square Theatre’s workshop of The Moderate (Assistant Creative Technologist); Dispatches from the Hilltop (Sound Designer), Giant Slalom (Composer/Associate Sound Designer), and Meeting House Tragedy (Drum Set Arranger) at Andy’s Summer Playhouse. I love everyone who was kind to me during this process, I love my friends and family!
SARABETH SPECTOR (she/her) — Props Lead
Sarabeth is a scenic and properties designer based in Medford, MA. Credits include: A Christmas Carol (Props Designer; Commonwealth Shakespeare Comapny); Amour (Props Designer; Emerson Stage); Mermaid Hour (Assistant Scenic Designer, Props Designer; Moonbox Productions); Cost of Living (Props Designer; SPEAKEASY STAGE); Legally Blonde (Scenic Designer; Moonbox Productions), Honeyhole (Scenic Designer; Moonbox Productions); Boston New Works Festival (Props Designer; Moonbox Productions); Jado Jehad (Props Designer; Boston Playwrights’ Theatre); For The Fish (Associate Scenic Designer; Moonbox Productions); NIGHTTOWN (Scenic Designer; Lowell House Opera); Baltimore (Scenic Designer; Emerson Stage). sarabethspector.com
LIV MILLER (she/her) –– Hair & Makeup Designer
BFA ‘25 Theatre Design & Technology. Emerson Stage credits: Imogen Says Nothing (Hair and Makeup Designer), Natasha Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 (Assistant Props Lead), Second Star to the Right (Scenic Designer), Bat Boy: The Musical (Hair/Makeup Designer), Bonnets: How Ladies of Good Breeding are Induced to Murder (Hair/Makeup Designer), The Loyals (Wardrobe Supervisor), The Secret in the Wings (Props Lead), Paris (Assistant Costume Designer), Old Jake’s Skirts (Assistant Scenic Designer), Into the Woods (Wig Runner), RAGE (Assistant Wardrobe Supervisor), Next to Normal (Assistant Props Lead). Emerson College credits: Mercutio Troupe’s Romeo and Juliet (Hair and Makeup Artist and Designer); MTAG’s Rock of Ages (Hair/Makeup Designer); MTS’s La Cage Aux Folles (Hair/Makeup Artist and Designer).
ESTHER CHILSON (she/her) — Stage Manager
BFA ’25 Stage & Production Management. Emerson Stage credits: POTUS (pSupe), 16 Winters (SM), Bonnets (Assoc. pSupe), Cabaret (2nd ASM), Secret In the Wings (Asst. pSupe), The Late Wedding (PA). Emerson College credits: The EVVY Awards 42 & 43 (Aesthetics Executive Producer), MTAG’s A Chorus Line (SM), KA’s Seussical (1st ASM), RareWork’s sub (1st ASM). Other credits: Contemporary American Theater Festival’s Tornado Tastes Like Aluminum Sting (ASM) and The Overview Effect (PA), Berkshire Theatre Group’s BROKEN code BIRD switching (PA), Songs for a New World (PA). So much love for my SM team, friends, family, and Basil. <3
OLIVER WORNER (he/him) — Production Supervisor
BFA ’26 Stage & Production Management. Select Emerson Stage credits: Imogen Says Nothing (1st ASM), Second Star… and 16 Winters… (Assistant Production Supervisor), …Mastodons (2nd ASM), Little Women and How We Got On (Assistant Company Manager). Emerson College credits: Rabbit Hole, Significant Other, Dog Sees God (Producer) for BlueJay Theater Collective; Five Times In One Night (Producer) for Rareworks Theatre Co., The 42nd (ASM), 43rd (Logistics EP Assistant), and the 44th Annual EVVY Awards (Logistics Producer), Student Theatre Alliance (Chair), BlueJay Theater Collective (Managing Director). Other: Camden International Film Festival XIV-XX (Multiple roles). Thank you to Nona and Ben for being an awesome team and to Mac and Tippens for always being there! @oliverworner04
RILEY MACMOYLE (she/her) — Ensemble & Co-Dramaturg
BFA ‘25 Theatre & Performance. Emerson Stage credits: NFSW The Hotel Visitants (Loved), NFSW Roadmap (P). Emerson College credits: Mercutio Troupe’s My Dearest Apologies (Choreographer), emShakes’ Death of a Salesman (Bernard/Letta), MTS’ Chicago! (Co-Choreographer). Other credits: The Premier Theatre Company’s Oklahoma! (Dream Laurey), The Premier Theatre Company’s Into the Woods (Little Red). Thank you to everyone who made this show happen, it has been the greatest gift, and to my family for their love and support always! I love this show. What a beautiful world we created. @rileymacmoyle
NANXI (CECILIA) SHAO (she/her) — Observing Director & Co-Dramaturg
BFA ’26 Theatre Education and Performance. Emerson Stage Debut! Emerson College Theatre credits: Chuang Lab’s No Exit (Qingdai Ai), Elephant Silenced (Director), and Night on the Galactic Railroad (Acting Advisor). Thanks to everyone who supports me. Instagram: aaa6_cecilia
Meet the
Emerson Stage Staff
Staff
Artistic Director — Kate Cherry
Assistant Production Manager — Katie Meade
Technical Director — Kristin Knutson
Head Carpenter — Connor Thompson
Scenic Area Advisor –– Luciana Stecconi
Scenic Painter — Joe Keener
Props Director — Ryan Bates
Assistant Properties Manager — Lauren Corcuera
Costume Area Advisor –– Tristan Raines
Costume Shop Supervisor — Richelle Devereaux-Murray
Assistant Costume Shop Supervisor — Becky Pieroth
Draper/Cutter — Laurie Bramhall
Lighting Area Advisor –– Jason Lyons
Electrics Advisor — Nicole Cerra
Advisors FOR THIS PRODUCTION
Stage and Production Management — Debra A. Acquavella
Props –– Ryan Bates
Scenic Painting — Joe Keener
HMU Design –– Rachel Paula-Shufelt
Costume Design –– Chloe Moore
Costume Production –– Richelle Devereaux-Murray
Sound Design –– Aubrey Dube
Dramaturgy — Marissa Friedman
Vocal Coach — Tom Giodano
Student Staff
Emerson Stage Office Assistants — Kayla Copping, Alayna Domboski, Karli Fisher, JJ Moore, Liliana Ravins
Production Management Assistants — Esther Chilson, Oliver Worner
Videographers — Vincent Chen, Ethan West
Scenic Technicians — Lúa Azancot, Nel Blinman, Kieran Graeff, Davis Kranchalk, Bee LaClair, Elodie Lambert, Aiden Lank, Echo Lu, Oscar McQuilkin, Zoe Mills, Brooklyn Williams
Volunteer Scenic Technicians –– Mack MacIntyre, Kiana McCully
Scenic Artists/Painters — Yara (Rayan) Afif, Nel Blinman, Paige Boyon, Lily Hourin, Elodie Lambert, Sienna Leone, Liz Nunnery, Leo Servetar, David Staats, Charlize Tabrizi
Paint Shop Assistant — Maggie Stewart
Prop Shop Assistants — Amaya Gonzalez-Mollmann, Ava Scanlon
Prop Technicians –– Eri Lackey, Bee LaClair, Georgie Ten Eyck, Sydney Williams
Stitchers — Anna Ten Eyck, Zee Cowan, Amanda Jacobson, Izzy Bacallo, Nina Turovskiy, Madeline Henry, Alexa Peterson-Ismail, David Schell, Heidi Keithahn
Stock Attendants — Sierra Bivins, Isabella Fortebuono
Light Lab Inventory Assistant — Eli Goldberg