A Pocketful of Sand
About the Play:
Coco travels the oceans and sells the souls from bodies he pulls out of the sea until one day he rescues Sunny, a young orphan girl who is determined to be his apprentice. However as the more sinister aspects of Coco’s work begin to emerge, Sunny must decide for herself whether the work they are doing outweighs the costs. A fairytale about death, Pocketful of Sand is a play about love, family and belonging.
See the Show!
November 12, 2025 | 7:00 pm
November 13, 2025 | 1 pm (Matinee)
November 13, 2025 | 7 pm
November 15, 2025 | 7:00 pm
Location:
Performing Arts Center at South Mountain Community College
7050 S. 24th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85042
Directed by SUZEE (Mario El Caponi Mendoza)
Cast:
Coco | Christopher Hoormann
Sunny | Anaya Chayvon Connors
Cork | Aryonne Balis
Bob (The Seagull) | Cameron Valenzuela
Production Team:
Director | SUZEE (Mario El Caponi Mendoza)
Playwright | Emily Dendinger
Associate Director and Stage Manager | Nataly Solis
Lighting and Scenic Design | Rob Duggan
Media and Sound Design | Mario El Caponi Mendoza
Associate Stage Manager and Properties Masters | Simon Moore
Makeup Design | Nataly Solis and Simon Moore
Graphic Designer | Hannah Kim
Scenic Builders | David Antonio Pena-Rodriguez,
David Arellano Esparza, Erick Valentin-Guerrera Rendon,
Jaime Velazquez
Production Photographer | Emilee Gawel
Executive Producers | Chantel Freed, Sean Barr,
Carlos Caire and Alice Murillo
Written by Emily Dendinger
Emily Dendinger is a New York-based writer by way of Virginia. Her plays include The Grand Illusion Show (2019 Bay Area Theater Festival Finalist, 2019 Orlando Shakes New Play Fest Finalist), No Home for Bees (2017 Source Festival Finalist), Little House in the Big City (2017 NNPN Showcase Finalist), and Pocketful of Sand (winner of the 2016 Activate Midwest New Play Award and 2015 Alliance/Kendeda finalist).
She is a two-time winner of Theater Masters and has been a finalist for the City Theatre National Award, Ingram New Works Lab at Nashville Rep, 2017 Emerald Prize, Playwrights Center Core Apprenticeship, and Heideman Award. Emily has worked around the country with companies including The Acting Company, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Route 66, The Lark, Sideshow Theatre, The Alliance, NNPN, Curious Theatre Company, NJ Rep, Orlando Shakes, Ashland New Play Festival, and TimeLine Theatre. Her work has been developed at The Perry Mansfield Festival of New Work, Durango New Play Festival, and Tofte Lake Residency.
Emily was a 2015-2016 NNPN Playwright-in-Resident, and she is an alumni member of TimeLine’s Writers Collective and an NNPN affiliate artist. MFA: University of Iowa.