Visible Soul

People You Should Know . . . Joel Nagle

2012-02-10T19:41:00.001-05:00

Joel Nagle is an actor, writer,and filmmaker. The Straitjacket, Kernel Of Sanity (Audelco Awardnomination, Outstanding Ensemble Performance); M21/Bellevue, South Delancey,Henry’s Lunchroom, The Trials of MS. Katherine and Second (Playsand Playwrights 2005); Guiding Light (CBS) & All My Children(ABC), and the films The Challenger, Entropy, Say Nothing and Last Words ofthe Holy Ghost, which has recently screened at several film festivalsincluding: Lucerne International Film Festival in Switzerland, Aguilar FilmFestival in Spain where it won for best short film in the Americas, LA ShortsFest, Austin Film Festival, Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival,Driftless Film Festival, Coney Island Film Festival and the Big Apple FilmFestival. SAG-AFTRA-AEA member.

How did you get started in theatre? When did you know you wanted tobe an actor?

Someone was crazy enough to cast me in a show. It was thefirst play I auditioned for after getting some real training as an actor.Before that I had worked on some films, commercials and music videos, but thatwas really just winging it – instincts and cheekbones will only get you so far.Now I’m a little wiser, more experienced and at least have a way to approachthe work. I didn’t dare attempt theater prior to formally studying as an actor,and it was probably a good decision. My first play was a Way Off Broadway andWay Downtown production. Actually, now that I think about it, most of mytheater work has been way off and way down… but in a good way. I rememberduring the final callback, at one point, I wasn’t quite sure what was going onor what I was supposed to be doing, so I fell back on acting 101: stay in themoment, be open and available, really listen to what’s being said and let ithappen to me. And that was that. I got the part.

When did I know I wanted to be an actor? Well, I don’t know thatthere was ever any big moment when it hit me, but there are moments when I’mwatching really good actors work that I get a fire in my gut and feel honored tobe working as an actor. When I’m doing it, acting that is, I just love themoments and being able to turn off the controls and just let it all unfold andhappen as it will. Or in the case of a play, where you rehearse for weeks,allowing it all to happen in a performance as if it’s fresh off the vine. Whenthat happens, those are the moments I really know this is for me. You reallyhave to keep searching for opportunities to do your work and make it happen,and they’re not always easy to find. I mean, there are plenty of productionsbeing mounted every week, but getting in with the right people and productionsis the key to satisfying that hunger to perform at a certain level and gobeyond what you think you’re capable of doing. That’s really the only way togrow and stay satisfied as a performer -- take on new and bigger challenges andfind out what it takes by doing it… by walking in those shoes.

Tell me about RABBIT ISLAND. How do you feel rehearsals are going? Whatdo you love most about the play?

Rabbit Island. Funny piece...lively and maybe a bit dark. It’s hard to say specifically what I like about itor how rehearsals are going, because what is true today might not be tomorrow.We’re finding it as we go. There’s more here than meets the eye. It’s a fineline you walk with a lot of this material and finding the right tone andbalance is the challenge. It might be even more complex than any of us reallyunderstands right now. Then again, maybe not, but you need to keep all optionsopen and see what works and what doesn’t, and of course, what suits the play,the playwright, and let’s not forget the DIRECTOR. We’ve had a great teamworking on this. Everyone’s been really open and giving. It really feels likewe’re all shooting for the same thing here in our own unique way… getting themost out of the play, finding the truth in it and smacking the audience rightin the chops with a kickass show. It can be a tricky dance finding all this,pulling it together and putting it out there, but the journey is what makes itfun. And orchestrating all this madness is our wonderful director, AimeeTodoroff. God bless her, Aimee’s brought to the table her own vision of theentire production, and she’s got everyone on board for the feast. It’s fun. She’sbeen a great liaison between the cast and the uncommonly funny and elusiveplaywright, Chris Harcum. What a task he is!

What kind of writing inspires you?

Beckett, O’Neill, Pinter, Harcum…

Who or what has been the biggest influence on your work as an actor thusfar?

Probably simple everyday life and how people communicate and interactwith each other and the world around them. The psychology and pathology ofexistence, how we get from one moment to the next, how and why we do what we doand get what we want and need in life.

As far as the people who have influenced me and my work, I’d have to sayanyone over the years who’s supported my creative efforts, as an actor orotherwise; family, friends, teachers, colleagues and specifically I’d have tosay my first acting teacher Maggie Flanigan… fantastic teacher, she doesn’t letyou get away with any bull; it’s all about truth and really doing. Also, thegreat Wynn Handman, Artistic Director and Co-Founder of the American PlaceTheatre, a wonderful person and teacher, with such insight and creative spirit,very supportive and all about process and growth. And of course every producer,director and writer who’s given me the opportunity to work, including Mr.Harcum. Chris and I have worked on a few projects together, and it has alwaysbeen great collaborating with him. It’s always an interesting and excitingjourney with this madman on board.

What else are you working on right now?

On the acting front, I’m working on a feature film called The Challengerand have a short zombie flick being released online next week. It was a funlittle project that was produced by some talented and enjoyable people. It’sthe first in a series of zombie shorts that will be produced this year by afilmmaker named Bob Officer. Bob contacted me through a wildly talented guynamed Zack McTee, who travels all over the world shooting stuff. Zack shot acommercial I was in, and after that he wrote a short script with me in mind. Weshot it, and Bob saw it and contacted Zack, who put me in touch with Bob, andthat’s how it happened. It’s like they say, work gets work. Thank God for theinterweb.

I’m also a screenwriter and sometime filmmaker, among other things. I’mworking on writing two feature scripts and some short film scripts I’d like toshoot over the next year or so. As a producer, I’ve optioned some scripts andhave been working on getting them in front of the right people, so we can getthem made. I like supporting creative people and their ventures, and when I seea work that speaks to me I’m willing to do whatever I can to help advance thecause. No one can do it alone, and I’m so thankful for the support and love I’vebeen shown over the last twenty-some years here in New York. “GOD I LOVE THISTOWN!!!”

People You Should Know . . . Riti Sachdeva

2012-02-09T15:57:00.001-05:00

RitiSachdeva is a theatre maker, dancer, and cultural worker whorecently relocated to NYC from Albuquerque. As an actor, she has worked withmidNite’s cHiLd, Kalapani, Working Classroom, Omnirootz, Disneychannel, MCET,and performed her original work in the U.S. and Canada. For her playwriting,Riti has been awarded fellowships to the Kennedy Center MFA Play DevelopmentWorkshop and a Center for Regional Studies grant. Her play Parts of Parts& Stitches won the 2009-10 Kennedy Center American College TheatreFestival’s Quest for Peace award and the 2011 Excellence in Playwriting awardat the National Newborn Festival. She is a 2012 CORE Apprentice with thePlaywrights’ Center in Minneapolis and is a 2012-13 fellow with the EmergingWriters Group at the Joseph Papp Public theatre. Riti received her MFA inDramatic Writing from the University of New Mexico (power to public education!)She is instigator of midNite’s cHiLd Productions http://www.facebook.com/midniteschild.

How did you get started intheatre? What compelled you to start writing plays?

I started to bring my danceand visual art background together into solo performance pieces. Then I begin acting in plays andquickly realized (yeah, that same story you hear from lots of playwrights)there’s very little to nothing for brown girls, especially the South Asianshade of brown. The roles out there are often characters shaped from a colonial,patriarchal gaze. I want to tell stories in which women and men of the SouthAsian diaspora, and women of color generally, are the agents of change. Atfirst I thought I’d be acting in this work but it’s become so exciting tocreate smart, multi- dimensional roles for people of color.

Tell me about PARTS OF PARTSAND STITCHES. How do you feel rehearsals are going? What do you love most aboutthe play?

PARTS OF PARTS & STITCHESis an attempt to document and understand what happened to my parents, grandparents,and great grandparents generations during the partition of Pakistan and India.I recorded oral histories with many of my aunties and uncles and my papa (Mawas too young to remember) several years ago. There are numerous situations inthe play that are their remembered experiences. Some of these relatives havepassed away since.

Rehearsals have started andevery time I see pictures of the cast, I think “that is the most stunning castI have ever seen!” Director Cat Parker and set designer George Allison areworking tirelessly to balance the real and fantastical elements that are theworld of the play.

I love the vultures in theplay. I also love the cast. Did I mention how f*#!ing beautiful they are? It’sa fourteen-character play. MTWorks has balls to produce this play.

What kind of writing inspiresyou?

Raw, gritty, poetic, honest,thoughtful, fantastical. Writing that leaves me uneasy, accountable, and withquestions. The poetry of Audre Lorde and Mary Oliver. Fucking A by SuzanLori-Parks, Two Sisters and A Piano by Nilo Cruz. Midnight’s Childrenby Salman Rushdie, Eva Luna by Isabel Allende, The Samurai’sGarden by Gail Tsukiyama, Cracking India by Bapsi Sidhwa, Breath,Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao byJunot Díaz, The Autobiography of Malcom X, everything by Sherman Alexie.I love reading – so much important writing, so little time...

Who or what has been thebiggest influence on your work as a writer thus far?

All kinds of music, dance,especially flamenco; colors and patterns and bold, sexy, graceful fashion;grass that grows through cracks in concrete; insects that work together tocarry their dead; the capacity to inflict, endure, and survive cruelty; thepower to nurture; rituals of grief; homemade meals; fruit ripening on trees;the ocean.

What else are you working onright now?

Tweaking The Rug Dealer andmy first “flamenco play” La Fea: A FlamenChoreoMyth; looking for aflamenco teacher in NYC; evolving a solo performance piece called Scene/Unseendirected by Antonio Miniño. I just started to write a new play I’m going todevelop through the EWG at the Public- a revenge fantasy about a widow of asuicided farmer in India (it’s an epidemic amongst farmers in debt tomultinational GMO companies) who comes to the U.S. to work as a maid for thefamily of the CEO of a chemical corporation. It’s gonna be creepy.

People You Should Know . . . Natalie Kuhn

2012-02-08T13:51:00.001-05:00

NATALIE KUHN-Natalie is thrilled to be making her Off Broadway debut withPoetic License. Theatre: Stop the Virgens (St.Ann’s Warehouse), Everything That Happens (David ByrneConcert Tour), Three Guys and a Brenda, Current Things, Sound in theThroat, (Williamstown Theater Festival), TheUnderpants (Penobscot Theater), Man Is Man (HEREArts), Sine Wave Goodbye (Ontological), JohnnyApplef?%r (The Ohio), One Million Forgotten Moments (NTUSA).Film/TV: "Ride Rise Roar," "Law & Order: CI," “Are WeThere Yet?,” “Going Local,” “F*ckers,” “Plan B,” "Bestsellers,""PowerHouse," “Freaky Darlings.”

How did you get started in theatre? When did you know youwanted to be an actor?

I started in theater at the ripe oldage of 9 because the cool girl in 3rd grade was in a play. Naturally I wantedto follow suit. And much to my parents chagrin, I never stopped. There wasnever a defining moment when a lightbulb above my head turned on and I thought,"I'll be an actor!" it just became the natural progression of things.By the time I was a senior in high school i had fixated on becoming a dramamajor.

Tell me about POETIC LICENSE. How do you feel rehearsals aregoing? What do you love most about the play?

I always trust my first read of a play.If it's a yawn-fest, I will often opt to not audition. But Poetic License wasso enthralling that waiting for the day I could audition was like waiting forChristmas. I think Jack's writing is so witty and smart and I feel quite luckyto be a part of this production. Ari, Ger, and Liza are such fun actors to workwith; they strike that wonderful balance of ease, humor, and professionalism.The way Evan leads rehearsals is by giving an overall note for the scene andthen letting us run with it. That structure is helping us find the arc of theplay and of our characters. I so appreciate the trust he has in us. I learnsomething new every day about my character and the play because of working withthese incredible people.

What kind of writing inspires you?

My favorite authors write charactersthat are not solely good or evil, innocent or guilty, smart or inept, but a bitof both. I think Murakami does that quite well, for example.

Who or what has been the biggest influence on your work asan actor thus far?

My high school drama teacher remainsthe most influential person on my acting career. When i was in 8th grade, hetook me under his wing and gave me great plays to read, the opportunities toperform great characters, introduced me to Shakespeare, and encouraged me tokeep at it when the going got tough.

What else are you working on right now?

We are crossing our fingers that theshow I was lucky enough to be in at St. Ann's Warehouse this past fall called StopThe Virgens gets picked up. Our hopes are high but there's no definiteword yet.

People You Should Know . . . Ari Butler

2012-02-08T13:43:00.000-05:00

ARI BUTLER Recently played FINCH in “How to Succeed…”at Canada’s Drayton Festival. Other credits include: The Shape ofThings as Adam (Stamford Theater Works), Fugue (NY’sCherry Lane Theater), Dreyfus in Rehearsal (NY’s Becket @ TheaterRow), Hair as Woof (Prince Theater), Bye Bye Birdieas Hugo (North Shore Music Theater), Crossing Delancey and BroadwayBound as Eugene (Forestburgh Playhouse), Disney’s Aladdinas Aladdin (Hyperion Theater), and the soon to be released film Coming UpRoses. NYU Grad. Ari thanks his parents and wife, Sara.

How did you get started in theatre? When did you know you wanted to bean actor?

I could never hit the baseball. I couldn'teven stand there without ducking while someone hurled it in my direction. But when I got to play Winthrop in TheMusic Man at the local theater company I discovered something I COULD do. So I decided to perform and, frankly, never wanted to stop. Mymom-mom fed me old movie musicals (Singingin the Rain, etc), I performed everywhere I could (malls, family affairs,High School), and then I chose it as my major at NYU.

Tell me about POETIC LICENSE. How do you feel rehearsals are going?What do you love most about the play?

Poetic License is one of those great playswhere everything that is interesting happens on the stage. No one walkson-stage and tells a story about something amazing that took place earlier thatday. You get to see the action develop in real time and witness how thecharacters process and deal with each other. Which is exciting becausethe shit really hits the fan in this one. The characters are very smart andpassionate, so they are able to articulate their points of view from anintelligent and emotional place.

Honestly it is hard to say too much more about theplay because so much of the plot hinges on a secret. My character isinvited to meet his girlfriend's parents, the mother an over-bearing socialiteand the father a renowned Poet, and to put it mildly, making a good firstimpression is not at the top of his agenda. Navigating through theulterior motives without exposing too much to the audience too soon is provingto be challenging and fun.

What kind of writing inspires you?

The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh and Red by John Logan are two of my favorite plays in the past fewyears. I like when things get messy and uncomfortable.

Who or what has been the biggest influence on your work as a actor thusfar?

My wife, Sara Edwards. Followed closely byeveryone else I have ever worked with. I remember doing a play with Deirdre O'Connell and thinking that when I got to performa role as large and invested as hers, I wanted to handle myself asprofessionally as she did during that process. There are many phenomenalactors that I watch and learn from, but only a few that I have actively triedto emulate in the process of putting together a show.

What else are you working on right now?

Inviting everyone Iknow to see Po

People You Should Know . . . Ethan Angelica

2012-02-08T07:53:00.003-05:00

Ethan Angelica is aBrooklyn-based actor, singer and writer. New York: PEG O' MY HEART(Hell's Kitchen Musicals -- MITF Award, Best Musical), THOSE WHISTLING LADS(Spotlight On! Award, Outstanding Actor), Metropolitan Playhouse, the Brick,CAP21. Regionally: The Guthrie, Theatre de la Jeune Lune, AmericanFolklore Theater, Lake Placid Center for the Arts, lots of tours withTheaterworks/USA. Ethan co-authored EDGAR, a chamber musical based on the lifeof Edgar Allan Poe, which was performed as part of Philadelphia's PoeBicentennial events. He holds a BFA in Drama and Middle Eastern Studies fromNYU/Tisch (CAP21). www.ethanangelica.com

How did you get started in theatre? When did you know you wanted tobe an actor?

Well, if you ask my parents, they'll tell you that "thecalling" came when I saw A STREGA NONA CHRISTMAS at Children's TheaterCompany in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Apparently, at age three, I refused toleave the theater after the show and demanded that my parents tell me when itwas "my turn to go up there." Five years later, I signed myselfup to audition for BRAVE IS MAHNG IS LOON at SteppingStone Theater Company forYouth Development in St. Paul without telling my parents, got cast, told myparents, and proceeded to make them drive me around the Twin Cities to variousrehearsal locations for two months. That was the start, and I've beenperforming in some capacity ever since. (I think now is probably a good time tosay "thank you" to Mom and Dad for putting up with my artistic whims,both as a small child and an adult).

Tell me about RABBIT ISLAND. How do you feel rehearsals are going?What do you love most about the play?

RABBIT ISLAND is a blast to work on! I attended a reading ofit a few years ago and laughed so hard I cried. Now, I leave rehearsaleach day with one thought: "Wow, this show is really coming together, andit all feels so good, but I have a ton of homework to do!" ChrisHarcum has written a crazy, funny, heartfelt, complex play that is extremelylayered, and it's an exciting challenge to keep digging. I really understandAlex, seeing much of his journey to feel like a "real New Yorker"mirroring my own experience as a transplant, and can't help but laugh as Irecognize bits of people I know in all the characters he meets. The play asksus to explore the insecurities that we, as New Yorkers, work so hard to keeplocked inside in order to retain a semblance of civil society in this nuttycity, and there is something exhilarating about being asked to confront themeach day. Thankfully for me, Aimee Todoroff is a fearless director, and CarrieHeitman, Mel House, Joel Nagle, Laura Butler and Mariko Iwasa are the kindest,smartest and funniest scene partners I could ask for. Plus, Chris and Aimee areteaching me to mime, which is ridiculously fun.

What kind of writing inspires you?

I am drawn to solid, smart storytelling, with bonus points awardedfor writers who can make it funny, and force audience members to remainactively engaged throughout. As someone with a background in music aswell as theater, I'm also particularly excited when I see song integrated in ameaningful -- and unexpected -- way.

Who or what has been the biggest influence on your work as an actorthus far?

There are quite a few. The folks at Theatre de la Jeune Lune (nowgone, sadly) in Minneapolis taught me about being brutally honest with whatworks and what doesn't, and how to let go of your best stuff if it doesn'tserve the greater good. My college professor Mana Allen helped me figureout how to be ridiculous and big, while still keeping myself grounded andtruthful. Bricken Sparacino and Chris Harcum have been extraordinaryguides for what it means to make theater in New York City, and have offered metremendous support and opportunities to figure out my place here.

What else are you working on right now?

The vast majority of my last few years have been spent out of town,so I am currently reacquainting myself with what it means to live and work inNew York City. Artistically, I have been cast as a principal in my friendColleen Lis's new web series THEATER FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES, about a touringchildren's theater troupe and their various shenanigans, and am reconnectingwith my friend and frequent collaborator Joanna Flamm over the multitude ofideas we're bouncing around. Administratively, I'm working with theup-and-coming Sink or Swim Rep on some grants and general non-profitdevelopment. I also spend a lot of time teaching children about animals throughtheater at the Central Park Zoo. Oh, and I'm running the audition circuit alittle. So, if you see me looking grumpy at Equity, feel free to say hi. I'mactually quite friendly!

People You Should Know . . . Mariko Iwasa

2012-02-08T05:24:00.000-05:00

MARIKOIWASA   -Born in Kanagawa, Japan. Mariko graduatedNihon Art University of Art, with a degree in Theater Acting. As anactress and dancer, she performed around Tokyo and was a Tokyo DisneylandCountdown Parade dancer in 2003. She came to NYC in 2007, wanting to convey toforeign people how her energy and personality are.....!!!!, to meet newpeople, and to find good dance lessons. She found many exciting, crazy funpeople in NYC !!!!!! Two years ago she found a slapstick class in NYC thatwas a new world of entertainment to her, and began clown acting, physicalcomedy, and some simple juggling. This caused a bit of a shift for her. She hasperformed in works she created at the Galapagos open variety show, New YorkDowntown Clown Revue, and Whoa Wednesday. She is so glad and excited to performwith Rabbit Island. It is challenging, really. New York City is stillexciting to her. (By the way, everyone, she still wants to make more friends.:)    

How did you get started in theatre? When didyou know you wanted to be an actor?  

When I was 5 years old, I started doing jazzdance and dance performance in theater. When I was 17 years old, I startedagain for real. I started to go to a studio which is for musical theater. I hadalready known I wanted to be actor or entertainer when I was child :) But Ireally wanted to be one starting when I was 17 years old.   

Tell me about RABBIT ISLAND. How do you feelrehearsals are going? What do you love most about the play?

  First of all, I love this company, cast,director and staff!! Aimee is such a peaceful and happy person. Chris is aswell :) Every rehearsal has been fun and exciting. But meanwhile I get nervous(good nervous for myself) because I've never worked with a small cast and neverworked with a cast who is so very, very professional. Working with them is abig opportunity for me. I definitely love the scene in which Alex does mime!!This show is a comedy but it's not like sitcom. This play is like vaudeville,especially for my character :) Rabbit Island’s world view issimilar to Kazuyoshi Kushida’s stage style. He is a director and actor, and hiscompany has performed several times in NYC.  

What kind of writing inspires you?

  Sorry, I didn't study so much aboutAmerican's playwrights. I can tell you more about Japanese writing. I likeMitani Koki. He is a famous writer and director in Japan. His musical, “SingLike Talking,” was performed in NYC about 3 years ago. All of Mitani Koki'swriting -- movies, straight plays and musicals -- inspire me.

   Who or what has been the biggestinfluence on your work as an actor thus far?

  Hmmm....as far as Japanese actors?? I liketwo Japanese actresses: Atsuko Takaizumi and Keiko Toda. They are my biggestinfluences. Other world-class actors or entertainers who are also influences onmy work are Lucille Ball, Shirley Maclaine, Bill Irwin, Buster Keaton, CharlieChaplin, Tommy Cooper, and Jerry Lewis.  So many?? But they might always beinfluential to actors and entertainers!!   

What else are you working on right now?

  Nothing, RIGHT NOW.

I will keep trying to make my new physicalcomedy stuff and brush up my other stuff. HOPEFULLY, I will perform at somevariety show or elsewhere.   Thank you. 

People You Should Know . . . Chris Harcum

2012-02-08T05:16:00.001-05:00

Chris Harcum is an award-winning actorand playwright who was recently named one of NYTheatre's People of the Year andhis solo play, Green, was published in the Best of 2011Collection on Indie Theater Now. Since moving to New York City in2002, over 20 of his works have been seen on NYC stages. His full-length playsinclude G. Dot’s Revenge, Trading Lunches, Rabbit Island, Milk &Shelter, Instant Gratification and The Devil in Ms. Spelvin. Chrisco-adapted and played the title role in a modern version of Moliere’s TheHypochondriac. He has appeared in over 100 projects as an actor including TheApostles of Park Slope, winner of the Best Comedy Feature Award at theManhattan Film Festival. As a solo performer, he has created and performed Green,Some Kind of Pink Breakfast, Gotham Standards, Anhedonia Road, Mahamudra,Things Your Don't Know, Weight and Weightlessness and American Badass(or 12 Characters in Search of a National Identity), which was published inthe Plays and Playwrights 2009 anthology. Many of these pieces, alongwith his play We Haven't Told Anyone About This, are published on IndieTheater Now. Chris serves on the Board of Directors for the League ofIndependent Theater. www.chrisharcum.com.

How did you get started in theatre? When did you know youwanted to be an actor? What compelled you to start writing plays?

I was in many school plays growing up in North Carolina.Through some friends, I wound up auditioning for A Christmas Carol atthe Shakespeare Festival and was cast as the Turkey Boy. I was lucky to havebeen involved in many different types of productions before going to college. Ispent time being an assistant stage manager and intern for NCSF in addition toperforming with other groups so I got to be involved in many aspects ofproduction. My high school teacher, Teresa Fowler, made us come up withsketches in her class. So writing was part of what I’ve done from thebeginning. Also, I got involved with an area dance company, which got mestarted in the creation of movement for pieces. While I eventually did prettywell in the world of auditioning with monologues and working on dead people’sscripts, I always felt a little unsatisfied. I’m not good at sitting backstageand waiting for long stretches to go on stage. This would account for myaddiction to doing solo performance.

Tell me about RABBIT ISLAND. How do you feel rehearsalsare going? What do you love most about the play?

I created a solo show about ten years ago called GothamStandards. One of the characters in that is a Canadian who feels lost inNew York and is searching for the secret to happiness. He feels out of placebecause he’s not a real New Yorker. A friends told me she felt the Canadian wasworthy of a full script.

He is surrounded by a therapist who has an aggressiveapproach, a girlfriend who bites at everyone because she lost her soul in thecorporate quicksand but is painfully vulnerable at the same time, another womanwho messes things up by charging at everything head-on, and a couple ofsideshow-inspired characters who make the world of the play happen.

We’re a few weeks from opening and it’s already comingtogether really well. Everyone has a different approach to their work and thedirector, Aimee Todoroff, is doing a great job of bringing them into the sameroom. The cast is very talented and I just like looking at all of them upthere. They’re each fascinating in unique ways. It already feels like they havelived with these characters a long time so they’re able to pull off thatdifficult balance of getting really deep but keeping it alive and funny. Iguess what I love most about the play is that when it’s cracking, it feels likeit’s saying a lot of things about life without feeling like that’s what it’sdoing. So far I’ve laughed and cried at every rehearsal I’ve attended. But Imight not be the best judge.

Tell me about Elephant Run District. What compelled you tofound the company? Where would you like to see the company in five years?

The name comes from an actual stretch of 34^th Street, between the Garment and the Flower Districts.Aimee and I met a couple years ago. She was supposed to go to a play readingseries and I was going to see the performance of Sondheim on Sondheim markinghis 80^th birthday. Day of the show, a good friend asked me to bein that very same reading series and Aimee was given a ticket to see Mr.Sondheim’s bash. We wound up meeting later that night when Ringling Bros.brought their elephants through the Queens-Midtown tunnel and across 34^th Street to Madison Square Garden.

There’s something odd, compelling, and delightful aboutseeing the elephants in that setting. At the same time you can’t help but thinkabout how the animals are being treated. People go to see them march across the“Elephant Run District” out of curiosity and in hopes of capturing someexuberance and magic. But it also incites many people to protest.

Aimee and I began dating and then working on some smallprojects. This grew into discussions about the kind of work we would like to doand how we might do it indie-style. I have been a part of several companiesthat crashed and burned after a few years tops. In the end only a couple ofpeople do most of the grunt work so it might as well be us.

We’ve found that our work had many of the qualities of thenight we met so we named the company Elephant Run District. So far, we’veworked on pieces I have written. The first was a solo piece then one with acouple other actors. We’re figuring out our relationship, a way of working,producing work independently, and building up the army of creative people withwhom we want to collaborate all at the same time. This is not easy but we’remiles ahead of where we were a year ago. We will branch out into working onscripts by other writers. We’re going to see where our curiosity takes us. Wehave a few projects lined up but I’ll sell no wine before it’s time.

What kind of writing inspires you?

I like writing that’s muscular and economical. I lovethings that seem simple but get really deep fast. I love things that make melaugh but feel like I’ve been punched in the gut. Things that have suspense andsurprise. I don’t want to know how it will end before it does. I do not want myopinions reaffirmed. I like being challenged. There’s a Canadian playwrightnamed Daniel MacIvor who encompasses this. Of the classics, I like Moliere,Chekhov, O’Neill, Williams and Pirandello. Outside of plays, I read a good bitof Buddhist writing for inspiration about getting through life. I like readinga good biography or memoir more than just about anything. It’s been a long timesince a piece of fiction has really sucked me in.

Who or what has been the biggest influence on your work asa writer thus far?

I had a lot of training as an actor and what it succeededat most was making me feel miserable and unworthy. I’ve been very protectiveabout what I do with my writing. I mentioned Daniel MacIvor earlier. At onepoint I was going to perform his solo piece, House. Through somemishaps, I couldn’t get the rights to do it so I wrote my first solo piece, SomeKind of Pink Breakfast.

My day job is at a newspaper where I constantly hear whateditors do to people’s writing. I’ve written a few stories for the paper. Youlearn to not take editing personally. That helped me with Rabbit Island.Because the maximum running time in the Frigid Festival is 60 minutes, I cutout 40 pages. I do have a formula as a writer: Deadline + Performance Space +Expected Audience = Completed Script. Works every time. I don’t have a formulaas far as style or structure.

I try to write so it’s easy on the ears. The moment zipsby and you want the audience to get it or to fill in the blanks in the silencebetween things. A lot of the time actors can pick my scripts up and get therhythm right away. Sometimes they have to work to pull the meaning out ofwhat’s hidden. I have a gift in being able to diffuse the barrier betweenmyself and most people. I get trust by giving trust to people I like. Peopleoften start talking away without knowing what they are saying or why they aresaying it. From many years of listening to people, I think I have a good knackfor revealing humans on stage.

What else are you working on right now?

A lot of my earlier pieces are going up on Indie Theater Now. It’s been quite a tripdigging through and sprucing up pieces from over the past decade. If I wassuddenly hit by a meteorite, at least there would be a record of what I’vedone.

I’m currently co-writing a feature-length comedyscreenplay with Jason Cusato titled Meet the Hammernickys. I’ve got twofull-length plays that are dying to be born and a new solo piece aboutconversion. There also has been some discussion about me performing a couplebig Shakespearean roles for other companies.

People You Should Know . . . Wrenn Schmidt

2012-02-07T17:49:00.000-05:00

WRENN SCHMIDT is currentlyplaying Ruth in Irish Repertory Theatre's

revival of Eugene O'Neill's Beyondthe Horizon (February 15-April 8).

Other credits include: Irish Repertory Theatre: Sive. Broadway:

Come Back, LittleSheba(MTC). National tour: Who’sAfraid of

Virginia Woolf? With Bill Irwinand Kathleen Turner. Off-Broadway:

Temporal Powers (Mint Theater), Bea Good Little Widow (Ars Nova),

Jailbait (Cherry LaneTheater), Phantom Killer (AbingdonTheatre

Company), Caesar &Cleopatra (Resonance Ensemble), Crazyfor the Dog

(Jean Cocteau Repertory). Regional: Proof (Cape MayStage) and

Heaven (Kitchen DogTheater). Film: Our IdiotBrother, Client 9

(“The Projectionist’s Best Performances of 2010, NY Magazine), How to

Follow Strangers,The Necklace, and Javelina. TV: “Body of Proof”,

“Mercy”, “Law & Order”, “3 LBS.” Training: BFA,Southern Methodist

University.

How did you getstarted in theatre? What compelled you to become an actor?

Growing up, I know I loved performing for anyone that would watch me

do just about anything, whether it was jumping around on atrampoline

to "We Built this City" by Starship or acting out everysong on the

"We Sing Silly Songs" tape, but I can't say that Iactually know what

got me interested in theatre. My parents let me try just about

anything I wanted, so I was always doing something afterschool--tap,

piano, gymnastics, softball, acting--you name it--but gradually,

everything else started to fall away. I think the first realmoment I

knew, though, that theatre was something incredibly special, waswhen

I was thirteen. Every seventh-grader had to do a monologue orpoem in

their English class as part of the seventh grade declamationcontest.

I chose the opening monologue from The Search for Signs of Intelligent

Life in the Universe and was picked to perform in the finals infront

of the whole seventh grade. I remember stepping out in frontof 400

of my classmates and then the clapping at the end. Whathappened in

between those two moments was a blur, but I do remember thinking fora

split second, very clearly, that the feeling I was having, just at

that moment, must be the closest thing a person can feel to flying.

After that, I was pretty much hooked.

I also remember seeing a production of Fool for Love at a small

black-box theatre with two amazing local actors, Dewey Scott Wileyand

Steve Harley, and being blown away. That show stayed with mefor a

long time. I knew I wanted to move people the way those twoactors

had moved me.

Tell me aboutBEYOND THE HORIZON. How do you feel rehearsals are

going? What do youlove most about the play?

Rehearsals for Beyond theHorizon are incredible--or at least they

feel incredible! The material is amazing. O'Neill'sstory is

GORGEOUS and BREATH-TAKING and HEART-WRENCHING. It's the kindof

play, that for an actor, doesn't come along very often (although I

think you could say that of all of his plays). There's so muchthere

just in the writing, which is exciting, because that means there'sso

much more to find as we rehearse and move deeper. We're only aweek

into the process, but we've already done a run-through of the playon

its feet. I still feel like my head is spinning a bit fromthat

experience, but now I have a better idea of what this play demandsof

me and my cast mates, who are all incredible, I must say. WhatI love

most is the challenge of this material. There is nowhere tohide in

this writing.

What kind ofwriting inspires you?

Gritty, intense writing. I'm a fan of any good, compellingstory, but

I'm a total sucker for dark, tragic plays. There's a ThomasHardy

quote that sums this up for me: "A story must beexceptional enough

to justify its telling. We tale-tellers are all Ancient Mariners,and

none of us is warranted in stopping Wedding Guests unless he has

something more unusual to relate than the ordinary experience ofevery

average man and woman."

Who or what hasbeen the biggest influence on your work as a actor thus far?

I've been lucky to have some incredible teachers and peers who

challenged me always to be honest in my work, no matter what--to

really listen and respond in every moment. That has served mewell

ever since.

What else are youworking on right now?

I'm taking black and white photography dark room classes at the

International Center of Photography at the moment. Between

rehearsals, auditioning (for whatever might be next!) and classes,

life feels full!

People You Should Know . . . Linda Larkin

2012-02-07T17:35:00.001-05:00

LINDA LARKIN is the voice of Princess Jasmine inWalt Disney’s Aladdin, The Return of Jafar, Aladdin and The King of Thieves, and theEmmy-nominated “Aladdin” television series. Ms. Larkin has appeared innumerous plays, movies, and television series, most notably as Poppy in NoisesOff (Alley Theatre), Dierdre in IHate Hamlet (Actors Theatre of Louisville), Violet in Notes From the Confederacy (CherryLane Theatre), Carrie in Two Ninas (winner,GenArt Film Festival), Ms. Danforth in Joshua (Sundance,Fox Searchlight), Kelly in The NextBest Thing (Paramount), and Meredith in the Webby-nominated series Puppy Love. On August 19, 2011, Ms.Larkin was honored with the Disney Legends Award. She lives in New Yorkwith her husband, actor Yul Vazquez.

How did you getstarted in theatre? When did you know you wanted to be an actor?

I began as a dancer, and my love of acting was born from that.

Tell me aboutTERESA'S ECSTACY. How do you feel rehearsals are going? What do you love mostabout the play?

Today was our first day of rehearsal, so it's going great! :)Really, I love this group of people and I'm very excited to take this journeywith them. I'll leave the description of the play to the author and thedirector, but I can tell you what I love most about the play is the fun I getto have playing Becky!

What kind ofwriting inspires you?

I'm inspired by human connections, by writing that captures thecomplexities of relationships between people, and can make you love a charactereven while showing you their worst qualities.

Who or what hasbeen the biggest influence on your work as an actor thus far?

Watching and working with actors who've spent a lifetime on thestage has influenced me, challenged me, and educated me the most.

What else are youworking on right now?

I'm talking to people through a shell phone. It's awesome.

People You Should Know . . . Larry Kirwan

2012-02-06T18:45:00.000-05:00

Larry Kirwan is the leader, singer/guitarist and composer for the Irish-Americanrock band Black 47. Black 47 has released fifteen CDs for bothmajor and independent labels. The band has appeared on Leno, Letterman andO’Brien and been profiled in most major magazines and newspapers in theUS.

Their album, Trouble in the Land, wasvoted the” top album of the decade” by readers of www.Irishcentral.com Bankersand Gangsters, Black 47’s latest CD, was released in March by UFO Music.The band has appeared in Saint of Fort Washington with Matt Dillon andDanny Glover and written music for many movies and TV shows. Kirwan hasalso recorded Kilroy Was Here and Keltic Kids as solo efforts.

He has written eleven plays and musicals, fiveof which are collected in the book Mad Angels. LiverpoolFantasy, his best known play, has been produced Off-Broadway and at theDublin Theatre Festival. He has also written a novel version of LiverpoolFantasy that has been translated into Japanese, Greek and Spanish, a memoirGreen Suede Shoes and Livin’ in America, a collection of songsand stories. Rockin’ The Bronx, his last novel was published inthe US and UK/Ireland.

Kirwan hosts and produces Celtic Crushfor SiriusXM Satellite Radio and writes a weekly column for the IrishEcho. His song, Big Fellah, was featured on Sons of Anarchy,FX Cable’s most popular show. In 2010 Black 47 appeared in Music ofIreland, Welcome to America, on PBS. Kirwan provided all vocalbacking for the performance of Carrickfergus on Martin Scorcese’s BoardwalkEmpire “Nights in Ballygrant” episode.

A political activist, he has long been involvedin Irish and American causes. Black 47’s CD, IRAQ, is one of themost popular with troops overseas and was hailed by Rolling Stone as “more of aprayer than a protest.”

In 1995 the NY Daily News named him one of the TopFifty most interesting New Yorkers, several places ahead of Madonna. Itwould appear, however, that he has lost considerable ground to the blondeseductress. Nonetheless, while plotting a comeuppance, he has beenworking in Sydney on a production of Transport, a musical he has writtenwith Thomas Keneally, author of Schindler’s List.

For more information visit www.black47.comor www.myspace.com/larrykirwanor www.facebook.com/black47

How did you get started in theatre?What compelled you to start writing plays?

I had always dabbled in playwriting but wentinto it full time when the band I was in, Major Thinkers, got"dropped" by Epic Records in the mid-80's. I decided it was agood time to change creative emphasis. I had written Liverpool Fantasyand decided to have it mounted. With a friend, Monica Gross, who was alsoa director, we produced Liv Fan. It became a successOff-Off-Broadway - we moved it Off-Broadway, got the large cast their equitycards. Then the play went on to success in the Dublin Theatre Festival,and I guess I was hooked.

Tell me about THE IRISH CELL. Whatinspired you to write the play? How do you feel rehearsals are going? What doyou love most about the play?

I wrote Blood back in the early 90's. It was produced at Synchronicity Space in an evening called Bloody Irishthat also featured a theatre-dance piece, Lament for Art O'Leary, byJune Anderson. It then moved on to the New York Theatre Festival in aproduction by Reverie.

I've always been involved in Irish politics andgreatly admired one of the protagonists of Blood, James Connolly. I had read that Connolly was kidnapped for four days by the IrishRevolutionary Brotherhood in January 1916. Since all the people involvedwere executed by the British Army some months later, no details of thekidnapping were ever revealed. It was a clean slate - and I chose towrite on it.

So far so good for rehearsals.

Although I set out to write about Connolly,when I finished the play I realized it had probably more to do with IRB member,Sean MacDermott. Such is theatre.

What kind of writing inspires you?

Big passions, big ideas, big loves, big losses.

Who or what has been the biggestinfluence on your work as a writer thus far?

Greene, Hemingway, Shakespeare, Yeats, Cavafy,O'Neill and Bushmills.

What else are you working on rightnow?

I'm putting together a digital collection ofthe dozen or so plays and musicals that I've written so far. Collaborating with Thomas Keneally on a musical, Transport. Re-arrangingand updating the songs of Stephen Foster for a musical based on the last yearof his life - set in the Draft Riots in NYC in 1863.

People You Should Know . . . Janine Nina Trevens

2012-02-06T16:55:00.002-05:00

Janine Nina Trevens (Playwright, Director, and Executive & Artistic Director) Ninaco-founded TADA! in 1984 with Linda Reiff. Since that time, she has served asthe Artistic Director for all of the works produced by TADA!, many of which shecommissioned specifically for the company. For TADA! she wrote The LittleHouse of Cookies, Sweet Sixteen, The Perfect Monster and Odd DayRain. She directs many of TADA!’s musicals, numerous staged readings,and Ensemble appearances at various locations and events in and around NYC.Nina was selected as one of 10 Parenting Leaders by Parenting Magazine, and shewas one of only five women nationally to receive Family Circle’s First AnnualHalo Award for women who make a difference. She is proud to have served on fundingpanels for NYSCA, DCA, ART/NY and TCG. Special thanks and love to husband Andy,daughter Ceanna, and to the entire TADA! family: Ensemble Members and theirparents, the production team, the staff and TADA!’s Board of Directors.

How did you get started in theatre? What compelled you tostart writing plays?

I got started in the theater asa kid because my Mom was involved in theater in Massachusetts and I was anunderstudy for a couple of shows at StageWest. I never really liked toperform and did not think I would end up working in the theater. Imajored in psychology and education at Barnard College and knew that what Iwanted to do in life was help make growing up easier for kids. Again, itwas my Mom who brought me back to work in theater. She was producingplays in NY at asked me to do box office. I became friendly with theStage Manager who thought I would make a good stage manager and hired me as hisassistant on another show. I liked stage managing and continued to dothat for a number of years. I loved working in the theater but I missedworking with kids. I worked for three years at a theater called First ACTand there I realized that I wanted to direct. That wasn’t going to happenif I stayed there so I moved on. This brings us to the third time mymother changed my life in the theater. I was Stage Managing a show in atheater festival. My mother was directing a show in the festival as well. And, no, not the one I was working on. The producer of the festival saidhe wanted to include all kinds of productions in his festival. My mothertold him that I had a children’s theater company. NO – I did not at thetime have a children’s theater company but a choreographer friend of mine,Linda Reiff, and I went away for the weekend to create a theater company. We presented the producer with our proposal for what we would do in hisfestival and he agreed. This was the beginning of TADA!, the now 28 yearold Drama Desk Award winning Youth Theater.

This is also when I firststarted writing plays. Well, no, that is not exactly true; I wrote a playin fifth grade about Christopher Columbus as a project for school. Myfirst NY production was The Little Houseof Cookies a musical (with musicand lyrics by Joel Gelpe) based on a book called The Tiny Little House. It was part of the festivalmentioned above. Since that time I have written other musicals forTADA! including The History Mysterywith composer Eric Rockwell and lyricist Margaret Rose, and The Perfect Monster and OddDay Rain with composer/lyricist Deirdre Broderick.

Tell me about THE HISTORY MYSTERY. How do you feel rehearsalsare going? What do you love most about the play?

The History Mystery opens withkids in study hall complaining about having to learn history. They thinkit is boring and irrelevant and only about old white men. One studentthinks history is fun and suggests that three kids’ imagine what the historicalfigures were like as children. The three travel back in time and meet TheWright Brothers, Ben Franklin, Laura Ingalls, Eleanor Roosevelt and MartinLuther King, Jr. when they were children. One also meets her very owngrandmother at a school dance in 1942. The songs are greatand the choreography is fun. This production also uses video andprojection to help create the different times and places which I love.

We are actually already into therun of the show. We play until February 19^th at the TADA!Theater. www.tadatheater.com

I love that the play offers theaudience a different way to think about history and the past – hopefully in afun way. I hope The History Mystery also helps kids see that they play arole in shaping the world and that they can do things as children and teens. They don’t have to wait until they grow up to make a difference. Thatactually mirrors what TADA! is about -- giving kids a voice and lettingthem explore their passion for theater as they grow up rather than waitinguntil they are all grown.

Tell me about TADA! Where would you like to see the company infive years?

TADA! is a unique not-for-profitYouth Theater. Each year, TADA! produces original musicals performed bykids ages 8 – 18 (Resident Youth Ensemble) for family audiences at our theateron West 28^th Street. TADA!’s Resident Youth Ensemble Program is a free year roundpre-professional youth development program for talented kids who are acceptedthrough an audition process. TADA! also offers classes and residencies inmusical theater at our theater as well as at public and private schools andcommunity centers around the city. Through high-quality work, youngpeople gain confidence and learn commitment, responsibility, communication andteam-work – skills that are critical to their success both in school and inlife. TADA! has won numerous awards including a special Drama Desk Award(actually the only youth theater to win a Drama Desk) for “providing aninvaluable contribution to the future of the theater. The company makesoutstanding training and experience accessible and affordable to young peopleand mounts productions remarkable for their quality and professionalism.” TADA!’s Resident Youth Ensemble was honored as a recipient of the 2008 ComingUp Taller Award – the nation’s highest honor by the President’s committee onthe Arts and Humanities.

I would love for TADA! to ownour own theater, office and rehearsal space. I also would like to producefive shows a season and therefore be able to have some shows geared to a morespecific age audience. I would also like to do more intergenerationalcasting – having adults on our stage as well as the kids and teens. Iwould like to do more youth theater exchanges -- where we bring ourEnsemble Members to different places around the world to work with youthensembles from those places and then have those youth come to NY. Eventually, I would like to have TADA! Youth Theaters in different parts of thecountry. We are currently looking for additional people to join our Board ofDirectors to help TADA! reach these goals.

What kind of writing inspires you?

Winnie Holzman's writing hasinspired me the most. I also love Delia Ephron.

Currently I read books that mydaughter or Ensemble Members are interested in such as the Twilight Series, The HungerGames Trilogy, The Giver, and Lord of the Flies to name a few. Ilike books, films and TV shows about time travel and that take place in thefuture. I also love crime shows and movies where you are trying to figureout who did it. I also read Ayn Rand and Ann Rice books when I wasyounger.

Some of my favorite theaterwriters are David Hare, Tony Kushner, Nicky Silver, Mary Zimmerman, and LillianHellman. I love Sondheim musicals and Kander and Ebb.

Who or what has been the biggest influence on your work as awriter thus far?

TADA! Ensemble Membersthemselves are the biggest influence on my work – what they talk about, areinterested in, watch on TV, currently reading, and the movies they see and thetheater that they love. My collaborators are also a huge influence on mywork especially Deirdre Broderick who I have written two musicals with so far.

Seeing Les Miz in London in 1985 inspired me. At the time I had justgone into remission from Hodgkin's Lymphoma and I wasn't sure I wanted tocontinue working in the theater. Seeing that production changed my mind.

What else are you working on right now?

I’m not working on any writingprojects right now. I would like to have The History Mystery and OddDay Rain produced at other theaters so I need to spend time marketing thosetwo works.

I am actually more of a directorthan I am a writer. I am going into rehearsals in a few weeks for a newmusical entitled Up To You – book andmusic by Eric Rockwell, lyrics by Joanne Bogart. It will receive it’sworld premiere at TADA! in April.

People You Should Know . . . Begonya Plaza

2012-02-06T09:58:00.000-05:00

BEGONYA PLAZA returns to thestage after an extensive hiatus during which she focused her creativity on single-motherhood andwriting. Ms. Plaza’s writing credits include The Persistence of Memory, a screenplay about one year in the lifeof Salvador Dali and his muse, Gala, with the confirmed interest from GlennClose to play the role of Gala; SouvenirViews, a 24-minute documentary about New York’s 9/11 tragedy that premieredat the 2003 Tribeca Film Festival, displayed at the Festival International delNuevo Cine Latinoamericano, and aired nationally on the Independent FilmChannel; American Hero, a 15-minuteshort film that contemplates the ravages of war as an Iraqi veteran returnshome; and Gernika Lives, a personaldocumentary narrated by John Randolph that explores Ms. Plaza’s Basque heritageand the bombing of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. For the stage, Ms.Plaza wrote Talk Show, in which historicalcharacters Eva Perón, Simón Bolívar, Dolores Ibárruri, and Antonio Machín are interviewed by God on a live talk show.Acting stage credits include In ArabiaWe’d All Be Kings directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman; Austrian directorKurt Palm’s one-woman show of erotic songs and poems by Bertolt Brecht, YevgenyLanskoy’s Yerma at Ensemble StudioWest; and Dan Lauria’s Friends. Ms.Plaza has been directed by Michael Mann, Clint Eastwood, Amy Jones, Oliver Stone, Tim Hunter,and Walter Hill. She has acted opposite Robert De Niro, Tom Cruise, WillemDafoe, Klaus Kinski, Roddy McDowall, and Caroll O’Connor, and starred in theCBS series, Dark Justice, shot onlocation in Barcelona.

How did you getstarted in theatre?

When I returned to the United States after many years away in Spainand

Colombia, I could barely speak English. It was my junior year in

High school. I immediately became involved in theatre andjournalism. After

an internship at ABC one summer, I realized that theatre was a more

genuine form of expression, for me. After auditioning with twomonologues

and a song, I was invited to join the Los Angeles Theatre Academy atLos

Angeles City College. It is a three year intensive program thatteaches all

aspects of the theatre making process: costume making, makeup,dialects,

carpentry, stage-management, directing, and acting. I spent the daysand

nights in the theatre department, and learned a ton, in terms ofdiscipline,

endurance and the craft of theatre. A few months after I was out, Igot cast

in Walter Hillʼs 48 HRS.Then, I continued studying with Eric Morris until I

moved to New York. I longed for the stage, and dreamt of working asa

character actress. My first acting teachers in NYC were: BillHickey,

Herbert Berghoff, Uta Hagen and Geraldine Page. I tried them all,and

from each I took a little gem of wisdom that I keep with me at alltimes. I

studied with Michael Howard for three years. I also studied dance atAlvin

Ailey and voice with Graham Bernard.

When did you knowyou wanted to be an actor?

I knew I wanted to be an actor from the time I can remember. I wassix

when my family moved to Hollywood from Spain. My father didnʼt speak

English, but was fascinated with Hollywood films, he explained to methat

during the war, it was in the movie houses where he felt most safe.My first

performance was at age seven, when I asked my second grade teacherto

give me piano lessons after school, and that Christmas I played infront of

my class, “Silent Night” and “Go Tell it On The Mountain.” Iremember loving

performing for my class, although my essence has always beenreserved

and shy. At age nine I starred in an independent film titled, BigSister.

Shortly after that, I was sent to live in Colombia for a year, andthen from

age eleven to fourteen, I lived in Northern Spain. It was only untilI returned

to the USA that my creative passions would again flourish. While inSpain I

studied tailoring, and in Colombia I became interested in academics.I

couldnʼt imagine telling anyone in my family or my friends, that Iwanted to

be an actor, out of fear of seeming outlandish, although, now,theyʼve often told me that I was driven and passionate.

What compelled youto start writing plays?

I started in my early twenties, making documentaries between actingjobs.

Always wanting to share with others a situation or experience that Ifound

myself in as unique, compelling, and insightful. I find peoplefascinating in

their own environments. I love to hear dialects, and rhythms ofspeech,

gestures, perspectives, temperaments and how their affected by their

history. In the summer of 1989 I wrote my first screenplay whiletaking

writing courses at NYU, it is a story about the day when JacquelinePicasso

decides to commit suicide, years after Picasso has died. Itʼs atouching

study of that moment to moment behaviour and how each decision leadsto

the next until the end of the day arrives when she does the inevitable.

The story is filled with flashbacks, which in cinema is a no no. Fortheatre it

would work.

After writing the screenplay about Salvador Dali, I realized that itwas also

very suitable for the stage, and that I should maybe look into thatmedium.

Iʼve written several short plays, until I began to write, Teresaʼs Ecstasy.

What inspired youto write about Teresaʼs Ecstasy?

Teresa’s Ecstacy began as a onewoman show, picturing myself

traveling the university circuit, performing Saint Teresa of Avila,and her

compelling life story that is filled with contradiction and awe. Iwanted to

create an opportunity for myself where I could act, without havingto be

away from my teenage daughter for too long.

I showed a first draft to my friend, Shawn Elliott, and asked ifheʼd consider

directing me. Shawn suggested after reading it, that I expand thepiece

into a full fledged play, and so I did. That following summer, Itraveled to

Avila, and spent two weeks there, alone, with Saint Teresa and my

thoughts. During that time ideas began to click, and I became clearas to

what the play would be about. It was a specific, and thrillingmoment.

Upon returning to NY, I gave Shawn my new draft, which he fell inlove

with. This play has a lot of me in it, my provocative imagination,and tons

of research. I love connecting the dots, reading the backgroundhistory of

a topic, and living in the world that starts to unfold before me.This play has

been incubating for over five years, getting nourishment from Shawn,Linda,

Eduardo Machado at INTAR, Jack Sharkey, and now: Will, Cherry Lane,

Albert, Jim and all its team as they help me, finally give it birth.

How do you feelrehearsals are going?

We start on Monday. I feel pretty good in the hands of my director,Will

Pomerantz. Will inspires in me confidence and strength. There isnothing

about him that works out of fear or ego. Iʼm very lucky, and readyto play

and explore like a child under his watch. Also, Iʼve done everythingin my

power to get the script ready for this next phase. After manydiscussions

about the play with Will, I now feel good about taking my writerʼshat off and

putting on the actorʼs hat, to focus on exploring Carlotta, and my

relationship as Carlotta with the other actors. I love working withShawn

and Linda, they are giving, professional, easy going, and fullycommitted to

trying new ways. Itʼs an ideal rehearsal setting, and Iʼm so happyto return

to stage in the company of these gifted artists.

What's it like tobe acting in one of your own plays?

It means the stakes are real high. I try not to think in thoseterms, but

thatʼs the truth. Iʼm putting myself out there, totally naked, inthe purest

sense of the word. The good thing is, that itʼs been so busy, and sotrying

getting to this point, that the process feels organically connected,and Iʼve

no time for self-indulgence. Iʼm approaching the role as I wouldwith any

other. I do physical, mental and vocal exercises, breathing andrelaxation

exercises, and stand present, in the moment, to respond with mychosen

needs, in truth, letting it all to hang out. I hope it works. Thatʼswhere the

adrenaline kicks in.

What kind ofwriting inspires you?

Iʼm inspired by Joan Didion, Joyce Carol Oates, Ionesco, Beckett,Chekhov,

Shakespeare, Shepard, Pinter, Cervantes, Lorca, Amiri Baraka,Brecht,

Chayevsky, the Greeks, Seinfeld, South Park...so many. Stephen Adly

Guirgis, Saint Teresa of Avila.

Iʼm interested in pure, realistic, character driven, political,satirical, and any

story that speaks to the preservation of human dignity, with humor,wit,

good dialogue. I love words, and the musicality of them. Iʼm inspiredby

the absurd, and on the other hand the metaphorical.

Who or what hasbeen the biggest influence on your work as a writer thus far?

It changes everyday. Henrik Ibsen, GabrielGarcia Marquez, Shakespeare, Cervantes, Shaw, Barry Gifford, Dali.

The first book I ever remember reading on my own, was Sherlock Holmes.

The second was, Alice inWonderland, and the third was Don Quixote.

I would say, all three to this day, still influence me. Saint Teresais my

current and biggest influence. Her writing floors me every time. Ihope I

inspire others to read her works.

What else are youworking on right now?

Iʼm working on a play titled, TalkShow, where historical characters from

Spain and Latin America; Eva Perón, Dolores Ibárruri, Simón Bolívar, and

Antonio Machín, are having a round table discussion with God in front of a

live audience. Itʼs a lot of fun, and still needs more work. Iʼmwriting a new

play, itʼs a tragedy. But too early to talk about. Too tragic tothink about

right now. I rather stay with Saint Teresa for now.

People You Should Know . . . Laura Butler

2012-02-05T23:45:00.001-05:00

Laura Butler is a New York-basedactress and singer-songwriter. She graduated cum laude with a degree intheatre and a minor in music and dance from The Ohio State University. She also trained in London with Trestle Theatre, Theatre de Complicite, Actorsfrom the London Stage, Royal Shakespeare Company, and The New Globe. Inaddition to New York, she has performed with The Human Race Theatre Company,The Cleveland Playhouse, The Wexner Center, and The Dorset TheatreFestival. She currently studies with acclaimed actress LailaRobins. Laura recently segued successfully into film, and just starred inher first feature. She has appeared in other numerous films andtelevision shows on ABC, HBO, USA Network, and MTV. She is also blessedto teach yoga at ISHTA Yoga Center with her teacher, Yogiraj Alan Finger. She thanks her parents, her sisters, her brother-in-law, her nephews, and herniece for their continued support and love.

How did you getstarted in theatre?

I was in 2nd grade and I played an angel in the Christmasplay. I had one line and I was hooked! I continued to do theatre inhigh school and college, and now professionally. When did you know youwanted to be an actor? I knew since I was little. I grew up in arural community, and I don't think very many people took me seriously, but myparents always believed in me and encouraged me, and here I am.

Tell me aboutRABBIT ISLAND. How do you feel rehearsals are going?

What do you love most about the play? Rabbit Island isprobably the funniest script I've ever read. I literally laughed out loudthe first time I read it!!! Chris Harcum is such a brilliant writer,Aimee is an amazing director, and the cast is so funny and talented. Rehearsals are sooo fun and go by quickly because everyone is so engaged increating this world. I love that the play has these ridiculous scenarios,yet could be someone's reality. I also love how funny it can be to makerelationships work, and how miscommunication can be blown so out of proportion,even when two people want the same thing.

What kind ofwriting inspires you?

I'm really inspired by writing that presents truth in a uniqueway. Whether it's funny or touching, the story unfolds with a pinch ofreality and a dose of magic.

Who or what hasbeen the biggest influence on your work as an actor thus far?

That's really hard to say since I feel that I learn something newfrom every experience I have. My family. My teachers. Myacting coach. My directors. My fellow actors. Everyone is soinspiring to do what they do to make a production happen.

What else are youworking on right now?

I play music, and released my first album Crushing Blue Cupcakes in 2010, available on iTunes and my website www.laurabutlernyc.com. I'm planning a tour in the next few months. I'm also acting in the newCoen Brother's film, Inside Llewyn Davis,starring Carey Mulligan and Justin Timberlake.

People You Should Know . . . Aimee Todoroff

2012-02-05T23:39:00.001-05:00

Aimee Todoroff is a New York basedactress and director. She has performed at venues across the country, was therecipient of the Sinclair Foundation Award for Excellence in Performance and isproud to have been a part of several Obie Award winning productions. Herdirecting work has been seen throughout NYC at locations as varied astraditional theatres, bars and found spaces. She has directed for PrimaryStages, ArtEffects Theatre Company, The Metropolitan Theatre Company (2011 ObieGrant recipient), and others, and has helmed the world premieres of works byChris Harcum (Green, We Haven’t Told Anyone About This Yet), Nora Vetter(Details), Cusi Cram (Jump) and the East Coast premiere of MartinBlank’s The Law of Return. Aimee is the co-founder of the independenttheatre company Elephant Run District. Links to information about Aimee’slatest projects and selected reviews can be found at www.aimeetodoroff.com.

How did you getstarted in theatre? When did you know you wanted to be a director?

I'm a late bloomer, at least compared to most theatre types. Ihad always been involved in arts in one way or another, but didn't really havea strong focus. I remember longingly searching for an art form that wouldlet me combine my love of literature and text bases works with my passion formovement and visual arts. Because of my "eye," a good friend ofmine encouraged me to take a graphic design class. I hated it, but theschool also had a theatre class, and on a whim, I signed up. Thepaperwork wasn't even filed when I sat in on the first class! Well, thatwas it, I was in love.

Like most directors, I learned acting first and developed into adirector. One of my early acting teachers spotted my directorialtendencies- no, not because I was bossing people around (that's not what a gooddirector does), but because I would often pay more attention to the whole storythan I did to my particular character. He gave me the opportunity todirect scenes, and I found I liked it. Over time, I ended up directingmore and more because a director was needed and I was willing. There camea point where I realized that delivering the performance of a lifetime in my partwasn't as satisfying to me as directing a play I felt strongly about to it'sfull potential.

Tell me aboutRABBIT ISLAND. How do you feel rehearsals are going? What do you love mostabout the play?

Rabbit Island is the kind ofplay theatre artists are always hankering to sink their teeth into. It'sfunny, but the characters and themes are incredibly complex. It's humorcomes from a deep, deep place of vulnerability that we don't often explorewithin ourselves. So we get to be wacky and indulge in slapstick andfarce while peeling back layer after layer of emotional depth. It's aboutfeeling like you just don't fit in, that everything you do is wrong, that atyour core you just aren't good enough, and about just how badly that can mess aperson up. And haven't we all felt that way at one time or another?

Rehearsals have been fun, and hopefully we will be able to bringthat to the stage when we take over the Kraine! The cast are allamazingly talented performers, and are each very different in their approach totheir craft. They've kept me on my toes in the best possible way and aremaking the show stronger with their insights and creativity. It's been awonderful collaboration which will only get better as we hitch up our pants,hang on to our hats, and dive into creating some of the more magical illusionsnext week!

What kind ofwriting inspires you?

Chris Harcum's writing inspires me, of course! But also theworks of American masters like Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams, thechallenging details and heartbreaking nuance of Chekhov and Ibsen, and theanger of Brecht and the rebellion of Shaw. I believe theatre must helpshape the world we live in, so I tend to gravitate towards plays that deal withsocial justice.

Who or what hasbeen the biggest influence on your work as a director thus far?

Karen Kohlhaas, for giving me a vocabulary for directing and thetools to be specific, Kim Wield and Daniel Talbott at ESPA, Viewpoints, thefilms of Sergio Leone, Chris Harcum for giving me opportunities to work, andMarsha Hanna for teaching me to just understand the script and to get overmyself!

What else are youworking on right now?

Elephant Run District will be coordinating a series of monologuesfor women, which has me particularly excited. We also have other projectsin various states of development, including a new play about the life ofGeorgina Spelvin, and a one-man show starring Chris Harcum, to be debuted atnext year's Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Plus, it's my birthday next week!

People You Should Know . . . Carrie Heitman

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Carrie Heitman is a NYC-basedactor and teaching artist. Originally from Michigan, she attended KalamazooCollege, receiving the Nelda K. Balch Scholarship and earned a BA in Philosophyand Theatre. She received her MFA from UNC-Chapel Hill earning the LouiseLamont Award for Excellence and awarded Honors in all areas ofperformance. She has appeared Off-Broadway, regionally, and traveledextensively performing in the UK, Poland, Russia and Malaysia. Selectedfavorites include: Emma in Phallacy(with Simon Jones), Sarah in The Man WhoCame to Dinner (dr. Michael Sexton), Mary Beth in A Prayer For Owen Meany (U.S. Premiere PRC), Alice in Hobson’s Choice (dr. Blake Robison),Metamorphoses (dr .Joe Haj), Goneril (us) in King Lear (dr. Mark Wing-Davey), The Mystery Spot (dr. Holly Hughes) and others. TV/Film: Lipstick Jungle, Contracts (dr. Roni Ezra, Oscar Nominee Helmer & Son) 10 Days to Paradise, A Piece of Cake, ThePatriot. Carrie is currently a teaching artist with the Roundabout TheatreCompany. www.carrieheitman.com

How did you getstarted in theatre? When did you know you wanted to be an actor?

I am from a tiny town, Montrose, Michigan,and my parents took us every year to the Stratford Festival in Canada. I saw aproduction of Hamlet when I was 8 and did not fall asleep. I was hooked. Whileat Kalamazoo College I played Puck in a production of of A Midsummer Night'sDream. I remember my father and I having a conversation after the showand he said that acting was not a hobby for me. I smiled and said, No Dad, nota hobby.

Tell me aboutRABBIT ISLAND. How do you feel rehearsals are going? What do you love mostabout the play?

This play is very layered and textured, asare most good plays. But there is a comic veneer on the play that must be veryprecise. However, these are real people dealing with their own psyches anddesperately trying to connect with one another and find meaning in the grindthat is living in NYC. Rabbit Islandreminds me a little of a Durang play, fast, funny, biting and painful. I lovethat these characters turn on a time. We don't often do that as individuals inour daily lives, we really keep it in to uphold social contracts. But in thisplay all of us get to go a little nuts and operate in a world of extremes.

What kind ofwriting inspires you?

I really love historical drama, anythingthat reshapes, re-imagines historical figures and events. Its the magic of theWhat if....it had gone another way. I also love when I see people do thingsthat they wouldn't normally do on the page. Anything that lives on a slantinstead of that straight line. Of course those playwrights that deependiversity and offer women opportunities to be three-dimensional individualsgood or bad--those folks I applaud heartily.

Who or what hasbeen the biggest influence on your work as an actor thus far?

Too hard. So many things. Readingeverything from National Geographicto Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson;the work of Kneehigh Theatre Company; my colleagues at the Roundabout; theeveryday bravery of my fellow actors....The biggest shift in my own work hasbeen inviting original synthesis to the table. When I was younger I was less ofan initiator in my own creativity or waited for a director to tell me what todo. Now I trust what I offer and demand that I bring it.

What else are youworking on right now?

Working on a piece called UnlawfulGatherings with my theater company, Hook & Eye. It takes place in aco-op high up a rock face in Marble Hill, Manhattan in the present day and inan unidentified Eastern Bloc country in the 1980s. The setting and timeare not absolute, and the actors all play several characters, some overlap andat various times each actor plays a veiled version of the story’s maincharacter, Katja. We're ensemble based and everything is being builtcollaboratively through research, improv and writing. Hoping to do a fullproduction later this year. We'll see!

People You Should Know . . . Mel House

2012-02-05T16:32:00.001-05:00

Mel House grew up in the mean streets of Baltimore (youknow, that “city” between NYC & DC…John Waters, The Wire & Edgar Allen Poe) to settle in Riverdale, NY, withher husband, son, dog & turtle.

She seeks out challengingroles that allow her to do what she does best—transform in front of your eyes. Not just another character actress, Mel excels at playing characters withmultiple identities, instant personality switches or those who must take onlife-changing roles. Her career has included actingwork in theatre, film, & television, as well as producing, directing,writing and teaching in NYC, regionally and internationally. She hasstudied at the William Esper Studio, Atlantic Theatre School, and has herMaster’s degree from the University of Exeter’s School of Drama.

How did you getstarted in theatre? When did you know that you wanted to be an actor?

I was a bit of a talker in elementary school. Mrs. Neville, mysecond grade teacher, decided to help me channel this force of energy byentering me into our school's Dramatic Reading Contest. I won the contestand got to go to a state competition with TheCrocodile's Toothache by Shel Silverstein. I still know the piece byheart and am happy to give impromptu performances.

I fell in love with and made up my mind to pursue a life in theatreafter seeing my first play at Baltimore's Theatre Project. The playwas Uncle Vanya. I was sixyears old and I was hooked!

Tell me aboutRABBIT ISLAND. How do you feel rehearsals are going? What do you love mostabout the play?

I love working on RABBIT ISLAND! We have a great team ofsmart, funny and supportive talents. We're moving fast and furiousthrough the material thanks to our Director's clear and specific vision, whilealso being encouraged to play, take risks and make discoveries.

The first time I read the script, I laughed so hard that I cried. I imagine we've all felt like an outsider at some point in our lives (orall the time). I can absolutely relate to Barbara's impulsive edgychoices in her efforts to shake life up and get the most out of it. Allof the characters are searching for what will make them feel happy, connected,and able to accept who they are and where they are in life. There's aninteresting pull between what you think you should be, do and have, andultimately what you really want. I love getting to have a journey thatallows me to push boundaries, defy my own expectations and to feel like I'vegrown for getting to experience this character's world.

What kind ofwriting inspires you?

Really honest and compassionate writing appeals to me. I lovewhen a piece grabs me by the guts and shakes me for all I'm worth, so that theway that I think or see the world or how I feel about myself has shifted. Great writing has taught me forgiveness, self-acceptance, love,compassion and how to laugh at myself.

Who or what hasbeen the biggest influence on your work as an actor thus far?

I have learned so much from a myriad of teachers, books, otheractors, life experiences...it's pretty hard to narrow that down! I willgive a shout out to my former teacher at the William Esper Studio, SuzanneEsper. She taught me to put my focus on finding the delight, the fantasy,figuring out what turns me on, and then building on that. Carl Forsman isa great reminder to "ask, don't tell" or simply put, to really makeeach moment about the other person/people in the scene. And Daniel Talbotrecently inspired me by quoting Gandhi, "Be truthful, gentle andfearless." That might be my next tattoo.

What else are youworking on right now?

I am a founding member of The DrawingBoard (www.drawingboardnyc.com)--acollective of artists dedicated to developing new works through table reads,workshops and staged readings. We have at least one project going onevery month, so please stop by our site to find out more. I amparticularly excited by an upcoming staged reading of Geoffrey Knox'sPROVENANCE at the historic Players Club (www.theplayersnyc.org) on April 24, 2012. I will also begin rehearsals soon for HOMUNCULUS RELOADED with theHomunculus Mask Theatre Company (www.indiegogo.com/Homunculus-Mask-Theatre) withperformances in early April. But I'm the most excited to get tocollaborate with the Elephant District team again on a production of ChrisHarcum's THE DEVIL IN MS. SPELVIN in late Spring. For updated detailsvisit: www.melhouseblog.blogspot.com.

People You Should Know . . . Jerry Ruíz

2012-02-03T22:47:00.001-05:00

JERRYRUÍZ (Director) isa director based in NYC. Recent directing credits include Enfrascada byTanya Saracho for Clubbed Thumb, Sangre by MandoAlvarado for Summerstage, Rattlers by Johnna Adams for FluxTheater Ensemble, Twelfth Night for Chalk Rep in LA, and TheKing is Dead by Caroline V. McGraw. In 2012, he willbe directing Mariela in the Desert by Karen Zacarias forRepertorio Espanol and Love Goes to Press for the MintTheater Company. Jerryhas developed work at The Public Theater, Second Stage, The Atlantic,Playwright's Horizons, Two River Theater Company, New Dramatists, and the Playwright'sRealm. He was a recipient of the NEA/TCG Career Development Program forDirectors. 2011 Phil Killian Directing Fellow at Oregon ShakespeareFestival. 2008-2009 Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab. Jerry graduatedfrom the MFA Directing program at UCSD. BA: Harvard. www.jerryruizdirector.com

How did you getstarted in theatre? When did you know you wanted to be a director?

The community theater in my hometown had a summer acting workshop forkids and teenagers, and one of my good friends growing up was veryinvolved in it. The summer after fifth grade, he pulled me into it, andit was my first experience in theater. It's safe to say that by the endof those six weeks, I was pretty much hooked. I did the summer actingworkshop every year after that until college, and became one of thestudent-teachers directing the younger kids. My first couple of years ofcollege, I acted quite a bit in undergraduate productions. But I soonrealized that I enjoyed the rehearsal process more than the actual act ofperformance. That was my first inkling that I should go into directing. I tried my hand at it junior year, and after my couple of productions, I hadmade up my mind to pursue directing professionally. I must have beenabout 20 or 21. (I'm still sort of in awe at the moxie and hubris of myformer self!) From there I went on to directing internships, assisting,and building up my resume until I was ready to apply for graduate schools.

Tell me aboutMARIELA EL DESERTO. How do you feel rehearsals are going? What do you love mostabout the play?

About six years ago, I stumbled across this play in Theater Forum, amagazine published by the Department of Theater and Dance at UCSD, where I didmy graduate studies. I instantly felt drawn to this story about a familyof Mexican artists/idealists/intellectuals. I felt it was something youso rarely see, and that these nuanced characters and relationships really cutagainst a lot of the stereotypes you often encounter of Mexican characters infilm, tv and even in theater. And the play packed such an emotionalwallop, too. I felt it was a story that needed to be told.

Rehearsals have gone well, and we have a very talented cast. Currently we are in technical rehearsals, and it's been amazing to see how muchthe atmosphere of the play is coming alive with sound, lights, and set. There is something very atmospheric about Karen's play and having thoseelements tangibly there has really informed the actors' and my work over thelast several days.

What kind of writinginspires you?

This play is particularly inspiring because of it's lyrical, poetictone, and yet it is still very grounded and rooted in human relationships,which is always what interests me most in the end. As Karen says, throughthe American art professor in the play, art is about connection. I reallyfeel that is most true for the theater - it is an art about actors connectingto each other and to the audience. Plays that can do that are ultimatelythe plays that resonate the most with me.

Who or what has beenthe biggest influence on your work as a director thus far?

Probably the most profound mentoring experience I had came very earlyin my career, when I was 23 and just getting started in NYC. I workedwith the film director Baz Luhrmann on his Broadway production of the opera La Boheme. I started off as anunpaid intern, and somehow ended up graduating to a paid position on thedirecting team, and sticking around for almost two years as the production ranon Broadway and then traveled to Los Angeles. Baz was inspiring becauseof his ability to communicate his vision very clearly, and his incredibleattention to detail. He had detailed characters and storylines in mind,even for the chorus members in the large crowd scenes in Act II. Everything was incredibly specific, and he really engaged everyone working onthe show from the production assistants and interns on up to the leads, gettingthe best out of everyone.

Also, he told me once that he only took on projects that were amassive risk. He didn't have an interest in directing films or plays thathe knew how to do. He was motivated by the very real possibility offailure. And he worked constantly and tirelessly to succeed.

What else are youworking on right now?

I have a few different projects in the hopper. In May, I'll bedirecting a wonderful play at The Mint Theater, called Love Goes to Press. It's a very witty, stylish romanticcomedy by two of the first female war correspondents - Martha Gellhorn (akaHemingway's third wife) and Virginia Cowles, and it's based on theirexperiences during World War Two. It's sort of a delightful battle of thesexes as they battle chauvinism and manage to scoop and outsmart their malecounterparts (and would-be romantic partners) on a regular basis.

I'm also directing a very interesting play by the contemporary Spanishplaywright Juan Mayorga, called Nocturnal,that has a short run in March for La Micro at the Director's Studio small spacein midtown. And I'm developing an adaptation of Hamlet with my friend andcollaborator Mando Alvarado that will incorporate songs from Pearl Jam'sseminal album "Ten" for the NYC Parks Summerstage series. Finally, I'm curating a festival of new play readings for Two River TheaterCompany in New Jersey; it's called CrossingBorders and it focuses on new work by Latino Playwrights. All of thisbetween now and mid-July...I plan to take a nice long break in August!

People You Should Know . . . Matt Schatz

2012-02-03T22:35:00.000-05:00

Matt Schatz is a playwright and a songwriter. His plays and musicals include Oh, Gastronomy! (HumanaFestival 2012), Love Trapezoid (Astoria Performing Arts Center,2012) The Tallest Building in the World (Luna Stage, 2011), RichieFarmer Will Have His Revenge on Durham with Diana Grisanti (Winner of “Bestof Fest” at Austin’s FronteraFest 2011) and Roanoke withMichael Lew (Humana Festival 2009, published by Playscripts, Inc.). Matt hasreceived commissions from Actors Theatre of Louisville and the Ensemble StudioTheatre. He has and has been a finalist for the Fred Ebb Award forexcellence in musical theatre songwriting and the P73 Playwriting Fellowship. Member:the Ensemble Studio Theatre, the BMI Advanced Musical Theatre Workshop and theDramatist Guild. Alumnus: P73’s “Interstate 73,” Youngblood at EST. MFA:Carnegie Mellon University. He lives with his wife Jenna Hymes inSunnyside, Queens.

How did you get started intheatre? What compelled you to start writing plays and songs?

I remember writing my first real songafter seeing Back to the Future whenI was seven. It was called the Christmas Rap. It didn’t have anything to dowith Back to the Future, but I thinkI was inspired by the creativity of that movie.

I’ve been writing songs in one form oranother (verse, poetry, rap) ever since. Writing songs is what comes mostnaturally to me. I can’t imagine I’ll ever stop doing it.

I acted a little as a kid. I rememberbeing in an after-school theater program in Turnersville, New Jersey that myfriend Ranaan’s dad ran when I was ten or so. I played Kenickie in Grease.Ranaan played Danny Zuko even though I was the one with dark hair. Politics!

As a teenager, I wanted to be a filmmakerbut I was too timid. The most attention I ever got was for stuff I wrote for myhigh school’s literary magazine, so I thought I maybe I’d be better at writingmovies than directing them. I studied screenwriting in college and I reallytook to it. At some point it hit me that unlike screenwriters, people actuallyknew playwrights by name, so I tried my hand at that.

My first play was about the drug store Iworked in all through college. That was the play I used to apply to graduateschools. I got into a few, went to one, and decided that I should probablystick to playwriting. But all the while I was writing songs and recording thesehomemade, indie-folk records on the side.

A few years later when I was in theYoungblood playwrights group at EST, I started to put my playwriting andsongwriting together and realized that writing musicals was the thing I wasborn to do.

Tell me about LOVE TRAPEZOID.How do you feel rehearsals are going? What do you love most about the play?

I love so much about it. It’s the firstfull-length musical that I wrote all by myself, and of everything I’ve writtenit’s what I’m most proud of. It’s very personal to me in both content and styleand I have high hopes for it.  Rehearsals have been nerve-wracking and fun andhard and exhilarating. I’m so grateful to APAC for being so positive andsupportive, and choosing the show for their first ever workshop. It’s been aninvaluable experience. We have an amazing cast: Ian Lowe isheartbreakingly wonderful; David Pearlman is a chameleonic genius, and LaurenMarcus is an absolute star in every way. Tom Wojtunik is such a gifted andhardworking director who isn’t afraid to tell me when a lyric is bad or amoment in the script isn’t working, and I am so lucky to have the talented EliZoller as our music director, who is magically able to turn my songs into areal musical theater score.

What kind of writing inspiresyou?

I dunno. Is it bad to say that I like tobe delighted? That I want to see things that make me laugh or cry or both? I really like writing that makes you appreciate being alive in surprising ways. Life is so weird and embarrassing and terrible and exciting and I like art thatreminds me of that. I also like art that makes me forget about all of that.

Oh and I like musicals with clever lyricsthat rhyme.

Who or what has been the biggestinfluence on your work as a writer thus far?

This is always a hard one for me. What Ican say is that at various points in my life, I’ve wanted to be like thefollowing people in some or all ways (in no particular order): Mozart, MichaelJordan, Beck, Kurt Vonnegut, Yip Harburg, Martin Scorsese, David Mamet, WoodyAllen, Allen Iverson, Alan Schatz, Bob Dylan, Mike Leigh, Sheldon Harnick,Billy Bragg, John Patrick Shanley, Frank Loesser and Kanye West.

What else are you working onright now?

As we speak, I’m heading to Kentucky torehearse Oh, Gastronomy!, a play I wrote with four great writers/people forActors Theatre of Louisville’s amazing Apprentice Company, which will beproduced as part of this year’s Humana Festival. After that, I have another musical called Georama (about the earlyAmerican artist John Banvard) that I’m writing with West Hyler, which isscheduled for a workshop this summer at the Great River Shakespeare Festival. I’mwriting the book and lyrics for a musical with composer Dina Pruzhansky whichwill have something to do with Jews, another musical with Erica Saleh that willhave something to do with teenagers, and I wrote the soundtrack and theme songfor the upcoming web series the Share, which was created by Emily ChaddickWeiss.

I’m also working on an eighties hip-hopbasketball musical called Dunkfest ’88,which, when finished will be my greatest professional achievement.

People You Should Know . . . Scott C. Sickles

2012-01-30T12:41:00.000-05:00

Scott C. Sickles received his MFA in dramatic writing fromCarnegie Mellon University School of Drama. He is proud to have studied, thereand elsewhere, with Arthur Giron, Kathleen George, Anthony McKay, FrankGagliano, Millee Taggart-Ratcliffe, Susan Dansby and most closely with WilliamC. Kovacsik.

Sickles’plays have been staged in his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; New YorkCity; various cities across the United States; as well as internationally inCanada, Wales, Australia, Lebanon, and Singapore.

Hisplay Shepherd’s Bush, examining theprivate life of E. M. Forster, was awarded a 1996 Pennsylvania Council on theArts Fellowship. His other biographical drama, Lightning From Heaven, which chronicles the affair between Nobellaureate Boris Pasternak and his muse Olga Ivinskaya, won the 1999 West CoastTheater Guild/ Julie Harris Playwriting Award. He was named OutstandingPlaywright of the 1996 Pittsburgh New Works Festival for The Harmonic Convergence.

Sickles’published plays include the tender coming-of-age piece murmurs (Samuel French, Inc.: Off-Off-BroadwayFestival Plays, 21^st Series); his full-length romantic satire Intellectuals (Smith & Kraus’ New Playwrights: Best Plays of 2007,monologues from which are included in BestWomen’s Stage Monologues of 2007), and BeautifulNoises (Smith & Kraus’ 2009: TheBest 10-Minute Plays for 2 or More Actors).

Otherfull-length plays include: From the Top,Hairdresser on Fire, Moonlight & Love Songs, Perfecting the Kiss, The Philosopher’s Joke (based on thestory by Jerome K. Jerome), and DemonBitch Goddess, which includes the short plays Medusa, Cassiopeia, and Thalassa. Other one-acts include: The Antique Shoppe; Dangerous Angels; ErroneousZones; The Following Morning; The Harmonic Convergence; The Manin 119; Manly Men Doing Manly Things;The Mother Lode; The Open Window (based on the short story by Saki); The Other Half; Sarcophagus; Turtles &Bulldogs (a finalist for the Actors Theatre of Louisville’s 2012 HeidemanAward); We’ll Take a Cup of Kindness Yet;and Yea, Though I Walk.

Since2009, Sickles has served as artistic director of the WorkShop Theater Company,an Off-Off-Broadway developmental house. A member of the Writers Guild ofAmerica, Sickles was part of the final writing team for ABC Daytime’s landmarksoap opera One Life to Live for whichhe was twice nominated for a WGA Award.

How did you get started in theatre? When did youknow you wanted to be a playwright?

I think my first theatrical experience was a church Christmas pageant where Iplayed a shepherd. I remember adamantly refusing to wear the fake beard because"beards were gross" and having my first backstage diva fit. I'vealways been a bit of a ham. I didn't truly get involved in theater untilcollege. Growing up, I had fallen in love with movies and intended to be ascreenwriter. Then, I ended up taking an intro to drama lit course at theUniversity of Pittsburgh, where I was an undergrad, and the professor assignedus to write short plays in the genres we were studying. I enjoyed it so much, Iended up enrolling in Kathleen George's playwriting class and that's when Ireally fell in love with writing stage plays. My first actual productionwas in the Pitt Studio Theater. It was a one-act called Deadlines. The director was Stan Denman. The first time I went to arehearsal, I discovered he had ignored all of my stage directions. His stagingwas infinitely superior to what I had imagined. The actors were terrificand it all came off rather well. Twenty years later, here I am stilldoing it.

Tell me about the Workshop Theater. How do you feel the company
has grown since its inception? Where would you like to see the company
in five years?

The WorkShop has beenaround since 1994. We were originally called the 42nd Street Workshop andlocated on the fifth floor of a walk-up at the corner of 42nd and Dyer (above PulseEnsemble, the Vital Theater Company, and Abingdon). The company was founded byJim DeMarse, Sam Schacht and Michelle Bouchard as a kind of theater gym. By thetime I joined in late 1999, the company had some success with the plays ofMurray Schisgal and with Allan Knee's TheMan Who Was Peter Pan, which eventually became the Oscar-winning film Finding Neverland, but was still almostexclusively doing readings. When Tony Sportiello took over the artisticdirectorship shortly thereafter, he started us on a more production-orientedpath of play development. We wanted to be the next Manhattan Theater Club orPlaywrights Horizons. We still do.

In the past ten years, our developmental process has really evolved. It'sa flexible process based on the needs of the individual plays. It's not anassembly line from writers meetings to a sit-down reading to a staged readingto a bare-bones production to a full production. In between each of thosestages, we try to explore where the play is and what it needs. A playgenerally doesn't advance based on the success of its performance, but ratheron the strength of the rewrites after each public presentation. We do alot of workshopping in the safety of our theater to allow the playwrights todive into their plays as much as possible. We're always trying to strikethe right balance between what we're developing and what we're producing.

In five years, I'd love for us to have had a play move Off-Broadway. In fact,I'd like for us to be able to move our own plays to a higher level ofproduction. The WorkShop is currently a collective where the artists also doall the behind the scenes work. Someday, instead of actors being housemanagers, writers building sets, and directors helping out with marketing,etc., I'd like the actors to act, the writers to write, the directors todirect, and everything else be handled by a fully paid staff. It would begreat to really and truly go pro.

Tell me about THE NAVIGATOR. How didthis project come to you? What
do you love most about the play?

If Eugene Ionesco hadwritten an episode of The Twilight Zone,it would have looked like The Navigator.Eddie Antar's play is about Dave, a family man who's fallen on hard times: he'sbeen out of work for six months, his wife on the verge of leaving him, and hislatest job interview doesn't seem to have gone so well. Suddenly and magically,the GPS navigator in his car starts to give him little hints that lead to thesolutions to all of his problems. The more Dave listens to the navigator, thebetter his life gets... and the less control he has over that life. And hedoesn't like it...

The project came to me though Michael Gnat, who plays all the supporting maleroles in this production. He had been wanting to get Eddie involved in thecompany as a playwright. The Navigatorwas originally presented as a Sunday@Six reading and the audience response wasoverwhelmingly positive and constructive. Eddie has since put atremendous amount of work into the script. He's always a good sport about takingnotes. He addresses the concerns the director and I put forth and stillmaintains his vision of the story.

I love the cleverness and the astuteness of this play. The cleverness can beseen in how Eddie uses the Navigator to dole out information. Simplestatements and suggestions "right," "yes,""chicken", "I love you" have mystery, wit and resonancedepending on what's going on with Dave. It can be joyous, perplexing, and attimes downright creepy. It's also a meticulously drawn portrait of amarriage in crisis. There are lots of scenes that end with people saying"Okay?" "Okay. Bye." "Bye." "Bye." Like the Navigator's brief utterances, these human conversations are buoyed bythe situations Dave and his wife are struggling though while simultaneously creatinga sense of unease that keeps the dramatic tension in the air. It'sextraordinarily skillful writing.

I also love that the entire play is about a man talking on the phone while he'sdriving... and it still works! The actors can't really move around or even lookat each other! Frankly, I don't know how they memorized it. But there's a greatsense of accomplishment all around every time we get through it. It really islike doing a verbal ballet in the dark and the creative team has done anamazing job.

What kind of writing inspires you?

I like a good story. Yes, I'm big on structure and the dramaturgical fundamentals of activeprotagonists facing obstacles to achieve objectives lest some undesirable fatebefall them. But what excites me are the writers who refuse to allow thatstructure to become formula. For me, a good story involves passionatecharacters, especially characters who are surprised by their own passion --when passion is contrary to their quiet nature, like Dave in The Navigator. I also find details verymoving. I don't need to hear characters wax on about the nature of theirproblems or issues or existence, when a small gesture or expression can upend astory and inspire a great audience reaction. My favorite moment in anyplay ever is in The Cherry Orchardwhen Lopakhin has Varya brought in so he can propose to her and instead hechickens out and asks her if she knows where his boots are. Wars have beenfought with less devastation than in that one exchange. It's that sort of emotionand detail that resonate for me. It's what inspires me when I'm reading andwatching a play and what I hope to accomplish while writing one.

Who or what has been the biggestinfluence on your work as a theatre artist thus far?

This is probably blasphemousto say, but I think my biggest influence on my theatrical work has been filmand television. I always loved movies that were adapted from plays, so I wantedto write plays that might eventually make good films. Of course, I don't writeplays solely toward that end. But, I do prefer my story go from scene to sceneand setting to setting fluidly rather than create an artificial reason for thecharacters to stay talking in one place for hours. Aristotle is spinning in hisgrave, I'm sure. But I've always felt that the number of scenes in a play isdictated by the story the playwright is telling. And I've found the morecinematic a story I'm telling, the more theatrical the play has to be. Ilove writing for a bare unit set that gives the lighting designer something towork with and inspires the audience to imagine the English country estate andthe carriage ride and the Soviet prison.

I do write a lot of one-acts and almost all of my short plays are made up ofsingle, unified scenes. And I applaud anyone who can make those unitiesof time, place and action work for them! But I love the cross fade. Ilove that characters can be at home in one moment, be at the movies in the nextand then end up at church, all with a change in movement and light.

The person who has been my biggest influence as a theater artist has beenWilliam C. Kovacsik. He's currently head of dramatic writing at TischAsia inSingapore. Bill and I worked together on my first plays in grad school atCarnegie Mellon. He was a year ahead of me in the playwriting program and ourcollaborations really forced me to put all the theories I was learning aboutplaywriting and theater into practice. I've had a lot of great teachers,but Bill is the one I've worked with most closely.

What else are you working on right now?

Right now, I'mrevisiting my full-length drama LightningFrom Heaven, which chronicles the relationship between Boris Pasternak andhis lover Olga Ivinskaya, who was allegedly the inspiration behind Lara in Doctor Zhivago. My director Thomas Cotéand I are preparing it for a staged reading at the WorkShop in March. I'm alsoworking on a new short piece called Sugarplumfor the WorkShop's "It's the End of the World as We Know It!"festival, about a woman trapped between two possible realities, one bucolic andthe other apocalyptic, and she can't tell which is real. After these two,a comedy is definitely in order!

People You Should Know . . . Eddie Antar

2012-01-28T15:53:00.004-05:00

EDDIE ANTAR(Playwright) began his career in theatre working with the Indie theatre company TheArt & Work Ensemble, appearing in many of its productions including JosephHeller's We Bombed in New Haven, anda stage adaptation of Dorothy Parker's TheBig Blond. Theatre studies include HB Studios and The Gene Frankel TheatreWorkshop. Currently, Eddie devotes his time to writing and is a memberPlaywright of The WorkShop Theater Company. His body of work includes elevencompleted full-length plays and many short plays and one-acts. His full lengthsIn the Face of the Enemies Child and Life On Hold were performed by theDelphi Theatre of Manhattan. His plays BeingMarried, The Navigator and First Love. Ever have all had readingsat The WorkShop Theater Company. TheNavigator received a Play in Process production by The WorkShop Theater inthe fall of 2010 and was nominated for eight New York Innovative TheaterAwards, including Outstanding Original Full-Length Script and OutstandingProduction. He is currently developing his twelfth full length, a bilingualplay about a Dominican Little League family in the Washington Heights/Inwoodsection of Manhattan.

How did you getstarted in theatre? When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I've always had a deep passion for story. I went to Yeshivaall the way through high school and though I wasn't a fan of most of what went onthere, there wasalways a story. Big, deep, feeling, meaningful stories... sometimes with special effects! As I gotolder, I realized that my favorite part of stories was what was said. "So then I told herto go to hell" Oh yeah, what did she say back. "She told me that living withme was hell". My love for dialogue - it's rhythms, it's sounds, it's poetry - is why Ifocused on theater. There's not that much music with visuals in (non musical)theater, so you'd better be able to produce it with dialogue.

Congratulations on all of the New YorkInnovative Theatre Award
nominations. Tell me about THE NAVIGATOR. What inspired you to write the play?How have you approached rehearsals for the remount?

The Navigator is a story about a guy who's down on his luck-loveless marriage, out of work for months, nothing seems to be going right -who's just lost a bundle in the stock market. It's gotten to the point wherehe's afraid to make one more decision. So he gets a gift. His car navigator begins to give him the answers to everything in his life- stock picks, football bets, how to talk to his wife, what vacations to take... andother life altering stuff. What happens next is his journey as he becomes moreand morereliant on this machine and begins a life without the consequences of risk. The idea for The Navigator came from a time I wastouring colleges with myson. I elected to get the GPS with my Hertz rental and while I fully expected it to tell me when toturn or exit, it didn't expect it to tell me to veer left because there was a fork in the highway.At that point my son and Istarted making jokes about "What else does this thing know?". He said "You should write it".At the time I thought I'm lucky if I get 20 pages from this "one liner". But once a theme setin, I just kept writing. The remount has been a wonderful experience. Leslie Kincaid Burby, our award winningdirector, is at the helm once more and the incredible mountain of acting talent is back. JoeFranchini, Kelly Anne Burns, Michael Gnat and Nicole Taylor really make the material fly. Myapproach to this remounting is as before- a clarifier, re-writer and collaborator.Leslie is one of the mostgiving directors I've ever worked with.

What kind of writing inspires you?

I'm not big on novels. I keep waiting for the writing tostop describing the walls, the sky, the sea... I want to know what the characters arethinking or saying. I want the information to come through actions and words, not descriptions. Writing that makes use of the music of language always inspires me. Also, I believe that struggle is more important thanconflict. I see a lot of writing that looks like power shots going back and forthat a tennis match. I don't find that interesting. It's when the players haveto
deal with a drop shot, followed by a lob over their head, followed by a bullet backhand... that's when I start watching.

Who or what has been the biggestinfluence on your work as a playwright thus far?

Writers who develop stories through the dialogue. Mamet,Susan Lori Parks, Stephen Adly Guirgis. During that same college trip with my son Isaw a collegeproduction of Our Lady of 125th Street by Stephen Adly Guirgis. I was totally blown away. Greatwriter of language.

What else are you working on right now?

I just finished my first bi-lingual play called Papi / Flaco about a
Dominican family that lives in the northern section of Manhattan called Inwood. It's the story of a father who coaches Little League baseballand his son who plays on that team. The play explores the mores and culturesof the Latinocommunity, specifically when it comes to the roles of men and women. My short play Gifted Childabout a couple of divorced parents called into a teacher conference and discover that their child hashealing powers, has been chosen to be in The Network One Act Festival in NewYork City soI'll be working on that. I will also be having a public reading of a play called Life On Hold, which is about the game changing effects on five Jewish women from Brooklyn whore-start their weekly card game three months after 9/11.

People You Should Know . . . Leslie Kincaid Burby

2012-01-27T19:57:00.000-05:00

LESLIE KINCAIDBURBY (Director) recently received the New York Innovative Theatre Award for OutstandingDirection of the 2010 WorkShop Theater Company Play in Process production ofEddie Antar's The Navigator. She isdelighted to be re-directing the play, which received eight New York InnovativeTheatre Award nominations. Leslie cut her directorial teeth doing ambitiousexperimental theatre in unconventional spaces with the inter-arts company, TheBull Family Orchestra, which she co-founded with playwright, Katie Bull. Amongmany productions she developed with BFO, Leslie was particularly honored to beone of the directors of the 29 Questions Project which was performed nearGround Zero, and explored the pain and revelation which has arisen from thetragedy of 9/11 and the ongoing strife in the Middle East. Leslie is currentlythe resident director of The Little Apple Theater Company, a traveling companythat brings professional theater to young people of all economic and socialbackgrounds. Recent productions have toured throughout the Eastern US, withperformances in NYC at Symphony Space and the 92nd Street Y. Leslie is also afrequent director with the Delphi Theatre Company of Manhattan, where sherecently directed As You Like It, The Miracle Worker, Don Pasquale, and DieFledermaus. Also a performer,Leslie holds a BFA with honors from SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Theatre Arts,and has been featured in many off-Broadway plays and musicals, as well asappearing on TV in commercials and daytime serial dramas.

How did you get startedin theatre? When did you know you wanted to be a director?

I've been doing theatreon some level since I was a little kid. Dancing, singing, staging playsin my friends' living rooms. Not too surprisingly, I ended up going to atheatre conservatory (Purchase Conservatory of Theatre Acts) for acting.However, I was always interested in directing, and tended to approach my rolesfrom the perspective of "why is my character in this play - what purposedoes my role serve. What is the big picture". After I graduated Imoved to NYC and really focused on my acting for a few years. Then Ibegan to get asked to step in and direct little projects when folks neededsomeone. For some reason they seemed to ask me a lot, maybe because I wasa good acting coach, but also pretty organized, and an enthusiastic researcherof historical/social details. Gradually, projects got bigger and morefun, and I've now sort of segued away from acting and into directing.

Congratulations on winning the New York Innovative Theatre Award forOutstanding Direction. Tell me about THE NAVIGATOR. How have you approachedrehearsals for the remount? What do you love most about the show?

It was a real thrill,and a total surprise, to win the IT award. I think one of the things thatI've been dealing with, as has the cast, is the pressure to be even"better" than last time. So, I've been trying to think of therehearsal process as a time to dig deeper, rather than a time to try to be moreimpressive. My biggest challenge is to take what was really an intimategem of a performance into a bigger space. I don't want to lose any of theintensity and electricity that existed between the cast and the audience duringthe first run. It's been fun to expand some of the sound cues, and addmore lighting effects. But I have been working carefully with the cast tobe sure that the emotional lives of the characters remain "raw" andspontaneous. The play should never become pat. I had one audiencemember tell me that he had seen the play twice, but couldn't stand to see itagain right away because it felt too much like his own life. I took thatas a great compliment.

What kind of writing inspires you?

So many kinds, really. Ijust directed "AS YOU LIKE IT" last fall, and of course, that darnedShakespeare was pretty good! But, as far as contemporary work, I'minterested in anything that has a life-changing impact on people. It canbe comedy, drama, musical. But it has to be more than entertainment. I'mvery interested in companies that are working on cutting edge material,including taking an inter-arts approach. I love the work being done byWaterWell http://www.waterwell.org/. And I'm still inspired by classic writers like Chekhov and O'Neil. And Ilike opera! I have very eclectic tastes.

Who or what has been the biggest influence on your work as a director thus far?

I grew up in a very artyfamily, and I was surrounded by such great theatre and music growing up, thatit's kind of hard to identify particular early influences. However, Ireally have to say that Joan Potter, who was my acting mentor (and sometimestor-mentor) for four years at Purchase, really showed me the ropes ofdirecting. Even though we were studying acting with her, she always madeus approach material in a wholistic way. We had to analyze the whole play, it'scontext, why every character was in the piece, all the historical elements. Shewas a master of her craft and an inspiration to work with. Sometimespretty terrifying, because she had x-ray vision and could detect phoniness in aheartbeat. She really taught me how to see through an actor's schtick,and look for the soul underneath. When in doubt, I often think,"What would Joan say here". She passed away several years ago,but I still imagine her over my shoulder when needed. Another greatinfluence has been my friend actress/director/singer Katie Bull, which whom Iworked for seven years in "The Bull Family Orchestra." Katiehas worked extensively with acting teacher Eric Morris, and the brilliant vocalcoach, Chuck Jones. She brought elements of these masters work into her owndirecting, and that was very inspiring and influential to me.

What else are you working on right now?

I'm very excited to beworking on a new play called The Chekhov Dreams, by John McKinney. Itis slated to run next September at the WorkShop Theater Co. It's about acharming but depressed writer who is having an ongoing relationship with hisdead girl friend through his dreams. It's a fascinating gothic comedy, and I'mreally enjoying hearing some preliminary readings. Stay tuned! Also, I'm honored to have been asked to direct areading of The Sandbox by Gino DiIorio presented by the Up TheatreCompany - a very new company bringing powerful new theatre to NorthernManhattan. http://uptheater.org/newindex.shtml Thisis a really gritty, dark piece about a U.S. Troop stationed in Iraq. SoI'm delighted to be getting a nice range of great pieces to try my hand at.

People You Should Know . . . Kelly Anne Burns

2012-01-27T19:50:00.001-05:00

Kelly Anne Burns is an actress/clown, writer,producer, & award-winning director. She most recently was nominated for a2011 New YorkInnovative Theatre Award for'Outstanding Actress in a Lead Role' for her work in The Navigator. Additionally, she won 'Best Commercial' at BurbankInternational Film Festival & Tribeca Underground Film Festival for her HBOspot "The Deal Breaker"- in which she wrote, directed, and starred.Her viral video "Highest" has over two million hits on You Tube andwas subsequently featured on the MTV comedy special THE HILLS SPOOF'D! She is aco-producer at Burning Clown Productions, is a member ofthe WorkShop Theater Company,and performs sketch & improv regularly at The UCB.

As achild, she performed internationally as a ballerina and was ranked an AllAmerican high jumper. Kelly Anne's foray into college theatre had her tradingin track spikes for character shoes . . . and the current chapter in her lifehas taken off at breakneck pace. She now can be seen and heard in commercials,TV, viral videos, feature films, voice overs, and the theatre! For more information, please visitwww.kellyanneburns.com

How did you get started in theatre?

Fortunately,I was immersed in the arts as a child; the consolation prize for being theyoungest sibling with two older brothers. I held song and dance recitalsin my living room that my family was forced to attend, so even then I waspassionate about performing. My poor brothers! I danced ballet for 18 years andloved it. Unfortunately, there weren’t many opportunities for a 5'9" primaballerina. While studying dance, I was also heavily involved in athletics;specifically track and field. I triedthe hurdles, long jump, triple jump, but maybe because of dance, I hit the jackpotwith high jumping. I ranked All-American in high school, which earned me ascholarship to college. Halfway through college, I found myself in a theatreelective and everything clicked. I auditioned for the school show Hot LBaltimore and was cast in my first role as Suzy. Two months later, I traded myOlympic dreams for a “stable” life in the theatre. Ha! After college, I was hired as a Rockette,but by then I was hooked on acting and turned it down. I ended up being cast asa Rockette on “30 Rock”, so it’s funny how everything really does come fullcircle.

When did you know you wanted to bean actor?

I alwayswanted to act, but never really knew what steps to take. In college, I majoredin Broadcast Journalism, which I figured could get me into TV journalism, whichcould somehow open the door for acting. Not impossible with all the realityshows today, but looking back, it was a ridiculous strategy. It's just as hardto break into on-air broadcasting as it is acting. I realized it’d be simplerto switch majors and focus on acting. So, my junior year, I went to theRegistrar, made a life decision, and never looked back. I was nominated for anIrene Ryan ACTF award as a senior, and booked my first film- which shot on theday I was supposed to walk in graduation. (I obviously took the job!)

Congratulations on the New YorkInnovative Theatre Award nomination
for your work in this play. Tellme about THE NAVIGATOR. How have you
approached rehearsals for the remount?

Thank you!It was such an honor being nominated. It makes me happy that I could have somuch fun working on a role and the NYIT judges could enjoy it too. It waswonderful that our little $300 budget production could be invited to the NYITparty. It felt like David and Goliath between all the huge casts and big budgetproductions. All the nominations were definitely a testament to the spectacularscript and hard work that everybody put in.

The upcomingremount of THE NAVIGATOR is a bit of an upgrade. The first production wastechnically a Play-in-Progress, which means that it had been work-shopped tothe point where the writer needed to see it on it’s feet and hear an audience’sreaction. In the early rehearsals,I think we all knew we had something special.

This time around,we wanted to stay loyal to what we were able to accomplish in the cozy JewelBox Theater at the WorkShop, but have the flexibility to make some excitingartistic choices. We’ve brought on the amazing publicist Emily Owens (www.emilyowenspr.com) to help us get the word out. Last time, inviting presswasn’t a focus. This time we know we have a great production – now we just wantto share it!

Rehearsalsare going extremely well, and it’s nice to have some extra time to explore thetext to find nuance. Last time, thescript was being developed on the fly, so you can imagine we’re terriblyexcited to have a second go at it. It’s so rare to get to work on a show again;especially one where we all had so much input. Eddie was really open to ourthoughts and concerns, and I think there are little pieces of all of us in thisplay. Even the designers are pumped.

What do you love most about doingthis play?

I LOVE the character! I get to play a supercomputer. Believeme, I am not a supercomputer in real life. My sense of direction is horrible atbest. I got the opportunity to find the humanity in a machine. Finding thequirks, exploring my lower register, being completely present. People who saw the show still ask me to deliver quotes in myNavigator voice!

What kind of writing inspires you?

I am acomedienne and clown as well as an actress, so anything witty and silly appealsto me. I love writing with sharp banter. Some writing just jumps off the pageand begs me to take it on. I’vedone my fair share of Shakespeare & Chekhov, but I love working on NEWworks of theatre. Honestly, Eddieis one of my favorite writers. He’s able to capture speech concisely and hissense of rhythm is excellent. His characters (even my computer) all have fleshedout desires and needs. I‘ve readsome of his other full-length plays and they blow me away. We did a reading last year of his playFIRST LOVE EVER, and I am dying to work on it. It’s a re-telling of the “fall of man” with a cast of Adam,Eve, God, and Lucifer...but it’s not at all what you’d expect.

Who or what has been the biggestinfluence on your work as an actor thus far?

Easyanswer. My husband and clownpartner, Mike Smith Rivera (www.mrclown.biz). We met during a show back in 2006, andhe swept me off my feet – both artistically and personally. He trained at Dell’Arte (InternationalSchool of Physical Theatre) and has been working as an actor and clown professionallysince 2000. His involvement in mylife and career has been priceless. He introduced me to clowning and helped me refine what he refers to asmy “natural gift” for physical comedy. Ha! (That’s his nice way of saying I aman absolute klutz!) I can tell you that working with him has 100% changed my approachto acting. Now- I tend tovisualize a more physical approach to character, which leads me to discoveriesthat I never would have imagined before. With the Navigator, I’m sitting in a chair the ENTIRE show – I had to createa character in almost complete stillness. The Navigator has become more thanjust a computer. Mike’smastery of physical comedy is something I aspire to, and I’m never moreconfident in a show then when he is working on it with me. He read the part of Lucifer in Eddie Antar’sFIRST LOVE EVER, and the opportunity to seduce my sexy husband every night onstage is something I am very much looking forward to!

Also, basedon our mutual love for developing new works of theatre and film, Mike and I starteda production company. BurningClown Productions Inc. (www.burningclown.tv) has officially made us co-CEO’s in both life and thearts.

What else are you working on right now?

Greatquestion! Burning ClownProductions has several projects in various stages of development! We’rewriting a screenplay for our corporate horror comedy Corporate Succubus, generatingmaterial for our clown show, Mister & Missus Clown’s Night Circus, andadapting a clown version of Taming of the Shrew. We also have a web series inthe works and have been filming a series called Naked Manhattan Minute. Additionally, we regularly performsketch and improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade, and keep busy making shortfilms and collaborating with other companies and performers.

People You Should Know . . . Evan Bergman

2012-01-26T16:49:00.002-05:00

Evan Bergman’s (director)directing credits include: the world premiere of Jack Canfora’s Jericho; The Glass House with Harris Yulin, which received three ITAward nominations including best actor and best ensemble (The Clurman atTheatre Row); the world premiere of TheTangled Skirt by Steve Braunstein (New Jersey Rep, nominated for 2011EDGAR Award for Best Mystery/Thriller); New York and Los Angeles premiereproductions of The Director starringJohn Shea; the first African American production of American Buffalo featuring Reg E. Cathey and Paul Butler(W.H.A.T.); Gryzk, (Ensemble StudioTheater Marathon); the world premiere of the musical A Girl Called Dusty (Provincetown Playhouse); the Off Broadwaypremiere of Bobbi Boland with GreggHenry; Goodnight Sister by JamesLapine and Some Counseling byJonathan Marc Sherman as well as a workshop of Ten Ex- Lovers (NY Playwrights Lab at the Cherry Lane). His filmcredits include John Ford Noonan’s Dig AHole, Find A Finger (officialselection at the Palm Springs and Newport Beach International Film Festivals)and a documentary for Warner Music Group and Edge recording artist G TomMac, which featured Roger Daltry (The Who) and Philip Bailey (Earth, Wind andFire).

How did you get started in theatre? When did you know you wanted to be a director?

I ran the Jane Street theater and was artistic director of the New Voice Theater where we produced over forty new American plays,

Tell me about POETIC LICENSE. How do you feel rehearsals are going? What do you love most about the play?

We are just heading into week two. First week was around the table and now the fun begins.

You recently directed the critically acclaimed production of Jack Canfora's play, Jericho. What do love most about directing his plays?

His lambit wit and his wonderful story telling.

What kind of writing inspires you?

Plays that make you feel the thruth.

Who or what has been the biggest influence on your work as a director thus far?

Not sure if that is answerable.

What else are you working on right now?

This is all I can think about at the moment.

People You Should Know . . . Liza Vann

2012-01-26T11:40:00.002-05:00

LIZA VANN. From early days at La Mama, Liza’s favorite New York creditsinclude Mary Shelley in The Frankenstein Affair, Marietta Corsiniin Machiavelli, and most recently, her much acclaimed performancein the Off Broadway hit Good Ol’ Girls. A recipient of theClarence Ross Fellowship from the American Theatre Wing, she has performedextensively in regional theatre in roles as diverse as Hermia in Dead Man’sCell Phone, Nicky /The Smell of the Kill, M’Lynn/SteelMagnolias, and Myrtle Brown/Morning’s at Seven. TheTop Of The Bottom Half: An Evening With The Keeper Of All Knowledge, isher 70-minute one-woman show which won the Silver Award in Women’s Issues inApril 2000 at Worldfest-Houston. As a live performance, The Top Of TheBottom Half has crisscrossed the U.S. and Canada, making stops attheaters, universities and various organizations. Liza’s performances oftenbenefit women’s health organizations, and she continues to accept limitedengagements nationwide. www.lizavann.com

How did you get started in theatre? When did you know you wanted to bean actor?

It’s easier if I reverse the questions! I knewfrom the age of 4; from the first time I ever walked on a stage. Years of dancelessons, voice lessons and school plays led to a degree in drama. And my firstprofessional contract was summer stock while I was still in school. A one trackmind from the age of 4: my parents were saints.

Tell me about POETIC LICENSE. How do you feel rehearsals are going?What do you love most about the play?

It’s a fabulous play, and I loved it from thefirst time Evan (Bergman) brought me in to read it. And then that Jack(Canfora) won the Abingdon Theatre Company's 2011 Christopher Brian Wolk Awardbefore we even started rehearsal! It’s a four –hander : mother /father/daughter/ boyfriend. The premise: It is the weekend before it is to beannounced that the father is the new Poet Laureate. I loved this comment afterone of our readings : “ This is Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf meets PrivateLives. Smart, funny, and a little dangerous.” I think that says it prettywell. So rehearsals are never boring! And with Geraint (Wyn Davies) in the mix,I can promise a little mischief is always on the agenda. Hmmm…what do I lovemost? Jack has a wicked way with words.

What kind of writing inspires you?

I have to confess I do like dialogue driven playsbest. A well written line can turn my head in a heartbeat.

Who or what has been the biggest influence on your work as an actorthus far?

That’s easy : Charles Hadley. He has been myprofessor, my director, my fellow actor, my champion, and my friend. I wish aCharles Hadley for every student, every actor.

What else are you working on right now?

Two new and very different plays are in the mix : Shemira,by Sandy Gruenwald, is the story of estranged sisters who are thrown togetherwhen sent to sit shemira which, in Jewish tradition, is the practice of sittingwith the dead until burial. It’s actually a lovely comedy about family andsurvival. And the second piece is a very special play, Iago, by the late JimMcLure. Vivian Leigh, Laurence Olivier, Peter Finch, and Noel Coward are theinspiration for this drama about love, betrayal, and slipping away.

People You Should Know . . . Doug Howe

2012-01-25T07:07:00.004-05:00

DOUG HOWE is an American theatre maker. He graduated with honors from the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama, where he was named an Andrew Carnegie Merit Scholar. He has trained with Peruvian master teacher Victoria Santa Cruz, the Moscow Art Theatre (MXAT), Saratoga International Theatre Institute (SITI) and Yoshi Oida from Peter Brook's International Centre for Theatre Research. He began his career as a theatre director in 1997 with his original text, The Helpless Spectator: Dance of the Seven Veils. From 1998-2005, Doug Howe directed productions and taught acting as part of Northwestern University's NHSI 'Cherub' program. From 2001-2007, he was the Artistic Director of Thalatta! Theatre International, and in 2008 was the recipient of a Brooklyn Arts Exchange (BAX) space grant. In 2009, Doug was awarded a French ‘Competence et Talents’ visa in order to create cross-cultural theatrical collaborations. In 2011, Doug was the International Liaison Officer at PlayWriting Australia in Sydney. He is a member of the Lincoln Center Directors Lab, The Fence Playwriting Network and Actors Equity. Since 2007, Doug Howe has been the Artistic Director of The Internationalists. Visit www.doug-howe.com for a full list of credits and information.

How did you get started in theatre? When did you know you wanted to be a director?

As most theatre artists, I started my life in the theatre as an actor in school plays. I was actively involved in the drama club all through middle and high school. I attended Northwestern’s ‘Cherub’ program when I was 17, and knew then for sure that I was going to spend my life in the theatre. I got a scholarship to attend the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama and graduated with a BFA in acting in 1997.

During my final semester at CMSD, the seniors had a very early Friday morning class with Mladen Kiselov, the famous Bulgarian director. We were there to be actors for the graduate directing students, but one of them was out of town on a gig, so Mladen asked if any of us wanted to direct. Half asleep, my hand unconsciously went up in the air. As it happened, my first real stab at directing would be the Hamlet/Gertrude bedroom scene. During the same time, Anne Bogart’s SITI Company was in town performing The Medium, and Kelly Maurer led a Viewpoints workshop at the university. Combining the two, I mustered my very rudimentary knowledge of Viewpoints with Mladen’s brilliant guidance, and I mounted my first scene. I’d never had more fun.

Later that semester, I opted out of the final main stage production (who really dreams of doing Awake and Sing anyway?) and I did an independent study with Mladen, in which I created my first show called The Helpless Spectator based on Salome’s Dance of Seven Veils. The four actresses (and a chicken) performed only once, at midnight, outdoors in the ‘Maggie Mo’ rotunda. From that point on, I was hooked and never looked out.

Tell me about The Internationalists. Tell me about the HOTEL PROJECT. What do you love most about the work you produce? Where would you like to see the company in five years?

Founded in 2007, The Internationalists is a collective of directors from around the world whose mission is to create a more open, sustainable and interactive global theatrical community. We foster creative diplomacy in order to build bridges between artists and audiences of all nations. By developing a global network of artists, we promote the creation of contemporary performance with an emphasis on cross-cultural exchange and collaboration. We have produced over thirty events in ten countries.

Hotel Project is a collaborative, site-specific theatrical experience for one spectator at a time, performed in and inspired by a specific hotel and created by international teams of playwrights and directors. The uniqueness of the project consists in the relationship between performer and spectator. Audience members travel through several rooms revealing the unseen lives of others. In this exclusive performance, the spectator gets to be a fly on the wall. Adapted for local hotels in major cities around the world, this performance offers audiences a view of contemporary international artists and emerging theatrical forms.

What I love most about the work we produce are the people. Theatre can’t exist without the interaction of individuals. Even if it’s only one performer and one audience member, it’s still relationship, and I feel so fortunate to work with some truly gifted artists. As the work I do is international, the opportunity to collaborate with theatre makers from around the world is extra special. Too often as Americans we have a limited perspective of the world around us, and by working with artists from different cultures, traditions and methodologies, I have a unique chance to grow as an artist and expand my knowledge and experience of multiple points of view.

For instance, thanks to the generous support of Spain Culture New York, I had the distinct pleasure of working with Beatriz Cabur, one of Madrid's best playwrights, on Hotel Project. Most often, a writer will write, and provide drafts to directors/producers for comments, questions and suggestions. What made this process really wonderful for me was that Beatriz and I worked in tandem the entire time. There were days we worked for 12-16 hours until we were satisfied with the text. And even though she had to return to Spain before rehearsals began, she’s been with me on Skype the entire time I worked with the actors. The line between who wrote the play and who directed it became so blurred, that we just decided to say we both did both. It's rare to have such a creative partnership, and amidst all the wonderful outcomes of the project, I doubt I will hold one more dear that the artistic relationship I got to develop with her, because I know it will last far beyond the run of the show.

Like any artistic director, I would like to see the company expand far and wide, and have lots more funding and support to produce more projects in the coming years. In particular, I would like to be able to establish a much stronger two-way bridge (or interconnect web) between the States and locations around the world. The majority of work we produced in the first four years has been done in New York, and I would like to that expand to multiple places around the world. That goal has already begun to come to fruition, as we launched a global playwriting contest in 2011, in which the winner got his play presented in New York City, Berlin, Moscow, Bucharest and the Hague. Each year, we hope to add locations to that list and be able to offer our members more and more opportunities to travel and create. Hotel Project is one of those initiatives that will allow us to do that, and we’re developing more programs that mobile in ways that promote embrace a nomadically adventurous mindset.

What do you look for in a play that you are considering directing?

A question without an answer. I love plays that frighten and challenge me. They possess a certain content and energy that interests me, but that I don’t have a clearly mapped out plan as how to get from start to finish. Directing allows me the opportunity to explore things I have never encountered. It is as much a practical puzzle that needs solving as an emotional or philosophical journey worth embarking on. On first reading a script, if I have a strong idea about how I’d direct it, I normally put it aside. I don’t pass on them because they aren’t good plays, but because, with all the effort it takes to mount a production, if it’s something I feel I know already, then its ends up being a waste of time in terms of my growth as an artist. In contrast, if I read something that confounds me, that I have to read a second or third time to even begin grasping, then I know it’s probably something I should investigate.

What kind of writing inspires you?

Though I’ve almost exclusively directed plays in the last decade by non-American writers, I would say that, I was attracted to the work because of their universal qualities. Not to say that the plays don’t have specific cultural references and are void of particular traditions, but that they transcend the those things and speak to something much deeper. There’s a reason Shakespeare and Chekhov have lasted beyond their own times and locations, and I look for plays that do the same. I love writing that excites me and challenges me and motivates me, but most of all, I love writing that entertains me. Any great work of art has to first engage us or it can’t do anything else. If theatre doesn’t first entertain us, then nothing else is possible. Too often people forget that. Many writers try to be political and edgy and controversial, but if there isn’t a compelling story with interesting characters that I can sympathize and relate with, then I’m bored by page five. It’s been said thoughts of times, but story, story, story. That story doesn’t have to be literal or realistic, but it has to be compelling.

Who or what has been the biggest influence on your work as a director thus far?

When I first moved to New York after university, I lived within walking distance from BAM. At the time, with my (expired) student ID, I could get $10 tickets for day-of performances. Over the next two or three years, I took advantage of as many shows as I could get in to. I still consider the Harvey my favorite theatre venue in the city. During that time I got to see work by artists like Pina Bausch, Ingmar Bergman, Peter Brook, Peter Stein and the RSC. Each had a profound effect on me as a young artist, and has clearly led me down the international path, but if there is one director and performance that I can pinpoint, it would be Ivo van Hove and his version of A Streetcar Named Desire at New York Theatre Workshop. As an American, I’d seen at least a dozen versions of Streetcar, and each one was so polluted by Kazan’s version. If I saw another actor imitate Brando, I was going to storm the stage. Never once did the play mean anything to me. It had always been a boring museum piece that was once great, but held no relevance to the contemporary, and then Ivo came to town. After I saw his production with the stunning Elizabeth Marvel, I was so angry. I left the theatre shaken and upset. In my limited view at the time, I couldn’t let go of my feeling of rage. The production haunted me for well over a week before I realize, “Oh, that’s how the play is supposed to make me feel.” Van Hove stripped the play of its stereotypical, Southern gentility and exposed its raw nerves. At its core it is an Apollonian/Dionysian battle to the death, and that particular production cut right to the heart of it. Ever since, if I were in town, I’ve done everything in my power to catch van Hove’s work when he was in town, and he’s yet to disappoint.

What else are you working on right now?

After the Hotel Project: New Jersey (January 27-29) and Hotel Project: New York (Feb 3-5), I will jump right into our Global Playwriting Contest. We had more than 165 submissions from 26 countries, so I’ll be settling for some good reads. I’ll also be working on World Theatre Day events, which will take place on March 27 in New York City and elsewhere around the world. After that, I will head to Italy for a ‘Fence’ conference, which is a network of international playwrights and cultural operators. And if all goes according to plan, I’ll spend some time in Spain for some necessary rest and relaxation.

Susan Ferrara got a lovely mention in the New York Times.

2012-01-23T17:04:00.001-05:00

". . . Susan Ferrara nonetheless delivers a textured and moving performance as the family’s prickly matriarch. The characters may be resigned to the hands they’ve been dealt, but the actors who play them still manage to power on."

-Catherine Rampell, New York Times

Bridesburg continues through Sunday at the Gene Frankel Theater, 24 Bond Street, East Village; brownpapertickets.com, (800) 838-3006.

People You Should Know . . . Brianne Moncrief

2012-01-19T09:40:00.001-05:00

Brianne Moncrief trained atFordham University, Lincoln Center and The London Dramatic Academy. Sheis best known for her portrayal of Colby Chandler on All My Children. Other favorites include the films: The Other Guys, How WeGot Away With It and The Talk Man, the plays: RoseColored Glass and The Audition and the television show:Onion Sports Dome.

How did you getstarted in theatre? What compelled you to become an actor?

I was in my first play in second grade, I played the doll in thestage version of the children's book TheLittle Engine That Could. While I enjoyed performing via dance andother school activities, I was mainly focused on sports while I was growing up. It wasn't until I was 17 and took a theatre class at a community collegefor summer school that I decided that this might be something I really want topursue. I knew that to be a great actor, you should be trained - so Iworked with a woman on audition pieces and decided to audition for colleges. I got into some theatre programs and decided I would go ahead and studytheatre in college and see if I liked it. Starting my theatre training abit later than most was a bit tricky at first - but in a lot of ways I feel Ihad the advantage of avoiding developing some bad habits. So in short, Isort of fell into the world of theatre - looking back now, I can see the signswere always there (it should have been a clue when my mom made me an Annie costumeand I wore a wig and sang along with the vhs tape!) but it still feels like I"happened into it".

Tell me aboutBRIDESBURG. How do you feel rehearsals are going? What do you love most aboutthe play?

I really enjoyed rehearsing Bridesburg. Our playwright, Victor Kaufold was extremely flexible as we spent a fewweeks working on the script. And our director, Jack Young, was verysupportive. Jack gave me the support and freedom to play and experimentwith Cat in a new way, each and every time we worked a scene. The mainthing that I love about the play is how tangible the characters feel to me. I feel like Victor is a genius at capturing the essence as well asbelievable dialogue for each of the five characters. Cat, Matt, Janet,Kay and Mitchell feel and sound very real to me.

What kind ofwriting inspires you?

I'll be honest, I am a sucker for dark comedies that center around afamily.  But in a broad sense, writing that is human inspires me. Writingthat reveals something new about the human experience - shows me a new way tolook at the world inspires me. Writing that keeps me talking about it for a fewdays inspires me. Writing that makes me cry inspires me. Writing that makes melaugh until I cry inspires me.

Who or what hasbeen the biggest influence on your work as an actor thus far?

Teachers have had the biggest impact on my work. I alwaysenjoy seeing plays, movies, or a well-scripted TV show - but actually workingon some great material, in the safe environment of a classroom, with theinsight of an exceptional teacher is where I have grown the most.  My mom, myvery first teacher first opened the doors for me to believe I was an artist. And the second teacher I think of, is my current teacher/coach/mentor,Karl Bury. I have learned a ton about myself and my work in my time withKarl - but lately, he has taught me the immense amount of detailed work ittakes to be a truly excellent actor.

What else are youworking on right now?

Right now, we are finishing up a film I shot last summer with Jeff Barry (who plays Matt in Bridesburg)called How We Got Away With It. I am forever enrolled in an excellent scene study class - so I am usuallyworking on some Chekhov or Tennessee Williams. I set The Seagull aside for a while as we began to rehearse Bridesburg, but I look forward tojumping back into class with another great play in the next 2 weeks. Also, myhusband and I shot a short film in December, and are looking to cook up a fewmore of those before the summer is here!

People You Should Know . . . Daryl Eisenberg

2012-01-17T20:27:00.000-05:00

Daryl Eisenberg, CSA is owner of DarylEisenberg Casting, a full service casting office for film, theatre, TV,commercials, new media. Theatre credits include: Son of Captain Blood, Garage Band, White's Lies, My Big Gay ItalianWedding, Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating, and Marriage, Odyssey: TheEpic Musical, Little Shop of Horrors at The Gallery Players, Gay Bride OfFrankenstein, Coming: A Musical of Biblical Proportions, Women and Guns, TalesFrom The Tunnel, Veritas, My First Time, The Awesome 80s Prom, VOTE! A NewMusical, Street Lights, Altar Boyz, F#@king Up Everything, DavenportReading Series, Gotham Stage Company. Film credits include: Sleep, FollowingChase, The Last/First Kiss, You Can't Fix Her, S.O.L., Coffee & Pie, TheBook of Caleb, Cut, Tabitha's Aquarium. TV credits include: CastingAssociate on GOSSIP GIRL (Warner Bros/The CW) and CASHMERE MAFIA (Sony/ABC). Web: Pipture: Characters, Guard of Dagmar, TheBatterysDown.com, JoeyAndDavid.com,Simon&Schuster's 'The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer' trailer, Standard Deviants. Daryl is a graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Member of CastingSociety of America. www.decasting.com andwww.castingclass.com

How did you getinvolved in the arts? When did you know you wanted to be a casting director?

I grew up singing and dancing. Baby June, Anne Frank, thelike. I knew I would end up behind the scenes somehow. I was a goodperformer, but not great. I tried my hand at directing as a teen, butonly wanted to pick who got to sing "Day By Day," not actually stage it. Someone said "that's what a casting director does". And I said"that's what I'll be". It wasn't until my first internship incasting that I realized it really WAS what I wanted to be!

How do you feeladvances in technology (i.e. websites, YouTube, and email) have influenced yourcasting process?

What used to take weeks now takes days. What used to take daysnow takes hours. What used to take hours now takes seconds. I havethe ability to be more hands on with more projects at any given time. Ican multi-task, work from out of the office, and make an 8 pm curtain withouthaving to wait for a fax, or a messenger, or a phone call. At my veryfirst internship, I didn't even have a computer on my desk. Now, I don'tknow WHAT I would do without my interns having access to the web! I havethe ability to learn more about actors before they step in to the auditionroom. I....well, I could go on for days. The industry is entirelydifferent now.

What do you thinkis the biggest misconception about what you do?

I hear constantly "how do I get on your roster" or"would you consider me for representation". Even the New YorkTimes and Dance Moms (both very reputable institutions) refer to CastingDirectors as Casting Agents. There are agents. There are castingdirectors. There are NO casting agents. I don't represent a small pool ofactors. I work on behalf of the production to fill available roles. Casting is much more similar to a human resources department than to an agency.

Who or what hasbeen the biggest influence on your work thus far?

I always try to look at what the start-up world is doing and seewhat can apply to our industry. Each production is essentially amini-start-up.

What are youworking on right now?

A whole bunch of exciting projects! Ken Davenport's new musicalGARAGE BAND! An exciting, yet-to-be-announced Broadway revival! Aslew of films! I always post new breakdowns to my website (and Twitterand Facebook and Backstage and and and and and). Check out www.decasting.comfor the latest news!

People You Should Know . . . Seth Numrich

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Seth Numrich - Broadway: WarHorse (Lincoln Center, Dorothy Loudon Award for Excellence, Drama LeagueAward Nom, Outer Critics Circle Award Nom), The Merchant of Venice (ThePublic Theater). Off-Broadway: Iphigenia 2.0 (Signature), Blind (Rattlestick), Too MuchMemory, Slipping (Rising Phoenix Rep/Piece by Piece Productions), Gatesof Gold (59E59), Dutch Masters (LAByrinth). Regional: The HistoryBoys (Ahmanson Theatre), The Cure at Troy (Seattle Rep), Measure forMeasure (Chautauqua Theatre Co.). International: The Judgment of Paris(NYC and Edinburgh Fringe Festival). Television: Gravity (Starz, SeriesRegular). Film: Private Romeo. Teaching artist: Artists Striving to EndPoverty (ASTEPonline.org),2005-2012. Training: the Juilliard School.

How did you getstarted in theatre? Did you always know that you wanted to be an actor?

My dad (Charles Numrich) is also an actor, he works all the timeback in Minnesota where I grew up. When I was a kid he didn't do a lot ofacting, but he was a storyteller and would go in to schools and tell storiesand give workshops for kids. My brother and I would come along most ofthe time and help out, or act out the stories that my dad was telling. Iguess I got the inspiration to tell stories from him. When I was around11 I started doing theatre, and one of my first experiences was in a productionat the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. At some point I realized all ofthe adults in the play actually made their livings and support their familiesby doing theatre. Once I knew that was possible, I was pretty muchhooked.

Tell meabout Yosemite. Whatwas the rehearsal process like? What do you love most about the play?

Yosemite is Daniel Talbott's new play that deals with a very dark moment in the life of a familywho live in a trailer park near in the foothills of the Sierra mountains innorthern California. I am in love with this play and am so happy to beinvolved in it. I think it is a bold and daring piece of theatre and I'mvery excited about sharing it with audiences at Rattlestick. Therehearsal process has been pretty short and very intense. We've foundthat since the subject of the matter is very heavy we all need to keep therehearsal room light while we're working. There is a lot of silliness.But when it comes to the work everyone has been extremely committed and I am soproud of what we are creating together.

You worked withDaniel Talbott before. What do you love most about his writing?

Daniel and I worked together on his play Slipping in 2009 as well asother readings and workshops. I am inspired by Daniel in so many was thatit would be hard to list them all here. I consider him one of my closestfriends, a mentor, and an enormous force for good in the theatre. Specifically in regards to his writing I am always inspired by the challenge ofhis work. His words never let the actors off the hook, and the playitself is always asking us go deeper and face our fears in order to give thework everything we can. I also admire Daniel's sense of collaboration asa writer. His plays demand that the actors bring all of themselves into theprocess, and he allows for growth and change to happen within the text. He is never precious with his work, but rather extremely generous with it and Ifeel that's a rare and wonderful thing to encounter.

What kind ofwriting inspires you?

I am inspired by so many different kinds of writing and differentstyles so it's hard to pinpoint exactly, but I think when it comes down to it Iam inspired by stories that are told truthfully. I appreciate when apiece of writing dares to be unapologetic, and when it attempts to honestlyexplore an aspect of the human condition. I'm in to that kind of art, whatevershape or form it might come in.

Who or what hasbeen the biggest influence on your work as a actor thus far?

As hard as it is to think of one thing or person that has influencedmy work as an actor, it is almost as hard to think of something or someone inmy life who hasn't influenced me. I feel so blessed to have come incontact with incredible artists and incredible people throughout my life whoinspire me. I always try to stay open to inspiration, wherever it mightcome from. For example I just saw TheArtist and I'm feeling pretty inspired.

What else are youworking on right now?

Well speaking of inspiration, I have never really had the notion ofdoing anything artistically outside of acting, but recently I've had somerandom inspirations that I might try to write down. One I think is ashort play and the other I'm not sure yet, but I'm going to take a stab atit. I also will be running a 12 mile race in the spring, so I'm workingon training for that. Pray for me.