NO RESERVATION
conceived, written, & directed by Elizabeth Hess
Diverse global goddesses
crash a dinner party
celebrating false gods.
The goddesses have been underground for centuries but now rise up, sensing the urgency of their presence ‘at the table.’ This multidisciplinary performance piece moves forward from second wave feminist artists who took
on the patriarchy through works like The Dinner Party, by Judy Chicago, Some Living American
Women Artists/Last Supper by Mary Beth Edelson and the dinner scene in Top Girls by Caryl Churchill.
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ARTISTS
AKIKO AIZAWA (Performer)
Akiko Aizawa is a New York based theater actor and teacher. As a long-time member of the SITI Company she appeared in shows such as; The Bacchae (BAM), The Trojan Women (Getty Villa), Culture of Desire (NYTW), and Radio Macbeth (NYU Skirball Center), all directed by Anne Bogart. As a former member of the Suzuki Company of Toga she appeared in The Trojan Women, Dionysus, and Hatekon, among others. Other credits: Oedipus (dir. Ianthe Demos), Hanjo (dir. Leon Ingulsrud), Suicide Forest (dir. Aya Ogawa), and Sleep (dir. Rachel Dickstein). She is currently a member of One Year Lease Theater Company, SITI Emeritus Artists, and American Physical Theatre Company. Originally from Akita, Japan, she brings a rich cultural background to her work in the arts.
NINOSHKA DE LEON GILL
(Performer)
Ninoshka De Leon Gill is happy to be making her personal debut with The Hess Collective’s third co-pro with LaMaMa! What a gift to work with such an inspiring cast and crew.
Selected Credits include: NYC Stage: SPOILED (Dixon Place), Meshahnye (Polya, Theatre for a New City), Dracula (Lucy Westenra, Morris-Jumel Mansion), Cabaret (Lulu, The Secret Theatre), The Wishing Tree (Ayse, Signature Theatre). Regional: Dracula and the Theatre of Doom! (Van Helsing, Tarrytown Music Hall), Sleepy Hollow Meets the Headless Horseman (Katrina, Pancake Productions), The Music Man (Maud Dunlop, Sharon Playhouse). NYC Labs: The Wave (Ars Nova), Counting Sheep (3LD Art and Technology Center), Amelie (Lyric Theatre). Film/TV: SPOILED: The Film Project (La Mama online platform), Foreign Nationals (Cristina, Foreign Entertainment, LLC), Love My Roomie (Leslie, Yhá Wright Productions). Voiceover: Too Hot to Handle Germany (Laura, Netflix & IDC NY) Ithaca College B.S. Environmental Science, Dance
MAYA MAYS
(Performer)
Maya Mays is an actor and producing artist based in New York. She is proud to be making her Off Broadway debut with The Hess Collective in co-collaboration with LaMaMa ETC! She is so grateful to be immersed in this project and get the chance to work alongside such incredible artist. A recent graduate of University of North Carolina School of the Arts (2024), Maya challenges herself to engage in and create stories that spark hope, mirrors society, and fosters connectivity on and off stage. Selected credits include- INTO THE WOODS (Sierra Repertory Theater), IF PRETTY HURTS… (UNCSA), THE TEMPEST (Santa Cruz Shakespeare), and you can watch her in PURLIE (American Group Theatre) this March! She’d like to dedicate this performance to all of the strong woman in her life and to the Schyular Johns. Follow her journey @mayadmays
ELIZABETH HESS
(Performer)
Elizabeth Hess is a performer, playwright, director, Arts educator and Artistic Director of The Hess Collective - produced at La MaMa, Dixon Place, TheaterLab. She has developed multidisciplinary projects with The O’Neill Theater Center, NYU, The New Group and The Lark. Her book, ACTING & BEING: Explorations in Embodied Performance (Macmillan) is based on her approach to global performance practices honed over 20 years of teaching primarily at NYU and international workshops. Ms. Hess’ acclaimed solo work has been performed around the globe, in New York, Off-Broadway and at the UN Conference on Gender Violence. Other acting credits include work with The New Group, Women’s Project, Irish Rep, MTC and NYTW in New York, as well as extensive regional theaters. TV credits: Clarissa Explains It All; Law & Order; All My Children and Another World. Film credits: Handsome Harry; Italian Lessons; Buddy & Grace and Soldier’s Heart.
Writer & Director
Associate Director
Assistant Director & Stage Manager
Producing Intern
Lighting Designer
Sound Designer
Set & Props Consultant
A Co-Production with La Mama ETC
CREATIVE TEAM
Elizabeth Hess
Miriam Grill
Vivian Farahani
Maya Mays
Grayson Sepulveda
Lucas Tahiruzzaman Syed
Cathy Shaw
Developmental Workshop:
Marina Celander, Sophia Gutchinov, Schuylar Johns, Onni Johnson, Begum Inal, Gina Stevensen, Cathy Shaw, Steven Pisano, Ryan Thompson, Mary Bitel, Kathy Wentrack
SPECIAL THANKS
La MaMa ETC
Mia Yoo
Kiku Sakai