THEATERLAB PRESENTS
THE MATRIARCHS
Written by Liba Vaynberg
Directed by Dina Vovsi
Originally developed with the Civilians and programmed at the Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, this THEATERLAB PRESENTS production is produced by Anna & Kitty, Inc., with generous support from the Bronx Cultural Visions Fund, ART/NY Creative Opportunity Fund, and the Venturous Theater Fund of the Tides Foundation.
It’s Shabbas. And six squabbling teenage girls at a weekly Talmud lesson negotiate snacks, sex, their souls and everything in between.
Loosely based on the underwritten women of the Torah, THE MATRIARCHS by Liba Vaynberg charts the journey of six friends as they grow up and out of the orthodoxy. This is a play about girls, gods, mothers, and other creators: for anyone and everyone who doesn’t always know what to believe in.
Performed by: Rachel Botchan, Molly Carden, Helen Cespedes, Rebecca S’manga Frank, Arielle Goldman, Anna O’Donoghue, and Frankie Placidi.
Stage Managed by: Sara Minisquero
Produced by: Anna & Kitty Inc
All actors are appearing courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association.
PERFORMANCES
RUN TIME | 100 Minutes
Wednesday Sep 10 @ 7:30pm – Preview
Thursday Sep 11 @ 7:30pm – Preview | Talkback: Agreeing To Disagree with scholar Miriam Gedwiser
Saturday Sep 13 @ 7:30pm – Preview | Talkback: Muter Rokhl & The Matriarchs with yiddishist Rokhl Kaffrisen
Sunday Sep 14 @ 3:00pm – Preview| Talkback: God & Medicine with R. Dina Najman & Dr. Sara Brubaker, OB/GYN
Monday Sep 15 @ 7:30pm – Opening Night
Wednesday, Sep 17 @ 7:30pm – Talkback: Roles & Rituals with filmmaker Leah Gottfriend, & Chelsea Garbell , & Stacey Aviva Clark
Thursday, Sep 18 @ 7:30pm – Talkback: On Writing Complicated Women with Lilith Magazine
Friday, Sep 19 @ 7:30pm
Saturday, Sep 20 @ 7:30pm – Proceeded by EVERY BODY IN THE HOUSE
Sunday, Sep 21 @ 3:00pm – Talkback : Art in Translation with director Inés Braun
Monday, Sep 22 @ 7:30pm
Wednesday, Sep 24 @ 7:30p
Thursday, Sep 25 @ 7:30pm – Talkback: Journeys To & From with author Kelsey Osgood (Author of GODSTRUCK)
Friday, Sept 26 @ 7:30pm – Talkback: Make Your Own Work with Julia Greer & Theresa Buchheister of the Privy Collective
Saturday, Sept 27 @ 7:30pm – Talkback: Life, Death, & Poetry with Rabbi Dr. Wendy Zierler (Author of Going Out With Knots)
Sunday, Sept 28 @ 3:00pm
TICKETS
All ticket tiers provide the same level of access to the performance.
Please make your purchase according to your needs.
MEET THE ARTISTS
Liba Vaynberg (Playwright)
Liba is a first generation American playwright, screenwriter, and actor. The daughter of Ukrainian and Azeri Jewish refugees, she is bilingual in English and Russian. She studied Molecular Biology at Yale before receiving her MFA at Columbia. She is currently part of the IAMA Emerging Playwrights Lab and wrote for Star City (Sony/AppleTV+), a Cold War thriller that follows an alternative history of the space race.
Liba’s recent play The Matriarchs which was selected for and developed at the Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference and developed with the Civilians R&D group. It was also a Princess Grace Finalist, Blackburn Nominee, Theater J Abramson Finalist (Top 3), Blue Ink Award Finalist, Jewish Plays Project and Premiere-Stages Semi-Finalist. Her play, The Gett, was the inaugural commission at Rattlestick with CBE, a Princess Grace Semi-Finalist, Colorado New Play Festival Selection, and reprised as part of Theater Ariel’s Salon Series. Round Table premiered at 59E59 (Times Square Chronicles 10 Best Plays of 2019, Gary Marshall Theater New Works Semi-Finalist 2018) and was reprised at Tierra Del Sol. www.libavaynberg.com
Dina Vovsi (Director)
Dina Vovsi is a New York-based director, theatermaker, and educator. Recent projects include The Blue Parts with co-creator Liba Vaynberg (2024-25 Next Stage Special Residency at The Drama League, Working Theater 5 Boroughs 1 City Commission, and 2023 NYSCA Support for Artists Grant) and River Watchers, a site-specific, journey-based play she conceived and directed on a 14-seat Langley canoe in Newtown Creek and co-created with Dan Caffrey and Jens Rasmussen (The Motor Company, 2023 Brooklyn Arts Council and Puffin Foundation Grants). She is a 2025-2026 Resident Artist at the cell for The Tusk Hunters with playwright Dan Caffrey and puppet artist Betsy Rosen, and is a co-leader of the New Georges Jam. Dina has directed and developed new work with WP Theater, The Civilians, New Georges, Working Theater, Cape Cod Theatre Project, The Orchard Project, New Dramatists, The Bushwick Starr, and more. She is a New Georges Affiliated Artist and an alum of the WP Directors’ Lab, the Roundabout Directors Group, the Mercury Store Directing Lab, the Robert Moss Directing Fellowship at Playwrights Horizons, The Civilians’ R&D Group, the Lincoln Center Directors’ Lab, and the SDC Foundation Observership. With collaborator Dan Caffrey, she is a three-time finalist for The Civilians’ Next Forever Commission with Princeton University’s High Meadows Environmental Institute and Lewis Center for the Arts. www.dinavovsi.com
Rachel Botchan (cast)
Off-Broadway: King of the Jews at Here Arts; 40 productions with the Drama Desk and Obie Award winning Pearl Theatre Co. including A Taste of Honey, Uncle Vanya, And Away We Go by Terrence McNally (world premiere), Vieux Carré, Toys in the Attic, Twelfth Night, and Richard III (Bayfield Award for Lady Anne); National Yiddish Theatre Folkbiene – The Sorceress; New Light Theatre Project: The Property; New Yiddish Rep – God of Vengeance, Di Froyen. Select Regional: Pendragon,
San Francisco Playhouse, Two River, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Milwaukee Rep., Virginia Stage, Cincinnati Playhouse, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. Rachel is an award winning audio book narrator with over 100 titles for Recorded Books. Upcoming: A Midsummer Night’s Dream Off-Broadway with the RAC at Sheen Center.
Helen Cespedes (cast)
Helen Cespedes is a New York based actor, writer, and teacher. Acting credits include Broadway: The Cripple of Inishmaan (dir. Michael Grandage). Off-Broadway: Spain (Second Stage, dir. Tyne Rafaeli), Fefu and Her Friends (TFANA, dir. Lileana Blain-Cruz), Timon of Athens (TFANA, dir. Simon Godwin), Paul Swan is Dead and Gone (Civilians, dir. Steve Cosson), The School For Scandal (Red Bull, dir. Marc Vietor), A Picture of Autumn (Mint Theater, dir. Gus Kaikkonen). Selected Regional: Williamstown, Guthrie, Old Globe, Two River, Hartford Stage, Goodman, Hudson Valley Shakespeare. Selected Film/TV: Law & Order; The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel; Search Party; The Knick. Helen wrote and starred in the short film The Decision, an official selection of the Big Apple Film Festival, Imagine This Women’s Film Festival, Tokyo International Short Film Festival, and Her Vision International Film Festival. She has taught scene study at NYU Tisch’s Experimental Theatre Wing and Playwright’s Horizons studios, guest lectured at Fordham, and is a frequent volunteer with the 52nd Street Project. After graduating magna cum laude from Barnard College with a BA in Comparative Literature, Helen trained at The Juilliard School where she received the John Houseman Prize.
Molly Carden (cast)
New York: Amerikin (Primary Stages), Emotional Creature (Signature Theatre), Please Continue (Ensemble Studio Theater), How To Live On Earth (Colt Coeur), Cherry Smoke (Working Theater), Downtown Race Riot (Powerhouse Theater/NYSAF). Regional includes: Midwives (George Street Playhouse), The Carpenter (Alley Theatre), Translations (Studio Theatre), Frankenstein (Denver Center), Emotional Creature (Berkeley Rep), Indecent (Weston Playhouse). Her solo show, I Came Back For Molly, at NYSAF, the TANK and Durango Playfest. Film: Thunderbolts (Marvel), Motherland (MPI Original Films). Proud member of EST, Colt Coeur and the 52nd St. Project. B.F.A. from UNCSA.
Rebecca S’manga Frank (cast)
Arielle Goldman (cast)
Arielle Goldman is an award winning actress, filmmaker and writer. She is currently in post-production for her third directorial film, Hungry Hearts, and was recently seen originating the role of Izzy in the world premier production of Birthright by Jonathan Spector at Miami New Drama. Her multi award winning short film Kiss My Ass, a pro-abortion Yiddish ghost story, screened at Brooklyn Short Film Festival, Bushwick Film Festival, Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival, Boston Jewish Film Festival, New Filmmakers LA,Through Women’s Eyes Int’l Film Festival & can be found on FilmShortage. Her previous film Day One screened at Nitehawk Shorts Festival, The Future of Film is Female, NoBudge and NY Lift-Off. She leads Cristina Spina’s award winning film Consider the Lilies for which she won Best Actress at NY Women in Film. Arielle can be seen playing Mara in Sarah Baskin’s upcoming dark comedy film I Want To Go To Moscow, currently making its festival run. She can be heard alongside Dame Helen Mirren and Dominic Monighan, voicing the role of Irene Adler for the Audible Original series Moriarty: The Silent Order. Theater includes: Let’s Call Her Patty alongside Rhea Perlman and Leslie Kritzer (Lincoln Center), The Bookstore (NJ Rep, Upcoming 59E59 Winter 2026), world premier of The Pianist adapted by Emily Mann (George Street Playhouse), Sarah Treem’s The How & The Why directed by Austin Pendelton, Embrace Plays (Pregones PRTT), Lewiston (Long Wharf), The Long Christmas Dinner (Lincoln Center/ASO), The Romeo & Juliet Project (Chautauqua). For Television: The Knick (as Genevieve Everidge) directed by Steven Soderbergh, Fishkill (as Bathsheva) directed by Bob Balaban & The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (as Eliana) directed by Amy Sherman-Palladino. Arielle holds her MFA from the NYU Tisch Graduate Acting program and her BFA from The University of Michigan. Proud volunteer at the 52nd Street Project in NYC and former artist in residence at KulturFactory Domicella. For the Matriarchs! www.
Anna O’Donoghue (cast)
Anna O’Donoghue is delighted and honored to be a member of The Matriarchs‘ cast, after participating in the play’s development with the Civilians and at the O’Neill Festival. Other credits include: Rock ‘n Roll by Tom Stoppard (Broadway, dir. Trevor Nunn), The Way West (Labyrinth Co.), I Wanna F*ing Tear You Apart (The Studio Theatre; Helen Hayes Award nomination); Alabama Story (St. Louis Rep); Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You (Berkshire Theatre Group); Sweat (Northern Stage); Lungs & Incognito (Shaker Bridge Theatre); Eurydice in Eurydice (Second Stage); Annie Sullivan in The Miracle Worker (Syracuse Stage); Mary in Mary’s Wedding (Weston Playhouse); Poetic License (NJ Rep); Confluence (Guthrie); The Piven Monologues (The Public). Film/tv/new media: Dickinson (Apple TV); Nevada Tan (Audible); Funny Bunny (SxSW); Adult Ed (Tribeca Film Festival); All the Little Things We Kill, and others. A lover of new work, Anna has developed plays at Playwrights Horizons; The Huntington; Sundance Lab; MCC; Fault Line Theatre; NYTW; Barrington Stage; Roundhouse Theatre; PlayPenn; The O’Neill; P73; Seven Devils; the Inge Festival; New Dramatists; New Georges; the Jewish Plays Projects; The Civilians; and others. She is the Literary Manager & Artistic Producer of the American Playwriting Foundation’s Relentless Award, the largest monetary prize with an open submission process for new American plays and musicals, and a graduate of the Juilliard School.
Frankie Placidi (cast)
Frankie (she/her) is a Brooklyn-based actor, writer, animal lover, & enthusiast of all things paranormal. Recent theater credits include I’m Repeating Myself (The Brick), A Necessary Killing (Clubbed Thumb Winterworks), The 12 Chairs (Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference), Exploring the Sources (New Georges), and various readings & workshops. She is a resident actor with Mercury Store. @frankieplacidi; www.
Cate McCrea (Scenic Designer)
Cate McCrea is a scenographer specializing in collaborative development of new works. Her designs are inspired by and drawn from craft techniques, recycled materials, and archival collections. You can find her at the library, or in the littoral zone. Upcoming onstage: OHIO by the Bengsons at Edinburgh Fringe and London’s Young Vic. Recent off-Broadway: The Keep Going Songs (LCT3), The Good John Proctor (Bedlam), Corsicana (Playwrights Horizons, co-design with Lael Jellinek). Other work at Harlem Stage, The Kitchen, Danspace Project, the Brick, New Ohio Theatre, the Tank; and with The Acting Company, Little Opera Theatre of New York, and the Drama League. Cate is a member of the New Georges Jam, a New Jersey native, and a member of USA 829.
Leslie Lura-Smith (Lighting Designer)
(she/her/hers) is a New York City-based lighting designer. She regularly designs with Pan Asian Repertory, Post Theatre Company, Muhlenberg College, and Juilliard Dance. Leslie has also collaborated as associate lighting designer at Manhattan Theatre Club, Lincoln Center Theatre, Pearl Theatre Co., and National Yiddish Theatre Folksbeine; and toured internationally with Imago Theatre. In addition to live performance, Leslie has designed lighting for flagship window displays, including Ralph Lauren, and assisted with Tiffany and Co. She teaches lighting design and stagecraft at The Juilliard School Dance Division. B.A. Lewis and Clark College; M.F.A in Design for Stage and Film NYU Tisch. www.leslielurasmith.com
Grace Oberhofer (Sound Designer)
Grace Oberhofer is a Tacoma,WA native and a Tufts graduate who works as composer, performer, sound designer, and educator. Compositional works include the ICONS/IDOLS choral play series with Helen Banner, Hot Cross Buns with Julia Izumi, Color of Things with Lisa Mongillo, and A Doll’s House: A New Opera and Dear Ruth with Allison Benko. Recently, she was seen singing on tour with her pals Geese, opening for Jack White, and behind the scenes on Madonna’s Celebration Tour.
Johanna Pan (Costume Designer)
Johanna is a Costume and sometimes Scenic designer for Theatre, Film, Dance and Opera, a textile and visual artist. They first discovered theatrical design while competing in the creative thinking competition Odyssey of the Mind and has never looked back. Johanna’s artistic practice is centered around decolonizing the imagination, breaking down the notions of feminized labor, and anti-racism. They continue to harbor hope for a more sustainable humankind in the face of adversity. BFA:Ithaca College, MFA: NYU/TISCH, @jpandesign
Jiaying Zhang (Props Designer)
JIAYING ZHANG (Erica) (Props Designer) is a New York-based set designer whose work explores alternative storytelling forms and new ways to shape theatrical language. She is drawn to the energy of bodies in space, the sculpting of atmosphere, and the interweaving of visual and emotional worlds. Recent design credits include A(U)NTS! (The Brick), Le Nozze di Figaro (The Juilliard School), and {IN}TANGIBLE (Theatre Row). Recent associate design credits include Vanessa (Williamstown Theatre Festival), Giulio Cesare (Hudson Hall, New York) and Eurydice (Boston Lyric Opera). She is currently co-designing Working Girl with Christine Jones and Brett Banakis as part of the collective AMP, and collaborating with R.B. Schlather on Rodelinda at Santa Fe Opera, and Die Zauberflöte at Rice University. /// www.jiayingzhang.com ///
Sara Minisquero (Stage Manager)
Recent works include The Goddamn Tooney Lunes (Rat Queen @ Ars Nova) and Bowie:80 (Michael T @ Joe’s Pub). Sara is a recent graduate of the Professional Apprenticeship Program in Stage Management at Juilliard. Formerly, Sara was the Out Like That! festival’s Production Tech Coordinator at BAAD! Bronx, and was show caller for Arthur Avilés’s career retrospective, The Naked Vanguard at La Mama. @lilhobbitsara
Jeron Dooling (Assistant Stage Manager)
Jeron Dooling (She/Her) is a Trans Writer, Director, and Opera Stage Manager originally from Tampa, Florida. She moved to Bushwick, Brooklyn to participate in the 2024-2025 Juilliard Professional Apprenticeship Program where she was on the Stage Management teams for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolfe?, The Turn of the Screw, The Future Stages Festival, An Absolute Turkey, and the Inaugural Juilliard Risk Lab. Credits include CSM: St. Petersburg Opera; Alcina, Turandot, Lucia Di Lammermoor. Opera Omaha; Suor Angelica, X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X. ASM: Opera Omaha; El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego, Le Nozze di Figaro. Opera Parallèle; The Shining. Opera in Williamsburg; Die Fledermaus. Gulfshore Opera; Don Giovanni.
Kaelin Elizabeth Fuld (Production Manager)
Kaelin is a born and raised New Yorker and has been working primarily as a stage manager, often in tandem as a production manager, in the city for over six years now. Her credits range from educational programs such as the Waterwell Drama Program and Applause Theatrical Workshops to off-off Broadway productions and workshops of original works. She is thankful for the opportunity to collaborate with so many women and nonbinary folks and for the warm welcome from the entire company! This one and all the rest are for Dad. Learn more or get in touch at KaelinElizabethFuld.com
Grace Cutler (Assistant Director)
Grace Cutler (she/her) is a New York based director and associate director. Directing credits include the first production of Idawalley, and pieces with Out/Play NY, Warp and Weft Co. and PlayGround NY. Associate/Assistant Director credits include Machinal (New York City Center), Lucky Us (Michael Greif), Avalona, Bent (The Barrow Group), Merchant of Venice and Our Class (Classic Stage Company), August Rush (The Orchard Project), Edge of the World (Classic Stage Company), Thirst (Lyric Stage Company), and POTUS (SpeakEasy Stage Company). She has extensive experience with general management and producing operations for Broadway productions and concerts including Our Town, Suffs, Sunset Blvd, Romeo + Juliet, and Cabaret through her work with SAMS Entertainment, The Orchard Project, and 101 Productions Ltd. She most recently worked on Hello Dolly in Concert at Carnegie Hall and the 50th Anniversary of A Chorus Line at The Shubert. https://www.gracecutler.com/
COVID-19 policy: In guidance with the city and state COVID-19 policies, we will no longer be requiring masks, but strongly recommend them.