and I will hold you/when you are broken by Charlie Meyers
Directed & Digital Media Created
by Mario El Caponi Mendoza
and I will Hold You/When You Are Broken by Charlie Meyers is a BRECHTIAN stylized post apocalyptic fairy tale told through an immersive multimedia landscape that explores one couple’s struggle for true love across sickness, death and reincarnation.
Written by Charlie Meyers
Directed by Mario El Caponi Mendoza
Original Song "Don't Look Down" by Sef Caldera
Cast:
Branch | Sef Caldera (Played on Nov 9th 7:30 pm & Nov 10th 7:30 pm)
Branch | Benjamin Fredes-Williams (Played on Nov 10th 1:30 pm & Nov 12th 7:30 pm)
Daphne | Piper Newman
Alma | Matt Sheffer
Rose | Brooke Sheffer
Production Team:
Production Engineer & Lighting Designer | Rob Duggan
Media Designer & Engineer | Mario El Caponi Mendoza
Makeup Designer & House Manager | Chantel Freed
Graphic Designer | David Kinney
Costume Designer | Kid Simple
Stage Manager | Ari Del Panadero
Production Photographer | Kassandra Alvarez Vazquez
About the Playwright:
Charlie Meyers is a playwright and theatre artist living in St. Louis, Missouri. They have an MFA in Playwriting from the University of Iowa, and will be attending Washington University in the fall pursuing an MA in Theatre and Performance Studies. Prior works include Dust and Ash, Dreams I Have About Killing My Sister, and writing/directing/performing multiple short pieces for The Q Collective, a queer theatre company in St. Louis. They are also a standup comedian, placing in the semifinals for St. Louis' Funniest Person, and co-producing That Queer Comedy Open Mic. Professionally, they've worked in nonprofit and arts orgs, including the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival and the Jewish Federation of St. Louis. Their work explores love, death, identity, poetry, and interconnectedness.
Playwright’s Note:
and I will hold you/when you are broken is a lullaby for a dying world. I wrote this play with two tragedies in my heart - climate change/environmental decay and my own mother's battle with terminal cancer. The struggle of caretaking, the pain of dying, and the resilience of love formed the story. We have to believe that we carry the seeds of growth - that we can plant trees that will grow, that we can help each other survive. The play is dedicated to my mother Donna, who died in 2019 after fighting her heart out, my father Dan, who held her hand until the end, and my partner James who has helped me blossom for the last decade.