2020 Digital Internship Program
Asking for a Friend
By Anaya Green
December 10, 12, and 13, 2020
Premieres LIVE on Thursday, December 10 @ 6:00 PM PST
Streaming ALL DAY Saturday, December 12 & Sunday, December 13
Both streams presented on YouTube
Click below to reserve admission!
Asking for A Friend by Anaya Green follows Leah, a young Black woman, embarking on the journey of exploring her culture and identity. As you are whisked away into Leah’s world of discovery, you will be reminded of the all too real moments in your life where you’ve looked at yourself in the mirror and said: “How did I become the person I am today?” As Leah navigates her relationship with her first Black friend, Tierra, she begins the journey of discovering who she is and who she wants to be. Do you want to come too? I’m Asking for a Friend.
Land Acknowledgment
The setting of Asking For a Friend spans many miles. Leah, Tierra, and Kurt embark on a road trip that brings them through the native land of the Kiikaapoi, Peoria, Bodéwadmiakiwen, Myaamia, Očhéthi Šakówiŋ, Shawandasse Tula, Osage, Tsalaguwetiyi, and S’atsoyaha people. You can learn more about these groups of Native people by clicking on their names listed previously. The maps located to the left outline the native territories of these people before they were forcefully removed from their land by the United States Government. The Cast and Creative Team of Asking For a Friend acknowledges that we all reside on stolen land, and strive to educate ourselves about the native people that inhabited our localities as well as honor them through our art. We encourage our viewers to educate themselves on the Native people who were forcefully removed from your area by visiting native-land.ca
Asking for a Friend for EmbraceRace
Enjoy free admission and please consider donating to EmbraceRace.
In Asking For A Friend, we watch Leah discover and come to terms with her cultural identity. As an adopted Black woman raised by a White mother with predominantly White social circles, Leah grows up without access to the culture of her race, which leads to confusion and feeling out of place. Leah’s story is not uncommon. Every year, thousands of trans-racial and trans-cultural adoptions occur in the United States, and when not approached with care, trans-racial adoption can lead to warranted confusion and anger towards adoptive parents, which we see play out in Asking For A Friend. We’ve partnered with EmbraceRace because we believe in the support and education they offer. They create and supply resources for multi-racial families as a guide for parenting kids that are of a different race than their care-givers, as well as provide articles, webinars, and action plans that give insight on how to raise children that are “Thoughtful, Informed, and Brave About Race.”
From EmbraceRace.org:
EmbraceRace was founded in early 2016 by two parents (one Black, the other multiracial Black/White) who set out to create the community and gather the resources they needed (need!) to meet the challenges they face raising children in a world where race matters. Since that time, EmbraceRace has grown into a multiracial community of parents, teachers, experts, and other caring adults who support each other to meet the challenges that race poses to our children, families, and communities.
About the Playwright
Anaya Green
Anaya Green is a recent graduate of The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Theatre and Dance with a B.A. in Playwriting and Directing. She wrote and directed her first theatrical piece, oUr rooTs in 2019 for the Cohen New Works Festival. Following that, she wrote her second play Asking For a Friend in 2019. She is so grateful for the opportunity to work with Davis Shakespeare Festival, having the opportunity to craft, explore and make new discoveries through theatre-making.
CAST
*Member of Actors’ Equity Association
De’Ja McKnabb
Leah
De’Ja McKnabb is an actress based in Charlotte, North Carolina and is delighted to be making her Davis Shakespeare Festival debut. Her favorite credits include American Son and A Holly Jolly Holiday (Florida Studio Theatre), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (East Carolina University), and Jasmine, in the short film, The Last Time You Were Happy (Directed by R.T Francis). She received her BFA from East Carolina University: School of Theatre and Dance. Visit dejamcknabb.com to learn more!
Sam Jackson*
Tierra
Sam Jackson is a San Francisco based actor, vocalist and teaching artist. Her most recent acting credits include: Shotgun Player’s “Vinegar Tom” (Ellen), Aurora’s “Exit Strategy” (Sadie), Shotgun Player’s “Kings” (Sydney Millsap) and “Kill The Debbie Downers! Kill Them! Kill Them! Kill Them Off!!” (Olga). She is also a company member of Nice Tan Comedy, a queer WOC led sketch comedy group based in San Francisco. (she/her) IG: @little_miss_sj
Kelley Ogden
Rachel
Kelley is thrilled to work with Davis Shakespeare again, where she was last seen in THE TENTH MUSE. Her most recent performance was in a live-streaming production of POLAR BEARS, BLACK BOYS AND PRAIRIE FRINGED ORCHIDS with Celebration Arts, and she has performed locally with Capital Stage (BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY, SWEAT), Sacramento Shakespeare Festival (TWELFTH NIGHT), Theater Galatea (JULIUS CAESAR, MACBETH), Main Street Theater Works (MAMA WON’T FLY), and KOLT Run Creations (ADORATION OF DORA, THERE IS A HAPPINESS THAT MORNING IS), an award-winning site-specific theater company she founded with her wife and producing partner, Lisa Thew. After receiving her BFA from The Theater School at DePaul University in Chicago, Kelley worked with theaters all over the country before settling down in Sacramento.
Liam Armstrong
Kurt
Liam Armstrong (he/him) is a Canadian actor who has studied in New York for the past six years. He is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts where he finished as a member of the 2016 – 2017 New York Academy Company and St. John’s University where he received a Bachelor of Science in Television and Film alongside the 2020 Television and Film Achievement Award. Recent credits include: Lead, Greenwich. Brighton. Central Park dir. Sergey Konovalenko (Seneca College); Lucky Luke, Pirate Life dir. Gillian Reed (Pirate Life Toronto); Macbeth, Macbeth directed by Han Duong and Sabyne Santiago (Little Theater); and Actor, The Laramie Project directed by Natalie Villamonte Zito (Access Theater).
Kathryn Smith-McGlynn*
Lydia
Kathryn’s body of work spans film, theatre, television, video games and new media. She can currently be seen as ‘Jen’ in the film feature BEAUTIFUL DREAMER which is generating buzz on the film festival circuit and is a 2020 SFFILM selection. Kathryn also co-starred as Dr. Crawford in the dystopian sci fi action thriller MAZERUNNER: THE SCORCH TRIALS. Her television credits include roles on DEPUTY (FOX), BETTER CALL SAUL (AMC), GREY’S ANATOMY (ABC), HYSTERIA (Amazon), SCOUNDRELS (ABC), THE LYING GAME (ABC Family), IN PLAIN SIGHT (USA) FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (NBC) and others. Kathryn lends her vocal talents to the video game WATCHDOGS II and is a veteran actress of the theatre where she has performed on regional stages throughout the country including American Conservatory Theatre (San Francisco CA), B Street Theatre (Sacramento, CA), Capital Stage Company (Sacramento, CA), Shakespeare Theatre Company (Washington, DC) Perseverance Theatre Company (Juneau, AK), Organic Theatre Company (Chicago, IL) and many others.
CREATIVE TEAM
Hannah Cornish
Hannah Cornish (she/her) is a Pittsburgh-based performer and student at Carnegie Mellon University where she studies Social and Political History with minors in Drama and Gender Studies. Her recent credits include Hamlet in Hamlet, Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Hermit and Blue Demon in 100 Years Stray. She recently directed and helped compose for a virtual, new work, Behind Closed Doors. She works with Harmony Pittsburgh, a group that provides theatrical opportunities for individuals with and without disabilities of all ages. In both her studies and her work, she is passionate about care, inclusivity, and making space for less frequently told stories.
Rachael Driver
Rachael (She/Her) is a first generation college student in Oklahoma finishing a Bachelor’s degree in Arts Administration. After graduation she will work with nonprofits to make all forms of art more accessible for patrons to enjoy. As an advocate for the arts Rachael has begun to move around within the industry to further expand her knowledge and resources. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic she adapted to an online platform base, where she was accepted into the Davis Shakespeare digital internship. During this time she was able to collaborate with others around the country to create an online accessible production.
Andrew Kolar
Andrew Kolar (He/Him) is a Director, Actor, and Arts Administrator. He is a native of Fredericksburg, Virginia, and a current third-year Theatre Major at Wagner College in New York City. Recent directing credits include We’re Ok (September Theatre Company), and assistant director of Clue: the Musical (Green Curtain Theatre Company). Recent acting credits include Rise up: Young Holocaust Heroes (Off-Broadway), Issa-Match (Wagner College Theatre), and RENT (Green Curtain Theatre Company). Outside of theatre, Andrew co-founded and is President of a voter registration and education organization entitled WagnerVotes, which assists Wagner College students as well as other Staten Islanders with democratic processes. Instagram: @andrew_kolar
Regan Lavin
Regan Lavin (she/her) is a Stanford rising senior on a gap year! She is studying American Studies and Theater and Performance Studies. Alongside DSF, Regan is currently editing an original film, Pink and Tinged with Lavender. Recent theatre credits include Sally Bowles in Stanford TAPS Cabaret, Ram’s Head Gaieties 2018 Costume Designer, and Greek Chorus in Stanford Repertory Theater’s Hecuba/Helen. She trained at Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. In her spare time, Regan bakes, takes care of her plants, and reads plays! Regan is incredibly excited to share this amazing new work with you and is grateful to have been a part of this wonderful process. Instagram: @regan.lavin, website: reganlavin.com.
Alison Qu
Originally from China, Alison Yueming Qu (chi-oo) (she/they) is a Director, Dramaturg, and Creative Producer. Recently graduated from Emerson College with a BFA in Theatre (Directing and Dramaturgy), Alison currently serves as the Associate Producer of CompanyONE Theater’s Pao Chinatown Fellowship. She was the inaugural Cutler Creative Producing & Engagement Fellow at ArtsEmerson, and the Co-Founder & Executive Producer of CHUANG Stage—a Boston-based bilingual theater collective dedicated to cultivating AAPI narratives and transcultural storytelling. Their recent directing credits include Miss November by Ethan Williams (Emerson Stage), Earthquake by Tatyana Emery (Reground Theater Collective), and Waiting for Kim Lee by Vivian Liu-Somers (Asian American Theater Artists of Boston). Their dramaturgy work for 10 Out of 12 by Anne Washburn (Emerson Stage) received the 2020 LMDA/KCACTF Region 1 Student Dramaturgy Award. She is a proud alumna of the National Theater Institute and an associate member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.
BLOG POSTS
Why Asking For A Friend is Raising Funds For EmbraceRace
Asking for a Friend shares why they are fundraising for EmbraceRace!
An Adoption Vocabulary List for Asking For A Friend
Asking For A Friend is a new play by Anaya Green which follows Leah, an adopted young black woman who is learning about her cultural heritage.
Finding Black Joy in Theatre: An Interview With Playwright Anaya Green
An interview with Anaya Green, who gave us some compelling insights into her influences and writing process for Asking for a Friend.
