KAYENTA NEW PLAY LAB: Vampire Panic!
2025-08-30 19:30 - 21:30, 2025-08-31 15:00 - 17:00 UTC | Center for the Arts at Kayenta
KAYENTA NEW PLAY LAB
Vampire Panic!
by Kate Mickere (Los Angeles, CA)
Saturday, August 30, 7:30pm
Sunday, August 31, 3:00pm
The Lorraine Boccardo Theater
In 1890s New England, during a deadly wave of consumption, Lucy returns home to care for her orphaned niece, Faith, just as rumors of vampires begin to take hold. While Lucy turns to science for answers, young Faith is drawn to a preacher who believes the disease is part of a supernatural threat. As fear and folklore spread through the town, the line between illness and myth becomes harder to define.

TICKETS

KAYENTA NEW PLAY LAB
Now in its third year, the Kayenta New Play Lab is where bold new voices in American theater come to life. Over three exhilarating weeks, six visionary playwrights—chosen by a panel of esteemed local and national theatermakers—dive into an intensive creative residency, shaping fresh, original works for the stage.
Audiences are invited to witness the magic unfold through staged readings of these brand-new plays—raw, real, and alive with possibility. Stay after each reading for an engaging dialogue with the artists, where your feedback helps shape the evolution of each piece.
Whether you’re a dedicated theatergoer, a curious creative, or someone who simply loves the thrill of live performance, the New Play Lab is your front-row seat to the next wave of theatrical storytelling. Come be part of the process. Come be inspired.

The 2025 Kayenta New Play Lab is generously sponsored by Douglas Caputo and Desert Dweller Real Estate.

Cry Wolf: A Magic Play
2025-09-18 19:30 - 21:00, 2025-09-19 19:30 - 21:00, 2025-09-20 15:00 - 16:30, 2025-09-20 19:30 - 21:00, 2025-09-25 19:30 - 21:00, 2025-09-26 19:30 - 21:00, 2025-09-27 15:00 - 16:30, 2025-09-27 19:30 - 21:00
THEATER
Cry Wolf: A Magic Play
written and performed by Rhett Guter
directed by West Hyler
September 18-20 & 25-27 at 7:30pm
Saturday Matinees at 3:00pm
The Lorraine Boccardo Theater
Cry Wolf: A Magic Play blurs the line between illusion and reality, transforming the theatre into a high-stakes game show where the prize is nothing less than truth itself. For 85 mesmerizing minutes, performer Rhett Guter invites audiences to play along—searching for the hidden “wolf” among volunteer contestants—as jaw-dropping magic, masterful tap dance, and deeply personal storytelling unfold. Inspired by the spectacle of The Price is Right and the theatrical artistry of Derren Brown, this intimate one-man show asks profound questions about identity, authenticity, and the courage to be seen. After years of development with acclaimed director West Hyler, Cry Wolf makes its full production debut in Southern Utah, bringing Guter’s journey home in a premiere that promises wonder, laughter, and revelation.

TICKETS

RHETT GUTER (Writer/Performer) is a New York-based actor, magician, and choreographer who has spent nine seasons at Utah Shakespeare Festival and performed in touring productions of West Side Story and Annie. He’s alos appeared onstage at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, The Paramount Theatre, The Goodman Theatre, Goodspeed Opera House, PCPA and Olney Theatre Center.
As a director and choreographer, Guter’s work has been featured at Drury Lane Theatre, Griffin Theatre, Utah Shakespeare Festival, and Encore Performing Arts. He received his training at Southern Utah University in Dance Performance and Musical Theatre and currently serves as Artistic Director for Encore Performing Arts. Cry Wolf represents his debut as a writer-performer, uniquely combining his theatrical expertise with his passion for magic and personal storytelling. You can find more about Rhett and the magic at Rhettmagic.com
WEST HYLER (Director) is the Executive Director of the South Carolina New Play Festival, the co-Artistic Director of Drama-League Nominated Artistic Stamp and was formerly the Producing Artistic Director of the Obie-Winning New York Musical Festival, the largest musical theater festival in the world. He was a Director and Story Writer for Cirque du Soleil’s first Broadway Musical Cirque du Soleil Paramour and he has several shows currently in production around the world. Other Broadway credits include associate director on How The Grinch Stole Christmas and associate director and artistic overseer Jersey Boys worldwide. Other Directing credits include: The Pilot and the Little Prince (Poland), Avenue Q (Bulgaria- Ikar Award), Sister Act (Cape Fear Regional Theater), Fun Home (Lean Ensemble Theater), the NY premiere of H2O by Jane Martin (59E59), Tempest, Merry Wives and Windsor, and Love’s Labours Lost (Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival), Georama (St Louis Rep- St Louis Critics Circle Award, New York Musical Festival Award for Outstanding Direction), The Disappearing Man by Jahn Sood (MTF and St Louis Rep), Legendarium and Metamorphosis (Big Apple Circus, Lincoln Center), and Panda! (Beijing and Las Vegas).
Tickets

Chautauqua: Living History!
2025-10-18 14:00 - 16:30, 2025-10-18 19:30 - 22:00
THEATER / HISTORY
Chautauqua: Living History!
Featuring Becky Stone as Harriet Tubman
and Marvin Jefferson as Martin Luther King Jr.
Saturday, October 18, 2025
2:00pm Matinee & 7:30pm Evening Performance
The Lorraine Boccardo Theater
Step into history as two of America’s most powerful voices come alive on stage. In this moving Chautauqua Living History performance, audiences will meet Harriet Tubman, portrayed by acclaimed storyteller and actress Becky Stone, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., brought to life by renowned historical interpreter Marvin Jefferson.
Harriet Tubman—courageous conductor of the Underground Railroad, abolitionist, and advocate for women’s rights—shares her remarkable journey from enslavement to becoming one of the most fearless leaders in American history. Dr. King—visionary pastor, civil rights leader, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate—speaks to the enduring struggle for justice, equality, and nonviolent change.
Together, their voices bridge two centuries of activism, sacrifice, and unwavering hope. Through first-person storytelling, historical context, and audience Q&A, this event invites us not just to learn about history, but to step into it—asking what freedom, justice, and leadership mean for us today.
Join us for an unforgettable evening of inspiration, conversation, and living history.
TICKETS

The Caregiver's Guide
2026-02-19 19:30 - 21:30, 2026-02-20 19:30 - 21:30, 2026-02-21 19:30 - 21:30, 2026-02-22 15:00 - 17:00, 2026-02-25 19:30 - 21:30, 2026-02-26 19:30 - 21:30, 2026-02-27 19:30 - 21:30, 2026-02-28 15:00 - 17:00
THEATER
The Caregiver’s Guide

February 19-21, and February 25-27 at 7:30pmFebruary 22 and 28 at 3:00pm

The Lorraine Boccardo Theater

The Caregiver’s Guide is a poignant comedy about love, family, and the messiness of caring for one another. When a stand-up comedian returns home and reveals he’s inherited the early-onset Alzheimer’s gene from his late mother, his two sisters are forced to face their own fears about the future, their health, and how to care for someone who doesn’t want to be cared for. With humor, heart, and a touch of the supernatural, this play explores how one family leans on laughter, memory, and love to make it through life’s hardest turns. Uplifting, funny, and deeply human, The Caregiver’s Guide promises to move and entertain audiences.
TICKETS

The Caregiver’s Guide is generously sponsored by Gentry Music & Arts.

The Delirium of Beethoven
2026-06-13 19:30 - 21:00, 2026-06-14 15:00 - 16:30
SUMMER ARTS SHOWCASE: MUSIC & THEATER
The Delirium of Beethoven
Glenn Webb & Ashlie Chaston
June 13, 7:30pm | June 14, 3:00pm
Lorraine Boccardo Theater
This devised theater piece (created from scratch by an ensemble rather from a pre-existing script) features new music and theater, created by local musician Glenn Webb, local theater artist Ashlie Chaston, and a company of musicians and actors. In The Delirium of Beethoven, a dissatisfied musician, Quinn stumbles upon the great composer & musician, Beethoven, who has strangely arrived to the modern world. Suddenly, Quinn’s world is opened up to the possibility of something new. An avant-garde, collaborative production emerges from the power of original live music incorporated into unique contemporary theatre.

This event is part of the Kayenta Summer Arts Showcase, an all-month event featuring exceptional local artists and the premiere of brand-new creative work, across several disciplines. Join us this June to celebrate and experience local art, fun, and community.
We’re introducing tiered ticket pricing for this program. The Kayenta Summer Arts Showcase is about welcoming audiences to see the work of artists within their own community. We’re committed to making our events as accessible as possible, and believe this tiered structure will help remove financial barriers, while also presenting quality events and compensating artists fairly for their work. The pricing tiers are as follows:

$10 – Pay What You Can
$20 – Suggested Ticket Price
$30 – Support This Program

TICKETS

Glenn Webb is a leading New Music percussionist in the Intermountain region. He is the percussionist and Co-Artistic Director of Grand Circle New Music. GCNM exists to promote the performance of new solo and chamber music. Grand Circle New Music is especially interested in music created in and about the Grand Circle region of the Southwestern United States.
Glenn directs the Percussion Ensemble and New Music Ensemble at Utah Tech University. He is Artistic Director of the St George Jazz Festival and leads the Rebel Jazz Band. He leads the St George All-Stars performing originals and new standards. He is the President of St George Jazz.
He was the Founding Chair of the Music Department at Utah Tech and currently serves as Associate Dean of the College of the Arts. He is the house drummer/percussionist at Tuacahn performing for 2,000 patrons six shows a week. Dr. Webb has music degrees from UNLV, University of Utah, and Weber State University.

Ashlie Chaston is a recent graduate of Utah Tech, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre with an Acting Emphasis. During her short time there, she participated in almost 20 productions. Ashlie is an actor, director, writer, and everything in between–she’s even certified in rapier! Most recently, she stage managed A Caregiver’s Guide at Kayenta. Some of her favorite acting roles include Puck from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, William Dunnn in Men on Boats, Miss Shingle in A Gentleman’s Guide, and Beatrix in This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl does Nothing. As for directing, Ashlie’s favorites thus far have been Striptease by Slawomir Mrozek and Where the Lonely Hearts Go by Finegan Kruckemeyer. She currently portrays Mercy Otis Warren at Liberty Village. For more information, visit ashliechaston.com.

KAYENTA NEW PLAY LAB: Am I a Good Dog?
2026-08-07 19:30 - 21:30, 2026-08-08 15:00 - 17:00
KAYENTA NEW PLAY LAB

Am I a Good Dog?

by Rook Reilley (St. George, UT)

Friday, August 7 – 7:30pm Saturday, August 8 – 3:00pm

The Lorraine Boccardo Theater

Join us for a staged reading of a new play as part of the 2026 Kayenta New Play Lab! Am I a Good Dog follows Max, who returns to their hometown years after moving away—only to find a missing poster with their face on it. A dramedy exploring identity, family, Queerness, and life in rural Utah.

Stay for the guided talkback after the show with the playwright, director, and cast. Discuss the play, ask questions, and learn more about the development process. Be part of shaping new theater by providing your own feedback and delving deeper into the creative process.

TICKETS

KAYENTA NEW PLAY LAB

Now in its fourth year, the Kayenta New Play Lab is where bold new voices in American theater come to life. Over three weeks, six visionary playwrights—chosen by a panel of esteemed local and national theatermakers—dive into an intensive creative residency, shaping fresh, original works for the stage.

Audiences are invited to witness the magic unfold through staged readings of these brand-new plays—raw, real, and alive with possibility. Stay after each reading for an engaging dialogue with the artists, where your feedback helps shape the evolution of each piece.

Click HERE to learn more about the 2026 New Play Lab.

See all 6 plays for $100, saving $50!

The Kayenta New Play Lab is generously sponsored by Douglas Caputo and Desert Dweller Real Estate.

KAYENTA NEW PLAY LAB: A Matter of Perspective
2026-08-08 19:30 - 21:30, 2026-08-09 15:00 - 17:00
KAYENTA NEW PLAY LAB
A Matter of Perspective
by Lisa Quoresimo (Cedar City, UT)
Saturday, August 8 – 7:30pm Sunday, August 9 – 3:00pm
The Lorraine Boccardo Theater

Join us for a staged reading of a new play as part of the 2026 Kayenta New Play Lab! A Matter of Perspective is an historical drama examining a battle of the minds between rivals, the creation of Florence’s duomo, and the forgotten woman whose genius led to its creation.
Stay for the guided talkback after the show with the playwright, director, and cast. Discuss the play, ask questions, and learn more about the development process. Be part of shaping new theater by providing your own feedback and delving deeper into the creative process.
TICKETS
About the Playwright: Lisa Quoresimo
Lisa Quoresimo’s plays have been seen internationally (Siddahartha the Bright Path, Cloudy with a Chance of Contempt), Off-off Broadway (Not My Heart’s Desire, Endlessly Rocking, Antigone: a Fable Without Walls), in regional theaters in San Francisco and Sacramento (Between Dirt and Sky, Ciribiribin, Charlie and Nell), and across the country. Lisa is delighted to return to the Kayenta New Play Festival for a second time! Their work as performer, director, composer, music director and dramaturg has been seen at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Shotgun Players, Brava Theatre, The Marsh and the Utah Shakespeare Festival. She is currently Associate Professor of Theatre at Southern Utah University and previously taught at NYU and the Manhattan School of Music. She is the co-founder/director of Catalyst: A Theatre Think Tank. Lisa’s academic writing has been published widely. Her book, The Feminist Journey of Stephen Sondheim, is forthcoming at Routledge Press. Lisa holds a Ph.D. from UC Davis and an M.A. from Carnegie Mellon University. and is proud member of Actor’s Equity Association and of the Dramatist’s Guild.
KAYENTA NEW PLAY LAB

Now in its fourth year, the Kayenta New Play Lab is where bold new voices in American theater come to life. Over three weeks, six visionary playwrights—chosen by a panel of esteemed local and national theatermakers—dive into an intensive creative residency, shaping fresh, original works for the stage.

Audiences are invited to witness the magic unfold through staged readings of these brand-new plays—raw, real, and alive with possibility. Stay after each reading for an engaging dialogue with the artists, where your feedback helps shape the evolution of each piece.

Click HERE to learn more about the 2026 New Play Lab, as well as participants from previous years.

TICKETS

See all 6 plays for $100, saving $50!

KAYENTA NEW PLAY LAB: The Franklin Event
2026-08-14 19:30 - 21:30, 2026-08-15 15:00 - 17:00
KAYENTA NEW PLAY LAB
The Franklin Event
by Peter Sham (Cedar City, UT)
Friday, August 14 – 7:30pm
Saturday, August 15 – 3:00pm
The Lorraine Boccardo Theater

Join us for a staged reading of a new play as part of the 2026 Kayenta New Play Lab! In The Franklin Event, Benjamin Franklin finds himself materialized in the modern day, as part of a theatrical parlor show, hosted by a historian who knows everything about him. The two discuss modern life, philosophy, and the complex legacy of the founding fathers.
Stay for the guided talkback after the show with the playwright, director, and cast. Discuss the play, ask questions, and learn more about the development process. Be part of shaping new theater by providing your own feedback and delving deeper into the creative process.

TICKETS

About the Playwright: Peter Sham

Peter Sham (playwright, The Franklin Event) is the author of over 25 plays and musicals, perhaps best known for his work as bookwriter/lyricist for Lend Me A Tenor: The Musical (with Brad Carroll, composer). Lend Me A Tenor: The Musical was nominated for a 2011 Olivier Award, received 13 BroadwayWorld.com West End Award nominations, including “Best Musical,” and was the winner of The Critic’s Choice Award for “Best Theatrical Event.” Peter is currently at work (with award-winning composer, Kevin Purcell) on To Catch A Thief: The Musical, based on the David Dodge bestseller which was made into an Academy Award-winning, classic film by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly; and The Ghost & Mrs. Muir, based on the novel by Josephine Leslie (aka R.A. Dick), which was also made into a classic film starring Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison, and directed by Joseph Mankewicz. Both musicals are planning West End, London openings in 2027-2028.
Peter is the author of the musicals Sherlock Holmes and the Great Royal Goose Chase, One Night Only, Toyland, and It’s a Dog’s Life: Man’s Best Musical; the plays, A Christmas Carol: On the Air (a Southern Utah holiday favorite for 11 years), its sequel, Frankenstein: On the Air, Shakespeare’s Moby Dick (a classical adaptation of Herman Melville’s American novel), and Twinkle, Twinkle, Killer Kane, written with William Peter Blatty (author of The Exorcist), adapted from Mr. Blatty’s Golden Globe Award-winning “Best Screenplay.” Peter has also written the screenplays, Somewhere, The Playhouse, and Hag. He wrote and directed the feature horror film, Far Remote, which garnered an Honorable Mention at the prestigious HorrorFest International Film Festival in 2021. Peter is now in development on A Penny Urned, a 9-episode television streaming series, created and written with Roger Bean, author of The Marvelous Wonderettes series, Life Could Be A Dream, and more.

Outside of his writing, Peter has been a regional actor for over 35 years, appearing at such places as Utah Shakespeare Festival (for 12 seasons), Milwaukee Rep, Asolo Theatre Company, The Neil Simon Festival, Studio Arena Theatre, TheatreLoft, Artpark, Yale Cabaret, Perry Street Theatre, and more. Kayenta audiences may remember his performances as Jake in Neil Simon’s Jake’s Women, and Andre in Neil Simon’s The Dinner Party. He is also an accomplished director of over 85 productions throughout the East coast and Southern Utah.
A professor of theatre for over 20 years at Southern Utah University, he is a two-time SUU Thunderbird Award winner for “Professor of the Year”; an SUU “Outstanding Scholar of the Year Award” winner; and the recipient of SUU’s Highest Honor, “The Board of Trustees Award for Excellence.” Peter has received national recognition as a recipient of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival’s “Excellence in Education Award.” He holds a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Acting from the University of Delaware’s Professional Theatre Training Program.
Peter is married to SUU movement/dance professor, actress & choreographer, Kirsten Sham, and blessed with two remarkably talented children, Liv Rylan and Orlando Grayson.
For more information, visit: www.buffalotheatrecompany.org

KAYENTA NEW PLAY LAB

Now in its fourth year, the Kayenta New Play Lab is where bold new voices in American theater come to life. Over three weeks, six visionary playwrights—chosen by a panel of esteemed local and national theatermakers—dive into an intensive creative residency, shaping fresh, original works for the stage.
Audiences are invited to witness the magic unfold through staged readings of these brand-new plays—raw, real, and alive with possibility. Stay after each reading for an engaging dialogue with the artists, where your feedback helps shape the evolution of each piece.

Click HERE to learn more about the 2026 New Play Lab, as well as participants from previous years.

FULL PACKAGE

See all 6 plays for $100, saving $50!

The Kayenta New Play Lab is generously sponsored by Douglas Caputo and Desert Dweller Real Estate.

KAYENTA NEW PLAY LAB: If the Creek Don't Rise
2026-08-15 19:30 - 21:30
KAYENTA NEW PLAY LAB
If the Creek Don’t Rise
by Tyree Marshall (Los Angeles, CA)
Saturday, August 15 – 7:30pm
Sunday, August 16 – 3:00pm
The Lorraine Boccardo Theater

Join us for a staged reading of a new play as part of the 2026 Kayenta New Play Lab! If the Creek Don’t Rise is a drama/science fiction set in the rural south, following two women in their fight for survival in a dystopic post-civil war America.
Stay for the guided talkback after the show with the playwright, director, and cast. Discuss the play, ask questions, and learn more about the development process. Be part of shaping new theater by providing your own feedback and delving deeper into the creative process.

TICKETS

About the Playwright: Tyree Marshall

Tyree Marshall is a Los Angeles-based Playwright, Actor, and Producer. Tyree’s afro-futurist, sci-fi play, If The Creek Don’t Rise (O’Neill NPC Semi-finalist) was selected and developed as a part of The Vagrancy’s “Blossoming: Workshop Edition” program in 2024. If The Creek Don’t Rise had a public reading at Skylight Theatre in May of 2025 and received another workshop & reading in November 2025 with Ammunition Theatre Company. Her play Banish Him! had its world premiere in September 2025 with The Roots and Wings Project in Highland Park as part of the program Luminous Streets. Tyree helped create and choreograph the play Love Gasoline by Stacy Dawson Stearns which premiered at the RedCat Now Festival in 2017 and later moved to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland that same year. Tyree’s latest play, You Will Burn was developed in IAMA Theatre Company’s Emerge Playwrights Lab from 2025-2026.

KAYENTA NEW PLAY LAB

Now in its fourth year, the Kayenta New Play Lab is where bold new voices in American theater come to life. Over three weeks, six visionary playwrights—chosen by a panel of esteemed local and national theatermakers—dive into an intensive creative residency, shaping fresh, original works for the stage.
Audiences are invited to witness the magic unfold through staged readings of these brand-new plays—raw, real, and alive with possibility. Stay after each reading for an engaging dialogue with the artists, where your feedback helps shape the evolution of each piece.

Click HERE to learn more about the 2026 New Play Lab, as well as participants from previous years.

FULL PACKAGE

See all 6 plays for $100, saving $50!

The Kayenta New Play Lab is generously sponsored by Douglas Caputo and Desert Dweller Real Estate.
