Kyle June Williams to Star in the World Premiere of THE CROSSWORD PLAY at Shadowland Stages

SHADOWLAND STAGES has announced it has cast comedienne Kyle June Williams in its second production of the 2022 season - THE CROSSWORD PLAY (or Ezmeranda's Gift).

The production of THE CROSSWORD PLAY (or Ezmeranda's Gift) is one of TWO world premiere productions in the 2022 season, with the other being the Tom Hanks co-written SAFE HOME which follows. THE CROSSWORD PLAY will be performed June 24th - July 10th at The Studio at SHADOWLAND STAGES - the organization's new Second Stage at 14 Market Street in Ellenville.

The Studio - a flexible "black box" theatre - is able to be reconfigured and re-envisioned to suit each production or event. In THE CROSSWORD PLAY we join an expert level crossword puzzlemaker in a puzzle-making workshop, where she guides us through the conventions, strictures and rules of crossword puzzle creation - until things get a bit unruly. The Studio makes a perfect place for this inventive, environmentally conceived production and puts the audience "in the room" as events unfold.

About the combination of play and production venue, Brendan Burke said:

"We're so fortunate at SHADOWLAND to have a second venue, The Studio, for shows like this that benefit from an intimate relationship between the audience and performer. In this case, the audience will be the attendees of a crossword workshop in the world of the play."

While Director Mêlisa Annis chimed in

"I am thrilled to be back as SHADOWLAND STAGES is my favorite theater, and theater community in New York".

Performer Kyle June Williams is an actor, writer, and touring comic playing sold out performances at The Wiltern, The Kennedy Center, The Apollo in London, and Radio City Music Hall to name a few. Kyle is also a voice over artist for Nickelodeon, Paramount, and voices Chichi the Hammerhead Shark for Baby Shark Brooklyn. She is a graduate of NYU Tisch Stella Adler studio and The International Wing in Amsterdam. She has studied improv and had running shows at The New Movement New Orleans, UCB, and The PIT. Kyle has been lucky enough to work in TV and Film in LA and New Orleans and is over the moon to return to the stage in New York.

Director Mêlisa Annis is an award winning playwright and director. As a playwright her plays have been developed and presented at Playwrights Horizons, BMG, Primary Stages, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, Rattlestick Theater... As a director, Mêlisa has had the pleasure of working with; Shadowland Stages (The Night Alive, Mystery of Love & Sex, Disgraced), Red Bull Theater, NYC (Something in The Ground by Theresa Rebeck), Primary Stages, NYC (A Walk With Heifetz, The Clinic, A Christmas Carol), The Ambassadors Theatre Group, London (Tom & Jerry Vs Fred Quimby by James Inverne), Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center CO (Matilda, the Musical - winner of the Henry Award for best musical)..."I am thrilled to be back as Shadowland Stages is my favorite theater, and theater comunity in NY".

Playwright Donna Hoke's work has been seen in 47 states and on five continents, including at Barrington Stage, Barrow Group, Celebration Theatre, Gulfshore Theatre, Queens Theatre, The Road, Writers Theatre New Jersey, Phoenix Theatre, Atlantic Stage, Purple Rose, Skylight, Pride Films and Plays, New Jersey Rep, Hens and Chickens (London), The Galway Fringe Festival, and Actors Repertory Theatre of Luxembourg. Plays include BRILLIANT WORKS OF ART (Kilroys List), ELEVATOR GIRL (O'Neill and Princess Grace finalist), SAFE (winner of the Todd McNerney, Naatak, and Great Gay Play and Musical Contests), and TEACH (Gulfshore New Works winner). She has been nominated for both the Primus and Blackburn Prizes, and is a three-time winner of the Emanuel Fried Award for Outstanding New Play (SEEDS, SONS & LOVERS, ONCE IN MY LIFETIME). She has also received an Individual Artist Award from the New York State Council on the Arts to develop HEARTS OF STONE, and, in its final three years, Artvoice named her Buffalo's Best Writer-the only woman to ever receive the designation. Donna also serves on the Dramatists Guild Council, is an ensemble playwright at Road Less Traveled Productions, blogger, moderator of the 12,000+-member Official Playwrights of Facebook, New York Times-published crossword puzzle constructor; author of Neko and the Twiggets, a children's book; and founder/co-curator of BUA Takes 10: GLBT Short Stories. Speaking engagements include Citywrights, Kenyon Playwrights Conference, the Dramatists Guild National Conference, Chicago Dramatists, the Austin Film Festival, and a live Dramatists Guild webinar. Her commentary has been seen on #2amt, howlround, The Dramatist, the Official Playwrights of Facebook, Workshopping the New Play (Applause, 2017), and at donnahoke.com.

THE CROSSWORD PLAY (or Ezmeranda's Gift) will be performed June 24th - July 10th at The Studio at SHADOWLAND STAGES, SHADOWLAND's new black box theatre at 14 Market Street (at Center Street) in Ellenville, NY 12428. Performances are EVERY: Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8pm | Sunday at 2pm and the FIRST: Saturday (June 24th) of the show's run at 2pm. For the season, SHADOWLAND's "First Saturday" matinee will be the "vaxxed & masked" performance of the show - in which patrons are required to provide proof of vaccination and wear masks while inside the building. Aside from this performance, it is not anticipated that any COVID protocols will be enforced (though masks are, of course, optional). Patrons should visit the theatre's website at ShadowlandStages.org for more information.

Single tickets are $34 - $42 and both single tickets and subscription packages can be purchased online or by calling 845-647-5511.

To post a comment, you must register and login.