SWEAT | River & Rail Theatre

We would like to begin
by acknowledging that the land
on which we gather is the unceded territory
of the Yuchi and Cherokee People.
We offer our gratitude for the land itself,
and the Indigenous people that
stewarded it for generations.

River & Rail Theatre Co.

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About The Play

CHARACTERS

All of the characters were born in Berks County, Pennsylvania.

EVAN – 40s, African-American

JASON – 21/29, White American of German descent

CHRIS – 21/29, African-America

STAN – 50s, White American of German descent

OSCAR – 22/30, Colombian-American

TRACEY – 45/53, White American of German descent

CYNTHIA – 45/53, African-American

JESSIE – 40s, Italian-American

BRUCIE – 40s, African-American

SETTING
Reading, Pennsylvania

TIME
2000/2008

SWEAT will be performed with a 10 minute intermission. The show runs approximately 150 minutes.

**Content Warning: Please be aware that SWEAT contains alcohol abuse, violence, racial slurs, and tobacco use. There will be herbal cigarettes smoked during the course of the show. We recommend sitting back a few rows if the smell of smoke bothers you.**

A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR

Lynn Nottage started writing this play when she went to Reading, Pennsylvania to meet and interview people who worked in the steel industry there. She was fascinated with the disappearance of these small industrial towns across the U.S, and what she found were people who talked about their town in the past tense. ‘Reading was…’ ‘It used to be…’

This play takes place in 2000 and 2008. She started writing it in 2011, and it won the Pulitzer Prize in 2017. River & Rail was first going to do this play in 2020. It’s a really different world than 2000, 2008, 2011, 2017, and certainly 2020. And yet, I feel the urgency of this play stronger than ever.

Racism and classism are certainly not things we buried back in any of those years, and if anything we have come to a moment of an embarrassingly late collective consciousness around the ‘isms’ that our country was built upon. Those of us who have lived with mostly unacknowledged privilege have gotten to buy into the narrative of exaggerated progress and equality. And to some extent, all of us have bought into the American dream, right? That hard work leads to reward, leads to life—that good things come to those who work. And yet, history repeats itself, and both reminds us that we have been here before and also seduces us to believe in a ‘before time’ that was better.

There’s a line in a play that I love that says, “Nostalgia’s just longing for the time that you knew you could survive.” As survivors of the last 2 years of the pandemic are no stranger to that longing. ‘The before times.’ The time perhaps naively we thought we could survive. Not only does the pandemic economy mirror the one of 2008, but all of the trappings that come with a recession are there, too. Sure, none of us have ever been though anything like the last 2 years, but many of us are people who have recently become deeply reacquainted with financial insecurity, desperation, and isolation. Many of us have had to untether ourselves from a work identity so deeply entrenched in our utter sense of self. In a country that values work and what you do above all else, what does it mean to be unemployed, or at least not employed in the context by which we have all somewhat defined ourselves. I know I felt a loss of dignity, and a longing to be seen. Longing to be seen and to deeply belong are intrinsic to being human, and we will go to extreme lengths in pursuit of just that.

One way we find that belonging is through finding a ‘them.’ If there is a ‘them,’ that means there is an ‘us.’ Saying our country is divided is such a grotesque understatement, but I think that in addition to many other things, we have been not only allowed but rewarded for dehumanizing the ‘them’ who only exist for us in our screens. Those who we insist are not our neighbors, who vote differently than us, have different levels of education and different access to information and opportunities—aided by both social media algorithms and a global pandemic, those people largely don’t exist in flesh and blood. And I love that in this story, we get to see real people deal with other real people, as we also come back to the theatre and do the same. Not only do our divisive ideologies implode when they collide with someone else’s humanity, but I also hope our pessimism about our world is imploded by the collision with community and human decency that we have so little come to expect.

I’m also just really excited to hang out in this bar with all of you. I hope we will discover how to be more human and present with each other. I hope we become both reacquainted with our favorite early 2000s hit songs and with the wild practice of breathing together in the same room and recognizing the deep vulnerability and miraculousness of being human together.

Cast

Evan – Will Dorsey

Jason – Justin Von Stein

Chris – Davion T. Brown

Stan – Jed Diamond*

Oscar – Gabriel Laurito

Tracey – Jan Willis

Cynthia – Shinnerrie Jackson*

Jessie – Amber Collins Crane

Brucie – Dann Black

*The Actor appears through the courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

Creative Team

Director – Laura Dupper

Scenic Designer/Technical Director – Claude Hardy

Lighting Designer – Jordan Vera

Costume Designer – Korea Howard

Sound Designer – Zackery Bennett

Props Designer – Rachel Winenger

Production Stage Manager – Keeley Wade

Fight Choreographer – Jason Paul Tate

Assistant Director – Kenneth Herring

Assistant Stage Manager – Cearan Jax Costello

Assistant Technical Director – Ariana Dotson

Intimacy Choreographer – Amelia Peterson

Dialect Coach – Joshua Peterson

COVID Safety Management Team – Amelia Peterson, Joshua Peterson, Kenneth Herring, Jax Costello (rehearsal)

Community Engagement Coordinator – Molly King

Marketing – South Made Marketing

House Manger – Wymon Anderson

Production Manager – Amelia Peterson

Photographer – David Johnson

Special Thanks

Robin Easter Design

Postmodern Spirits

Central Depot

Pour Taproom

Merchants of Beer

Pretentious Beer Co.

Brother Wolf

Barley’s

Pellissippi State Community College Theatre Department

Keeley Wade

Jason Paul Tate

Meghan Nelson

Christian Academy of Knoxville Theatre Dept

Gracie Belt

Ethan Roeder

Joel McLead

Season Sponsors

Show Sponsors

Who's Who

Will Dorsey (EVAN)

Will is a proud native of Flint, MI. a husband and a father of two boys. He is a Knoxville College Alum (98-02) and captain of the basketball team where he is the all-time leading scorer with 2021 career points. Will is an active member of the greatest fraternity on the planet “Omega Psi Phi Inc”. Will coached at Knoxville College after graduating and coached AAU basketball for several years. He is a certified personal trainer who operates his own business, DorseyFit where #MusclesAintFree. Will is also an NPC men’s physique competitor. In 2009 Will appeared in his first film out of Florida called “Paperboys”. Will was also featured in Knox Cam most recent film “Lost &Found”. Will began his professional stage acting career in 2010 where he played Chicago in “What in the Hell do you want”. In 2011, Will appeared in Carpetbag theaters productions “Speed Killed My Cousin” and their recent 50 th Anniversary series “Swopera and Red Summer”. Will is represented by Talent Trek Agency and has been in Tim McGraw music video “Truck Yeah”. His television credits consist of numerous crime series episodes including Fatal Attraction, Homicide Hunter, Snapped, Murder Comes to Town and Murder Chose Me. Will is currently in a touring off Broadway stage play out of New York called “Justice on Trial”. Will has been in other great stage plays and has directed the production “Forgiven by Faith” and “The Meaning of the Season”. Will is the drama Director at Overcoming Believers Church where he has written and directed over 30 drama skits. In 2014, Will wrote and directed his own full stage play “The Guiding Light” and from there went on to write and direct the first and second Annual Blessings on Bell St. full stage play production.

Jed Diamond (STAN)

Jed has been the Head of Acting at UT Knoxville since 2005. The UT MFA in Acting program has been ranked among the top-25 programs in the U.S., U.K., and Australia for the past 5 years, reaching #8 in 2020. Jed has appeared in plays at: the Clarence Brown Theatre; Wheelhouse Theatre; the New York Shakespeare Festival; Roundabout Theatre; The Acting Company; Signature Theatre; Arena Stage; Syracuse Stage; etc. Prior to UT, he acted and taught in NYC for 18 years. He was founding faculty of the Actors Center and the New York Shakespeare Festival Shakespeare Lab and has taught at NYU, Stella Adler Studio, Playwright’s Horizons Theatre School, Fordham University, etc. He is resident faculty at Chautauqua Theatre Company and has taught as a guest at Yale School of Drama, Playmaker’s Repertory Theatre, Great River Shakespeare Festival, and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. He is a certified teacher of the Alexander Technique. Joshua and Amelia Peterson have a brilliant vision to enrich Knoxville with impactful work in River and Rail Theatre and the Old City Performing Arts Center. Thank you for your support of River and Rail. Spread the word!

Shinnerrie Jackson (CYNTHIA)

Shinnerrie earned her Bachelors of Music at Oberlin Conservatory of Music and her MFA at the University of Tennessee where she is currently Assistant Professor of Theater. She can be seen in 30 Rock and in Whit Stillman's Damsels in Distress. Previous theater productions include A Night with Janis Joplin (Arena Stage), Vanya,Sonia,Masha and Spike (Cincinnati Playhouse), Lady Day at Emerson Bar and Grill (Weathervane Theater), and Ain't I a Woman: a one woman show about black women in African American history.

Dann Black (BRUCIE)

Dann is excited to be on stage with River & Rail in this incredible production Credits: Off Broadway; 30th Street Theatre ( Balm and Gilead) Barrow Street Theatre ( International Fringe Festival, Capt'n Gravy's Wavy Navy. Promenade Theatre, (Freedom Train) LaMaMa experimental theatre club ( Guardian Angel) Off-Off Broadway:Gallery Players ( The Full Monty, first NYC revival) Regional: Arkansas Rep ( Once on this Island) New Repertory Theatre,MA ( Moby Dick,the American Opera, Pre Broadway tryout) Cumberland County Playhouse TN( Jesus Christ Superstar) ( Boys Next Door) Theatre West Virginia,WV ( Working) Struthers Library Theatre, PA ( Ain't Misbehavin) Vineyard Playhouse, MA ,Henegar Theatre, FL ( Smokey Joe's Cafe) Centennial Theatre Festival, CT ( Little Shop of Horrors) Mill Mountain Theatre,VA International:Central America Jazz and Blues Festival,( Featured Vocalist) El Salvador and Guatemala. Performed on the demo recording for Broadway's " Urinetown" Listed in Theatre World publication 1989-1990. National Voiceover for Mazola Vegetable oil, Thank you FAMILY and FRIENDS! Thank you Peterson's!

Justin Von Stein (JASON)

Justin is thrilled to be a part of his first production at River & Rail. Recent acting credits of his include Commedia, Blood at the Root, (Chautauqua Theatre Company), #Matter (Clarence Brown Theatre), and Boeing Boeing (Flying Anvil Theatre). After this production, Justin plans on moving to Washington, D.C., where he intends to audition for the role of “President.” While he has no prior government experience, he did watch the three episodes of The West Wing. Justin would like to thank Laura for this incredible opportunity, all of the management at River & Rail, his fellow cast and crew, and all of his friends and family who’ve come to support him. Especially Abigail.

Davion T. Brown (CHRIS)

Davion is a third-year grad student in pursuit of his MFA in Acting at the University of Tennessee/Knoxville. Before joining the UTK roster, Davion spent several years as a freelance Actor touring the country. Davion has been cast in a cornucopia of productions, and has held an assortment of iconic roles throughout his career thus far. Including: in Hamlet (as Hamlet), in Macbeth (as Macbeth), and in No Exit (as Joseph Garcin), just to name a few. Davion is ecstatic to be back working with River & Rail Theatre Company, you may remember Davion from R&R's 2021 production of Pass Over. Additionally, Davion expresses his appreciation for the privilege of continuing his passion of storytelling even in the midst of such an unprecedented time, a privilege only made possible by audiences like you. Lastly, Davion would like to take this time to thank You, for continuing to support the Arts and her Artists.

Amber Collins Crane (JESSIE)

Amber recently moved to Knoxville from San Francisco where some of her favorite credits include Blanche in "Streetcar Named Desire," May in "Fool for Love," Becca in "Rabbit Hole," Birdie in "Little Foxes," and Moll in "Incidents in the Wicked Life of Moll Flanders." Prior to the Bay Area, Amber worked in theatre, television and film in NYC and LA. She was last seen in "The Thanksgiving Play," by Larissa Fasthorse at Flying Anvil Theatre. Amber is also a psychologist and coach, and is honored to support her clients in connecting with their deepest selves and cultivating lives of authenticity and presence (drambercrane.com). Amber is grateful to be working with River and Rail and these brave and gifted artists. She thanks her family for their unending support and for filling her days with so much love.

Lynn Nottage (Playwright)

Lynn Nottage is a playwright and a screenwriter. She is the first, and remains the only, woman to have won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama twice. Her plays have been produced widely in the United States and throughout the world. Most recently, Nottage premiered MJ the Musical, directed by Christopher Wheeldon and featuring the music of Michael Jackson, at the Neil Simon Theater on Broadway, Clyde's directed by Kate Whoriskey at Second Stage Theater on Broadway and an opera adaptation of her play Intimate Apparel composed by Ricky Ian Gordon and directed by Bart Sher, commissioned by The Met/Lincoln Center Theater. Her other work includes, Floyd's (retitled- Clyde's) (Guthrie Theater), the musical adaptation of Sue Monk Kidd's novel The Secret Life of Bees, with music by Duncan Sheik and lyrics by Susan Birkenhead (The Atlantic Theater), Mlima’s Tale (Public Theater), By The Way, Meet Vera Stark (Lilly Award, Drama Desk Nomination- Second Stage/Signature Theater), Ruined (Pulitzer Prize, OBIE, Lucille Lortel, New York Drama Critics’ Circle, Audelco, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Award- MTC/Goodman Theater); Intimate Apparel (American Theatre Critics and New York Drama Critics’ Circle Awards for Best Play Center Stage/SCR/ Roundabout Theater); Fabulation, or The Re-Education of Undine (OBIE Award - Playwrights Horizons/Signature Theater); Crumbs from the Table of Joy; Las Meninas; Mud, River, Stone; Por’knockers; and POOF! Her play Sweat (Pulitzer Prize, Evening Standard Award, Obie Award, Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, Tony Nomination, Drama Desk Nomination) moved to Broadway after a sold-out run at The Public Theater. It premiered and was commissioned by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival American Revolutions History Cycle/Arena Stage. Inspired by her research on Sweat, Nottage developed This is Reading, a performance installation based on two years of interviews, at the Franklin Street, Reading Railroad Station in Reading, PA in July 2017. She is the co-founder of the production company, Market Road Films, whose most recent projects include the. award winning documentary Takeover (NY times, Op-doc) by Emma Francis Francis-Snyder, the Peabody nominated podcast Unfinished: Deep South (Stitcher) by Taylor Hom and Neil Shea, The Notorious Mr. Bout directed by Tony Gerber and Maxim Pozdorovkin (Premiere/Sundance 2014), First to Fall directed by Rachel Beth Anderson (Premiere/ IDFA, 2013) and Remote Control (Premiere/Busan 2013- New Currents Award). Market Road Films currently has a first look deal with SISTER. Over the years, she has developed original projects for Amazon, HBO, Sidney Kimmel Entertainment, Showtime, This is That and Harpo. She was a writer and producer on the Netflix series She's Gotta Have It, directed by Spike Lee and a consulting producer on the third season of Dickinson (Apple +). Nottage is the recipient of a MacArthur "Genius Grant" Fellowship, Steinberg "Mimi" Distinguished Playwright Award, PEN/Laura Pels Master Playwright Award, William Inge Festival Distinguished Playwright, TIME 100 (2019), Signature One Playwright, Merit and Literature Award from The Academy of Arts and Letters, Columbia University Provost Grant, Doris Duke Artist Award, The Joyce Foundation Commission Project & Grant, Madge Evans-Sidney Kingsley Award, Nelson A. Rockefeller Award for Creativity, The Dramatists Guild Hull-Warriner Award, the inaugural Horton Foote Prize, Helen Hayes Award, the Lee Reynolds Award, and the Jewish World Watch iWitness Award. Her other honors include the National Black Theatre Fest's August Wilson Playwriting Award, a Guggenheim Grant, Lucille Lortel Fellowship and Visiting Research Fellowship at Princeton University. She is a graduate of Brown University and the Yale School of Drama. She is also an Associate Professor in the Theatre Department at Columbia School of the Arts. Nottage is a board member for BRIC Arts Media Bklyn, Donor Direct Action, Dramatist Play Service, Second Stage and the Dramatists Guild. She recently completed a three-year term as an Artist Trustee on the Board of the Sundance Institute. She is member of the The Dramatists Guild, WGAE, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She is currently an artist-in-residence at the Park Avenue Armory.

Laura Dupper (Director) is a NYC based director originally from Knoxville and couldn’t be more thrilled to be in her hometown, working with River & Rail, and directing this incredible play with the best company of people! She has worked at Dallas Theater Center, Signature Theatre, Second Stage Theater, and LCT3; she has also worked with Playwrights Realm, Barrington Stage, and P73. She most recently worked on the return of THE MINUTES by Tracy Letts on Broadway and assistant directed MORNING SUN by Simon Stephens at Manhattan Theatre Club. Next month, she will be directing a new play premiere at Columbia University. She received her BFA from Southern Methodist University.

Keeley Wade (Production Stage Manager) is thrilled to be working on her fourth show at River&Rail. She is currently studying history and theatre at the University of Tennessee. She would like to thank everyone at River & Rail for their support and her family and friends for letting her ramble on about this show way too much.

Claude Hardy (Scenic Designer/Technical Director) received his M.F.A. from Wayne State University in Detroit, MI. Hardy teaches theatre design at Pellissippi State. He has worked with several theatre companies in the Knoxville area such as: Knoxville Opera, UT Opera, the Carpetbag Theatre, Theatre Downtown Knoxville, and River and Rail Theatre. Design credits include Machinal, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Great American Trailer Park Musical, Voice of the Prairie, Brighton Beach memoirs, A Doll’s House, Angels in America: Millennium Approaches, Arabian Nights, The Barber of Seville, Antigone, Unnecessary Farce, Tempest, and She Kills Monsters, Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson, Stupid Fucking Bird, The Seagull, Soft Animals, These Shining Lives, SWOPERA, and Red Summer.

Jordan Vera (Lighting Designer) Originally from Miami, Florida, Jordan Vera resides in Knoxville after completing his MFA in Lighting Design at the University of Tennessee. He has had the opportunity to work for the Miami summer music festival, the Clarence brown theatre, Oak Ridge Playhouse, Contemporary American Theatre Festival, Flying Anvil Theatre, and North Carolina stage company. Some of his design work includes Detroit 67 (Clarence brown theatre) I and You (Flying Anvil Theatre) Marvelous Wonderettes (Oakridge playhouse) Stones in his pockets (North Carolina Stage Co.) Urine Town (Clarence brown theatre) and The Marriage of Figaro (Miami Music Festival). To see more of Jordan’s work, please visit his online theatre portfolio at www.JveraDesigns.com. Jordan is honored to be working alongside a talented group of artistic collaborators here at the River and Rail Theatre Company and is excited to present Sweat.

Korea Howard (Costume Designer) Korea L. Howard is excited to be working with River & Rail Theatre Company. She is credited with costume design for the plays, “Blood at the Roots” and “Our Tempest” with Pellissipi State Community College. She holds a degree in Video Production Technology. Korea is a blogger and self-published author of Well I’ll Be Churched, Is My Living In Vain?, and Dream Chronicles while currently working on the fourth book: Food Chronicles. Korea started the video production company K Love Productions in 2021 with the hopes of directing and producing her books as well as several short stories. Check out her website at www.korealhoward.com for more information.

Zack Bennett (Sound Designer) is pleased to be rejoining R&R after making his debut during 2021’s Unusual Tale! Zack’s recent work includes The Comedy of Errors, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company; Thoughts of a Colored Man (Assoc), Broadway; A Christmas Carol, Guthrie Theatre (Asst.); True West, Seattle Rep (Asst.); numerous production at the Clarence Brown Theatre such as This is Our Youth, Around the World in 80 Days (Assoc.), and South Pacific (Assoc). Zack’s corporate Sound Designs include the 2022 National Order of the Arrow Conference at Thompson Bowling Arena and the 2017 BSA National Jamboree (Asst). Zack is a proud graduate of The University of Tennessee (BA, 2017) and Purdue University (MFA, 2020) where he designed productions of Next to Normal and Angels in America. Zack would like to thank his wife, Alex for her support, encouragement, and patience throughout this and every production. ZackBennett.com

Rachel Winenger (Props Designer) has been a part of 14 theatrical productions since she moved to the Knoxville area from Indiana in 2014. She’s currently enrolled at Pellissippi State Community College where she will graduate in the fall semester. Afterwards, she plans on transferring to another university in hopes of furthering her studies of the arts and theatre. Rachel is extremely excited to be working with the River and Rail crew and the incredible cast of SWEAT.

Jason Paul Tate (Fight Choreographer – he/him) is a bicoastal director, choreographer and performer, having spent the last 15 years collaborating with world renowned actors, acrobats, tango dancers and string musicians to create work with incredibly high concentrations of physicality. Credits include the Edinburgh and New York Fringe, A.R.T., BAM, Ars Nova, Rattlestick Playwright’s Theatre, Classic Stage Company, Tuacahn, Great Lakes Theatre Festival, Idaho Shakes, Lake Tahoe Shakes, Havoc Movement, Opera Western Reserve and The Lost Colony. He has been doubly fortunate to perform elements of his own creations in specialized movement at the Public’s Delacorte Theatre, the Metropolitan Opera, and at numerous live stunt shows across the country. Jason is a proud member of SDC and AEA, a certified instructor of stage combat with the SAFD; and the co-founder of Neutral Chaos, a movement solutions company dedicated to training artists to tell physical stories. jasonpaultate.com

Kenneth Herring (Assistant Director) grew up in Oak Ridge, TN, just 25 miles from downtown Knoxville. Kenneth holds a BA in Communications for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and a Masters in Business Administration from Bethel University. Kenneth has a non-traditional theatre background, having spent the 10 years working in Information Technology sales. Kenneth is a former member of the Hammer Ensemble, which performed at Knoxville’s Flying Anvil Theatre. Kenneth is passionate about content creation and creating inclusive environments. Kenneth enjoys basketball and spending time with his son, Rayne.

Ariana Dotson (Assistant Technical Director) is currently an undergraduate at the University of Tennessee studying Theatrical Tech and Design. This production of Sweat is her first time working at River and Rail and she’s loved every minute of it! As the Assistant Technical Director, she was able to work with the TD and others to set up the layout of our bar to give it that homey Pennsylvania feel. Additionally, she hopes to be able to get involved with more R&R shows in the future before finishing up the rest of her major!

Joshua Peterson (Voice and Dialect Coach) is the Artistic Director of River & Rail Theatre Co. As a Texas transplant via Paris and New York but is now proud to claim Knoxville as his home. Prior to moving to Knoxville, Joshua served as the Artistic Director of Firebone Theatre Company in New York City. Joshua received his MFA in Acting from Southern Methodist University in Dallas. He also holds a BA in Theatre from Oklahoma Baptist University. Between pursuing his degrees Joshua spent two years living and working for a humanitarian aid organization outside of Paris, France. He made his Knoxville acting debut in Clarence Brown Theatre’s A Christmas Carol. Other Selected Regional Acting credits include Measure for Measure and Much Ado About Nothing (Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival), Barry Love in House and Garden (Theatre Three), Gail in Our Lady of 121st Street (Kitchen Dog Theatre) and Jon in Tape (Dallas Theatre Center. He most recently appeared in River & Rail’s final show before the COVID shutdown, CONSTELLATIONS.

Cearan Jax Costello (Assistant Stage Manager) is finishing his second year at UTK, pursuing a dual degree in Civil Engineering and Theatre: Design and Technology. He operated projections on CBT’s 2021 production of A Christmas Carol and was co-stage manager for CBT’s Blood at the Root in March of this year. He also is the Production Manager of All Campus Theatre at UTK, where he has directed and written many pieces, his favourite being When Bad Things Happen, an original one act play that he directed as a Zoom performance in the fall of 2020. He is honoured to assist an incredible group of artists in bringing such a powerful piece to the Knoxville community.

Amelia Peterson (Production Manager/Intimacy Choreographer) is Knoxville native and a founding member of River & Rail Theatre Company. Local directing credits include EVERY BRILLIANT THING (River & Rail Theatre Co.), and THE UNUSUAL TALE OF MARY & JOSEPH’S BABY (River & Rail Theatre Co. – 2016, 2017, 2018). In New York, she co-directed the world premiere of MORBID POETRY at the Incubator Arts Project and a folktale adaptation series LONG, LONG AGO with Firebone Theatre Company. She has also directed new works for the Kennedy Center’s Page to Stage Festival (Washington, DC), and the Inkwell Theatre’s Showcase Reading Series (Washington, DC). Amelia’s film credits include GHOSTLIGHT (co-director), and WHIPOORWILL (screenwriter). Amelia is also a birth doula and a mother of three incredible children.

Molly Jo King (Community Engagement Coordinator) is a Knoxville native who, after 14 years on the West Coast, returned to her hometown and couldn’t be more delighted with how the community is growing and evolving. An event producer by trade, Molly spends a great deal of time working with various community and nonprofit organizations. Molly has produced many events with River & Rail, including Trivia Night, the 2021 Gala, and the “Sweat” Community Calendar of events. Molly serves on the Boards of Directors for BreastStrokes Knoxville, Candoro Arts & Heritage and the Old City Association. She enjoys cooking, reading, riding her bicycle, and fabulous hats.

River & Rail Board of Directors

David Brown

Tyler Hays

Logan Mahan

Tommy Nguyen

Amelia Peterson

Joshua Peterson

Deaver Shattuck

Genevieve Turner

Katy Wolfe, President

River & Rail Staff

Founding Artistic Director – Joshua Peterson

Managing Director – Kenneth Herring

Artistic Producer & Creative Director – Amelia Peterson

Support River & Rail

When you look at the demographics of Knoxville, the people that live on the river and the people that live near the railroad experience Knoxville from vastly different perspectives. Our neighborhoods, churches, community groups, and social circles seem deeply divided along various lines. Some are the literal lines of the Tennessee River or the tracks of the railroad, and some are metaphorical, like the lines between races, religions, and ethnic groups or the cultural lines between east, west, north, and south Knoxville. The goal of River & Rail Theatre is to not just create professional theatre accessible to all Knoxvillians, but to create theatre true to the stories of Knoxville, shared collectively by those on every side of every line.

If you share this vision of Knoxville with us, if you can see it too – a packed house at the Old City Performing Arts Center, full of people who don’t look, smell, hear, see, walk, and talk the same way yet who share in the same deep, beautiful humanity; then we invite you to help us make that happen. Your contributions enable us to pay our staff, artists and team members living, professional wages; they allow us to offer pay-what-you-wish tickets, so that people can attend our performances for as little as three dollars; they cover the cost of professional lighting and sound equipment, costumes and sets, because we want to make work that holds itself to a national professional standard, that pushes the limits of what Knoxville can do. Every dollar is tax-deductible, and every penny makes a difference. Consider making your mark on this city with us.

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River & Rail Theatre Company is an IRS-approved 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.