2007 Festival

Bedside Manners by Lisa Stephenson

Jill In The Box by Glendora Davis

Please Remove This Stuffed Animal From My Head by Crystal Jackson

The Recipe by Lee Miller

Rainbow Sprinkles by Stacey Lane

Going South by Joy Bartlett

What If? by Marj O’Neill-Butler

Friendsters by Nicole Greevy, Uma Incrocci, Erica Jensen

Ophelia’s Hamlet by Aoise Stratford

Our Playwrights

Joy Bartlett (Portland, OR – Going South) – Joy became a playwright after a pro guaranteed her there wasn’t any money in theatre - and she kept writing. She’s an advocate of the short format, enjoying the progression of a beginning, middle and end in under 60 minutes, which also affords the luxury of staging multiple plays during an average production schedule. To date, her work has been produced in three 10-minute play festivals at the Actors’ Theatre in Santa Cruz, California. When not hearing voices in her head, Joy practices the art of botanical collage, incorporating old garden and native plants with recycled papers. Her Poems of Nature can be viewed online. Joy thanks: Potluck Productions for this inclusion in the Women’s Playwriting Festival, its Collective which made the words flesh, and the Audience for witnessing what she hopes will be a stage worthy experience.

Glendora Davis (Merriam, KS – Jill In The Box) – Kansas City resident and co-founder of Potluck Productions, Glendora has worked since 1994 to create opportunities for emerging women playwrights. Her own works, Burn Barbie Burn, Chocolate Pie, and Upchuck were features in Real Images of Real Women at the University of Wisconsin. Lullaby was an award winning entry in the Penn Valley Playfest and the Johnson County Community College Playfest. She recently completed Troop Train Treachery for the Mystery Train Dinner Theatre, and two of her scripts, Caretakers and Big Brother Skippy, have been opted by local filmmakers. At home on the stage as well as the page, she was last seen in the 2005 Kansas City Fringe Festival and in The Hindu and the Cowboy.

Nicole Greevy, Uma Incrocci, Erica Jensen (New York, NY - Friendsters) – Nicole, Uma, and Erica first worked together as performers in Wildlife Theater at the Central Park Zoo. Their collaborations include the TV pilot Girl Band, semi-finalist at the American Gem Short Screenplay Competition and Scriptapalooza; the screenplay Overnight Sensation, finalist in the Nolita Screenwriting competition; and numerous short plays, including Impulsitive which will be produced this spring at two festivals in New York and MadLab's Theater Roulette in Columbus, OH. As solo writers, Erica Jensen's short plays None of the Above, Moving Day and Travel Handies have been produced in New York, and her other writing credits include the play Huckleberry Finn for the Greenwich Theater in London. Uma Incrocci's one woman piece The Rules was produced at Actors Theatre of Louisville. Nicole Greevy continues to work in Wildlife Theater writing shows, short films and songs with conservation themes. Her first full-length screenplay, Reel Love, co-written with her husband, has been optioned by Sibling Entertainment.

Crystal Jackson (Houston, TX – Please Remove This Stuffed Animal from my Head) – Crystal is the founder of theatre cooperative Six Of One Productions. She earned her BA in Creative Writing from University of Houston where she studied with many great writers, including Edward Albee, Lanford Wilson and Tony Diaz. Her work has been performed in six states. Crystal believes that theatre should poke, prod and provoke its audience into reflection and realization. Maybe even action.

Stacey Lane (Alexandria, VA – Rainbow Sprinkles) – Rainbow Sprinkles: Winner of the Acme New Works Winter Festival 2006 (Winner of the “Charlie Award” for audience favorite), Winner of the Playwright’s Round Table Summer Shorts, Winner of LICAP SpringFest 2002 Playwriting Competition, Winner of Summer Sampler 2005 at Cedar Lane Stage, Staged reading at Magnolia Arts Center, Staged reading at Rossyln Spectrum, Staged reading at the Studio Theatre of Wellington, Staged reading at the Hallem Players Theatre Festival, Finalist in the 119th Biennial White Sale and Short Play Festival. Lane’s other works have been seen at Orlando Rep with the Women Playwright’s Initiative, the Capital Hill Arts Workshop, Run of the Mill Theatre Company, the Shubin Theatre, Kaleidoscope, and Insurrection Theatre. For a copy of this script or others by Stacey Lane, please e-mail Stacey_Lane_Smith@yahoo.com. A warmest thank-you to Potluck Productions and this audience for supporting emerging female playwrights!

D. Lee Miller (Rego Park, NY – The Recipe) – Lee is the author of The Dover Test, Sukkah, The Moon From Mars, The Quickening, The Translation, When The Dodgers Left Brooklyn, Endangered Species, Animation In Dust, The Beulah Ballantine Contest, A Feast Of Riddles and Red Quarters, among other plays. Honors include Critics’ Choice at the Double Image / Samuel French Short Play Festival and finalist at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, the Ensemble Studio Theatre, the Robert J. Pickering (Coldwater) Award for Playwriting Excellence and the George Kernodle, Dogwood, Playwright’s Forum, Women at the Door, Market House Theatre and Playwright’s Studio of Milwaukee competitions. Among other theatres, her plays have been presented at EST, CAP 21, Alice’s Fourth Floor, La MaMa ETC, the Vital Theatre, Playground/Hub (San Francisco), the Shenandoah Valley International Playwrights Retreat & the West Bank Cafe. Her play, Origami Tears, is included in the anthology Facing Forward, published by Broadway Play Publishing.

Marj O'Neill-Butler (Miami Beach, FL – What If?) – Marjorie O'Neill-Butler from Miami Beach, Florida, is a member of AEA, SAG, and AFTRA, and has credits in film, television and theatre. She co-produced/directed over 300 productions as Managing Director/Producer of the Green Mountain Guild in Vermont for 24 years. Recent directing credits include Whose Life Is It Anyway?, Greater Tuna, Central Park West, Words of Mass Deception, and The Seagull. As an actress, stage roles include Nat in Rabbit Hole, Agatha in Hold Please, A in Three Tall Women with the Public Theatre (nominee Best Ensemble Carbonell Awards ’03; nominee Best Actress Curtain Up Award ‘04). Recent film roles include Lick-It Man as the First Female President and The Boynton Beach Club as the Woman in Pool. She is the author of two full-length plays, several short plays and is co-author of Tax Guide for Performers: Buy This Book, It's Deductible! She is a produced playwright of eight Theatre for Children plays and was selected for the playwriting program Downstage Miami 2007, studying with Leslie Ayvazian. Marj holds an MA from New York University.

Lisa Stephenson (Cincinatti, OH – Bedside Manners) – Lisa Stephenson holds a BA in Theatre/English and completed post-graduate tutorials at Christ Church, University of Oxford, England. Lisa has been a Production Assistant for the Vivian Beaumont Theatre in Lincoln Center having been involved with The Philadelphia Story, Macbeth, and Woody Allen’s The Floating Light Bulb. She has also been a Production Assistant for the following Broadway and Television productions: Aren’t We All? (with Rex Harrison and Claudette Colbert); Wild Honey (with Sir Ian McKellen); Blithe Spirit (with Geraldine Page and Blythe Danner) and Sweet Bird of Youth (with Lauren Bacall); Night of 100 Stars II, and Triple Play (ABC) with Liza Minnelli. As a playwright and freelance writer, Lisa’s works include: Very Soon and in Pleasant Company (Equity Showcase, Theatre 22, NYC); Theatermania.com, The Manhattan Times, and The Downtowner. Lisa is a member of the Dramatists Guild and the MacDowell Society. She resides in Cincinnati.

Aoise Stratford (Ithica, NY – Ophelia’s Hamlet) – Aoise Stratford’s work has been produced in Canada, Italy, Australia, and throughout the USA. She is the recipient of several awards including the Alan Minieri Award, A Pinter Review Prize for Drama Silver Medal, the Yukon Pacific Playwright Award, the Hudson River Classics New Play Award, and The Last Frontier Theatre Conference Audience Choice Award. She has been a finalist for the Actors’ Theatre of Louisville’s Heideman Award and been nominated for an American Theatre Critic’s Association New Play Award. She is a founding member of Three Wise Monkeys Theatre Company, and a member of the Dramatists Guild. She teaches freelance writing workshops for various conferences including the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival.

Publicity Photos

Our Actors

Dave Bunce (Please Remove This Stuffed Animal From My Head, Going South, Ophelia’s Hamlet) – Dave has appeared in numerous shows around town, including Inherit the Wind, The Odd Couple, You Can't Take It With You and last ear's group of Potluck Productions. This is his fourth time with our gang, and he's excited to be working with this bunch of nuts one more time. He’s had frogs in his throat before, but --are you sure Lawrence Olivier started this way??

Glendora Davis (Bedside Manners) – Kansas City resident and co-founder of Potluck Productions, Glendora has worked since 1994 to create opportunities for emerging women playwrights. Her own works, Burn Barbie Burn, Chocolate Pie, and Upchuck were features in Real Images of Real Women at the University of Wisconsin. Lullaby was an award winning entry in the Penn Valley Playfest and the Johnson County Community College Playfest. She recently completed Troop Train Treachery for the Mystery Train Dinner Theatre, and two of her scripts, Caretakers and Big Brother Skippy, have been opted by local filmmakers. At home on the stage as well as the page, she was last seen in the 2005 Kansas City Fringe Festival and in The Hindu and the Cowboy.

Vicky DeLaughder (Bedside Manners, What If?) – Vicky is happy and honored to be appearing in her first Potluck Production. Vicky has performed at several local theaters including The Chestnut Fine Arts Center, The Theatre in the Park, and The Barn Players. Favorite roles include Boo Levy in The Last Night of Ballyhoo, Yenta in Fiddler on the Roof, Aunt Eller in Oklahoma, the Wicked Stepmother in Cinderella, and Vera in Smoke on the Mountain. Catch Vicky this spring at the Chestnut as Sister Lee, in another of her favorites, Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up? Also, Vicky will reprise her role as Vera in Sander's Family Christmas in November, also at the Chestnut. Thanks to the family for all of their support, especially "HR Honey."

Jillian M. Gee (Bedside Manners, Rainbow Sprinkles, Friendsters) – Jillian fell in love with drama as a student at the renowned Paseo Academy for the Performing Arts where she studied theatre and acting under the tutelage of Melody Conner and Terry J. Erbe. While at Paseo, she appeared in several productions, including August Wilson’s works The Piano Lesson and Fences. She also directed a production of Lawrence Fishbourne’s play Riff Raff, and served as assistant director of Paseo productions of Pfifer’s People and We’re All Bozos in this Box, both of which she appeared in. After graduating from Paseo, Jillian went on to Central Missouri State University for one year, where she studied acting under John Wilson, and appeared as Ruth Younger in Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin In The Sun. Since then, she has appeared under a mask in the Gorilla Theatre’s production of The Wasps, and most recently as Amanita, the soon-to-be-cursed granddaughter of InPlay Theatre’s production of Daughters of the Mock. This is her first time working with Potluck Productions.

Peter Hendrixson (Please Remove This Stuffed Animal From My Head, The Recipe, Going South, Ophelia’s Hamlet) – Peter is proud to be a part of the 2007 Kansas City Women’s Playwriting Festival. He was last seen in Kansas City in the Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre’s performance of Bus Stop at the Kansas City Public Library. Favorite past roles include the father in A Number, Jerry in Zoo Story, and Caliban in The Tempest. While in Los Angeles he had roles in more than a dozen television shows and he has also worked as a writer for Nickelodeon and MTV.

Gayle Hutchens-Grooms (Bedside Manners, Rainbow Sprinkles) – Gayle is extremely pleased to be part of her first Potluck Production. Gayle has acted in various and sundry Kansas City productions, and previous highlights include Theatre Lulu's 2006 staged reading of Inspecting Carol (ok, she directed and co-produced it!), Full Frontal Comedy, Mind's Eye Theatre productions of The Rocky Horror Show and Clockwork Orange, and her work with The Actor Training Studio. In addition, she had done commercial broadcast work for many local companies, including Sprint, Hallmark, and some stellar work for Pete Franklin's Auto Mall. She is also an enthusiastic supporter of independent film and has both acted and crewed for many a local production.

Jennifer Jenkins (Bedside Manners, Please Remove This Stuffed Animal From My Head, Friendsters) – Jennifer is excited to be a part of Potluck Productions for the first time. Some of her favorite roles around town have been Maureen in The Beauty Queen of Lenane, many roles in Parallel Lives: The Kathy and Mo Show and Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream. When not on stage, she spends her days teaching middle school English in Shawnee Mission. As always, this one is for Jim Brooks, who will always be watching from the wings.

Leslie Reams (Bedside Manners, The Recipe, Ophelia’s Hamlet) – This is Leslie’s first Festival with Potluck Productions. Having moved to the Kansas City area five years ago, she has done productions across the metroplex, including OCTA, Leawood Stage Company, and the MET. She has had a fantastic time and wants to thank “her” playwrights Lee, Lisa, and Aoise, for writing such incredible pieces; D.K. for a great opportunity – I will work with you any time; Catherine for making me look fabulous, especially as Ophelia; the Lord Mayor’s Company for letting me out of rehearsal; to all my family and friends for support and hours of line rehearsals; and to the rest of the ensemble for letting me play with them!

Darren Sextro (Please Remove This Stuffed Animal From My Head, The Recipe, Ophelia's Hamlet) – Darren previously appeared at Just Off Broadway as the Minister of the Interior in A Clockwork Orange, as Brad Majors in The Rocky Horror Show, and as Charles Lomax in Major Barbara. Other local shows in recent years include Evita and 1776 at Theatre in the Park; Doonesbury, Working and Enter the Guardsman at OCTA; Aristophanes’ The Clouds with Gorilla Theatre; Lend Me a Tenor at the Alcott Arts Center; and The Passion of Dracula and You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown with The Barn Players. By day, he directs corporate communications for Ascend Media.

Joyce Slater (Jill In The Box, The Recipe, Going South) – Joyce is one of the founding members of Potluck Productions. Every year is a new adventure for her and her fellow producers, Glendora Davis and D.K. Evenson. It is exciting producing new plays, meeting new writers each year and working with new actors. Joyce teaches creative drama classes for the Coterie Theatre Company in their summer program and Art Exploration camps for the Kids College at Maple Woods Community College. She is a professional storyteller, key note speaker and workshop leader and is the Artistic Director of the KC Storytelling Celebration, sponsored by Maple Woods Community College. She is also a board member of the National Storytelling Network. See her in her new Fringe, titled Dancing in the Danger Zone at the KC Fringe this summer. Joyce is an exhibiting visual artist. She currently works in pastels.

Tim Stoppelman (What If?, Ophelia’s Hamlet) – Tim was last seen as Adam Sorensen in Wyandotte Players’ production of The Shape of Things last summer. Other local productions include Father of the Bride for Blue Springs City Theatre, and Proposals, Windswept Blossoms, and Mourning Glorie for Johnson County Community College. Outside of theatre, Tim has a Master’s degree in Biology with a specialization in Ornithology from Pittsburg State University. He is proud and excited to work with the extremely talented cast as part of this year’s Festival.

Alan Tilson (Rainbow Sprinkles, Ophelia’s Hamlet) – Alan apprenticed with the Missouri Repertory Theatre during the 1970-1971 seasons while studying acting/dance at UMKC. He subsequently was a member of the acting company with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the Colorado Shakespeare Festival and for four years with the Minnesota Shakespeare Company in Minneapolis. He performed the role of Glouster in Minneapolis Theater In The Round production of King Lear, has been Guest Actor as Prospero in Mankato State University's production of The Tempest and Friar Laurence in Romeo & Juliet at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota. He performed two seasons with Heart of America Shakespeare Festival in Taming of the Shrew, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Hamlet. At Kansas City Repertory Theatre, he has been an understudy for Saint Joan, The Triumph of Love, Indian Ink, Little Women and The Voysey Inheritance. He has also performed twice with Theatre for Young America. He appeared as Oberon with the Wyandotte Players Production of A Midsummer Night's Dream and as Master Jacque with the Barn Players production of The Miser. He toured with Metropolitan Theatre Ensemble as the Cowboy in The Hindu and the Cowboy and will be touring the state of Kansas with the Coterie Theatre's production of The Country of the Blind.

Program Cover

Production Staff

D.K. Evenson (Director) – A native of Denver, Colorado, D.K. has called Kansas City home for over 20 years since graduating from Baker University. D.K. is a Requirements Architect for the IT division of Hallmark Cards, Inc. here in Kansas City, but in his off hours he is a strong advocate of the performing arts. He is a longtime member of the Olathe Community Theatre Board of Directors where he focuses his energy on the “business” side of the arts. In 2003 he was asked to become one of the producers for Potluck Productions. D.K. has worked with most of the local professional and non-professional theatres in Kansas City, functioning as director, stage manager, designer, and actor.

Catherine Kinsey (Costume Design) – Catherine’s interest in costuming began with the well-stocked dress-up box she shared with her sisters while growing up here in Kansas. Since then, her interest has focused more on historic costume. She has catalogued Victorian costumes for a museum and was costume coordinator for Kansas City Renaissance Festival for over 8 years. Recently she was pulled back into theater and costumed Fortinbras for OCTA and The Miser for The Barn Players. It has been great fun to work with DK again and she thanks Potluck Productions for this opportunity. She would also like to thank Leslie and the cast for their help and support and last, but never least, her husband Dean.

Dana Pflumm (Properties Design) – Dana has been associated with Potluck since its very beginnings as a writer (The Meeting, One Last Smile and Voices) and as the props queen. She is proud of the excellent quality and high level of entertainment that Potluck provides Kansas City.

Production Photos