OVERCOMING ORION
written by Abby Dunbar
OCTOBER 17 & 19, 2025
.png)
READINGS DATES, TIMES, & LOCATIONS
Friday, Oct. 17, 7:30 – 10:00 p.m.
888 N Quincy St #102
Arlington, VA 22203
In Overcoming Orion, we meet Artemis, who, for twenty years, has set aside her duties as goddess of the hunt to run a lesbian bar for mortals. When Iphigenia — the runaway daughter of a power-hungry king — seeks shelter, a fleeting kiss forces Artemis to confront the love and grief she has long tried to forget.
Through memories of her bond with Orion, a mortal hunter and trans man, the play reimagines Greek mythology through a queer lens. Overcoming Orion centers women, trans people, and queerness, showing us that while grief may shape us, it is community that carries us through.
Abby Dunbar is a DC-based emerging playwright from Los Angeles. They hold their B.A. in Theatre Arts and Media & Visual Cultures Studies from the University of Redlands. Since relocating to DC in 2022, they have performed in the first-ever Queer Stories devised piece with the Life Stories Institute and The Theatre Lab, and stage managed their first-ever professional production with Perisphere Theatre. Abby has had their play featured in The Bechdel Group’s Sunday Shortlist live reading series in New York, and was one of the playwrights chosen for Santa Cruz Actor’s Theatre’s annual 8 Tens @ 8 Showcase.
CAST
Artemis: Arika Thames
Iphigenia: Rakell Foye
Orion: Ché Arrington
Apollo: Colin Villacorte
Evelin & Leto: Miss Kitty
Madeline & Chorus: Cammiel Hussey
Selina & Chorus: Erin Abney
Daisy & Servant & Chorus: Jacqueline Youm
Stage Directions: Erik Whitworth
PRODUCTION TEAM
Playwright: Abby Dunbar
Director: Audra Jacobs
Assistant Director: Erin Abney
Moderator (Friday): Daniel Brody
Moderator (Sunday): Josie Palmarini
Avant Bard Producers: Sara Barker & Josie Palmarini
Photo Credit: Josie Palmarini
Photo Credit: Josie Palmarini
Photo Credit: Josie Palmarini
Photo Credit: Josie Palmarini