Gather
a play about finding our way back together
Co-written with Julia Lederer
Finalist for the Canadian Playwrights' Guild Best New Play for Young Audiences
“There’s something I want to show you…” This is a story of a town full of cottages, and neighbors, and probably even someone you know. When a snowstorm empties the streets, forcing everyone to stay inside, everything begins to turn distant and cold. Words vanish for a librarian, food loses taste for a chef, and a mail carrier has no mail to deliver. Two brave adventurers want to help bring the town back together again, but first they will need to find one another.
Created with a team of youth collaborators based on their experiences of isolation and connection, Gather is a play about closing distances and learning to really see each other again.
Chicago Reader
“An original production that brings this hopeful and expansive feeling to its audience in delightful and authentic ways.”
Creative Team and Production History
Gather was commissioned by Filament Theatre and premiered in Chicago, IL in January 2022.
The original creative team was as follows:
Director: Julie Ritchey
Stage Manager: Monica M. Brown
Assistant Stage Manager: Tess C. Naval
Producer: Reji Simon
Production Teaching Artist: Molly Bunder
Assistant Production Teaching Artist: Kristin Hammargren
Associate Director: Sarah Hecht
Assistant Director: Zuri Gilbert
Scenic Designer: Amy C. Gilman
Properties Designer: Mariah Bennett
Costume Designer: Noël Huntzinger
Lighting Designer: Ellie Humphrys
Sound Designer: Willow James
Actors: Chris Acevedo and Erika Wilson
Understudies: Olivia Jackson and Caroline Watson
Gather was created with the guidance, support, and creativity of the following Youth Collaborators:
Alex Rovani, Alice Longnecker, Alina Cooper, Amelia Holly, Amelia Sladek, Analiah Flores, Anjali Kaur Aakre, Arlo McGaughey, Carlos Zamorano-Cruz, Carter Daniels, Carys Zeiger, Charles Keeble, Eden Pave, Ellie Baldwin, Elsa Wulff, Emilia Martinez, Hayden Egan, Hazel Elsberg, Jackson Unander, Jocelyn Friedman, Josephine Gallo, Lucca McGaughey, Lucien
Strong, Mabel Johnston, Mariam Syed-Shah, Marlo Miller- Smulski, Maya Booth, Milos Prisic, Nathan Chong, Ollie Reyes, Olivia Martinez, Olivia Schleman, Reva Arora, Sidney Dinham,
Vivian Siebel Johnson, Willa Zatzenbloom, Willow Astra Schleman, Zuri Gilbert, and the student participants in the Filament Theatre Residencies at Murphy Elementary School and Belding Elementary School.