Shakina & More Set for 5 & DIME World Premiere at TheatreWorks

Actor/activist Shakina (NBC’s “Connecting,” NBC’s “Quantum Leap,” Hulu’s “Difficult People”) writes lyrics and stars as Joanne in this new musical, helmed by TheatreWorks Artistic Director Giovanna Sardelli. 5 & Dime will perform June 18 – July 13, 2025 at Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro Street. For tickets ($34-$115) and more information the public may visit TheatreWorks.org or call 877-662-8978. 5 & Dime is produced in partnership with Broadway & Beyond Theatricals.         
 
TheatreWorks is committed to creating an environment that is accessible for all audiences in its community. American Sign Language interpretation will be available at the performance of 5 & Dime at 7:30pm Tuesday, July 1. In partnership with c2 Caption Coalition, TheatreWorks will include open captioning (a screen displaying all dialogue and a description of sound effects) for the performances 2pm and 7pm on Sunday, July 6 and 2pm Wednesday, July 9. TheatreWorks is collaborating with Gravity Access Services in offering audio descriptions to assist patrons who are visually impaired. This service will be available 8pm Saturday, July 12 and 2pm Sunday, July 13 (To utilize audio description, patrons should pre-register at 877-662-8978 after purchasing tickets). Assistive listening devices are offered at every performance with no advance registration required.
 
TheatreWorks will host a pre-show artist talk at 6:30pm Thursday, June 19 and will hold post-show discussions with the cast following the Wednesday, June 25 and Wednesday, July 9 performances. TheatreWorks will require face masks to be worn for the performances of 5 & Dime at 8pm Friday, June 27; 2pm Saturday, June 28 and 2pm Sunday, July 6.
 
Director Sardelli has assembled a remarkable cast of talented actors who have performed on Broadway and beyond for this World Premiere musical.
 
Shakina (she/her) provides the musical’s lyrics and stars as Joanne, a sultry and confident woman who reunites with her fan club friends. Shakina made television history on NBC’s “Connecting” as the first transgender person to play a series regular on a network sitcom, and she is currently a writer and director on NBC’s “Quantum Leap.” Shakina guest starred in Amazon Prime Video’s GLAAD award-winning “Transparent” musical finale, which she helped write and produce, and Hulu’s “Difficult People” as the iconic trans truther, Lola. Her play Chonburi International Hotel and Butterfly Club premiered on Audible in 2020 in collaboration with Williamstown Theatre Festival and was recognized with a 2021 Drama League Award for Best Audio Theatre Production. She is the founding artistic director of Musical Theatre Factory, where she helped to develop hundreds of new musicals including Michael R. Jackson’s Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning A Strange Loop and her own autobiographical glam rock odyssey, Manifest Pussy. Recognitions include The Lilly Award for Working Miracles, Theatre Resources Unlimited Humanitarian Award, The Kilroys List, and Logo 30. She is a two-time Drama League fellow and two-time Out 100 honoree. She packed the house for her autobiographical journey One Woman Show during TheatreWorks’ 2014 New Works Festival, performed songs from 5 & Dime in TheatreWorks’ 2023 New Works Festival, and starred as Joanne in TheatreWorks’ 2024 New Works Festival readings.
 
Seen in the New Works Festival reading, Lauren Marcus (she/her) plays Mona, an anxious woman clinging to the past. Marcus performed in the Broadway and Off-Broadway productions of Be More Chill as well as The Atlantic Theatre Company’s The Bedwetter and Second Stage’s White Girl in Danger Off-Broadway. Her New York credits also include 54 Below’s The Jonathan Larson Project as well as work with Urban Stages, Astoria Performing Arts Center, New York International Fringe Festival, and Lincoln Center Theater’s Director’s Lab. She has also appeared onstage at La Jolla Playhouse, Lyric Opera Company, Papermill Playhouse, Argyle Theatre, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Two River Theater, St Louis Repertory Theatre, Barrington Stage Company, and Asolo Repertory Theatre. She was seen in Netflix’s Tick, Tick…Boom!. As a writer, she is a recipient of a Penn State New Musical Theatre commission, a finalist for a Jonathan Larson Grant, a semi-finalist for The Eugene O’Neill National Playwright’s Conference, a semi-finalist for the Relentless Award, and alumnus of the Johnny Mercer Foundation Songwriters Project. She has developed work with Two River Theater, Power Station, and New York Stage and Film.
 
Reprising her role from TheatreWorks’ New Works Festival, Stephanie Gibson (she/her) plays Sissy, a flirty woman who dreams of becoming a country singer. Gibson appeared on Broadway in Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Addams Family, Monty Python’s Spamalot, and Skittles Commercial: The Broadway Musical. She also performed in the national tour of A Chorus Line and Happy Days. She has acted with Baltimore Center Stage, Bucks County Playhouse, The Old Globe, Theatre Under the Stars, Cape Playhouse, The Muny, and La Mirada Theatre. Her film and T.V. credits include Max’s “And Just Like That…,” NBC’s “Law & Order,” CBS’ “Person of Interest,” NBC’s “Up All Night,” and Netflix’s “Andy Warhol Diaries.”
 
Returning in her role from TheatreWorks’ New Works Festival, Ashley Cowl (she/her) plays Edna Louise, a shy woman with seven kids. She has also acted with Center Repertory Company, Woodminster Summer Musicals, 42nd Street Moon, Contra Costa Musical Theatre, and Berkeley Playhouse.
 
Judith Miller (she/her) plays Loretta, an older woman who owns the 5 & Dime. Miller has performed with San Jose Stage Company, Los Altos Stage Company, Palo Alto Players, The Pear Theatre, Jewel Theatre Company, South Bay Musical Theatre, and Dragon Productions Theatre Company.
 
Ellie Van Amerongen (he/him) plays Joe, a high school friend and only boy in the James Dean fan club. He has appeared onstage at SpeakEasy Stage, The Boston Conservatory, and Casa Mañana Theatre. Van Amerongen has also acted in developmental readings with Sunlight Studios, Opera America, Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, Queens Theatre, and Off The Grid Theatre Company.
 
Seen in TheatreWorks’ New Works Festival reading, Hayley Lovgren (she/her) plays Stella May, a newly-minted millionaire who loves having fun. She won a Theatre Bay Area (TBA) Award for her performance in Ray of Light Theatre’s Jesus Christ Superstar. She has performed with San Francisco Playhouse, San Jose Stage Company, New Conservatory Theatre Center, Hillbarn Theatre, 42nd Street Moon, Sunnyvale Community Players, Broadway By the Bay, and Foothill Music Theatre.
 
5 & Dime features musical direction by Jacob Yates, scenic design by Nina Ball, costume design by Alina Bokovikova, lighting design by Kurt Landisman, and sound design by Cliff Caruthers. Taylor McQuesten is stage manager with Emily Anderson Wolf as assistant stage manager.