Theatre NOVA presents:

ATHENA

by Gracie Gardner

July 17 – August 9, 2026​

“A deadly serious comedy about ambition, success, and owning your superiority.” --NY Times

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Mary Wallace and Athena are brave, and seventeen, and fencers, and training for the Junior Olympics. They practice together, they compete against each other, they spend their lives together. They wish they were friends. Can they overcome their fierce competitiveness? Would they even want to? Directed by Shelby R. Seeley.

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Athena is fight-directed by Joe Wright and stars Jen Pan in the title role. Wright and Pan are the founders of Theatrica Gladiatoria, a Ypsilanti-based company dedicated to advancing the art of dramatic violence through training, choreography, performances, and workshops for stage and screen. The cast features Theatrica Gladiatoria students: Brittany Batell as Mary Wallace, a 1x certified SAFD Actor Combatant in singlesword who has trained with Theatrica Gladiatoria since 2022 and at the Fredericksen Intensive in smallsword, and Amanda Buchalter as Jamie, a 5x certified SAFD Actor Combatant and certified Intermediate Actor Combatant with Fight Directors Canada.

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Directed by Theatre NOVA Producing Artistic Director Shelby R. Seeley, the production team includes Theatre NOVA Producing Artistic Director Briana O’Neal (stage manager), Joe Wright (fight choreographer), Kennikki Jones-Jones (sound designer), Amanda Bates (set designer), Jade Guerriero (lighting designer), Michaella Victoria (costume designer), Sydney Schropshire (assistant stage manager), Avalon McNew (assistant lighting designer), Kangxin Li (assistant props designer), and Celah Convis (marketing assistant).