A Blue Hydrangea
A Blue Hydrangea takes place in the backyard of The Great Gardener Carole, as a hydrangea bush wakes up from its winter slumber. What has always been a fully pink hydrangea bush suddenly has a head of flowers that is blue. The flowers explore the concepts of identity, acceptance and vulnerability as they wait in fear of Carole’s judgement.
A Blue Hydrangea was written by Oregan playwright Eric Braman and is directed by Alyssa Vera Ramos.
Biographies
Eric Braman
Eric Braman [they, them] (Playwright) is thrilled to work with Ghostlight Ensemble for the first time! Some favorite playwright credits include: Mattress Magic Empire and Dirty Dishes (Oregon Contemporary Theatre), Shedding the Antlers (touring staged reading) and Summer SWAT Play (University of Oregon). Acting highlights include: Bunfight (OCT), Anne of the Thousand Days (Very Little Theatre), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Pentacle Theatre) and Rehearsals for Life (UO). Directing credits include: The Essentials (Lane Community College), Dhebba (OCT), Chicken Burger with a Side of Awkward (OCT) and Intertwined (UO). Eric also serves as a producer of the Northwest Ten Festival of Ten Minute Plays and is a poet who has performed across the west coast. Eric holds a Master of Nonprofit Management degree from the University of Oregon and Bachelor of Arts in theatre and creative writing from Western Michigan University. Follow them on socials @ericwilliambram. Thanks to mom, dad, and Kris for their continued love and support.
Alyssa Vera Ramos
Alyssa Vera Ramos (Director) is a theatre maker, space holder, director and culture worker dedicated to dreaming a liberated world. Over the past decade, she has directed, devised and co-written many plays (and workshops) for many audiences throughout Chicago, with tours to Austin, New Orleans, Detroit and more. Alyssa is the Artistic Director of For Youth Inquiry (FYI) Performance Company, housed at Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health, where she also co-facilitates the youth organizing cohort. FYI creates original, participatory theatre experiences for reproductive justice and to support the sexual health, rights, and identities of young people. She is also a founding member of femmes of color artistic collective, FEMelanin (documented in Ensemble-Made Chicago and featured at the LTC Sin Fronteras TYA Festival) and an organizer of Swarm Artist Residency, where she focuses on curating healing and racial justice experiences for Midwestern-based artists. Alyssa’s current work includes creating You Can’t Cover the Sky With Your Hands with her mother, novelist Marisel Vera, a play about reproductive oppression against Puerto Ricans, threaded with ancestral memory and musical resistance. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University and is a graduate of the University of Michigan School of Social Work Sexual Health Certificate Program.
Ariel Etana Triunfo
Ariel Etana Triunfo [she, her] (Blue) is excited to be performing with Ghostlight for the first time! Some favorite Chicago theatre credits include: An American in Paris (Drury Lane Theatre), Spamalot (Mercury Theater Chicago) and Gypsy (Porchlight Music Theatre). Ariel graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a Bachelor of Arts in musical theatre. In addition to performing, Ariel also works as a choreographer and freelance dancer and is a member of Cloud Theatrics, a virtual theatre company founded by like-minded Tik Tok creators. Thank you to my love and my fam for always supporting me and believing in me!
Will Pettway
Will Pettway [they/them] (Pink) is a Joy-centered theatre artist from the south side of Chicago, who recently graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a degree in directing and acting in 2020. As an artist, they aim to explore theatre as a tool for social change, they have worked with organizations such as Free Street Theatre and the Illinois Caucus of Adolescent Health to demonstrate art's capacity to create a more accepting future.