NewFest 2026: Rod Parker Playwriting Fellowship Production
WHEN DEATH CRASHES A DINNER PARTY
By Katarina Claire Boskovic ’27
Directed by Joe Antoun
At a refined cocktail hour meant to honor the mysteriously absent Edmund Ford, five guests exchange martinis, pleasantries, and—very quickly—accusations. What begins as polite chatter devolves into a chaotic unraveling of secrets, grudges, and unexpected reckonings with one another and themselves.
MARCH 25-28 2026
Greene theater
Poster Design by Leo Servetar ’26
WHEN DEATH CRASHES A DINNER PARTY
Creative Team
Scenic Design
Lúa Azancot-Garcia
Costume Design
Sophie O’Quest
Lighting Design
Kelly Furman
Sound design
Lorenzo Sosa Lopez
Props Lead
Ryan Bates
STAGE MANAGER
Sasha Salins
PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR
Joanna Su
DRAMATURG
Alexandra Azan
A note from the
Director, Joe Antoun
We know the victim, the place and the suspects so now all we need is the weapon. Or do we even have a Clue?
Welcome to spring and NewFest 2026! Per usual, spring for Emerson Stage means new plays and I am very excited to present this year’s Rod Parker winner When Death Crashes a Dinner Party, a quirky and funny whodunnit by Kat Boskovic. Like a spur of the moment dinner party and a good game of Clue, When Death Crashes a Dinner Party has all the ingredients of a fun night out—a variety of eccentric characters, many twists, turns and accusations, and more surprising than an amuse bouche in the dining hall. However, this show is not your typical Saturday night whodunnit. It’s more like surprise party on a Monday afternoon. No one knows who, what and why they are there. It is funny, a little ridiculous, fast paced, and keeps you guessing and laughing. Additionally it is a mix of being ageless yet a product of it’s time. It makes an apt Rod Parker Fellowship winner.
Mr. Parker’s work spoke to its time by twisting forms we were familiar with, When Death Crashes a Dinner Party pays homage to things familiar but with a voice unmistakably of the here and now. I found the play refreshing to direct and a joy to present to you. Happy spring.
A note from the
Dramaturg, Alexandra Azan
Secrets, Judgement, and Self: Inside When Death Crashes A Dinner Party
Please Note: Contains Content Spoilers.
The Rod Parker Fellowship is an incredible opportunity for students to have their original work fully produced by professionals and fellow artists at Emerson College. Established in 1991, the endowment honors Rod Parker, a WWII veteran who wrote his first play as an undergraduate at Emerson, and continues to support emerging student playwrights and their original work.
Over the summer, I had the opportunity to work with Kat on her incredible script, When Death Crashes a Dinner Party. What emerged is a dark comedy that asks an uncomfortable question: if we are forced to confront buried secrets, without escape, who do we become?
Katarina Claire is the pen name of Kat Boskovic (‘27), an Interdisciplinary Studies major in Literary & Dramatic Fiction with minors in Philosophy and Publishing, originally from Storrs, Connecticut. Her academic focus reflects exactly how her mind works as a writer, blending narrative structure with philosophical inquiry. Kat told me she initially wanted to add “a philosophical spin on the classic murder mystery trope,” using purgatory and a “trial” to differentiate it from other whodunits. Instead, as she wrote, the play turned into an exploration of how people “claim moral authority while concealing their own compromises.”
Inspired by No Exit, a play by 20th century French philosopher and playwright Jean-Paul Sartre, Boskivic was drawn to the idea that “Hell [is] other people” and wanted to write not about solving a crime, but about “how people judge each other, and particularly themselves.” Around the party, each character performs a role: the grieving widow, the devoted lover, the confident son, the ambitious scientist, the tortured poet. As Kat puts it, they are all “performed versions of themselves.” Trapped together, the characters’ certainty of their identities (widow, lover, coworker, son, peer) begins to erode, growing unstable as accusation turns inward.
While Sartre’s philosophy shaped the play’s exploration of judgement and identity, Boskovic also drew inspiration from the life and work of Czech-born writer, Franz Kafka. Specifically, Kafka’s life shaped the character of Balthazar, an eccentric poet. Kat was struck by the fact that Kafka’s work went largely unread during his lifetime. She asked: “If art does not outlive us, was it still worth making?” Her answer is simple: “An absolute yes.” For her, “art is what makes us feel alive while we still are.” Many of Balthazar’s lines were drawn from her own journal like “little easter eggs” of her life embedded in the text.
Ultimately, Kat describes the play as an investigation into “how easily moral certainty can collapse.” What begins as a murder interrogation becomes something else entirely. As one line in the show declares it becomes “a purgatory of morality.” By the end, Heaven and Hell are offered as simple directions, but not everyone knows where they belong.When Death Crashes a Dinner Party invites us to laugh at the absurdity, and then to consider the roles we perform, the facades we maintain, and what might happen if we were forced to confront them.
CAST
Mrs. Ford — REIGN BAILEY
Dr. Ludwig — ANDREA MORENO
Theodore Ford — NOAH RAQUINO
Balthazar — OSCAR SCHUMAN
Juliette — ANNA GRACE UEHLEIN
Waitress — CAITLIN NORTON
Maid #1 — LIZZIE BECKER
Maid #2 — MARIELLE ROSE
Maid #3 — EMMY BENDER
UNDERSTUDIES
U/S Dr. Ludwig, Juliette, Waitress — NATALIE DALTON
U/S Theodore, Balthazar — ADAM KAMER
U/S Mrs. Ford, Maids — CHARLOTTE PERNICONE
Meet the
Artistic and Production Staff
Assistant Director — PAMELA WHITE
Technical Directors — KRISTIN KNUTSON, KIERAN GRAEFF
Assistant Scenic Designer — VERRINE FARAG
Wardrobe Supervisor — JADE WEIN
Costumes/Hair/Makeup Crew — LARA KACZMARCEGK
Assistant Lighting Designer — GWENDOLYN TRUEBLOOD
Production Electrician — ARIANNE FLAHERTY
Lead Electrician — LILLI GONZALES
Lighting Crew — GAVIN JOHNSON, BEN GMYREK
Production Sound Engineers — SPENCER SWETLOW, IAN SONNABEND
Assistant Sound Designer — ZEE COWAN
Assistant Stage Manager — BENJAMIN BROWDER
2nd Assistant Stage Manager — SADIE PATALANO
Production Assistant — SCARLETT LIANG
Associate Production Supervisor — VEE ROMANO
Assistant Production Supervisor — RUE MERKEL
Company Manager — KATIE MEADE
Run Crew — SELAH RUSSELL, ZOE THOMPSON, LAYLA MCKENZIE, OWEN EDDY, HANNAH HALL, JACK ROGERS, KEMIESHA HAYNES, ANOUK PERSON, QUINTIN MARTIN, OLIVIA LAMPERT, CAROLINE QUINN, AIDAN COLÓN, ELIF DASPINAR, MADISON THACKER, ELI ZIMMERMAN, DASHA ARTEMCHUK, LILIAN MAVROS, SEYOUNG KIM, SYDNEY MENDELSON, ANTONIO HERNANDEZ RUIZ, DAVID MOORE
Cast Bios
REIGN BAILEY (she/her) — Mrs. Ford
BFA ’27 Theatre and Performance. Emerson Stage credit: I LOVE XXX (Ensemble). Thank you to everyone who came out tonight!
ANDREA MORENO (she/her) — Dr. Ludwig
BFA ‘27 Acting. Emerson Stage credits: NewFest Short Works — “Old Reliable” (Delilah). Emerson College theatre credits: BlueJay Theatre Collective’s SLUT: The Play (Danielle); Mercutio Troupe’s Jamie Has a Bomb (Jamie U/S) Instagram: @andreaa.xavier
NOAH RAQUINO (he/him) — Theodore Ford
BFA ’27 Theatre and Performance. Emerson Stage credits: Limber, A Love Story (Sky/ Hernán/Mother). Emerson College credits: Rareworks’ Days of Rage (Spence) and Five Times in One Night (Adam); BlueJay Theater Collective’s Rabbit Hole (Male Swing); Musical Theatre Society’s Dogfight (Boland); Kidding Around’s Snow Angel (Crank); Other credits: Beyond Therapy (Stuart); In The Heights (Usnavi/Benny); The Folks You Meet in Longs (Multiple Characters); Loose Canon (Multiple Characters); Radium Girls (Tom); The Crucible (Marshall Herrick). Mahalo nui loa to my family and friends for all of their support, and to the Death Crashes a Dinner Party team for this opportunity!! @noahraquino
OSCAR SCHUMAN (he/him) — Balthazar
BFA ‘27 Acting. Emerson Stage credits: Red Wolf (U/S Red Wolf and Bill). Other credits: Spider’s Web (Jeremy Warrender); Wait Until Dark (Mike Talman); Footloose (Willard Hewitt); Much Ado About Nothing (Leonato/Borachio); Rocky Horror Picture Show (Brad Majors). Thank you to the whole team of When Death Crashes A Dinner Party for such a fun and creative process!
ANNA GRACE UEHLEIN (she/they) — Juliette
B.F.A. ‘27 Acting, Minor in Dramatic Writing. Emerson Stage credits: Limber, A Love Story (U/S Mia). Emerson College Theatre credits: Mercutio Troupe’s The Thanksgiving Play (Director) and Romeo & Juliet (U/S Juliet); How to Make Friends and then Kill Them (Sam); emShakes Theatre Company’s The Big Meal (Woman #2); RareWorks Theatre Company’s Hookman (Lexi). Emerson College Film credits: “Scaletusks” (Tusks); “Under Control” (Courtney); EIV’s Douchebag Hotline (Lydia) and Speedwell (Jul). Other credits: Hogfish Arts’ Queen Marinette: 2nd Workshop (Naashi); Measure v. Measure (Isabella & Writer). Much love <3 annagraceuehlein.com @annaguline
CAITLIN NORTON (she/her) — Waitress
BFA ’28 Theatre & Performance. Emerson Stage debut! Emerson College credits: Kidding Around’s June, July, August (Kara); Rareworks and Bluejay’s Omniscient Bus (Scared). Thank you to my mom, dad, and Carly for your endless and unwavering support. I love you! @caitlinn.nortonn
LIZZIE BECKER — Maid #1
BFA ’26 Theater Education & Performance. Emerson Stage credits: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (Track 10); NewFest Short Works — “Second Place” (Lorelei). Emerson College credits: RareWorks’ Wings (Swing 3); BlueWorks’ Escape (The Piña Colada Play) (Lorelai). Emerson Film credits: “Flim Flam” (Dakota); “Nosebleed” (Nurse Kelly); “Purple Haze” (Celia); 27A (Donna). Other credits: Dog Sees God (Tricia) at Studio Theater Long Island. Thank you to my family and friends for all the love and support!
MARIELLE ROSE (she/her) — Maid #2
BFA ’27 Comedic Arts. Emerson Stage debut! Emerson College Credits: emShakes Theatre Company’s Death of a Salesman (Stanley/Swing); Mercutio Troupe’s The Effect (Female Swing); Clown Bar (Dusty) ComEx (Assistant Producer);Treatment (Alex); and The Girlie Project (Co-Head Writer). Thanks to all my lovely friends (and enemies) for coming to this amazing show!
EMMY BENDER (she/her) — Maid #3
BFA ‘27 Theatre & Performance. Emerson Stage credit: Red Wolf ( U/S Miranda and Jamie). Emerson College credits: Kidding Around’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid (U/S Bryce Anderson, Middle Schoolers 1 & 2); Directors Fest — scenes from “Princess Party Smackdown” (Olivia), “Mr. Burns: A Post Electric Play” (Quincy), and “Asteroid Belt” (Carly); Girlie Project Social Media Manager. Emerson Film credits: 27A, NBS, Hansel and Gretel, Dumbco. Other credits: Boeing Boeing (Gloria), Into The Woods (Stepmother, Jack’s Mom), Little Shop of Horrors (Chiffon), and Mother Courage (Yvette) at Oakwood School. Feeling quite thankful for my AMAAZE family, wondrous friends, and bf ofc 🙂 Enjoy the show!
NATALIE DALTON (she/her) — U/S Dr. Ludwig, Juliette, Waitress
BFA ’27 Theater Education and Performance. Emerson Stage debut! Emerson College credits: Kidding Around’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Fregely/Manny Heffley), HONK! (U/S), and Calvin Berger (Producer); BlueJay Theater Collective’s The Shape of Things (Producer) and Overbridge High (Producer). Sending love to Mom, Dad, and Olivia!
ADAM KAMER — U/S Theodore, Balthazar
BFA ’26 Theatre and Performance. Emerson Stage credits: Second Star to the Right (Blaze), The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (Swing). Emerson College credits: Kidding Around’s Snow Angel (Gus). Regional credits: Much Ado About Nothing (Benedick), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Flute), and The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Asst. Director) at Kentucky Shakespeare. @adamkamer_
CHARLOTTE PERNICONE (she/her) — U/S Mrs. Ford, Maids
BFA ’28 Theater and Performance. Emerson Stage credit: Julius Caesar (U/S Cimber). Emerson College credits: Kidding Around’s HONK! (Cat); Musical Theater Society’s Sunday in the Park With George (Old Lady/Blair Daniels); BlueJay Theater Collective’s The Shape of Things (U/S Evelyn). Other Credits:Night Side Songs (Female Swing). Charlotte is so excited for you to see this show! She would like to thank her family and all her friends for giving her the strength to pursue what she loves. Enjoy the show <3
Creative Team Bios
JOSEPH ANTOUN — Director
Joeseph Antoun is the founding Artistic Director of Centastage where he has developed, directed or produced over 70 new plays including six Boston Women On Top Festivals of new plays by women and four Boston Sings Boston cabarets of new songs. Mr. Antoun is on the acting faculty at Emerson College where he also serves as the Artistic Director of Newfest. This is his 25th Newfest show. He is a recipient of the Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) Kenneth A. McDonald Award for Theater Excellence and was the first recipient of the Rod Parker Playwriting award. He is a proud member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers (SDC) and a board member of the Theatre Community Benevolent Fund (TCBF).
KATARINA CLAIRE (she/her) — Playwright
B.A. ’27 Interdisciplinary Studies. Emerson Stage credits: NewFest Short Works — “In Utero, With Love” (Playwright).
LÚA AZANCOT-GARCIA — Scenic Designer
BFA ’26 Theatre Design and Technology. Emerson Stage credits: Edward Tulane (Asst. Scenic Designer), Limber (Asst. Props Lead), and Julius Caesar (Props Lead). Emerson College credits: BlueJay Theatre Co.’s Overbridge High (Scenic Designer), Mercutio Troupe’s Thanksgiving Play (Scenic Designer). Emerson Film credit: “Release Me” (Production Designer). Other: How to Make Friends and Kill Them (Scenic Designer) at the Boston Center for the Arts. For more updates and designs please follow @the.art.gremlin
SOPHIE O’QUEST (any pronouns) — Costume Designer
BFA ‘26 Theater Design and Technology. Emerson Stage credits: Red Wolf (Costume Designer), Second Star to the Right (Assistant Costume Designer), and 16 Winters (Wardrobe Supervisor).
KELLY FURMAN (she/her) — Lighting Designer
BFA ‘27 Theatre Design and Technology. Select Emerson Stage credits: Julius Caesar (Production Electrician); Limber: A Love Story (Asst. Lighting Designer). Select Emerson College credits: Rareworks Theatre Co’s Days of Rage (Lighting Designer); BlueJay Theatre Collective’s The Omniscient Bus (Sound Designer); and Kidding Around’s Diary of A Wimpy Kid (Lighting Designer). Select other credits: Off-Centre Stage’s She Loves Me (Lighting Designer); Theater To-Go’s The Fantasticks (Lighting Designer) at Kelsey Theatre. Thank you to Mom, Dad, Erin, Paige, 401, James, Anoop, Heidi, Ava, Brooke and this amazing team. Enjoy! @kellyfurman_lx www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-furman
LORENZO SOSA LOPEZ (they/she) — Sound Designer
BFA ’26 Theatre Design and Technology. Emerson Stage credits: I Love XXX (Sound Designer), Imogen Says Nothing (Sound Designer), Julius Caesar (Production Sound Engineer), …Putnam County Spelling Bee (Production Sound Engineer), …Great Comet of 1812 (Production Sound Engineer), Head Over Heels (A1). Emerson College credits: emShakes’ Macbeth (Sound Designer), Mercutio Troupe’s The Effect (Sound Designer), RareWorks Theatre Company’s How Macy Survived Without Her Wisdom Teeth (Sound Designer), Gold (Sound Designer). Regional credits: Moonbox Productions’ GUTS! (Sound Designer), Boston Theatre Company’s 2025 Queer Voices Festival (Sound Designer), Hartford Stage’s Simona’s Search (Asst. Sound Designer), Lyric Stage’s Trouble in Mind (Asst. Sound Designer) and Crumbs From the Table of Joy (Assoc. SD).
RYAN BATES — Props Lead
Ryan Bates is the Props Director for Emerson Stage, and has worked as a props lead and scenic designer throughout New England, including productions at Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Wheelock Family Theatre, New Repertory Theatre, Bridge Repertory Theatre, The Umbrella, Gloucester Stage Company, InMotion Theatre, Longwood Players, Off the Grid, Fresh Ink, and many more. In addition to his work in the prop shop, Ryan mentors scenic design students on Emerson Stage productions, teaches Props Construction at Emerson and taught Production Design for four years at Boston University. MFA: Boston University. www.ryanbatesdesign.com
SASHA SALINS (she/her) — Stage Manager
BFA ’27 Stage and Production Management. Emerson Stage credits: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (2nd ASM), Julius Caesar (Assoc. pSupe), 16 Winters (PA). Emerson College credits: ComEX! 2024 (Stage Manager); MTS and MTAG’s GleEFA Cabaret (Stage Manager); Kidding Around’s June July August (ASM); BlueJay Theater Collective’s Significant Other (ASM), Overbridge High (Production Asst. Stage Manager),The Omniscient Bus (Asst. Production Manager), and Rabbit Hole (Asst. Production Manager). Thanks to Ben, Sadie, and Scarlett for being the best team ever <3 !
JOANNA SU (she/her) — Production Supervisor
BFA 27′ Stage and Production Management. Emerson Stage credits: Bonnets: How Ladies of Good Breeding are Induced to Murder (Production Assistant), A Doll’s House (Assistant Production Supervisor), Imogen Says Nothing (Associate Production Supervisor), I Love XXX (2nd Asst. Stage Manager), Head Over Heels ( 2nd Asst. Stage Manager). Select Emerson College credits: BFA Showcases 2025 (Assistant Stage Manager). Select regional credits: A Dream Like A Dream (Assistant Stage Manager). Currently on the Stage Management board for CHUANG Lab. Thanks to my family and all the awesome people on this team for the support!
ALEXANDRA AZAN (she/her) –– Dramaturg
BFA ’27 Theatre and Performance. Emerson Stage credits: Digging Up Dessa (U/S Esther); NewFest Short Works — “Hear Me Out” (Partner B). Emerson College credits: Kidding Around’s Tuck Everlasting (Ensemble); BlueJay Collective’s SLUT: The Play (Nathalie). Alex also works as MTAG’s Co-Social Justice and Equity Chair and EmShakes’ Assistant Literary Manager. Thank you to Katie and Matt for all your help, and to Kat and Joe!
Meet the
Emerson Stage Staff
Staff
Director of Theatre Operations — Eric Paris
Production Manager — Angela Harrington
Artistic & Production Associate — Katie Meade
Technical Director — Kristin Knutson
Head Carpenter — Connor Thompson
Scenic Painter — Saskia Martinez
Properties Director — Ryan Bates
Assistant Properties Manager — Lauren Corcuera
Costume Shop Supervisor — Richelle Devereaux-Murray
Draper/Cutter — Erika Krause
Electrics Supervisor — Timothy Fairley
Mentors & Advisors FOR THIS PRODUCTION
Stage and Production Management Advisor — Debra A. Acquavella
Scenic Area Advisor –– Luciana Stecconi
Scenic Design & Props Mentor — Ryan Bates
Costume Area Advisor –– Tristan Raines
Costume Design Mentor — Chloe Moore
Lighting Design Mentor — Dan Jentzen*
Electrics Mentor — Timothy Fairley
Sound Design Mentor — Ben Emerson*
Student Staff
Emerson Stage Office Assistants:
Emery Frost, JJ Moore, Liliana Ravins, Alyssa Schlaifer, Joanna Su, Elizabeth Tippens
Production Management Assistants:
Mariana Morales, Oliver Worner
Scenic Technicians:
Lúa Azancot Garcia, Verrine Farag, Ari Flaherty, Kieran Graeff, Callie Herzog, Lizzie Lamb, Aiden Lank, Mack MacIntyre, Oscar McQuilkin, Zoe Mills
Volunteer Scenic Technicians:
Samuel Greenstein, Ernest Shao
Scenic Painters:
Rayan Afif, Gabriella Berry, Nel Blinman, Sophia Da Silva, Lily Hourin, Elodie Lambert, Kiana McCully, Leo Servetar, Maggie Stewart, Charlize Tabrizi
Prop Shop Assistants:
Eri Lackey, Bee LaClair, Alexa Lunney, Georgie Ten Eyck, Sydney Williams
Costume Shop Office Assistant:
Ila Nabi
Drapers:
Izzy Bacallao, Nina Turovskiy
Stitchers:
Anna Ten Eyck, Georgianne Ten Eyck, Zee Cowan, Grace Cunniff, Amanda Jacobson, Nina Turovskiy, Alexa Peterson-Ismail, Heidi Keithahn, Morgan Burke, Chiron Speidel, Evelyn Walyus, Parker Fedak, Jaidyn Wein
Stock Attendants:
Sophia O’Quest, Maria-Renee Herman
* Denotes staff external to the college