When the blackbird flew out of sight,
It marked the edge
Of one of many circles.
Wallace Stevens,
“Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird”
About the Play
In Rochester playwright Maria Brandt’s new play Thirteen Ways, Jo and Tony repeat and repeat again the same comically absurd argument about the ethics of kidnapping. The danger is that as long as their goal remains to win, neither one of them ever feels heard. This showcase of local talent provides a fun, provocative look into the dynamics of disagreeing with someone you love.
Thirteen Ways runs approximately 30 minutes with no intermission.
Please note this production includes brief sequences of flashing lights resembling lightning.
Developed through the Rochester Community Players 2024 Playwrights Showcase
Maria Brandt
Playwright & Producer
Maria Brandt has published short plays, fiction, and nonfiction in literary magazines across the country. Her collection New York Plays was produced by Out of Pocket Productions and is catalogued with Heartland Plays; her novella All the Words won the Grassic Short Novel Prize and was published by Evening Street Press; her full-length plays The Cell and Something Else were developed at Geva Theatre Center, and Something Else also was developed at The Blank Theater in Hollywood; and her full-length play Swans premiered at Geva Theatre Center’s Fielding Stage, co-produced by Method Machine and Straw Mat Writers. Maria teaches at Monroe Community College and is a member of Straw Mat Writers, the Rochester Playwrights Group, and Queen City Players. Always, she is interested in the power and illusions of gender, the vulnerability that comes with sadness, the redemptive potential of kindness, and the surprising ways paying attention can change everything.
Katherine Rivers
Jo
Kathy’s been passionately entangled with the theater since the 7th grade, where her recreation of the Dick Van Dyke Show’s opening pratfalls sequence won laughter and applause, sparking a lifelong love of theater. A seasoned performer and backstage enthusiast, Kathy’s theatrical journey has taken her across stages throughout New York state and to Toronto and Chicago. Some of her favorite roles include Kate in ‘Dancing at Lughnasa’ (RCP’s Irish Players), Nadine in ‘Still Life’ (Geneseo Blackbox Productions), Pat in ‘A Late Snow’ (Rochester’s Black Rose Productions), Meg in ‘Crimes of the Heart’ (Geneseo’s Mainstage), and Iris in ‘The Tempest’ (HCC Theater). Kathy’s also brought her talents to the streets, participating in the early Rochester Fringe Festivals’ ‘Spoon River Rochester’ and ‘Grimm’s Mad Tales’. She’s thrilled to be diving into her first fully scripted Fringe show, ’13 Ways,’ and to collaborate on Maria’s exceptional play, having previously read for Jo at RCP’s Writers Showcase last fall.
Jeff Siuda
Tony
Jeffrey D. Siuda is thrilled to be part of this fabulous Fringe project written by the amazing Maria Brandt. Jeff has been a part of the Rochester theatre community for over twenty years as an actor and director. Some of his favorite acting credits include: Glengarry Glenn Ross; Peter and the Starcatcher; 33 Variations (Blackfriars); Jewtopia; Welcome to the Neighborhood; Our Suburb (JCC Centerstage); Constellations; The Palace of the Moorish Kings; Describe the Night (Out of Pocket, Inc.); Great Expectations (The Company Theatre); Rounding Third (the hummingbird theatre co.); The Hobbit (Rochester Children’s Theatre); Twelfth Night; Richard III; The Hostage (Rochester Community Theatre); Lend Me a Tenor; Play it Again, Sam (The Penfield Players). Directing credits: Coney Island Christmas (JCC Centerstage); Stella and Lou, Placebo, The Language Archive, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, Grace (Out of Pocket, Inc.); All Quiet on the Western Front, Epic Proportions, The Mousetrap, Shakespeare in Hollywood, Art, Our Town (McQuaid Jesuit). Jeff is also a proud member of Unleashed! Improv and has performed in/directed various productions for the Rochester Fringe Festival. He currently serves as the president of the board of Out of Pocket, Inc.
Ben McRae
Director
Ben McRae is a Rochester-based actor and writer. His recent roles include Moe in Pomona and Harry/Vince in Night of the Living Dead Live!, both with Crow City Theater, and Azolan in Blackfriars’s Les Liaisons Dangereuse. This is his second year of involvement with the Rochester Fringe Festival; last year you might have caught him in the 10th installment of Dashboard Dramas. This summer you can catch him in Steve Yockey’s Mercury from August 8-16 at the MuCCC. Offstage, Ben enjoys building weird Lego and/or Minecraft structures with his ultra-creative 7-year-old, constructing devious quizzes and puzzles, and concocting stories in one format or another.
Kristina Chomiak
Stage Manager & Technician
Kristina Chomiak is an aquatic ecologist by day, and stage manager/techie as opportunities come along. Most recent productions include Describe the Night with Out of Pocket Productions, Pomona and Night of the Living Dead LIVE! with Crow City Theatre, Brides of Dracula with the Penfield Players and Canon with DVC. While an avid Fringe fan, Thirteen Ways is the first Fringe show she’s had the opportunity to be a part of, and she hopes you all enjoy!
William DiGiacco
Lighting Designer
William is a lighting designer and light board programmer from Rochester. He routinely works with Rochester theater group DVC (Dream/Visualize/Create) He began his community theater career as a stagehand for DVC’s 2015 musical Somewhere Over Wonderland. Since 2022 he has been DVC’s resident light board programmer and co-lighting designer. Lighting credits include DVC’s Seven Years Gone, All the Devils, Canon, Hedda Gabler, and Penfield Players’ The Brides of Dracula.