Director's Note
Thank you for attending 'Liberty Madness: Scenes from a Revolution.' It has been our privilege to create this play in one of the most artistically and politically engaged communities in the world, and we are excited to share it with you. Everyone knows that New Jersey was the 'crossroads' of the American Revolution. It falls to us to try and capture the spirit and confusion of the times, so that the play feels more like a lived experience rather than a rote exercise in historical dates and names. The county has asked us to center our story on the most famous divided family in the entire war: the brilliant, famous, and demanding Benjamin Franklin, and his noble, tragic, star-crossed son, William.
Benjamin Franklin first travelled to 'the Jerseys' in 1728 as a young printer with the lucrative assignment of supplying the colony with paper money. Some historians have speculated that it was in New Jersey that he sired his son William Franklin in 1729 or 1730. To save his son from the label of 'bastard,' Benjamin adopted William, and never revealed the identity of his mother to William or to anyone else.
At the age of 42 Benjamin Franklin retired from printing in order to assume the higher station of 'a retired gentleman.' In colonial America (and in all of Europe) it was widely believed that those occupied with a 'trade' could never assume the disinterested, virtuous character necessary for someone worthy of political power. (Even today, we hear politicians claim that they won't be tempted to steal while in office because 'I'm already rich.')
Benjamin Franklin then embarked on an astounding number of enterprises, including the founding of the state militia (no easy task in a government run by pacificist Quakers), establishing the University of Pennsylvania, creating the American philosophical society, and organizing the first American postal service.
Most importantly, perhaps, he conducted a series of electrical experiments that would make him one of the most famous people on Earth. His experiment with a kite in an thunderstorm, for example, demonstrated that lightning and electricity were the same phenomena. He invented the lightning rod to reduce the risk of fire, as well as a 'Franklin stove' for more efficient heating. In all these endeavors, his son William was his closest confidant and assistant.
For all his perspicacity, Benjamin Franklin did not predict the American Revolution -- it took him and his son almost completely by surprise.
For the Franklins, the first hint of danger came in 1763. It was supposedly the end of the French and Indian War, but a mob of Scotch-Irish frontiersmen descended on a peaceful, assimilated band of Native Americans in modern day Lancaster County, and slaughtered every man, woman, and child. Then they turned towards Philadelphia, clubs and guns in hand, in order to murder a group of Christian Lenape hiding in the city.
The Pennsylvania elites sent two of their best representatives to confront the mob: retired printer and scientist Benjamin Franklin, and his son, William. The 'Paxton Boys' turned back after the Franklins promised to report their grievances (racist hatred, really) back to the King and parliament.
As often happens to politically active individuals, the Franklins soon found themselves trusted by no one. They were too violent for the Quakers, too pacificist for the frontiersmen, and too American for the elite landholders of Pennsylvania. Like many Americans before and since, the Franklins decided to decamp to London. Benjamin embarked on a fruitless effort to allow the colonies to tax American lands whose titles were held in London pockets.
William Franklin, meanwhile, sired a son out of wedlock (just like his father), and then married a wealthy young woman named Elizabeth. William studied law and stayed beside his father until he obtained the post of Royal Governor of New Jersey. After William returned to America, his father stumbled into a series of political scandals that alienated him from the London society he had craved for so long. It was at this point that Benjamin became a revolutionary, while his loyal son, William, remained in the service of the crown.
In 2026 our nation commemorates America’s 250th anniversary. Thinkery & Verse and Middlesex County invite visitors to explore a deeper, more complex story of the American Revolution. Together with historians, artists, and citizens from across the county, we present the Revolution not simply as a fight for independence, but as an eight-year civil war that divided our community and destroyed whole families.
We hope that Liberty Madness inspires, provokes, and entertains you.
With sincere appreciation, J.M. Meyer and Karen Alvarado, Co-Artistic Directors.
Benjamin Franklin first travelled to 'the Jerseys' in 1728 as a young printer with the lucrative assignment of supplying the colony with paper money. Some historians have speculated that it was in New Jersey that he sired his son William Franklin in 1729 or 1730. To save his son from the label of 'bastard,' Benjamin adopted William, and never revealed the identity of his mother to William or to anyone else.
At the age of 42 Benjamin Franklin retired from printing in order to assume the higher station of 'a retired gentleman.' In colonial America (and in all of Europe) it was widely believed that those occupied with a 'trade' could never assume the disinterested, virtuous character necessary for someone worthy of political power. (Even today, we hear politicians claim that they won't be tempted to steal while in office because 'I'm already rich.')
Benjamin Franklin then embarked on an astounding number of enterprises, including the founding of the state militia (no easy task in a government run by pacificist Quakers), establishing the University of Pennsylvania, creating the American philosophical society, and organizing the first American postal service.
Most importantly, perhaps, he conducted a series of electrical experiments that would make him one of the most famous people on Earth. His experiment with a kite in an thunderstorm, for example, demonstrated that lightning and electricity were the same phenomena. He invented the lightning rod to reduce the risk of fire, as well as a 'Franklin stove' for more efficient heating. In all these endeavors, his son William was his closest confidant and assistant.
For all his perspicacity, Benjamin Franklin did not predict the American Revolution -- it took him and his son almost completely by surprise.
For the Franklins, the first hint of danger came in 1763. It was supposedly the end of the French and Indian War, but a mob of Scotch-Irish frontiersmen descended on a peaceful, assimilated band of Native Americans in modern day Lancaster County, and slaughtered every man, woman, and child. Then they turned towards Philadelphia, clubs and guns in hand, in order to murder a group of Christian Lenape hiding in the city.
The Pennsylvania elites sent two of their best representatives to confront the mob: retired printer and scientist Benjamin Franklin, and his son, William. The 'Paxton Boys' turned back after the Franklins promised to report their grievances (racist hatred, really) back to the King and parliament.
As often happens to politically active individuals, the Franklins soon found themselves trusted by no one. They were too violent for the Quakers, too pacificist for the frontiersmen, and too American for the elite landholders of Pennsylvania. Like many Americans before and since, the Franklins decided to decamp to London. Benjamin embarked on a fruitless effort to allow the colonies to tax American lands whose titles were held in London pockets.
William Franklin, meanwhile, sired a son out of wedlock (just like his father), and then married a wealthy young woman named Elizabeth. William studied law and stayed beside his father until he obtained the post of Royal Governor of New Jersey. After William returned to America, his father stumbled into a series of political scandals that alienated him from the London society he had craved for so long. It was at this point that Benjamin became a revolutionary, while his loyal son, William, remained in the service of the crown.
In 2026 our nation commemorates America’s 250th anniversary. Thinkery & Verse and Middlesex County invite visitors to explore a deeper, more complex story of the American Revolution. Together with historians, artists, and citizens from across the county, we present the Revolution not simply as a fight for independence, but as an eight-year civil war that divided our community and destroyed whole families.
We hope that Liberty Madness inspires, provokes, and entertains you.
With sincere appreciation, J.M. Meyer and Karen Alvarado, Co-Artistic Directors.
Cast
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Tom Drummer (Benjamin Franklin) - Born in Middlesex County, Tom is excited to be delving into New Jersey history while exploring the life of the remarkable Benjamin Franklin. And he is grateful to do it alongside the remarkable creative team at Thinkery & Verse. Recently, Tom has worked with the Provincetown Tennessee Williams Festival in productions of Orpheus Descending (Sheriff Talbot), one of which was directed by Austin Pendleton. Also at the festival and Off-Broadway, was The Mutilated (Bernie, Pious Queen). More recently, he appeared as Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, in Annie (ensemble), in It’s a Wonderful Life (as the guy who punches George Bailey!) and as Templeton the Rat in Charlotte's Web, all at Somerset Valley Players. Doing original works by Ben Clawson with Strange Dog Theatre and new plays at Chatham Players annual Jersey Voices One-Act Festival are some other highlights for Tom.
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Alexander Sculli (William Franklin) is a NYC/Tri-State area-based actor, writer, and filmmaker. He won “Best Actor” at the International Gombrowicz Festival in Radom, Poland for his performance of Henrik in "The Marriage". Most recently, he played “Sir Grover Drake Billes” in Aquila Theatre Company’s National Tour of Hound of the Baskervilles. Alex graduated with a BFA in Acting from Rutgers: Mason Gross School of the Arts where he trained and performed at Shakespeare’s Globe in London. He is also the founder of Mindful Lion Films where his debut short (Getting There) was selected at Cannes Film Festival, Barcelona Film Festival, Tokyo Film Festival, and several others worldwide. Recent credits include, Westhampton (Official Tribeca Selection) starring Finn Wittrock and RJ Mitte.
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Carl Muhler (Liberty Madness/Colonel Neilson) is a performer and director from Freehold, New Jersey specializing in opera, experimental theater, and unstaged vocal music. A graduate of both the BM and MM program at Rutgers University, Carl has since continued developing his artistry as an operatic baritone whilst also venturing into new territory as a director and as performer of non-musical works. Recent highlights include music directing and performing the role of Malcolm in Shakespeare’s Macbeth with Thinkery and Verse, and being the associate director for Opera Theater Rutgers’s double bill of Dark Sisters by Nico Muhly and Der Kaiser von Atlantis by Viktor Ullmann in which he also sang the role of Der Tod. Other opera credits include Maximilian in Candide, Schaunard in La bohème, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, and Peter Quince in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In addition to operatic work Carl is the cantor at the College Ave Reformed Church in New Brunswick.
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Kaitlin Ormerod Hutson (Elizabeth Downes Franklin) is a New Jersey-based actor with an MFA in Acting from Rutgers’ Mason Gross School of the Arts. Previous credits include: Macbeth, Holiday Spirits, Comedy of Errors, Thou Shalt Not (Thinkery & Verse); Click Here (to Start Your Order) (coLAB Arts); Julius Caesar, An Octoroon, Five Times In One Night (Rutgers Theater Company); Speed-the-Plow, The Tortoise and the Hare (FSU School of Theater). Much thanks and love to Karen, Johnny, Madison, and the entire “Madness Mob,” without whose work and dedication none of this would be possible: and to Alice and Margot, for being never-ending sources of joy and inspiration.
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Celine Dirkes (Matthias/American Player) is a NJ-Based Actor and teaching artist. They have performed previously with Thinkery & Verse in Thou Shalt Not as Charlotte Mills in 2019 and Jane Gibson & others in 2022. During the pandemic they filled various roles in several of Thinkery & Verse’s virtual projects including Ghost Hunt, Decameron 2020, and Macabaret. They have also served as a historical interpreter at the East Jersey Old Town Village demonstrating colonial brickmaking techniques. They wish to thank their parents for their ongoing support!
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Lazarus Simmons (Loyalist captain/lead puppeteer/assistant stage management) Lazarus Simmons is an actor, producer, and educator whose artistry has been shaped by a lifelong relationship with theater. Born in Missouri and trained at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (BA in Dramatic Art) and Rutgers University (MFA in Acting), his work moves fluidly across stage, film, teaching, and community building. He is a founding member of First Fight Films and Brick Factory, and currently serves as Program Coordinator for the Rutgers Theater Department, where he mentors students, produces major events, and advocates for an arts culture rooted in growth and connection. Previously for Thinkery & Verse: Holiday Spirits, Thou Shalt Not, Dinah, Comedy of (T)Errors, An American Macbeth.
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Jace Pastras (Temple Franklin, son of William/Tory Boy) is an actor, director, and choreographer interested in collaborative new forms of storytelling. He has a BFA in Acting from Montclair State University with a minor in Creative Writing. He made his professional directorial debut with a production of The Last Five Years at Blue Fire Theatricals, a Bergen County-based theater company. In New Brunswick, he was a co-creator on the last two iterations of the TrueSelves project at coLAB Arts. He also works with Swan Dive Theater Collective, producing an annual short play festival in Montclair. Jace is a transmasc multidisciplinary artist who is inspired by art's power to heal and cultivate community. He is thrilled to be a part of his first Thinkery and Verse production, Liberty Madness!
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Katie McKenna Mestres (she/her) (Jazzy/American player) is excited to be making her Thinkery & Verse debut with Liberty Madness. She holds two Master’s degrees (MLitt and MFA) from Mary Baldwin University ‘s Shakespeare & Performance program as well as a Bachelor's in Theatre Education from Kean University. College credits: Honest Woman's Revenge, (Levidulcia/Borachio/others), A Midsummer’s Night Dream (Puck), Pippin (Fastrada), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Schwarzy), RENT (Maureen), You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Sally). Community Credits: Evil Dead: The Musical (Cheryl), Little Shop of Horrors (Audrey), Urinetown (Bobby Strong), Kiss Me, Kate, (Bianca/Lois), Once Upon a Mattress, (Fred). She is very grateful to Karen for inviting her to join this family and to the rest of the cast and crew for their hard work and passion on this amazing project.
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Blessing Ogbor (Tory Boy, American Player) is a doctoral student in vocal performance at Rutgers University. She holds a Master of Music degree from James Madison University and has worked with various opera and production companies. Her performance experience includes major roles in plays, musicals, opera scenes and full productions such as Sesto in La clemenza di Tito, Constance in King John, the Abbess in Suor Angelica, Rosina in The Barber of Seville, Dido in Dido and Aeneas, Maria Callas in Jackie O, Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Kendra Smith in Hubcity’s Opera and Dance production of The Cook-off, among others. Blessing is building a diverse and exciting career as an actor and opera performer. She is elated to join Thinkery and Verse in this Performance!
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Tyler Conroy (Liberty Boy/Weatherspoon) is thrilled to be making his debut with Thinkery & Verse. Credits include: Dewey Finn in School of Rock, Jesus in Godspell, and William Barfeé in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Tyler is a graduate of Rutgers University. He would like to thank the entire production team and cast of Liberty Madness for their hard work and dedication. He would also like to thank his family and friends, specifically his sister Carly and brother in law Chris, and friend Bobby, who without he would not have been able to make this happen. LGM!
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Jaden Grant Wyche (Mariner, rebel pirate captain) is excited to perform in his first production with Thinkery & Verse. He was most recently in a production of Ruined by Lynn Nottage at Mason Gross School of the Arts. Jaden is currently pursuing a BFA in Acting at Mason Gross. He wants to thank his parents and sister for supporting his theatrical endeavors and college education.
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Rebecca Madeira (vocalist/musician/folely) previously appeared in the title role of Thinkery & Verse's workshop production of Rita, the Cleaning Lady at Rutgers Mason Gross. She also appeared in the world premiere of A Wrinkle in Time at Arena Stage in Washington DC, directed by Lee Sunday Evans and written by Heather Christian and Lauren Yee. When not on stage, she performs with the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, performing with the Celtic Revels band and causing mischief as a fae spirit.
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Ari Fiekowsky (cellist/musician) is an up-and-coming cellist performing all over the tri-state area. She grew up in East Brunswick, then went on to study cello and education at Kean University. Ari frequently plays in musicals like Newsies, Les Miserables, Pippin, Into The Woods, and more. She uses her cello to blend and experiment with improvisation in genres like rock, jazz, and pop music. She performs classically as Principal Cellist of both the Richmond County Orchestra and the Newark Chamber Ensemble.
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Sophia Feggulis (stage management)
Crew
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Ashley Basile (scenographer) is a two time Basie award winning designer from Central New Jersey, with a degree in Set Design from Mason Gross School of the Arts, as well as certified in Fine Arts & Asian Art at Sotheby’s Institute of Art. Recent works include Selling Kabul with Premiere Stages (2023), La Boheme with Amore Opera at The Center at West Park (2023),The Tiring House’s production of The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (2023), Thinkery & Verse’s production(s): Bride of the Gulf (2017-2018), the historical adaptations of the Hall-Miles Murders; Thou Shalt Not (2019-22), Holiday Spirits (2023), Comedy of (T)Errors (2024), and an American Macbeth (2025).
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Sarah Woods (lighting designer) graduated from Rutgers Mason Gross with a BFA in lighting design. She previously designed Thinkery & Verse's 2022 production of Thou Shalt Not at the Assembly Hall.
Chloe Ditloff (projection designer) is a freelance lighting designer and assistant based in Jersey City. She is a recent graduate of the Mason Gross School of the Arts where she received her BFA in Lighting Design.
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Devon Borkowski (illustrator) is an artist, actor, and writer from the Rappahannock Tribe. In 2022 she graduated from Rutgers University with a BFA in Visual Art. Since then she’s been traveling the country painting, performing in theaters, working on her novel, and giving talks at Universities about Indigenous history and heritage. She has done consultation work on Indigenous issues for a variety of organizations, including the Virginia Museum of Fine Art, and she is deeply passionate about educating on Native life and culture. Nir Rappahannock PaTio’llNiiNi, Tsenacomoco Niir Ne Na Wah. Kenah CeWaanTah, and Kenah to her family, friends and tribe for their endless support of all her endeavors.
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Pauline Yuo Le (prop designer)
Josh Coslar (fight choreographer) is a Newark based martial artist and fight choreographer. He provides professional training and rental equipment to theater companies throughout the tri-state area.
About
THINKERY & VERSE
Thinkery & Verse seek to perform classically inspired, politically aware plays that challenge us to be empowered, globally-oriented citizens with a keen awareness of the high stakes of modern life. While our primary mission is to create new plays, one of our key creative methods is to perform our plays in repertory with classic works, thereby challenging our writers and actors to achieve new heights of creativity and aesthetics.
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Thinkery & Verse LLC is a sponsored project of coLab Arts. coLAB Arts generates community-powered projects and seeks to create an art scene using new and established spaces. Its work takes place in community rooms, houses of worship, parking lots, schools, bars, and backyards. A “let’s get it done” work ethic and flair for mischief colors coLAB Arts’ aesthetic and an emphasis on community engagement and professional development defines its commitment to the arts. To learn more about coLab Arts, or to make a donation in support of Thinkery & Verse, please visit their website.
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Thinkery & Verse LLC is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the charitable purposes of Thinkery & Verse must be made payable to Fractured Atlas only and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. To learn more about Fractured Altas, or to make a donation in support of Thinkery & Verse, please visit their website.
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About the Co-Artistic Directors
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After first establishing herself as an artist in Texas, Karen Eliza Alvarado completed her training through the Rutgers Mason Gross MFA Acting program. Back in Austin, her production of Shakespeare's "Titus Andronicus" was named one of the top-ten plays of the season in The Austin Chronicle, and while at Rutgers Mason Gross she earned the Phillip J. Levin scholarship. Her direction of "Bride of the Gulf" at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe led to four-star reviews from The Scotsman and The List UK. In 2022 The New York Times credited her performances in Ibsen's "Hedda Gabler" and Shakespeare's "The Winter's Tale" for their clarity and craftsmanship.
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J. M. Meyer's work as a playwright and an actor has been featured in the BBC Online, Austin Chronicle, The Austin American-Statesman, Atelier Gardens - Berlin, KUT radio, and Humanities Magazine. He served as the associate artistic director of BEDLAM, the celebrated off-Broadway theater company, for the productions of Medea: Re-Versed, Wake Up, Tina Packer's Women of Will, and Music City.
His stage play "American Volunteers" won the 2010 Mitchell Award at the University of Texas, and subsequently made the long-list for the Dylan Thomas Prize in the United Kingdom. The Austin American-Statesman cited the play as the first reckon with the first to reckon with the American war in Afghanistan. He performed at the White House thanks to Aquila Theatre's ongoing outreach program, "Ancient Greeks/Modern Lives." His plays have also received support from The Middlesex County Art Institute, the Center for Hellenic Studies at Harvard University, the Heyman Center for the Humanities at Columbia University, The Great Plains Theatre Conference, the Cohen New Works Festival, Austin Scriptworks, University Co-Op, Fort Pointe Theatre Channel, and Frontera Fest. In 2015 he performed with the Veteran Artist Project at the Lincoln Center Home Show. In 2016 he performed off-Broadway in Sophocles' Philoctetes with Aquila Theatre. In 2017 he served as a playwright-performer in Aquila Theatre's national tour and off-Broadway show, Our Trojan War. In the spring of 2016 he began a six-month fellowship with BEDLAM theatre thanks to the Mission Continues project. Much of John's artistry draws on his work in conflict zones including Afghanistan, Iraq, Guatemala, Mexico, and (increasingly) the United States. |
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Thank you
Thank you Middlesex County for providing us with an artistic home!
Thank you, Lindsay Erben, Jared Cardenas, Mark Nonestied, Sarah Ferreira, Manda Gorsegner for their hard work, creativity, and comradery!
Thank you, Matthew Stroh for inviting us to go on this journey four years ago!
Thank you Maxine Lurie and Flora Boros for your research and guidance! We encourage everyone to visit the Cornelius Lowe House!
Thank you, Anne and Ridley enslowmusic.com/ for teaching us about the history of music during the revolutionary era!
Thank you, Mariah Hale and Hank Hale for your artistry, thoughtful craftsmanship, and expertise in historical costuming and props.
Thank you, Warden Marge Koleser, Jr. Warden Victor Beckley, and the community at the Church of Saint John the Evangelist in New Brunswick, New Jersey for providing us with free rehearsal space and subsidized housing for artists and community engagement volunteers!
Thank you Nayla and Steve Caruso, Rebecca Kunkel, Brian and Maureen Benschoter, Laura and Brian Leverett, Susan Huslage, Michelle Bacorn, Isto Barton, for your tremendous friendship and support for our work! Thank you to Louis and Debbie Alvarado for taking such great care of our team!
Thank you, Lindsay Erben, Jared Cardenas, Mark Nonestied, Sarah Ferreira, Manda Gorsegner for their hard work, creativity, and comradery!
Thank you, Matthew Stroh for inviting us to go on this journey four years ago!
Thank you Maxine Lurie and Flora Boros for your research and guidance! We encourage everyone to visit the Cornelius Lowe House!
Thank you, Anne and Ridley enslowmusic.com/ for teaching us about the history of music during the revolutionary era!
Thank you, Mariah Hale and Hank Hale for your artistry, thoughtful craftsmanship, and expertise in historical costuming and props.
Thank you, Warden Marge Koleser, Jr. Warden Victor Beckley, and the community at the Church of Saint John the Evangelist in New Brunswick, New Jersey for providing us with free rehearsal space and subsidized housing for artists and community engagement volunteers!
Thank you Nayla and Steve Caruso, Rebecca Kunkel, Brian and Maureen Benschoter, Laura and Brian Leverett, Susan Huslage, Michelle Bacorn, Isto Barton, for your tremendous friendship and support for our work! Thank you to Louis and Debbie Alvarado for taking such great care of our team!