ABOUT THIS SHOW

Gemma was on the way back from breaking up with her girlfriend when she crashed into Faith Callahan's car. Now she's stranded at the Callahans' modest Midwestern home in the middle of nowhere, with nothing but corn and farm animals as far as the eye can see. But Gemma is quick to discover that it's a very special evening for the Callahans, and that they expect her to take part in their festivities, in a way she never would have expected.

GAZSCHEBET will be featured in Bramble’s Fall Reading Series happening this fall.

Public Reading on October 9th, 2023

A portion of this reading’s proceeds will go to support Chi-Nations Youth Council and the work they do uniting indigenous generations through education and the tending of their First Nations Community Garden.

GAZSCHEBET

Ky Anderson and Emilie Rose Danno at the Festival of Unfinished Work 2023

THE ARTISTS

Playwright | Skylar Tarnas

Director | Dan Washelesky

Stage Manager | Emma Crumpton

Dramaturg | Ashley Greenwood

Cultural Consultant | Elise Randall Modica

Casting Director | Karissa Murrell Myers*

CAST

Ky Anderson*

Haley Bolithon*

Alexander Utz

Emilie Rose Danno

India Whiteside

Scott Anderson

* Bramble Ensemble Member

CAST

  • KY ANDERSON

    Ky Anderson (they/them) is an actor and model represented by Stewart Talent, based in Chicago. They have BFA in Drama: Acting from the University of Oklahoma. Ky is a Bramble Theatre Company company member and has worked with a medley of other theaters in Chicago including Steppenwolf, Remmy Bumppo, and Lookingglass. Ky was apart of the Professional Training Program class of 2021 at Actor’s Gymnasium and Circus School, in the inaugural Clown Program. Ky has also trained at Stella Adler’s in New York for physical theatre and was in the School at Steppenwolf class of 2019. www.kylieandersonactor.com

  • SCOTT ANDERSON

    Raised in New Mexico, attended New Mexico State University to study with Mark Medoff (Children of a Lesser God) then received his MFA at Southern Methodist University. After SMU he moved to Chicago where he began working in theatre. Film and television credits include Reality Show, Shooting the Warwicks, Chicago Fire, PD, Med, Justified: City Primeval. As a musician, he's been in the original bands, The Delafields, Milhous, and the B52s tribute band Planet Claire. He lives in Uptown with his wife and their two daughters. Scott is a proud member of the SAG-AFTRA union and is represented by Big Mouth Talent.

  • HALEY BOLITHON

    Her Chicago credits include Grey House and The Haven Place at A Red Orchid Theatre, Hatfield & McCoy and The Nutcracker at The House Theatre of Chicago, A Christmas Carol at the Goodman Theatre, Spring Awakening at Blank Theatre Company, Pinocchio at Chicago Children's Theatre, and The Mall, The Mall, The Mall with Once Future Festival. Film/TV credits include Somebody Somewhere (HBO), Work In Progress (Showtime Network), and Knives and Skin (Newcity's Chicago Film Project). Haley most recently starred in Toyota's 2022 holiday commercial! Haley is a School at Steppenwolf alumnus and an ensemble member at Bramble Theatre Company and Proboscis Theatre Company.

  • EMILIE ROSE DANNO

    Emilie Rose Danno is an actor, singer, and improviser. She is very excited to be working with Bramble Theatre! She recently was nominated for a Jeff for playing Esperanza in the world premiere of “Malapert love” at The Artistic Home. Last summer she made her Off-Broadway debut in “Disneys Winnie The Pooh”, with Rockefeller productions as Piglet, Kanga, and Roo. Coming up she is in a film called “The Dreaming” by Maria Allred. Some of her favorite credits include Audrey In “Little Shop Of Horror” at The Metropolis Theatre, Kate Monster in Avenue Q at The Metropolis Theatre, as well as Vanessa at the Miracle Center for their production of “In The Heights”. She would like to thank her friends, family, and wonderful agents at Big Mouth Talent for their endless love and support! emiierosedanno.com

  • ALEXANDER UTZ

    Alexander Utz is an actor, playwright, and the Artistic Director of Avalanche Theatre, a theatre company which develops new plays by Chicago playwrights. This spring and summer, he has celebrated the world premieres of his plays Arabia, Arabia! (The Plagiarists), The Creators (Three Brothers Theatre), and is looking forward to a production this fall of his play Gut (Platform Productions). He was also recently a member of Jackalope Theatre's Playwrights Lab. He's so thrilled to be working with Bramble on this festival, and in their upcoming production of Evil Perfect.

  • INDIA WHITESIDE

    India Whiteside is very happy to join Bramble Theater for the first time. Chicago credits include Griffin Theater’s Marys Seacole (Merrie); Theater Wit’s Admissions (Ginnie Peters); Strawdog Theater’s On The Greenbelt (Lydia u/s); Court Theatre’s All’s Well That Ends Well (Diana); Transient Theater’s Getting Out (Arlene- Best Actress Jeff Citation nomination); Locked Up Down Shorty’s at American Blues; Folio Theatre’s As you Like It (Rosalind) and Othello (Emilia); Dirty Hands (Olga) at Mary-Arrchie Theater; The Way You Wear Your Hat (Sarah), Seanachai Theatre; American Divine (Sna. Neruda) for Dolphinback Theater and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival; and staged readings at Steppenwolf Theater and The Black Ensemble Theatre. India very much enjoyed the terrifying experience of being an ensemble member of Improvised Black Mirror at the Public House Theater, and has studied at BADA in Oxford and London as well as with a variety of wonderful Chicago teachers. India is represented by the lovely folks at Big Mouth Talent.

CREATIVE TEAM

SKYLER TARNAS, PLAYWRIGHT is a Michigan-born-and-raised writer, director, and teacher with passions for Shakespeare, true crime, and fake crime. After attending the University of Michigan and directing a handful of independent productions in Ann Arbor, he came to Chicago to obtain his MFA in Writing for the Screen and Stage from Northwestern University, Class of 2021. Previous readings at Theatre Nova in Ann Arbor, and you can catch his short play BEHIND THE SMILE at Murmuration Theatre in NYC early next year. Skyler's plays seek to explore queerness, death, and our capacities for both love and cruelty. He couldn't be more grateful to be working with Bramble again. Contact: skylertarnas@gmail.com.

DAN WASHELESKY, DIRECTOR (he/they) is a Chicago-based director/dramaturg. They completed their M.A. in Theatre and Performance Studies at Washington University in St. Louis. Dan is the Managing Director of Bramble Theatre and previously served as the Managing Director of The Passage Theatre. With Steppenwolf Theatre, he assistant directed Describe the Night and The Children, provided dramaturgical support for The Rembrandt and The Doppelgänger, and script supervised workshops of La Ruta and Lindiwe. They have also worked with Avalanche Theatre, St. Louis Actors’ Studio, Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis, First Run Theatre, Eclectic Full Contact Theatre, and (remotely) Seattle-based Dacha Theatre.

EMMA CRUMPTON, STAGE MANAGER Originally from Starkville, Mississippi, Emma is excited to stage manage her first production with Bramble Theatre Company! A recent graduate of Northwestern University, she has stage managed both new works and classics for Northwestern student productions, Candle House Theatre Company, and most recently, Thompson Street Opera.

ASHLEY GREENWOOD, DRAMATURG is excited to be working with Bramble for the first time as a dramaturg! She recently assistant directed The Revolutionists at Oil Lamp Theater and served as the dramaturg. Ashley recently worked on a new film titled, Hair Wraith, which comes out in December. Ashley thoroughly enjoys working on new works, and believes new works are paving the way for the future of theatre in this city!

ELISE RANDALL MODICA, CULTURAL CONSULTANT Originally from northern Michigan, Elise Randall Modica is mixed race Ojibwe/Euro-American, disabled, 2S, and owns too many books. Training at The Theatre School at DePaul brought Elise to Chicago, where they work primarily as a voice actor. Chi miigwetch.