Faceless by Selina Fillinger will be presented Jan. 19 – 29 at the Alliance for the Arts in Fort Myers.
This play is enthralling, thought-provoking and inspired by real court cases.
On her way to Syria, Susie Glenn, a Caucasian 18-year-old from the Chicago suburbs, is arrested and charged with terrorism. Susie had been radicalized online resulting in her conversion to Islam. How does that even happen? That’s exactly what prosecuting attorney Claire Fathi, a Harvard-educated Muslim, would like to know.
This courtroom drama delves into the many facets involved in this true story as it examines how Susie found herself engaged to an ISIS fighter through social media and believing wholeheartedly in radical Islam. It also examines the complex feelings of Claire, who wonders what right Susie has to profess herself as a true Muslim, along with knowing she herself is being used as a token in the prosecution of this case.
This play will undoubtedly be an intense experience not to be missed.
Nineteen year old Vanessa Schoof is excited to make her professional debut at Theatre Conspiracy. Born and raised in Fort Myers, she went to Lehigh Senior High School to pursue theatre, her most notable performances being Addaperle in The Wiz, Violet in 9 to 5, & Donna Alternate in Mamma Mia!. Her most recent performance was the cross-dressing and tough-as-nails Beatrice in A Servant of Two Masters directed by Stuart Brown. She is honored to be playing Susie in Faceless under the direction of Miguel Cintron, her mentor and second father figure.
Sharon Isern is happy to be back at Theatre Conspiracy at the Alliance for the Arts. Her credits include: Robyn in The Roommate and Dagmara in The Chechens at the Alliance; Susan White in America’s Sexiest Couple, Wendy in On the Farce Day of Christmas, and Judith in The Bare Truth at The Marco Players; Alex in Church & State, Julia in Saved by the Bell, and Courtney in One Slight Hitch at The Studio Players; Mother in Everyone on This Train and Rocker in October House with Ghostbird Theatre; and Agnes in The Shadow Box with New Phoenix Theatre. She has also performed with The Naples Players Radio Theatre.
Originally from Puerto Rico, Sharito, as she is known to her family, trained as an engineer and scientist and was a professor for many years. She now works from home making art and doing grants administration for the federal government. Her Zoom meetings feature vocals from Pippa, her African gray parrot, with special appearances from Diego, her high-energy rescue dog. She thanks her scene partner and fiancé Matt Flynn “Bader” for taking this incredible journey with her and the Faceless cast and crew for generously sharing their amazing talents.
Directed by Miguel Cintron, performances are Jan. 19 – 21 and Jan. 26 – 28 at 7:30 p.m. and Jan. 29 at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $25 for members, $30 for non-members and available online at ArtInLee.org.
Miguel Cintron is grateful to make his directorial debut on the Theatre Conspiracy stage. Miguel started with Theatre Conspiracy in 1999 in the show Domestic Tranquility. Some of his favorite Theatre Conspiracy shows include, The Gun Show, Shipwrecked, Shakespeare Abridged, and The Chechens. Miguel has also performed at The Old Schoolhouse Theatre, The Herb Strauss Theatre, The Florida Repertory Theatre, The Laboratory Theatre, and The Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre in such shows as, Murder at the Howard Johnson, Funny Money, Lucky Stiff, Spamalot, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Fantasticks, The Play That Goes Wrong, Anna in the Tropics, Art, An Act of God, Come Fly With Me: A Sinatra Review, Run for your Wife, Out of Order, Aladdin, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Miguel is also proud to be the Director of Theatre at Lehigh Senior High School’s Center for the Arts, where he has directed shows such as West Side Story, Godspell, 26 Pebbles, Eurydice, The Wiz, Into the Woods, Mamma Mia, 9 to 5, and Footloose, to name a few. He was also a standup comic and has performed in clubs in New York and Florida. He would like to thank his wife, Unota, and daughter, Isabella for all of their love and support.
The Alliance is located at 10091 McGregor Blvd., Fort Myers. For more information, call 239-939-2787 or visit www.ArtInLee.org.
