Written by Laura Gragtmans and Vichet Chum
Performed by Laura Gragtmans and Philip Estrera
Directed by Emily Kitchens.
In LOVE we follow Lilly and Billy as they move through a full New York City day. They will gloriously fumble, stumble and make a mess in their pursuits of love. Part storytelling event, part theatrical narrative - LOVE earnestly makes a case for connectivity.
*LOVE was presented as part of the Ice Factory Festival at the New Ohio Theatre by guest curator Second Generation Productions.
Laura Gragtmans (Writer/Performer) is an actress, composer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist from Prince Edward County, Ontario. Regionally she's worked at Yale Repertory Theatre, Long Wharf Theatre, Dallas Theatre Center, Chautauqua Theatre Company, Geva Theatre Center, Christ Church Neighborhood House in Old City, and The New Harmony Project. Internationally she's performed at the MC Theatre in Amsterdam, with an original piece based on Neil Gaiman's Fragile Things, and will return to The Netherlands this fall by way of Sweden, performing in the world premiere of Swedish theatre maker, Stephanie Hayes', Vaska Vaska Glum. In NYC she's worked at the Lion Theatre at Theatre Row, HuB Studios, Ars Nova, The American Theatre of Actors and Three Day Hangover. She has written and recorded music and narration for podcasts, NYPR, and Audible since 2012. In 2014, she completed her first full score for the Ars Nova production of Astronaut, and in 2016 released her debut album, Hug the Lonely Cactus. She is currently working on a second collection of music, a concept album drawing from her experiences in the high altitudes of Nepal, to be released in early 2019, and in January she will be appearing in the NYC Prototype Festival's production of Oner, with music by Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley. She is currently apprenticing with the legendary clown teacher, Christopher Bayes, and is a proud graduate of the University of Evansville (BS), the CTC Acting Program, and the Yale School of Drama (MFA). lauragragtmans.com
Vichet Chum (Writer) is a writer, actor, director & theater maker, originally from Dallas, Texas and now living in New York City. Regionally, he's worked at Trinity Repertory Company, Actors Theatre of Louisville, the Guthrie Theater, Shakespeare Festival St. Louis, the Huntington Theatre Company, Everyman Theatre and New Harmony Theatre. In NYC, he's worked at the Cherry Lane Theater, Pan Asian Repertory Theatre, the Clurman Theatre at Theatre Row, Project Y Theatre, Woodshed Collective, Slant Theatre Project and the Incubator Arts Project. His plays have been workshopped at Second Generation Productions, New Harmony Project, Weston Playhouse, Florida State University, Cleveland Public Theatre, All For One Theater and Amios. Most recently, his play KNYUM had its world premiere at Merrimack Repertory Theatre where he serves as an Associate Artist. He is also this year’s Princess Grace Award winner in Playwriting. He's a proud graduate of the University of Evansville (BFA) and Brown University/Trinity Repertory Company (MFA). vichetchum.com
Philip Estrera (Performer) is a NYC-based actor. Previous: Monstress (A.C.T.), Orphan of Zhao (A.C.T./La Jolla), Twelfth Night (Shakespeare Theater of NJ), Trifles (Hunger&Thirst),The Where Project, and an frequent participant in the Shotz performance play series. He is also active in the independent film scene and is currently working on the short film Moire. MFA: American Conservatory Theater. Philip is a trained violinist and an alum of Interlochen Arts Academy. He is excited and proud to be collaborating with such an exciting group of artists. For my mother, father, and Gunther. www.philipestrera.com
Emily Kitchens (Director) has worked in classic to contemporary works at theaters including The American Conservatory Theater, The Guthrie Theater, Yale Repertory Theatre, The Kennedy Center, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, The Denver Center for the Performing Arts and California Shakespeare Theater. She has collaborated on many original and devised theatre works in New York City, the Bay Area, Berlin and Leesburg, GA. MFA: American Conservatory Theater. BFA: University of Evansville. She performed her original play, Raft, at the 2015 Edinburgh Fringe Festival with her sister, Lisa.