The Brick, in association with Zoë Geltman and Julia Sirna-Frest, presents:

A ( U ) N T S !

May 8-24, 2025

at The Brick 

579 Metropolitan Avenue, Brooklyn

Written by Zoë Geltman Directed by Julia Sirna-Frest

FEATURING

(in alphabetical order)

Zoë Geltman* as Sherylann

Megan Hill* as Renee

Jehan O. Young* as Annie

* Equity Member appearing with permission of Actors’ Equity Association without benefit of an Equity contract in this Off-Off Broadway production.

CREATIVE TEAM

Set Designer: Jiaying Zhang, Costume Designer: Ásta Bennie Hostetter, Lighting Designer: Megan Lang, Sound Designer: Carsen Joenk, Masks Designer: Mark Fox Assistant Costume Designer: Oriana Sophia

Stage Manager: Sarah Samonte

Line Producer: Sarah Jones

With Producing Support from John Del Gaudio

PRODUCTION DEVELOPMENT & SUPPORT

A(U)NTS! is a Hearth-Supported Production; a participant in New Georges’ Supported Productions program, in which New Georges provides mentorship and an institutional platform to its affiliated artists who are producing their work independently, as well as the recipient of a New Georges Project Boost, made possible by Venturous Theater Fund of the Tides Foundation; and was created in association with Immediate Medium’s AGENCY Program, made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul.

A(U)NTS! has been previously developed through a workshop with The Hearth at 59E59.         

SPECIAL THANKS

We are grateful to everyone who donated to and attended our fundraiser: Katie Bellas, Kate Benson, Susan Bernfield, Leah Boatwright, Frank Boudreaux, P Britt, Stephen Byrne, Nikki Calonge, Amy Chapman, Yukina Chiba, Ugo Chukwu, Seth Clayton, Brian Collins, Laura Del Gaudio, Alberto Denis, Evdoxia, Jody Falco, Blaze Ferrer, Mark Fox, Kevin Frest, James George, Georgie Girl, Elizabeth Harris, Taylor Hart, David Herskovits, Richard Hollman, Emma Horwitz, Ásta Bennie Hostetter, Cecil Howell, Nat Livingston Johnson, Julia May Jonas, Rachel Karpf, Lisbeth Kaufman, Susan Kaufman, Kip Lacy, Dylan Levers, Drew Lewis, Jerry Lieblich, Dara Malina, Lisa McNulty, Megan Murtha, Dee Pelletier, Lisa Reynolds, Jaynie Saunders Tiller, Maria Schirmer, Kate Schroeder, Laurette Siler, Stephen Simalchik, Margaret Sweeney, Jeffrey Steinman, Tiffany Themens, Libby Tseng, Patrick Vassel, Marisa Wallin, James Waters, Bailey Williams, Amy Young

And thank you so much to all those who donated items and/or time and energy to our fundraiser raffle and/or to the event: Aeon Andreas for MCing the raffle, Jen Becker & Soho Acupuncture, Kaaron Briscoe for ant-themed confections, Brooklyn Guitar School & Shane Chapman, Doll Parts, Olivia Facini for bartending, Farm to People, Taylor Hart for her ant lecture, Hannah Heller; Eli Jones, Jubilee Roll, KCBC, Elisabeth Skjærvold, Soho Rep, Yobo Spirits

Special thanks to those wonderful individuals who have helped make this play happen: Theresa Buchheister for championing Zoë & Julia and this play from the beginning; William Burke for fundraiser door operations as well as general advice and excellent zoom pop-ins; Julia Greer for being the loveliest, most competent, and constant source of wisdom and support and creative pearls; Bryn Herdrich for being a producer extraordinaire, who launched us off the ground and then let us fly; Dylan Jones-Tuba for incredible poster design; John Del Gaudio always and forever for being a calm, sage, and incredibly generous and lovely phone-a-producer; Richard & Deborah Geltman for your wide-ranging and varied championship of Zoë; Kevin Frest for SO MANY THINGS including, but not limited to: your gorgeous photos for the promo photoshoot and the production, your help with the fundraiser, and last but very much not least, your hauling a van full of MFTA materials twice to The Brick Aux and helping with loading them in and out; and Zoë Lasden-Lyman for hosting the first public reading of A(U)NTS! in May 202

BIOS

Zoë Geltman (Writer, SHERYLANN) is a writer and performer. Her plays include A(U)NTS! (2024 Himan Brown Award winner at Brooklyn College; 2024 National Playwrights Conference semi-finalist); PUFFY HAIR (Vancouver Fringe Festival, The Tank, Big Art Group’s SFX Festival, The PIT); Lolly, Lolly, Lolly (2020 National Playwrights Conference semi-finalist); This Dump Is A Dump (Bushwick Starr Reading Series); and SEA FRAUD (The Brick); also Jelly Roll and You Can’t Eat the Orange and Throw the Peel Away, both of which have no distinctions or honors. She is a 2026 Brooklyn College Playwriting MFA candidate, where she is a Rona Jaffe Fellow. Select performing credits include A Woman Among Women (The Bushwick Starr), Kara and Emma and Barbara and Miranda (The Tank/New Georges), Remember This Trick (Target Margin), Spindle Shuttle Needle (Clubbed Thumb), The World My Mama Raised (Clubbed Thumb), PIONEERS #goforth (JACK), Evelyn (The Bushwick Starr), and The Return (CPM Gallery). www.zoegeltman.com.

Megan Hill (RENEE) has originated roles in the World Premieres of: Sandy Rustin’s THE SUFFRAGETTE’S MURDER (Denver Center); Ramiz Monsef’s THE ANTS (Geffen Playhouse); Crystal Skillman’s OPEN (The Tank/AFO Theater) and CUT; Amy Staats’ EDDIE AND DAVE (The Atlantic, Drama Desk Nomination, NY Times Best of List); Mara Nelson-Greenberg’s DO YOU FEEL ANGER? (Vineyard Theater and Humana Fest), Leah Nanako Winkler’s THE BRIGHTEST THING IN THE WORLD (Yale Rep) and KENTUCKY (P73/EST); Joshua Conkel and Matt Marks’ THE HOUSE OF VON MACRAME (Bushwick Starr); and Rob Askins’ HAND TO GOD (EST), among others. Megan was also seen in POTUS (Arena Stage, Helen Hayes Nominations). Her play THE LAST CLASS: A JAZZERCIZE PLAY has enjoyed runs in NY, DC, and Seattle. Training: BFA, Cornish College of the Arts; MFA, ART/MXAT IATT RIP at Harvard. Next up: OPEN at The WP in July.

Jehan O. Young (ANNIE) (she. her.) is a classically-trained actor, West African dancer and arts manager hailing from Stone Mountain, GA by way of Fremont and San Bernardino, California. Currently based in New York City, Jehan (/juh•HAHN/) has performed internationally and appeared on numerous stages across New York City including countless esteemed basements with working pipes and a black curtain. Select theater credits: Behind The Sheet, Ensemble Studio Theater, Is It Supposed To Last, PlayCo, Night Keeper, Aaron Landsman/Chocolate Factory Theater and THE Harriet Holland Social Club presents The 84th Annual Star-Burst COTILLION in the Grand Ballroom of the Renaissance Hotel, New Georges/The Movement Theater Company | 2024 Drama League Nom., Distinguished Performance. BFA, Spelman College | MFA, Columbia University | iamj.o.y

Julia Sirna-Frest (Director) is a performer, director and musician. She is a founding member of the Obie-award-winning Half Straddle. Music projects include rock duo Permanent Moves (Debut Album Don't Forget Us: A Chekhovian Song Cycle streaming everywhere!) and co-front woman of Doll Parts, Brooklyn’s premiere Dolly Parton cover band. Favorite performance credits include Lunch Bunch (Playco, Clubbed Thumb); [Porto] (WP Theater, The Bushwick Starr); Seder (Hartford Stage); A Tunnel Year (The Chocolate Factory); The Offending Gesture (Mac Wellman); Comfort Dogs: Live from the Pink House (JACK). She has directed the majority of Zoë Geltman’s work, including PUFFY HAIR (Vancouver Fringe, The Tank), SEA FRAUD (The Brick), and Lolly, Lolly, Lolly (New Georges). She is an alum of the 2022-2024 WP Lab and 2025 Director’s Lab at Mercury Store, as well as an affiliated artist with New Georges. www.juliasirnafrest.com

Jiaying Zhang (Set Designer) Jiaying Zhang is a New York based set designer. She is interested in alternative storytelling forms, discovering new ways to shape theatrical language and evoke emotion. She is inspired by the energy flowing through bodies on stage, the sculpting of atmosphere and feeling, and the process of interweaving all elements. Recent credits include Le Nozze di Figaro (The Juilliard School), Malicious Compliance (WP Theatre). Recent associate design work includes Giulio Cesare (Hudson Hall), Eurydice (Boston Lyric Opera). She is currently co-designing Working Girl with Christine Jones and Brett Banakis as part of the collective AMP. www.jiayingzhang.com

Ásta Bennie Hostetter (Costume Designer) designed costumes for the world premieres of: Infinite Life, Dance Nation, The Wolves, Men on Boats, [Porto], John, You Got Older and 10 out of 12. She is a founding member of minor theater and directed their most recent work: Marie It’s Time. She has dressed both Julia Sirna-Frest (Little Boy Blue, a Bird, a shepherd, and Porto) and Zoë Geltman (student, Cleurnd) and considers making work a BFH (Big Fuckin Honor). USA 829.

Megan Lang (Lighting Designer) has designed lighting at BAM, La Mama, Abrons Arts Center, EST, Under St. Mark's, the Wild Project, Dixon Place, 59E59, JACK, and Atlantic Stage 2, among others. Recent designs include Help Me Draw Your Feelings (Brick Aux, dir. William Burke+Bryn Herdrich), Now Go and Act Accordingly (Target Margin Theater, dir. David Herskovits), and annually the Ubumuntu Arts Festival in Rwanda. Assistant/associate special effects work on Broadway includes Sting's The Last Ship, Paradise Square and Beetlejuice. meganlangld.com

Carsen Joenk (Sound Designer) is a director, sound designer, co-AD of Rat Queen Theatre Company, co-founder of interactive media company Sour Milk, former Clubbed Thumb Directing Fellow, lover of fancy dress, and hater of cooked carrots. She is also the co-creator of Miss Atomic Power and Jerusalem, Florida (2024 + 2025 National Playwrights Conference finalists). Select Sound: Garside’s Career (The Mint), Off by One (People’s Light), The Mountaintop (Weston Theater Company), Usus (Clubbed Thumb), Goldenleaf Ragtime Blues (Shakespeare Theatre Co.), Made by God (Irish Rep), Bloom Bloom Pow (ART NY // The New Georges), Fiction (600 Highwaymen). carsen-joenk.com 

Mark Fox (Masks) Visual artist and nephew to 8 aunts, Mark Fox has exhibited paintings and drawing-based work throughout the country as well as Asia, Europe, and South America. For 10 years, he was creative director of a puppet theater and has most recently collaborated with Zoë Geltman and playwright Megan Murtha on toy theater and marionette productions at The Tank. His works can be found in the Whitney, the MOMA, the Philadelphia Museumof Art, the Albright-Knox, and the Anderson Collection at Stanford University among other public and private collections.

Oriana Sophia (Assistant Costume Designer) is a New York City triple threat – costume designer, actress, and master of striking up conversations with strangers! She quite literally stumbled into this project in the most NYC way possible, and the next thing she knew, she was on a mission... shopping for ants! Oriana injects a vibrant and imaginative energy into everything she creates, bringing characters and worlds to life with her unique eye. Her recent costume design credits include La Llamada at Repertorio Español, Harlem Hellfighters at Pregones PRTT, and In The Heights at Colorado FAC. She's a resident designer at Boundless Theater and is gearing up to dive into her MFA at NYU Tisch this fall! Catch glimpses of her creative magic and ant-shopping escapades by following her work @0rianasophia.

John Del Gaudio (Phone-a-Producer) got an ant tattoo on his middle finger in honor of these lovely humans. He is the Producer at the Mercury Store. He has regularly worked with William Burke and Aya Ogawa. And he used to do things at Target Margin Theater and the Bushwick Starr.

Sarah Jones (Line Producer) Sarah Jones is a producer, stage manager, and excel aficionado, elated to be working on A(U)NTS! She has produced with/at The Bushwick Starr, The Public Theater [DTWG], One Whale's Tale, the 24 Hour Plays (Nationals '23), and The Brick, with an upcoming project with Good Apples Collective. They are a proud CUNY Baccalaureate graduate via Hunter College.

Sarah Samonte (Stage Manager) (she, her) is a Filipino American Theater and Event Production human. Born in NYC, raised in the Arizona desert, based in Brooklyn. Recent credits: Neck Down (PSM, Exponential Festival), International Puppet Slam 2024 (PSM, Greenfeather Foundation), See What I Wanna See (ASM, OOTB), O.K. (PSM, WP Theater), Fouad of Nazareth (SM, Noor Theatre), Terce (ASM, Here Arts), Healing Shipment (PSM, La Mama), while being a resident stage manager experimenting at the Mercury Store. 

             About The Brick

The Brick is a not-for-profit dedicated to developing and presenting the work of pioneering emerging artists and career experimenters in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. We are the artistic home for work that pushes boundaries and spans the ever-evolving spectrum of performing arts, theatre, dance, video, virtual reality, and visual arts. By nurturing emerging artists, sustaining ongoing relationships with frequent collaborators, and removing financial barriers for artists to create work, we create a diverse, accessible, and inclusive artistic community for the city’s most daring artists. We welcome adventurous audiences with low-cost and sliding-scale ticket prices to make performances accessible to all. Founded in 2002, The Brick has established itself as an essential experimental venue for the production of compelling, new, high-quality work. As a vital part of the New York artistic community, we present 250-300 live performances per year at our two spaces, The Brick and Brick Aux, and welcome over 10,000 audience members each year. The Brick enters its third decade with a bold new vision and an abiding belief in the power of art. With a renewed focus on multi-week theatrical runs and a dynamic line-up of singular one-off events, The Brick is Williamsburg’s primary incubator of innovative theater and performing arts.

A(U)NTS! is the first Hearth Supported Production: a new model where they support projects that are aligned with their mission by offering guidance, resources and assistance as they move from development through production. The Hearth nurtures and celebrates women, trans, non-binary artists and artists of underrepresented genders. More at thehearththeater.com.

New Georges (production support) produces weird, weird-ish, and often impossible plays and serves and supports the exuberant theatermakers who create them. A pivotal home and launchpad for now two generations of women+ artists, our impact reaches every corner of the culture. More at www.newgeorges.org

For over 20 years, Immediate Medium has worked to holistically support, promote, befriend, pay, and produce a sprawling network of experimental performance-makers whose art pushes aesthetic boundaries and challenges dominant culture. Our core values include generosity, experimentation, and justice.

             Actors' Equity Association (AEA), founded in 1913, represents more than 50,000 actors and stage managers in the United States. Equity seeks to advance, promote and foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of our society. Equity negotiates wages and working conditions, providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. AEA is a member of the AFL-CIO, and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. The Equity emblem is our mark of excellence. www.actorsequity.org