No Mercy
Maya, the only Latina in Trailblazer Championship Wrestling, has been dreaming of winning her first-ever TCW Championship for her entire life. Over the span of one night, Maya must face her white girlfriend, her white rival, her white boss, and the commercialization of acceptable racism in route to finally achieving her dream. No Mercy explores women's pro wrestling, legacy, family, queerness, being mixed-race, and cultural identity.
Read the current draft here.
“One thing is for certain SMJ is a playwright to watch.”
“I have not been in an audience so actively engaged in what they were seeing in a long time.”
“THOUGHT-PROVOKING — NO HOLDS BARRED”
“No Mercy is an incredible exploration of minority women navigating spaces where white women are the predominant presence and intersectionality is the last thing on their minds.”
“SMJ is excellent at writing dialogue that shows the complications of race, gender, bias, and discrimination in all avenues.”
CURRENTLY
No Mercy is currently being developed as a part of the American Theater Group’s 2023-2024 BIPOC PlayLab.
DEVELOPMENT HISTORY
The first public virtual reading of No Mercy took place in January 2022. The reading was directed by Britt Berke, line produced by Kelsi Parsons and Rachel Andres, and produced by Moxie Arts NY. The reading featured Alyssa Brown, Natalie Myrick, Chloé Lexia Worthington, MaryKathryn Kopp, and Henri Sudy.
A 29 Hour Workshop Reading of No Mercy, produced by Moxie Arts NY, took place from April 1-3, 2022, in New York City. The reading was directed by Nicole Orabona, with stage management by Emily Bubeck, dramaturgy by Juju Nieto, and line producing by Camille Thomas & Mikki Marvel. The reading featured Kayla Zanakis, Natalie Myrick, Chloé Lexia Worthington, Allyson Boate, and Ollie Corchado.
No Mercy had a workshop performance run as part of the 2022 Moxie Arts Incubator from July 7-10, 2022, at the DR2 Theatre in NYC. The Moxie Arts NY production was directed by Miranda Cornell, Alex Might, & SMJ with intimacy & fight direction by Alex Might, line producing by Natalie Rine & Angelica McEwan, and dramaturgy by Juju Nieto. The cast featured Kayla Zanakis, Chloé Lexia Worthington, Charlotte Vaughn Raines, and Maya Musial. With lighting design by Elizabeth M. Stewart, set design by Kailey Hays-Lenihan, sound design by Sasha Hawkins, costume design by Aryn Geier, and stage management by Aryn Geier and Ashley Milling, the production was executive produced by K. Hernandez Friend and Madelyn Paquette of Moxie Arts NY.
Workshop Production at DR2 Theatre (July 2022)
Poster Design by Kayla Zanakis