TLAB SHARES HOSTS
MUGS WITHOUT PEOPLE
by Sam Bell
directed by Olivia Facini
After quitting their jobs, work friends Melanie and Stanley don’t know what to do next. Stanley decides to return to his mother’s womb before giving adulthood another try – when Melanie pays him a visit, the pair begin to plan their next chapter from the moist security of a second gestation.
This is a comedy about escape through imagination – it’s a play that follows the winding, absurd threads of each person’s private fantasy, morphing with its characters as they take turns trying to imagine new worlds for themselves in the wake of a shattered status quo.
PERFORMANCES
Thursday, July 9th @ 7:30 PM
Friday, July 10th @ 7:30 PM
Saturday, July 11th @ 3:00PM
Saturday, July 11th @ 7:30PM
Sunday, July 12th @ 3:00 PM
TICKETS
Support Adventurous Theater: $90.00 ($99.90 with fees)
Help Us Break Even!: $45.00 ($49.95 with fees)
Standard: $27.00 ($29.97 with fees) Use Code FIRSTFOUR for $10 off (limited to 4 tickets per performance)
MEET THE TEAM
SAM BELL (Playwright)
Sam is a writer from Rhode Island. At the Wythe Hotel, he provides food, beverage, and A/V support for intimate corporate meetings and executive retreats. Other skills include: classic cocktails; fast learner; friendly, warm communicator; accustomed to working in fast-paced environments. He is thrilled to work with this team, and is grateful to Theaterlab for the chance to do this play.
EMMA CALLAHAN (Libby & Deborah)
Emma Callahan is a performer, writer, & video artist raised in Brooklyn, New York. They’ve performed at venues like La Mama ETC, The Bell House, Union Hall, Littlefield, Life World, Pageant, Nightclub 101, and a random basement in an Opera house in Bushwick. Recent credits include 108 Notes (Rough Draft Festival), Caretake of Her (Loading Dock Theater), High and Scared (Performance Space NY), AMA (Target Margin Theater). They’ve helped develop work as an actor with TMT, Ensemble Studio Theater, Ma-Yi Theater Company and Irish Repertory Theater. When they were very small, they were named “The Funniest High School Comedy Writer” by NPR’s Studio 360/BJ Novak.
CHERYLE CHONG (Dominique)
Cheryle Chong is an NYC-based actress who is excited to be a part of Mugs Without People. She has previously trained with Fiasco Theater at NYU and has made appearances in productions downtown and with Yale Cabaret. Other previous credits include: Henry IV Parts I & II (Lady Percy), Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play (Jenny/Marge), The Crucible (Ann Putnam/Danforth), The Heidi Chronicles (Fran/Molly/Betsy/April). She is grateful for the opportunity to act alongside this wonderful cast, to Sam and Olivia, and to her community for their support!
LEO EGGER (Stanley)
Leo Egger is a director, playwright, and very occasionally, an actor. Born and raised in Durham, NC, Leo studied at Durham School of the Arts and Yale University. Learn more about his work at enoriverplayers.org.
OLIVIA FACINI (Director)
Olivia Facini is a New York-based director, producer, and playwright. She has worked with large theater institutions, smaller ensembles, and freelance artists, including 600 HIGHWAYMEN, Atlantic Theater Company, Audible x Together, Clubbed Thumb, Mercury Store, New Georges, Talking Band, The 24 Hour Plays, Williamstown Theatre Festival, and others. Olivia also co-runs The Hearth, a theater company dedicated to supporting emerging artists of underrepresented genders. She’s proud to have received a New York State Assembly Citation for her contributions to arts activism. oliviafacini.com
XUEWEI “EVA” HU (Lighting Designer)
Xuewei (Eva) Hu is a New York City-based lighting designer. Originally from China, Xuewei brings a global perspective to her artistry. Inspired by the boundless possibilities of light, she enjoys weaving the poetic nature of light into authentic narratives, enriching the human experience with storytelling, and sparking curiosity to explore the world that impacts us all. Selected credits include: Real Women Have Curves (Bristol Riverside Theatre), Eureka Day (City Theatre Company), Birthday Candles (City Theatre Company), Into The Woods (Ocala Civic Theatre), and Donald Barthelme Humors You (Theaterlab). Learn more of her work at xueweihu.com.
LAUREN SERAFICA (Graphic Designer)
Lauren Serafica is a multidisciplinary designer based in Brooklyn whose work spans immersive media, projection, graphic and website design. She cares deeply about the transformation of art institutions as places of both visual experimentation and accessibility. Her work has been featured at Eleusis Festival, Brooklyn Art Haus, ANT Fest, Chain Theater, Exponential Festival, Gestating Baby, LPAC’s Rough Draft Festival, and has been supported by institutions such as Frayed Knot Collective, Ars Nova, Synecdoche Works, and The Brick. laurenseraficadesign.com
OMAR SHAFIUZZAMAN (Dominic)
Omar Shafiuzzaman is pleased to be part of Mugs Without People, a surreal comedy in which reality appears to be managing poorly. Many thanks to Sam, Olivia, and the whole team. Film/TV: “Law & Order,” “The Equalizer,” “CIA.” Theater: Elyria at Atlantic Theater Company; Henry V & Love’s Labor’s Lost at Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival; Practice at Playwrights Horizons. Training: Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Instagram: @omar.shafiuzzaman
ROSE TABLIZO (Production Stage Manager)
Rose Tablizo [he/they] is a Writer, Stage Manager, and Performer based in Brooklyn, NY. He specializes in musical theatre, devised performance, and community based creation. Recent Stage Management Credits include: UnRavelled at the Wallis Annenberg Center, Caroline at MCC Theatre, Well, I’ll Let You Go at The Space at Irondale. He also produces and hosts T4T, Brooklyn’s first all-trans comedy show, which recently celebrated its 4th anniversary.
MILO TUCKER-MEYER (Jeff)
Milo Tucker-Meyer is an artist living in New York City—the home of rhythm and blues.
ROBIN VIRGINIE (Melanie)
Robin Virginie (she/her) is a Curaçaoan-Dutch theatre artist. She has been an ensemble member of the New York Neo-Futurists and their ever-changing theatrical experiment, The Infinite Wrench, since 2018. Performance credits include 45 Plays for America’s First Ladies (NY Times Critic’s Pick), The Burdens (Miles Square Theatre), A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Into The Woods, The 25th Annual…Spelling Bee (Redhouse Arts Center), Alexander …Very Bad Day (US national tour), and Spring Awakening (Original Dutch Cast). As a voice actor, she can be heard in various projects for Nickelodeon, Disney, Netflix, et al. Robin is a faculty member of The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute. www.robinvirginie.info
COVID-19 policy: In guidance with the city and state COVID-19 policies, we will no longer be requiring masks, but strongly recommend them.