08/24/2024
Meet our Ensemble and Musician for THE RED SHOES: SOUL STORIES
Aiden Abraham is currently a senior in college at Stevenson University majoring in Theatre and Media Performance with a minor in Management and Organizational Leadership. Acting credits from Stevenson include The Laramie Project, By the Way Meet Vera Stark, and most recently, The Seagull. Aiden has also worked behind the curtain as he was an assistant stage manager for Little Shop of Horrors. This is his first production with Quarry Theatre, and he is both excited and honored to be a part of it.
Laura Holland is an actor, dramaturg, and arts administrator. Her focus is on new and original works grounded in true events. Theatre credits include Witness Statements (Cockpit in Court); Yours Forever, Lincoln; The Discourse Project, The Way Out, Meditations on Nationalism (Quarry Theatre); Finding Florence and The Amish Project (Stevenson University). In December 2023, Laura graduated with a Master of Arts: Arts Administration from Goucher College. Her thesis A Case for the Ephemeral: Temporary Public Art and Its Place In Our Communities won the 2023 Jean Wilhelm Award for Best Major Paper. Laura is a member of Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas. She received her bachelor’s degree from Stevenson University in Interdisciplinary Studies with focused backgrounds in literature, performance, and the social sciences.
Reneé Young is a Junior Theatre and Media Performance major and Communication minor attending Stevenson University. She has been in four of Stevenson's productions, including their most recent production as Nina in The Seagull, conceived and directed by Ryan Clark. She is very excited to be a part of Quarry Theatre's adaptation of The Red Shoes: Soul Stories and is eager to learn and contribute to the team!
Johanna McGuire is a Baltimore based saxophonist. Johanna holds a degree in Jazz Saxophone Performance at Towson University, where she studied under the esteemed Jason Rigby. Johanna’s focus is on saxophone; however her array of expertise encompasses doubling on all woodwind instruments, primarily flute and clarinet. During her undergraduate career, Johanna was a member of the Towson University Jazz Orchestra, under the instruction of Jim McFalls and Dave Ballou, and has also performed in various groups and ensembles, including the Towson University Marching Band, Towson University Latin Ensemble, DCI, and the Chesapeake Youth Symphony Orchestra Jazz Band, under the instruction of percussionist Steve Fidyk. Johanna has also performed at Towson University with artists Kris Davis, Ellery Eskelin, and William Parker. She recently was a member of the SOL collective, taking place in Boston, MA. Here, she was commissioned to compose original music to perform at Harvard University and work alongside other dedicated musicians. As well as being an active performer in the Baltimore area, Johanna also teaches at various music camps, such as the Hilton Head Jazz Camp in Hilton Head Island, SC. Johanna continues to work on her projects, her latest being the jam session series at Red Emma’s entitled “Spread the Jam”. You can also find her playing bass with the band “Indie Division”, where she plays shows throughout the DMV area.
According to SAMHSA, in 2022, 48.7 million people aged 12 or older had some form of substance use disorder. In our upcoming production, THE RED SHOES: SOUL STORIES, Quarry Theatre will explore the complex world of compulsion and addiction through a reimagining of the classic Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale. The piece will include first-person stories, clinical and biological analysis, found text, movement, and original music. THE RED SHOES: SOUL STORIES will premiere in September 2024 at Baltimore Theater Project. Please visit www.quarrytheatre.com/the-red-shoes-soul-stories for more information. THE RED SHOES: SOUL STORIES is conceived and directed by Ryan Clark with music by Patrick Alexander and dramaturgy by Laura Holland.
