Mirror Stage was thrilled to present the US premiere of The Squirrel Plays by Mia McCullough at 12th Ave Arts, April 27 through May 20, 2023—our first fully-staged production in more than 10 years. A deeply dark comedy about choice(s) and consequences, The Squirrel Plays is a cycle of three short plays: Infestation, Compensation, and Eradication.
Infestation premiered in 2007 in Chicago’s RhinoFest as The Play About the Squirrel. Infestation and Compensation were presented at The Wandsworth Fringe Festival in London and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland in 2018. Infestation was published in the Applause Theatre and Cinema Books publication of The Best American Short Plays 2018-2019.
Tom and Sarah finally find the suburban house of their dreams with probably the nicest garden on the market. Everything is blissful, until an unwanted squirrel gets trapped in the attic, interrupting their lives and causing a rift in their marriage. Once an exterminator, the neighborhood association, and animal control all get involved, violence and turmoil unsettle the entire subdivision.
Directed by Suzanne M. Cohen, The Squirrel Plays featured Angie Bolton, Caitlin Frances Branston, Emily Hoffman, Jason Marr, Valerie Ryan Miller, and Serin Ngai. Set design by Craig B. Wollam, Light design by Savannah Van Leuvan, Costume design by Julia Logan Trimarco, Sound design by Andi Villegas, and Prop design by Jessamyn Bateman-Iino.
A big heart-felt THANK YOU to our fabulous cast and crew for bringing the U.S. premiere of The Squirrel Plays to life, right here in Seattle. And thank you, Mia McCullough, for providing another opportunity for Mirror Stage to produce one of your complex, richly-layered plays in our first fully-staged production in more than 10 years. It’s a huge milestone for Mirror Stage and we’re grateful to have been the first to debut this important new work. Finally, we wouldn’t be here today celebrating if it wasn’t for YOU, our audience and followers. THANK YOU for your support, belief in us, and for your fearless curiosity and conversation with us. We appreciate you and look forward to sharing more opportunities to connect and engage in thoughtful reflection on today’s issues. ❤️
ABOUT MIA MCCULLOUGH:
Mia McCullough is a playwright, screenwriter/filmmaker, educator, performer, and visual artist. In January 2023, she premiered her solo show Milkshakes and Morphine at Lifeline Theatre’s Fillet of Solo, and Household Spirits will premiere in Chicago next fall. McCullough’s plays have been seen at theatres around the country including Steppenwolf, The Goodman, Stage Left Theatre, Chicago Dramatists, The Old Globe , Local Theater Company, and Red Fern Theater, as well as in London and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She created and co-produced The Haven, a web series centered around the staff and clients of a domestic violence shelter. McCullough taught playwriting and screenwriting at Northwestern University for ten years, as well as playwriting classes at University of Illinois – Chicago, Carthage College, Chicago Dramatists and workshops in Chicago Public Schools. She’s written and published a book on the creative writing process called Transforming Reality. She is a member of Honor Roll!, a group of femme writers over 40, as well as a member of the Dramatists Guild.
Lobby Displays:
The Squirrel Plays Community Forums and Off-night programming:
7:30 to 9:00 pm • Doors Open: 7:15 pm
FREE and open to the general public • Masks required
Engaging Conversations with Leaders Making a Difference
- Tuesday, May 2: Reproductive Justice and Maternal Health Panels with Rainier Valley Community Clinic
- Learn about our community’s ability to maintain personal bodily autonomy, and access healthcare during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period, as well as the many ways reproductive matters impact our community. This event will also be live-streamed on Mirror Stage’s YouTube channel.
- Wednesday, May 10: Alliance for Gun Responsibility
- Representatives from the Alliance for Gun Responsibility discuss their mission to save lives and eliminate the harms caused by gun violence in every community through advocacy, education, and partnerships. This event will also be live-streamed on Mirror Stage’s YouTube channel.
- Tuesday, May 16: Racial Restrictive Covenant Project: The History and Legacy of Racial Restrictions in Seattle Real Estate
- Learn about the University of Washington Racial Restrictions Covenant Project and how you can get involved. Speakers include UW researchers as they discuss the history of racial segregation in King County real estate. This event will also be live-streamed on Mirror Stage’s YouTube channel.
- PLUS
- Wednesday, May 3: Writing the social and political play/screenplay Master Class with Mia McCullough
- Join playwright Mia McCullough in this free 90-minute class about working socio-political issues into dramatic writing. Mia will share some of the knowledge she has gained through years of writing and teaching, and guide you through writing exercises aimed at finding inventive and character-based ways of approaching social and political issues in a story. No writing experience is necessary.
Additional support for this production was provided by 4Culture, Crosscut and KCTS-9.
