Weird, but Good by Emily Comisar
Staged Reading
February 10, 2025
6:30 PM
Hosted at Literati Press Bookshop and Creative Writing Center
By the time Jack, Maria, and Owen hit their mid-thirties, they’d become a sibling cliche: the type-A oldest, rebellious middle, and peace-making youngest child whose personality differences and separate lives pull them farther and farther apart. In the Hollywood version of their story, the death of the patriarch would bring them back together, but their father, Isaac, just won’t die. So it’s going to take something a little more drastic for them to realize that what they have in common is so much more powerful than what tears them apart.
Photography by Maranda Loughlin. Check out her work at @marandaloughlin and @shopmaranda.
Bios
Kayleigh Adams
GWEN
Kayleigh Adams (she/they) is an actor, children’s performer, and writer from Las Vegas, NV. Her favorite recent projects include being a writer and performer for The 2023-4 Co.Horts, a devising group created by Co.llective Arts Theater Co., Science Live! at Science Museum Oklahoma, and Hailey’s Game (Hailey), a feature film from Goddard House Productions. They are also a character performer with Character Connection Co. and a caring and enthusiastic pet sitter, who is taking new clients! Find her on Instagram at @kay.adams
Brittnei Beauchamp Nixon
DEBBIE
Brittnei Beauchamp Nixon (she/her) is a photographer, social media manager, and mother of two. Some of her favorite roles include: Violet Newstead in “9 To 5: The Musical”, Rona Lisa Peretti in “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”, Amy in “The Theory of Relativity”, and being a part of “The Campaign”. Brittnei would like to take this moment to thank her wonderful husband Branden for all of his constant love & support, Whatever Works for this amazing opportunity, and her beautiful sisters Faith, Melody, & Dylan for always being there.
Alleese Eldridge
STAGE DIRECTIONS
Alleese Eldridge (They/She/He/It) uses performance as a site for community organizing and uplifting ideas of collective prosperity. Alleese Eldridge is a founding member of Co.Arts, a company dedicated to producing and developing new works, and currently serves as their Co.Artistic Director. Previous Credits: Men on the Line (Co.Arts, Director), Public Comment (Co.Arts, Co-writer/Actor), The Great Leap (OKC Rep, Asst. Director), Macbeth (OSP, Associate Producer). “Every act of art brings us one step closer to our collective liberation.”- Kelli Shermeyer
Dalen Enevoldsen
MARIA
Dalen Enevoldsen (She/Her) is a lover of all things theatre from Oklahoma City. She studied acting all the way through college with a BFA in acting from Oklahoma City University. You can also find her working behind the scenes in wardrobe, lighting and a little bit of every department with groups such as OKCREP, OKC Broadway, OKC Ballet, and more! Dalen is a proud member of OKC’s local IATSE chapter 112. Thank you for supporting live arts!
Paxton Kliewer
OWEN
Paxton is an actor from Bethany, Oklahoma. He received his BFA in Drama with an emphasis in Acting from the University of Oklahoma in 2020. His credits include Jaxton-The Thanksgiving play-OKCREP, Captain Wentworth-Jane Austen’s Christmas Cracker!-Oklahoma Shakespeare, Laertes-Hamlet-Oklahoma Shaspeare in the Park, Banquo-Macbeth-Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park, Oberon/Theseus-A Midsummer Night’s Dream-Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park, Sebastian-Twelfth Night-Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park, Captain Georg Von Trapp-The Sound of Music: Interactive-Lyric Theatre,Paul Bratter-Barefoot in the Park-Jewel Box Theatre.
Zachary Scalzo
JACK
Zachary Scalzo (he/they) is a queer theatremaker, writer, and translator whose theatrical work has been developed and performed both in the United States and in Canada. Oklahoma City area credits include The Campaign (Pearl, Randal, Kenny), The Theory of Relativity (Mike), and ://SHELF_LIFE (Luc). He is currently Artist in Residence in the English Department at the University of Central Oklahoma, and they can be found at azachofalltrades.com and on Instagram at @zjscalzo.
Alexi Smith
TOM
Alexi Smith (He/Him) is an actor, voice performer, and bartender from Oklahoma City. He received a BFA in Theatre from the University of Oklahoma. Some of his credits include Danny in The Campaign with WhateverWorks; Young Scrooge in A Christmas Carol with Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma; Ben in The Antelope Party with Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre; and Laertes in Hamlet with Oklahoma Shakespeare. You can find him on Instagram @BlackAndGaming and his website AlexiSmithActor.com
David Pilchman
DIRECTOR
David Pilchman (Any / All) was born and mostly raised in OKC. He has worn many hats in his career: Production Stage Manager for The Crown Uptown Professional Dinner Theater (Wichita, KS) and Norwegian Cruise Line. NYC Production Manager on World Premieres such as The View Upstairs, Small Mouth Sounds, Mike Birbiglia’s Thank God For Jokes, and Clinton the Musical. OKC Production Manager / Producer with many local organizations, including OKC Rep and OCAC. Collaborator with Whatever Works, creating opportunities for local writers and performers to produce new plays. David recently ran as the Independent candidate for OK-State Senate District 46. He wants to encourage you to VOTE at every chance you get. Not just “the big ones.” Thanks to everyone creating and supporting theater in his hometown. You can check your Voter Registration and Sample Ballots at okvoterportal.okelections.gov
Emily Comisar
PLAYWRIGHT
Emily Comisar is a playwright and producer living in Oklahoma City. Her short plays have appeared in series produced by Lone Star Theatre Co., The PlayGround Experiment, aWe Creative Group, New York Madness, and Shiyr Productions. Emily’s full length work includes The Campaign (Theatre Crude Fringe Festival), Dumpster Fire (She NYC Festival), Undrown’d: Seeking Asylum (co-written with Benita de Wit, Columbia Stages), Switzerland (Lone Star Theatre Co.), Moonlighting (Lone Star Theatre Co.), and Track Twelve (FringeNYC).
Emily has a Bachelor of Arts in Performance Studies from Northwestern University, with specialties in critical studies, adaptation of narrative for the stage, and multimedia performance. She also holds a Master of Arts in Italian Language and Media from Middlebury College and a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Management & Producing from Columbia University. She is currently the Executive Artistic Director of Oklahoma City Repertory Theater.
Whatever Works 