“Mama’s Boy” Reading
Produced by Assorted Arts.
Funded through an Emerging Artist Grant from the Durham Arts Council.
Saturday, July 15 at 5:00 PM
Durham Arts Council | 120 Morris St. Durham, NC 27701
Please join us after the performance for a brief feedback session with the audience.
CONTENT NOTICE (Click to reveal)
This play contains instances of profanity, deadnaming, misgendering, and frank discussions about AIDS, drug use, assault, domestic abuse, funerals, and child death.
SENSORY NOTICE (Click to reveal)
The play includes shouting.
PRODUCTION TEAM
Writer/Producer/Graphic Designer | Charlie Probus
Director | Dustin Britt
Stage Manager | Kai Smith
Photographer | Reeve Haggard
CAST
Jesse Denton | Percy Langston
Anna May Denton | Jean Jamison
Scarlet Denton | Bonnie Webster
Ray Shaw | Phillip Stubbs
Stage Directions | Kai Smith
Welcome!
Thank you so much for joining us for this staged reading of Mama’s Boy. What you are seeing today is the product of a week of rehearsal, discussion, rewrites, and collaboration between myself and this amazing team. Though there are no sets, lights, props, or costumes, you will be amazed at how this talented group of actors have been able to develop and bring these characters to life in just 7 days.
I wrote the first draft of this script last year and I was incredibly fortunate to receive an Emerging Artist Grant from the Durham Arts Council to workshop the piece. I was even more fortunate that Dustin Britt agreed to direct it. One of the magical and challenging things about plays is that meaning and characterization have to be contained in the simplest form possible. It is the job of the director to help illuminate that meaning and to create a living, breathing world for actors and audiences to live in. Dustin has been a champion of this piece since I pitched it to them, and getting to watch them work this week has been educational and inspiring.
As a writer, I enjoy nothing more than having an actor know my characters better than me. Each of these actors came into this process and immediately embodied and knew these characters and it has been so helpful to the writing and editing process and a sheer delight to witness. Watching people enjoy their job is almost as good as watching them excel at it, and this group of actors has done both all week long.
I am so grateful to Durham Arts Council for making this workshop possible with an Emerging Artist Grant and a Creative Showcase Grant. Thank you to all of my actors for your amazing work this week and for breathing life into these characters. Thank you to Dustin for believing in this story.
Thank you to every queer person that has come before us, and every one that will come after us. Thank you to everyone that has made this possible: Kai, Colleen, Margaret. And as always, thank you to Reeve for being my muse and my inspiration and my light.
Sincerely,
Charlie
MEET THE ARTISTS
DUSTIN BRITT | Director
Dustin (they/them) is a Durham-based director, actor, designer, and writer who’s passionate about amplifying marginalized people’s stories in immersive theatre settings. Directing highlights include Keely and Du (Scapegoat Initiative), Marat/Sade and Corpus Christi (St. John’s MCC), Our Town, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and The Crucible (Henderson Rec Players), The Miracle Worker (Seed Art Share), Timon of Athens, ShakesQueer, and ShakesBeer (Bare Theatre), and Just One Night (Blue Box Theatre Co.). Dustin has trained extensively with Theatrical Intimacy Education and holds a Master of Arts in Education from East Carolina University. In March 2027, they will be directing Twelfth Night for Stone Soup Theatre Company. They are eternally grateful and humbled by the love and encouragement of Amy, Anni, Ava, and Eli. Thank you to Charlie for this unforgettable opportunity.
JEAN JAMISON | Actor (Anna May Denton)
Jean (she/her) is thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Dustin, Charlie, Kai, and fellow actors on this terrific script. Jean has been acting on Triangle area stages since 2017, and has also been seen in television, films, and commercial projects. Favorite roles include Hester in Equus, Fraulein Schneider in Cabaret, and Rebecca Felton in “American Coup: Wilmington 1898,” from the PBS American Experience series. She thanks her fellow actors and her husband Scott for his never-ending patience, the support of the Durham Arts Council, and all of you who attend this and other staged readings and live theater.
PERCY LANGSTON | Actor (Jesse Denton)
Percy (he/him) is a writer and theatre artist based in Carrboro. His previous acting credits include The Secret Garden (Center Theater Company), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Stone Soup Theatre Company), and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Stone Soup Theatre Company). When not onstage, he directs youth theater for performers aged 6 to 12. Percy is grateful for the opportunity to participate in this project and help bring new and necessary trans voices to the stage. He would also like to thank his friends in the Triangle theater community for their overwhelming support.
CHARLIE PROBUS | Writer, Producer, Graphic Designer
Charlie (they/them) is a playwright and multi-hyphenate artist. Their first play, Brothers in Arms, premiered at the Raleigh Fringe Festival in 2024. Their second play, Guilty Pleasure, was first performed as a reading at the Valdez Theatre Festival in Alaska in 2025, then as a staged reading at the Arts Club of Washington where it won the Austin Hays One Act Playwriting Award, and then as a full production in January of 2026 at Shadowbox Studio in Durham, NC. An audio play version of Guilty Pleasure was produced by the Cary Playwrights Forum and will be available in published form from 1319 Press in late 2026. Their plays have also been recognized by the Be Bold NYC Short Play Festival in New York, QuickScripts at NC State University Theatre in Raleigh, NC, and the Midwest Dramatists Center in Kansas. They were selected for the 2026 New Voices Program at Raleigh Little Theatre. Charlie’s poetry has appeared in Rat’s Ass Review, Phonebook Lit Mag, Opal Age, and onstage at Brooklyn Poets.
KAI SMITH | Stage Manager/Stage Directions
Kai (they/them) is honored to be a part of this incredible play’s journey. Kai has long been involved in theater both on stage and off. They have directed shows such as Women of Trachis (UNC Charlotte), stage managed for The Importance of Being Earnest (Blue Box Theatre Company), and participated in Blue Box Theatre Company’s Three Blue Box Debuts as a featured playwright with their short play Just One Night.
PHILLIP STUBBS | Actor (Ray Shaw)
Phillip (he/him) is so beyond excited for the opportunity to be doing this show. As a Trans man himself, this story holds a special place in his heart. This is his first professional performance and he looks forward to doing many more. He would like to thank everyone involved in this production for being so welcoming and Charlie for being creative enough to come up with such an amazing story for us to share.
BONNIE WEBSTER | Actor (Scarlet Denton)
Bonnie (she/her) is delighted to share the stage with this amazing cast. She’s been acting locally since 2014, having moved here from Baltimore. Bonnie has been seen locally in such shows as The Secret Garden (Theatre Raleigh), The Sweet Delilah Swim Club (Theatre in the Park), and The Great American Trailer Park Christmas (North Raleigh Arts and Creative Theatre). Her film work includes Patriot Games opposite Harrison Ford and on television in the recurring role of Sgt. Siobhan Burns on NBC’s Homicide: Life on the Street.
Audience Survey
Your presence and feedback are important to this process. The author would appreciate your thoughts about the piece, which you can share in the anonymous survey below.
“Mama’s Boy” Workshop Feedback
If you are a member of the New Play Exchange, we would appreciate your thoughts about this piece. You can write a review here: New Play Exchange: Mama’s Boy
Donate
Donations help keep projects like Mama’s Boy afloat. All proceeds will go directly toward funding the development of the play and future productions.
You can donate directly to the author, Charlie Probus at either of these links:
Music
Here you can find all the music you’re enjoying during the pre-show. The list was curated by Durham trans singer-songwriter Amelia Riggs.
Resources
Assorted Arts 