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by Susan Glaspell
directed by Abby Weissman
Midwest Morton College, founded with tremendous idealism, finds itself on the eve of its 40th anniversary facing pressure from the state government to quell protests from faculty and students. Madeline, the founder’s granddaughter and a student at Morton, must decide what she is willing to risk for what she believes is right. Susan Glaspell was one of America's most influential female playwrights, and Inheritors was her first full-length play. Written in response to the Espionage and Sedition Acts of 1917-18, which forbade "disloyal" language, the play touches on ideas fundamental to American democracy, including the right to free speech and political dissent, the treatment of immigrants and Native Americans, and the sometimes competing concepts of law and human rights. At a time when racism was flourishing and nationalism was enforced, Inheritors brings us the story of three generations of immigrants and, as one 1921 critic put it: "The tragic disintegration of American idealism." 
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DESIGN/PRODUCTION TEAM:
Director: Abby Weissman Production Manager: Hunter Smith Costume Designer: Becky Wetzel Light Designer: Nick Wacksman Set/Props Designer: Sarah Schunke Sound Designer: Natali Merrill Stage Manager: Jamel Baker Assistant Stage Manager: Leena Tran Master Electrician: Sydney Sjolin Electricians: Julia Maggio, Faith DeShields House Manager: Jessica Osias Box Office Manager: Arthur Robinson Box Officer: Nico Loomis |
CAST (In order of appearance):
GRANDMA / ISABEL - Kirsten Quinn SMITH / SENATOR - Jackson Purdy SILAS / IRA - Ethan Jovanovic FELIX 1 / HOLDEN - Benjamin Bass FELIX 2 - Justin Jain HORACE / EMIL - Zachary Valdez MADELINE - Cassandra Alexander |
Produced in association with the Community College of Philadelphia theatre program
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Kristen Quinn - GRANDMA / ISABEL
(she/her) Kirsten Quinn holds an M.F.A. in acting from the University of Pittsburgh and is an Associate Professor of Theatre and Communication Media Studies at the Community College of Philadelphia. She is excited to be joining the PAC after appearing in All's Well That Ends Well several years back. Other credits include roles at The Wilma, The Lantern, InterAct, Ego Po Classic Theatre, Theatre in the X, Montgomery Theatre, The Eagle Theatre, The Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Shakespeare in the Schools, The Irish Heritage Theatre, the IRC, Isis Productions, REV, Luna Theatre, Forgotten Lore Theatre, and many others. Recent roles include Maureen in The Beauty Queen of Leenane (IHT), Tamora in Titus Andronicus (Forgotten Lore), and Mags in Painting Churches (IRC). Up next: The Weir with IHT and Cabaret with REV Theatre. She dedicates her performance to her husband, Ari, who always fights the good fight. |
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Jackson Purdy - SMITH / SENATOR
(he/him) PAC Debut! Recent Credits; The Superconductor, Othello (vs the Military Industrial Complex) (Cannonball Festival), Our Town (New Light Theatre), Twelfth Night, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare [Abridged] (Piknik Theatre), Dial M for Murder, Inherit the Wind (Asolo Rep), Sense and Sensibility, An Inspector Calls, Love’s Labour’s Lost (Asolo Conservatory). B.A. Temple University M.F.A. FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training. Thanks and love to my family, friends, and Imani. |
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Ethan Jovanovic - SILAS / IRA
(he/him) Ethan Jovanovic is a Philly based actor and artist. Recent credits include: Misery (Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble), Project Energy (National Theater for Children), The Waterfront Journals (Rushmore Labs), Shakespeare's R&J (New Light Theatre), It's a Wonderful Life (Murphys Creek Theatre), Taming of the Shrew (Shakespeare in the Woods). When not on stage, he can often be found hiking into the woods until he loses cell phone service, or cooking food too spicy for anyone to eat. All love to Nora and Ginger. |
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Benjamin Bass - FELIX 1 / HOLDEN
(they/them) Benjamin Bass is a queer multi-disciplinary artist living in Philadelphia and the founder of Broken Mirror Studio. They are THRILLED to be making their PAC debut with a story as rich and poignant as The Inheritors, and to share it alongside such exemplary company. Notable works include HBO’s We Own This City; Audrey’s Children; the Obie Award-winning hit The Woodsman; Trey Lyford’s The Accountant; and, most recently, Pig Iron’s Franklin’s Key. Up next, you can catch them as the Prince in the Arden’s upcoming production of Romeo and Juliet. They would love to thank their brilliant and beautiful wife, Abby, for believing in them. Benjamin is a proud member of both Actor’s Equity Association and the Screen Actor’s Guild. |
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Justin Jain - FELIX 2
(he/they) Justin is an interdisciplinary artist working across performance and ceramic arts. Their work challenges historical and functional forms, with focuses on Asian-American representation and queering narratives around beauty, masculinity, and tradition. Jain embraces process-oriented, maximalist approach—going far with ideas to uncover nuance through experimentation. With over 25 years in professional theatre and dance, his visual art carries a dramatic flair, often capturing movement in static ceramic forms, exploring gesture, gravity, and negative space. Jain has performed/directed onstage in Philadelphia at Wilma Theater, InterAct Theatre, and 1812 Productions, among others. His ceramics have been exhibited at Fleisher Art Memorial, William Way Community Center, and Camden FireWorks. Jain holds awards in both performance and ceramics: 2019 Barrymore Award for Outstanding Leading Performance and 2024 William Way Arts Committee Award, among others. Jain is currently pursuing an MFA (Poetics) from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (c/o 2027). |
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Zach Valdez - HORACE / EMIL
(he/him) Zach is happy to be returning to PAC. He graduated from Rowan University in 2021 and has been happy to work in Philly. He has worked at theatres such as Theatre Exile, Lantern Theatre Company, Quintessenence Theatre Company, Delaware Shakespeare, and Ego Po Classic Theatre. He would like to send love to his family in Texas! |
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Cassandra Alexander - MADELINE
(she/her) Cassandra (Cassie) Alexander is a Barrymore-Nominated actor and PAC company member. Her credits include performances with PAC, Del Shakes, Revolution Shakespeare, Tiny Dynamite, New Light Theatre, Philadelphia Women’s Theatre Festival, and many more. Favorite roles include Hermione/Autolycus (The Winter's Tale), Liza (Children of the Sun), Imogen (Cymbeline), Child Jane/Adele (Jane Eyre), and Rosalind (As You Like It). Cassie holds degrees in Theatre & Drama and Arts Management from Indiana University, although her love of classical theatre blossomed while studying abroad at Shakespeare's Globe in London. |
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Abby Weissman - Director
(she/her) Abby is a director, intimacy professional, educator, arts administrator (and more!) based in Philadelphia. She is a company member of Revolution Shakespeare, and a proud alumnus of Northwestern University and the Arden Professional Apprentice Program. Most recently, she has spent her time coordinating free teen performing arts programming with Opera Philadelphia. Abby's core artistic values are autonomy, curiosity, and joy. Directing credits include: Little Women (Hedgerow Theatre Company) and The Winter’s Tale (Delaware Shakespeare Community Tour). Intimacy credits include: 1812 Productions, Arden Theatre Co., Delaware Shakespeare, Delaware Theatre Co., Philadelphia Theatre Co., Montgomery Theater, Wilma Theater. Thank you to PAC and all of the lovely artists involved in this production. Love to the BBLGS. |
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Jamel Baker - Stage Manager
(he/him) Jamel is a freelance stage manager based in Philadelphia. Jamel has worked both locally and nationally for theatre companies and festivals for over 10 years and is currently the Lead Producer for Passage Theatre (Trenton, NJ). |
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Natali Merrill - Sound Designer
(she/her) Natali is a sound and technology designer and engineer. Based in Philadelphia, she has been the sound designer for productions including Young Americans (Theatre Horizon), Ghost Ride (Agile Rascal Bike Theatre), Siluetas (Power Street Theatre), Broads (1812 Productions), Spring Awakening (Bryn Mawr College), High Noon (Ninth Planet), Shakespeare’s R&J (New Light Theatre Company), Fucking A (Swarthmore College), Riot Antigone, and Cabaret (Haverford and Bryn Mawr Colleges). She has worked with Theatre Exile, 11th Hour Theatre Company, the Bearded Ladies Cabaret, New Century Theatre Company in Seattle, and the Williamstown Theatre Festival. A graduate of Haverford College with a major in physics, she researched and wrote a thesis on acoustics in performance halls with RWTH Aachen University in Aachen, Germany. She is also a singer and composer. www.nmerrill.com |
Sarah M Schunke - Scenic / Props Designer
(she/her) Sarah is a Scenic Designer and Scenic Artist based in Philadelphia and New York. Recently, Sarah has worked with NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Urban Stages, and Proof Productions for a variety of theatrical and live performance projects. To cultivate her own artistic practice, Sarah intends to continue to pursue the arts along the Eastern Coast and collaborate with artists to produce thoughtful and exposing works for our communities. |
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Becky Wetzel - Costume Designer
(she/her) Becky is a multi-dimensional freelance artist who loves the color green. She received her MFA from Temple University with help from her three dogs who provided excellent emotional support. Her most recent works around town have been She Kills Monsters at Drexel University, Young Frankenstein at Media Theater and Ragtime at Candlelight Theater. |
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West Chester University
Interact Theatre Company Four Seasons Campground |
Arden Theater Company
The Lantern Theater Company Temple University |
