One Acts by Alice Gerstenberg

An Evening With Alice

April 2025 | Fonseca Theatre

An Evening with Alice” invites you to step back in time and into the creative works of playwright Alice Gerstenberg. A bold voice of the early 1900s, Alice wrote by and for a feminist perspective, championing female voices at a moment when the stage was rarely theirs. Her plays sparkle with sharp wit, unflinching honesty, and a flair for the unexpected. Best known for her one-act gems, Alice carved out a lasting place in American theatre — one that still resonates with audiences today.

This evening brings together some of her most inventive works, showcasing the humor, insightfulness, and energy that made Alice a trailblazer. Between laughter and reflection, you’ll meet characters who defy expectations, push boundaries, and remind us that the theatre has always been a place to tell stories boldly, in ways that entertain and provoke thought.

Pull up a chair, lean in, and spend the night with Alice — you might just discover that her world, though lived a century ago, still has plenty to say to ours.

We chose six unique stories, one-acts, by Alice to tell in two hours of performance.

Six stories meant six directors, six casts, and six ways to step into Alice’s world.

And of course, no evening would be complete without one extraordinary Alice to guide us into the magic and set the tone for the night.

The Plays

The Pot Boiler

Sarah Kinsey as Tonya Pinikles Sud

Taylor Shelton as Hannah Wouldby

Kathryn Paton as Mrs. Pencil

Josh Gibson as Mr. Inkwell

Dorothy Widelka as Ms. Ivory

Omar Jurdi as Mr. Ruler

Kelly McKinney as Mr. Ivory

Directed by: Spike Morin-Wilson

He Said and She Said

Kielynn Tally as Enid Haldeman

Dan Flahive as Felix Haldeman

Sarah Kinsey as Diana Chesborough

Kathryn Paton as Mrs. Cyrus Packard

Directed by: Lot Turner

Fourteen

Kelly Melcho as Mrs. Pringle

Taylor Shelton as Elaine

Omar Jurdi as Dunham

Directed by: Kelli Gibson

The Unseen

Essie Wallace as Hilda

Rebecca Brelage as Lois

Daniel Alejos as Jeffrey

Directed by: Breanna Helms

Overtones

Kielynn Tally as Harriett

Sarah Kinsey as Hetty

Kathryn Novick as Margaret

Mallery Beard as Maggie

Directed by: Breanna Helms

Ever Young

Kathryn Paton as Mrs. Payne-Dexter

Mallery Beard as Mrs. Dorchester

Taylor Shelton as Mrs. Blanchard

Rebecca Brelage as Mrs. Courtney Page

Directed by: Spike Morin-Wilson

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