Introduction

Land Acknowledgement

Theatre@First rehearses and performs on the ancestral land of the Pawtucket and Massachusett tribal nations. We honor these communities and the elders of these nations—past, present, and future—and recognize the enduring relationships between Indigenous and Native communities and their traditional territories. We extend our respect to citizens of these nations who live here now, to their ancestors who have lived here for over five hundred generations, and to all Indigenous people.

We affirm that this acknowledgement is insufficient. It does not undo the harm that has been done through violence and injustice over the past 400 years and that continues today. We recognize that land acknowledgements are only a small yet important step towards ensuring a culture of respect, truth, and accountability in our community.

We commit ourselves to working toward a greater understanding of our relationship with this land and its people, and to sharing this growing understanding with the Theatre@First participants and audience.

About Theatre@First

The mission of Theatre@First is to work together to provide a fun, friendly, and creative theater experience for cast, crew, and audience alike. We welcome volunteers at all levels of experience and offer a supportive environment in which to work, play, grow, and explore new areas of the theater arts. We offer affordable and eclectic entertainment to the community, aiming to surprise, delight, entertain, and educate our audiences.

We fill an important niche in the vibrant Davis Square arts scene, drawing upon the talents and contributions of individuals and organizations throughout the community to provide a venue for thought-provoking and entertaining performing arts for all those who love to be on either side of the curtain.

Each production we undertake is the dream of someone in our community. When you support Theatre@First you make these dreams a reality for our participants and the wider community. Please help us to continue this work through your generous donations.

Become a Subscriber

For just $50 a year you receive one free admission to each of our shows. Subscriptions are not tax deductible, as the value of the tickets you receive exceeds the subscription price. 

Become a Supporter

Theatre@First is part of the Massachusetts Community Theatre Corporation, a Massachusetts non-profit corporation that is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. We are an all-volunteer organization and every penny you give supports the shows we produce. 

Special Thanks

...to Elizabeth Hunter and Beckie Hunter for all they do. 

...to Shelley MacAskill and Elizabeth Ross for being invaluable resources

...to Post-Meridian Radio Players for the chickens

...to Ted Overholt for the supplies.

...to Jonah Younis for the workday help.

...to Rev. Betty Walker and Unity Somerville. 

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Somerville Arts Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Director's Note

Marian, Or The True Tale of Robin Hood is many things. It is a farce, it is a modernized-retelling of a story that began almost 700 years ago. It is a Monty-Python-esque romp in the forest replete with lethal rubber fowl and the wielding of incompetence as a weapon. But it is also a celebration of individuality, of finding yourself, and of love in its many many forms. 

Robin Hood, a timeless legend, has shape-shifted through the ages: from Errol Flynn resplendent in his hosiery, to Alan Rickman's luxuriantly coiffed Sheriff in Prince of Thieves, to the beloved Disney version full of foxes, bears, snakes and lions. It has been subjected to parody - behold, Men in Tights! - modernization - hark, the BBC series! - hardened - enter, Russell Crowe! - and even dabbled in gender-bending antics with Princess of Thieves starring Kiera Knightley!

It is this last one that made an impact on my life, personally. Princess of Thieves is a hidden gem from 2001 that I practically wore out on my trusty portable DVD player gifted one Christmas. Envision Keira Knightley as the fearless Gwyn, the spirited daughter of Robin Hood and the late Maid Marian as she embarks on a daring mission to rescue her captive father. Her disguise gives the movie a sprinkle of unintended queerness, even if Disney never intended it to - just as they didn’t three years before with Mulan. Marian, Or The True Tale of Robin Hood takes that initial loophole - they might fall in love as men, but one of them is a woman so it’s fine! - and turns it on its head.

It has been a joy to discover into the truth behind this slapstick farce with a cast of my own Merry Personages. I am always delighted to find stories that celebrate queer and gender-diverse storylines with joy, and to find comedies that have a bit more depth than they originally seem. This show delves into depictions of love in all its forms - from companionship to allyship, unrequited to untold, tragic to romantic, and also the love and respect of self.

A million thanks are due to the incredible folks at Theatre@First for believing in this show and helping it become possible in this beautiful outdoor space. Even more thanks to my amazing team of designers, technicians, and rehearsal staff, without whom this show would never have gone up, and of course to my fearless Intimacy and Fight Choreographer, Cari, who had her hands full to bring a slapstick yet swashbuckling show to life!

Also to my friends and family for their never-ending support, as always.

May this tale treat you well!

Paulina

Cast and Crew

Juan Jose Boschetti (Guard) is exited to be back at T@F as a guard! Juan began acting growing up in Puerto Rico. Previous credits include roles such as Buster (The Impracticality of Modern-Day Mastodons), Ensemble (Gentleman's Guide), Bingley (Pride and Prejudice), Dusty (Bethel Park Falls). When not rehearsing Juan enjoys making coffee, cooking food for friends and family, and playing Minecraft and D&D. Hope everyone enjoys the silly goofyness of the guards!!!

Jasmine Caamaño (Sir Lenny the Observant, Guard Understudy) returns to T@F for the second time. Jas has also appeared at T@F as Little Stone (Eurydice). Other favorite roles include: Viola (Twelfth Night) and Ariel (Tempest) with Shakespeare Stage and Benvolio (Romeo and Juliet) and Lysander (Misdummer Night's Dream) with Billy Shakes Free Shakespeare. Jas is also an alumnus of the BADA, Midsummer in Oxford Program, i.a.w. Yale School of Drama, holds a BA in Theater and a cert in Arts Management from UMass Amherst, and currently works at New England Conservatory of Music in Expanded Ed.

Noelle Colant (Guard) is excited to be in her first show with T@F and to be doing all the stage combat. En garde!

Lucas Commons-Miller (Sir Theo Understudy, Guard Understudy, Friar Tuck Swing) began acting at 7. Recently he played Frank in Praxis Stage's Production of All My Sons, which was nominated for Best Ensemble at The Eliot Norton Awards and The Sargent in Theater on Fire's final production, Mountain Language. He is a real estate agent, a professional dancer and plays guitar.

Emily Duggan (Much Understudy, Tanner Swing) is just happy to be here. They've appeared onstage, under dive bars, and in historic graveyards as an improv comedian, performance poet, and undead tour guide. Thank you to Sean for being my cheerleader!

Shannon Fay (Much) has done set design and construction as well as been production crew for their high school and college shows including Alice in Wonderland, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Once Upon a Mattress, Seussical and Once on This Island. This is Shan's first role in a play “on stage!” On weekdays, Shan works as an architect.

Paul Franzosa (Musician) has previously provided live musical accompaniment for T@F on The Revenger's Tragedy and The Cherry Orchard. Other theater work included live music for Twelfth Night with Dream Role Players and sound production on The Comedy of Errors with Quannapowitt Players. He is currently a member of Mixed G, an eclectic classic rock cover band.

Stephanie Franzosa (Musician) played flute in The Knight of the Burning Pestle, The Revenger's Tragedy, and The Cherry Orchard, all with T@F, and played in Twelfth Night with Dream Role Players. She has also been in the pit for several productions at Winchester Cooperative Theater.

Theresa Griffin (Lucy Understudy, Guard Understudy) is pleased to be working with T@F again, having previously appeared as Lyubov (The Cherry Orchard) and Big Stone (Eurydice). Other favorite performances include Nurse (Medea), Nurse Ratched (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest), and Belinda/Flavia (Noises Off). Offstage, Theresa is a Medical Writer and crazy cat lady. She would like to thank her friends and family for their support, and the cast and crew for their amazing talent and hard work.

Jessica Harvey (Lady Shirley) is a first-time performer with T@F. A Virginia native, she moved to Cambridge in 2023 with her husband and cat to pursue a PhD in health policy. In her spare time, she enjoys an unsustainable number of creative pursuits, including writing, knitting, piano, and painting.

Alina Ishizaki (Costume and Props Assistant) is happy to join T@F for this delightful production of Marian, Or the True Tale of Robin Hood! She has previously worked with Oregon Contemporary Theatre as Mrs. Thistletwat (Avenue Q) and the Props Master (Tribes).

Carolyn Jones (Costume Designer) has most recently designed costumes for T@F's Double Bill, Macbeth, and Hamlet; Quannapowitt Players' Comedy of Errors; and Dream Role Players' Twelfth Night. She is enjoying the novelty of costuming a cast that has absolutely nothing to do with Shakespeare.

Delphine Kaiser (Producer) is thrilled to be back for her 10th mainstage production with T@F! While this show doesn't advance her ultimate goal of tech position bingo, this is Delphine's first time participating in an outdoor production, which in an of itself should count for some partial bingo points.

Rachel Kang (Guard) is excited to be part of Marian's cast for her first show at T@F. Previously, Rachel has appeared as Soccer Player #8 (The Wolves) and graduated with a Secondary in Theater, Dance & Media at Harvard College. During the day, Rachel works as a Product Manager for Microsoft.

Karishma (Lucy) has never been in a T@F show before, and is very excited for her first one! Before T@F she’s appeared as a fun variety of roles from Annie Jump Cannon (Silent Sky) to Dean Welsh (Bull in a China Shop). In her spare time, she spends a lot of time in Excel.

When Cari Keebaugh (Fight Choreographer) isn't choreographing punches, she's often throwing them in the Mrs. Hawking theatrical series. Recent roles include Eloise Trapeze (The Madmen's Guild) on the PMRP podcast, and Perkins the Butler (Quannapowitt Players' The Play That Goes Wrong). Follow her adventures at http://www.VeryCari.com!

Kris Kim (Marian/Robin) is ecstatic to be running around the park with T@F! This is his first time doing a park show ever and she can't thank the cast and crew enough for making it such a fun production. Offstage, you can find them staring at spreadsheets, sewing/knitting, and cooking two pots of yukgaejang at a time.

Lauren Kimball (House Manager) is happy to be House Manager (or should we say Grassy Knoll Manager?) of Marian this summer. She has appeared onstage or in front of house in the last several T@F shows and looks forward to participating in even more in the coming years. In what little spare time she has, she enjoys textile arts and hanging out with her husband and two perfect cats.

Kate Louderback (Publicity) is excited to be working on their second show at T@F! They ran publicity for Web of Murder and are happy to return and be involved with a show uplifting queer voices and stories. When not helping in local community productions, they work as a neuroscience researcher at MIT.

This is Tovah Lockwood (Guard)'s first show with T@F and their first show since college where they graduated with a major in Biochemistry and a minor in Drama/Theatre. They are very excited to showcase their pillow fighting expertise in this show. Outside of theatre, Tovah works as a clinical lab technician.

Paulina Martz (Director) is thrilled to return to T@F after directing Crossroads for Festival@First 11! Paulina is an emerging artist in a variety of disciplines with a concentration on directing in professional, community, and educational spaces. Recently working with SpeakEasy Stage Company, Boston Playwrights Theater, Theatre on the Verge, and METG. Learn more at paulina-martz.com or @paulinammartz

Audition for Theatre@First's next show

Auditions: Monday, August 18, 7-10pm
Tuesday, August 19, 7-10pm

Performance dates: November 8-10 and 14-16.

This is Dylan Merzenich (Marian/Robin Understudy)'s first show with T@F. While in college they were the understudy for Cliff in Cabaret at Wellesley and Bill in Mamma Mia at Olin. They have also directed multiple plays at Olin including The Addams Family.

Zack Murphy (Prince John) is excited to be part of T@F. His daughter was once the proud owner of 15 frog eggs. They turned out to be salamander eggs. Sadly they were all eaten by local wildlife.

Patrick Neal (Little John) has appeared with T@F as Clint in The Impracticality of Modern-Day Mastodons, Petya in The Cherry Orchard, and the Duchess in The Revengers Tragedy. In his spare time, he dresses up as a colonial-era innkeeper and assails defenseless tourists with facts about Sam Adams.

Atharva Nimbalwar (Sheriff Understudy, Tommy Swing) is thrilled to make his debut in T@F. Having previously appeared in the Northeastern University production of Usual Girls, he is excited for this new challenge of stepping into these roles. Currently pursuing a Master's degree in Software Engineering, Atharva is excited to bring his creativity and passion for storytelling to the stage, while continuing his academic pursuits.

Daniel "Rourkie" O'Rourke (Technical Director) is pleased to once again work with T@F! They have had experience on and off the stage, both as an actor and as production staff in regional theaters across MA, CT, NH, PA, and FL. When they aren't writing music, Rourkie enjoys LARPing, hiking, tabletop gaming, and showing off their cooking skills on Instagram!

You may have seen Emily Osterloh (Actor Advocate, Ad Sales Manager) on T@F's social media (Mastodons), or stage-managing (Macbeth). She's been having a blast learning the intimacy coordination ropes and chatting up local businesses! Next in August, come see the play she is directing for Festival@First 12. Emily advises you to "be curious, not judgmental," and hopes you enjoy tonight's show!

Having recently moved to the neighborhood, Ted Overholt (Friar Tuck) is delighted to finally be doing a show in his back yard. His past roles with T@F include Canterbury and the King of France in Henry V, Hieronimo in The Spanish Tragedy, and both Philostrate and Faerie 1 in A Midsummer Night's Dream, all in this very spot.

Addie Pates (Will Scarlett) is a Boston-based theatre artist. He's pleased to be in his second show with T@F, having previously played Jordan in Covenant. You can catch her at Davis Square for T: An MBTA Musical through the rest of June (use code IKNOWADDIE for a discount), and later in the summer as Buckingham in Richard III with Dream Role Players. When he's not onstage, you can find him making props, building sets, or running around backstage. Thanks to her friends, old and new. Enjoy the show!

Joey Phoenix (they/them, Little John Understudy) is a queer, trans Somervillain in their first production with T@F. They share their limited dilly dally time with The Boston Poetry Brothel, Moonrise Fae, WhistlePig Morris Dancers, Spark a Dream Princess Parties, Incantrix Productions, and their Guinea Pigs Button and Weetzie "Baby" Bat.

Magdalena Poost (Will Scarlet Understudy) has recently performed at The Footlight Club as Jesse Tuck (Tuck Everlasting), the McCarter Theatre Center as Yvette (Brecht's Mother Courage), and the Winding River Players as Olive Ostrovsky (25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee). After graduating from Princeton University, they moved to Boston last summer and work as the Public Art and Ecology fellow at the Greenway. 

Jason Rhode (Stage Manager) works at MIT. Former T@F roles include Rehearsal Assistant (Web of Murder) and Hercules (Festival@First 11). Jason was not alive in Victorian London, regardless of what those pictures online suggest. He is not a vampire. The sun's rays do not hurt him more than they do other delicious humans. Wait, did I just type that?

This is Styrling Rohr (Assistant Stage Manager)'s first production with T@F. She works for a nonprofit in New Hampshire and plays folk music and does photography in her free time.

Rosie Sentman (Tommy of No Consequence) is thrilled to be working with T@F for the first time! Since graduating from Brandeis University with degrees in Music and Theatre Arts, Rosie has been spending his mornings performing with an educational theatre company through Arts for Learning Massachusetts, and his nights running lights and sound at Improv Asylum in Boston's North End. You can find more info about them and their projects at rosiesentman.com.

Amelia Smith (Guard) is delighted to be kicking some dastardly butts in her first T@F show! She would like to thank Robert for remembering to thank Peter for reading bios. Her recent performances include Alice in Wonderland (PMRP) and the Boston Theater Marathon (Dream Role Players). You may have also seen her as a foley artist with PMRP in Gender-Swapped Star Trek and The King in Yellow. Many thanks to the whole cast and crew!

Christine Strong (Alanna Dale) is making her T@F debut! Since graduating Emerson College, she has worked at the Boston Tea Party Museum as a historic interpreter. In her spare time, Christine is an actor, educator, and Shirley Temple connoisseur.

Julia Tenney (Graphic Design) debuted on the T@F stage in 2009. This led to volunteering at other Boston theaters, and a paid gig at Sleep No More in NYC. Designs include textbooks, tarot, and puzzle hunts. She is a member artist at Sign of the Dove in Porter.

Robert Thorpe II (Sheriff) is delighted to be back with T@F, having worked with them on The Cherry Orchard (Yasha) and She Kills Monsters (The Great Mage Steve). Many thanks to his friends, family, and partner Amelia for their support, as well as his friend Peter who knows Robert knows that Peter reads bios.

Dominic Valentino (Tanner) is a Boston-based actor/cosplayer who has performed multiple times at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He has appeared on TV and has even starred in movies featured on Amazon Prime. His motto is "Believe Everything, Trust Nothing."

Keisha Warriner (Props Lead) is returning crew member for T@F (Hamlet, Festival@First 2023: Myths and Legends). They have also worked with the Post-Meridian Radio Players (Lest We Forget: War Nurse, The Final Problem, and others), and Breaking Light Productions' Mrs. Hawking series. When not hiding backstage, or working as a jeweler, they are usually finding new artistic mediums to try, or reading piles of books.

Hannah Young (Sir Theo the Punctual) is making her Boston theatre debut! Previously she enjoyed teaching middle and high schoolers Shakespearean scansion, rhetoric, and performance at the Great River Shakespeare Festival in Minnesota.

Samuel Zeiberg (Guard) is excited to be back on stage with T@F! Samuel would like to thank his friends, family, and especially his wife Kara for all of their love and support. Samuel has previously appeared in T@F's productions of Henry V and The Cherry Orchard. Thank you to audiences for supporting live theatre!

Come see Theatre@First's next show

Continuing in the long tradition of Theatre@First’s summer short play festival, Festival@First 12 includes ten original short plays by local playwrights. Each piece takes a different look at what love means, where it starts, how it develops, and what it looks like. This Festival celebrates not just romantic love, but also love within families, among friends, for oneself, and more. Whether our shows make you laugh or cry, you're sure to love them all!

Performances: August 9–17, 2024