June is drawing to close and that means we’re a little over a month away before The Nobodies Who Were Everybody opens. We’re about to enter into rehearsals and cannot wait! Make your plans now and book your tickets!

Before we open the show, we’re holding a fundraising event where we will read the wild and real hearing that pitted Hallie Flanagan against the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1938 about her role leading the Federal Theatre Project. This will be at Pete’s Candy Store in Williamsburg on Monday, July 17 from 6:30-8pm. It’s free (though we hope you will donate at the event) and open to all. In addition to the reading, there will be music, drinks for purchase, and time to mingle! You can RSVP here.

We had a cold reading of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Prospect Park on Wednesday, June 21 in honor of the summer solstice. Thanks to everyone who came!

Paul and Katie attended the New York Independent Theatre (NYIT) Awards on Monday, June 26. As a part of the leadership team of the League of Independent Theatre, Katie helped to produce the event. Don’t they look great?!

We had our first rehearsal for The Nobodies Who Were Everybody on June 29. We begin every production process with a dinner party to get to know each other and read and discuss the play together. 5 weeks 'til opening!

Dear Friends of TIA,

We are thrilled to announce that tickets are now on sale for our next production, The Nobodies Who Were Everybody, running August 3-20, 2023 at the Jalopy Theatre in Red Hook Brooklyn. (This is the same place we presented our last production, Occupy Prescott.)

Tickets range from $0-$40 and are available to purchase here. There are shows at 8pm (Thu, Fri, Sat) and 3pm (Sat and Sun) and the running time is ~90 minutes with no intermission (what all theater should be).

Thank you for all your support to get this show off the ground. We hope you will join us for this exciting new production, presented in partnership with Jalopy!

With excitement,
Paul, Katie, and Kathryn

p.s. And after you buy your ticket for The Nobodies, join us at our next Cold Reading!

About the Show
A national crisis. An economic catastrophe. Marches. Breadlines. Riots. The year is 1935 and the Great Depression is roaring. Six theater artists find themselves newly employed by the New Deal's Federal Theatre Project. Playing everybody from Macbeth to Mussolini on stage, these hardworking, dedicated––but not famous––artists bond over their work on some of the Project’s great plays. But now in 2023, the Federal Theatre Project no longer exists, and hasn't for 84 years. What happened?

The Nobodies Who Were Everybody gives voice to the thousands of incredible artists, the "nobodies," who powered the Federal Theatre Project, and examines why it is still so difficult to give artists––and audiences––the support we all deserve.

The Cast
Marcella Adams
Jessie Atkinson
Liat Graf
Addy Jenkins
Adin Lenahan*
Arisael Rivera*
*Appearing courtesy of Actors' Equity Association

The Creative Team
Co-Directors: Paul Bedard and Katie Palmer
Lighting Design: Dan Stearns
Stage Management: Cody Hom and Sarah Biery
Scenic and Prop Design: Gizel Buxton
Costume Design: Brynne Oster-Bainnson
Dramaturgy by Al Parker
Produced by Kathryn Appleton

Over the last few weeks, we’ve continued to develop THE NOBODIES WHO WERE EVERYBODY (Working Title), our upcoming original play about the legacy of the Federal Theatre Project. We’ve held several readings, met with collaborators, and revised the script to get it ready for our full production this summer. We’re really enjoying this process and can’t wait to share this story with you. Watch this space for more updates!

Much like the squirrels and groundhogs in Prospect Park, we’re emerging from hibernation and ready for spring. And of course, we want to see all your lovely faces! Celebrate the new season with us at our Spring Happy Hour at 6pm on Thursday, March 16th at Tile Bar in the East Village. Enjoy a cocktail or two and talk theater (or whatever’s on your mind!) with the TIA Community at our favorite quarterly gathering. Can’t wait to see you all there!

Our friends at Step1 Theatre Project are raising funds for their upcoming 8th season! Co-Founding Artistic Directors Jazmyn & Janelle started Step1 Theatre Project in 2016 with the goal of feeling free to create whatever theatre was in our hearts. Since then, their team has grown, their vision has gotten clearer, and their goals are more specific. Today, Step1's mission is to help local playwrights from communities experiencing marginalization through readings and workshop productions. They aspire to give folks a casual and joyful space to develop their work.

In 2023, they have already co-hosted another free Co-working & Networking session, they're planning to host 4 more R&D cold reading sessions, produce our 2023 staged reading and (...the big one...) co-produce our first Workshop Production since 2020! ... All of this on top of their goal of transitioning from a fiscally sponsored organization to 501(c)(3) non-profit!
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They hope you will consider becoming a supporter of their 2023 season—check out their website step1theatre.org to learn more about what they believe in, why they do what they do, and their past events/productions.