LIKEWISE, an original play by Rye native Kiera Moran, will open on Monday, January 27th, 2025 at the New York Theater Festival. The story centers on 17-year-old Joey, a “trainwreck as she navigates the growing pains of girlhood—all the crazy things you do when you lose someone and the even crazier things you’d do to get them back”.
Kiera Moran is a 2020 graduate of Rye High School and received her BA in Theater and East Asian Studies from Wesleyan University. She is an actor, writer, and comedian based in Rye and NYC, and is currently auditioning, coaching young actors, and teaching Mandarin in NYC.
“Rye High School theater was where I found the people and plays that inspired me to write my own,” said Moran. “I still go back and see the shows when I can, it’s a very special place…I had a wonderful time performing and learning there.”
Premiering at Wesleyan’s Capstone Festival in the spring of 2024, LIKEWISE was hailed as a “triumph!” by the campus newspaper Wesleyan Argus . “A masterclass in the convalescence between girlhood, friendship, trauma, and the sheer impossibility of growing up as and into a young woman unscathed, this production is a must-see and requires more than a fair share of tissues. This is to say: I believe deeply in Kiera Moran. And you should too.”
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Likewise is a dark comedy about female friendship, fighting dirty, and performing for the voices in your head, real or imagined. The full cast will reprise their roles from the play’s world premiere featuring Paige Merril as CALLIE, April Schwartz as ERICA, Compton Stewart as JAKE and Kiera as JOEY, the 17-year-old narrator. It is directed by Bannon Brody and stage-managed by Maddie Morehead, with sound/light design by Alex White.
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Likewise is an 80-minute production with three performances at the Hudson Guild Theater: January 27th at 6:15 pm, January 31 at 9 pm, and February 2 at 3:30 pm (tickets are on sale now).
