The Hangar Theatre’s first ever outdoor summer season continues with Queens Girl in the World, a co-production with The Nora at Central Square Theater and The Front Porch Arts Collective in Cambridge, MA, running August 13-21, 2021.
The opening performance of Queens Girl in the World by Caleen Sinnette Jennings will begin Friday, August 13 at 7:30 PM. A preview performance will precede the opening on August 12; matinee and evening performances will run through Saturday, August 21. In this dynamic solo show, Jasmine M. Rush (she/her) plays Jacqueline Marie Butler, a Black teenager coming of age in the 1960s, whose joys, challenges, and heartbreak play out against the backdrop of the civil rights movement. Rush embodies over a dozen different characters as she journeys from her familiar Queens neighborhood to a progressive, predominantly-Jewish private school in Greenwich Village. This funny, heartfelt, and entirely relatable show was performed virtually in the Hangar’s 2020 Virtual Season, and Hangar audiences will now have the chance to experience a fully-realized live performance.
Rush is a Brooklyn based actor, director and writer born and raised in Milwaukee, WI. Classically trained, she has worked nationally on stage, film, and television. She holds a BA in Theatre Arts from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities and earned her MFA in Classical Acting from Shakespeare Theatre Company's Academy of Classical Acting at George Washington University. She is a proud member of both SAG-AFTRA and Actor’s Equity Association. Rush will be the lead in the Hangar production this August, and the Central Square Theater in Cambridge, MA from September 30 to October 31, 2021. In addition to her numerous regional roles, Rush appeared in Off-Broadway production As Much As I Can (Joe’s Pub/The Public Theatre) and her TV credits include appearances in “Bull”, “Blue Bloods”, “The Sinner”, and “Difficult People”.
Director Dawn M. Simmons (she/her) is also the Co-Producing Artistic Director of The Porch Arts Collective, a Black theatre company committed to advancing racial equity in Boston through theatre. Simmons sees the challenges that Jacqueline faces as “not entirely removed from our current time”. Simmons states, “Given the increased civil unrest this past year, it is hard but helpful to wrestle with the progress, or lack thereof. What I have learned in this time is that we are in this soup of a life together whether we like it or not. So I choose, and hope you will choose, to bear witness to the challenges of both of our lives and to celebrate the joys as a crucial part of our journey together. May we get through this together hand in hand, changed and strengthened by our shared experiences.”
Simmons continues, “In the character of Jaqueline we see hope and possibility. She is a vessel within which we can see our shared humanity. Her struggles and her coming of age are ours, and that connection brings into full relief those moments of heartache and triumph. I invite you to let her pain wash into you just as you do her joy and light, so that you may more fully feel the power of her resilience, which is that of your own resilience.”
Joining Simmons, the creative and production team includes Sound Designer Greg Smith, Set Designer Diggle, Lighting Designer Abigail Wang, Costume Designer Miranda Kau Giurleo, Production Stage Manager Lauren Burke*, Accent and Dialect Consultant Adi Cabral, Casting Director Michael Cassara, Assistant Stage Managers Daniella Berman (Hangar Theatre) and Shira Lederman (Central Square Theater), Production Managers Adam Zonder (Hangar Theatre) and Cassie Chapadoes (Central Square Theater), and Artistic Directors Shirley Serotsky (Hangar Theatre) Lee Mikeska Gardner (The Nora @ Central Square Theater), and Dawn M. Simmons (The Front Porch Arts Collective).
“We’re very excited for this collaboration with The Nora at Central Square Theater and The Front Porch Arts Collective,” says R.J. Lavine, Managing Director of the Hangar Theatre. “Not only do we share resources, talent, and ideas by working together, our respective companies gain visibility in new markets and enjoy a more sustainable framework for creating theatre. Essentially, we all benefit.”
The Hangar’s 47th Mainstage season closes with a final live, in-person outdoor production of An Odyssey, another co-production, in partnership with The Cherry Artspace. Serotsky programmed the 2021 outdoor season, helming the creation of an entirely new outdoor performance space and ensuring the return to live theatre in the Finger Lakes. The Hangar thanks Premier Performance Partner Tompkins Trust Company, Mainstage Media Sponsor Cayuga Radio Group, Partner In The Arts Ithaca College, Partner In Health Be Sure Testing, Associate Show Sponsors Cayuga Medical Center and CSP Management, and Media Show Sponsor Ithaca Times.
*Member of the Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
Ticket Information
Queens Girl in the World runs from August 13-21. Seats are limited, and available while supplies last. Student discounts and Pay What You Will tickets are available at every performance in 2021. Learn more or buy now at hangartheatre.org/queens
For tickets or more information about the rest of the Hangar’s 2021 Outdoor Summer Mainstage Season, please call 607.273.2787, or visit hangartheatre.org
Performance Schedule
Thursday 8/12 at 7:30 PM (Preview performance)*
Friday 8/13 at 7:30 PM Opening Night
Saturday 8/14 at 2:30 PM & 7:30 PM
Sunday 8/15 at 2:30 PM
Tuesday 8/17 at 7:30 PM (Virtual Tuesday Talkback)*
Wednesday 8/18 at 7:30 PM
Thursday 8/19 at 7:30 PM
Friday 8/20 at 7:30 PM
Saturday 8/21 at 2:30 PM & 7:30 PM
*Special Event Performances
Preview Performance: Previews are shows performed in front of an audience prior to their official opening. This gives the director and creative team a chance to experience the production with an audience present, while adjustments can still be made.
Virtual Tuesday Talkbacks: Members of the creative team will host an online event to share information about the performance before the show on Tuesday, August 17 at 5 PM Register online at hangartheatre.org/queens
Pay What You Will tickets are available for every performance in 2021! This program gives patrons the option to choose a ticket price within their means. The goal in this program is to give everyone in our community the opportunity to enjoy our exciting outdoor theatre this year. Seats must be reserved in advance. To learn more or reserve visit hangartheatre.org/ways
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About the Hangar Theatre
The Hangar Theatre is located at 801 Taughannock Blvd., north of Ithaca on Route 89 on the shores of Cayuga Lake. Originally opened as a summer theatre in 1975, the Hangar is home to the Hangar Theatre Company and serves as a venue for a variety of performing artists and community organizations. The Hangar Theatre Company offers professional theatrical productions throughout the year and a renowned education program.
Hangar Mission
The Hangar Theatre creates and presents performances of exceptional quality in New York’s Finger Lakes region while training the next generation of theatre artists. We inspire our community with work and classes that enrich, entertain, and enlighten. We believe in the power of theatre to transform lives.
About the Central Square Theater
Central Square Theater (CST), in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is dedicated to the exploration of social justice, science and sexual politics through theater; catalyzing the dynamic synergies sparked by the collaboration between The Nora and Underground Railway. Through award-winning productions, the Catalyst Collaborative@MIT Science Theater Initiative, and youth development programming – CST creates theater where points of view are heard, perspective shifts, and change can happen. With a combined history of over 50 years, CST is the oldest female led theater organization in Greater Boston. CST engages over 35,000 people annually through live performance, rigorous youth education, and community programs. CST works closely with MIT on Catalyst Collaborative@MIT, one of the only partnerships between a world class research institute and a theater.
About the Front Porch Arts Collective
The Front Porch Arts Collective is a Black theatre company committed to advancing racial equity in Boston through theatre. Now in residence with The Huntington (Boston, MA), the Front Porch Arts Collective seeks to create a place where perspectives and experiences of Black people are no longer novelty, but an integral part of the global conversation, and to build programs that make the entire theatrical landscape more reflect the diversity of the city. By creating an atmosphere where people see the world through differing experiences, we hope to foster greater understanding of the human condition that ultimately contributes to tolerance and empathy in our world. Our namesake signifies a communal spirit, inspiring us to serve communities of color and produce art that is inclusive of all communities and welcoming to all audiences, to inspire a more tolerant and inclusive Boston. Our core values are cultural inclusion, community advancement; and impactful legacy.
