By: Steven Strafford

Directed by: Sam Nelson

DATES

April 19, 21, 22, 27, 29 @ 8pm. The Elizabeth Evans Baker Theater in Kantner Hall located at 19 South College Street, Athens, OH 45701.

CONTENT WARNING

This play deals with addiction and death. This play uses fog.

SYNOPSIS

Jane is a new mother of a young baby, who finds herself on an adventure she never wanted to take. She fights through grief, addiction, and what lies beyond this plane of existence, all in pursuit of saving a life. Squeakers asks us what the punchline is for a joke that begins, "A pair of new parents, a clown, an angel, a nurse, and a couple of alcoholics walk into a hospital...

PLAYWRIGHT'S NOTE

First and foremost, thank you for coming to see a new play. You are the first audience to ever
see a production of Squeakers. Without people supporting new work, playwrights would just be
on Twitter all day long complaining about how no one sees new plays, and no one should be on
Twitter all day long. No one.

My first two plays here at OU were written methodically. I wrote every morning for a few
hours, and over the course of many workshops I whittled overlong plays down to a more
reasonable length. This play, my third and final play of my MFA program in playwriting, was
born of a more chaotic time in my life. I wrote in stolen moments, often in the car outside a
rehearsal hall or at rest stops along my drive between Chicago and Athens. I wrote in fits and
starts. I wrote late at night, tired and bleary. I wrote through grief and anxiety. And I am excited
to find that this has resulted in a different, maybe messier, kind of narrative for me.
This is my thesis play, and part of our thesis here is to write an Artistic Statement. I capitalized
those words because this is supposed to be the grand manifesto of the playwright. The “Why I
Do What I Do” kind of statement. My full Artistic Statement is much too long to share here, but
I wanted to boil it down to this bare essential thought: I believe that even the most gutwrenching
tragic moments in our lives are full of humor, whether we want the humor there or
not.

I want to dedicate this play to my sister-in-law, Kimberley Conzo Strafford. She was an artist, a
friend, a mother, a hilarious joke teller, and someone who supported all my artistic endeavors.
She is no longer on this planet, and I tell you, the planet is worse off for it.
I also want to dedicate this play to my son, Seeley Hart Elkins, who continues to flip my world
upside down with joy, anxiety, love, and excitement to see what kind of human he will turn out
to be. He is the most amazing gift I was never expecting to receive.

Steven Strafford - Playwright

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We, The School Of Theater and Vibrancy Theater, acknowledge that, from the time of Ohio University’s founding in 1804, it has occupied the traditional homelands of the Shawnee people, as well as the Wahzhazhe (who are also known as the Osage), who lived in Southeast Ohio before them. As the first federally legislated public university in the United States of America, Ohio University was an integral part of the U.S.’s westward expansion and empire building. 

The annual Ohio University Seabury Quinn, Jr. Playwrights’ Festival held each year at the end of the Spring Semester represents the culmination of the work of Ohio University’s MFA Playwrights. Join us to celebrate and help in the creation of new work!

SCHEDULE

Wednesday, April 19, 2023: 8pm preview of Squeakers by Steven Strafford 
Thursday, April 20, 2023: 8pm opening of Imaginary Audiences by Eryn Elyse McVay 
Friday, April 21, 2023: 8pm opening of Squeakers by Steven Strafford 
Saturday, April 22, 2023: 2pm performance of Imaginary Audiences by Eryn Elyse McVay 
Saturday, April 22, 2023: 8pm performance of Squeakers by Steven Strafford 
 
Wednesday, April 26, 2023: 8pm performance of Imaginary Audiences by Eryn Elyse McVay 
Thursday, April 27, 2023: 8pm performance of Squeakers by Steven Strafford 
Friday, April 28, 2023, 3pm reading: Mona Quimby: Age 38 by Steven Strafford 
Friday, April 28, 2023, 8pm production: Imaginary Audiences by Eryn Elyse McVay 
Saturday, April 29, 2023, 3pm reading:  How Sweet the Sound by Eryn Elyse McVay 
Saturday, April 29, 2023, 8pm production: Squeakers by Steven Strafford 

For Your Information

FIRE NOTICE

Illuminated signs above each door indicate
emergency exits. Please check for the nearest
exit. In the event of an emergency, you will be
notified by theater personnel and assisted in
the evacuation of the building.

SEATING POLICY 

Everyone must have a ticket. Sorry, no
children in arms or on laps. Patrons who
leave the theater during the performance
will be reseated at the discretion of house
management. Those who become disruptive
will be asked to leave the theater.

ACCESSIBILITY SERVICES

The Elizabeth Evans Baker Theater in Kantner Hall is
fully accessible to those with mobility issues.
When booking tickets, please let our Box
Office know if you require a ticket that will
accommodate a wheelchair. Please call Ledger
Free, Director of Audience Services, at 917-
733-0081 if you need any assistance during
your visit. We are here to help you!