WHAT SURVIVES World Premiere Set for Hollywood Fringe Festival

What Survives will come to The Broadwater (Second Stage) in June. Performances will run June 6-26, 2026.

When 10-year-old Isabella is kidnapped by ICE, the community struggles to reconcile today's world with a world they once knew. Told in a series of poignant and humorous vignettes, What Survives speaks to what it means to be human in 2026. From award-winning writer-director-producer Rachael Meyers and featuring Broadway veteran and Drama Desk Nominee Carolyn Mignini, this provocative world premiere one-act explores identity, trust, and the importance of connection in the face of injustice.WHAT:

This production is being presented under the auspices of the Actors' Equity Association Los Angeles Self-Produced Project Code.

About the Play

10-year-old Isabella was abducted by ICE from her elementary school and is nowhere to be found. While her distraught father confronts a prudent principal, stressed high schoolers meet cute over online gaming; strangers in a hospital find solace in unexpected connection; confused spouses struggle to reconcile opposing beliefs; and wearied longtime friends and veterans reunite over fireworks. Told through a series of vignettes, these seemingly disparate stories converge as the magnitude of Isabella's abduction exposes fissures and kinship within the community. Full of wit, power, and a whole lot of heart, What Survives grapples with what it means to be human in 2026 and reminds us we are far more alike than we seem.

"What Survives was birthed out of my emotional vexation with what's going on in the world right now, and the daily collision of feeling all at once entirely helpless and vehemently driven to create change," says Meyers. "It's the most fearless piece I've written. I'm incredibly honored to have such a talented cast and crew behind it, bringing it to life."

Producer Heather Shields adds, "With a stellar cast and brilliant team bringing this phenomenal script to life, What Survives is a timely, poignant story that will have you laughing and leave you thinking deeply about what it means to be in community, to be alive, and to survive in today's climate. This is exactly the kind of theatre I've always wanted to create so it is truly a privilege to be a part of this project, and I'm incredibly grateful Rachael trusted me to help realize it."

The cast will feature Drama Desk Nominee Carolyn Mignini as Alice, Emoria Weidner as Willow, Randy Gonzalez as Eduardo, Steve Fite as Calvin, Rachael Meyers as Julie, Greg Mathis Jr. as Gabriel, Shereen Khan as Masoumeh, Homie Doroodian as Naser, Sarahbeth Zohrehvand as Kat, and Shariffe Rahming as Lucas.

The design team includes costume design by NAACP Theatre Award recipient Mylette Nora, and props and graphic design by Kristen Maloney. Angelica Estevez will serve as stage manager, and Robert Zambrano as assistant stage manager.

About the Creative Team

Producer, Director, Writer, & Actress: Rachael Meyers is an award-winning director, writer, producer and actress. Meyers began directing and producing theatre in Colorado, before moving to LA and broadening her scope to film and television. As a filmmaker, she's tackled a range of genres from high concept to character-driven, garnering over 15 awards internationally under her company RM Productions. Her LGBTQ+ short Zoe + Ari toured 30+ festivals, won 4 awards and screened at the 2018 Cannes Court Métrage. In 2025, her debut one-act, Mister Snow, won Best Writing and Top of the Festival at the 30 Minutes or Less Festival. As an actress, select credits include: TV: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Veronica Mars, Champions, and All Rise. REGIONAL STAGE: Venus in Fur, Let Me In (world premiere), and FAMOUS (world premiere). A multidisciplinary powerhouse, Meyers blends humor, depth, and originality across her work, and is currently developing multiple features and a sci-fi film/book trilogy.

Producer: Heather Shields is a producer and multidisciplinary artist whose work as an actor, award-winning dancer, and painter spans theatre, film, and television. Her production company, Wild Heather Productions, prioritizes works that emphasize social justice with the goal of using art as a vehicle for creating meaningful change. Upcoming projects include a full-length play and a feature film. As an actor, Heather has appeared on CBS All Access, HBO, and South Coast Repertory's Segerstrom Stage. Recent credits include a lead in NAACP-nominated director Nicole G. Leier's upcoming horror film, "Bodies Hit the Floor," and her paintings can be seen in Latinas Acting Up's first short, "La Luz." She trained with the Joffrey Ballet School and American Ballet Theatre and served as Broadway choreographer Andrew Palermo's dance captain for his world premiere, NICKEL MINES. She also conducts theoretical research in psychology and enjoys playing poker.

Costume Designer: Mylette Nora designs costumes for film, TV, stage, and music videos. She is the esteemed recipient of an NAACP Theatre Award and the prestigious Ovation Award for Best Costumes. Her designs have been seen at numerous theaters and theater companies in Los Angeles including the Kirk Douglas Theatre, Geffen Playhouse, and LATC. LA: August Wilson's King Hedley II, Radio Golf, and Seven Guitars; Shay Youngblood's Shakin' the Mess Outta Misery; Matt Donnelly and Jamelle Dolphin's Recorded in Hollywood; Katori Hall's The Mountaintop; and Boni B. Alvarez's Bloodletting. Off-Broadway: Karen Abercrombie's Ciao Bella and Mark Wilding's Our Man In Santiago. Film: All American Family and Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story. Mylette worked for thirteen years in television on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Prop Master & Graphic Designer: Kristen Maloney  is an alumnus of Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts and has been working in studio feature art departments since 2011. Her credits include films such as Tron: Ares, Haunted Mansion, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Gone Girl, The King's Man, and Saving Mr. Banks. She has been a member of the Art Directors Guild since 2017.

About the Cast:

Carolyn Mignini: Carolyn Mignini has spent her professional life as an actress and singer. Most recently, the 2025 premier of The Reservoir at The Geffen Playhouse & the Broadway revival of The Rose Tattoo. Highlights: a Drama Desk Nomination for Tintypes, performing on the TONY Awards & Kennedy Center Honors, Chris Durang's Sister Mary Ignatius... & Master Class by Terrence McNally. Some recent TV: Three seasons on The Deuce for HBO, Showtime's Escape At Dannemora, The Lincoln Lawyer & Culprit, an indie thriller on Amazon. Long a member of Ensemble Studio Theatre, Carolyn loves new work, so it's a joy to be part of this year's Fringe Festival with this beautiful play.

Emoria Weidner: Emoria Weidner  is a theatre actor, teaching artist, director, and producer. She has over 15 years experience of professionally teaching, performing, and directing classical and modern theatre. She is also an out and proud trans woman, and the author of the trans coming-of-age novel, Aftertaste. The first edition of the novel can be found free online, linked to her socials, and an expanded print version is in the works. Readers of Aftertaste have called it "Incredibly powerful", "By turns delightful, harrowing, dizzying, silly, savage, heartbreaking, and strangely hopeful", "Beautiful, sharp, and painful... among the best pieces of trans fiction around", and multiple readers have called it "the best book I've ever read." If you're trans, you have to live. Trans rights are human rights.

Randy Gonzalez: Randy Alexander Gonzalez is a dynamic American actor known for bringing depth and raw intensity to complex characters across film and television. He can be recognized for his performance as Santos Jimenez in the Showtime series Dexter: Original Sin and currently appears in a recurring role on the CBS drama Matlock. A native of Miami, Florida, Gonzalez's unique path to the screen began in the underground music scene, where he toured internationally as a hardcore punk guitarist. This background informs the gritty energy he brings to collaborations with visionary filmmakers, including roles in Ang Lee's Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk and the Netflix series Bloodline.

Steve Fite: Steve Fite, from St. Louis, Missouri, is an avid poker player and plays guitar and banjo in whatever band will have him. He's been an actor for as long as he can remember and continues to do projects large and small, on set and on stage. He thanks the wonderful cast and crew of What Survives. You can find him on Instagram @stevefite

Greg Mathis Jr.: Greg Mathis Jr. is a Los Angeles-based actor working across film, television, and theater. His credits include Fighting to Be Me: The Dwen Curry Story (Paramount+), Whatever, Ever After (Prime Video), and Don't Judge Me. A former political staffer in Washington, D.C., Greg transitioned into acting after nearly a decade in public service, bringing a strong interest in socially grounded and emotionally complex storytelling to his work. He has trained at Tasha Smith Actors Workshop, Richard Lawson Studios, and Margie Haber Studio, and is a member of the Towne Street Theatre company. Greg is passionate about developing bold new work that centers identity, family, and contemporary social issues.

Shereen Khan: Shereen Khan is an East Indian-American SAG-AFTRA actress based in Los Angeles, where she was raised and graduated as a theatre major from the acclaimed art school LACHSA. Her television work includes Apple TV's The Studio, S.W.A.T., The Chosen, and she's a series regular in the comedy series The Promised Land, currently in season 2 production. Shereen is so honored to be a part of What Survives, and proud to illuminate such important perspectives through its brilliant and timely characters and stories.

Homie Doroodian: Boston-born and raised, Homie Doroodian  is an Iranian-American actor who began on a practical path, medical school, before deciding that performing surgery wasn't nearly as exciting as performing on stage (a choice his parents are still recovering from). After being discovered in Boston theater, he was cast in his first feature film, The North End. Since moving to Los Angeles, he has appeared in over 30 films and TV shows, including The Sopranos. Though typecast as the guy you probably shouldn't trust, Homie's true specialty is comedy, having the honor of working alongside Albert Brooks in Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World. He has expanded into writing, producing, and directing, with projects in development. Look for him in Ballard (Amazon) and the feature film A Better Life.

Sarabeth Zohrehvand: Sarahbeth Zohrehvand is an LA-based actress and singer. A graduate of UCLA, she earned her B.A. in psychology with a minor in theater. Recent screen work includes the CNN series, Standoff: The FBI, Power and Paranoia, as well as the short film everything's fine, which she co-wrote, produced, and starred in. Her theater credits include Journey of Angels (LA Debut), Little Women, and 9 to 5. Sarahbeth is thrilled to join the cast of What Survives!

2026 Theater Fans' Choice Awards - Live Stats

Best Direction of a Musical - Top 3

1. Michael Arden - The Lost Boys

33.5% of votes

2. Tim Jackson - Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

15.6% of votes

3. Lear deBessonet - Ragtime

10.3% of votes

Vote Now! View Live Stats