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PEEK-A-BOO
An Immersive Hudson Valley Haunt
By Meghan Covington
Directed by Jessica Irons
Oct 15th-18th and 22rd - 25th
Bethany Arts Community, Ossining
Creative Team:
Director - Jessica Irons
Playwright - Meghan Covington
Stage Manager - Monica Robles
Lighting Design - Andrew Irons
Sound and Lighting Technician - Ray Flaks
Costume Design - Emily Dziak
Choreography - Megan Roe
House Managers - Sioux Madden, Josh Santiago, and Jason Titus
Cast (in order of appearance):
Luci................................................Meghan Covington*
John Andre..................................................Elian Rivera
Sadie the Goat..............................................Noni Alley
Willhemina Salisbury...........................Katie Kopajtic
The Stranger.....................................David Covington*
Hulda.....................................................Traci Redmond
Lady in White...........................Elena Dure McGuigan
Musician......................................................Lauryn Dee
Understudies:
Elena McGuigan, Mark Cajigao, Olivia Dower, Chris Moore, Noni Alley, and Anna Fewell Triantafillou
The Staff:
Olivia Dower and Anna Fewell Triantafillou
*The Actor appears through the courtesy of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
River's Edge Theatre Co's programing 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.
River's Edge Theatre Co. is proud to be a grantee of ArtsWestchester with funding made possible by Westchester County government with the support of County Executive Kenneth W. Jenkins and the Board of Legislators.
Meet the Cast:
Meghan Covington (Playwright and Luci)
Meghan is a NY based actor, playwright, and producer with an affinity for the experimental. Her most notable acting credits have taken place on the stages of The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Co, The Shakespeare Theatre, Round House Theatre, Theatre J, Olney Theatre in Washington DC. She was also a company member for Synetic Theatre, where she spent 4+ years developing skills in classical pantomime technique, physical theatre, and dance. In NYC Meghan has performed at The Tank, Theatre for the New City, The Brick, and Manhattan Theatre Source. As a playwright her work has been produced at The Chain, The Tank, Equity Theatre Library, Tiger Heart Theatre Co, Musco Performing Arts Center, Pillipstown Depot Theatre, and River's Edge Theatre Co. Meghan holds a BFA in theatre performance from Virginia Commonwealth University and is a proud member of the Actor's Equity Association.
Elian Rivera (John Andre)
Elian is a Puerto Rican actor from NYC and graduate of Fordham University LC theatre program. He is excited to be a part of this cast and make his debut with Rivers Edge Theatre Company. Elian is also an educational theatre performer with the Wildlife Theatre Company at the Bronx Zoo. You can catch him as Brujo Bruno in the currently running Halloween show. When he's not on stage can be found rock climbing or at an amc. His past credits include: Art (Chain Theatre) Dime Novel (Chain Theatre) Sins of Sor Juana (Fordham Theatre) Macbeth (LAMDA). Upcoming: Kirkwood Falls (StarCrossed Studios). Elian would like to thank the cast and team for being so welcoming as well as Meghan for trusting him with this role. He would like to thank his parents, family and Fiona for their never ending love and support! @elian_rivera
Katie Kopajtic (Willamina Salisbury, aka Sal )
Katie is a Tarrytown-based actor, writer, filmmaker and teaching artist. Her work tends to explore belonging, queerness, and how we maintain the creative spirit in our for-profit world. You can read her publications on Electric Literature and other websites, or sign up for her newsletter at www.katiekopajtic.com
Noni Alley (Sadie the Goat)
Noni Alley (they/them) is an actor, producer and award-nominated Voice Over artist based in NYC. An acting alumni of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, with a background in circus arts, Noni performs in live theater, film, animation and audiobooks. Recent work: Valentine in Twelfth Night, Sterling and Tezcatlipoca in It Has His Eyes, narration of Beyond Inclusion audiobook.
David Covington (The Stranger)
David Covington (The Stranger) is delighted to return to the RETCo stage. An actor and performer, David has appeared Off-Broadway and regionally at Lincoln Center, Union Square Theatre, Theatre Row, The John F. Kennedy Center, Arena Stage, Signature Theatre, Theatre J, and historic Ford’s Theatre. Favorite credits include Young Scrooge in A Christmas Carol at Ford’s Theatre, Saint-Lambert/Lewis in Legacy of Light at Arena Stage, and Harlan/Alan in Looking for Billy Haines at The Lion Theatre in New York. Early in his career, David toured nationally and performed Off-Broadway with the internationally acclaimed TAP DOGS. Recent RETCo productions include Off with Her Head, Ebenezer, Peek-a-Boo, Ichabod, and The Parking Lot. David holds a BA from American University and an MS from the CUNY School of Professional Studies.
Traci Redmond (Hulda)
Traci Redmond is based in Dobbs Ferry, NY, working as an actor, voice actor, and improviser. A regular collaborator with RetCo, she has appeared as Puck (Midsummer), Susan (Happy Hour), L. Montague (R&J), and The Captive (Riverside Haunts). She also leads the monthly adult improv workshop nurturing creativity and play for everyone.One of her recent favorite roles was playing Sandra in “The Play That Goes Wrong” at Elmwood Playhouse. Other select NY stages: Gene Frankel Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Source, The Tank, Primary Stages, Dixon Place, Queens Theater, Bluemouth Inc, Turtle Shell Theater. Offstage, Traci embraces her most recent and challenging role yet: Stage IV colon cancer survivor and advocate. She encourages everyone to schedule that colonoscopy! For more info about her on-screen and VO work: www.traciredmond.com
Olivia Dower (u/s Sadie)
Olivia is delighted to be a part of the cast and crew of Peek-a-Boo! A Westchester native and recent graduate of Bard College, she is an actor, writer, and theatermaker. Recent credits include Petra in Arc Stages’ A Little Night Music. This fall, she’ll be performing as Annette in Eden Goes Home, an original musical debuting at the New York Theater Festival in December, and in Stud Country Shuffle, debuting at the Spark Theater Festival in NYC in November. Olivia is especially grateful to Meghan for welcoming her into the Rivers Edge family, and hopes this is just the beginning of many more opportunities to work together. Big love to the entire cast and crew of Peek-a-Boo!
Lily (they/them/theirs) is a New York City-based actor, playwright, and comedian. Their NYC stage credits include Friend In Need (Between Us Theater Co.), The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Somethin’ Else), and Who You Are To Me (The Chain Theater One Act Fest). Regional credits include 9 to 5 (Tantrum Theater) and Natasha, Pierre…The Great Comet of 1812 (Tantrum Theater). Lily would like to wish everyone a very spooky Halloween season!
Chris Moore (u/s Andre)
Chris spent much of his pre-adult life in and around theater. His first year out of college he was part of the acting company at Actors Theatre of Louisville (Dracula, A Christmas Carol, Humana Festival). While it was an amazing experience, Chris ultimately decided to transition to the business world. He continues to enjoy theater as an audience member and participant when possible. Chris lives in Ardsley with his very dramatic 9 year old son and more stoic 4 year old daughter.
Elena Dure McGuigan (Lady in White and u/s Sal)
Elena is a graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, studying Drama. Her love of the performing arts began in the 7th grade, and she has had roles in a number of productions throughout her time in middle and high school, ranging from Greek tragedy to musical comedy. She has also acted in many student short films during her time at NYU. As well as performing on stage, Elena also has interests in work backstage and behind the camera. She has worked in stage management, on run crew, and costume crew, for a number of productions through NYU Tisch, and the Atlantic Theater Company. Elena has recently landed a role in the Atlantic Theater’s One Act Festival, which she will be performing in this fall. Elena has been in participation with River’s Edge Theatre Company for a few years, and is very excited to be a part of this production.
Mark Cajigao (u/s Stranger)
Mark Cajigao (Director) is very happy to be working again with River's Edge Theatre Company. He is an actor, singer, director and producer who has worked on stage and in film in NYC, regionally, and as far abroad as Cairo, Egypt. Mark also co-curates RETCo’s Cold Reads series, where every month local actors tackle a different play with no prior rehearsal. He lives with his family in Hastings on Hudson, and holds degrees from Wagner College and The New School for Drama. Mark is a proud member of Actors Equity and the Screen Actors Guild.
Anna Fewell Triantafillou (u/s Hulda)
Anna Fewell Triantafillou is a teacher (Page to Stage, and more) and an acting student (Adult Acting Lab) at River’s Edge Theatre Company. This is her third year as Staff for Peek-a-Boo, and her first year as Understudy for the role of Hulda. As a native and now a mother in Hastings-on-Hudson, she thanks River’s Edge for enriching the Rivertown community through its experimental and innovative productions and classes. She thanks her fellow Acting Lab students and teachers Meghan Covington, Julia Schonberg and Mark Cajigao for sharing their talents. Anna is a graduate of Oberlin College (1997), Columbia University SSW & SIPA (2006), and an LCSW.
Lauryn Dee (Pre-show Music)
Lauryn Dee is thrilled to welcome you to the haunting world of Peek-a-Boo! A passionate multi-instrumentalist, singer, and private music instructor, Lauryn dedicates her days to teaching and nights to performing. Thanks to River’s Edge for this fantastic opportunity!
Meet the Production Team:
Jessica Irons (Director)
Jessica is an Ossining resident, and sits on the Board of Bethany Arts Community, and is the current president. She sat on the Board of Ossining MATTERS for 6 years and was president for 2. For 10 years she was the Artistic Director of the award winning , NYC based Andhow ! Theater Company where she fostered new plays from a seed of an idea through to full productions. She directed Off & Off Off Broadway at the Flea, The Ohio, HERE Arts Center, 78th Street Theater Lab, Dixon Place, The Blue Heron Arts Center, The Ontological at St. Mark's Church in the Bowery New Georges and adobe theatre company. She was the Associate Artistic Director of adobe theatre company and the Artistic Associate at Adirondack Theater Festival. As an educator she has directed/taught in Newark NJ, Redhook, Brooklyn, for the 52nd Street Project in Manhattan, Allan Stevenson, Fordham University, the Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester and elsewhere throughout the tri-state area . Locally, she has directed adults professionally for Rivers Edge Theatre Co. She was the original therapeutic arts director at Children of Promise, NYC in Bedford Stuyvesant, where she developed and implemented therapeutic art & theater curricula for children of incarcerated parents. Jessica studied theater at Skidmore College (BA) and Creative Arts Therapy at the New School.
Monica Robles (Stage Manager)
Monica is the co-founder of Tres Brujas Productions where she serves as a producer and stage manager. Past production credits include work in NYC, Puerto Rico and Edinburgh. During the day, she is a media Partnerships Director at SiriusXM and sits as the chair of their DE&I Board and their Pride ERG, developing partnerships with non-profit organizations such as The Ally Coalition, New Alternatives and Live Out Loud.
Andrew Irons (Lighting Design)
Andrew is a playwright and a founding member of ANDHOW! Theater Company. For Andhow! he has written Linus & Alora (The Flea Theater), Little Suckers (The Ohio Theater), Non-D, (the Ontological Theatre; Backstage STIMY Award: Powerful Production 2003-2004), Paschal Full Moon (78th Street Theater Lab), and has received readings / workshops of Yakima Man and Iris. His play Tunnel was produced at Expanded Arts. His toy theater piece And Away! was presented at The Brick, as well as with Andhow! at The Connelly Theater. And as an actor and playwright he has worked with several New York theater companies including the Ontological, New Georges, Turnip and 78th Street Theater Lab. His play Linus & Alora was published in Plays & Playwrights Best Plays of 2010. Andrew has been a Teaching Artist at The Hudson River Academy, Sarah Lawrence College’s Summer Writing Intensive, Westchester Community College, Allen Stevenson, and Penobscot Theater Company. He was Program Director for Off the Hook a playwriting to performance program in Red Hook Brooklyn, 2006-2008. He has been teaching in the New York City public school system for the last 8 years. Andrew studied theater at the American Conservatory Theater (Young Conservatory), National Theater Institute, Skidmore College (BA) and Sarah Lawrence College (MFA).
Ray Flaks (Sound and Lghting Technician)
Ray Flaks is an audio/lighting technician, filmmaker, and stage manager from Ossining, NY. He currently works as a sales associate for CP Communications, facilitating A/V equipment rentals. He has a BA in Cinema from Binghamton University, was a Senior Audio Engineer with Binghamton Sound Staging and Lighting, and an A/V technician at Columbia University. Ray is an avid fan of experimental film, theater, and art, and has been collaborating with RETco since 2023 to help create a variety of challenging and thought provoking performances.
Emily Dziak (Costume design)
Emily is an actress and scenic artist from Westchester, New York. Her credits include: As You Like It (Rosalind), We Are Proud to Present (Actor 5, Sarah), Kodachrome (Suzanne/The Photographer), The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (Beatrice), The Green Plays Project (Kara, Actor B), Listening (Hailey).
Megan Roe (choreographer)
Megan is a dancer and visual artist born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. Her childhood was spent in the dance studio. She assisted her teachers and quickly began to choreograph pieces herself. Megan continued on to New York City to study contemporary and improv dance at the Steps on Broadway Conservatory. She's performed in a variety of dance and art productions over the years but only once she began choreographing for a Brooklyn theater company, Loop Troupe, did she really find her passion. Megan quickly became involved in all aspects of a production, from making costumes to building props to designing posters and more. This desire to create full visions led her to directing music videos for artists like BlackJeans, Zuli Jr., Enrose and more. Megan is a dance teacher by day and visual artist by night, taking on collaborative projects that inspire play in her community.
The History That Inspired Peek-a-Boo:
On Wildey Street in Tarrytown, the notorious Peek-a-Boo Flats flourished in the early 1900s–1920s. A red light district, the Flats earned themselves a reputation as “disorderly houses.” The local paper fumed, “The Peek-a-Boos give the police more trouble than any other section!” Neighbors called for their demolition, yet night after night the Flats brimmed with paying customers. The women who worked there were often arrested, exiled, or forbidden from appearing on the streets after dark without a chaperone. But no amount of policing could dim the allure. The more the town tried to shut them down, the more irresistible the Peek-a-Boos became. See the clipping from The Tarrytown Daily News from 1918. The Flats were not torn down until 1923.
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Sadie the Goat
Sadie the Goat was an American criminal, gang leader, and river pirate. In 1869, Sadie the Goat joined the Charlton Street Gang, headquartered at a gin mill at the end of Charlton Street on the West Side. Though her real name was Sadie Farrell, she became known as Sadie the Goat because of her favored form of fighting: headbutting men in the stomach and having a male compatriot knock the victim out cold so they could steal his money and valuables without difficulty. She also had the misfortune of having her ear bitten off by the infamous Gallas Mag who was the bouncer at the Hole in the Wall bar. After Sadie the Goat lost her ear, she left the Fourth Ward and found a new home on the West Side with the Charlton Street Gang. The gang decided to become pirates and wreak havoc along the shores of the Hudson River (then called the North River), and that''s how Sadie got yet another nickname - Sadie, Queen of the Waterways.
John Andre
Major John André was no ordinary British officer. Fluent in four languages, a poet, an artist, a theatre-lover, and a soldier—he embodied both charm and danger. But in 1780, fate betrayed him on Hudson Valley soil. Captured near Tarrytown with incriminating papers in his boot, André was condemned as a spy and executed on George Washington’s orders. His ghost lingers in legend. Washington Irving himself wrote that the tulip tree where André was seized became one of Sleepy Hollow’s most haunted sites, forever binding the officer’s tragic end to the valley’s spectral folklore.
Hulda the Witch
Hulda of Bohemia was no witch—but the villagers of Sleepy Hollow thought otherwise. An immigrant woman living alone in the woods, she was skilled in herbs, healing, and trade with the Lenape. That independence made her dangerous in the eyes of Dutch settlers. When British troops invaded during the Revolution, Hulda fought alongside the patriots, rifle in hand, and fell in battle. At first denied a proper burial, the townspeople later recognized her courage. Today a stone near the Old Dutch Church reads: “Herbalist, Healer, Patriot. Felled by British while protecting the Militia.” Hulda, the so-called witch, is remembered instead as a hero.
William Salisbury
General William Salisbury of Leeds appeared every bit the respectable gentleman—until his darkest secret spilled into local legend. One night, after a young servant girl tried to escape, Salisbury bound her wrists to his horse. Whether by accident or intent, the horse bolted, dragging the girl to her death. The general was convicted of murder, yet his punishment was grotesquely delayed: he would wear a rope around his neck in public until his 99th birthday, when he was to be hanged. Over time, the rope became a silk cravat. His execution never came. He died comfortably at 100. But some say the hills near his manor still echo with the screams of the girl and the thunder of phantom hooves on Old Coxsackie Road. Below is the Salisbury manor house that still stands today.
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About River's Edge Theatre Company
River's Edge Theatre Company (RETCo) is a NY State non-profit organization with the mission to reflect the human experience, spark conversation, and inspire social change through performance. RETCo invites theatergoers to step to the outer limits of their comfort zone as they shed light on some of society's most pressing issues. In addition to producing quality, thought provoking performances in Westchester, NY, RETCo also offers classes and workshops that place emphasis on the social emotional benefits of theatre education, allowing students to collaborate and create in a fun and nurturing environment. River's Edge Theatre Company is a NY not-for-profit 501(c)3 corporation and donations qualify as a deductible charitable contribution to the extent the law provides. Make a donation or learn more on our website.
About Bethany Arts Community
Bethany Arts Community is a space and environment where all forms of art can be learned and expressed, where hope & acceptance are the norms. Nurturing the creative process, Bethany welcomes artists, from young to old, and all levels of experience, to explore and create art that the community can engage with. Bethany fosters sharing, connection, and collaboration, in an inclusive culture where people experience the power of art to improve lives and expand their perceptions and perspectives of the world.
The Vision of Bethany Arts Community is to be a model arts community where everyone has access to the arts in a safe, accepting, and nurturing environment, where art is valued for its power to broaden perspectives and challenge assumptions, and where the artistic process results in community engagement, cross-cultural understanding, and personal growth.
About Hudson Link for Higher Education:
Peek-a-Boo explores themes of redemption, second chances, and the possibility of transformation. These ideas are not just theatrical—they’re real. We invite you to join us in supporting Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison, a nonprofit that provides college education, reentry support, and life skills to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals. If the story of Peek-a-Boo moves you, consider helping others write their own story of redemption. Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison provides college education, life skills, and reentry support to currently and formerly incarcerated people so they can make a positive impact on their own lives, their families, and communities, resulting in lower rates of recidivism and higher rates of employment, community regeneration, cohesiveness, and reciprocity. We provide post-secondary educational opportunities for incarcerated students enrolled in programs at six correctional facilities in the greater New York area.
Learn more or donate here.
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Special thanks to these special folks for making this and future productions possible:
The Rudolph J. and Daphne A. Munzer Foundation
Michael Goldenberg
H.James Hoff
River Arts
Heather Harpham
Melanie Hoopes
Sioux Madden
Steve & Joanne Auerbach
Asha Bencosme
Jessica Arinella
Lauren Orkus
Billy Poorten
Keika Bleu
Sara Israel
Julia Schonberg
Elizabeth Lynch
Marie-Louise Miller
Stephanie Marango
Kim Spurlock
Joe Dimona
Joseph Sexton
Leslie Seery
Kathleen Rhem
Bill and Lisa Schonberg
Jessica Irons
Susan Kangas
Albert Gorn
Susan Singer
Hastings Yoga
Brighid Uddyback
Yelena Skorobogatov
Dyane Laurin and Pascal Tomecek
Ryan Michael Hayes
And ALL of our donors!