Theatre NOVA’s Next Play Mixes the Personal with the Political: “Death of a Driver” by Will Snider

ANN ARBOR: Theatre NOVA, Ann Arbor’s resident nonprofit professional theatre, is thrilled to announce the Michigan Premiere of “Death of a Driver” by Will Snider. The production runs from May 17 to June 9, 2024.

Sarah is an American engineer, and Kennedy is an East African driver. When Sarah moves to Kenya to build a highway, they strike up a friendship with a shared mission to transform rural Kenya. However, a local election dispute tests their alliance, and they clash over the realities of doing good abroad.

Directed by Shelby R. Seeley, “Death of a Driver” by Will Snider features Sarah B. Stevens and Jalen Wilson-Nelem. The production and design team includes scenic designer Amanda Bates, lighting designer Jeff Alder, costume designer Micha Mallett, sound designer Kennikki Jones-Jones, properties designer Carla Milarch, accent coach Lynnae Lehfeldt, intimacy coordinator Kat Walsh, and stage manager Briana O’Neal.

Proud to produce the hottest new plays at affordable prices, Theatre NOVA offers a subscription program as the best way to see quality programs at a discounted price. Subscribers save on single ticket prices and guarantee their seats for all six plays through August 2024. Subscribers get easy exchanges, no per-ticket fees, a pass to our Michigan Playwright’s Festival, and our eNewsletter, keeping them up to date on future events at the theatre. If patrons prefer to pick and choose which productions they’d like to see and when to see them, our popular Flex Pass offers six tickets for any show and any date.

*Sarah Stevens and Jalen Wilson-Nelem in “Death of a Driver” by Will Snider, directed by Shelby R. Seeley at Theatre NOVA. Photograph by Sean Carter Photography.*

All Thursday performances will be mask-required to provide a safe space for our immunocompromised patrons and those who want a higher level of risk mitigation. We review this policy regularly. It is subject to change at any time, following local, state, and federal guidelines. Please check our current COVID-19 policy before your scheduled performance date.

Theatre NOVA is located at 410 W Huron St, Ann Arbor, MI 48103. Performances are on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. General admission tickets for plays are $28. Theatre NOVA continues to make theatre accessible by offering pay-what-you-can tickets for those who need them. The general public may purchase tickets, memberships, flex passes, and subscriptions online at www.TheatreNOVA.org. Tickets may also be purchased in person one hour before each performance. Seating in the theatre will begin 30 minutes before each performance.

There is ample free parking and quick access to the city’s restaurants, bars, bakeries, and coffee shops. New patrons can find Theatre NOVA across Huron Street from Ann Arbor’s YMCA through a parking lot entrance on the north side of the street. For more information, visit www.TheatreNOVA.org.

Theatre NOVA’s mission is to raise awareness of the value and excitement of new plays and playwrights and to provide resources for playwrights to develop their craft by importing, exporting, and developing new work.

Will Snider (Playwright) is a playwright from Washington, D.C. His play “How to Use a Knife” received a Rolling World Premiere through the National New Play Network, won Philadelphia’s Barrymore Award for Outstanding New Play, and was a finalist for a PEN Center USA Literary Award. It received productions at Mixed Blood, InterAct Theatre Company, Shattered Globe Theatre, Capital Stage, Unicorn Theatre, Phoenix Theatre, Horizon Theatre Company, and Florida Studio Theatre. Other plays include “Death of a Driver” (Urban Stages, NYC; Salt Lake Acting Company; InterAct Theatre Company; Theatre Nova), The Big Man (Ensemble Studio Theatre’s 35th Marathon of One-Act Plays), and “Strange Men” (PlayPenn Haas Fellowship). His work has been developed at MCC Theater, NNPN National Showcase of New Plays, The Kennedy Center, SPACE on Ryder Farm, Salt Lake Acting Company, SERIALS @theflea, the claque, and Makehouse. He is an alumnus of Youngblood and received an EST/Soan Grant and The Kennedy Center’s Paula Vogel Playwriting Award. He earned a B.A. in History from Columbia with a specialization in post-colonial East African political history and spent three years working in agricultural microfinance in Kenya and Ethiopia before earning an MFA in Playwriting from UCSD.

Shelby R. Seeley (Director) is a Yale-certified director and new work developer from “Downriver” Michigan. She has directed for the Flint Repertory Theatre New Works Festival, Open Book Theatre Company, Planet Ant, The Penny Seats Theatre Company, and Renaissance City Repertory Theatre. Shelby won Outstanding Production of 2022 at the Fresh Fruit Festival in NYC for Producing “Sassafras and the Captain.” She has professional acting (University of Michigan’s CRLT Players, Michigan Shakespeare Festival Interstate Touring Company, The Call of the Void Podcast) and teaching experience (Middle School Director of Theatre, 2017-2023). Currently, she is serving as Associate Artistic Director & Literary Manager at Theatre Nova in Ann Arbor, MI. She wants to thank the wonderful creative team for all their support, and Justin and Sarah for their trust. Instagram: @shelbyrseeley, website: shelbyrseeley.com

FACT SHEET
WHO:
Sarah: Sarah B. Stevens
Kennedy: Jalen Wilson-Nelem

PRODUCTION TEAM:
Director: Shelby R. Seeley
Stage Manager: Briana O’Neal
Set design: Amanda Bates
Lighting design: Jeff Alder
Costume design: Micha Mallett
Sound design: Kennikki Jones-Jones
Props design: Carla Milarch

Accent coach: Lynnae Lehfeldt

Intimacy Coordinator: Kat Walsh

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
“Death of a Driver” by Will Snider
May 17-June 9, 2024
Fri., May 17, 8:00 p.m. Opening Night
Sat., May 18, 8:00 p.m.
Sun., May 19, 2:00 p.m.
Thurs., May 23, 8:00 p.m. – audience masked
Fri., May 24, 8:00 p.m.
Sat., May 25, 8:00 p.m.
Sun., May 26, 2:00 p.m.
Thurs., May 30, 8:00 p.m. – audience masked
Fri., May 31, 8:00 p.m.
Sat., June 1, 8:00 p.m.
Sun., June 2, 2:00 p.m.
Thurs., June 6, 8:00 p.m. – audience masked
Fri., June 7, 8:00 p.m.
Sat., June 8, 8:00 p.m.
Sun., June 9, 2:00 p.m.