UnWritten

You can control the process, but not the heart...

Second Draft Reading | October 11, 2025 | SoHo, NY

Emily, a sharp-witted writer, embarks on online dating and turns it into a social experiment to see if she can figure out a process for navigating modern love with intentionality and structure. But as her carefully crafted rules begin to unravel, so does her certainty about what she truly wants. Between career shifts, family expectations, and unexpected connections, Emily finds herself caught between what’s logical, what’s safe, and what’s real.

Through witty banter, breaking the fourth wall, and the unspoken moments between words, UnWritten attempts to explore the tension between choice and chance, the fear of vulnerability, societal pressure, and the stories we tell ourselves before we’re ready to face the truth.

Program

CHECK IN & GALLERY WALK - 1:30 PM

Doors Open, Check In, Grab Healthy Bites, and Respond Questions on Walls

ACT ONE

INTERMISSION (10 minutes)

ACT TWO

CHAT W/ THE CAST

FOOD, MUSIC & MINGLE

UnWritten Character List

Narrator: Jenn Fernandez
Emily Johnson (35): DaMonique Ballou
Omar Du Châtelier (37): Lorenzo Pickett
Shanice Williams (35) | Ava | Waitress Lena: Iyeshia Redrick
Daniel Mina (39) | Scott (20): Shadoe Tarver
Dakota Johnson (the mom, early 60s): Norma Cherilus
Marcus Johnson (41): Victor Johnson
Nana Rose (Emily & Marcus’ grandmother, 80s): Felicia Cade
Malcolm (11) | Keith | Ryan | Jared: Amazia Thompson

Cast & Bios

Jenn Fernandez is a proud Dominican woman from the Bronx - she’s a social worker, youth advocate, and writer. She is also the Founder and Executive Director of The Bronx Can, a non-profit that provides access, exposure, and opportunities for youth in the Bronx through creative writing and career-based mentorship. Jenn holds a Master's in Practical Theology and is working on a Master's of Social Work at NYU. She is committed to being the person she needed when she was younger and a proponent of creating spaces for healing. Follow her on IG @la_jfer or visit thebronxcan.org to support her work with youth.

“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” — James Baldwin

Jenn Fernandez | Narrator

Director's Note

This is the second draft of a play I originally wanted to keep tucked away on the shelf. I began writing it in November 2024 and picked it back up in March 2025 for a virtual read because it wouldn’t let me go. Another, more controversial and tantalizing story was calling me, but this one kept tapping me on the shoulder; it wanted to be written, shared, and talked about.

Having you here to listen to the actors add life to it, and to share in this process for my 40th Birthday Celebration, means a lot. Thank you to those who read the first draft virtually, and to those experiencing it now in person — I look forward to your feedback.

About the Writer

“To be loving, we willingly hear the other’s truth, and we affirm the value of that truth.”

– bell hooks

Gerina-Jadé is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, facilitator, Host/MC, artist, and founder of Healing Minds and Hearts. With roots in theater, television, ministry, and clinical practice, she weaves creativity and compassion into spaces where people can connect, reflect, and process with themselves in real life.

For Gerina-Jadé, this particular play carries glimpses and echoes of her own life and of the people and experiences that have impacted her. She invites audiences to reflect on which characters they resonate with, no matter how different they may appear. She is grateful to have the people who have crossed her path reading her work, it makes the experience more special.

“Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren’t always comfortable, but they’re never weakness.”

– Brené Brown