Somnotomy
“An evening of theatre you will not forget.”
-Alan Smason, WYES-TV
This original work dives into the surreal world of sleep, dreams, and the entities that haunt them. Between graveyard shifts at her family's gentrification-themed coffee shop in New Orleans, Jane Yardhauser is trapped in a nightly ritual with Tramfogor – a sentient sleep paralysis demon that takes the shape of her favorite rapper, Papa Star. When a freelance "sleep interventionist" offers to banish her demon, the boundaries between Jane's sleep and waking life start to dissolve. Meanwhile, the café's lone customer, her brother, and her neighbor start experiencing nightmares of their own. As they all confront what they've been running from, Tramfogor grows hungrier.
an Original Devised Piece
Composed by Intramural Theater
Presented at CANOA
4210 St. Claude Ave.
January 17th-26th, 2025
Pay-What-You-Can: Saturday, January 17th
$25+ Tickets (no one turned away for lack of funds)
Pay-What-You-Can: January 17th
FEATURING:
SLY / TRAMFOGOR / PAPA STAR / PAUL – Sly Watts*
JANE – Mary Langley*
FRANCOIS – Ja’Quan Henderson
HANS – Steve Gilliland*
DOMINO – Topher Johnson*
ESSA – Monica R. Harris*
Lead Playwrights – T Clark* & Bennett Kirschner*
Director / Co-Producer – Bennett Kirschner*
Assistant Director – Roney Lee Jones
Stage Manager – Tricia Anderson
Sound Designer & Live Musician – Steve Gilliland*
Original Score – Steve Gilliland*
Original “Papa Star” Music – Sly Watts*
Scenic Designer – Nate Lemoine
Associate Scenic Designer – Rebekka Paisner
Lighting Designer – Stephen Thurber
Costume Designer – Lauren Wells
Projection Designer – Bruno Doria
Co-Producer – Mary Davis
Poster Designer – Sarah VanDerMeer
Movement Consultation – Rhi Jade
Production Photos – Bruno Doria
The part of Francois was originated by KC Simms*
* – Member of the devising ensemble
Somnotomy was conceived, composed, and workshopped by the devising ensemble starting in the fall of 2024.
This production was supported by grants from the New Orleans Theatre Association, the New Orleans Tourism & Cultural Foundation, and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation.
