When a forgotten scream queen is roped into her D-list boss-boyfriend’s desperate grab at fame, she must choose between exposing a painfully buried truth or preserving the fragile life she's built on its ruins. A darkly comic exploration of stardom's casualties, faded glory, and the desperate search for relevance in an industry that devours its young.
a new play by Jill Pangallo
Image ©2024 Jason Rodgers
at the Parkside Lounge.
The Cast
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Heather Litteer
SLOAN STONE
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Anni Rossi
IRIS WOLFF
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Jill Pangallo
BRIE GLAZER
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Becca Blackwell
BRODIE GLAZER
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Jason Bernardo
JAKE B
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Priyanka Kedia
LUCKY RUSSELL
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SouJee Han
DEVON SANDERS
promo video by Theo Cote
CREDITS
Written by Jill Pangallo
Directed by Rosie Glen-Lambert
Scenic Designer: Evan Frank
Lighting Designer: Jacqueline Scaletta
Sound Designer: Padra Crisafulli
Costume Designer: Jill Pangallo
Stage Manager: Arran Bowen
Production Manager: Jordan Coats
Social Media Manager: MJ
Choreographer: Ashley Meeks
Dramaturg: Brianna Snyder
Logo Designer: Connor Pan
Band Images: Jason Rodgers
Makeup Design: Theo Kogan
Production Photos: Bronwen Sharp
Opening Night Photos: David Andrako
Thank you.
Dep gratitude goes to the generous individuals, foundations, and supporters who made this production possible, as well as to the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) FY2025 program, which provided invaluable support through its grant. Special thanks to New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) Fiscal Sponsorship for their guidance and encouragement — a program I highly recommend to fellow artists seeking resources and community to develop their creative projects.
Swallows was made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
Logo Design by Connor Pan
I met the incredibly talented artist Connor Pan in Carpinteria, California while working on student musical productions under the direction of Theater Educator, Kiara Downey. Connor’s exceptional design and illustration skills stood out immediately, so it was an easy choice to have them kick of the brand identity by creating the Swallows logo. It’s exciting to see Connor now, here in New York City, pursuing their dreams of becoming a professional artist at SVA.
La MaMa.
Founded in 1961 by theatre legend Ellen Stewart, La MaMa Experimental Theatre Company is the only original Off-Off-Broadway venue still in operation. Ellen established La MaMa as a haven for underrepresented artists to experiment with new work, without the pressures of commercial success. Today, they maintain an environment of uncensored creative freedom, where artists of all backgrounds and identities can develop work that pushes the boundaries of what is possible onstage.
To date, La MaMa has supported more than 5,000 productions, featuring 150,000 artists from 70 nations. In 2018, The American Theatre Wing presented La MaMa with the Regional Theatre Tony Award, stating, “La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club is a staple of the New York theatre scene. It is an exciting space where artists can grow, create, and push boundaries.” La MaMa has also been honored with more than 30 Obie Awards, and dozens of Drama Desk, Bessie, and Villager Awards.
Images: (L) Japanese rock musical, ‘Golden Bat’ (1970) by the Tokyo Kid Brothers. ©La MaMa Archive. (R) Heather Litteer (Sloan Stone) outside La MaMa’s Ellen Stewart Theatre at 64 East 4th Street btwn Bowery & 2nd Avenue, NYC.
A message from the playwright.
For those of you familiar with my work, you already know how subtle, cringe-worthy comedy, set in the backwater swamp of our celebrity media culture, is my favorite territory to examine issues I care about. Swallows is just that.
This play is the result of a video sent to me in early 2014 by friend and collaborator Becca Blackwell. What started as a spark of shared inspiration over randomly googled YouTube fodder has now taken a life of its own for both of us together and separately in our individual artistic practices.
Having sat in this research for close to a decade—maybe a lifetime if you count my interest in child stardom and teen idol culture—I’m now ready and very excited to tell this fictional, but inspired-by-real-life-events tale of consequences, redemption, and nostalgic reckoning.
As you probably know yourself, big productions take courage, humility, and a lot of wrangling. But I'm trusting that this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is the right time in my life to creatively take on a project of this scale. I hope you'll continue to watch this space for updates and consider joining us for the production.
With Appreciation,
Jill Pangallo
January 2025
Swallows invited reading, April 1, 2023 at OTV Festival, wild project, NYC.
L to R: Jason Harris, Talia Paulette Oliveras, Anni Rossi, Heather Litteer, Jill Pangallo, Becca Blackwell, Yansa Fatima and Mike Albo.
Swallows is proud to be a sponsored project of New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA).
NYFA is a 501(c)(3), tax-exempt project founded in 1971 to work with the arts community throughout New York State and the United States to develop and facilitate programs in all disciplines. NYFA will send a formal letter of acknowledgment for donations of $250 or more.