ANNIE JUMP AND THE LIBRARY OF HEAVEN

By Reina Hardy
Directed by Michele Vazquez

featuring: Joel Bennett, Mya Berg, Justice Good, Korinne Yonin, and Rachael Proulx

Location: Raue Center Cafe
FREE ADMISSION

A play for all audiences about finding your place in the universe, and intelligent life in your neighborhood. Annie Jump is a 13-year-old science genius whose alien-obsessed father is the laughingstock of Strawberry, KS. One night, a meteor falls, and Annie meets Althea, an intergalactic supercomputer that manifests itself in the form of a mean girl with really great hair. Althea’s here to help Annie take humanity from the earth to the stars, but being the Chosen One isn’t all glory. What is Althea hiding? And what will Annie have to sacrifice to fulfill her destiny?

Reina Hardy‘s plays, which usually contain magic and sometimes contain science, have been produced in Chicago, NYC, London, Austin and DC. They include “Glassheart” (Rorsharch Theater and the Shrewds), “Changelings”, (The Vortex),  and “A Map to Somewhere Else” (Everyday Inferno, NYC). Honors include Michener Fellowship, National New Play Network New Play Showcase, Source Festival, Kennedy Center MFA Playwrights Workshop, Interact 20/20 Commission, Kennedy Center ACTF TYA PRIZE.  Publications include: “Best American Short Plays, 2012-2013,” and “Best Scenes for Two Actors,” Applause, “Best Stage Monologs for Men,” “60 Seconds to Shine,” and the upcoming “105 5-Minute Plays for Study and Performance,” from Smith and Kraus. Up next- new productions of “Stargazers” in Michigan and Australia, and the rolling world premiere of “Annie Jump and the Library of Heaven” in Austin, DC, Connecticut and Milwaukee.  MFA: Michener Center at UT Austin. Rep’d by Susan Gurman.

Michele Vazquez (director) is an actor, director and teaching artist currently living in the Chicago area. As an actor, she has appeared most recently in Lottery Day and A Christmas Carol at The Goodman Theatre. Her other credits include Off-Broadway at The Cherry Lane Theatre and The Pearl Theatre Company in NYC and has performed at various theaters both nationally and internationally including the International Shakespeare Festival in Neuss, Germany; the Orlando Shakespeare Theatre; A.C.T (SF); Aquila Theatre Company (NYC); Pioneer Theatre Company (SLC); Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park; Philadelphia Theatre Company; Delaware Theatre Company; The Old Globe Theatre (SD) & Arena Stage (DC) among others. As a director, her focus has been on new play development. Michele served as a director with the WordBRIDGE Playwrights Laboratory, New York University’s Dramatic Writing Program (graduate and undergraduate), Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, Aquila Theatre and many more. Michele is the program manager for WSRep’s Reading Series. She earned her MFA from at Old Globe Theatre and her BFA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Michele a proud member of Actors Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA.