SHRIKE

Written by Erin Lerch

Directed by Josh Glenn-Kayden

February 4-25, 2022

Virtual Production

When the alien Legion came, Sheena lost everything. All she has left is one final, unlikely dream: the Rebellion. But when she arrives, it’s to a Rebellion shattered by the loss of its leader, pushed to increasingly desperate measures – including working with their alien enemy. As tensions mount, Sheena has to face the question: when you have nothing left, what do you fight for?

Learn more about the world of SHRIKE through our virtual lobby!

Scroll down to meet the cast, watch a conversation with the playwright, learn more about the Legion Cycle, and more.

Please Note:

This show runs approximately 90 minutes with no intermission.

Due to the pandemic, Fresh Ink has shifted this production to a digital experience instead of our originally scheduled in-person run at the Boston Center for the Arts.

We acknowledge that we produce on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Wampanoag and Massachusett people, the latter whose name was appropriated by this Commonwealth. We ask you to join us in acknowledging the Wampanoag and Massachusett communities, their elders both past and present, as well as future generations. We acknowledge the painful history of genocide and forced removal from this territory, and we honor and respect the many diverse Indigenous peoples still connected to this land on which we gather.

We also know that land acknowledgment is only one small part of supporting Indigenous communities. We hope our land acknowledgment statement will inspire others to stand with us in solidarity with Native nations.

A Note from the Creative Team of SHRIKE

Shrike takes place a little under a decade into the future of the continental United States. After an alien Legion arrived and devastated human civilization via bioweapons and military might, a small band of humans continue to fight back. Grasping onto glimpses of hope over the radio, the human rebellion finds themselves fighting to survive in the face of immense grief and seemingly unbeatable odds, and to hold on to their humanity in the fight against the Legion.

To quote Rogue One, “Rebellions are built on hope.” This rebellion has just lost Badger, who was both their indomitable leader and a beacon of hope across the resistance. Sheena finds the rebellion at this moment, as they’re on the edge of falling apart in the wake of Badger’s disappearance. Each member of the rebellion struggles with their own grief over the loss, leading them to clash over the question of leadership and who has the right to decide the future of the Rebellion, with Sheena caught in the middle.

When we meet her, Sheena has already lost so much, and her own grief drives much of her behavior throughout the story. She finds a mirror of her own grief in the people of the rebellion, including one person she never thought she’d connect with. In the makeshift infirmary, in a time of absolute crisis and loss, we explore the question: how do we continue to live when grief is overwhelming? How can we choose to trust when it only seems to lead to more loss?

This play is one work within Erin’s Legion Cycle, which consists of multiple plays and audio dramas (with even more to come!) that all live in the same post-alien-apocalypse universe, but also each work as a standalone story. The Legion plays are intentional acts of rebellion within the American theatre. Where many institutions look for small, “producible” plays, Erin’s work is ambitious, expansive, and imaginative. Where most sci-fi stories for the stage focus solely on the human characters, we feature multiple alien species onstage at once. There are always numerous queer and trans actors in roles that are about more than just being queer or trans. We use the presence of nonhuman characters to investigate who has the privilege of being treated as a person, and who is seen as an outsider. We intentionally rethink brutality and violence in science fiction as our own world suffers from frequent acts of violence. We’ve talked about Shrike as the anti-Chekhov's gun – just because violence is a constant possibility in this world, does not mean it is an inevitability. There is always another choice.

For many on our team, Shrike marked our first return to live, in-person theatre since the pandemic began. The emergence of the Omicron variant right before we hit tech led us to pivot to an online streaming experience. Nonetheless, we still came together to create something we're proud of, found care and joy with one another in the process, and were able to keep everyone safe. Right now, that all feels like a victory against the odds. In the most difficult time they’ve ever faced, the characters of Shrike still find ways to express themselves, even lightening the mood with humor. They extend trust and compassion to one another, even when it would be easier to lash out or turn away. We find that when things are feeling a little apocalyptic, a hopeful post-apocalyptic story might be just the thing to remind us that, even when things feel difficult, we can still find our way through. 

Erin Lerch, Playwright | Josh Glenn-Kayden, Director | Alison Yueming Qu, Dramaturg

 Cast and Production Team

Sheena (she/her) - Emily Eldridge-Ingram
Micah (he/him) - Jupiter Lê
Hssik (xe/xyr) - V Brancazio
Roach (they/them) - Jackie Chylinski
Ibis (she/her) - Alex Alexander
Tssa (she/her) - Chris Everett
Awrrl (she/her) - Alix Marie

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Playwright - Erin Lerch
Director - Josh Glenn-Kayden
Dramaturg - Alison Yueming Qu
Stage Manager - Afrikah Smith
Assistant Stage Manager - Winnie Chiang
Scenic Design - Ben Lieberson
Lighting Design - Francesca D'Angelo
Sound Design - Anna Drummond
Costume Design - Mikayla Reid
Makeup Design - Lynn Wilcott
Prop Design - Kelly Smith
Fight Choreographer - Sarah Flanagan
Intimacy Director - Ayshia Mackie-Stephenson

Video Producer - Ernesto Galan

Emily Eldridge-Ingram (Sheena, she/her) has been acting around the Boston area since she was five years old. She earned her BFA in Acting and holds a music theatre concentration from Boston University. While there she spent her junior year abroad studying Commedia dell'arte and physical theatre at Accademia dell'Arte in Arezzo, Italy. Emily has worked with Shakespeare and Company, Wheelock Family Theatre, New Rep BCAP, Boston Playwrights Theatre, Central Square Theatre, The Asian American Playwright Collective, Open Theatre Project, Collective Hysteria, Boston Conservatory, Creative Arts, and Theatre Espresso. She recently returned from thru-hiking the Long Trail from Canada to MA, and is thrilled to be acting again!

V. Brancazio (Hssik, they/them) is a poet and theatre artist based in the Greater Boston Area. V’s written work appears in Constellations, The Thing Itself, and in their self-published zine BREAK: Stories of Feeling Too Much. Other theatrical credits include: Camp Strangewood (John Wayne Umbreon, Sparkhaven Theatre), Nosferatu, The Vampyr (Knock/Lucy, Sparkhaven Theatre), Macbeth (Banquo/Porter, Underlings Theatre Company), DB (Tina, Strange News), Who Donut? (Cat Witch, Emerson Stage). V is also a member of Gender Explosion. To view their work, visit: victoriabrancazio.com

Jackie Chylinski (Roach, they/them) is so excited to be making their on-stage Fresh Ink debut with the wonderful team of Shrike! You may have seen them as Roach in previous virtual presentations of Shrike, or you may have seen them as Eddie in Erin Lerch’s World Line (TC Squared). Other local Boston credits include: Middle Allison in Fun Home (Company Theatre) and Phantom in The Rocky Horror Show (Moonbox Theatre Company). Jackie would like to thank their friends and family for supporting them, and would like to thank you for supporting live theater and new work!

Alex Alexander (Ibis, she/her) is a Massachusetts actor who is also an active member of the San Francisco Bay Area improv group Barewitness Films (www.barewitness.com). During the pandemic she was cast as Bailey in Another Country’s award winning web series Assigned Female at Birth which is in the process of shooting its third season. Alex’s last stage performance was as the Demon - the inner voice of addiction in the play Recovery. She is so excited to be back in the theatre and working again with Fresh Ink on Shrike after having such a great time as Diana in Don’t Give Up The Ship. Alex studied acting in San Francisco & London and has a BA in Theatre from Hamilton College.

Chris Everett (Tssa, she/her), born and raised in Boston, is an actor, singer, and audiobook narrator. Recent theater credits include, ONWARD: Votes for Women (Birch Tree Productions), Christmas Revels: An American Celebration (Revels), and Romeo & Juliet (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company). She has also been an actor / educator with Improbable Players (now 2nd Act) for more than 20 years. Chris has worked primarily in film and television. Film: Don’t Look Up (released 12/24/21), About Fate (in post-production), I Care A Lot (Netflix), and Godmothered (Disney+). Television: “Chasing Life”, “SMILF”, and “Castle Rock”.

Alix Marie (Awrrl, she/her) is honored to be making her Boston acting debut with Fresh Ink! Some of her favorite roles include Molly (The Mousetrap), Belle Fezziwig (A Christmas Carol), and Joanna Barker (Sweeney Todd). She’d like to thank the entire production team and cast of Shrike, Evie for helping her get here and being an incredible friend, and Matt for supporting this wild actress’ dreams and passions

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Erin Lerch (Playwright, they/them) is a Boston-area playwright and stage manager who can’t/won’t stop writing deeply queer sci-fi. They appeared on ArtsBoston’s July 2020 list of 10 Boston Playwrights You Should Know. Their play CROSSING FLIGHT (first in the LEGION CYCLE) had its world premiere in Boston at TC Squared Theatre Company in January 2018. They are the writer and co-creator of the podcast THE LEGION TAPES. SHRIKE was written and developed through Company One Theatre's PlayLab Fellows program and with TC Squared Theatre Company, and they are ecstatic to be working with Fresh Ink to bring it to life!

Josh Glenn-Kayden (Director, he/him) is a Boston based director and the Artistic Producer and Casting Director at Company One Theatre. Recent directing projects include Wild Flowers by Tatiana Isabel Gil (Company One Better Future series), Visionary Futures: Science Fiction Theatre for Social Justice Movements (consisting of new plays by Phaedra Michelle Scott, M Sloth Levine, and Jaymes Sanchez) at UMass Amherst, Baltimore by Kirsten Greenidge (UMass Amherst), workshops of Walden by Amy Berryman and The Interrobangers by M Sloth Levine (UMass Play Lab), Greater Good by Kirsten Greenidge (A.R.T. & Company One world premiere, associate director), the world premiere of This Place/Displaced (Artists’ Theater of Boston, ArtsFuse Best Stage Productions of 2018), the New England premiere of Nicky Silver’s The Lyons (Titanic Theatre), and the world premiere of Laura Neill’s Don’t Give Up the Ship (Fresh Ink Theatre). Josh is also the director and co-producer of The Legion Tapes, a sci-fi podcast written by Erin Lerch. Josh has directed and developed new work for the A.R.T., Company One Theatre, Fresh Ink Theatre, Flat Earth Theatre, Artists’ Theater of Boston, the Museum of Science, UMass Amherst, Hub Theatre, the One Minute Play Festival, and TC Squared Theatre Company, among others. Josh holds a BA in Drama from Tufts University and an MFA in Directing from UMass Amherst. www.joshglennkayden.com 

Alison Yueming Qu (Dramaturg, she/they) is a 1.5 generation immigrant originally from China and a Dramaturg, Director, and Creative Engagement Producer. Alison currently serves as the Connectivity Producer at Company One Theatre in Boston, and the Co-Founder & Executive Producer of CHUANG Stage—the first Mandarin bilingual, bicultural theater company nationwide. Graduated from Emerson College with a BFA in Theatre (Directing and Dramaturgy), their dramaturgy work for 10 Out of 12 by Anne Washburn (Emerson Stage) received the 2020 LMDA/KCACTF Region 1 Student Dramaturgy Award. Alison is a 2021-22 National Arts Strategies NE Creative Community Fellow, a co-recipient of the 2021 TBF Live Arts Boston grant, and a steering committee member of API Arts Network.

Afrikah Smith (Stage Manager, they/them) is a multi-hyphenate cultural worker based in Massachusetts, thrilled to be working with Fresh Ink Theatre on Shrike! Holding a B.A. in Theater and a certificate in Multicultural Theater from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, they love to work with theatre & performance art that intersects with community, identity, education, and dialogue while pushing traditional forms. When they are not stage managing, they can be found working on theatre & performance arts projects, writing arts criticism, or enjoying a good cup of tea.

Winnie Chiang (Assistant Stage Manager, she/ her) graduated from Suffolk University with a BA in Theatre. Her recent work includes WITCH, THE BLUEST EYE (production assistant, The Huntington), KING LEAR, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (stage management intern, Actors’ Shakespeare Project), OUR TIME (stage manager, Suffolk University).

Ben Lieberson (Scenic Design, he/him) is delighted to continue creating alien ravaged post-apocalyptic environments for Erin Lerch's Legion Cycle, having previously designed scenery for Crossing Flight (TC Squared Theatre Company). Ben is also excited to return to Fresh Ink, after designing It's Not About My Mother in 2015. Other set design credits include Not Medea (Flat Earth Theatre), This Place/Displaced and Drunk Enough to Say I Love You (Artists' Theater of Boston), True West and The Taming (Hub Theatre Co.) and Really (Company One). As a technical director, Ben has recently worked with Clerestory Light, Actors Shakespeare Project, Central Square Theater, Liars and Believers, and Arlekin Players Theatre. Ben is also a company member of Artists' Theater of Boston, Resident Set Designer at Gann Academy, and Scene Shop Supervisor for Wellesley College's Theater Studies program.

Francesca D’Angelo (Lighting Design, she/her) is ecstatic to make her Fresh Ink debut with Shrike. She graduated from Tulane University in May 2021 with a BFA in Theatre Lighting and Performance. Since returning to New England, she has worked with Theatre by the Sea, The Larcom Theatre, Watertown Children’s Theatre, and Port Lighting Systems. In addition to Lighting, she has worn many hats in the theatre industry and loves them all. Facebook: Francesca D’Angelo / Instagram: francescarosedangelo

Anna Drummond (Sound Designer, they/she) is thrilled to come aboard and make their Fresh Ink debut. A freelance sound designer specializing in live theatre, podcasting, and audiobooks, Anna has worked within the New England area for both professional theatre companies and educational institutions, including SpeakEasy Stage (BLKS, Pass Over), Company One (Leftovers), Huntington Theatre Company (Dream Boston: 3 Miles), Trinity Repertory & Brown University (Eurydice, Prowess), Berklee College of Music (Everybody), Northeastern University (Deferred), & Emerson College (In The Red & Brown Water, Alchemy of Desire/Dead Man’s Blues, We Are PussyRiot, Into The Woods, The Hobbit, etc.) They have received three EVVY Awards for Outstanding Sound Design for the Stage, and a Cloris Leachman Award for Best Sound Design. Anna works in the Alexa Data Services department at Amazon and has a BA with Honors in Sound Design/Audio Post-Production from Emerson College. Shoutout to Dyl, Marcello, Eleanor, Bridgette, Ally, & Court for holding it down. Website: anna-drummond.com | Instagram & Twitter: @annatdrummond

Mikayla Reid (Costume Designer, she/her) is a costume designer, dyer, and craft artisan based in the Greater Boston area. She received her M.F.A. in Costume Design from The University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and her B.S. in Fashion Design from the University of Rhode Island. She is grateful for every new collaborative experience, learning from new perspectives and stories. Most recently, Mikayla has been working with Shakespeare & Company as a Costume Designer for their Fall Festival. Her current body of work was presented at Design Showcase East this past Spring. Mikayla is excited to work with Fresh Ink for the first time on Shrike. Website: www.mikaylareid.com | Instagram: Mikaylayeah

Lynn Wilcott (Special Effects Makeup Designer, she/her) has previously designed for Fresh Ink for La Llorona, and is incredibly excited to be back! She has worked with many companies in Boston, including Company One, Flat Earth, Hub Theatre Company, Theatre on Fire, and Improv Boston. She would like to thank her gorgeous family and hilarious friends for their continued support and inspiration. XXXX to the Most Favored Weirdo.

Kelly Smith (Prop Design) is a multi-hyphenate artist with a new work focus, having ushered in over 30 world premieres in New England. Selected credits include: Writing: RESET, THE WHITE ROOM (Flat Earth Theatre), RAINING ALUMINUM (theatreKapow – Best Drama Finalist, NH Theatre Awards), ShotzBoston, StoryClub Boston, 1MPF, and others. Props: Company One/A.R.T. (GREATER GOOD, VIETGONE), Hub Theatre (WIT), Fresh Ink (THAT TIME THE HOUSE BURNED DOWN), Titanic Theatre, Sleeping Weazel, PF Pictures, and Brown Box among others. Directing: Second Act Prod. (SISTER ANONYMOUS), Hub Theatre (ROBYN IS HAPPY), AKA Theatre (IN THE FOREST, SHE GREW FANGS), and shorts for Playbill Virtual Theatre Festival, Open Theatre Project, Boston Theatre Marathon, and 1MPF. In addition to stage managing all over, Kelly produced the raucous Irish backroom bar series Solas Nua, the heartwarming Grownup Storytime at Aeronaut Brewery, and founded Also Known As Theatre Theatre. www.kellyesmith.com

Sarah Flanagan (Fight Choreographer, she/they) is a freelance Fight Director, and a Certified Teacher with the Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD).  She is also Coordinator of the National Stage Combat Workshop and serves on the SAFD's Governing Body.  Sarah works up and down the East Coast; trusty dog and a bag full of swords in tow.  She choreographs for plays, musicals, and ballet productions, and has begun making forays into film. While the bulk of her training is with the SAFD, Sarah has also tested/trained with the British Academy of Stage and Screen Combat, Stage Combat Deutschland, the Association for Renaissance Martial Arts, and the Historical European Martial Arts Alliance. When not on the road, you're most likely to find her on the water in her kayak, or up a tree with a book.

Dr. Ayshia Mackie-Stephenson (Intimacy Director, she/her) is an intimacy director, scholar, and award-winning writer from Brooklyn, NY. With an MFA from CalArts and a PhD from UMass Amherst; she uses performance to investigate sexuality, race, and human rights. Her critical and creative work appears in Black Camera, Qualitative Inquiry, Boston University Press, International Review of Qualitative Research, Theatre Topics and Research in Drama Education. Dr. Ayshia has directed productions at The Huntington, Fresh Ink Theatre, Jewel Box Theatre in NYC, Arts at the Armory (Somerville), The Rockwell, and the DC Black Theatre & Arts Festival. She is Assistant Professor of Art and Performance Studies at Xavier University of Louisiana. www.AyshiaStephenson.com / https://www.facebook.com/AyshiaMackieStephenson / Twitter: @DrAyshia / Instagram: DoctorAyshia

Special Thanks

Andrew Barnett, Juliet Bowler, Aislinn Brophy, Marge Buckley, Andy Calimano, Cancer Immunology and Virology Lab, Alex Casillas, Michaila Cowie, Catherine Culhane-Hermann, Company One Theatre, Ashley Feeley, Brenna Fitzgerald, Keith Foster, Anne Gonzales, Becki Gray & The StageSource Props Co-op, Kit Grindeland, Habitat For Humanity ReStore, Stephanie Hettrick, Evie Holley, Sabine Jacques, Kim Klasner, Ashmita Malkani, Mal Malme, Marblehead Little Theatre, Melory Mirashrafi, Alexander Joseph Muñoz, Logan Nelson, Sam Noble, Cristobal Paulino, Jo Michael Rezes, Katharin Shaw, Cody Sloan, Susan & Dan Smith, TC Squared PlayLab, Becca Thompson, Grace Trapnell, UMass Amherst Theater Department, Anthony Varca, Jon Vellante, Nicole Ventura, Regine Vital, Watertown Children's Theatre, Veronica Wiseman