.jpeg)
10% of ticket sales from this production go to Hudson Link for Higher Education.
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 and David Covington
Cast:
Luci..........................................Meghan Covington
John Andre...........................................Chris Moore
Sadie the Goat..............................Julia Schonberg
Willhemina Salisbury......................Katie Kopajtic
Hulda.....................................................Alex Abney
The Stranger.....................................Mark Cajigao
Understudies........Alex Fletcher, June Lienhard, Kannon Gowan, and Elena McGuigan
The Staff............. June Lienhard, Jessica Bonds, Elena McGuigan, David Covington, and Anna Triantafillou
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.
Meet the Cast:
Meghan Covington (Playwright and Luci)
Meghan is a NY based actor, playwright, and producer. 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 she has performed at Theatre for the New City, The Brick, and Manhattan Theatre Source. For River's Edge Theatre Co. she was last seen in Every Brilliant Thing and The Parking Lot. Her plays, mostly spooky in nature, include Ichabod, Riverside Haunts Ep I and II, and The Provider. Meghan has a BFA in theatre/performance from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Chris Moore (John Andre)
Chris spent much of his pre-adult life acting onstage and off. 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 Hastings-on-Hudson with his wife, very dramatic 6 year old son, and more stoic 1 year old daughter.
Katie Kopajtic (Willamina Salisbury, aka Sal )
Katie is an actor, writer and filmmaker based in Tarrytown. She holds theatre credits from Edinburgh, NYC, Nashville, and Baltimore. Her published writing may be found in cream city review, Electric Literature, Variant Literature, The Future Fire, and more. Katie is currently teaching the Comedy Skillz class with our very own RETCo, and working on a feature length documentary about heritage, identity, and longing. Explore her work at www.katiekopajtic.com
Julia Schonberg (Sadie the Goat)
Julia Schonberg (she/her) is an actor, theatre maker, applied theatre artist, educator, and arts worker based in Tarrytown, NY by way of Cleveland, Boston, and Brooklyn. Julia received her BFA in Theatre Arts from Boston University and her MA in Applied Theatre from CUNY's School of Professional Studies. Julia has worked both on and offstage with NY based companies: The Barrow Group, Houses on the Moon, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, SPACE on Ryder Farm, Superhero Clubhouse, The Bushwick Starr, Brave New World Repertory Theatre, Writopia Lab, Columbia Stages, and River's Edge Theatre Co. She is a founder and company member of The Neighborhood Theatre Project, a theatre company creating opportunities for community building, reflection, and dialogue through original, verbatim theatre making. Julia is the community engagement and outreach coordinator at Bethany Arts Community in Ossining, NY. juliaschonberg.com, theneighborhoodtheatreproject.org @juliamschonberg
Mark Cajigao (The Stranger)
Mark 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 the Screen Actors Guild.
Xandra Abney (Hulda)
Xandra is an actor, writer and producer based out of New York and is thrilled to be performing with River's Edge for the first time! She has recently been seen in Unoriginal Film's Beware the Box Folk and on stage at The Twenty-Sided Tavern. For more spooky content, you can hear her voice in the podcast I Fell In Love With a Video Nasty or join her on her Twitch stream @astrallyalex. Other selected credits: Icarus (Sarah), Stop Kiss (Callie), The Secretaries (Patty Johnson)
Alex Fletcher (u/s Andre)
Alex is a long time theater educator and practitioner. NY Credits- Titus, Love’s Labour’s Lost, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Hamlet (The Shakespeare Forum) A Hard Wall at High Speed (Astoria Performing Arts Center) and Death Boogie (Brick Theater’s Comic Book Theater Festival). With Rivers Edge (SM)- The Vibrator Play, Circle Mirror Transformation, The Provider, Riverside Haunts, Silent Sky. He is currently teaching chemistry and theater at Eastchester High School and apparently is a good liar based on his appearances in Two Truths and a Lie.
June Lienhard (u/s Sadie and Hulda)
June is an NYC based actor and teacher. She graduated from Smith College in 2021 with a major in Theater and a minor in Education. She most recently starred as Elvira in Blithe Spirits at The Heights Players. June also enjoys self-producing: she has produced and starred in Miss Margarida's Way by Roberto Athayde (2024), a virtual production of Happy Days by Samuel Beckett (2020), and An Intervention by Mike Bartlett (2021). June has also appeared as Chloe in Space Nunz of the Rescue Mainframe by Hook&Eye Theater (2022) and Lance in Two Gentlemen of Verona at Eastline Theater (2022.)
Kannon Gowen (u/s The Stranger and Luci)
Kannon is a San Diego native who just moved back to the city and is thrilled to be a part of this production and making his Rovers Edge debut! Some of his favorite past San Diego credits include The Emcee (Cabaret), Tobias (Sweeney Todd), Drew Boley (Rock of Ages), JD (Heathers), and Caterpillar/Angus (Alice By Heart). Huge thanks to the entire cast and creative team! He is so excited be a part of this team! Socials: @kannongowen
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 iLghting Technician)
Ray is an A/V technician and audio engineer from Westchester, NY, and currently based in Ossining, NY. This is his third time collaborating with Rivers Edge Theater Company (Ichabod, Marian), and he is grateful to be working with this wonderful team again. Ray has worked on a variety of theater productions from a young age, including a few recent shows at Bethany Arts Community. He received a BA in Cinema from Binghamton University in 2021, and is excited to continue supporting the arts in his community.
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.
.png)
The History That Inspired Peek-a-Boo:
The Peek-a-Boo Flats of Tarrytown, NY were a popular, yet controversial destination in Tarrytown in the early 1900s through the 1920s. The flats, located on Wildey Street, were referred to as a strip club or a disorderly house, and many of of the newspaper clippings from the time showed residents' distaste for the Peek-a-Boos.“The peek-a-boos give the police more trouble than any other section,” an editorial in the Tarrytown Daily News said. “They operate in violation of the law. They should be closed and we hope village authorities will take some action to have them removed.” The women who worked in the Peek-a-boo were often arrested or "send out of town." Some were told they could not been seen on the street after dark without a family member. Although, the flats were often criticized, they never seemed to have a shortage of customers.
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 a British officer in the American War of Independence. He was fluent in four languages and a gifted writer and poet who loved producing theatre, drawing painting, and playing the flute. Due to a series of unfortunate mishaps he was captured by three Americans in Westchester NY, and was quickly identified and imprisoned; he was subsequently convicted of espionage by the Continental Army and executed by hanging on George Washington's orders. In Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, the townspeople describe the site of the capture of Major John André, in particular a tulip-tree, as one of the haunted locations in Sleepy Hollow.
Hulda the Witch
A Bohemian immigrant, Hulda lived alone in a cottage in the woods in Sleepy Hollow, NY. Her knowledge of medicinal herbs and frequent trade with the native peoples made her the object of much suspicion among the Dutch villagers. When British troops crossed through Sleepy Hollow Hulda took up arms to defend the town, but was mortally shot in battle. In 2019 the congregation of The Reformed Church of the Tarrytowns installed a newly carved monument near the north wall of the Old Dutch Church. It records her curriculum vitae in stone: “Hulda of Bohemia. Died c. 1777. Herbalist, Healer, Patriot. Felled by British while protecting the Militia. Buried here in gratitude for her sacrifice.”
William Salisbury
General William Salisbury (of the Union Army) lived in the town of Leeds and like most respectable men of the time had servants. One night one of his servants, a young woman, ran away without permission. Salisbury found her and tied the girl's hands to the horse. Some say the horse got spooked and bucked, others say he deliberately set the horse off, but either way the horse ran and dragged the young woman to her death. Salisbury was charged and convicted of murder and sentenced to death, but due to his hi rank in society, his date of punishment was scheduled for his 99th birthday. Until then he would have to wear a rope around his neck when in public, and appear in front of the court once every year. Soon the rope became a silk handkerchief. His 99th birthday came and went and he died in his bed at the age of 100. People say they can see and hear the ghost of a horse dragging a screaming girl down Old Coxackie Road.
.jpg)
.jpeg)
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.
Our Values
Accessibility: we ensure that everyone has the opportunity to participate in the process.
Collaboration: we work together to inspire the artistic process.
Inclusion: we celebrate diversity in all its forms.
Safety: we offer a haven where artists, audiences, and all communities feel secure and comfortable.
Respect: we are an environment of appreciation, consideration, and trust.
Courage: we encourage our communities to step outside their comfort zones.
Acceptance: we meet people where and who they are with no judgment.
Compassion: we are dedicated to being empathetic, hospitable, and sensitive in all our interactions.
About Hudson Link for Higher Education:
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.
.jpg)
Special thanks to these special folks for making this and future productions possible:
Michael Goldenberg
H.James Hoff
Irvignton Theater
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!