Birthday Candles
By Noah Haidle
Director: Cody Lee Crist
Stage Manager: Lillyann Buller
Scenic Designer: Cody Lee Crist
Lighting Design: Hannah Schmitz
Costume Design: Frankie McClaren
Sound Design: Matthieu Helaine
Props Design: Alan Fick
Featuring
Ella Zubieni as Ernestine
Jimmy Pierce as Kenneth
Matthieu Helaine as Matt/William
Emily Dominguez as Alice/Madeline
Tristan Tyson as Billy/John
Jozi Heermans as Joan/Alex/Beth
Doane University
February 2026
Ernestine Ashworth spends her 17th birthday agonizing over her insignificance in the universe. Soon enough, it’s her 18th birthday. Even sooner, her 41st. Her 70th. Her 101st. Five generations, an infinity of dreams, and one cake baked over a century. This poignant and funny play takes its audience through the highlights, heartbreaks and extraordinary moments that make up one woman’s ordinary life.
About the Show
