Little Kingdom
written by J.C. Pankratz
Directed by Cooper HOwell
Two actors step into the shoes of a legend… and clash in a battle for the spotlight!
Thursday, March 20, 2025 at 7:00 pm
Open Jar Studios - Studio 11L
1601 Broadway 11th Fl
New York, NY 10019
It’s the last show of the year, and seniors Angel and Francesca find themselves doublecast as Eddie Polish in the emotionally-charged 1940’s American classic A Trolley Called Seduction at their historically all-women’s college. In three rehearsal sessions, Angel and Francesca scuffle and collaborate in equal measure as they toy with the trappings of masculinity, compete in swagger competitions, and debate the very nature of performance in this chaotic, high-energy romp.
With:
Rory Furey-King
Sushma Saha
Aliyah Curry, stage manager
J.C. Pankratz (they/them) is a proud queer, non-binary, transgender playwright and educator writing genre-defying work about gender, class, trauma, and magic. Their plays are Mortals (Pridefest at The Tank), Eat Your Young (workshop production, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre), Little Kingdom (2nd Place, Mark Twain Playwriting Award; Distinguished Achievement, Paula Vogel Playwriting Award), Seahorse (2021 FMM Fellowship for Works in Heightened Language), and Redeemer Mine (Finalist, O’Neill Playwrights Conference). Beloved collaborators also include CompanyOne, Kitchen Dog Theater, and Lily + Joan Theatre Company. They are a 2023 Core Apprentice with the Playwrights’ Center, a 2023 Visionary Playwright with Theatremasters, and an extremely amateur whittler. They recently graduated with their MFA from Boston University, and have interned at New Dramatists and Clubbed Thumb. Please check out their plays on the New Play Exchange.
Cooper Howell (they/their/theirs) is a Director, Producer, and Actor of Black, White, and Native American heritage from Salt Lake City, Utah. The child of a theater critic and an actress, Cooper has been a theater anarchist since youth. Recently they made their New York City directing debut as the associate director of "Cats: The Jellicle Ball" at the Perelman Performing Arts Center under Bill Rauch and Zhailon Levingston. Other directing credits include "RENT", "Carousel", "A Streetcar Named Desire", Tom Stoppard’s “The Real Thing”, The Scottish Play", “Les Liaisons Dangereuses", and the first regional premiere of the musical "The Color Purple". As an actor, Cooper has appeared in six Off-Broadway productions, including "Penelope" at York Theatre Company, playing Lin-Manuel Miranda as Hamilton in "Spamilton: An American Parody", and the Smiling Face with Sunglasses (“Sunny”) in "Emojiland the Musical". They proudly serve on the artistic collective board of both National Queer Theater and the new New York Theater Company, and recently co-founded WILDEHAUS with producers Deejay Gray and Hampton O’Conner Palmore, a new queer production company specializing in the development and radical staging of America’s top LGBTQIA artists.
Rory Furey-King Currently: The Second City, NY Mainstage (u/s). Off-West End: Operation Mincemeat (Original London Cast - Jean). International/National Tours: Cats (Bombalurina, London); Legally Blonde (Pilar). Regional: School Girls; Or... (Ericka u/s, Goodman Theater); Tootsie (Sandy u/s, Ogunquit Playhouse). Film: Mama Mia 2. Training: ArtsEd, London. NBC Showcase Bob Curry alum. Paper Mill Playhouse Conservatory alum. Love and thanks to Kal Kalil! roryfureyking.com. IG: roryfureyking
Sushma Saha Broadway: 1776 (Roundabout). Off-Broadway: Presencia (Bushwick Starr), Interstate (Theatre Row). Off-Off Broadway: Swallow Me Whole (The Tank), You Must Wear a Hat (Interstitial), 7 Minutes (Waterwell), Girlfriend (A.R.T./NY Theatres). Regional: The Wolves (ATL). Currently working on debut EP, “This Isn’t About You”, to be released on all music-streaming platforms. Instagram & TikTok: @sushmasahahaha
Aliyah Curry is a queer Southern bred theatermaker focused on Black female sexuality and mental health. Creating for her is about vulnerability between self, company, and story, never asking of any what she would not do herself. Recently, she is the recipient of the 2024 NYFA Ryan Hudak LGBTQ+ Dramatic Writing Award and finalist for National Queer Theater's open call. When not writing or directing, she stage manages, dramaturgs, and collaborates with fellow theatermakers. Keep up with her at www.theirdaughters.productions