Fishy Woo Woo, Part 2
By Monteze Freeland
Directed by Lovell McFadden
October 16th – November 1st 2026
Carter Woodson Redwood Theater
Madison Arts and Entertainment Center
World Premiere

Cast

Cordero	Mils “MJ” James
Char	Cheryl Bates-White
Shawn	Ethan Davis Butler
Kaden	Emmanuel Elliot Key
Darnell	David Minniefield
Man	Manny Walker

Setting

Wilmington, Delaware. 2026.

Welcome

Welcome to Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company.

I am grateful to have curated the stories that have premiered on both the Carter Woodson Redwood stage and at August Wilson House. This season, we have had the pleasure of sharing new stories written, directed, and brought to life by artists who call Pittsburgh home.

Ty Greenwood’s Paradox of Education offered a sobering look at higher education and the Black Lives Matter movement through the lens of Black scholars. The lyrical BURNBABYBURN! the american dream by a.k. payne honored snapshots of the past while wrestling with the longing of a new generation. And Fishy Woo Woo Part 2 , written by myself, is a campy version of your favorite sitcom’s Halloween episode, purposefully made to help us laugh during turbulent times.

These stories could not be more different, and that is the point.

For more than two decades, Pittsburgh Playwrights has made space for stories that challenge us, entertain us, and ask us to look more closely at the world around us. The homegrown stories brought to life on our many stages have revealed truths that may have otherwise remained dormant and unheard. 

That is why theater remains vital. There is something powerful about sitting in a room with strangers and, for a few hours, becoming a community.  We recognize ourselves in people whose lives may look nothing like our own. This gathering is healing. And we are not done gathering yet.

This year, you will have one more opportunity to experience that feeling at the Madison Arts Center Cabaret with Another Dinah Washington Christmas at Jimmy Hyde’s Sugar Top Lounge, led by the dynamic Delana Flowers alongside some of the best musicians in our region.

Then, next season, Mark Clayton Southers returns to the helm with another season of impactful stories and the artists who bring them to life.

Whether you have been with Pittsburgh Playwrights for decades or tonight is your first time walking through our doors, thank you for being part of this community. We hope you will keep gathering with us.

– Monteze Freeland, Season Curator

Playwright’s Note

Thank you for taking the time and spending your hard-earned resources to support our “skit” today. Live theater thrives due to your generosity!

Two years ago, Pittsburgh was introduced to a wacky friend group full of love and jabs known as the Fishy Woo Woos. Their rapport and genuineness touched audiences and provided a chuckle along the way. My goal for that play was to explore healing, specifically healing from broken dreams and broken hearts. I wanted to show the power of chosen family and how friendship can sometimes be the most beautiful man-made bond.

When asked to write a second part, I was excited and humbled, but quickly realized that this was uncharted territory for me. The majority of plays are not awarded sequels. Sure, there are some that have been written decades later or through the lens of a different playwright, such as Lucas Hnath’s A Doll’s House, Part 2, and Clybourne Park, a play inspired by A Raisin in the Sun. So, I turned to some of my favorite movie sequels and television events for guidance. And boy, are they hard! Finding a fresh take while maintaining familiarity can be daunting, but I anchored myself in the fact that these characters will do anything to protect one another. Especially lie.

So, I came up with a lie.

And then I thought about the one night of the year when many of us have the chance to live out a bit of a lie by being someone else, even if just for a moment.

Halloween has always been an exciting holiday in my world. While I enjoy the costumes and personality shifts, I get the most joy from watching people (who otherwise never would) become actors for an evening. They put on a costume, play out a fantasy, and we all accept it. Then, the next day, we go back to our lives. It’s a wonderful moment of escapism and role-playing. And don’t we all deserve a little bit of that every now and then?

The original Fishy Woo Woo was steeped in farce. Lots of doors, mistaken identities, and large reactions. This production has fewer doors. Instead, we’re leaning into camp. It’s exaggerated, full of pop culture moments, and maybe a little inappropriate. The play comments on itself, the situations these characters find themselves in, and even the audience may catch a stray or two. But beneath all the foolishness is a group of friends trying desperately to protect one another from a truth that could change everything.

And isn’t that what we sometimes do? Put on a costume, play a part, or tell a lie because we’re afraid of what might happen if someone sees what’s underneath?

I not only hope you enjoy Fishy Woo Woo Part 2, but I also hope you find some truth through the laughs. The truth that we are as sick as our secrets.

I am learning this valuable lesson myself and working to heal from the sickness of shame that keeps us from being honest with others and, most importantly, ourselves. Sometimes vulnerability can be a heavy load to bear, but it becomes lighter when we unload with those who offer us true, unconditional love.

The goal is to find those people and treat them well. I am grateful to have found mine, and I hope you think of yours when you leave this performance.

Hey, bring them back and enjoy the zany times together!

– Monteze Freeland

About the Cast

Cheryl Bates-White (Char) worked full time as an actor with Saltworks Theater Company for 3 years, traveling all over Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia. Cheryl has the distinction of winning a Donna Award for Best Actress in the New Works Festival, the same award her mother won 20 years earlier. Some of her favorite roles include Martha in American Menu with New Horizons, Mary in Ma Noah with Pittsburgh Playwrights, and Mrs. Miller in Doubt with Stage 62. She is grateful to have another opportunity to be on stage performing this awesome show with this amazing cast and crew.

Ethan Davis Butler (Shawn) is absolutely fished to be joining the Woo Woo Universe and this incredible ensemble of actors. Regional Credits: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Syracuse Stage). Pittsburgh Credits: Public Works Twelfth Night (Pittsburgh Public Theater), Once on This Island (Alumni Theater), Ruth is Dead (PNWF 2026), Constellations (Riverfront Theater Co.), and Perdita by Nathan Wagner (New Hazlett Theater). Additional Credits: Next to Normal – Choreographer (Riverfront Theater Co). Thank you Monteze for your generosity, your trust, and for inviting me to be part of your incredible work. I’m truly grateful for the opportunity.

Mils “M. J.” James (Cordero), actor, singer, dancer, choreographer, instructor and director, is a product of Point Park College and Pittsburgh High School for Creative and Performing Arts. He is founding artistic director of Reflections Theatre CO-OP in NYC. He has performed all over the world in such productions as For All My Girls (Tyron/Joe) directed by Marishka S. Phillips, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Sylvester), Once on This Island (Papa Ge) and Do Lord Remember Me, and danced for the Jacob/Campbell company and Forces of Nature in New York. He has also worked alongside Sherman Hemsley, Reggie Kelley, Eileen J. Morris, Renn Woods, Walter Rutledge, Vivian Reed, and Tony Award winners George Faison, Hinton Battle and Billy Porter, to name a few. He has recently appeared in PPTCO’s Sanctified as Bobby, and “Lyons “ in August Wilson’s Fences, as well as “Pops” in Birthday At Tiffany’s at the New Hazlett.

He is grateful to step back into “Cordero” in Fishy Woo Woo 2. “I Thank Mark, Neicy, Marcus, Dre, and Ashley for all they GIVE to make the Magic happen. To Monteze and Lovell. For creating this world of wonderment in which we get to play. Renee for holding us up against all odds. And to my brilliant cast mates. Thank you for the love and SECURITY it takes to make this work live. Enjoy the show❤️”

Emmanuel Elliot Key (Kaden) has committed his artistic journey to Black liberation and joy, and Fishy Woo Woo Part 2 certainly embodies that. He honed his commitment to the intersection of art and activism at Howard University, where he studied Musical Theatre and Playwriting. He went on to act and write professionally, performing in New York City and Washington, D.C., premiering new musicals such as We Shall Someday at Signature Theater and Show Way at the Kennedy Center and Roundabout Theatre Company. Theater Alliance commissioned him to write the play Tiffany’s. He would be remiss not to mention Alumni Theater Company, where he has performed, written, choreographed, and directed. Emmanuel also earned his master’s degree in Screenwriting from the University of Southern California, where he vowed to write stories that exhibit the fullness of black people, our imagination, and our creativity across all genres. Emmanuel’s priority has always been championing the Liberation.

David Minniefield (Darnell) has been acting and directing since the late 80s. Working with just about every theatre in the city. This is his 3rd round with the Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre: Art of Wise (Campie) and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Toledo). He’s excited to play Darnell in this fast-paced comedy.

Manny Walker (Man) AKA BrothaMans is from the East Side of Pittsburgh. He is a self-taught songwriter, producer and poet, with musical theatre and marching band (drumline) background. While balancing the many responsibilities of being a recording artist and owner of Man Made Studios, BrothaMans has found his way back on stage, acting and singing as Jamal in Javon Johnson’s Sanctified. He also completed his August Wilson debut as “Sterling Johnson” in Two Trains Running (both productions with Pittsburgh Playwrights), and an additional musical Get Ready with New Horizon. In 2026 he’s been in two other productions, Paradox of Education as well as Once on This Island (Alumni Theatre Company). You can find Manny’s music streaming on all platforms including YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music as “BrothaMans”.

Creative Team & Staff

Playwright & Season Curator	Monteze Freeland
Director	Lovell McFadden
Stage Manager	Reneé B. Sorrell
Assistant Stage Manager	Faith Stephens
Scenic Designer	Tony Ferrieri
Hair, Makeup & Special Effects Designer	Cheryl El-Walker
Costume Designer	Willa “Katy” Cotten/BLK Stage Wardrobe
Sound Designer	DeVoughn “DeVo” Spratt
Lighting Designer	Madeleine Steineck
Technical Director	Marcus Carl Southers
Fight Choreographer	Sam Muñoz
Lighting Electrician	Madeleine Steineck
Scenic Build	Marcus Carl Southers & Mark C. Southers
Scenic Painting	Ernest Bey & Marcus Carl Southers
Props	Austin Sills, Shanita Bivins, Ashley Southers & Tony Ferrieri
Resident Prop Master	Austin Sills
Set Dressers	Tony Ferrieri & Lovell McFadden
Front of House	James Howard
Lighting Operator	Reneé B. Sorrell
Sound Operator	Teri(ana) Turner
Crew	Faith Stephens & Teri(ana) Turner
Greeter	Mama Cocoa

About the Creative Team

Monteze Freeland (Playwright, Artistic Associate, Season Curator) is the Artistic Director of Alumni Theater Company and a multi-hyphenate theater maker with more than 30 years of creative experience as an actor, director, writer, producer, instructor, and arts advocate. A graduate of Point Park University and a proud product of Baltimore’s historic Arena Players Inc., his work is grounded in artistic excellence and a deep belief in the power of arts education.

Freeland has held several leadership roles across Pittsburgh’s theater community, including Artistic Associate at Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company, Director of Education at Quantum Theatre, and Co-Artistic Director at City Theatre Company, where he directed six productions and produced more than thirty performances, readings, and events.

As a performer, he has appeared in more than 35 productions across the region. His writing has been commissioned by organizations including ASOLO Repertory Theatre, City Theatre Company, New Hazlett Theatre, Bricolage Production Company, and Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company.

His honors include Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Performer of the Year, City Paper’s Pittsburgh People of the Year for Theater, and a City of Pittsburgh Proclamation recognizing his artistic impact.

Lovell McFadden (Director) is truly honored to be directing this new work with the Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company. Lovell is a graduate of Point Park University’s Conservatory of Performing Arts and currently resides in New York City. Special thanks to my real life Fishy Woo Woos Monteze and Brittany for always being there for me through the thick and thin. ;)

Willa Catherine Cotten (Costume Designer), affectionately called “Katy”, is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. From 2003 to 2008/2015 she was cast in several small roles in the Langston Hughes play Black Nativity, directed by Oronde Sharif, and in 2006 was nominated by the AACTA (African American Council for The Arts) Onyx Awards as best supporting actress in a musical or revue. As a part of the Kuntu Repertory Theatre under the direction of Dr. Vernell Lillie, Katy was cast as Sarah Vaughn in a Rob Penny production entitled Clean Drums (2009) and was also cast as the wife of the great Negro Baseball League pitcher Satchel Paige in Among the Best (2009). Katy was cast in several roles in Raisin, the musical based on Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun (2010); her roles included an understudy for Beneatha, Althea the bar proprietor, and several dance numbers. She was cast as an ex-wife in the play entitled I Gotcha, The Story of Joe Tex and the Soul Clan (2010), a New Horizon Theatre production. Katy’s Pittsburgh Playwrights experiences include a lead role in a one-act play in 2014’s Theatre Festival in Black & White, Dinah Washington’s mother and a background vocalist in Dinah, a musical about the life of Dinah Washington in 2024, Sarah in Sanctified, written and directed by Javon Johnson, and Ma Rainey in last year’s August Wilson Experience. In 2018, as a part of the Washington Community Theater production of Hairspray, she was cast as Motormouth Maybelle. Katy has also been assistant costumer on several plays with Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company. Katy is grateful for every opportunity given to her by God to use her gifts.

Cheryl El-Walker (Hair, Makeup & Special Effects Designer) is an award-winning costume designer and makeup artist who is also a veteran stage actor from Pittsburgh. She is the resident costume/makeup artist for the Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company. Her creative work in various venues has earned her several Onyx awards from the African American Council of the Arts (AACTA): Best Make-up Artist (2007); Best Costume for a Musical for Christmas Is Coming Uptown (2008); Best Leading Actress for Freeman (New Horizon Theatre, 2008); Best Costume Design for a Play (Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012) and the PPTCO 2012 Legacy Award. In 2013, Cheryl debuted another one of her skills and received PPTCO’s Theater Festival in Black and White Award for Best Director. Most recently, Cheryl handled costumes, makeup and hair for Sanctified, Dinah and Radio Golf in PPTCO’s 2024 and 2025 seasons, while also performing in the first two, and appeared in The Nacirema Society for New Horizon. Cheryl is an alumna of Point Park University and is pleased to announce that she has done costume, makeup and special effects for all ten August Wilson plays.

Tony Ferrieri (Scenic Designer) Fishy Woo Woo 2 marks Tony’s 9th production for Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company. Awards and milestones include The Carol R. Brown Creative Achievement Award for Established Artist, New Works Festival Lifetime Achievement Award, “Designer of the Year” by Pittsburgh City Paper and Post Gazette, The Frankel Award, Fred Kelly Award for Outstanding Achievement, Harry Schwalb Excellence in the Arts Award, Features in Live Design and Stage Directions magazines, 43 years as Resident Scenic Designer at City Theatre, and 585 scenic designs. Recent PPTCO scenic designs include: Art of Wise, The Bluegrass Mile, Miss Julie, Clarissa and John and The Piano Lesson. Ulster American, Our Dear Dead Drug Lord and Infinite Life for barebones, 10 Out Of 12 for Quantum Theatre, Romero & Juliet for BE Productions, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever for Lincoln Park, The Coffin Maker for Pittsburgh Public Theater, King James for City Theatre and Cleveland Playhouse, Native Gardens for City Theatre. Hamlet for Quantum Theatre, Anything Goes for Pittsburgh CLO, Smart Blonde for 59E59 in NY, and Feeding The Dragon for CTC, Hartford Stage and Primary Stages in NY.

Reneé B. Sorrell (Stage Manager) is pleased to stage manage her second show with Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company. She has worked in many technical positions in theater for about 30 years. Most of her training was with Kuntu Repertory Theatre. And over the last 11 years she has primarily served as the stage manager for New Horizon Theater. In July 2026, the International Black Theatre Festival honored Renee with the Outstanding Achievement in Stage Management award, and Renee would like to thank all who shared that moment with her. Renee would also like to give thanks to her mentor, the late Dr. Vernell Audrey Watson Lillie, for all of the opportunities to work with directors from all over the world. But most importantly she would like to thank Doc for becoming a second mother for me as I became a mother.

Mark Clayton Southers (Producing Artistic Director, Scenic Designer) and his family reside in Pittsburgh’s historic Hill District. He is the founder and producing Artistic Director of the Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company.

His very first play When the Water Turns Clear was produced at Chicago’s ETA Theater. His second play Ashes to Africa was a finalist at the 2001 Dayton Playhouse Future Fest. His third play Ma Noah was the recipient of the 2004 Theodore Ward prize at Columbia College, Chicago.

He has written over 20 full-length and one-act plays including the poem play Angry Black Man Poetry aka End Angered Species which had a successful run at Teatr Śląski in Katowice, Poland in 2009 and Miss Julie, Clarissa and John which ran at the 2017 National Black Theatre Festival and also had a three-week run in 2017 at Scotland’s prestigious Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

He has a series of three plays which make up his Culture Clash Series. They include Hood Winked, James McBride and I Nipoti.

Inspired by his mentor August Wilson, Mark has also set out to complete his very own collection of ten plays each taking place in the 1800s. To date he’s completed eight full-length plays, including The Bluegrass Mile, which premiered in October 2023 with the Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company, and The Coffin Maker, which premiered in May of 2024 with the Pittsburgh Public Theater.

Mark is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America, and the former Artistic Director of both the August Wilson African-American Cultural Center in Pittsburgh PA and the Short North Stage August Wilson Festival in Columbus Ohio.

For more information please visit: www.markclaytonsouthers.com.

Marcus Southers (Technical Director) is truly a jack of all trades and the backbone of the Pittsburgh Playwrights Theater Company! From building sets to being the go-to guy for heavy lifting, Marcus is always ready to lend a hand wherever he’s needed. When he’s not helping bring productions to life, he enjoys his favorite video games, or building his own junk removal and tree service business. Marcus wears many hats and brings dedication, hard work, and heart to everything he does. Need a tree removed or hauling services? Please consider supporting Marcus and his growing business by texting him at 412-584-0431. He’d love your support!

DeVoughn “DeVo” Spratt (Sound Designer) is a Producer, Engineer, and Sound Designer from Lawrenceville. He has been working in the Underground Hip Hop and local Theater scene for over 10 years, using his expertise to help bring local art to life.

Madeleine Steineck (Lighting Designer) is a Pittsburgh-based Lighting Designer and Master Electrician. Companies she has designed for include: Mercyhurst University, MCG Jazz, PICT, Pittsburgh Festival Opera, off the WALL Productions, New Hazlett’s CSA Program, City Theatre’s Young Playwrights Festival, Aria412, Texture Contemporary Ballet, STAYCEE PEARL dance project, Shana Simmons Dance, fireWALL dance theatre, Morgantown Dance Studio, The Collective PGH, Kamratōn, and Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company. She is the resident Lighting Designer for Mercyhurst University’s Theatre Program and has designed for many local school productions over the years. She has toured with Jesse Factor’s production The Marthaodyssey, with Philadelphia artist Raphael Xavier, and was part of the team that took PPTCO’s Miss Julie, Clarissa, and John to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2017.

Faith Stephens (Assistant Stage Manager) is excited to continue her theatrical journey with Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company. A former student of Schenley High School, Faith holds an Associate of Arts degree in Elementary Education and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Behavioral Science. She also proudly served six years in the military, bringing dedication, discipline, and a spirit of service to everything she does.

Having previously worked on Gem of the Ocean and Burn Baby Burn, Faith now takes an exciting step behind the scenes as she makes her debut as Assistant Stage Manager for Fishy Woo Woo Part Two. With her diverse background and passion for the arts, Faith looks forward to expanding her theatrical experience and continuing to serve her community through the magic of live theatre.

Teri(ana) Turner (Sound Operator) is a young psychology major at Point Park University and aspiring crew member. Having always loved the practical and technological aspects of theatre as well as theatre and live performances as a whole, Teri has been a part of several productions as a set builder, designer, and on lights: Little Shop of Horrors, Mamma Mia, Shrek the Musical, Blues is the Roots, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and now Fishy Woo Woo Part 2. Teri also has skills in singing, flag work, baton twirling, sewing, painting and several other mediums of art.

PPTCO Staff and Board

See our staff and board members here.

Special Thanks

Nikki Quantz
Payton Stagnon
Annette Ferrieri
City Theatre Company
Cassandra Hicks
Neicy Readie Southers
Ernest Bey
Nedra Davis
KDC Printing
Steven Doerfler
Michelle Belan

Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company thanks the following for supporting our season of plays and special projects:

We also thank our donors! Click for a complete list, and learn how to become a PPTCO donor.

* Member of Actors’ Equity Association

Printed program design and editing by Michelle Belan.
Online program design and editing by Steven Doerfler.