Help Launch The Wërspirit at The Tank NYC

We're so excited to announce the New York premiere of The Wërspirit by E. Anselm Taylor. The Wërspirit is magically comic theatre piece that wonders about grief, living truthfully, and what happens when crows turn their immense power against each other. This production is E. Anselm Taylor, and Jeremiah Lara's full length debut as a writer and director duo respectively.

The Wërspirit will be presented at The Tank, a small, Manhattan-based non-profit arts presenter and producer serving emerging artists. Their goal is to remove economic barriers from the creation of new work for artists launching their careers or experimenting within their art form, while being inclusive and accessible. They keep ticket prices affordable, expanding the creation and attendance of the arts for a broad and diverse community.

Synopsis:

After their mother's death, Earnest returns to their hometown, where they are wrapped up between an ancient spirit's monthly hunt, a blood feud between two crows, and a begrudging reunion with an ex lover.

With your contributions we will:

Meet Our Team:

Jeremiah Lara (Director)

Jeremiah is a director from Austin, Texas. Jeremiah recently graduated from Southern Methodist University with a BFA in Theatre Studies. Jeremiah has a passion for developing new work, especially work that is unapologetically itself.

E. Anselm Taylor (Playwright, Earnest)

E. Anselm is a theatre artist and writer from Killeen, Texas. They hold a BFA in Theatre Studies from Southern Methodist University. Their short play Franz Kafka Gives Me Heartburn was featured by RE/VENUE at A.R.T/NY in April. They have also had readings at Imprint TheatreWorks and Outcry Theatre in Dallas. E. Anselm Loves anything absurd, and prioritizes humor in their storytelling. Insta: @ethantay.et

Drew Schoenhofer (Veronica/Johan)

Drew (she/her/hers) is an NYU Tisch Drama Major. She studied theatre for two years at Southern Methodist University before transferring to NYU. She is currently studying at the Experimental Theatre Wing. She loves creating through various mediums such as theatre, photography, and videography. She is grateful for her family, inspiring friends, and, most of all, Kitchen Table Productions. IG: drewschoenhofer

Laini Sharifi (Kate)

Laini is an actress and playwright who loves weird theatre. After three years of training at the Meisner Studio, she is about to graduate NYU with a BFA in drama and a minor in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies. Laini is currently workshopping a new original play called The Dirty Ladiez of P&P. Laini lives in the East Village with her two roommates, Drew and Natalie; she enjoys staying up late and reading weird plays at their kitchen table.

Giovanni Orozco (Terry)

Giovanni is an actor from Dallas, Texas with a BFA in Theatre Studies from SMU. He’s making his New York City theatre debut and is excited to see what comes next.

Griffin Shute (Phineas)

Griffin is an NYC-based actor originally from Surry, Maine. He recently appeared in 450 Minutes (Eugene O'Neill Theater Center), Franz Kafka Gives Me Heartburn (A.R.T/New York), and Three Sisters (Columbia University). He trained at Sarah Lawrence College, the Moscow Art Theater School, and the Terry Knickerbocker Studio. griffinshute.com

Tanner Pieper (The Wërspirit)

Tanner is a classically trained actor from Texas and a recent graduate of the BFA Acting program at SMU. His university credits include The Cake (Tim), The Winter’s Tale (Dion), and The Effect (Toby), along with student productions such as A Doll’s House, Part 2 (Torvald) and Mud (Lloyd). Tanner has performed with Shakespeare Dallas in Julius Caesar and recently appeared in several short plays at The Tank.

Larsen Nichols (Nadine)

Larsen (they/them) is a queer texan director, actor, producer, and theatre artist. Larsen is passionate about creating representation for queer people and other historically underrepresented individuals through work that pushes the boundaries of structure and form. Last year, they were a Directing & Dramaturgy Apprentice at Portland Stage in Maine, where they assistant directed for Kevin R. Free on Murder on the Links, and Peter Brown and Keith Powell Beyland on Angels in America Part II: Perestroika. Larsen has also worked at companies across the Dallas area including Dallas Theater Center, Theatre Three, and Second Thought. They hold a BFA in Theatre Studies with a concentration in directing and a BA in Spanish from Southern Methodist University. Larsen recently translated Oscar Wilde’s Salomé into Spanish and adapted it in conversation with Federico García Lorca’s poetry, setting the play in the Convivencia period in Southern Spain. More recently, they’ve been stockpiling matcha in response to the International Matcha Shortage. Instagram: @larsenlnichols

Thank your so much for your contributions, lookout for tickets and updates on our instagram: @thewerspirit