Hey! We're Jarrod Turnbull and Abby Messina, and we're co-producing a reading of an original play, Web by Jarrod Turnbull, in Spring 2026. This piece has been years in the making, and we're finally bringing it to New York with a phenomenal team.

That being said, we need your help bringing this tremendously important story about mental health and the cycles of trauma to life. We are seeking generous donations to help fund our performance spaces and incredibly talented cast and crew.

Anything you are able contribute would be a massive help to funding this piece of indie theatre. We also encourage you to join us at the reading to see the story your generous donation helped us realize.

If you donate to this play, we can offer you priority RSVP to our live reading, or a free link to the virtual recording! Either way, you will get the opportunity to provide your personal feedback on this piece and any thoughts you may have on its current iteration.

(Abby & Jarrod in one of Web's earliest iterations)

Our Mission with Web

Web is an unflinching story about the long-lasting effects of trauma, how a series of moments in time can pave the future can affect the effect the choices we make, even if those choices continue to hurt us time and time again.

Written, realized, and uplifted by femme and queer voices, this play allows us to catch a glimpse of the modern Gen-Z mental health experience: you might be able to identify your demons by their names in the DSM-5, but sometimes the web of trauma grows so sticky that it’s easier to curl up in a ball in the middle. Even if that means that unsuspecting flies get trapped in there, too.

We pride ourselves on being a creative team of emerging artists in and lifelong supporters of independent, non-profit theatre. We are also happy to share that we are all humans, meaning we do not use AI to assist, substitute, or generate any aspect of this production or any content associated with it. So when you support us, you are supporting art in its most honest form–it’s made by people!

Next Steps

With this reading, we are looking to bring this piece before an audience to get feedback in real time. We are looking for thoughts and constructive criticism, but also reactions from live people watching and listening to live actors.

A workshop production of Web is our next step after this reading. While the majority of the proceeds we are collecting will go towards reading production costs and actor pay, any additional contributions will be used to fund this next step.

What Your Contribution Does

Your contribution, no matter how big or small, not only funds this production and productions of this piece in the future, but it allows us to keep our art financially accessible to audiences of all backgrounds. In an age where much live theatre is only affordable to the few, we feel it is imperative that this work continues its legacy as art for the masses, not just the upper classes.

Your contribution also acts as support for the work we’re doing and the story we’re telling. Honest portrayals of mental health in media are often hard to find, and we believe that Web is an exception.

The first step in destigmatizing mental health struggles is to know what those struggles can truly look like, and how they can affect us as well as the people we love.

Ways You Can Help

Wanna support this piece, but are a bit intimidated as to where to start?

“BUY US A COFFEE”!

Every single dollar counts–even if it’s a single dollar! Consider “buying us a coffee” with your contribution. Whatever you would pay for a coffee, whether that be a bodega coffee or a Starbucks venti latte with oat milk and an extra pump of vanilla, consider donating that amount and sharing your caffeine boost with some indie art.

**Wanna donate via Venmo? No prob! Our handle is @JLT_2025. We'll reply back to confirm your donation.**

SHARE OUR INFO

If donating is not feasible for you at this time, no worries! Consider instead supporting us by sharing our information with your friends. Feel free to share this GoFundMe link, or even our Instagram handle: @web.anewplay

DONATION OF YOUR CHOICE

All donations of any size are more than welcome and appreciated. Whatever you feel compelled to donate is totally up to you!

Web by Jarrod Turnbull

"Web follows Maya, a stuck aspiring musician struggling to cope with a troubled childhood. Relying on resilience and their own maladaptive ways of coping to keep their head above water, Maya remains trapped and unable to move forward. Web is a story of survival and how our past scars can hinder growth and derail personal relationships."

March 13th + 14th @ 7pm

John Desotelle Studio

754 9th Avenue, 4th Floor

New York, NY 10019

Maya - Abby Messina

Macy - Michelle Chang

Carter - Jeff Adler

Becca - Grace Kaufman

Rachel - Taylor Reister

Stage Directions - Sarah Himadeh

Director - Jarrod Turnbull

Stage Manager - Samantha Greenlund

Co-Producers - Jarrod Turnbull & Abby Messina

Marketing & Fundraising - Abby Messina