METAVERSE
by Hannah Khalil
Directed by Holly Griffith
Season sponsor: Ronni Lacroute
at 21ten Theatre, 2110 SE 10th Ave, Portland OR 97214
The fragility of connection in the age of virtual reality.
In the near future, a tech developer has been tasked with replicating the sensation of human touch in Virtual Reality, which is also the only means by which she is able to communicate with her teenage daughter in an eerily restricted society. As the bureaucracy of her company becomes more opaque and genuine human contact more elusive, her paranoia mounts—or are her fears justified?
"You know - I spend months longing for human interaction - real human contact - and then I meet you and every conversation - every single one - is barbed and full of potholes and hidden traps so much so I'm starting to wonder if human to human is totally overrated."
- Running time: 60 minutes with no intermission.
- Recommended for ages 13 and up
- ASL Interpreted Performance on Dec 1
Content Warning: Contains allusions to domestic abuse, strong language, and apocalyptic imagery.
COVID: For our 2022-23 season, patrons will no longer be required to show proof of vaccination in order to be admitted to a performance, however we reserve the right to change this policy at any time during the year. Masks will be required in the lobby and theatre at all times.
Our cast, crew, and staff have been fully vaccinated.
Download program (printed programs are available at the performance).
About the Playwright: Hannah Khalil
As a playwright, Hannah has collaborated with the RSC; Soho; The Kiln; NTS and the Arcola as well as Mosaic Theatre in New York. She is the 2022 Resident Writer at Shakespeare’s Globe and her work includes Henry VIII (2022 summer season), The Fir Tree (premiered 2021 and returns 2022) and an original play Hakawatis will premier in winter 2022.
Previous work for stage includes her original play, A Museum in Baghdad, which premiered at the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Swan Theatre in 2019 directed by Erica Whyman, Interference for The National Theatre of Scotland, The Scar Test for Soho Theatre and Scenes from 68* Years for the Arcola. Her work is published by Methuen.
Hannah has also written numerous radio plays, including The Unwelcome, Last of the Pearl Fishers and The Deportation Room all for BBC Radio 4.
Television work includes multiple episodes of the Channel 4 drama Hollyoaks. Her script, The Record, won the Tommy Vine screenplay award at the Underwire film festival, and the finished film was selected for the London Palestine Film Festival.
Hannah held the Heimbold Chair of Irish Studies at Villanova University in 2021 and is a Creative Fellow of the Samuel Beckett Archive for 2021/2022.
Hannah is on Twitter at @hannykha
Cast
THE WOMAN
THE DAUGHTER
THE MOTHER
THE AI
Creative Team
DIRECTOR
STAGE MANAGER & ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
SCENIC & PROPS DESIGN
LIGHTING DESIGN
COSTUME DESIGN
COMPOSER & SOUND DESIGN
INTIMACY & FIGHT DIRECTOR
DIALECT COACH
Sponsorhips & Support
Season Sponsor: Ronni Lacroute
Production Sponsor: Neil Kelly Company & Charlotte Rubin
CAST
ENSEMBLE
ENSEMBLE
ENSEMBLE
ENSEMBLE
CREATIVE TEAM AND CREW
PLAYWRIGHT
SCENIC DESIGN
COSTUME DESIGN
LIGHTING DESIGN
SOUND DESIGN
STAGE MANAGER
* Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States, appearing under a Special Appearance Contract.
Jerilyn Armstrong
Jerilyn Armstrong (WOMAN) is thrilled to be making her Corrib Theatre debut. She most recently played Alice in the National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere of Alabaster at Oregon Contemporary Theatre (OCT). Other past shows include Middletown (OCT), The Big Meal (OCT), Scorched (University Theatre) and Pride & Prejudice (University Theatre). Film credits include independent feature films Woe and #chadgetstheaxe. After graduating from the University of Oregon, Jerilyn studied acting and improv in Los Angeles at The Upright Citizens Brigade, The Annie Grindlay Studio, and The Imagined Life. She currently lives in Portland, Oregon where she studies and performs improv at Kickstand Comedy (#notacult).
Annabel Cantor
Annabel Cantor (she/they) is an actor and interdisciplinary theatre artist with a passion for making visceral and deeply collaborative live art. They hold a BA in liberal arts from Sarah Lawrence college and a certificate from the PETE Institute for Contemporary Performance. Previous Portland credits include works with Shaking the Tree, OCT, NWCT, Staged! and Corrib. Annabel is full of gratitude for the opportunity to sink her teeth into this sinewy, toothsome script. You can find her at annabelcantor.com
Wynee Hu
Wynee Hu (she/her/hers) is delighted to be returning to Corrib Theatre for Metaverse. Her other appearances with Corrib include Kissing the Witch, Hurl, and Eclipsed. She has also worked with Portland Center Stage, Artists Rep, Northwest Children’s Theater, Bag&Baggage Productions, Boom Arts, Advance Gender Equity in the Arts (AGE), LineStorm Playwrights, PDX Playwrights, Speculative Drama, Oregon Adventure Theatre, and Exoplanetary Media. Wynee is an associate producer for Lunchbox, an independent film. (lunchboxthefilm.com). She was an Emerging Artist in the 2021 Spring Cohort of Advance Gender Equity in the Arts' IGNITE program.
Quinn Mulligan
Quinn Mulligan is proud to be making his first appearance with Corrib Theater. Working mostly as a singer-songwriter, Quinn has played extensively throughout Portland, cutting his teeth with his band ‘Fanno Creek’. Recently, Quinn has been focusing on his film career, having just completed his first feature documentary, Apes Together Strong.
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Holly Griffith
Holly Griffith (she/her) is a director, actor, and writer who comes to Portland from Dublin, Ireland where she recently completed an MFA in Theatre Directing at the Lir Academy. She directed Sophie Treadwell’s Machinal as her final project there. Holly also served as assistant director on Rosaleen McDonagh’s Walls and Windows at The Abbey Theatre (dir. Jason Byrne) and Our Town at The Lir (dir. Wayne Jordan). Holly is a resident artist at Common Crow Theatre, a Dublin-based company dedicated to international stories. Holly was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio, but began her professional career as resident actor at The Rogue Theatre in Tucson, Arizona where she acted in over 30 productions and served as an Artistic Associate. Holly’s directing career started at The Scoundrel & Scamp Theatre where she directed Brian Friel’s Lovers, Finegan Kruckemeyer’s This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing, and her own original adaptation of Antoine de Sainte-Exupéry’s The Little Prince. In addition to her MFA, Holly holds an MA in English Literature from the University of Arizona, and a BA in Writing, Literature, and Publishing from Emerson College.
Abbie Northrop
Abbie Northrop is a recent graduate of Linfield University and is thrilled to be a part of Metaverse. This is their first time stage managing a show outside of college theatre and they can’t wait for the next. They recently were the Assistant Lighting Designer for The Hombres with ART, and Stage Manager forFrankenstein at Linfield. They’ve also gotten awards from KCACTF for their work as a sound designer for Treasure Island at Linfield, and hope they can continue to work in that field, along with stage management.
Kyra Sanford
Kyra Sanford is thrilled to be doing live theatre again! She is a freelance scenic designer, props master, carpenter, and painter in the Portland area, working for theatres such as Milagro, PassinArt, Vertigo, Defunkt, Profile, Portland State University, Clark College, Lincoln High School, Third Rail Rep, and various others. She received her BFA in scenic design from The Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University.
sanfordscenic.com
sanfordscenic.com
Kelly Terry
Kelly Terry is a Portland-based lighting designer for theatre, dance, and events. After graduating with honors from Florida State University, she launched a career that has included designing for everything from modern and original theatre (Next to Normal, James X, Jesus Hopped the A-Train), and elaborate ballet productions (Snow White, Cinderella, A Midsummer Night's Dream), to innovative classics (The Romeo and Juliet Project, Cabaret). Her work could be seen most recently in Profile Theatre’s production of The Oldest Profession, under the direction of Jamie Rea. These days she works with Greenlight Creative, lighting everything from small weddings to massive corporate events. She would like to thank her ever-patient husband/ALD for his support and genius.
Allison Normin Johnson
Allison Normin Johnson (she/her) is a designer and costumer who is delighted to be working in live theatre again. This is her first production with Corrib. She has worked in costume shops in Virginia, Arkansas, and locally at Portland Center Stage and Artists Repertory Theatre. Some of her favorite projects have been devised and emerging works with the CoHo Clown CoHort and Theatre 33, among others. Allison grew up in Beaverton and has returned to the area after earning her BA in Theatre Design from Willamette University. While earning her degree she spent considerable time studying art history in London, where her partner still lives. You can see more of her work on her website at www.allisonjcreates.com
Quinn Mulligan
Quinn Mulligan is proud to be making his first appearance with Corrib Theater. Working mostly as a singer-songwriter, Quinn has played extensively throughout Portland, cutting his teeth with his band ‘Fanno Creek’. Recently, Quinn has been focusing on his film career, having just completed his first feature documentary, Apes Together Strong.
Amanda Vander Hyde
Amanda Anderson (Vander Hyde) graduated from Western Oregon University in 2018 with a B.F.A in Technical Production. She is currently a freelance Intimacy Choreographer in Portland, specializing in working with youth and young professionals. She has recently worked at Linfield University on their production of Heathers: The Musical and was also Intimacy Coordinator for multiple productions at Portland Center Stage in the year of 2022 including RENT; the ripple, the wave...; and tick...tick... BOOM. She is currently the resident Intimacy Choreographer for Valley Shakespeare Company. She is also a Stage and Production Manager in the Portland Area. Currently, she is the Production Manager of MediaRites Productions, one of the Stage Managers in rep at Oregon Children's Theatre, and on the Stage Management team at Portland Center Stage. In her ample spare time, she is also a friend, a wife, and a cat mom.
