Jess Lazkano – Ritual Art Troupe

You Too

Update: Video Release Party!
Update: Report on our final performance.
Update: Report on opening night.
New: Media Release

Actors/Crew: please go here.

Theatre Makers is co-creating a new play called You Too. The play is about abuse, the #metoo movement, and hope for the future.

You Too tells the story of a female Senate candidate running against a former Hollywood director accused of harassing women. The media orchestrates the race between the two candidates and manipulates the reaction from the audience, playing with true and false accusations, and questioning the whole nature of harassment. Throughout the course of events in the play, our characters evolve and learn to find their own ground. Join us for a thought-provoking and inspiring theater experience!

Join us just after the play for a live panel discussion with the director/co-playwright, cast members, and representatives from nonprofit organizations such as SAVE and Narika. You’ll be able to ask questions (confidentially if you prefer) and get the latest info on both the play and the resources available for victims of workplace harassment and domestic violence.

This original play will have a limited run of performances in Fremont and Oakland. Produced by the Theatre Makers project of Ritual Art Troupe, a small non-profit organization, the play employs a diverse cast of actors and creative personnel living in the San Francisco Bay Area. Iryna Lymar will direct the play, which she co-wrote with Stardust Doherty.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Adult language, scenes of domestic and work abuse, and simulations of slapping and harassment. No nudity. Parents, please consider the maturity level of your teenager before bringing them to the play — no pre-teens please.

Performances

You Too will have a limited run of performances in the San Francisco Bay Area:

7:00pm on November 9, 2019, at Fremont Community Center, 40204 Paseo Padre Parkway, Fremont, CA
8:00pm on November 14, 2019, at First Unitarian Church, 685 14th Street, Oakland, CA
8:00pm on November 15, 2019, at First Unitarian Church, 685 14th Street, Oakland, CA

The Fremont venue is accessible to wheelchair users (and we are trying to verify that the Oakland venue is also accessible). Captions will not be available at these performances.

Tickets

Ticket sales beyond expenses benefit our non-profit community partners.

Tickets no longer on sale for this play.

Publicity

You Too Cast and Crew Headshots and Bios

You Too Show Photos and Videos

You Too Media Release

Facebook event for Fremont performance and for Oakland performances.

Community Partners

Theatre Makers is grateful for the support of the following community partners for the You Too production:

	Helpline 1-800-215-7308
	24-HOUR HOTLINE (510) 794-6055

These non-profit organizations are doing amazing work in the area of domestic violence prevention, advocacy, support, education, healing, and wellness.

Volunteer

We are seeking set designers, painters, prop master, wardrobe master, roadies (rental truck driver), sound and light crew, funders, venue staff, sign language interpreters (ASL), and other volunteers to stage this new woman-directed play.

To volunteer and participate in production of the You Too play, please send an email to iryna@ritualart.org

The best way to find out about volunteer opportunities is to join the Theatre Makers Meetup group. More info at http://ritualart.org/theatremakers/

Please volunteer, donate funds, or donate venue, food, materials or equipment to make this show possible!

Activities

Playwrights Circle reading and critique session of the You Too play at the St. James School in San Francisco on November 14, 2018.

Recruitment for the You Too play at the Women’s Marches on January 19, 2019, in Oakland and San Francisco.

Kick-Off Meeting for the You Too play from 7pm to 9pm on Monday, March 18, 2019.

Auditions for the You Too play took place on August 25, 26, 27, and September 14, in San Francisco.

Rehearsals for the You Too play have taken place on September 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, and 30, October 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21, 27, and 28, and November 3 and 8 in Fremont, Oakland, and San Francisco.

Opening night of the You Too play took place on November 9 at the Fremont Community Center in Fremont, CA.

Performances, including our final performance, of the You Too play took place on November 14 and 15 at the First Unitarian Church in Oakland, CA.

You Too Final Performance

Thanks to everyone who helped us to stage the You Too play, as well as to our community partner organizations like Narika and SAVE, who participated in panel discussions after each performance.

We had our final performance on November 15, 2019, at First Unitarian Church in Oakland.

You Too Cast and Crew After Final Performance on November 15, 2019

If you’re interested in participating in future community-based theatre productions from the Ritual Art Troupe, please join the Theatre Makers meetup.

You can support new plays with social, political, economic, and environmental change (SPEEC) themes by donating to Ritual Art Troupe.

You Too Interview of Actor Jess Lazkano

Actor Jess Lazkano shares thoughts and feelings in this video about the “You Too” play from the Theatre Makers project of the Ritual Art Troupe.

The play is about abuse, the #metoo movement, and hope for the future.

You Too will have a limited run of performances in the San Francisco Bay Area:

7:00pm on November 9, 2019, at Fremont Community Center, 40204 Paseo Padre Parkway, Fremont, CA
8:00pm on November 14, 2019, at First Unitarian Church, 685 14th Street, Oakland, CA
8:00pm on November 15, 2019, at First Unitarian Church, 685 14th Street, Oakland, CA

Show info and tickets: http://www.ritualart.org/youtoo

You Too Show Photos and Videos

Please feel free to share and publish these photos and videos of the You Too cast and show.

Actor Kameron Thorntona Brown shares thoughts and feelings in this video about the “You Too” play from the Theatre Makers project of the Ritual Art Troupe.

Actor Courtney Hartman shares thoughts and feelings in this video about the “You Too” play from the Theatre Makers project of the Ritual Art Troupe.

Actor Alejandro Eustaquio shares thoughts and feelings in this video about the “You Too” play from the Theatre Makers project of the Ritual Art Troupe.

Actor Jess Lazkano shares thoughts and feelings in this video about the “You Too” play from the Theatre Makers project of the Ritual Art Troupe.

Stage Manager Pulkit Gulati shares thoughts and feelings in this video about the “You Too” play from the Theatre Makers project of the Ritual Art Troupe.

You Too actor Kameron Thortona as TV News Host Sean O'Reilly — You Too actor Kameron Thortona Brown as TV News Host Sean O’Reilly

You Too Director and Co-Playwright Iryna Lymar

You Too play co-playwrights Stardust Doherty and Iryna Lymar

You Too actors Venee Call-Ferrer, Kameron Thortona, and Nadeem Anjum — You Too actors Venee Call-Ferrer, Kameron Thortona Brown, and Nadeem Anjum

You Too actors Venee Call-Ferrer and Nadeem Anjum

You Too Actors Courtney Hartman, Alejandro Estaqvio, and Jess Lazkano — You Too Actors Courtney Hartman, Alejandro Eustaquio, and Jess Lazkano

You Too Actors Courtney Hartman and Jess Lazkano

You Too actors Venee Call-Ferrer and Nadeem Anjum rehearsing

You Too actors Jess Lazkano, Courtney Hartman, Venee Call-Ferrer, and Alejandro Estaqvio rehearsing — You Too actors Jess Lazkano, Courtney Hartman, Venee Call-Ferrer, and Alejandro Eustaquio rehearsing

You Too actors Jess Lazkano and Courtney Hartman rehearsing

You Too actors Jess Lazkano, Courtney Hartman, and Nadeem Anjum rehearsing

You Too actors Courtney Hartman and Nadeem Anjum rehearsing

You Too actors Nadeem Anjum and Venee Call-Ferrer rehearsing

You Too Play Media Gallery (Photos Courtesy of Julien Jourdan)

You Too Cast & Crew Headshots & Bios

*Actors*	*Crew / Personnel*
Nadeem Anjum	Iryna Lymar
Venee Call-Ferrer	Stardust Doherty
Alejandro Eustaquio	Pulkit Gulati
Ankur Garg
Courtney Hartman
Jess Lazkano
Alia Thiel
Kameron Thorntona Brown

Actors

Nadeem Anjum (Harvey Cosby)

Nadeem (he, his, him) is from Calcutta and has been in San Francisco Bay Area for 5 years now. He has been acting since he was a kid and has appeared in several theatre and film roles. He debuted with Theatre Makers when he appeared as a wealthy entrepreneur in “Ecopocalypse” (2018) and as a Gorilla in “Animal Factory Farm” (2018). His most recent theatre appearance was in the SF Fringe Festival where he appeared as a socialist in “20/20” (2019). He is excited to be combining his passion for acting and social justice with his participation in “You Too”.

Venee Call-Ferrer (Dianne Pelosi)

Venee (she, her, her) is drawn to Theater because of its ability to bring about social change, personal transformation, and inspire understanding, compassion, and tolerance in the world. Venee has a B.A. in Arts and Social Change from New College of California, with studies in Drama Therapy, Film/Video, Photography, Studio, and Performance Art. She is also an avid abstract photographer and traveler. She was just nominated for the Arty Awards 2019, Best Supporting Actress for the part of Jesses in Sweat, BOTTG. Past performances include Improv with Pan Theater Oakland, Living Tarot, and The Resistible Rise Of Arturo Uuo. “You Too” is Venee’s debut with Theatre Makers.

Alejandro Eustaquio (Father Ford)

Alejandro (he, his, him) was born in Vallejo, CA and is the youngest of five children. Alejandro originally grew up as a musician playing the flute. He had plans to pursue The Juilliard School In New York; however, he realized that music was more of a hobby than a career. In 2009, Alejandro made it his New Year’s resolution to pursue his dream of acting. He has filmed various films and commercials around the Bay Area and currently studies at the Beverly Hills Playhouse In San Francisco. Aside from the Arts, Alejandro also enjoys traveling the world. He has visited 12 countries amongst Europe, Asia, and Latin America. “You Too” is Alejandro’s debut with Theatre Makers.

Ankur Garg (Mother Ford)

Ankur (she, her, her) is thrilled to be a part of this timely production! She is an avid actor and singer who performed across Washington DC, Minneapolis and Los Angeles prior to her recent move to San Francisco. Ankur was last seen in Terminal Lucidity at the Baltimore Theatre Project, and the Page-to-Stage New Play Festival at the Kennedy Center. She trained at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis and The Actors Center in Los Angeles. “You Too” is Ankur’s debut with Theatre Makers.

Courtney Hartman (Anita Ford)

Courtney (she, her, her) is a licensed psychologist in CA with a background in theatre. She has been practicing in CA for over three years, and has been performing in various visual art installations and bay area theatre projects for 10 years. She had her directing debut last VDay season with VDay East Bay the Vagina Monologues with a focus on racial diversity and acknowledgment of the limitations of a script that aims at representing the experiences of all women. She is very excited to be joining forces with Theatre Makers to continue creating theatre to address social justice issues. “You Too” is Courtney’s debut with Theatre Makers.

Jess Lazkano (Tommy Ford, RICKY)

Jess (he, his, him) was born in Mexico from a Mexican mother and Spanish father. He moved to the US when he was 13. He is currently a singer-songwriter in the pop and experimental music genres delivering strong and out-of-the-ordinary messages. He is also exploring acting and photography. “You Too” is Jess’ debut with Theatre Makers.

Alia Thiel (Sister Pelosi)

Alia (she, her, her) is thrilled to be a part of her first project with Ritual Art Troupe. She feels passionately about spreading awareness about the #metoo movement and the perspective of victims of abuse and harassment. Alia has performed with local college theater at Diablo Valley College, Cal State Eastbay, and Chabot College. She was last seen in “A Musical Comedy of Murders” with The Orinda Starlight Players. “You Too” is Alia’s debut with Theatre Makers.

Kameron Thorntona Brown (Sean O’Reilly, CAMPAIGN MANAGER)

Kameron (he, his, him) is originally from Sacramento and moved to the Bay Area last year. He has starred in multiple plays, but recently took on new challenges pursuing Television and Film. One of Kameron’s favorite roles was being a “stand-in” and “background” actor for the Netflix show, “13 Reasons Why”. Kameron would like to thank his mother, family, and girlfriend for all their love and support. “You Too” is Kameron’s debut with Theatre Makers.

Crew / Personnel

Iryna Lymar (Director, Co-Writer)

Iryna (she/her/her) was born in Ukraine, lived in China for 8 years, and eventually moved to California. She studied linguistics and speaks 4 languages: English, Chinese (Mandarin), Ukrainian, and Russian. While doing management and translation jobs in China, Iryna started exploring writing and the theater world. She wrote a compilation of stories about strangers called “Just some strangers on the way” (the book is registered in Ukraine) and a short script called “Robot Buddha”. She co-directed the “Robot Buddha” play in Shenzhen, China, in 2016. Besides that, she was an active member of an improv group called “Planet Factory” and acted at monthly shows for a year. Now Iryna lives in San Francisco, teaches yoga, and participates in local theater life. Iryna is a co-writer of the Theatre Maker plays “Animal Factory Farm” (2018), “Ecopocalypse” (2018), and “You Too” (2019), the last of which Iryna is also directing.

Stardust Doherty (CO-WRITER)

Stardust (ze/per/herm) is a playwright, composer, musician (oboe and English horn), and English teacher. Stardust is focused long-term on the True of Voice musical dance theatre production and is a co-organizer of the Theatre Makers Meetup, as well as other playwrighting and composing projects. Stardust serves on the Board of Ritual Art Troupe, as well as two other non-profit organizations, the Online Policy Group and the San Francisco Composers Chamber Orchestra. Stardust formerly worked at the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Verified Voting Foundation, and at various high-tech companies during a prior career. Stardust began directing plays with per Shakespeare adaptation “A Midwinter Afternoon’s Nightmare” and the original “Bush Faeries: The Musical” (2018) staged at Breitenbush Community Hot Springs winter radical faerie gatherings. Along the way, there was an agit prop production of “Occupy San Francisco Employee Retirement System” (2013) in response to the bankster housing crisis. Stardust is a co-writer with Iryna Lymar and director of the Theatre Maker plays “Animal Factory Farm” (2018) and “Ecopocalypse” (2018), a co-writer with Iryna Lymar of “You Too” (2019), and a co-writer with Kari Barclay and the director of “20/20” (San Francisco Fringe Festival 2019).

Pulkit Gulati (Stage Manager)

Pulkit (he, his, him) is a Bay Area actor, filmmaker, and dancer who completed a two-year intensive acting program under Jim Jarrett, Sandy Meisner’s last teaching protege. Pulkit’s work includes “Serial Monster: Ted Bundy” on ReelzTV, “Is this Meta?”, “Consequences!” as well as other indie shorts. Pulkit can soon be seen in a VR Short Film which was produced in collaboration with University of California Berkeley. He’s won best comedy for “Perspective” at a Bay Area 24 Hour Film Festival and was part of HBO Asian Festival nomination “The Great Escape”. “You Too” is Pulkit’s first project with Theatre Makers.