SEASON 33 | June & July 2021
Annie Jump and the Library of Heaven
by Reina Hardy
directed by Marcus McQuirter and Rudy Ramirez
presented by The VORTEX, Six Square Austin’s Black Cultural Center, and the George Washington Carver Museum, Cultural, and Genealogy Center
A National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere
“. . . a stellar evening of theatre that takes the best elements of contemporary cultural references, social media, and pop science and turns them into something more than the sum of those parts—an out-of-this-world, all-ages celebration of nerdiness, empowerment, and love.” — DC Theatre Scene
Annie Jump is not your normal 13-year old. She’s starting high school a year early, her dad is obsessed with aliens, and an intergalactic super computer has manifested in the form of a teen-queen mean girl to tell her that she’s been chosen to lead humanity into the stars. The good news is she’s a science genius who’s already faced off against bullies, trolls, and the boy who maybe kinda likes her. The bad news is saving the world could mean giving up everything she’s ever known and the person she loves the most.
Acclaimed playwright Reina Hardy (Changelings, Stars and Barmen, The Afterparty) returns to The VORTEX with her first National New Play Network Rolling World premiere, bringing her trademark brand of magic and humor to this coming-of-age adventure for everyone who’s ever looked up at the stars and dreamed. This remarkable play engages young adults and audiences of all ages, bringing science and imagination into the theatre.
“An adventure that takes you to the very edge of existence and back. Though wide in scope, it tells an intimate story about the potential that lies in all of us . . . This is a play that fervently believes in the necessity of both individualism and community, and it tells a colorful, delightful tale without sacrificing its deeper themes of isolation . . .”
We are excited to receive a grant from The Texas Commission on the Arts Cultural District Funding to bring tourists from outside of Austin into Six Square Austin’s Black Cultural District for Annie Jump and the Library of Heaven. In partnership with Six Square and the Carver Museum, The VORTEX will be offering supplemental, pre-show activities that the whole family can participate in. These activities will focus on BIPOC women in science and more!
Production Team
Directed by Marcus McQuirter and Rudy Ramirez. Dramaturgy and Outreach by Indiia Wilmott. Stage Management by Clarissa Smith. Scenic Design by Megan Kemp. Lighting Design by Patrick Anthony. Costume Design by Desireé Humphries. Sound Design by Johann Solo. Graphic Design by Brian Whitfield. Production Management by Teresa Cruz. Melissa Vogt, Managing Director. Bonnie Cullum, Producing Artistic Director.
ABOUT THE PLaywright
Reina Hardy's plays, which usually contain magic and sometimes contain science, have been produced in Chicago, NYC, Austin and DC. They include Glassheart (Rorsharch Theater and Shrewd Productions), Changelings, (The VORTEX), and A Map to Somewhere Else (Everyday Inferno, NYC). Honors include: Michener Fellowship, National New Play Network New Play Showcase, Source Festival, Kennedy Center MFA Playwrights Workshop, Interact 20/20 Commission, Kennedy Center ACTF TYA PRIZE. Publications include: Best American Short Plays, 2012-2013,”and Best Scenes for Two Actors, Applause, Best Stage Monologues for Men, 60 Seconds to Shine, and the upcoming 105 5-Minute Plays for Study and Performance, from Smith and Kraus. 2018-20: the world premiere of Fanatical, in London, new productions of Stargazers in Michigan and Australia, the second production of Susan Swayne and the Bewildered Bride in Cincinnati, the college premiere of Midnite with Notre Dame College of Ohio, the Texas premiere of The Other Felix with Echo Theatre in Dallas, and the NNPN Rolling World Premiere of Annie Jump and the Library of Heaven in Milwaukee, WI; Washington, DC; Austin, TX, Ridgefield, CT, Alfred, NY and Arcadia, PA. MFA: Michener Center at UT Austin.
ABOUT THE VORTEX
A leader in the growth of the arts and economic stability in Austin, The VORTEX thrives as a unique regional theatre. Our ensemble creates aesthetically diverse world premiere plays and musicals with hundreds of awards for artistic excellence. As a cultural harbor in Six Square Austin’s Black Cultural Arts District, The VORTEX provides a community destination with a spacious Butterfly Sanctuary, food and drink, and an outdoor stage. The VORTEX serves as a catalyst for change, providing theatrical art characterized by direct impact. We engage in radical transformation through edge-walking artistic creations and innovations. Our venue and culture support expanding circles of inclusive community. As a fearless theatre exchange for a shifting age, The VORTEX stimulates inquiry and challenges white supremacy. Our anti-racist lens reflects diversity of people and voices of the BIPOC global majority. As change-makers and truth-tellers for more than three decades, The VORTEX challenges the destructive cycles of industrial society striving for an equitable, life-sustaining civilization. Sustainability centers Earth at our foundation as we envision a green new theatre.
ABOUT NNPN
National New Play Network is an alliance of professional theaters that collaborate in innovative ways to develop, produce, and extend the life of new plays. Since its founding in 1998, NNPN has supported more than 250 productions nationwide through its innovative National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere program, which provides playwright and production support for new works at its Member theaters. Additional programs - its annual National Conference, National Showcase of New Plays, and MFA Playwrights Workshop; the NNPN Annual and Smith Prize commissions; its residencies for playwrights, producers and directors; and the organization’s member accessed Collaboration, Festival, and Travel banks and online information sessions - have helped cement the Network’s position as a vital force in the new play landscape. NNPN also strives to pioneer, implement, and disseminate ideas and programs that revolutionize the way theaters collaborate to support new plays and playwrights. NNPN's New Play Exchange is changing the way playwrights share their work and others discover it by providing immediate access to information on nearly 40,000 new plays by living writers. NNPN’s Core and Associate Members - along with more than 325 Affiliated Artists who are its programmatic alumni, and the professionals and patrons who comprise its Ambassadors Council - are creating the new American theater.
The VORTEX is a Core Member of the National New Play Network. Annie Jump and the Library of Heaven is produced by The VORTEX as a part of a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere. Other partnering theatres are Renaissance Theaterworks (Milwaukee, Wisconsin), Rorschach Theatre (Washington, DC), and Thrown Stone Theatre Company (Ridgefield, Connecticut). For more information please visit nnpn.org.
Annie Jump and the Library of Heaven is funded and supported in part by VORTEX Repertory Company, the National New Play Network, Texas Commission on the Arts Cultural District funding, Six Square Austin’s Black Cultural District, the George Washington Carver Museum, Cultural and Genealogy Center, the National Endowment for the Arts, and by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department.