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The Pirates of Penzance by W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan

The University of Alabama | Original Adaptation | Allen Bales Theater (Tuscaloosa, AL)

"Director Alex Ates and his team engaged in a controlled chaos approach for Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance, ripping it off in a joyous hour... The University of Alabama Department of Theatre and Dance production spits out this giddy story with turbulent, near-deranged energy." – Tuscaloosa News 
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"Director Alex Ates decided to switch things up. Instead of keeping the original setting, Ates set his version of the musical in a location similar to a pirate ship: a fraternity house at The University of Alabama. The pirates were turned into fraternity brothers, the maid into the house mother, the policemen into modern cops, the Major-General into a university benefactor and the Major-General’s daughters into Capstone Women."
 
"Ates’s version of The Pirates of Penzance is made perfect by its diligent attention to detail... Ates didn’t just stop with the setting and costumes. The dance numbers included viral dances like dabbing and whipping; characters were constantly taking selfies and scrolling through social media during the performance... Ates’s version of The Pirates of Penzance was unafraid to take risks and think outside of the box, making it unapologetically different." – The Crimson White 

In a raunchy one-hour adaptation, Gilbert and Sullivan's mighty classical work finds relevance in the toxic, hyper, high, privileged world of frat life at The University of Alabama. Capstone women, cops, and frat boys make up the romanticized hierarchy of life in a rebellious state where Frederic must decide: where does his duty lie? Will he be a "pirate" or a person?

  • Music Director: Henry Lewers

  • Choreographer: Alvon Reed

  • Stage Manager: Allison Darlene 

  • Scenic Designer: Emily Maldari

  • Lighting Designer: Jonathan Harder

  • Sound Designer: Brian Sechrist

  • Costume Designer: Tyler Felton

  • Fight Director: Jacki Armit

  • Assistant Stage Manager: Marissa Council

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  • Frederic: Nicholas Reese

  • Mabel: Ally Mendoza

  • Major-General: Sam Nelson

  • Pirate King: Christian Hatcher

  • Samuel: Will Harden

  • Ruth/Fight Captain: Taylor Ackerman

  • Sergeant: Jack Skeean 

  • Isabelle/Mabel U/S: Petrilla Proctor 

  • Edith: Abby Quammen

  • Kate: Abby Goldberg

  • Pirate: Alex Freeman

  • Pirate: Ben Brewster

  • Pirate: Marcus Johnson

  • Pirate/Frederic U/S: Matt  Kelley

  • Pirate: Matthew Richards

  • Pirate: Toby Mustard

  • Daughter/Associate Dance Captain: Ann Marie D'Amico

  • Daughter: Emily Earle

  • Daughter: Jalyn Crosby

  • Daughter: Kynnedi Porter

  • Daughter/Dance Captain: Marissa Swanner

  • Daughter: McKenzie Rivers

  • Daughter: Trinity Ross

  • Cop: Bennett Morgan

  • Cop: Benton Davis

  • Cop: Bryan Penn

  • Cop: Cody Floyd

  • Cop: Reese Lynch

Mad Moon by Lisa D'Amour and Sam Craft

Emerson College | New Work Workshop Production | Greene Theater (Boston, MA)

At Emerson College, this world-premiere synth-pop musical went through a multi-week workshop process with Emerson Stage. In Mad Moon, Shakespearean plots are twisted and exploded by Pulitzer-nominated playwright Lisa D'Amour (Detroit, Airline Highway) into a lively, ridiculous, and heartwarming musical for tweens, teens, and parents about gender, orientation, identity, cell phones, growing up, art, Mother Earth, and our own human nature. 

  • Stage Manager: Ally MacLean

  • Music Director: David Coleman

  • Dramaturg: James La Bella

  • Costume Designers: Hana Brown and Tuyet Corson

  • Lighting Designer: Ryan Healey

  • Sound Designer: Steven Deptula

  • Props Masters: Nolan Pearson and Emma McGrory

  • Choreographer: Ronald Duncan

  • Scenic Designer: Nolan Pierson

  • Assistant Stage Manager: Lucia Liencres

  • Production Assistant: Sophie Klokinis

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  • Adam/Co-Dance Captain: Patrick Agonito

  • Ms. Laurel: Caroline Bergwall

  • Magnono: Caitlyn Burns

  • Mr. Brit: Tyler Capararo

  • Amy/Max: Claudia Cooper

  • ​Mr. Guidry: Max Currie

  • Belatrix: Brenna Epstein

  • Zap: Cai Freeman

  • Cy: Ariana George

  • Jolie: Caroline Leys

  • Harrison: David Marques

  • Jan/Co-Dance Captain: Jessica Nichter

  • Paddy: Alec Pacheco

  • The Moon: Lizzy Pease

  • Meredith: Rocio Perez

  • Landen: Ross Quinn

  • Olivioak: Mandy Rubeli

  • Mr. Gremillion: Nino Ruggeri

  • Bus Diver/Stage Manager/Mr. Chase: Andrew Shipman

  • Cassie/Co-Dance Captain: Madelyn Sproat

  • Tania Borealis: Eliana Ulloa

The Christians by Lucas Hnath

The University of Alabama | Regional Premiere | Allen Bales Theater (Tuscaloosa, AL)

"As directed by Alex Ates, it’s quietly compelling combat, laid out almost like a debate: One side takes a position, lays it out in parable, metaphor and self-revelation. Another rebuts, with his or her own cogent narrative; tales spiral inward, centrifuge outward... Ates’ cast embodies the material patiently, with tenderness and care." – Tuscaloosa News 

Performed for the first time in Alabama, a play about evangelical faith in America—and the trouble with changing your mind. Pastor Paul does not believe in hell, and today, he's going to preach a sermon that reveals what he really believes. He thinks the congregation will be happy to hear what he has to say.

He's wrong.

  • Assistant Director: Reid Watson

  • Stage Manager: Amanda Horowitz

  • Assistant Stage Manager: Marissa Hayes

  • Lighting Design: Jonathan Harder

  • Scenic Design: Emily Maldari

  • Props Design: Jordan Bohl

  • Sound and Projection Design: Christopher Spencer

  • Costume Design: Ryan Rankin

  • Assistant Costume Designer: Casey Fogleman

  • Master Electrician: Genarro Seno​

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  • Paul: Christian Tripp

  • Elizabeth: Kyra Davis

  • Joshua: Evan Price

  • Jay: Sam Nelson

  • Jenny: Anna Lee Hawkins

  • Vocalist: Catherine Bradwell

  • Vocalist: Ben Brewster

  • Vocalist: Jada Grier

  • Vocalist: Zion Middleton

  • Vocalist: Marissa Swanner

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Gnit by Will Eno

The University of Alabama | Regional Premiere | Allen Bales Theater (Tuscaloosa, AL)

"Will Eno’s Gnit, built loosely around Peer Gynt, warps Ibsen’s self-absorbed protagonist into an even more ridiculous, self-centered Americanized goon. It's enlivened by Eno’s ear for wordplay, and by director Alex Ates’ avid direction, which tracks every hill, dale, dead-end cranny and emotionally hellish hayride with a control belying Gnit’s chaotic abandon." – Tuscaloosa News 

Performed for the first time in Alabama, a botched American retelling of a wild Ibsen classic by the playwright The New York Times calls "a Samuel Beckett for the Jon Stewart generation." 

  • Assistant Director: Dayle Warkentin

  • Stage Manager: Katelyn Worsham

  • Assistant Stage Manager: Jordan Gray

  • Lighting Design: Jonathan Harder

  • Scenic and Props Design: Therrin J. Eber

  • Sound Design: Brian Sechrist

  • Costume Design: Jennifer Raineri

  • Technical Director: Garrett Rhodes

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  • Peter Gnit: Joseph Arrigo

  • Mother and Ensemble: Taylor Ackerman

  • Pale Man and Ensemble: Sam Nelson

  • Ensemble: Maddie Schmidt

  • Town and Ensemble: Riley Rawson

  • Ensemble: Alexa Nunn

  • Solvay and Ensemble: Eva Hutto

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Mad Moon by Lisa D'Amour and Sam Craft

 The NOLA Project | World Premiere | Lusher Charter School (New Orleans, LA)

In this world-premiere synth-pop musical, Shakespearean plots are twisted and exploded by Pulitzer-nominated playwright Lisa D'Amour (Detroit, Airline Highway) into a lively, ridiculous, and heartwarming musical for tweens, teens, and parents about gender, orientation, identity, cell phones, growing up, art, Mother Earth, and our own human nature. 

  • Choreography: Jarrell Hamilton

  • Music Direction: Ronald Joseph

  • Stage Manager: Jacob Halpern Weitzman

  • Scenic Design: Ellen Bull ​

  • Sound Design: Matt Jackson

  • Lighting Design: Mandi Wood

  • Props & Projections Design: Owen Ever​

 

  • Cassie: Madeline Ascani

  • Landen: Benjamin Burstain

  • Rhode Island Girl & Moon: Maggie Cerrone

  • Jan: Emma Fagin

  • Zap: Dessalines Hayden

  • Olvioak: Eli Issakson​

  • Amy: Kali Jupiter

  • ​​Adam: Ian Kansas

  • Mr. Britt: Carson Koffler

  • Meredith: Alice McKay

  • Ms. Laurel: Ayme Melancon

  • Paddy: Arlo Mizell

  • Magnono: Caia Olden

  • Harrison: Kaden Oqueli-White

  • Tania Borealis & Ms. Hepburn: Elexis Simons

  • Mr. Guidry: Julianna Simons

  • Cy: S. Smith

  • Belatrix: Kristall Strumer

  • Mr. Gremillion: Zeger Vancraeynest

  • Jolie: McKenna Wikerson

  • Stage Manager & Mr. Chase: Aiden Young

Sive by John B. Keane

The NOLA Project | Regional Premiere | Ashe' Powerhouse Theater (New Orleans, LA)

"Sive is a dark tale richly wrought, rendered with wit and passion by director Alex Ates in this regional premiere by The NOLA Project...While popular in Keane’s native Ireland, Sive is relatively unheralded in the United States, though, based on this production, it’s hard to see why." – The New Orleans Advocate 

In the spirit of early NOLA Project hit productions such as The Cripple of Inishmaan and The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Sive is a dark and powerful story of greed and passion told with the wit and sharp tongue of Irish playwright John B. Keane. Even though the play has been renowned for decades in Ireland, it is a largely unfamiliar sight to American eyes as it has only been produced a small handful of times in the U.S. since its publishing in 1959. Sive tells the story of an orphaned girl of 17 sent to live with her deceased mother’s brother and his calculating wife. When a town matchmaker brings news of an offer for a great deal of money in exchange for young Sive’s hand in marriage to the 70-year-old Seán Dóta, the family must make a painful decision. John B. Keane’s writing style in Sive recounts a young Martin McDonagh or Conor McPherson in its acerbic wit and unique Irish poetry.

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  • Scenic Design: Steve Schepker

  • Costume Design: Lindy Bruns

  • Lighting Design: Daniel Zimmer

  • Sound Design: Matt Jackson

  • Props Design: Jaime Bird

  • Dramaturg: Daniel Pruksarnukul

  • Production Manager: Rachel L. Swan

  • Stage Manager: Jenny Billot

  • Asst. Stage Manager: Chelcie Plaissance

  • Photos: John Barrois

  • Sive: Yvette Bourgeois

  • Nanna Glavin: Janet Shea

  • Séan Dóta: Ron Gural

  • Mena Glavin: Kristin Witterschein

  • Mike Glavin: Alex Martinez Wallace

  • Thomasheen Seán Rua: James Bartelle

  • Liam Scuab: Joel Derby

  • Pats Bocock: John Grimsley

  • Carthelawn: A.J. Allegra

The Shakespearean Jazz Show music by Patrick Greeley

ArtsEmerson (Boston, MA) | World Premiere | The Next Thing Festival (Boston, MA)| The New Orleans Shakespeare Festival (New Orleans, LA)| the cell (NYC, NY)

"Alex Ates and Patrick Greeley's The Shakespearean Jazz Show is a triumphant tour de force that pristinely blends Shakespeare's poetry with a catchy New Orleans jazz beat...[with] Tony-nominated actress Emily Skeggs on vocals, this buoyant and charismatic troupe of performers entertain with ease." –BroadwayWorld.com
"Shakespearean text meets New Orleans jazz in 'Shakespearean Jazz Show: A Tale of Two Cities.' The other city is Boston, where the idea for the show was conceived by Alex Ates, a recent theatre graduate of Emerson College and a native of the musically boisterous city of New Orleans." –Radio Boston, Boston Public Radio
"Before he became a student at Emerson College, Ates learned a few things back home while acting in a Shakespeare company and absorbing the jazz created in his hometown's French Quarter. A case of homesickness probably never paid off so well for a student." –The Boston Globe

Energetic and innovative, The Shakespearean Jazz Show reinvigorates and recontextualizes Shakespearean performance. Experience how the loose, improvisatory nature of jazz music can free Shakespearean text, allowing the feeling and intent of the words to be expressed in a completely new way. The Nine Worthies band, whose name is born from Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost, collaborates with the ensemble, providing an unforgettable parade of Shakespearean sonnets, songs and scenes composed to original New Orleans-style jazz. Don’t miss your chance to enjoy the playful antics and soulful music live in The Shakespearean Jazz Show, a Boston-born project created by young artists from Emerson College and Berklee College of Music.

  • Composer, Co-Creator, Musical Director: Patrick Greeley

  • Photographer, Documentarian: Tripp Clemens 

  • Production Manager: Jason Pacella 

  • Company Manager: Christina Kuchan 

  • Stage Manager: Megan Harris

  • Designer, Puppeteer: Orrin

  • Cast Recording Producer: Adam Salameh

  • Illustrator: Jenna Rogalski 

  • Vocal Coach: Daniel Irwin

  • Adrian Aiello: guitar, mandolin 

  • Jemila Dunham: bass guitar 

  • Patrick Greeley: piano, clarinet 

  • Adam Salameh: percussion

  • Max Sangerman: brass 

  • Sheldon Brown: vocalist 

  • Tyler Catanella: vocalist 

  • Daniel Irwin: vocalist 

  • Jenna Rogalski: vocalist 

  • Emily Skeggs: vocalist

Shiner by Christian Durso

The NOLA Project | Regional Premiere | Theatre at St. Claude (formerly AllWays Theatre) (New Orleans, LA)

"Alex Ates, who has regularly proven to be among the brightest young actors in town, directs Shiner with that same acuity. He knows these characters and their feelings. In addition, he draws truthful performances from his cast... Ates also creates an intriguing balance through the play, creating an arc with some significant depth, even within the confines of the little more than an hourlong work." – The Times-Picayune

Shiner introduces us to two Los Angeles suburban thirteen-year-olds, who in the spring of 1994, vow to make the biggest decision of their lives—and perhaps the last. Struggling through puberty in the aftermath of the devastating California Northridge earthquake, Margot and Jake have two simple goals: Snag tickets to Nirvana’s highly anticipated Hollywood Bowl concert and die happy. But everything changes on April 5th when lead singer Kurt Cobain violently takes his own life, turning their world completely upside down. In the 20th year since Cobain’s famous suicide, Shiner takes us back to the humorous and terrifying world of teenagers who discover a spiritual connection to grunge rock, and despite all odds, each other.

  • Production Manager: Rachel Swan

  • Scenic Designer: Frank Olivia

  • Lighting Designer: Duncan Becker

  • Sound Designer: Markus Davis

  • Props Designer: Terry Marek

  • Projections Designer: Andrew Larimer

  • Technical Director: Jonathan Perry-Marx

  • Dramaturg: Jeff Freeman

  • Stage Manager: Jacob Halpern Weitzman

  • Photos: John Barrois

  • Margot: Cecile Monteyne

  • Jake: Alexander Neher

Chasing Ballerinas: A Coming of Gay Story by Quinn Marcus

Tulane University (New Orleans, LA) | World Premiere | Emerson College (Boston, MA) | United Solo (NYC, NY)

Winner of "Best Stand Up" at the 2015 United Solo Festival.

After sold-out runs in Boston and New Orleans, MTV & ABC’s Quinn Marcus brings her hilariously heartfelt monologue about coming out as gay to NYC. Don’t miss the host of MTVU’s Quinnterviews, ABC's A Little Bit of Your Time and the only gay comedienne of MTV’s hit show Girl Code bring her unique voice to the stage.

  • Stage Manager: Jason Pacella 

  • Lighting Designer: Sean Pieroth

  • Media Designer: Tripp Clemens

  • Written and Perfored by Quinn Marcus

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Oskar by Matt Ackels and Prince Gomolvilas

Countless Costume Changes: The NOLA Project | Regional Premiere | The New Orleans Museum of Art & On Tour to Schools (New Orleans, LA)

Curiously Colorful Clash: Agnes Scott College | Regional Premiere | Winter Theater (Atlanta, GA)

"[T]he issue of gender identity is tackled as The NOLA Project and NOMA team up for the presentation of Oskar and the Countless Costume Changes. A comedy seeking to open a conversation among young audiences about the complexities of gender roles." – Inside the Arts, New Orleans Public Radio 

Countless Costume Changes: A backstage farce where 10-year-old Oskar's rigid idea about the play's characters is challenged by his best friends. This contemporary piece for young audiences tackles identity complexities and gender stereotypes in a joyous and hilarious traveling production. 

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Curiously Colorful Clash: Oskar loves his brilliantly orange hat. But when a blue-hat wearing student arrives at Oskar's elementary school, Oskar must confront the stereotypes that have radicalized him through television, the internet, and his relatives to realize that difference makes his life a little better. ​​

The NOLA Project

  • Oskar: Brendan Bowen

  • Beth: Kali Russell

  • Frank: James Bartelle

  • Asst. Director: Caleb McCay

  • Scenic Design: Joan Long

  • Costume Design: Kaci Thommasie​

  • Sound Design: Matt Jackson

  • Props Design: Joan Long​​

  • Stage Manager: Jenny Billot​

Agnes Scott College

  • Oskar: Elizabeth Watkins

  • Billy: Mireylle Montas

  • Gracie: Camryn Tanner

  • Stage Managers: Alexei Young & Maddie Brasgalla

  • Sound Co-Design: Alexis Turek

  • Lighting Designer: Nicholas Ryan

  • Run Crew: Em Tompkins

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