Nancy Bannon has written/directed five short films. Original feature screenplays have been recognized by festivals, contests, labs including: Nicholl Fellowship (quarterfinalist 2018, 2017), Sundance Screenwriters & Episodic Labs (second round qualifier multiple years), NYWIFT development lab (fs2p), Slamdance Film Festival (grand prize finalist), more. Her short screenplay, Blood was published in The Southampton Review. Original theater work (she conceived, wrote, directed) includes: Cornfield, Puncture, The Pod Project (immersive events, NYC). As movement director: Romeo and Juliet (w/ Orlando Bloom) on Broadway, more. Off-Broadway includes: Occupied Territories, a play (nominated for five Helen Hayes Awards) which she co-wrote and plays a leading role. Nancy is the recipient of three Princess Grace Awards, a New York Dance and Performance (Bessie) Award, multiple prizes and scholarships and is a graduate of The Juilliard School. Faculty: SUNY Purchase, Rutgers University, American University and The Studio Acting Conservatory. Nancy was a professional dancer for over a decade. nancybannon.com
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POWERHOUSE 2019 | READINGS
Bekah Brunstetter, Ingrid Michaelson
The Notebook
THE NOTEBOOK
based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks
music and lyrics by Ingrid Michaelson
book by Bekah Brunstetter
In 1940s South Carolina, young Noah and Allie are star-crossed lovers. Twenty years later, what happens next? An achingly tender, and soaring journey about the enduring power of love, The Notebook is a heart-wrenching musical story of one great love over a lifetime.
Sunday June 23 | 3pm
featuring
Jelani Aladdin
Nicholas Belton
Candy Buckley
Antonio Cipriano
Janet Dacal
Mili Diaz
Clifton Duncan
Vanessa Hudgens
Hailey Kilgore
Jennifer Mudge
James Naughton
Ben Jackson Walker
Zoe Sarnak, Danny Strong, Michael Weiner
GALILEO
book by Danny Strong
music and lyrics by Michael Weiner
& Zoe Sarnak
directed by Michael Mayer
Mathematician. Inventor. Astronomer. Scientist. When Galileo Galilei makes a discovery that will change the entire understanding of the universe, he has to reconcile one small thing: unfortunately, what he has uncovered directly conflicts with the standard teachings of the most powerful institution in the the world. With a rebellious sound that parallels his rebellion, Galileo is a classic tale of an individual battling an entire system, and of how leaders of nations must lie to protect their own power, no matter how apparent the truth may be.
Saturday June 29 | 4pm
Galileo
featuring
Gabriel Anthony Amoroso
Max Chernin
Nick Choksi
Raúl Esparza
Michael Esper
Mia Gentile
Sean Allan Krill
Julian Emile Lerner
Charlotte Macleod
Robert Pendilla
Solea Pfeiffer
Colton Ryan
Nora Marie Schell
Madeliene Lane Spacapan
Gabe Violett
Martyna Majok
SANCTUARY CITY
by Martyna Majok
directed by Rebecca Frecknall
DREAMers. Love(r)s. Life-long friends. Negotiating the promise of safety and the weight of responsibility, they’ll fight like hell to establish a place for themselves and each other in America. 2018 Pulitzer Prize winner, NYTW Usual Suspect and former 2050 Fellow Martyna Majok bring us an unforgettable story that asks what we’re willing to sacrifice for someone we love. Rebecca Frecknall, director of the 2019 Olivier Award-winning Summer and Smoke, helms the production.
Saturday July 13 | 5pm
Sanctuary City
featuring
Sharlene Cruz
Gil Perez-Abraham
Austin Smith
Sarah Ruhl
BECKY NURSE OF SALEM
written and directed by Sarah Ruhl
Out of work and out of love, Becky Nurse is an ordinary but strong-willed grandmother just trying to get by in post-Obama America. She’s also the great-great-great-great-great-granddaughter of Rebecca Nurse, who was infamously executed for witchcraft in 1692—but things have changed for women since then, haven’t they? Desperate to raise her troubled teenaged granddaughter right, and also hook up with an old flame, Becky visits a local witch for help. But those spells and potions don’t work out exactly as planned.
The latest play from Tony-nominated Sarah Ruhl, Becky Nurse of Salem speaks to the trials and triumphs of women today—and is also a comedic, warmhearted story about trying to do the right thing in a chaotic world.
Friday July 19 | 8pm
Becky Nurse of Salem
featuring
Mark Bedard
Brian Kerwin
Ann McDonough
David McElwee
Polly Noonan
Susannah Perkins
Miriam Silverman
Brooke Adams
DELUSION BY PROXY
by Brooke Adams
directed by Ethan Silverman
A black comedy about love and tyranny.
Set in the near future, about a family that has been torn apart by personal grievances, this metaphor for the oppressive violence of the world outside addresses our collective anxieties about the fate of our society.
Saturday July 20 | 12pm
Delusion by Proxy
featuring
Caroline Aaron
Lynne Adams
Sarah Deaver
Sara Ettner
Peter Gerety
Jessica Huang
THE PAPER DREAMS OF HARRY CHIN
by Jessica Huang
directed by Kip Fagan
During the Chinese Exclusion Act, Harry Chin, a Chinese national, entered the U.S. by buying forged documentation. Like other “Paper Sons,” Harry underwent a brutal detention and interrogation, and lived the rest of his life keeping secrets – even from his daughter. Told through the eyes of a middle-aged Chin, The Paper Dreams of Harry Chin reveals the complicated loves and regrets of this Chinese immigrant who wound up in Minnesota. Through dreamlike leaps of time and space and with the powerful assistance of ghosts, the story of the Chin family reveals the personal and political repercussions of making group of people “illegal.”
Saturday July 20 | 5pm
The Paper Dreams of Harry Chin
featuring
Kim Blanck
Caroline Hewitt
David Shih
Kaipo Schwab
Ricardo Vazquez
Jeena Yi
Ian August
THE EXCAVATION OF MARY ANNING
by Ian August
directed by Sammi Cannold
Amidst the groaning cliff sides and weather beaten shores of southern England, fossil hunter Mary Anning combs the earth for glimpses of the ancient past. Armed with only her determination, her lucky hammer, and her canine companion, Tray, Mary uncovers secrets that redefine science and religion and philosophy. But 19th century geology is a nobleman’s game, and Mary’s discoveries are buried beneath the rubble while the stars of her male counterparts grow ever brighter. The Excavation of Mary Anning is a historical fantasia about things that come from the earth and things that go to the earth, and one woman’s quest to reclaim her legacy in a society that refuses to acknowledge her worth.
Sunday July 21 | 4pm
The Excavation of Mary Anning
featuring
Sami Bray
Alejandra Escalante
Amy Jo Jackson
Nike Kadri
Vanessa Kai
Patrena Murray