Geryon
GERYON
Written by Alec Hoxha and Maximum
Inspired by Anne Carson’s Autobiography of Red: A Novel in Verse
Directed by Amaya Adu
Poster design by Maggie Anderson
CAST
Nicholas “Nick” Antoski | Jared/Yellowbeard
Sarah Barnett | Gran
Johnny Bayne | Geryon
Eli Bettmann | Endo
Eva Doyle | Exo
Daniel “Danny” Griffith | Herakles
Natalie Nova | Flora/Ancash
Audrey Redmond | Joan
Christian “Chris” Smikle | Understudy: Geryon
Tionne Watson | Understudy: Joan
Creative & Production:
Alec Hoxha | Dramaturg, Co-playwright, Social Media, Producer
Max Tandy | Playwright, Producer
Amaya Akosua Adu | Director
Molly McHugh | Production Stage Manager
Morgan Reichberg | Assistant Director
Therese (Tea) Marie Rigor | Stage Manager
Octavia Robinson-Fiorillo | Lighting Designer
Gabriella “Gab” Pizzolo | Sound Designer
Munirah “Moon” Morris | Costume Designer, Producer
Maggie Anderson | Projection Designer
Nate Tohill | Fight & Intimacy Coordinator
Katie Heintz | Choreographer
This show will run for approximately 90 minutes with a 10 minute intermission.
Dramaturg’s Note:
Upon reading Autobiography of Red I got the sense that I’ve been handed something like a narrative puzzle. There are so many points of references (both literary and historical), thematic symbols, and structural details that it begged to be read a second, a fourth, a sixth time. Carson’s writing reveals just as much as it conceals, making the complex seem simple. The very first section of the novel is titled, “What Difference Did Stesichoros Make?” Autobiography of Red does not take this lightly. Stesichoros, around 600 BC, wrote a lyrical poem that retold the already well-established myth of Herakles defeating the red, three-headed monster, Geryon. He spun the story and placed Geryon firmly in the center instead of Herakles, imparting some sympathy for the monster. Anne Carson, in 1998, picked up where he left off, and imparted a new question previously unconsidered: who can a monster blame for being red?
We know the tale of killing monsters well. In fact, over two millennia later, we have not told many tales other than this story. The American Herakles takes a similar shape to the Greek one: overcoming Death, mastering his own fate. Where, then, does that leave Geryon in this narrative? Stories of good and evil, ideal beauty and despised deformity, are elegant ruses that justify war and terror, that provide us with a convincing national identity. The process of creating a story of ideal heroes and tragic monsters is not unlike the process of wooing a lover.
Writer and audience, lover and loved, are relationships based on a significant dose of illusion. Carson, in Autobiography of Red, lays out an important narrative that questions the illusory nature of narratives themselves. And she does so with the genre that tells you to hope for a good ending, despite the odds: a romance. The moving, invisible force of any story, particularly in romance, is a strange phenomenon. Wings on a story take you, the viewer, from your starting point to your ending point, and you, for better or worse, are changed by the end of it. If it’s a particularly good story, you don’t notice the flight: just the sensation. Geryon’s wings, come to life and personified in our production, are the breath of the story and carry Geryon forward. We only ask him not to look down.
There are truly no words that can describe how deeply the novel (and the wonderful team involved in this production) have changed me. It is Carson herself who wrote that “reading and writing change people and change societies.” If I have been transformed into a different person after this project (and I think I have) I can only hope that force of difference can similarly bless any viewer who comes across the curious story of Geryon. When embarking on the task of adapting this novel, I had to ask, “what difference does Geryon make?” It was not a rhetorical question. See for yourself.
- Alec Hoxha, Dramaturg, Co-playwright, Co-producer
Content Advisory
Content Advisory: This production of Geryon contains some flashing lights and references to sexual abuse.
Creative Team Profiles
CAST
Nicholas “Nick” Antoski (Jared/Yellowbeard) is a senior Playwriting/Screenwriting major, with a double minor in Film and History. His performance debut occurred in a screen reading of Abel’s Baby (Spring 2023), where he read for the character of Captain Kull! He also performed in a senior performance titled How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse (Spring 2024), where he played survivalist Donald Strait. His role(s) in Geryon include Jared (Geryon’s brother), Yellow beard (a college theatre professor), and a tree (the most underrated character). He would like to give a special thanks to my family for all their support! Love and support from his girlfriend! Along with a thanks to his friends who encouraged him to do acting!
Sarah Barnett is a sophomore Theatre and Performance major. Her past acting credits include:The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime (Christopher), Gypsy (Baby June), Much Ado About Nothing (Don John), A Wrinkle in Time (Happy Medium). She’d like to give special thanks to the crew and cast who worked very hard to make this happen.
Johnny is a playwriting/screenwriting major from Sacramento, California. Johnny’s original one-act was selected and staged in POV Fest this past spring, and their past acting credit is Orlando (Grimsditch, Favilla, Chorus 2).
Eli (they/them) is a Junior Theater and Performance Major from Saxapahaw, North Carolina. Recent credits include Macbeth (Witch), Orlando (The Queen), and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Titania). Eli is grateful to their friends and family for their undying love and support.
Eva Doyle is a fourth year Theatre and Performance major in the performance concentration. Eva’s Purchase credits include Crystal Clear, Fefu and Her Friends, and College Monologues. Eva wants to thank her mom, dad and sister for being her biggest supporters in everything.
Daniel Griffith is a Playwriting/Screenwriting Junior and an actor by heart. “I have the greatest pleasure to play the role of HERAKLES in Geryon. I have been connected to this theatrical world ever since I was a child. My mother’s early career and my career in modeling as a child turned into my love for the arts overall. Starting in the 5th grade, I was a part of the Pied Piper Theater Company in Manassas, VA. This is where I was featured in Sleepy Hollow and Narnia in 6th grade. My experience in Stage Combat was also learned here. After moving to New York, I was a part of numerous productions such as: A Christmas Carol (2016), Fools (2018), A Raisin in the Sun (2019), Almost Maine (2022) and Othello (2022). During my college career, I have been a part of ‘Till Death Does Its Part’, which was put on my freshman Afrodisiac planning Committee. In turn, I am also an independent musician/artist who has met or collaborated with
names like Danny Singh and RUOK, Teezo Touchdown, Scarlip, Mei year. I have also starred in numerous short film projects and more this coming year, such as Summer Carty’s ‘Fright Film Club’. My next production will be ‘Everybody’, Directed by my lovely sister, Amaya Adu. I have also collaborated with a few cast members of ‘MJ: The Musical’. Other than my theatrical work, I am the Creative Director of OAPIA and a part of the Semones, Simpson, LAUNDRY DAY, Kyle Richh, Jenn Carter and Maiya the Don. Special Thanks: My family, Eliel Pacheco, God.”
Natalie Nova (she/they) is a fourth-year theatre and performance major from Rockland, New York. Credits include: The Motherfucker with the Hat (director/producer), Macbeth (assistant director), Geryon (flora/ancash), Little Shop of Horrors, Urinetown, Footloose, Mean Girls, Annie, Aladdin Jr, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (choreographer), and more. Natalie expresses deep gratitude to the entire team for their dedication to this project <3!
Audrey Redmond (Joan) is a second year theatre and creative writing major. This will be her first production at Purchase. She’d like to thank her family and friends for their endless support and love.
Christian “Chris” Smikle | Understudy: Geryon
Tionne Watson is a senior and will be starring in the role of Joan in Geryon! She is a Theater and Performance major who you might have previously seen in purchase productions like The Motherfucker with the Hat as Veronica and The Haunting of Campbell House as Dawn! She would like to give a special thanks to her cast for being such great actors and making this show beautiful.
CREATIVE & PRODUCTION
Alec Hoxha is a senior theatre and performance & English major. His show credits for the 2024-2025 season include: Orlando (AD/Dramaturg), The Motherfucker with the Hat (ASM), Macbeth (Macbeth), Geryon (Dramaturg/Co-playwright). He is immensely thankful for the support his friends, family, and fellow artists have given him! Specifically he would like to thank Max Tandy and Amaya Adu for their creativity on this production.
Max Tandy is a senior theatre and performance student. Their past credits include Crystal Clear (Erika), Til Death Does Its Part (Charlie), WAYNE (ensemble), and Macbeth (Malcolm). They’d like to thank the entire cast and crew for putting so much love and dedication into this beautiful piece of art. “Thanks to Alec, whose passion continuously inspires, for believing in me when it was hard to believe in myself.”
Amaya Adu is a first semester senior majoring in theatre and performance with a concentration in directing. Her past credits include Angels in America (Belize) and Orlando (Shakespeare, Clorina, Chorus 1). She would like to thank her family, friends, and the THP faculty.
Molly McHugh is a senior Playwriting/ Screenwriting & Psych student. Her past credits include Table 9 (production assistant), Fred in Red (playwright, social media manager, and co-director), Orlando (stage manager), Secrets in Smoke Filled Rooms (assistant director), Governess of Floods (co- set designer). She’d like to thank Morgan Rotman and Amanda Wenner for teaching her everything she knows about Stage Management.
Morgan Reichberg is a third year majoring in Theatre and Performance with a concentration in directing. Previous SUNY Purchase credits include acting in Orlando, The Attic and As You Like It, as well as directing scene presentations of Sanctuary City and Three Sisters. Morgan would like to thank her mom, dad, and brother David for their support.
Therese (Tea) Marie Rigor (any pronouns) is a third and final year theatre and performance major from Gainesville, Florida. Purchase credits include Macbeth (Banquo), Orlando (Orlando, Vita Sackville-West), Governess of Floods (Sound Designer), The Station (Sound Designer), How to Defend Yourself (Susannah/Swing Diana, Nikki, and Mojdeh), As You Like It (Jaques), and Emily Coates’ Some Things We Know (Musician). Other credits include Little Shop of Horrors (Crystal), A Christmas Carol (Ghost of Christmas Present), And (Director), and more. Many thanks to the cast and crew, her mentors, family, and friends for their continuous support!
Octavia Robinson-Fiorillo is a junior Theatre and Performance and History major. Her past credits include A Tribute to Tagore (sound operator), Wayne (lighting operator), and The Motherfucker with the Hat (lighting designer and board operator).
Gabriella Pizzolo is a senior Psychology & Music student. While at Purchase College, they have worked on BFA and BA productions through incorporation of various design aspects. These credits include Walrus in the Body of a Crocodile (Music Director), Judy’s House (Sound Designer), The Government Inspector (Music Director & Composer), The Dose at Manhattanville College (Director & Co-writer), Beatrice (Film Scoring), I’m Listening (Film Scoring). They also spend time on campus as a conductor, instrumentalist, and composer for the Purchase Chamber Singers, the Purchase Chorus, and Purchase New Music (PNM) groups. They would love to thank all of the senior producers and creatives, as well as the entire cast and crew of Geryon - you’ve given this show its wings!
Munirah is an ambitious costume designer. She has explored acting, costume design, and stage management. Munirah Morris is finishing her bachelor’s degree at Purchase and will graduate in May 2025. After taking a break from acting, Munirah worked on costumes and directed for Lucha Esencial. She also interned as a costume designer for the Rising Sun Performance Company for Boundless Theater. Her passion for theater arts has equipped her with the skills necessary to work as a props and assistant stage manager. Munirah aspires to design and produce costumes for Broadway, cinema, and theater worldwide. She eagerly participates in this play, making it a new and exciting experience—many thanks to her family and everyone else who supports her.
Maggie is a senior from Manitou Springs, Colorado majoring in Theatre and Performance with a minor in Philosophy. Their Theatre and Performance credits include Framed (Stage Crew), Project Journey (Actor), and Homesick (producer and collaborator). They would like to thank their friends and family for all their support.
Nate Tohill | Fight & Intimacy Coordinator
Katie Heintz | Choreographer