The Refinery
A Festival of New Works at The Sheaf
The Barley Sheaf Players Annual Benefit Show presents: The Refinery
Introducing a partnership with The Refinery, a play festival dedicated to showcasing bold, original voices and stories centered on equity. The Refinery will feature three original works presented as a staged reading. This festival will take place over three consecutive weekends, each work presented for one weekend only. From these staged readings, one outstanding play will be chosen for a full production in January 2027. See one or see them all!
Beneficiary: All proceeds from this year’s festival will benefit Philabundance, supporting their mission to drive hunger from our communities today and end hunger for good.
And the winners are… We’re thrilled to reveal the three outstanding plays selected for The Barley Sheaf Players Annual Benefit Show: The Refinery. This year’s winners represent powerful new work from playwrights across the Northeast, brought to life by local directors and artists. Each weekend will feature a new staged reading of one of these exceptional plays, culminating in the selection of one piece for a full production in January 2027.
Harm Reduction by Elizabeth Irwin
Directed by Tyler Macready
As Kayla, a seventeen-year-old in the foster care system, pushes through her last few months of high school, her foster mother, Susan, tries to figure out how to be a mother when you’ve spent the last sixteen years on the bench. Their neighbors, Amanda and Evan, (possibly mediocre) parents themselves, offer help and judgment and resentment and advice. No village is perfect, but is this one going to let Kayla down, or will they be enough?
The Girl in the Washroom by Bella Poynter
Directed by Aaron Gould
In the winter of 1964, after a violent incident in a New York City alleyway, Daisy and Stanley seek refuge in a nearby hotel room. What begins as a moment of recovery quickly unravels into a night of confessions, realizations, and awakenings with disastrous consequences. Decades later, in 2024, Daphne and Sage, co-hosts of a popular ghost-hunting YouTube channel, and a seemingly happy couple, arrive at that same hotel. As they investigate the haunted space, their relationship fractures under the strain of differing desires for privacy, fame, and authenticity. The past and present collide in the play’s unexpected climax, asking the audience: what do we inherit from those who came before us, and what ghosts do we carry with us into the future?
Out of the Scorpion’s Nest by John Minigan
Directed by Sarah Williamson
How far would you go to change your narrative? Kym thinks she’s lucked into the perfect resume-builder for a biracial college senior determined to find a career in academia: helping renowned white feminist scholar Beverly Norden finish her ground-breaking book on Shakespeare’s Queen Margaret before Alzheimer’s makes the task impossible. But as the passing months make clear that Beverly’s failing memory is not the greatest obstacle to her success, Kym begins falling into family patterns of manipulation and deceit she'd pledged to avoid. To rescue herself, Kym must reassess her connection with Beverly, Beverly’s son, and academia itself, and choose how to apply the lessons of the Margaret story to her own life.
Stage Reading Dates & Times
Harm Reduction by Elizabeth Irwin
Directed by Tyler Macready
1/16 8:00 pm & 1/17 2:00 pm
The Girl in the Washroom by Bella Poynter
Directed by Aaron Gould
1/23 8:00 pm & 1/24 2:00 pm
Out of the Scorpion’s Nest by John Minigan
Directed by Sarah Williamson
1/30 8:00 pm & 1/31 2:00 pm
Tickets: Pay What You Decide
Suggested donation: $10 per show or 3 shows for $25
No advance sales — general admission only
Come for one weekend or experience all three!
Each staged reading will be followed by a talkback after the Saturday matinee, inviting audiences to join the creative conversation.
Cast
Harm Reduction
Susan - Carlene Lawson
Kayla - Kenzie Hanna
Amanda - Caitlin Monahan
Evan - Adam Landon
The Girl in the Washroom
Daisy/Daphne - Bara Hrusinska
Stanley/Sage - Ally Batot
Drake/Dylan - John McGarry
Out of the Scorpion's Nest
Kym - Brynne Maddrey
Beverly - Maria Jarrell
Roy - Mike Macri
Staff
Refinery Production Team
Leena Devlin - Artistic Director
Christa Fisher - Producer
Dana Wainstein - Production Assistant
Harm Reduction
Tyler Macready - Director
The Girl in the Washroom
Aaron Gould - Director
Stage Manager - Drew Lichty
Out of the Scorpion’s Nest
Sarah Williamson - Director
Beneficiary Information
Philabundance is a nonprofit food bank with a mission to drive hunger from our communities today and end hunger for good. We have a commitment to always serving our neighbors in need with dignity and respect, and take pride in our efforts to understand the wants and needs of our communities. This work wouldn’t be possible without a large network of supporters and partners who help us in fulfilling our mission.
Close to 500,000 people in our nine-county service area face food insecurity and aren’t sure where their next meal will come from. To combat this, Philabundance developed an innovative two-tiered approach, which consists of efforts that Relieve Hunger Now and End Hunger for Good.
By combining these efforts, we can provide our neighbors in need with the necessary support today as we work to equip them with the resources and tools they need to build a more stable and independent future.
Learn more about Relieve Hunger Now and End Hunger for Good.