MASTICATE, New Dark Comedy by Madison Fargo, to Have World Premiere
The cast includes Isabel Bustamante, Maya Claridge, Khalil Crawford, Chris DeSantis, and Matthew Hays.
Set in an East Coast restaurant, Madison Fargo's new dark comedy, Masticate, blends biting workplace comedy with compelling human drama as the relentless pace of the food service industry becomes a pressure cooker for a group of workers grappling with loneliness, ambition, trauma, and identity. Masticate makes its world premiere at The Players Theatre (The Steve & Marie Sgouros Theatre), running August 6-23. The production is directed by Kristen Kelso.
The fragile ecosystem of a casual dining establishment gets turned on its head by the arrival of a strange new waitress. As pressures arise, chaos becomes inevitable in this dark comedy about rage, desire and providing stellar customer service as the world collapses in on itself.
The cast features Isabel Bustamante, Maya Claridge, Khalil Crawford, Chris DeSantis, Matthew Hays, Jenna Janet, and Olivia Murphy.
The creative/production team includes Noah Fowler (sound), Dylan Villaverde Martinez (lights), Niqo Torrez (costumes) and Arkadia Theatre Company (set). Produced by Out of Order Collective, Madison Fargo, Matthew Hays, and Lukas T. Woodyard.
Masticate runs from August 6 to August 23, with performances Thursday - Saturday at 7pm and Sundays at 3pm. Running time: 90 minutes. The Sgouros Theater (at The Players Theatre), 115 MacDougal St, NYC 10012. Please note there is no elevator, two flights of stairs. Tickets are $55 (fees included) and are available here.
Madison Fargo (playwright) is an NYC born and based writer, producer and filmmaker. She has a BFA in playwriting from The Theatre School at DePaul University in Chicago (Class of 2019). She is a two time Terence McNally semi finalist (Tiny Dead Things, WOMB) and an Ojai New Play Conference semi finalist (WOMB). Her plays Good Samaritans and WOMB were produced at The Tank in the last year, and other short works have been seen at The Rat, The Brick, and more. She is the co-founder of Out of Order, a multi media arts collective dedicated to telling stories that will make your jaw drop. www.instagram.com/madison_fargo
Kristen Kelso (director)is a multi-faceted theatre artist splitting her time between Savannah and New York. Her directing work has been seen at New Perspectives Theatre Company, The Chain, The Gene Frankel, Edinburgh Fringe, Shakespeare Dallas, Dallas Theatre Center, and Asbury Memorial Theatre, among others. In Savannah, she helmed a new production of the musical The Story of My Life, performed by two actors living with Parkinson's, raising over $20k to support both the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research and The Storykeeping Program at Savannah Hospice. In New York, she has been a resident director/dramaturg with New Perspectives Theatre Company since 2025 and currently serves as the Program Manager for their Women's Work Short Play LAB. She is an alum of the Mercury Store Directing Technique Program. She has a BFA in Theatre Studies from SMU. She also holds an MA in Literary Translation from UTD and an MA in Performance Studies from NYU. www.kristenkelso.com
Out of Order Collective (Production Company) A collective disorganization. A connective disambiguation. Stories that make your jaw drop. Obtuse and a little rude, we make accessible art and build community. Shows you can afford, about the things nobody says out loud. www.outoforder.nyc
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