FALL 2016/SPRING 2017
Friday, June 23rd, 2017 — Awake and Sing! by Clifford Odets
Friday, May 26th, 2017 — On An Average Day by John Kolvenbach
Friday, April 21st, 2017 — Middletown by Will Eno
AWAKE AND SING!
BY CLIFFORD ODETS
Friday, June 23 at 8pm
FEATURING
STEVEN BROWN-FRIED (Director) Stephen Brown-Fried is a theatre director based in New York City whose work has been seen at the Public Theatre, National Asian American Theatre Company, Ensemble Studio Theatre, New York Theatre Workshop's 4th Street Theater, Sundance Theatre Lab, Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, Trinity Shakespeare, Milwaukee Shakespeare, Illinois Shakespeare and at The Shakespeare Theatre Company, as well as at training programs including NYU/Tisch Graduate Acting, SMU/Meadows School of the Arts, University of North Carolina School of the Arts, the University of Miami, and Virginia Commonwealth University. His production of Awake and Sing at The Public Theatre received a Drama League Award Nomination for Best Revival and an Obie Award for Best Leading Performance for Mia Katigbak. He is an Artistic Associate at Trinity Shakespeare Festival where his credits include A Midsummer Night's Dream, Julius Caesar, The Merchant of Venice, Macbeth, and Much Ado About Nothing. He has served as the Artistic Associate and Casting Director at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, where his directing credits include Misalliance, All's Well That Ends Well, The Comedy of Errors, and other productions. He holds a BA in History and Drama from Stanford University and an MFA in Directing from Yale School of Drama. He also serves as Head of Directing for the New School's College of Performing Arts, School of Drama.
LEN CARIOU (Jacob) One of the theater world's most beloved talents, Len Cariou is a member of the Theatre Hall of Fame and a pre-eminent interpreter of the music of Steven Sondheim. On Broadway, he has appeared in "Applause," for which he earned a Tony Award nomination and won the Theatre World Award; "A Little Night Music," for which he was also nominated for a Tony Award; "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street," for which he won a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award; "Nightwatch;" "Cold Storage;" Teddy and Alice;" "Dance a Little Closer;" "The Speed of Darkness;" "The Dinner Party" and "Proof."
Off-Broadway, Cariou has appeared in "Mountain," "Papa," "The Persians," "A Sorrow Beyond Dreams," "The Master Class" and "Measure for Measure." In addition, he has served as Artistic Director of the Manitoba Theatre Center and Associate Director of the Guthrie Theatre.
On television, Cariou has appeared in "Blue Bloods" "Damages," "Brotherhood," "Murder, She Wrote," "CSI" and "Numb3rs" on CBS, "Ed," "Law and Order," "The Outer Limits," "The Practice," "The West Wing," and many television films including "Into the Storm," for which he earned an Emmy Award nomination.
ORLAGH CASSIDY (Bessie) Orlagh made her Broadway debut in Noel Cowards’ ‘Present Laughter’ with Frank Langella and Alison Janney. Off Broadway credits include ‘The Ruins Of Civilization’ at ‘Manhattan Theatre Club,’ ‘Bright Ideas’ at Manhattan Class Company, ‘The Hundred We Are’ at Origin Theatre, and the mobile unit production of ‘Hamlet‘ at ‘The Public Theatre.’ She received a Drama Desk Award nomination in 2007 for her role as Maggie in ‘The Field‘ at The Irish Repertory Theatre where she also appeared in ‘The Aristocrats‘ and ‘Dancing At Lughnasa.’ Regionally she has performed at theatres such as Hartford Stage, Philadelphia Drama Guild, The Oslo Theatre, and Indiana Rep.
She has been a frequent guest star on television shows including ‘Homeland,’ ‘Billions,’ ‘The Good Wife,’ ‘Elementary,’ ‘Veep,’ ‘Unforgettable,’ ‘The Mysteries Of Laura,’ ‘Law and Order,’ and eleven year run as ‘Doris Wolfe’ on ‘Guiding Light.’ Film credits include ‘Beach House,’ ‘The Sisterhood Of Night,’ and ‘St. Vincent‘ with Bill Murray. She is a veteran commercial, television, voice actor and multiple award winning audiobook narrator.
MARTHA HARMS (Hennie) Martha recently moved to NYC, but is highly regarded for her theatrical work all over Dallas. She’s been a company member at Kitchen Dog Theater (TX) for seven years, where favorite past productions include Barbecue Apocalypse, In The Next Room Or the Vibrator Play and The Seagull. Martha is the voice of many characters in anime tv shows and films, as well as video games such as Walking Dead: Survival Instinct, Smite, and Borderlands 2. She holds a BFA from Southern Methodist University.
BRANDT ADAMS (Ralph) is a Brooklyn-based theater artist. He is a company member with The Nerve Tank, with whom he most recently performed the role of Woyzeck in Project Woyzeck at University Settlement and has enjoyed long collaborations with Sister Sylvester, Epic Theatre Ensemble, and the choreographer Catherine Galasso, among others. In Fall of 2012, his play, Dispatches from (A)mended America, co-written with Godfrey L. Simmons, Jr., was produced by Epic Theatre Ensemble at the Theater at the 14th Street Y. He has been a visiting artist at Cornell University, and has led middle and high school students throughout New York City in creating and performing plays addressing ethical and social issues. www.brandtadams.com
JAMES YAEGASHI (Uncle Morty) Broadway: Breakfast at Tiffany’s, A Naked Girl on the Appian Way and Take Me Out (2003 Tony for Best Play). Off-Broadway: Wild Goose Dreams, Ping Pong, Durango, Richard III, and Take Me Out (The Public); The Oldest Boy (Lincoln Center); House Rules and I_NY (Ma-Yi); A Few Stout Individuals (Signature); and Macbeth (TFANA). Regional: Longwharf, South Coast Rep, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Kennedy Center, etc. International: Singapore Arts Festival, Edinburgh Int’l Festival, Donmar Warehouse and Taganka Theatre. Film & TV: The Runaways (series regular), Daredevil, Madame Secretary, Man on a Ledge, and The Thomas Crown Affair, etc. Interactive: Grand Theft Auto series, Bio Shock series, etc. James is also an award-winning filmmaker, a director, and translator.
DAVID FUNCK (Myron) has performed in original works, musicals, and opera in regional theater and Off-Broadway. Favorite roles include John Proctor in The Crucible, Rutledge in 1776, Malvolio in Twelfth Night, Jaques in As You Like It, Armado in Love’s Labour’s Lost, and Father in Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice. Theaters include the Circle Repertory Company Lab, Wheaton Shakespeare in the Park, Hope Summer Repertory Theatre, and Rogue Music Theater. David was a founding member of The Present Company, a group focused on original works which went on to start FringeNYC. He holds an MFA from Southern Methodist University.
DAN KUBLICK (Sam Feinschriber/Schlosser) has appeared in new works by Dan Rothenberg, Kristin Marting, Ashlin Halfnight, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Jerry Lieblich, Eric Bland, Tracy Bersley, Celine Song, Jeremy Pickard, Mikhael Tara Garver, and Sister Sylvester. Recent credits include: Toshiki Okada’s The Sonic Life of a Giant Tortoise (The Play Company); IDIOT (HERE); Tom & Eliza (JACK); Ghost Stories (Tiny Little Band); Dead Behind These Eyes (Sister Sylvester); and Health Insurance (United Solo Festival-- Best Avant-Garde Show). He is a graduate of The Studio/New York and Princeton University, and currently lives in oh so beautiful Brooklyn.
CHRISTOPHER DOMIG (Moe) Christopher Domig is an actor and director in New York City. Recent acting credits include: The Waste Land: A Performance/Installation at FringeNYC, English World Premiere of Dirt in New York (59E59, 4th Street Theater), Edinburgh (Gilded Balloon), Vancouver (Pacific Theatre), Berlin (ETB), and London (Arcola Theatre). Recent TV: Blue Bloods, Boardwalk Empire, Black List, Law & Order: SVU and Blindspot. BFA: Wheaton College, MFA: Southern Methodist University. www.christopherdomig.com
ON AN AVERAGE DAY
BY JOHN KOLVENBACH
Friday, May 26th at 8pm
FEATURING
JOHN KOLVENBACH (Playwright & Director) On the West End: Love Song (Olivier nomination, Best New Comedy, directed by John Crowley) and On an Average Day (with Woody Harrelson and Kyle MacLachlan, also directed by Mr. Crowley.) Love Song premiered at Steppenwolf in 2006, directed by Austin Pendelton. It has been produced in New York, Zurich, Melbourne, Sydney, Wellington, Seoul and Rome. There have been over fifty productions in the U.S. Average Day has been produced in Tel Aviv, Buenos Aires, Lisbon and by Route 66 in Chicago and in Los Angeles. Goldfish premiered at South Coast Repertory, then at the Magic Theatre in San Francisco, directed by Loretta Greco. The play was done in repertory with Mrs. Whitney, which was directed by the author. Most recently, Sister Play received its premier at the Magic and at The Harbor Stage Company, both productions directed by the author. Other plays include: Fabuloso, (Premiered at WHAT, subsequent productions in San Juan and Zurich, in Spanish and Swiss German) Bank Job (Amphibian Stages) and Marriage Play or Half & Half & Half (Merrimack Rep.) Kolvenbach's next play is called Reel to Reel. It will premiere at the Magic in their 2017-18 season.
ANDREW PASTIDES (Robert): AEA/ SAG/ AFRTRA , Theatre: Fool for Love (Magic), Tribes (Denver Center), Half and Half and Half(Merrimack Rep), Goldfish (Magic Theatre), Lovesong(59 E59), Makeout Session (Barrow Group), The Glass Menagerie (Two River Theatre), The Chosen (The Cleveland Playhouse), Molly's Delicious (The Arizona Theatre Co.), Tartuffe (Two River Theatre), Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde (Theatre Alliance). Television credits include: CBS's Blue Bloods, Law and Order on NBC, USA's Suits, and HBO's Boardwalk Empire. Film credits: Home is Where the Heart Aches ( Dir. Julien Levi), Deja Vu (Dir. Phillip Van), Hank and Asha ( Dir. James Duff), Si Nos Dejan ( Dir. Celia Rowlson-Hall), The Audition and Gray Dog (Dir. Celia Rowlson-Hall), Mrs Tenderfoot Takes a Lover ( Dir. Melissa Tomjanovich), Shadows and Lies (Dir. Jay Anania), Life (Dir. S. Gibson), and MA (Dir. Celia Rowlson-Hall). Andrew is a graduate of The SCGSAH and The University of North Carolina School of the Arts.
DUSTY BROWN (Jack) Dusty Brown is an actor, filmmaker and musician. As an actor, Dusty has guest-starred on Law and Order: SVU, Madam Secretary and a myriad of independent shorts and features. He has worked at The Barrow Group, The Atlantic Theater, New York Theater Workshop, Ars Nova Theater, IRT Theater, Arkansas Repertory Theater, Theater Squared, Sierra Repertory Theater and many more. His long-running show, "The Barrel Brothers" (ECNY Award best comic duo), was presented by UCB Theater in New York City. In 2014 he and his long time friend and fellow Barrel Brother, Greg Bratman, co-wrote, directed and starred in the short film, "The Nobodies" (Vimeo Staff Pick, Funny or Die Staff Pick, Short of the Week Staff Pick), featuring Jim Gaffigan, Tony Hale, Jack McBrayer, Ellie Kemper and Sutton Foster. As a songwriter, Dusty's first album was developed into a play called "The Ballad of Rusty and Roy" by Troy and Jonny Schremmer. It premiered at the 2011 New York City International Fringe Festival where it won the top honor for musical composition. Dusty studied acting at The Carnegie Mellon School of Drama. www.dustybrownstuff.com
“MIDDLETOWN”
BY WILL ENO
Friday, April 21st at 8pm
FEATURING
PETER RICHARDS (Director) Peter Richards is a Brooklyn-based director and actor. Directing credits include: Anna Christie, by Eugene O’neill at the Wild Project in NY; The Seagull, by Anton Chekhov, The Aliens by Annie Baker, Elizabeth Rex by Timothy Findley, Dying City by Christopher Shinn, Brilliant Traces by Cindy Lou Johnson, all at Opera House Arts; Macbeth at Edgemar Center for the Arts; Big Love, by Charles L. Mee. Performance credits: As You Like It, Antony and Cleopatra, 10 Real Star Acts, Measure for Measure at OHA; American Repertory Theater; The Metropolitan Opera, among others. He is a founding member of Conni’s Avant Garde Restaurant, an Associate Artist with Blessed Unrest, and has twice been a guest artist at Bates College. MFA in acting from A.R.T. Institute for Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard University. BA from Harvard College.
BRIGITTE CHOURA (Mrs. Swanson) Brigitte Choura is is an actor and teaching artist based in New York City. Most recently, she has taught workshops at the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, NJ and NYU Langone's Initiative for Women with Disabilities. She is a resident teaching artist at DreamStreet Theatre Company, a nonprofit organization that provides education and inspiration for developmentally disabled individuals invested in the arts. She is a co-founder of Third Wheel Collective, a collaboration-based theatre company. She has toured nationally with Philadelphia’s Enchantment Theatre in their production of The Velveteen Rabbit and also performed in their limited engagement of Scheherazade, accompanied by the Cleveland Orchestra. She appeared as Violet in the independent feature film, Chasing Home. In New York, she studied with Austin Pendleton at H.B. Studio and performed along side him in a reading of Christopher Boal's play, The Giant. She graduated from Muhlenberg College with a degree in English and Theatre.
GREG BROSTROM (John Dodge) Greg Brostrom is elated to be part of sea dog's first foray. As a New York actor about to spend 7 months in Virginia doing a season at the American Shakespeare Center, it is a delight to have one final artistic meal in the city with such an enormously talented group. Many thanks to Chris and everyone else at sea dog.
KRIS KLING (Cop) Kris Kling is a NYC based actor whose stage work includes the premier of Will Eno's GNIT (Actors Theatre of Louisville/Humana Festival) and the US premier of Toshiki Okada's ENJOY! (The Play Company, NYTimes critic’s pick). He has also acted at such places as PS 122, La MAMA, Theatre Row, The Pearl, The Storm and Nebraska Shakespeare Festival, to name a few. TV/Film credits include: The Deuce, Banshee, Law & Order: SVU, Fan Girl, H., Of Minor Prophets, Maybe There's a Tree, Mystery Team and Tully. Kris is a graduate of London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
MATTHEW LOVE (Mechanic, Janitor) Matthew Love is an actor and writer whose bylines include Rolling Stone, the New York Times, Vulture, Condé Nast Traveler and Time Out New York, among others. He hosted the 30th anniversary season of NPR staple Selected Shorts, and has since been a consulting producer there. He has hosted or interviewed people including Stephen Colbert, Chris Rock, Carrie Brownstein, Junot Diaz and scads more. He also presides over comedy debate series Uptown Showdown.
GREG BROSTROM (John Dodge) Greg Brostrom is elated to be part of sea dog's first foray. As a New York actor about to spend 7 months in Virginia doing a season at the American Shakespeare Center, it is a delight to have one final artistic meal in the city with such an enormously talented group. Many thanks to Chris and everyone else at sea dog.
DEVIN BURNAM (Male Tourist/Freelancer/Radio Host/Ground Control/Landscaper/Attendant 2) Devin Burnam is a Brooklyn-based writer and performer. He has worked with Sister Sylvester, Combustive Motor Corp., the Butane Group, at Dixon Place, HERE, The Brick, 4th Street Theatre of NYTW, the Flea and multiple site-specific productions.
RACHEL MURDY (Librarian/Female Tourist/Aunt) Rachel Benbow Murdy (AEA) is an actor, singer, and theater devisor based in NYC. Performer/co-writer "The Millay Sisters Cabaret" at Stonington Opera House, Don't Tell Mama, and The Abingdon Theater. Co-writer/performer "Welcome Home Hamlet" performed at Joe's Pub, and Don't Tell Mama. Recently appeared as Man's Understanding in Calderon's "2 Dreams" at La Mama and played The Evil Apothecary in "Romeo and Juliet and Zombies" at New Ohio Theatre. Co-creator/performer "Connie's Avant Garde Restaurant." Bushwick Starr, Joe's Pub, and Cleveland Public Theater. Co-creator with Diane Paulus's Company: Project 400 Theater Group original cast member of "The Donkey Show".
JENN HIBBS (Tour Guide/Music Host/Female Doctor/Woman on Date)
WHITNEY BAHR (Sweetheart/Attendant/Intercom) Whitney is a graduate from the University of Florida where she studied Family, Youth, and Community Science and Theater. She is a trained vocalist, writer, and actor, her writing including music pieces, lyrics, and stage productions. She has performed across the nation, including Disney and Carnegie Hall, always entering into her work with a desire to deeply understand people and connect them to the most beautiful parts of life. Whitney has worked in several nonprofits, specializing in donor communications, event coordinating, and publicity. She was the Founder and Director of Art in Motion Theater Camp in Florida and the Director of the Man Up, Speak Up Camp with The Women’s Center - where she worked to co-create several Public Service Announcements that premiered on MTV, city billboards, and YouTube. Whitney’s passion is to use the arts as a way of uncovering truth, both the beautiful and the brutal.
Throughout the year we organize free readings of new and established work that explore questions of alienation and reconciliation. After each performance, we set up a banquet table with food and wine for the sake of continuing the conversation. We are committed to hospitality as much as to excellent storytelling. Readings are suggested donation events, all donations go towards artist payments and hospitality costs. Our inaugural reading took place in April 2017.