SAS 20: PLAY & SCREEN WRITERS PANEL with Tracy Chamberlain Higginbotham
Schedule
Mon Oct 20 2025 at 07:00 pm to 10:00 pm
UTC-04:00Location
The McCarthy Mercantile | Syracuse, NY
Join us for the 20th session of the Syracuse Actors Studio on Monday, October 20th 7-10PM, which will be Play & Screen Writers Panel with Tracy Chamberlain Higginbotham!Tracy is a longtime SAS member and friend of ours who is also an extremely accomplished journalist, author, publicist, event planner, business owner, chef, producer, sportswoman and adventurer! Her curiosity in how to write a script to take her story ideas from idea to art as well as her talent and experience in PR prompted us to ask her to be the perfect moderator for this panel, something we think every SAS member can benefit from since we all have that one idea for a film or play, we just might not know how to get it out. Or maybe we have a lot of experience with that and just would like to know how others do it. Either way, it’s going to be an exciting program!
-We will be at our home in the McCarthy Mercantile, the lower level of Wildflowers Armory! The address is 217 South Salina Street, Syracuse, NY 13202: on the corner of South Salina and East Fayette, right in the Heart of Downtown Syracuse. Wildflowers is closed Mondays, so we will enter through Jamaica Cuse, a Caribbean Restaurant that shares the same building. We will have a sign out front and Joe will be there in the beginning to welcome everyone and steer traffic. Feel free to buy food & drinks from our friends at Jamaica Cuse! And also try out Sweets by Babe, our new friends downstairs!
-We will have several awesome performances: a monologue by Max Loria and also a scene by Asa Iam and Anqi Geng. We are also looking for a few more actors to volunteer to perform monologues or scenes. (Contact Joe if interested 315-863-9407/[email protected], and send a headshot for promo.)
-Our main event will be the Screen & Play Writers Panel moderated by Tracy Higginbotham and featuring 4 amazing SAS members who are also accomplished writers of both stage and screen: Aaron Williams, writer/director, the Aaron Sorkin of Syracuse who titles include “Secret Santa,” “Like and Survive,” and “What You Know”; Alexis Martin actress/director/award-winning playwright just off the success of her Redhouse Theater production of “Old Money, New Habits”; James Marlowe actor/director/DP/ and award-winning filmmaker, creator of the popular series “Trent Lockwood Adventures”; and Johanna Keller award-winning playwright/screenwriter/filmmaker known for “Cuse Cabaret,” “Daisy & Jordan (+Tom +Nick),” “That Hike to Hart Lake,” and “The Perfect Match.” It’s going to be amazing! Tracy will lead the discussion and then open it up for audience Q&A at the end.
-For our exercises, Laura will lead a warm-up, to continue our tradition, and MJ Mattiaccio, an experienced Meisner actor, will lead us in classic Meisner exercises- a rigorous and extremely helpful practice for any actor.
-As always, at the end we will have a small amount of time for announcements if anyone wants to plug a show, announce casting, or the like; with time after to network and socialize.
-We will of course have SAS After Hours with Jay Merante of Jay Merante Comedy, please like & subscribe! It’s always a lot of fun and we encourage anyone who wants to stay after to join in the improv comedy to do so. Jay is also open to ideas for skits from actors. (We may possibly be filming a scene from the film “American Claudius” and need your help.)
-We will as always have a hat out for donations. Half of the donations go to our host, and half to SAS for supplies.
-Waters and snacks are provided!
-Also, it's HALLOWEEN! So wear a fun costume! There will be a prize for best costume! Laura will be the judge.
-Anyone who would like to bring Halloween candy, cookies, or snacks to share are welcome too to make it more fun! We will have a snack table in the back. Thank you!
-We will meet at 7PM at Wildflowers lower level/The McCarthy Mercantile to socialize until we begin. Someone will be at the front entrance to greet you approx. 6:30/45 PM until around 7:15. Anyone lost, or if you need assistance or an escort, please call/text Joe Cunningham 315-863-9407.
-Street parking at this time is free after 6PM. Make sure to park where signage allows.
Syracuse Actors Studio is always a free monthly meetup for actors where we learn from and practice acting with each other. Actors of all experience levels are encouraged to attend! Filmmakers, writers, playwrights, producers, casting agents, and observers are welcome as well.
