Jung by Matthew Chong
MATTHEW CHONG (Playwright) is a Korean-American playwright. His work revolves around the Asian American experience, and investigates the ramifications of living under a scarcity model. His plays include Lessons (Diverse Voices Playwriting Initiative finalist 2023, Bay Area Playwrights Festival semifinalist 2023), Assimilation (Pipeline PlayLab semifinalist 2021), Plague Year (Red Bull Theater’s Short New Play Festival 2020) and Hurricane Regan. He assisted Scott Rudin during the Broadway productions of Three Tall Women and To Kill A Mockingbird. He is a member of Playground-NY’s Writers Pool and has been published by Stage Rights. He graduated from NYU Tisch School of the Arts and will be pursuing an MFA at Yale University in the fall.
SARAH SHIN (Director) is a Schwenksville-raised, Boston-trained, Brooklyn-based Korean-American director whose work celebrates life’s infinite possibilities, and reclaims truths from history that has been marginalized.
SUBIN KARA AHN (Actor) (they/he/she) is a professional actor, director, musician and model based in NYC. Credits: Oo-Genesis and Before the Flood (Equity Showcase), etc.
CHUJA SEO (Actor). Cookin’ (Minetta Lane), Kim’s Convenience (Westport Country Playhouse), Wild Goose Dreams (UK premiere), Salt Pepper Ketchup (InterAct & Passage Theatre Company). MFA: CalArts.
PAUL YOON (Stage Directions). Paul (Sang Yun) Yoon is a Korean-born actor based in NYC, who has recently graduated from NYU. He is thrilled to take part in Jung.
Freestyle Hand Entry by Elise Wien
ELISE WIEN (Playwright) is a writer who likes to make her plays like cakes — with a frosting of slapstick comedy, a moist inner layer of complex emotional landscape, and a molten core of ethical dilemma (OPEN WIDE). Her plays include Osher & The Infinite Curtain (Residency, VoxLab), OTP (Production, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre), [cowboy face] (Winner, Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for Comic Playwriting; Finalist, Leah Ryan Fund for Emerging Women Writers), Craters, or the making of the making of the moon landing (Production, Smith College; Reading, Corkscrew Theater Festival). She is a recent graduate of Boston University’s Playwriting MFA program.
LIZA COUSER (Director) is a director of new plays and musicals. Recent: MEAT (The Tank), Tracy Triceratops and the End of History (VoxLab). lizacouser.com
GABBY POLICANO (Ches) is a New York City-based actor. Recent: Let the Right One In (Berkeley Rep), Soft Target (New York Stage and Film). BFA Acting: Boston University. @gabbypolicano/gabbypolicano.com
my barricade by Roni Ragone
RONI RAGONE (Playwright)‘s work is situated at the intersection of exploring the boundaries of gender expectations and testing the lengths people will go to in search of human connectedness all while being told through intriguing worlds that give us the space to discover new perspectives on our everyday lives. This past June, Ragone graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with bachelor’s degrees in English and Theatre with a concentration in playwriting. Their full length play, Night Night, Roger Roger, published by Dramatic Publishing Company, was performed on the mainstage as part of the 2022-2023 season at the UCSB. Ragone’s short play, We’re All Girls Here, was selected and performed in the Top 30 for the 47th Annual Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival. Along with William Huffaker, Ragone is one of the co-creators of the “Doubles” New Play Festival.
KC BULLER (Director) (she/her) has worked throughout theatre: acting, stage managing and directing. Recently directed Are We There Yet by Garth Wingfield; Up Strung Down by Roni Ragone.
IAN BOWERS (Cam) (he/him) is an actor, director and recent UCI graduate (BFA). He is excited to perform in NYC and share how storytelling can educate and entertain.
AUGUST STEVENSON (Charlie) (they/them) is a non-binary artist residing in Salem, Massachusetts. They are ecstatic to add to the conversation around queerness and trans representation in mixed media.
RIANNY VASQUEZ (Stage Directions) (she/her) is a performing artist and recent AMDA graduate! She is immensely grateful to be sharing some slices of life with these incredible storytellers.
LESLEY MENDOZA-SERRANO (Bruce) (she/they) is a recent UCSB graduate and advocates for inclusivity and diversity across all disciplines. She’s incredibly grateful to be part of this amazing group.
DRAWBRIDGE by Mallory Jane Weiss
MALLORY JANE WEISS (Playwright) grew up in New Jersey, where she went down the shore and ate taylor ham. She continues to do those things and writes plays, in Brooklyn. Select plays include BIG BLACK SUNHATS (Great Plains Theatre Commons New Play Conference 2023; The O’Neill National Playwrights Conference 2022; Clubbed Thumb Biennial Commission finalist 2020), LIGHTS OUT AND AWAY WE GO (The O’Neill NPC finalist 2023; Clubbed Thumb reading 2022), THE PAGE TURNERS (Clauder Competition Gold Prize 2023; Princess Grace Award semi-finalist 2022; The O’Neill NPC finalist 2021), PONY UP (Princess Grace Award Finalist, 2019), and DAVE AND JULIA ARE STUCK IN A TREE (Playing on Air’s James Stevenson Prize 2020). Mallory is an alumna of Clubbed Thumb’s Early Career Writers’ Group (2021-2022), The COOP’s Clusterf**k (2021), Gingold Theatrical Group’s Speakers Corner (2018-2019) and Fresh Ground Pepper’s BRB Retreat (2019). BA: Harvard University, MFA: The New School.
LILY KANTER RIOPELLE (Director). Directing: 59E59, Clubbed Thumb, Youngblood/EST, The Tank, The Brick, Urbanite Theatre, Portland Stage. Assisting: Broadway, Williamstown, Oregon Shakespeare Festival. AD: Two Headed Rep. lilyriopelle.com
ADRIAN COLLINS (Stage Directions) is a Brooklyn-based performance artist and actor. She has a solo show called YOUR BEST ODD GIRL OUT. adrian-collins.com
COLLIN McCONNELL (Door) is an actor and playwright. MFA Playwriting: The New School, BFA Acting and Creative Writing: Brooklyn College. Love to his partner, Simone, and rabbit, Rhino.
FRANKIE PLACIDI (Tuesday) is an actor and writer who loves to make new work and make people laugh. @frankieplacidi/frankieplacidi.com[/vc_column_text][vc_separator type=”normal” color=”#ffffff”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_separator type=”normal”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_separator type=”normal” color=”#ffffff”][vc_column_text]
2023 OOB Festival Credits
Festival Sponsor
Concord Theatricals
2023 Festival Judges
Jason Aguirre
Christina Anderson
Hilary Bettis
Eleanor Burgess
Steph Del Rosso
Jason Eagan
Skylar Fox
Gracie Gardner
Margaret Ledford
Jill Rafson
Jonathan Silverstein
Emmanuel Wilson
Honorary Playwright
James Ijames
Festival Artistic Director
Casey McLain
Literary Director/Opening Night Party Moderator
Garrett Anderson
Festival Host/Client Manager
Abbie Van Nostrand
House Manager
Tyler Mullen
Box Office Manager
Rosemary Bucher
Marketing Team
Meredith Foster
Jeremiah Hernandez
Courtney Kochuba
Imogen Lloyd Webber
Festival Production Coordinators
Cambria Martin
Clare Rankine
Alexandra Varitek
Festival Support Staff
Ella Andrew, Victoria Bond, Meredith Foster, Shaina Gilks, Jeremiah Hernandez, Ben Keiper, Rachel Levens, David McMaines, Gabriela Morales, Nate Netzley, Kristen Rea, Rachel Smith, Faith Williams
2023 Submissions Readers
Ella Andrew, Caroline Barnard, Caroline Bohnenberger, Jim Colleran, Charlie Coulthard, Sequoyah Douglas, Meredith Foster, Marquis Hardin, Rachel Levens, Amy Rose Marsh, Debbie McLean, David McMaines, Elizabeth Minski, Gabriela Morales, Tyler Mullen, Alexander Perez, Kristen Rea, Rachel Smith, Abbie Van Nostrand, Sarah Weber, Faith Williams
Special Thanks
Sean Flahaven, Bill Gaden, Concord, City Theatre Miami
About Concord Theatricals
Concord Theatricals is the world’s most significant theatrical company, comprising the catalogs of R&H Theatricals, Samuel French, Tams-Witmark and The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection, plus dozens of new signings each year. Our unparalleled roster includes the work of Irving Berlin, Agatha Christie, George & Ira Gershwin, Marvin Hamlisch, Lorraine Hansberry, Jeremy O. Harris, Kander & Ebb, Tom Kitt, Ken Ludwig, Marlow & Moss, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Anaïs Mitchell, Dominique Morisseau, Cole Porter, Theresa Rebeck, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Thornton Wilder and August Wilson. We are the only firm providing truly comprehensive services to the creators and producers of plays and musicals, including theatrical licensing, music publishing, script publishing, cast recording and first-class production.