Casts Announced, Ticket Packages on Sale for Inaugural Baylor New Play Festival

Media Contact: Lori Fogleman, 254-709-5959
Follow us: @BaylorUMedia on X and LinkedIn

Casts have been announced and ticket packages are on sale now for the inaugural Baylor University New Play Festival, part of the innovative Baylor New Play Initiative (BNPI) that champions the creation of bold new American theatre by featuring readings of four new plays by emerging and established artists from across the country. The festival runs Sept. 26-28 on the Baylor University campus.

In collaboration with 13 of Texas’ top professional theatres, some 40 professional actors, directors and stage managers from across the country will come to Waco to develop four exciting new plays by emerging and established artists from Dallas, Los Angeles, Brooklyn and New York City. The staged readings of “Under the Bridge” by Janelle “I, Will” by Scott Carter, “Here Kitty Kitty” by Janelle Gray and “& Sons” by Jack Angelo Cummings will culminate in the awarding of the $15,000 Kirk New Play Prize.

The BNPI invites lovers of the arts, both patrons and creators, to join in forging new frontiers and possibilities in American theatre, by attending the festival. An All Inclusive Package, on sale now for $185, provides a holistic theatre experience that includes ALL readings, professional panels and food and beverage for the weekend:

• Dinner with cast, directors and playwrights at the Baylor Club
• Opening Night Reception at Freight Waco
• Two Panel discussions with the selected playwrights and artistic directors of acclaimed Texas theatres
• Catered Helberg BBQ lunch on the Baylor campus
• Concluding Awards Luncheon at Art Center Waco, catered by Rio Brazos

To purchase the All Inclusive Package, call the Baylor Theatre Box Office at 254-710-1865 or email theatreboxoffice@baylor.edu. An All Shows Package, which includes tickets to all four readings at a discounted rate of $50, also can be purchased by contacting the Baylor Theatre Box Office.

A la carte tickets to individual readings can be purchased online at $15 each.

Casts announced for Baylor New Play Festival staged readings

The selected plays, playwrights, director and cast members are:

“Under the Bridge,” by Janelle Gray, a creative writer, scholar and educator from Dallas

Reading #1: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26, 2025

Directed by vickie washington

Cast of “Under the Bridge”

• Andrew Braner, B.A. ’97, as Mayor: Managing Partner at The Main Street Partners, Washington, D.C.
• Ashley Riccardi, B.F.A. ’24, as Julienne: Performer, poet, playwright originally from San Antonio, how based in Toledo, Ohio
• Bryan Pitts as Isaac: Actor who works extensively in Dallas/Fort Worth area
• Christiön Dior Draper as Sloan: Musical theatre performer who has performed with The Dallas Opera
• Felicia Bertch as Mayor’s Wife: Professional theatre artist and faculty and head of BFA Acting Program at University of Texas at Arlington
• Laura Meier Marx as Old Liza: Theatre performer active with Waco Civic Theatre
• Nash Ferguson, B.F.A. ’16, as Washington: Actor (stage and screen) in Austin, Texas
• Patrice DeGraff Arenas as LaRonica: Actor, performer, educator, mentor originally from Miami
• Sky Williams as Josette: Actor based in Dallas/Fort Worth

Synopsis: After the death of their matriarch, The Freemans return to Ft. Edwards to bury Gran. However, once there, they find that she has left clues about the traumatic reasons their family was forced to leave their hometown. When they discover that their roots extend back to the antebellum South, The Freemans must wrestle with the knowledge of racial and domestic terrorism against their ancestors and forge a path forward that honors the past and maintains hope for the future. “Under the Bridge” is a story of discovery, grief, healing and reparations.

“I, Will,” by Scott Carter, a Los Angeles-based playwright, host of the NPR Network/WGCU podcast Ye Gods with Scott Carter and an award-winning television producer

Reading #2: 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025

Directed by Emily Scott Banks

Cast of “I, Will”

• Ann K. Flynn as Ghost Marie: Cabaret and burlesque artist; creator of Sound Box (improvisational singing ensemble)
• Austin Terrell as Dick: Stage actor, immersive performance designer; Adult Programs Coordinator at Denver Museum of Nature & Science
• Drew Wall as George: Artist, actor, designer, musician; works for Zero Productions in Dallas
• Jackson Rogers as Stephen: Senior theatre performance major from Dallas
• John-Michael Marrs, B.A. ’04, as Will: Assistant professor of acting at Baylor University
• Kayland Jordan as Luce: Actor who has worked in Utah, Florida and New York
• Marrissa Cauley as Mary: Junior at Baylor majoring in Theater Performance (Musical Theater concentration)
• Sonny Maudlin, B.F.A. ’25, as Bobby: Actor; recently moved to New York City
• Steven Pounders as Mountjoy: Professor of acting at Baylor University; professional actor and director who also works in Dallas, Fort Worth and New York City

Synopsis: William Shakespeare is stuck: Plague blocks his theater, his players are in mutiny and his love-life (Stratford wife, London mistresses) is a mess. Dramatically, hilariously and fantastically, the Bard gets his professional groove back by collaborating with a low-life brothel-keep to invent a new form of drama and finds personal peace-of-mind by discovering that “balance is all.” 

“Here Kitty Kitty,” by Janielle Kastner, a Brooklyn-based, Dallas-native playwright

Reading #3: 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025

Directed by Kelsey Leigh Ervi

Cast of “Here Kitty Kitty”

• Alexis B. Santiago, B.F.A. ’14, as Alysia: Actress, director, writer, producer; co-founder of Brown Couch Creatives; lives in Los Angeles but originally from Houston
• Analisse Nicholson as Lynn: Senior at Baylor majoring in theatre performance (Musical Theatre concentration) from Killeen, Texas
• Anna Grigsby as Kate: Sophomore at Baylor majoring in theatre performance from Colleyville, Texas
• Chris Coley as George: Actor based in Texas
• Liz Honigmann, B.F.A. ’24, as Rachel: Actor and stand-up comedian in Dallas/Fort Worth
• Lyla Meece as Allison: Senior at Baylor majoring in theatre performance (Musical Theatre concentration), minoring in entrepreneurship
• Mitch Stephens as David: Multidisciplinary artist based in Austin, Texas

Synopsis: Kitty Genovese was infamously murdered in Kew Gardens, New York, in 1964, while 38 of her neighbors observed, doing nothing. The reality, as all our realities, is far more complicated than that. “Here Kitty Kitty” is a present-day obsessive exploration of the "bystander effect" attributed to that murder via a haunting in stories – true crime podcasters keeping women safe (except each other), theatre-makers trying to summon Kitty for their groundbreaking play while neglecting to take care of their own, and a journalist learning what it costs to tell anyone the truth. “Here Kitty Kitty” asks us to re-examine the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves, and how we decide when things are okay.

“& Sons” by Jack Angelo Cummings, a New Jersey/New York City-based playwright

Reading #4: 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025

Directed by Christopher Llewyn Ramirez

Cast of “& Sons”

• Brandon Sterrett as Anthony: Lecturer in acting at Baylor University; professional actor and director on stages throughout Texas
• Gabe Lipton, B.F.A. ’17, M.A. ’19, as Dom: Comedian and filmmaker based in Austin, Texas
• Silas Robles, B.F.A. ’25, as Juan: Actor, singer, multi-instrumentalist based in Bay City, Texas

Synopsis: “& Sons” tells the story of three young men, living in New Jersey, attempting to salvage a boutique construction company after the business’s former patriarch, Bob DiSanti, dies suddenly of a heart attack. The DiSanti construction crew includes Bob’s second son, Dom DiSanti, a hapless, highly amicable stoner; Bob’s protégé, Juan Alvarez, a handsome, type A, natural born leader; and Bob’s first son, Anthony, a physically imposing stoic who has just returned to Jersey after a mysterious seven-year hiatus inspired by Bob’s heavy-handed parenting style. Tensions increase as Anthony and Juan fight for control of the company, tearing lovable, ill-starred Dom in half by forcing him to choose between his biological brother and his best friend. All three men stifle their own emotional needs, all while trying to enjoy sub sandwiches, burritos, pizza, etc., on their well-deserved lunch break. Ultimately, this play is a meditation on masculinity and how (particularly, blue collar) young men use degrees of touch to process their feelings.

Collaboration with top Texas professional theatres

The four plays selected for the Baylor New Play Initiative’s inaugural festival are vibrant and eclectic, representing a broad range of themes and styles found in contemporary playwriting. They were selected from dozens of works recommended by 13 of Texas’ top professional theatres collaborating with the BNPI, including 4th Wall Theatre Company (Houston), Alley Theatre (Houston), Amphibian Stage (Fort Worth), Dallas Theater Center, Second Thought Theatre (Dallas), Stage West Theatre (Fort Worth), WaterTower Theatre (Dallas), Stages (Houston), Zach Theater (Austin), A.D. Players Theater (Houston), Theatre Three (Dallas), Penfold Theatre (Round Rock) and Circle Theatre (Fort Worth).

A panel of judges drawn from professional and academic institutions will award the first Kirk New Play Prize during a concluding luncheon and awards reception at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 28.

The BNPI is made possible by the visionary leadership and generous support of Baylor alumni Preston and Ronda Dale Kirk and in conjunction with the Baylor University Department of Theatre Arts. 

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY                                              

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Learn more about Baylor University at www.baylor.edu.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY THEATRE

The Baylor University Department of Theatre Arts is an elite program combining an excellent liberal arts education with rigorous training in both academic and artistic fields of theatre study. Accredited by the National Association of Schools of Theatre, Baylor Theatre Arts has been named among the top undergraduate theatre programs in the United States and the Top 4 in Texas.