:: MEET THE 2025 COLOMBI NEW PLAYS FESTIVAL PLAYWRIGHTS ::
In Festival Schedule Order!
Weekend One (Friday (3/13) & Saturday (3/14) @7:30, Sunday (3/15) @2:00) at John Carroll University
DJ Lombardo Student Center :: Marinello Little Theatre: : 1 John Carroll Blvd., University Hts., OH 44118
John Busser (“37 Origami Bees”)* (10min Play) :: (3/13 @JCU) :: is an actor/writer/graphic artist from Avon, Ohio. He is the co-runner of Cleveland Public Theatre’s writer's workshop, The Dark Room, which helps playwrights test drive new work. He has written over 125 short plays, some of which have been produced throughout the US, Canada, the UK, France, India, and Australia. His collection of short plays, Children's Letters to Satan (and Other Horrible Scribblings) is available from Next Stage Press. Some of his plays have been printed in collections by Smith & Kraus, and the literary magazine Fresh Words. His short pieces Obstacle and Under a Watchful Eye were both made into films that have played film festivals across the globe. His work has also been heard on podcast recordings from Broken Arts Entertainment and Gather by the Ghost Light. He has also appeared on Cleveland stages, most notably in the long-running improvised Flanagan's Wake, which is halfway through its 15th year at Playhouse Square in downtown Cleveland. He will continue to do so until somebody stops him.
Greg Lavelle (The Report) (10 min play) :: (3/13 @JCU):: . Bio & Headshot to come!
Richard Mandel (“Visitor” ) (10min Play) :: (3/13 @JCU) :: Having legally escaped from Los Angeles in late 1989, Richard Mandel traversed a broad array of skill sets but has always returned to his two primary loves of creativity -- writing and photography. Now retired with the Missus, he has written short stories and several plays, both short and long form, and enjoys time with many friends in the Society for Creative Anachronism. There are also cats. (Photo taken by the Missus, Cherie Mandel)
Veronica Voll (she/her)(“Pillow Talk”)* (10 min play) :: (3/13 @JCU) :: is a Cleveland-based playwright whose work centers intimate, deeply human stories about womanhood, motherhood, sexuality, aging, and the quiet shifts that shape our identities. Informed by intersectional feminism, her plays explore modern relationships through understated, subtle moments that reveal our inner lives. Drawn to lived-in dialogue, emotional honesty, and the power of restraint, Veronica’s work captures ordinary lives with tenderness and specificity, honoring the complex interior worlds of women. Her work aims to evoke a sense of recognition through moments that feel like looking into a mirror. Veronica began writing after the early years of motherhood, when raising small children prompted her to reexamine her own identity and creative voice. Playwriting became both reclamation and exploration — a way to ask questions about longing, visibility, and what it means to evolve within the roles we inhabit. She is a regular participant in Cleveland Public Theater’s Dark Room, where she has workshopped this and other developing pieces. This festival marks her debut as a playwright. Veronica holds undergraduate degrees in Journalism and Gender Studies from Ohio University and a master’s degree in Higher Education from George Washington University. Her academic background informs her ongoing curiosity about identity, power, and the social roles we inhabit. Outside of theater, Veronica can be found traveling the world or trekking through the woods with her family, and enjoying a good craft beer.
Rannigan Walsh (“A Change in Plans”)* (10 min play) :: (3/13 @JCU) :: Since 2012, Rannigan Walsh has been a participant in Stagewrights, a playwriting workshop at Ensemble Theatre which is located at John Carroll University, Cleveland, Ohio. Currently on the Board of Ensemble Theatre. A Kind of Courage was produced in 2016 at Ensemble Theatre.
Ed Walsh (“Boxed In”) (Short Play, 25min) :: (3/13 @JCU) :: Ed has worn a lot of different hats during his writing career, but his favorite hat is that of playwright. Wearing it, he's worked as a lone wolf and sometimes as a collaborator. The results have found their way to readings and productions at venues throughout Northeast Ohio, as well as beyond the Buckeye state's borders. Two examples: his work made its way to New York; it also made a stop in Virginia, where the Barter Theatre produced an adaptation of one of Walsh's plays. Several of his plays have been published. "One-on-One," first produced at Ensemble Theatre, was also a semi-finalist in the O'Neill National Playwrights Conference. With the advent of podcasts, his play "Stranded" was chosen as the first in a series of plays streamed nationally by Cleveland-based Playwrights Local. A member of the Dramatists Guild, Walsh also participates in Stagewrights, a workshop that provides local playwrights the opportunity to write and develop their work. A graduate of John Carroll University, Walsh resides In Chagrin Falls, Ohio, at work on his next play.
Rachel Zake (“Touch”) * (Full Length Play, 90min) :: (3/14 @JCU) :: is an award-winning writer, actor, and director whose work can be seen nationwide. Rachel is a two-time semi-finalist for the LaBute New Play Festival at St. Louis Actors Studio (2024, 2025). She also had a play accepted into the 9th Annual New Play Lab at the 43rd William Inge Theatre Festival (2026). Her commissioned piece about the unparalleled Ruth Bader Ginsburg for Ensemble Theatre in Cleveland, OH (The Prospect of Equality, on stage May-June 2024) won three awards, including Best World Premiere in the Cleveland Area. Her full-length play, Nine Dinners in October, premiered at Outside Circle Theatre Project (April 2025). Currently, Rachel’s piece Communication Variables (amplifying Deaf voices) is in development in NYC. She is President of the Board for Dobama Theatre, and a member of SAG-AFTRA, The Dramatists Guild of America and Dobama Theatre’s Playwrights’ GYM. She also served as Artistic Director of Playmakers Youth Theatre in Beachwood, OH. Rachel has published four books: Two People are Coming out of a Building (2014, fiction), The Nomad Diaries (2017, nonfiction), Pants Off/Dance Off: A Gentleman's Guide (2019, nonfiction) and The Actuality of Us: Leiland & Emmeline (2021, fiction).
Pam & Robert Noll (“The Duel”) (Full Length, 70min) :: (3/15 @JCU) :: Bio & Headshots to come!
Dale E. Seeds (Rustbelt Trilogy #3) (Short Play/One Act, 30min) :: (3/15 @JCU) :: is currently Professor Emeritus from the College of Wooster. His primary training has been as a designer and has designed over 250 productions for theatre, dance and opera. Over the past fifteen years, his interests have expanded to include indigenous theatre and film and play writing. Rustbelt Trilogy: Sweet Redemption is his third dramatic work. Previous works include, The Day That Cries Forever, and Cards and Letters from the Dakota War. He also participated in a Maine Media Script Writing Workshop. He received his Ph.D. in Theatre from Kent State University, with an emphasis in design criticism. He has designed scenery and/or lighting for productions at The College of Wooster, Kent State University, Porthouse Theatre, The Memphis Ballet, The Ohio Light Opera, The Ohio Shakespeare Festival, The Eastman School of Music, The University of Alaska, Fairbanks, The University of Texas/Dallas , The Abbey Theatre of Dublin, Ireland and the Dallas-based theatre collective, Dead White Zombies. He is excited to share this work with Northern Ohio audiences.
In Festival Schedule Order!
Weekend Two (Friday (3/20) & Saturday (3/21) @7:30, Sunday (3/22) @2:00) at Dunham Tavern
Dunham Tavern Museum & Gardens :: 6709 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44103
Fatima Matar (“Poems of an Angry Feminist”) (Short Play/One Act, 40min) :: (3/20 @Dunham) :: Fatima sought asylum in the United States in 2018 after facing persecution and prosecution in her homeland - Kuwait - for her political and social activism. She’s a visual and performance artist, a writer, and poet. Fatima lives in Cleveland with her daughter Jori. In 2023 Fatima won the Urgent Art Fund from SPACES for her visual art, in 2024 she won The Artist Fellowship from Cleveland Public Theatre for her show “Poems of an Angel Feminist”, and Ohio’s Individual Excellence award from Ohio Arts Council for her book “The Job Applicant”.
Kierstan Kathleen Conway (“Our Souls Did Touch”) (Short Play/One Act, 40min) :: (3/20 @Dunham) :: is a multi-hyphenate artist, working as an actor, teaching artist, photographer, playwright, director, and dialect coach in Northeast Ohio. She graduated summa cum laude from Cleveland State University and holds a BA in Theatre and French. As a playwright, she’s had the opportunity to showcase her full length work Six Lovers in Search of a Killer in a reading at last year's Colombi New Plays Festival. Her one act Mad Tea is being workshopped at the Inaugural New Works Workshop at French Creek Theatre. She has also written and performed in Critter Crew Puppet Shows at both FCT and Borderlight Fringe. She aims to use her original works to advocate for women’s mental health and highlight individuals the LGBTQ+ community in present day and all of those who came before whose stories were hidden away. Our Souls Did Touch, is inspired by the stories of many in the Golden Age of Hollywood who hid their love behind closed doors in order to keep their place on the silver screen. As an actress, Kierstan has performed in several theatres and festivals throughout Northeast Ohio as well as in Nantes, France. Favorite Credits: Mother Courage and Her Children (Kattrin), Richard III (Richard III), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Lysander), Winter Wonderettes (Missy), and Wait Until Dark (Susan). As a photographer, she's captured performances and concerts throughout northeast Ohio. As a teaching artist, she educates students ages 3-18 in a range of different topics in theatre. Many thanks always to her friends, family, and husband Noah giving her their love and patience, and to Ensemble Theatre for their continued support of local theatre artists!
Greg Vovos (“Our Time”) (Full Length Play, 120min) :: (3/21 @Dunham) :: is a playwright, screenwriter, and theater director working in the vibrant Cleveland theater scene. He’s a three-time winner of the Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award in Playwriting, including FY 2026 for "Our Time." Greg’s also a 2016 Cleveland Public Theatre Nord Playwriting Fellow; Dobama Theatre Playwrights Gym member; and proud Dramatists Guild member, for whom his play "How to be a Respectable Junkie" was presented at the 2018 Dramatists Guild National Conference. He was resident playwright for the Willoughby Fine Arts Association’s Theatre for Healthy Living Program, having written 15 plays about issues facing youth. His work has been seen around the world, translated into several languages, and published by Dramatic Publishing, Smith and Kraus Publishing, OriginalWorks, and PPT Press. He’s taught playwriting at several theatres and universities, including University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Baldwin Wallace University, and Case Western Reserve University, where he teaches today. He earned his MFA in Playwriting from UNLV, where studied with Julie Jensen, and a B.A. in English from The Ohio State University. He is also a Senior Writer/Editor at American Greetings. Additionally, he plays jazz saxophone and classical clarinet. Greg’s married to his best friend and together they have two amazing kids and a lot of pets.
Berenice Kleiman (“Shadows Over Coventry”) (Short Play/One Act, 40min) :: (3/22 @Dunham) When I want to laugh, I write plays and have seven full-length in addition to a number of shorter plays. As a long-term member of Ensemble Theatre’s Stagewrights, I enjoy the camaraderie and inspiration of this group. Some of my plays are real-life grim, like SHADOWS OVER COVENTRY, but I especially favor those that demonstrate the folly between heaven and hell. My creative juices are usually fueled with a big bag of M&Ms. Have had lots of readings but no calls from Broadway. Am also a member of the Shaker Heights Community Emergency Response team (CERT), associated with FEMA and the Shaker Fire Dept.
Lauren Lash (“The Stars Made Me Gay”) (Short Play/One Act, 40min) :: (3/22 @Dunham) is excited to participate in The Colombi New Plays Festival for the first time. Lauren is passionate about queer theater and sharing queer stories. Her most recent credits include Sticks (Director), The Stars Made Tom and Bobby Love (Amanda), Jesus Christ Superstar (Ensemble/Dance Captain). She wishes to thank the wonderful team working on this reading!
Cindy Dettelbach (“Uncommon Ground”) (Short Play/One Act, 40min) :: (3/22 @Dunham) :: After a brief stint as a high school English teacher and a seeming “lifetime” as editor of The Cleveland Jewish News, Cindy began writing plays in her retirement. She signed up for Ensemble’s first writing workshop in 2012, then held at the Lee Road Public Library in Cleveland Heights, and has been an active participant in Stagewrights ever since. Several of her plays have enjoyed productions as part of Ensemble’s Colombi New Plays Festival. She also serves on Ensemble’s Board of Trustees.
In Festival Schedule Order!
Weekend Three (Friday (3/27) & Saturday (3/28) @7:30, Sunday (3/29) @2:00) at The Darl Center for the Arts
The Darl Center for the Arts:: 5437 Broadway Ave, Cleveland, OH 44127
Jaclyn Renee Vogel (“Brutal Dreams”)* (Full Length Play, 90min) :: 3/27 @Darl Center) is a playwright and costume designer from Indianapolis, Indiana. Jaclyn received her BA in theatre with high honors from Butler University. Shortly after graduating in 2014, she moved to Cleveland, OH where she has been a theatre artist ever since. As a playwright she writes in response to our times. She hopes audiences will find common ground and radical empathy with the characters she's created and transfer that compassion to the people they encounter in their daily lives. Jaclyn has created original work for Cleveland Public Theatre's Entry Point, Station Hope, and Pandemonium. Her play to be healthy received a workshop production at CPT's Test Flight. She was also honored to be part of the writing co-hort for ENDependence Opioid Project, a collaboration with MetroHealth and Cleveland Public Theatre. Her short play, the Do-Over, was produced with the Young Playwrights Collective Meet the Playwrights event, which she is currently an active member. She's costumed designed at NoExit Performance, Young Actor's Theatre, Beck Center for the Arts, Cleveland Public Theatre, Ensemble Theatre, and Talespinner Children's Theatre. You can also see her in May dancing with Heartfelt Movement at the Darl Center for the Arts. Jaclyn would like to thank all her friends and family who have supported her through writing Brutal Dreams, her first mystery play, and Ensemble Theatre for this opportunity to share it!
Nash Fieler (they/them) (“Ethical Consumption”)* (Full Length Play, 90min) (3/28 @Darl Center) is a Cleveland-based actor and playwright, and is honored to present Ethical Consumption at the 2026 Colombi New Plays Festival. Raised in Columbus, Ohio, Nash attended Baldwin Wallace University, where they studied acting while writing plays in their free time. Their first produced work was We Believe You, a candid two-act show about paranormal encounters, which Nash directed themself. They later organized Baldwin Wallace’s 2024 New Works Festival, during which they premiered a one-act gay farce titled Damn Straight (dir. Troian Butler). In their senior year, Nash contributed short pieces to their class’s acting showcase. They graduated from Baldwin Wallace in 2025 with a BFA in Acting. Since then, Nash has put that degree to use. Recent and notable onstage credits include Much Ado About Nothing (Don John) with CPH/CWRU MFA, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (U/S Flute, Starveling) with Great Lakes Theatre, Twelfth Night (Feste) with Cleveland Shakespeare Festival, and Sweat (Jason) at Baldwin Wallace. In their writing, Nash is bound to no particular genre. Each play creates its own unique atmosphere, though a few common themes have emerged lately. Nash loves using the supernatural to represent the natural. A lifelong fascination with language informs their dialogue, which balances precision with authentic human speech. Ethical Consumption is inspired by the New England Vampire Panic, especially the case of Mercy Lena Brown. In the mid-to-late 1800s, folk belief held that tuberculosis—then called consumption—was caused by vampires. This dark comedy asks the audience if vampires might actually exist, not as fanged monsters, but bloodsuckers all the same.
“Wild Bill” Johnson (“The Life of Lily”) (Full Length Play, 90min) (3/29 @Darl Center) is an award-winning educator by day and a ballroom dancing karaoke rapper by night…also, a playwright on the weekends. I have lived in Northeast Ohio my entire life. After graduating from The University of Akron, I began teaching Mathematics and Computer Programming in the fall of 1999. I began writing plays about three years ago. I have included my experiences as a teacher in my plays, along with my life journey as an early widower. A few of my consistent themes are trauma-based humor, supporting and advocating for LBGTQ+ rights and strong female STEM characters. I have had many informal readings at Cleveland Public Theater’s Dark Room, and one of my 10-minute plays, Princess Lily and the Greedy Wizard, received a staged reading at the 2025 Border Light Festival. Two other plays (The Life of Lily and Claire the Chair Presents: The History of Broadway) were selected by Kent State Trumbull for readings at their sips and scripts events in the fall of 2025. I am hoping I can eventually get a full production of one of my plays, unless my Christmas comedy “musical” beats them to it.
