World Premiere of CLASS C by Chaz T. Martin to be Presented at The Drake

Azuka Theatre and Simpatico Theatre will present the world premiere of Class C, a gripping new play by Chaz T. Martin and directed by Rebecca Wright. Running May 7-24, 2026 at the Louis Bluver Theatre at The Drake, this suspenseful production is part of Simpatico Theatre and Azuka Theatre's landmark partnership. In a concurrent leadership evolution, Simpatico's longtime Artistic Director, Allison Heishman has assumed the Artistic Director role for both companies. This bold new venture brings together two companies known for championing emerging voices, risk-taking storytelling, and deep-rooted community engagement. Class C was a semifinalist for the prestigious Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's National Playwrights Conference.

Set in a chilling near-future America where citizens are assigned government classifications, Class C explores the fragile boundaries between identity, allegiance, and survival. When a Homeland Security agent disappears off the grid in search of the mysterious Mr. Warren, he instead encounters Allie, Warren's disarmingly charming wife. What begins as a measured exchange quickly escalates into a high-stakes confrontation after a sudden act of violence disrupts the fragile calm. As tensions rise, long-held political ideologies and personal loyalties clash, forcing each character to confront an unsettling question: who can we trust, and who decides? With razor-sharp dialogue and escalating tension, Class C delivers a thought-provoking theatrical experience that resonates deeply in today's sociopolitical climate. The production features Amanda Schoonover as Allie, David Pica as Agent Bliss, AZ Espinoza as Warren, and Ciera Gardner as Hen.

Playwright Chaz T. Martin is a Philadelphia-based writer, producer, and performer. A mixed-race, first-generation, nonbinary former bookseller, Martin is now a medium-agnostic writer whose work spans theatre and film. Their short film Chemistry, which they wrote and starred in, has earned multiple writing awards at film festivals nationwide. Their short screenplay Melissa was a finalist for the Tribeca Film Institute's Through Her Lens program and is currently being developed into the full-length play I'll Eat You Whole. Martin is an alumnus of The Foundry and has also served as a writer-in-residence for a popular audio platform.

The production will be helmed by Rebecca Wright, a director-creator and founding company member of Applied Mechanics, with whom she has created more than a dozen original immersive works, including the recent science fiction epic Other Orbits. Her directing work spans a wide range of acclaimed productions, including Indecent, The Hobbit, Backing Track, Pinocchio, and Red Riding Hood (Arden Theatre Company); Perfect Day and Spiritual Experience (The Private Theater); Head Over Heels (Theatre Horizon); and Peaceable Kingdom (Orbiter 3), among others. She is a two-time recipient of the Independence Fellowship in the Arts and a 2024 Pew Fellow.