HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANGEL, DEAREST
written by Javier Rivera DeBruin
directed by Janelle Zapata Castellano
sound design by Rachel Brees
musical guest Miss Olithea
Happy Birthday Angel Dearest is a commission of the Radio Roots Writers’ Group
FEATURING
Angel................................................................................Dariel Angeles
Girlie............................................................................Tori Ashley Matos
Johnny the Pirate/Mr. Quinn.............................................Daniel A Drew
Juno.....................................................................................Tanya Perez
Lalo........................................................................................Mel Nieves
Uncle Bobby...................................................................Danny Newman
Javier Rivera DeBruin (they/them) | is a playwright and impact producer whose work explores queerness, gender, race, diaspora, and family. Their play Luciérnagas was a NY Times Critic’s Pick during its World Premiere with National Queer Theater at the 14th St Y and is streaming as part of season 5 of The Parsnip Ship podcast. Luciérnagas was a semifinalist for the 2019 New Dramatists Princess Grace Award. Javi is a co-writer on a six-part podcast play This Is Whiere We Go (MCC Theater/The Parsnip Ship) and a member of the Parsnip Ship’s inaugural Radio Roots Writers Group where their play Happy Birthday Angel Dearest will stream soon. As an Impact Producer they have helped develop community engagement strategies with award-winning documentaries including Disclosure (Netflix), Philly D.A. (PBS/Topic), Trans In Trumpland (Topic), Bedlam (PBS), and Roll Red Roll (Netflix). jriveradebruin.com
Janelle Zapata Castellano (she/her) | is a Producer, Director, and Arts Administrator. She is the Co-Artistic Director of Step1 Theatre Project. Her work has been seen at Rutgers-NJIT, the Kraine, and Joe's Pub. Boriqua af, she actively works towards creating a theatrical landscape that is culturally competent, consent forward, and trauma informed. Talk to her about how to implement these concepts into your artistic practice! step1theatre.org
Rachel Brees (she/her) | is a Twin Cities-based sound designer and audio engineer. Her recent credits include Minnesota Opera, The Playwright's Center, Pillsbury House and Theatre, Ten Thousand Things, Open Eye Figure Theatre, and Minnesota Public Radio. She also is a Post Production Associate Producer for Brains On! She holds a B.A. in Theatre Arts and Music from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. rachelannebrees.com
Miss Olithea (she/her) | is a singer songwriter and over all creative human. She performs all over the Tri-state area in a variety of ways. When she isn't performing this ming, she is teaching voice lessons as well as electronic looping on analog controllers. Her music can be found on all streaming services. missolithea.com
Dariel Angeles (she/her) | is a theatre artist based in New Jersey whose main focus is directing. She has worked in art spaces all around New Jersey, including assistant costume design on Macbeth at Two River Theatre, assistant directing The Wedding Singer at the Bergdorf Performing Arts Center, and working as a Program Assistant at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark. She is currently getting her BA in Theatre Arts and Technology at NJIT with a double major in Communications and Media Studies.
Tori Ashley Matos (they/them) | is a poet and actor from Queens, NY. They have a BFA in Theatre from NYU and they’re currently working on their MFA in Creative Writing. Follow them on Instagram @toriashleymatos for updates on their work.
Daniel A Drew (he/him) | is thrilled to be joining this cast! He is an actor/singer/dancer from Newark, NJ. He has toured nationally with Rhythm in the Night, Tony Kenny, and the Celtic Angels (principal dancer/choreographer). Other credits include Jesus Christ Superstar (Jesus), Memphis! (Huey), and South Pacific (Cable). danieldrewjr.com
Tanya Perez (she/her) | is a New York performer, writer & filmmaker. Perez has excelled as a creator on both stage and screen and her stand-out work has received many awards and mentions globally. She has appeared on several series like Evil, Orange Is the New Black & Jessica Jones. Stage credits include performances at Laguna Playhouse, Seattle Rep, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and touring throughout Italy. Her solo show Welcome to Clowntown just recently ran as The Tank's Core Production this Spring to critical acclaim. SAGAFTRA & AEA proud. tanyaperez.nyc
Mel Nieves (he/him) | is a New York based Actor-Playwright-Arts educator. He is a member of the award winning LAByrinth Theater Company. His plays Prospect Avenue; The Spirit, The Body & The Blood; Full Moon Inside a Red Sky; In Da Boogie Down are published by Next Stage Press. IMDb. New Play Exchange.
Danny Newman (he/him) | has appeared in numerous off-off Broadway and regional theatrical productions. He has narrated a range of audiobooks, from childrens’, to poetry, and epic fantasy. You might have heard him as a featured player in other narrative podcasts, or on the radio (if you live in the Detroit area anyway). Selected theatrical credits include: Detestable Arts (Greenwood Lake Theatre Co.), Life is Like (PortFringe Festival), Exploring Modern Myth Parts 1 & 2 (Skeleton Rep), One Two Three & Machinal (Shellscrape). You can find more of him on Audible, wherever you listen to podcasts, and at danny-newman.com
Lauren Jackson (she/her) | is an Equity Stage Manager based in New York. Most recently, Lauren was the Production Stage Manager on Smart at Ensemble Studio Theatre. Other credits include Assistant Stage Manager on: Only Gold (MCC Theater), A Kid Like Rishi (Origin Theatre), and What You Are Now (Ensemble Studio Theatre). laurennicolejackson.com
Prince Kofi Bawuah (he/him) | is a sound designer and technician who comes to us from New Jersey. A recent graduate of Montclair State University with a major in theater production, his recent credits include Ain’t Misbehavin’ (The Encore), Come Apart (The Tank NYC), As You Like It (MSU Memorial Auditorium), The Names We Gave Him (MSU Memorial Auditorium), Head Over Heels (Alexander Kasser Theater), and Grease (Axelrod Performing Arts Center).
The Parsnip Ship created the Radio Roots Writers' Group in 2019 to support dynamic playwrights interested in re-engaging with playwriting through audio-focused storytelling. Much like all programming on The Parsnip Ship’s platform, Radio Roots seeks to cultivate distinct new theater artists by providing resources for the development of innovative and accessible stories for radio drama. We empower our playwrights to explore the capacities of radio drama and re-define the sound of their stories. After three years of development and pandemic delays, Javier Rivera DeBruin's Happy Birthday Angel Dearest is the third presentation of work from the inaugural cohort.
THE PARSNIP SHIP CREW
Artistic Director + Host Iyvon E. (she/her)
Managing Director Katy Donnelly (she/her)
Associate Artistic Director Al Parker (they/them)
Digital Operations Director Todd Kirkland (he/him)
Special Projects Director Jesse Manning (he/him)
Development & Marketing Coordinator Olivia DiPasquale (she/her)
Sound Engineer/Editor Luke DiCola (he/him)
Stage Manager Lauren Jackson (she/her)
Sound Operator Prince Kofi Bawuah (he/him)
RADIO ROOTS WRITERS’ GROUP
Dramaturg Gabriella Steinberg (she/her)
Sonic Dramaturg Espii Sadah Proctor (she/her)
Coordinator & Writers’ Room Facilitator Al Parker (they/them)
Writers’ Room Facilitator Iyvon E. (she/her)
Writers Amara Brady (she/her), Javier Rivera DeBruin (they/them),
Gina Femia, and Nina Ki (xe/she/they)
The Parsnip Ship is produced with Business Lunch Productions.
Thank you to The Entertainment Community Fund, Music Attic, Chad Lindsey, Ashley Theagene, Broderick Ballantyne, Kenia Munguia, Bryan Joseph Lee, Abby Armstrong, JJ El-Far, our subscribers, our collaborators, and our audience!
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