Black Box Chronicles: Dramatic Disturbance was inspired by the Psychological Portrait show at Hudson Valley MOCA. Twelve Playwrights were selected out of almost 200 submissions by The Studio Theater in Exile Writing the Walls short plays, 2026, committee. Quint Spitzer, New Rochelle is co-producing the series with Jeremy Gratt, Producer, and Mara Mills, Artistic Director of STIE. The playwrights come from Westchester and the NY Metro area.
Participants Marie Wall, Ed Friedman, Katerina Spilio, Eric Percival, Bruce Apar and Grace O'Malley are residents or work in Peekskill or Cortlandt, the rest of the cast and directors are from the Hudson Valley, New Rochelle, and Nyack, N.Y. Gerry Micera, who is acting and directing is the theater and choral director at Putnam High School in Putnam Valley.
Writing the Walls began in 2005, using the incredible contemporary artwork from exhibits at Hudson Valley MOCA as inspiration. The concept of using art as inspiration for writing is not new, but for 21 years HVMOCA has redefined the process, using the artwork as inspiration to write poems or plays. Writing the Walls allows the audience, who walks through the gallery to enter the theater, to develop anew appreciation of the intersection of narration, art, and interpretation. “And,” says, Mara Mills, who created Writing the Walls with Livia Straus, co-founder of HVMOCA, “It is always a celebration of the talent and imagination of our community.”
Playwrights: Jack Rushton, Bette Siler, Ed Friedman, Derek Tarson, Ruth Apolonia Zamoyta, SC Stowe, Steve Gold, Laurie Treacy, Liz Burk, Brian Petti, Bara Swain, and Ric Siler
Directors: Mara Mills, Derek Tarson, Robin Jareth, Quint Spitzer, Ed Friedman, and Gerry Micera
Actors: Bruce Apar, Gavino Olvera, Marie Wall, Benna Strober, Nick Byrne, Eric Percival, Julian Hargrove, Kelly Kirby, Kristy O'Driscoll, Elizabeth Mialaret, Misti Tindiglia, Derek Tarson, Ed Friedman, Debbie Buchsbaum, Brian Bagot, Katerina Spilio, Grace O'Malley, Chasity Perez, and Gerry Micera
Producer, Jeremy Gratt
Artistic Director, Mara Mills
Co-Producer 2026 Short Plays, Quint Spitzer
Stage Manager 2026 Short Plays, Carrie Ford
