Cleopatra better watch her back

written &

directed by

David Ceci

Synopsis

In ancient Egypt, the life of a young princess - even one born of a different mother than the other children - is filled with comfort, learning, and sweets. But the sudden death of her eldest sibling forces Arsinoë to confront the hard truth of life as a Ptolemy, the latest dynasty to rule as Pharaohs over the Kingdom of Egypt.

Competition for power is the rule, and there is no margin for error - especially when your other sister is Cleopatra. With Rome on the rise and Egyptian independence teetering on the brink, can Arsinoë navigate the treacherous waters of her family's legacy, or will she be consumed by them?

David Ceci

DAVID is a Long Island writer (via Wisconsin & NYC) whose characters often live in the past or the future. He enjoys writing genres – period drama, horror, science fiction. In 2025, Arsinoë IV (short version) was a Finalist in the 2025 Red Bull Theatre Short New Play Festival, and his short horror play Room Service was published by Fresh Words in its anthology, “SHHH! BREATHE SLOW! Volume 3.” His short horror play Unfamiliar was presented in 2024 festivals at The Secret Theatre & The Players Theatre. His work has also been developed / produced at The Skeleton Rep, The PlayGround Experiment (PGE), Seattle Playwrights’ Salon, and Primary Stages’ ESPA.

Proud member of PGE & The Dramatists Guild. www.davidceci.com

Cast List

ARSINOË

Sydney Lolita Cusick

CLEOPATRA

Rudaba Zehra Nasir*

GANYMEDES

Jayson Kerr

PTOLEMY XII & ROMAN COMMANDER

Brad Makarowski*

ROMAN ENVOY & EGYPTIAN GUARD

George Pappas*

INTRODUCTION & STAGE DIRECTIONS

Diana Cherkas*

Sydney Lolita Cusic

SYDNEY is a bi-coastal actress and filmmaker born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, currently residing in Brooklyn, NY. She is an alumna of NYU Tisch School of the Arts. She's very excited to reprise the role of Arsinoe. Recent credits include Dussie Mae (Ma Rainey, American Players Theatre), Letitia (Clyde’s, George Street Playhouse), Anita (Tr@k Girls, Ensemble Studio Theatre), Cherise (FLEX, TheatreSquared), Romeo and Juliet (Juliet, Stella Adler Studio); Jane Eyre (Bertha, Playwrights Horizons Downtown) On screen, Sydney is known for roles in Away from Home (2022) and Screams from the Tower (2024). Much love to her parents, brothers, and circle of friends for their constant support. In addition to acting, she is a director, writer, and producer.

Rudaba Zehra Nasir*

RUDABA is a Pakistani actress, writer, singer, and coach based in Manhattan. She is currently producing her solo show Next! which is about her journey from Pakistan to America to find love. She recently played the lead role in the award-winning film The Foreign Patriot, a series regular role in Kabhi Na Kabhi (Someday) on Hum TV, and roles in Oﬀ-Oﬀ Broadway shows such as Out/Play Mixtape and Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure. Visit www.rudaba.com and Instagram @RudabaNasir to learn about Rudaba’s latest adventures!

Jayson Kerr

JAYSON is an actor/ singer based out of NYC originally from Springfield, MA. He moved to NYC to study musical theater at Circle in The Square Theater School, he went on to zig zag the country on multiple national tours which include: Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar and Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas. He also occasionally appears in productions at The Metropolitan Opera House most recently in their production of Porgy & Bess. www.JaysonKerr.com

Brad Makarowski*

NYC: The Flea, Metropolitan Playhouse; Regional: Shakespeare Theatre Co., Palm Beach Dramaworks, Asolo Rep. TV/Film: Happy!, Law & Order: Organized Crime, The Heart Outright, Ask For Jane.

George Pappas*

GEORGE (AEA, SAG-AFTRA) recently appeared with Morningside Players in After the Revolution and We Have To Do Something. Other NY stage appearances include the Fringe Festival plays Inventing Color and Double Fault. Regional appearances include The Diary of Anne Frank, The Giver and Dial M For Murder. TV appearances include Mrs. America, Alternatino and The Deuce. George will also appear in the upcoming film Here’s Yianni!

www.george-pappas-actor.com

Diana Cherkas*

Stage: Tartuffe, The Surrogate, The Unfortunates, Loose Knit and A Laughing Matter (Centenary Stage Company); All's Well That Ends Well, Macbeth (Baltimore Shakespeare Festival); Rough Magic (Rorschach Theatre); Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 (Bickford Theatre); Sherlock's Secret Life (Pioneer Playhouse). TV/Film: Tires (Netflix original), The Food That Built America (History), I’d Kill For You (Disney+), Skipping Stones, My Little Demon, Gail’s New Boyfriend. Writer: LOLA, Kitty Stardust & the Corner Store. Proud member of The PlayGround Experiment literary advisory council and Actors’ Equity. More at @DianaCherkas on IG or DianaCherkas.com

DEVELOPMENT

David wrote the short play Arsinoë IV in 2025 and submitted it to the Red Bull Theatre Short New Play Festival, where it was named a Finalist. He continued to develop it into a full-length, presented various scenes throughout 2025 (and into 2026) at PGE's flagships program, Volumes.

A staged reading of Act I of Arsinoë IV at SPARK

Sept 2025 (photos: Bambi Emerson)

Sydney Lolita Cusic (ARSINOË)

Rudaba Zehra Nasir (CLEOPATRA) & Brad Makarowski (PTOLEMY XII)

Sydney, Jayson Kerr (GANYMEDES), Rudaba & George Pappas (GUARD)

The cast pre-curtain with Diana Cherkas (INTRODUCTION & STAGE DIRECTIONS)

Brad, Jayson, Sydney, Rudaba, George & Diana taking their bows

Many Thanks!

Profound thanks to Emerging Artists Theatre for this wonderful opportunity to develop new work; to six brilliant actors – Sydney, Jayson, Rudaba, Brad, George & Diana – for breathing life into this forgotten tale from ancient Egyptian history; to The Chain Theatre; to Mike Lesser & all my creative colleagues at The PlayGround Experiment (PGE) for being such a welcoming, encouraging & fun community of artists (www.thepge.com); to my instructors & fellow writers at Einhorn School for the Performing Arts (ESPA) for the room to try new things, explore new worlds, and get to know new characters; to my family & friends for their unwavering support for my creative endeavors; and to everyone in the audience tonight for continuing to encourage new works & sustain live theater!