2025 RIPPED FESTIVAL

2025 Ripped Festival (via Zoom)
Monday, Apr 14 @ 7:00 PM Central

Zoom reading directors – Manny Buckley* & Elyse Dolan*
Zoom reading actors – Venice Averyheart, Liz Chidester*, Bryanna Ciera Colón*, Elisabeth Del Toro, Camille Robinson*, Jamia Taylor, and Zak Wilson

*Ensemble or Artistic Affiliates of American Blues Theater

BENJAMIN BENNE (he/him) is Chance Theater’s 2025 Resident Playwright, a Playwrights’ Center ’23-26 Core Writer, and was named part of “LA Vanguardia: The Latino innovators, instigators, and power players breaking through barriers” by the Los Angeles Times. His produced plays include Alma (Center Theatre Group’s Kirk Douglas Theatre, American Blues Theater, ArtsWest Playhouse, Curious Theatre Company, Central Square Theater, The Spot, Chance Theater, Passage Theatre Company), In His Hands (Mosaic Theater Company, First Floor Theater), Manning (Portland Stage), and What / Washed Ashore / Astray (Pillsbury House Theatre). Additionally, his work has been developed at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, Colorado New Play Festival, The Public, Roundabout, Playwrights Realm, Denver Center, The Old Globe, Two River, New Harmony Project, and SPACE on Ryder Farm, among many others. He has been awarded Ojai Playwrights Conference’s Dr. Kerry English Award, Portland Stage’s Clauder Competition Grand Prize, American Blues Theater’s Blue Ink Playwriting Award, Arizona Theatre Company’s National Latinx Playwriting Award, and KCACTF Latinx Playwriting Award, among others. He has been commissioned by South Coast Repertory and Seattle Repertory Theatre. MFA: David Geffen/Yale School of Drama. www.benjaminbenne.com

DARREN CANADY is a proud Ensemble member of American Blues Theater. His work has been produced at Sound Theatre Company, American Conservatory Theatre, Aurora Theatre, the Alliance Theatre, Congo Square Theater, Horizon Theatre, London’s the Old Vic Theatre, M Ensemble, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, American Blues Theater, and others. His awards include the Alliance Theater’s Kendeda Graduate Playwriting Award, Chicago’s Black Excellence Award, the Black Theatre Alliance Award, and the American Theatre Critics Association’s Osborn Award. His work has been developed at the Fremont Centre Theatre, Premiere Stages, and Playwright’s Realm. He is an alum of Carnegie Mellon University, New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, The Juilliard School. He is also an alum of Primary Stages’ Dorothy Strelsin New American Writers Group, the Playwright’s Center’s Core Writer Group, and Midwest Dramatists Center. He currently teaches playwriting at the University of Kansas.

Read THE CEA.

LIZ CHIDESTER (she/her) is a proud Ensemble member of American Blues Theater. She is singer/songwriter, actor, and teaching artist originally from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Liz made her career mostly in Chicago, performing live and releasing albums, EPs and singles since 2013, winning songwriting competitions, and being featured on NPR’s All Songs Considered. As a Jeff Award winning actor, Liz was called “one of the most truthful actors in this city” by the Chicago Tribune. She is a Company Member of the feminist equity musical theatre company Firebrand Theatre. She has worked as a collaborator and composer with PigPen Theatre Co., Chicago Children’s Theatre, and Cabinet of Curiosity. She was a longtime teaching artist with the historic Old Town School of Folk Music, and now lives in NYC teaching with Education Through Music, Midori and Friends, and Arts Ignite. She has a “Latin Americana” duo with her partner, Colombian classical guitarist Nilko Andreas. She is a BM grad of JMU. www.lizandthelovelies.com

Read Canvas.

KATARZYNA (KATHY) MÜLLER is a proud Artistic Affiliate of American Blues Theater. She was born in Poland and raised on the South Side of Chicago. English is her second language. As an emerging playwright, she writes and workshops plays in Chicago and New York. Most recently, she adapted The Last Wide Open for Chicago audiences (book and lyrics: Audrey Cefaly; music: Matthew M. Nielson). The world premiere (dir. Gwendolyn Whiteside) enjoyed a critically acclaimed, sold out run at American Blues Theater. Kathy also works in other media. She has written or consulted on award-winning short films, selected for over 50 film festivals around the world. Written for this year’s Ripped Festival, “Madison Square Garden” has also been named an Official Selection in the stage play category of the Pasadena International Film Festival, the only short play to receive this honor.

JAMES STILL (he/him/his) is a proud Artistic Affiliate of American Blues Theater. His plays have been produced throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia, South Africa, China and Japan. Four-time Pulitzer nominee, five-time Emmy nominee, and currently working on commissions with American Blues (a new play called HAUNT ME) and Merrimack Rep (PAUL TSONGAS PROJECT). He most recently directly THE GLASS MENAGERIE at Indiana Rep. He lives in Los Angeles.

SHARIFA YAZMEEN (she/her) is a trans Arab-American director, actor, and playwright. She has completed directing fellowships with The Drama League, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Manhattan Theatre Club, Geva Theatre, and was a Eugene O’Neill national directing fellow. Yazmeen’s playwriting focuses on the intersection of Queer and Arab identities. Her plays have been published in Overheard, a collection of monologues by and for TNB2S+ artist and The Methuen Drama Book of Trans Plays. Her play Close to Home was distinguished by the American Theatre Wing at the annual Antoinette Gala, and was recently included on the 2023 Kilroy’s list. Yazmeen was honored as the inaugural recipient of the SCDF Barbara Whitman Award in 2021 for her work in directing. She currently serves as a member of The Drama League’s Directors Council and is completing her MFA in Directing with Brown/Trinity Rep.

2025 Ripped Festival (in person)
Monday, Apr 7 @ 7:00 PM

In-person reading directors – Spencer Diedrick, Heather Meyers* & Wandachristine*.
In-person reading actors – Andrew Bailes, Robert Brueler, Liv Caldwell, Brian Flanders, Barbara Roeder Harris, Anna Aguiar Kosicki, Artem Kreimer, Mark Maxwell, Sarah Patin, Charles Patrick, Rio Raggazone, Jack Seijo, J.G. Smith*, & Sarah Wisterman.
*Ensemble or Artistic Affiliates of American Blues Theater.

ERIC BERG is an attorney, writer, actor, and improviser. Eric has performed at the Goodman Theater, founded the Purple Crayon of Yale, an improvisational comedy troupe now in its 40th year, and wrote Role Play, a two-act drama produced by the Organic Theater. More recently, Eric has written several screenplays and TV pilots that have placed in numerous contests. His two-act play Wayward received a production in St. Louis as a winner of First Draft Theater’s New Midwest Play Contest. Wayward is currently in development at American Blues Theater. This is Eric’s third year participating as a playwright in American Blues Theater’s Ripped Festival. Eric resides in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago, with his wife, dog, and cat. He has three adult children, of whom he is frequently proud.

MIKKI GILLETTE is an award-winning playwright who’s been called “the Joan of Arc of the trans community in Portland theatre” by Oregon Arts Watch. Her show American Girl was featured in American Theatre and voted Best Play in the Broadway World Portland Awards following its 2023 production. Other productions include The Queers (Fuse Theatre ’22), My Perfectly Valid Objections (Salt and Sage ’23) and They Them Their (Fuse Theatre ’23), and Blonde on a Bum Trip (Fuse Theatre ’24) and No More Candy (Salt and Sage ’24). Learn more at: mikkigillette.com.

Read Political Theatre.

HEATHER MEYERS has been an Ensemble member of American Blues Theater since 1996. She’s a stage manager, director, writer, and educator. Many thanks to friends & family for their continued support.

KARISSA MURRELL MYERS (she/her) is an award-winning Filipino-American theatre artist based in Chicago, where she works as a playwright, actor, producer, and casting director. She serves as the Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Bramble Theatre Company. Her plays include Black Bear Island, On the Greenbelt, Blood of My Mother’s, The Red Fortune Cookie, How to Murder…, Fragmented, and How Do We Navigate Space? Winner of the 2023 Maxim Mazumdar Award and an O’Neill National Play Conference Finalist, her work has been developed and/or produced at Goodman Theatre, Alleyway Theatre, Paramount Theatre, Renaissance Theaterworks, A Red Orchid Theatre, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, The Road Theatre Company, The Gift Theatre, Strawdog Theatre, American Blues Theatre, Silk Road, Oregon Contemporary Theatre, City Theatre, Boise Contemporary Theatre, Avalanche Theatre, Ghostlight Ensemble, Broken Nose Theatre, Our Perspective: Asian American Plays, and Bramble. Karissa received an “Outstanding New Work” Jeff Awards nomination for the world premiere of On the Greenbelt, and is a three-time Semi-Finalist for the Blue Ink Awards. Her stage acting credits include working at Court Theatre, Remy Bumppo, Goodman Theatre, The House Theatre of Chicago, and Renaissance Theaterworks. Television work: Chicago Med, Chicago PD, The Big Leap, Exorcist, and Electric Dreams. She is the resident Casting Director for Strawdog, and works as a freelance casting director and consultant for various theatre companies around the US. She was featured in American Theatre Magazine’s “Theatre Workers You Should Know” for her work in casting, and in Newcity Stage’s “Players 2023: Who Really Performs in Chicago Right Now”.  She teaches at the University of Illinois Chicago as an adjunct faculty member and has guest lectured at DePaul University, Ball State, and Utah State University. MFA in Performance from University of Hawaii at Manoa, BA in Directing and Acting from Boise State University, and proud graduate of The School at Steppenwolf 2019. Member of SAG-AFTRA and The Dramatist Guild. More at www.kmurrellmyers.com

Read Daughters of a Felon.

WANDACHRISTINE is a proud Ensemble member of American Blues Theater. She has starred on many stages throughout the country in such notable productions as FENCES, THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES, GEES BEND, THYESTES, OLD SETTLER, FAMILIAR, A WONDER IN MY SOUL, STOKELY: THE UNFINISHED REVOLUTION, and most recently MISERY. Recognized for her work in American Blues Theater’s production of BEAUTY’S DAUGHTER, she was awarded the Ruby Dee/Black Theater Alliance Award for her solo performance. As a playwright, she’s been one of the yearly contributors to the American Blues Theater’s Ripped Festival. As an author her fiction novel, I LOVE YOU MORE…THAN SHOES!, about four actresses over 50, still trying to make it in Hollywood; is currently available on Amazon. For the past 5 years as a Voice Artist, she’s recorded over 2,000 daily morning messages as a way to give hope and laughter to all those in need of a daily smile and continues to do so with joy. She’s also lent her voice to many commercials, video games, and animated characters.

Read Doctor Please Help Me!