Stream Bennington Plays Performances

In this project-based class, student directors, actors, playwrights, and designers engaged in the process and techniques of analyzing, exploring, and staging (original) works of theater.

This spring, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bennington Plays students are presenting their plays online and on air.

Uprooted

Written by Evan Grey Caldwell '20
Directed by Larry Dembski '21
Stage Managed by Bailey Kasdon '23

On a golf course in South Florida, teenagers and adults face an ungovernable future. Two boys connect and disconnect over death, authenticity, and coconuts. Four moms drink in mimosas and the moment. Three dead animals unpack their predicament in the afterlife. Owen wants to save a tree and Gloria wants to fit in. A storm approaches. Who gets the last word?

Performances of Uprooted will be broadcast on B-RAD radio on Saturday, May 16 at 7:00 pm EST and Sunday, May 17 at 2:00 pm EST.

Cast
Owen—Benjamin Wickett '22
Gloria—Jelena Mijatovic '21
Marissa/Peter Parker—Holly Ray Sherrer '20
Erika/Georgina Gloop—Olivia Fassenella '21
Lady/Jill—Sofia Pacheco Pardo '22
Johnathan—Brooks Hope '21

Grandpa Dave

Written by Edie Salas-Miller '20
Directed by Kaiya Kirk '20

Grandpa Dave is an exploration of life, love, and loss through the eyes of the Perez family, a Latinx family in Los Angeles.

"With every change in life comes great ambivalence."

Grandpa Dave will premiere on Bennington College's Youtube channel on Friday, May 15 at 7:00 pm EST.

Cast
Mia—Karoli Esparza '22
Dafney—Deja' Haley '20
Mama—Daniela Naranjo-Zarate '22
Dylan—Hannah Butcher '23
Allan—Paul Birtwistle '20

Creative Team
Set Design—Daniela Naranjo-Zarate '22
Light Design—Paola Garza '22
Costume Design—Sonise Lumbaca '21
Stage Manager—Amrita L. Newton '20
Assistant Stage Manager—Hannah Pereira '23
Production Manager—Margaret Fortuna Yassky '20

View the program for Grandpa Dave.

Denial of Service

Written by Nicholas Hennessey '20
Directed by Nicholas Williams '20

In the dry, desolate outskirts of L.A. County, social workers oversee the welfare of local children. Emma arrives in this unforgiving environment ready to play savior and fight injustice. But her supervisor, Sandy, lives by a different code, and is not too keen on the young upstart challenging her authority. A child’s safety becomes the battleground for a war of morality… and the consequences will leave no one unscathed. Loosely inspired by true events.

Content Warning: Play contains subjects referencing child abuse, trauma, violence/violent images. Contains strong language that may not be suitable for younger audiences.

Denial of Service was broadcast on B-RAD radio on Saturday, May 9 at 8:00 pm EST and Sunday, May 10 at 2:00 pm and 6:30 pm EST.

Cast
Sandy—Martha Bennett '21
Emma—Isabel Sheehan '21 
Win—Angus McPherson '23 
Courtney—Mary Brothers '22 
Mel—Delaney Circe '21 
The Narrator—Nicholas Hennessy '20

Creative Team
Sound Design and Editing by Otto Schatz '20

Our Friend Monica

Written by Eloise Gibbin '20
Directed by Lillie Brown '20

In the United States, Monica Lewinsky's name has been infamous for over two decades. But what if things had gone a different way? In this reimagining of the scandal that ignited America, it's time for the women to tell the story. Rivalries spark and animal instincts rear their heads as the jungle takes root in the Oval Office. Faced with choices that threaten the state of the union, Monica must choose what to tend to: her relationships, her reputation, or her own garden. What's personal is now political.

Cast
Monica Lewinsky — Rebecca Mitzner '20
Hillary Clinton — Annabel Hoffman '22
Huma Abedin — Florence Gill '22
Bill Clinton — Thomas Vaethroeder '23

Creative Team
Set Design — Joshua Goldberg '21
Costume Design — Sabrina Konick '20
Lighting Design — Star Freeman '22
Stage Manager — Lua Piovano-Marcotte '23
Assistant Stage Manager — Xiao Ma '23
Production Manager — Margaret Fortuna Yassky '20

View the design portfolio for Our Friend Monica.