Dis Place: A North Loop Fantasy Quest

Cast

Dungeon Master / Lord Sunshine - Katie Burgess

Stevie / Adrien - Jada Windom

Erika / Tate - Caroline Mannheimer

Ricardo / Presley - Robert Blood

Jordan / Purple Yoda - Niles Williams

Wisdom / Snowflake - Tahiti Robinson

Running Elk / Silent One - Jerry Blackbird

Ensemble

Labreaya Bell, Annette Bryant, Patty Gille, Lurch, Ken Moore, Alo Osberg, Esther Ouray, Leo Perry, Sol Sepulveda, Jeff Spears Sr., Rezene Tesfatsion and Greg Tromiczak.

Production Staff

Playwright - Elle Thoni and the Cast

Director - Harry Waters Jr.

Assistant Director - Marcia Barnes

Community Engagement, Dramaturgy, Costume/Prop Coordination, Asst. Stage Management - Esther Ouray

Community Engagement and Program Direction - Maren Ward

Stage Manager - Blake Brown

Set Designer / Set Builder - Michael Grittner

Lighting Designer - Kurt Jung

Projection Designer / Videographer - Gloria Collyard

Puppet and Fantasy Costume Designer - Orren Fen

Costume Designer - Mason Persons

Composer / Sound Designer / Musician - Carlisle Evans Peck

Sound Engineer- Maje Adams

Choreographer - Lelis Brito

Ilustrator - Minty Mori

Music by Brass Solidarity

Marketing by Amy Danielson

Special Thanks

Special thanks to Juanita Vang, Charli Fool Bear-Vetter, Andi Cheney, Jan Elfman, Concordia University St. Paul, Anders from All Systems Go Games, and Wrecktangle Pizza!

This play is inspired by Dungeons & Dragons! D&D is a tabletop role-playing game where players create characters and embark on adventures in a fantasy world guided by a Dungeon Master (DM). The game blends storytelling, strategy, and improvisation, with players making decisions that shape the narrative. Actions are determined by rolling dice, primarily a 20-sided die (d20), and using character abilities. D&D encourages creativity, teamwork, and problem-solving, making it a beloved game among fantasy enthusiasts!

From Maren Ward, Executive Artistic Director of zAmya Theater Project:

Hello Audience! Welcome to DIS PLACE!

I am so excited for you to bear witness to zAmya’s most epic show to date. The journey of making this play began in 2020 when Diane Merrifield, chair of the North Loop Neighborhood Association (NLNA), suggested a partnership with zAmya as part of their efforts to create support for Avivo Village, a new model of low barrier emergency shelter moving into the neighborhood. When the City of Minneapolis announced the Partnership Engagement grant for neighborhood organizations to partner with community organizations, we used it as an opportunity to move forward with the vision of a show in the North Loop. zAmya performed “Second Chance” by Carlyle Brown at the Target Field LRT stop. NLNA Board members and neighborhood residents, including from Avivo, were in attendance. The Avivo folks lit up the open mic section of that play. It was a memorable evening.

The audience was invited to three story circles following the performance - one for Avivo residents, one for North Loop neighbors and one joint session. These events inspired a script draft by Charli Fool Bear-Vetter: “Key to the Kingdom”, a North Loop fairytale. We held a staged reading with Avivo residents and staff in March 2023. Over the next two years we continued to build relationships in the neighborhood, hosting more script workshops at Avivo and collaborating on a summer event at North Loop Green.

It’s Working!: Avivo in the North Loop” brought together NLNA and Avivo to celebrate their relationship. zAmya performed DisPlace, a playlet by Esther Ouray. Harry Waters Jr. directed.

The power of theater and storytelling to inspire conversation and relationships was on full display. We invited playwright Elle Thoni to consider the breadth of work that had been done and create a new script for the company. Elle was inspired by Charl’s fairytale take and created the fantasy role playing game/play debuting this weekend! This script and venue required an extraordinary design team which has been assembled by our extraordinary director, Harry Waters, Jr. What a joyous experience it has been to watch this visual feast come together and the zAmya troupe and our new friends from Avivo flourish under Harry’s direction.

The play is the culmination of this multi-year partnership, but hopefully not the end. We imagine the connections formed and stories told will continue to inspire small (or large) acts of solidarity between housed and unhoused members in the North Loop - including those staying in the seven shelters that border the neighborhood.

I know you’ll have a great time at today’s performance and I believe you might be inspired too. Thank you for being here!

In Solidarity,

Maren Ward

Executive Artistic Director

zAmya Theater Project uses the powerful combination of lived experience and artistic expression to inspire our communities to work for housing justice.

zAmya Troupe: Marcia Barnes, Stayci Bell, Gerald Blackbird, Robert Blood, Annette Bryant, Shannon Kemp, Lurch (Donald Yundt), Caroline Mannheimer, Ken Moore, Tahiti Robinson, Sol Sepulveda, Greg Tromiczak, Corey Walton and Jada Windom.

zAmya Staff: Maren Ward, Executive Artistic Director; Esther Ouray, Company Manager; Deb Ervin, Operations Manager; and Katie Clower, Administrative Coordinator.

zAmya Board of Directors: Amber Andrist, Robert Blood, Annette Bryant, Andi Cheney, Lecia Grossman, Ashley Halvorson, Cathy Heying, Alexis Kramer, and Dickie Olson

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board, including an Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund. Seed funding for this project was provided by the City of Minneapolis Partnership Engagement Fund. zAmya also thanks our other funders, which include the Sexton Family Foundation, the F.R. Bigelow Foundation, the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, and the McKnight Foundation.