ABOUT ELAINE ROMEROAward-winning playwright Elaine Romero has had her plays presented at the Alley Theatre, Arizona Theatre Company, Actors Theatre of Louisville, the Kennedy Center, across the U.S. and abroad. Her war tetralogy includes Revoluciones (Latino Theatre Company with Foro Shakespeare/Mexico), Graveyard of Empires (Blue Ink Playwriting Award, 16th St. Theatre/World Premiere), A Work of Art (Chicago Dramatists/Goodman Theatre, World Premiere), and When Reason Sleeps. Recent commissions: Ford’s Theatre (Modern Slave), Arizona Theatre Company (Title IX), Goodman Theatre (Playwright’s Unit, A Work of Art). This past season included Revoluciones, Like Heaven (Arizona Repertory Theatre), Undocumented (Cal State Dominguez Hills), and Bloody River (Union College). Title IX was featured at the 2017 Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference. Romero is a member of the Latinx Theatre Commons Steering Committee, a Playwright-in-Residence at ATC, and an Associate Professor at the University of Arizona.
Her war pentalogy includes Graveyard of Empires (Blue Ink Playwriting Award), A Work of Art, developed as part of the Goodman Theatre Playwright’s Unit, and the upcoming Rain of Ruin. Graveyard of Empires (16th Street Theatre) and A Work of Art (Chicago Dramatists/Goodman Theatre) premiered in Chicago, and Revoluciones (LATC). At Headlands Center for the Arts, Martinez in Taos (Arizona Theatre Company), Elaine began the final play of the project, When Reason Sleeps. Modern Slave was featured at the 2017 Seven Devils Playwrights Conference. It received readings at ACT (Seattle), Victory Gardens (Chicago) and the Road Theatre (LA). Publishers: Samuel French, Playscripts, Smith & Kraus, Simon and Schuster, and Vintage Books. Barrio Hollywood was the first play, in Samuel French’s 175-year history, published in both English and Spanish acting editions. Elaine is an Affiliate Writer at the Playwrights’ Center and a long-time member of the Dramatists Guild for which she serves as Southwest Regional Rep. She holds her MFA from UC Davis. She previously taught at Northwestern University UW-Madison. Elaine is Playwright-in-Residence at Arizona Theatre Company and a Resident Playwright at Chicago Dramatists. Her pilot, Killing Beauty, was a finalist for the Orchard Project’s TV Episodic Lab. She is an Associate Professor at the University of Arizona in the School of Theatre, Film, and Television. We wish to express our gratitude to the
Performers’ Unions: ACTORS’ EQUITY ASSOCIATION AMERICAN GUILD OF MUSICAL ARTISTS AMERICAN GUILD OF VARIETY ARTISTS SAG-AFTRA through Theatre Authority, Inc. for their cooperation in permitting the Artists to appear on this program |
Directed by
Christy Montour-Larson CAST
Catherine Castellanos - Agnes Dale Li - Kenji Stage Manager: Paula Marchiel Assistant Stage Manager: Alexys Porter Seven Devils is thrilled to join with over a dozen theaters across the country to celebrate RomeroFest, a month-long celebration of the diverse, thoughtful and impactful works of Elaine Romero with this digital reading of WHEN REASON SLEEPS. Learn more about RomeroFest here. ABOUT THE ARTISTS![]() Christy Montour-Larson (Director) Christy has been directing at Seven Devils Playwright Conference since 2008 and is proud to sit on its Board of Directors. Based in Denver, she is a multiple Denver Post Ovation and Colorado Theatre Guild Henry award-winning director, recently named Top Director by Westword Magazine, 5280 Magazine and CBS4 Denver. She recently directed the world premiere of Kyle John Schmidt’s The Secretary at Curious Theatre, where she has been a member of the Artistic Company for 18 years. Christy's work has also been seen in Colorado at the Denver Center, the Arvada Center, Creede Repertory, Theatre Aspen, Phamaly, Theatreworks, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, Lake Dillon Theatre, Local Theater Company, Town Hall Arts Center and Boulder Ensemble.Nationally, Christy has directed at Pioneer Theatre, Tent Theatre, New American Theatre, Rochester Civic Theatre, the Duluth Playhouse, Dark Horse Theatre.Christy received her MFA in Directing from Rutgers University. MEMBER OF SDC.
![]() Catherine Castellanos (she/her) (Agnes)
Oregon Shakespeare Festival 2016-2020: Bring Down the House, parts I and II; Mother Road, La Comedia of Errors; Destiny of Desire, The Book of Will; The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Odyssey; Roe(Helen Hayes nomination), Richard II. Bay Area: Associate Artist with California Shakespeare Theatre appearing in over 20 productions; Company member with Campo Santo since 2001, creating premiere works with renowned and award winning writers Denis Johnson, Luis Alfaro, Naomi Iizuka, Octavio Solis, Jimmy Santiago Baca, Jessica Hagedorn, Luis Saguar, Sean San Jose, Greg Sarris. Regional credits include: A.C.T., Magic Theatre, Shotgun Players, San Jose Rep, Berkeley Rep, Yale Rep, La MaMa, Arena Stage, Portland Center Stage, Seattle Shakes, Arizona Theatre Company. Teaching: California Shakespeare Summer Conservatory, and restorative justice through theatre art with Community Works West-Rising Voices, and with the men in blue in San Quentin. ![]() Dale Li (Kenji) is delighted to be back for his 3rd Seven Devils appearance! Dale has previously worked on several important Asian American plays like Sound of a Voice, a poetic two-person show about a wayward samurai seeking connection and understanding shame, 99 Histories, about family and scars from trauma, an adaptation of Snow Falling on Cedars, about prejudice and justice, and Dust Storm, a one-man show about redemption during the period of Japanese internment. This play adds another facet to the always-evolving understanding of what it means to be Asian American.
![]() Paula Marchiel (Stage Manager) has been with Seven Devils since the first Conference in 2001. She has over 20 years experience working as a professional theater manager. She was Company Manager for HBMG Foundation’s National Winter Playwrights Retreat 2018. She is a long-time company member of Synaesthetic Theater, where she produced The Empires New Clothes on NYC's Theater Row and was Company Manager of The Trial of K at the Culture Project (NYC) and the International Arts Festival in Salamanca, Spain. For 12 years she worked at TheatreworksUSA as Marketing Associate and Technology Officer. Other past work includes the National Playwrights Conference at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, New York University, Playwrights Horizons Theater School, the Really Useful Management Company, short films for the comedy troupe BOOBY HATCH, and Stage Management jobs too numerous to mention. She is a graduate of Tisch School of the Arts at NYU.
![]() Alexys Porter (Assistant Stage Manager) is a student at Wichita State University’s School of Performing Arts. She is a Junior pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre with two certificates in Stage Management and Directing. Her past credits include Assistant Stage Managing for WSU’s production of Voices in the Void. Alexys is excited for this opportunity to work with Seven Devils.
LIKE WHAT YOU SEE? FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT SEVEN DEVILS HERE.Seven Devils supports the development of plays that embrace the diverse landscape of the American experience. By inviting audiences to participate in the new play development process, we empower artists and audiences to have a greater stake in each other’s success; create opportunities for dialogue that broadens our understanding of ourselves and others; and fuel the creation of work that reflects, challenges and celebrates us. We have a special interest in underserved and rural writers.
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