Passages: One-act Plays and Oratorio

Mason Arts 250, a project of the Mason District Arts Council, is a community-wide commemoration of the United States Semiquincentennial aimed at engaging the public through the arts, based on the ideas at the heart of the American Revolution.

As part of that celebration, we asked local playwrights and historical reenactors to interpret and reimagine history from the American experience at an event on June 20, 2026 at Pozez JCC of Northern Virginia, 8900 Little River Turnpike, Fairfax, VA 22031.

Event Program

“Nancy Mason”
Historical reenactment written and performed by Janis Harless, presents the personal perspective of Nancy (Ann) Eilbeck Mason, eldest daughter of founding father George Mason IV, about her brilliant and complex father’s work writing the Virginia Declaration of Rights and Virginia Constitution. Her father refused to sign the US Constitution without including a Bill of Rights. Nancy helps us understand the domestic heart of the American Revolution and our vital legacy.

“PASSAGES: Declaration of Emancipation”
One-act play reading featuring Jonah Dauer as Thomas Jefferson, Kevin Harnisch as John Adams, Anthony Dauer as Thomas Paine and Edward Rutledge, and Sibyl Dauer as George Mason. The Continental Congress debates the final text of the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson reads aloud a passage condemning the slave trade — a passage that, in our world, was struck from the document under threat of a southern walkout. But in this world, something different happens.

“Life with Lightning”
One-act play written by Jodi Smith, reading the part of Jenna Radley, and featuring Jeannine Deem Purdy reading as the part of Rachel Morrow. Set inside a therapist’s office during a raging thunderstorm, “Life with Lightning” offers an intimate and deeply moving look into the raw, beautiful complexities of special-needs parenting. As Jenna navigates her weekly session with her therapist, she untangles the intricate dance between grief and joy while raising her 11-year-old autistic son, Lincoln. Sparked by Lincoln’s profound fascination with light and the enduring symbolism of the Statue of Liberty, Jenna’s narrative weaves a powerful story of resilience, isolation, and the transcendent nature of love without words. This poignant one-act vignette is a triumphant celebration of the “micro-joys” that illuminate the dark, capturing a mother’s fierce determination to keep shining through life’s unexpected storms.

“PASSAGES: Pamphleteer”
One-act play reading featuring Anthony Dauer as Thomas Paine, Sibyl Dauer as Abigail Adams, Lynne Garvey Hodge as Mercy Otis Warren, and Bharati Soman as Judith Sargent Murray. In the summer of 1787, while the Constitutional Convention meets behind closed doors in Philadelphia, three women gather at a farmhouse in Braintree, Massachusetts. Abigail Adams, Mercy Otis Warren, and Judith Sargent Murray have watched the Revolution promise liberty to all while drafting a new government that erases women from the body politic.

“CHOOSE”
One-act play reading written by PJ Gross, featuring Jonah Dauer as Teen Boy and Sibyl Dauer as Teen Girl. Set on a moonlit night in 1961, “CHOOSE” follows two teenagers who escape the suffocating confines of their small town to confront the vastness of an encroaching Space Age. Clad in the armor of mid-century youth—his leather jacket and her knee-socks—they clash over their competing visions of the future, caught between the safety of provincial conformity and the terrifying, beautiful allure of the unknown. Through a sharp and poetic exchange, this poignant vignette captures the exact moment defensive bravado melts into shared vulnerability, offering a snapshot of a generation standing on the precipice of change, desperately looking forward.

“Suffragist Mrs. Robert Walker”
Historical reenactment written and performed by Lynne Garvey-Hodge presents the story of Amelia “Mimi” Himes Walker, a prominent Baltimore Quaker and “Silent Sentinel” who picketed the White House in 1917 for women’s right to vote and was imprisoned at the Occoquan Workhouse for doing so. Suffragist Hymn [PDF, 168 KB] 

One-act play reading written by and featuring Anthony Dauer as Thomas Paine. Thomas Paine steps forward one final time. He has guided us through three rooms: 1776, 1787, 1876, and now he asks what we intend to do with our citizen’s inheritance.

organizers, actors, writer, and other contributors (alphabetical)

Anthony Dauer (Event Organizer/Emcee/Thomas Paine/Edward Rutledge) is a proud member of the Mason District Arts Council and serves as the VP of Communications for the Annandale Theatre Company Boosters. An alumnus of the DC Improv Comedy School, Anthony balances a lifetime passion for performance timing and sharp public presentation with a deep devotion to regional arts advocacy. When not portraying the uncompromising Edward Rutledge in Act I, steering the multiverse timeline as Thomas Paine, or managing the overall administrative logistics of Passages, he holds an MBA and a Master of Science in Management (Information Systems) from the University of Maryland Global Campus, and is a former President of the Washington Alumni Chapter of the Sigma Chi Fraternity.

Jonah Dauer (Thomas Jefferson) is a rising theatrical and musical powerhouse in the Annandale community. Jonah is a proud new inductee of the International Thespian Society and the recent recipient of the AHS Rising Star Award for his outstanding performance work during the Annandale Theatre Company’s 2025-2026 season. Audiences may recognize him from his previous roles as King Oberon (“A Midsummer Night’s Dream”) and Oliver Warbucks (“Annie”). Also a celebrated vocalist, Jonah was recently named the Outstanding Musician for the Atom Chorale. He is honored to bring history to life as part of the Mason Arts 250 celebration.

Sibyl Dauer (George Mason/Abigail Adams) is VP of Operations for the Annandale Theatre Company Boosters, an alumna of the Annandale Theatre Company and a member of the International Thespian Society. Her past stage credits include “Mean Girls,” “Radium Girls,” and “Puffs.” Currently studying cinematography at Northern Virginia Community College and working as a rising barista at Beanetics, Sibyl also holds a unique piece of local school history: She performed the first acoustic guitar solo with the AHS guitar orchestra when live performances resumed post-COVID as a first-year student with the instrument. She is excited to join the Mason Arts 250 celebration, portraying George Mason in “The Declaration of Emancipation” and starring as Abigail Adams in “Pamphleteers.”

Lynne Garvey-Hodge (“Suffragist Mrs. Robert Walker”) is an acclaimed historical heritage interpreter, author, and passionate preservationist. With over 120 living history performances bringing trailblazing women to life, Lynne beautifully blends deep academic research with captivating stagecraft. She serves proudly on the Fairfax County History Commission, works with the Turning Point Suffragist Memorial Committee, and holds a Master of Theological Studies. Lynne is honored to join the Mason Arts 250 celebration to celebrate and preserve the powerful legacy of regional history.  Learn more about Lynne.

PJ Gross (“CHOOSE”/Playwright) is a poet, performer, and theatre-maker, currently based in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area. PJ’s work has been published in RVA Magazine and Lingering in the Margins: A River City Poets Anthology, and a poetry album, THIS ROOM TONIGHT, was independently released. PJ is a founding member of Laquespace Productions (RVA), the Spiral Collective (RVA), and Towson Theatre Lab (BALTO).

Janis Harless (Nancy Mason) is a dynamic blend of historian, educator, and theater artist. Holding a double-major B.A. in History and Theatre from SMU and an M.Ed., from George Mason University, Janis has spent decades bringing the past to life. When she isn’t on stage or supporting the Fairfax County History Commission, she serves as a docent at Gunston Hall and hand-sews her own authentic 18th-century wardrobe. Janis is thrilled to share this vital local history as part of the Mason Arts 250 celebration, living by her personal mantra: Be Brave, Be Kind, and Move Mountains!

Kevin Harnisch (John Adams) is an actor, director, and the current President of the Board of Directors for the Providence Players of Fairfax. His award-winning theater company performs right down the road at the James Lee Community Theater, and Kevin works closely as an advocate with ArtsFairfax to champion local cultural programming. He is delighted to step onto the stage as John Adams for the Mason Arts 250 celebration and support this vibrant commemoration of regional history.

Jeannine Deem Purdy (“Life with Lightning”/Rachel Morrow) was born, raised and currently resides in Northern Virginia. She holds a master’s degree in social work and a certificate in Non-profit Management from George Mason University.

After 28 years of working with both large and small non-profits helping organizations she transitioned to local government. She works with Jodi at the Fairfax County Area Agency on Aging and serves as a Regional Volunteer Coordinator in southern Fairfax County.

She, her husband and adult children are friends of local and regional theater. The Kennedy Center, Fords Theater, Arena Stage, Little Theater of Alexandria and Aldersgate Community Theater are favorite venues. She and her husband, Dr. Rev. Bart Purdy, have served the community of Virginia Hills Church and Learning Center for nearly 40 years.

She is a lover of theater, the mountains, the ocean, and the city as well as dogs and cats. She believes in the strength of our local Fairfax County (Franconia and Mount Vernon Districts) and is pleased to serve the community that nurtured her.

Bharati Soman (Stage Manager/Judith Sargent Murray) is a celebrated soprano, vocal educator, and dedicated arts advocate who has served on the Mason District Arts Council since January 2025. Praised by critics for her incredible vocal power and poise, Bharati performs across the region with Opera on Tap and Sopranessence, where she also serves as Director of Operations. Her extensive operatic career features leading roles in “La Bohème,” “Madame Butterfly,” and “The Marriage of Figaro.” A graduate of James Madison University and Indiana University, she maintains a private voice studio in Falls Church and recently served as the Music Director for Creative Cauldron’s production of “Little Women.” Bharati is thrilled to support the Mason Arts 250 celebration both on stage and behind the scenes keeping “Passages” running smoothly.

Photos by Jay Townsend

Jodi Smith (“Life with Lightning”/Playwright/Jenna Radley) originally hails from Reading, Pennsylvania, but has lived in the DC metro area since 2001. She is a lifelong theater enthusiast and last performed in a virtual production in February 2021 of “The Diner Plays,” a collection of humorous shorts from local playwrights connected with The Ritz Theater Company in Haddon Township, NJ. This one-act marks Jodi’s debut as a playwright, and she is thrilled to have the opportunity to share it. She is a social worker with Fairfax County Government’s Department of Family Services’ Volunteer Solutions program and a mother to a son with autism on whom the play is based.