Can you find a soulmate... if you have no soul?
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One Night Only
Join us on Saturday, April 25, 2026 for a semi-staged workshop reading of this new full-length supernatural horror play.
Unfamiliar: A Maidstone Tale is one of 13 shows by 13 writers being presented by the PG Exploration Festival - A Joyful Dive into New Play Development.
The festival is the brainchild of The PlayGround Experiment (PGE) and takes place at Marjorie S. Deane Little Theatre, 10 W 64 St, a beautiful 145-seat off-Broadway theatre.
Tickets are only $10 per show (or less if you buy a package) and are available now at PG Exploration Festival (at Ovation Tix).
written by
David Ceci
directed by
Ciera Eis
Synopsis
In the Hamptons, Anne's life - if you can call it that - has been filled with tragedy and horror, mostly of her own making. But since her mother forcibly turned her, a vampire's existence was all she could imagine for herself.
Hundreds of years of isolation, fear, and hunger have taken their toll on her psyche, but when Nel applies for a job at her estate, Anne is presented with a choice. Continue to accept her unwanted destiny, or finally overcome her most primal instincts.
Can she find a soulmate...if she has no soul?
The Creative Team
david ceci
david ceci
DAVID CECI (he/him) writes across multiple genres about characters who tend to live in the past or the future. In addition to this workshop of Unfamiliar: A Maidstone Tale, he is also preparing for a full musical staged reading of Fur Pajamas (music by John Allman, book & lyrics by David) at this summer’s Next Step Theatre Festival. Last fall, David directed a staged reading of Act I of Arsinoë IV, an historical drama set in ancient Egypt, at the Spark Theatre Festival; its origin play (also Arsinoë IV) was a Finalist with Red Bull Theatre's Short New Play Festival. Earlier, he self-produced a short play derived from the full-length Unfamiliar: AMT in festivals at both The Secret Theatre and The Players Theatre. The Enemy Unseen, a dystopian sci-fi adventure (formerly titled Sundown), was selected for The Skeleton Rep’s Salon Series, and David continues to develop The Fountain, a period romantic drama set in southern Italy. His work has also been developed at The PlayGround Experiment, Seattle Playwrights' Salon, and Primary Stages ESPA. Member: Dramatists Guild.
ciera eis
ciera eis
CIERA EIS is a recent New York transplant. She directs new plays and musicals that emphasize the cool, the weird, and the queer. Recent directing credits: Last West: Roadsongs for Dorothea Lange (Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, Oakland Museum of California), Hadestown (American Conservatory Theatre), The Mushroom God of Leaf-Cutter Ants (The Tank), Signs of the Kingdom (Ca$h Grant), WORK/SHOOT (Playground SF), The Speakeasy (Boxcar Theatre), Love U: A New Musical (Z Space), Future is Queer (Left Coast Theatre Co), Circle Mirror Transformation (Custom Made Theater), and more. Ciera was the Assistant Director of Wakey Wakey directed by Anne Kauffman/starring Tony Hale and Both Your Houses directed by Mina Morita (American Conservatory Theater). She is a Founder Member of Bay Area Directors Collective, Playground Company Member, lead artist at ColLABo (Carnegie Mellon University) and The Ground Floor (Berkeley Repertory Theatre), recipient of Directors Lab West, SDFC Observer, Shortlived Play Festival VIII Winner, Ca$h and Porter Arts Grant recipient, Promising Women in Theatre Award and Renaissance Artist Award. B.A. in Theater Arts and Psychology from University of California, Santa Cruz.
Cast List
(in order of appearance)
SUSAN
Shayna Rives
MOTHER/MRS. RUDEK
Maya Rosewood
ANNE
Kelsea Baker
NEL
Akaina Ghosh
(Stage Directions read by Eva Gozé)
The Cast
Kelsey baker
Kelsey baker
Anne (insert bio here)
Akaina ghosh
Akaina ghosh
Nel (insert bio here)
shayna rives
shayna rives
Mother / Mrs. Rudek (insert bio here)
maya rosewood
maya rosewood
Mother / Mrs. Rudek (insert bio here)
Development History
Writing & Readings
Starting in 2023, Unfamiliar: A Maidstone Tale (full-length) has been extensively developed at both Primary Stages ESPA and The PlayGround Experiment. (L to R - Ursula Anderman, Marie Eléna O'Brien and Kristina Auten, photo: D. Ceci)
PGE First Reads #24 (2024)
Zoom capture before the curtain of the full-length version of Unfamiliar: A Maidstone Tale (from L top to R - David, Allie Bonesho, Ursula Anderman, Marina Barry, Caitlyn Belforti & Jennifer Bradley)
The Secret Theatre (2024)
The short play version, Unfamiliar, was self-produced for the Act One:One Act festival at The Secret Theatre in Queens), Marina Barry directing. (L to R - Ursula Andermen & Sònia Victoria Werner, photo: Anna Barrett)
The Players Theatre (2024)
The short play version, Unfamiliar, was self-produced again that same year for the spf BOO! festival at The Players' Theatre in the Village, Marina Barry directing again. (L to R - Ursula Andermen & Sònia Victoria Werner, photo: Sarah Jack)
From Maidstone to East Hampton
Regardless of the name, this small village has always been a place where memories and spirits lurk after dark.
In 1648, on the South Fork of Long Island, a small group of English Puritans established a separate settlement apart from the existing one in nearby Southampton. In deciding on a name for their new home, they chose Maidstone, a nod to the town of Maidstone, England, where many of these English settlers had once lived.
A little over a decade later, the town decided to emulate its neighbors of Southampton and Westhampton by changing the name of the village to Easthampton.
More than two centuries passed before the next, and current, name took hold. Following a similar change by a local newspaper in 1885, Easthampton became East Hampton.
Much Gratitude to Family & Friends
To Marilyn, who really sent me on my writing quest. To Douglas & Thomas, who have given me such sage advice over the years. To my siblings and all my extended family who nurtured my creativity. To my wonderfully supportive circle of friends old & new for taking this journey with me.
And to my dearly departed father, Louis, who unofficially co-produced the 2024 festival productions of Unfamiliar (and who really enjoyed seeing his name on the flyers) - you set an honorable example for us all, and you had a good run of 98 years. Your love, encouragement, and pride meant the world to me...and always will.
Safe journeys, Dad. ❤️🤍💚
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