Holy and Unruly
by David Beardsley

Directed by Jamie Clavet

At the height of her powers as monarch, Elizabeth I suffers from disturbing dreams, bewildering visions, and inexplicable moments of panic. A petition for justice from Grace O’Malley, an aristocratic Irish pirate feared from England to Africa, brings the Queen’s emotional crisis to a head, prompting her to revisit choices she made in the name of power—choices no man is asked to make. Against the advice and wishes of her male advisors, the Queen insists on seeing Grace. When two of Europe’s most charismatic women meet, they wrestle with questions still relevant today: What does it take to rule your world? What are the costs?

Hatbox Theatre
Concord NH
May 27 - June 12

Starring...

Donna M. Goldfarb --------- QUEEN ELIZABETH I
Katie Makem-Boucher ----- GRACE O'MALLEY
Michael Cobb ---------------- BURGHLEY
Karielle Silk ------------------ LADY SCOTT / MACNALLY
Erik Shaffer ------------------ ESSEX
Donald Tongue -------------- BINGHAM / CONROY
Olivia Robbins --------------- UNBORN
Wyatt Brumbaugh ---------- DUDLEY

Production Team...

Donald Tongue - Producer
Jamie Clavet - Director
Kelsee Allan - Stage Manager
Jacob Zentis - Fight Director
Alyssa Johnson - Show Dresser

Designers...

Joan Vick - Costume
Christian Arnold - Lighting/Projection
Donald Tongue -  Sound/Props

David Beardsley (Playwright) is from Boston, MA. and is currently a member of the Playwrights' Collective at New World Theatre (Londonderry, New Hampshire) and Write On! (CentaStage, Boston). He serves on the Board of Playwrights’ Platform, a collaborative for Boston-area playwrights, and he edits the New England New Play Alliance's New Play Newsletter. David was a 2019 finalist for the Ashland New Plays Festival and a semi-finalist for the 2020 Bay Area Playwrights Festival. His plays have been performed across the U.S., Europe, and Australia. David is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America. https://davidbeardsley.com.

Jamie Clavet (Director) is an actress, director, and producer currently residing in Southern New Hampshire. She has performed in theaters from Portland to Boston and is honored to be adding a New World Theatre production to her list. Roles she has played include Maggie in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Ruth in Blythe Spirit, Titania in a Midsummer Nights Dream, Celia in As You Like It, to name a few. Jamie is the co-founder and director of theatre.unmasked in Dover, NH. She is overjoyed and humbled to be working with such an inspiring new play and so thrilled to bring it to life on stage. She hopes you enjoy this unique and challenging theatre experience as much as she has. She would like to thank her loving family for supporting her as she continues to be a theatre-maker while also being a mom and wife. Also, a huge thank you to the audience for coming to support local theatre!

Donna M. Goldfarb (QUEEN ELIZABETH I) is thrilled to be “live on stage” again and working with Don Tongue and Jamie Clavet. Donna has won several NH Theatre Awards: Best Actress, Community Theatre (Cassandra, A New Sunrise); Best Actress, Professional Theatre (Fraulein Schneider, Cabaret), and Best Actress (Bubbe, Crossing Delancey). An actress/singer, Donna traveled with Nebraska Theatre Caravan’s A Christmas Carol in the Midwest, and has played onstage professionally at the Round Barn Theatre, the Winnipesaukee Playhouse, Seacoast Repertory Theatre, Cortland Repertory Theatre, Fort Salem Theatre, Prescott Park, and Theater Kapow. As Queen Elizabeth I, may she convince you of her talent.

Katie Makem-Boucher (GRACE O'MALLEY) is honored to be a part of this production and excited to be on stage with New World Theater for the first time.. Thank you to Jamie, David and Donald for the opportunity. Favorite Roles include Sr. Robert Anne in Nunsense, Truvy in Steel Magnolias, and Mama in Night Mother. She would like to thank her fellow cast members and all of the incredible crew for making this journey a fun one. She would also like to thank you, the audience for supporting live theater. Much gratitude to her family for their unending love and support without which, none of this would be possible.

Finally, she would like to dedicate her performance in this production to her father. He was an actor as well as a singer and he would be pleased as punch that she is bringing Grace O’Malley to life on stage.

Michael Cobb (BURGHLEY) is grateful to be part of the Holy and Unruly team for his first appearance onstage in a full production in New Hampshire.  Acting credits include leading and featured roles at Trinity Repertory Company, Dallas Theatre Center, and PBS Alive TV/David Gordon Pick Up Performance Company/N.Y. Public Theater.  New Hampshire credits include performing and directing Conor McPherson’s The Good Thief (2021) presented through Broadway On Demand and truepenny arts, where he serves as Educational and Artistic Director, directing and producing Daniel MacIvor’s How It Works (2020) for truepenny at Hatbox, and directing Murder On The Nile (2018) for the Winni Players at the Winnipesaukee Playhouse.  

Michael has served as full-time faculty/coach for the National Theatre Conservatory/Denver Center Theater and University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater, among others.  Education:  Trinity Rep Conservatory, American Repertory Theater/Moscow Art Theater Institute for Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard.  More Information on Michael and truepenny arts may be found at www.truepennyarts.com.

Karielle M Silk (LADY SCOTT / MACNALLY) is a local professional actor and director. She performs with her BA in Music Theatre Performance from Plymouth State University, with a unique focus on Alexander Technique. Previous roles include: Lady Capulet, Romeo and Juliet. Leading Player, Pippin. Emily Burke, Ray of Light: a one-woman show. She is thrilled to see the world of live theatre come back to life after too many months in the dark. It truly feels like a family reunion! She would like to thank her husband and her beautiful stepson, for their tolerance of her in-home accent rehearsals and for all their love and affection. Most of all she wishes to thank the audience; without you, we literally wouldn’t be here. Bravo!

Erik Shaffer (ESSEX) is delighted to be returning to the Hatbox with New World Theatre, and returning to Holy and Unruly after having portrayed Essex in the staged reading back in 2019. Erik is no stranger to the Hatbox stage, having most recently appeared as Bob Cratchit in the Hatbox Theatre’s production of A Christmas Carol. Later this summer, he will be returning once more to portray Cinderella’s Prince/The Wolf in RGC Productions’ Into the Woods. Thank you to Donald and Jamie for the amazing opportunity to reprise this role, as well as Mom, Dad, Katie, and Trystan for their endless love and support.

Donald Tongue (BINGHAM / CONROY) is a producer, playwright, director, and actor, and is the founder and Managing Director of New World Theatre. As an actor, Donald has performed in over thirty productions in roles ranging from Judas, in Jesus Christ Superstar, to John, in David Mamet’s Oleanna. Donald is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America. donaldtongue.com

Olivia Robbins (UNBORN) is a professional dancer who began her Ballet training with Peterborough Dance Theatre at the age of 13. At 16, she continued her training under Elisa Gerasin at Great Bay Academy of Dance. For the past few years she has expanded her training at various studios and companies; Northeastern Ballet Theatre under Edra Toth, as well as Safe Haven Ballet, under Lissa Curtis. Olivia has attended various workshops under Anthony Bounphakhom at The Block Collaborative and is currently studying at UNH, where she is a member of the resident Ballet Company under the direction of Assaf Benchetrit and Susan Endrizzi. Olivia is also a company member at Safe Haven Ballet under the direction of Lissa Curtis and Heidi Putterill.  She has attended several summer intensives with Festival Ballet Providence, Northeastern Ballet Theatre, and Orlando Ballet. She's had the pleasure to learn under Vilia Putrius, Mindaugas Bauzys, Larissa Ponomarenko, and Junichi Fukuda. Olivia is excited to take part in her first play and share this unique story and life of Queen Elizabeth I.

Wyatt Brumbaugh (DUDLEY) is relatively new to the world of theatre and arts. His early experiences included doing church plays and the occasional Choir, and while he always had a passion for comedy and thought of doing stand-up or improv, his pursuit for a creative outlet eventually brought him into the world of ballet two years ago and it has become his primary focus for artistic self-expression. Though Wyatt is currently in nursing school and plans to work in pediatrics, he also aspires to pursue a performing arts career and hopes to further develop his talents in both theatre and dance. He is presently a member of the Northeastern Ballet Theatre and the UNH Dance Company and is looking forward to what's next for him in the world of creativity.

Kelsee Allan (Stage Manager) is originally from Los Angeles, California, and has a background primarily in film, voice, and musical performance. At Hatbox Theatre, she has performed as Viola in Twelfth Night (2019), as well as various roles in Macbeth (2018), and dual roles on and off stage for Fade (2019) as both actor and assistant stage manager. Other performances of note include Constance in The Three Musketeers with Nashua Theatre Guild (2018), Christine Daae in Phantom of the Opera with the Bellflower Civic Chorus (2014), and Faith Daniels in the Zillo: Rising original Star Wars audio drama fan series with Bombad Radio (2015-2019).

Jacob Zentis (Fight Director) is excited to be working with New World Theatre again after playing Daniel in their world premier production of Walter Freeman's 9/12 last Fall. He is a multidisciplinary artist who has worked all over the Northeast as an Actor, Stage Director, Fight Director, Educator, and Arts Administrator. He holds an MFA in Theatre Arts: Acting from Long Island University-Post and a BA in Theatre Arts from Dean College. He stands whole heartedly behind New World Theatre and their dedication to making sure that new works are not only heard, but fully imagined and brought to the stage. www.jacobjzentis.com

Alyssa Johnson (Show Dresser) holds a BA in Theatre from Allegheny College, where she worked as a dresser, wardrobe/makeup charge, and costume shop technician whenever she wasn't performing. In "real life" she works as a behavior technician at Ready Set Connect. She will soon be returning to school to study dramatherapy.

Joan Vick (Costume) grew up in Far Rockaway, NY, as far away from Manhattan as you can live and still take the subway. She holds a BA in Theater and Art History from SUNY at Buffalo, an MA in Theatre Arts and Communication from the University of Michigan, and an MFA from Rutgers.

Christian Arnold (Lighting/Projection) is a theatre technician based in Eliot, ME who has been an active member of the seacoast theater community for the past decade. Christian is currently the Technical Director for The Players Ring (Portsmouth, NH), Upside Arts LLC., and Atlantic Pro Wrestling. Past Lighting Design credits include Seacoast Rep. Drag Series; Shrek The Musical (PHS); Atlantic Pro Wrestling on FITE.tv, and Our Town (PAPA). Thank you to NWT for allowing me to be a part of this amazing production team.

Donald Tongue (Sound/Props) is an award-winning sound designer who has created the soundscape for numerous productions: Truth Will Spring Yuh, 2014 NH Community Theater Festival (Best Sound Design winner), Scene Changes, 2015 Leddy Center for the Performing Arts, Candid Candidate, 2016 New World Theatre. A Christmas Carol, 2016 Hatbox Theatre, Truth Will Spring Yuh, 2017 New World Theatre, When Colossus Falls, 2018 New World Theatre, and How It Works, 2020 Truepenny Arts.