Austin Pendleton and cast of "Orson's Shadow." Photo by Jonathan Slaff.
ABOUT THE PLAY
“Orson’s Shadow,” based on true events, takes place on the stage of the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin and later on the stage of the Royal Court Theatre. In his declining years, Orson Welles is directing a production of Eugène Ionesco’s “Rhinoceros,” starring Laurence Olivier and Joan Plowright. Olivier is fresh from his triumphant theatrical portrayal of vaudevillian Archie Rice in John Osborne’s “The Entertainer” and is about to reprise the role in its film adaptation. He and Plowright are in the early stages of a romantic liaison and his tumultuous marriage to Vivien Leigh is all but ended. The noted critic Kenneth Tynan becomes entangled in the conflicts between Welles, Olivier, and Leigh, adding tension and complexity to their relationships and influencing their decisions and perceptions. The play debates the merits of stage versus screen, the internal struggle that theatrical performers endure when contemplating a leap to films, and the ways the studio system frustrated the careers of individual artists. It is also a study of theatrical egos, each of the protagonists living more on the stage than in real life, each one feeling insecure while jockeying for power.
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- Playwright/director Austin Pendleton. Photo by Jonathan Slaff.
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- Brad Fryman as Orson Welles. Photo by Jonathan Slaff.
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- Foreground: Brad Fryman as Orson Welles. Behind (L-R): Natalie Menna as Vivian Leigh and Kim Taff as Joan Plowright. Photo by Jonathan Slaff.
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- Kim Taff as Joan Plowright. Photo by Jonathan Slaff.
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- Ryan Tremont as Laurence Olivier, Natalie Menna as Vivian Leigh. Photo by Jonathan Slaff.
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- Luke Hofmaier as Sean, the Stage Manager. Photo by Jonathan Slaff.
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- L-R: Brad Fryman as Orson Welles, Patrick Hamilton as Kenneth Tynan, Luke Hofmaier as Sean, the Stage Manager. Photo by Jonathan Slaff.
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- Ryan Tremont as Laurence Olivier. Photo by Jonathan Slaff.
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- Playwright/director Austin Pendleton, Assistant DIrector Mark Karafin. Photo by Jonathan Slaff.
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- Patrick Hamilton as Kenneth Tynan. Photo buy Jonathan Slaff.
The Memory Exam
Playwright: Steven Fechter
Director: Terrence O'Brien
Set in a future world when the simple act of forgetting can be fatal, vigilante laws turn neighbors, friends, and colleagues into spies and informants. Three people in their autumn years covertly hire an expert who can coach them for the perilous Memory Exam. Failure is almost all but certain — but the coach has devised a method that depends on how well they can recall the specifics of their most enduring memory no matter how factual or fantastic. THE MEMORY EXAM is a play about courage, survival, and the fear of losing your future because you’re forgetting the past.
CAST: Vernice Miller | Gus Kaikkonen | Bekka Lindstrom | Alfred Gingold
Set Design: Tamara Honesty; Lighting Design: Greg MacPherson; Sound Design: Charles Hatcher; Costume Design: Amy Sutton; Company Manager: Jenna Lazar; Casting Director: Helene Galek
59E59 Theaters, 59 East 59th St. NY NY 10022
59E59 Theaters was established by the Elysabeth Kleinhans Theatrical Foundation in 2004 to grant professional space and expertise to non-profit theater companies premiering their work in New York City.
Halcyon Days
by Steven Dietz
Directed by Alexander Dinelaris
Jeffrey & Paula Gural Theatre at the A.R.T./ New York Theatres 502 West 53rd Street, New York, NY 10019
How do you make something go viral in the days before social media? Halcyon Days by Steven Dietz is a shrewd satire exploring what it took to get America behind the 1983 invasion of the western hemisphere's smallest country, Grenada. This eye opening exploration of the D.C. "spin machine" is a brutally witty and thought provoking behind the scenes look at America's first "public relations" war.
The cast of HALCYON DAYS included Rand Guerrero (Betrayal), Ralph Guzzo (The Count of Monte Cristo), William Laney (The Drawer Boy), Chris McFarland (Birdman), Hannah Jane McMurray (Dirty Dancing National Tour), Sarah O’Sullivan (“Banshee”), Tom Paolino (Everyone’s Carol), and Gameela Wright (“She’s Gotta Have It”).
HALCYON DAYS featured scenic design by Rebecca Lord-Surratt (Drawer Boy), costume design by Amy Sutton (All the Kids Are Doing It), lighting design by Greg MacPherson (Killer Joe), sound design by Nick Moore (The Drawer Boy), and projection design by Nathan W. Scheuer (A Chorus Line). Jenna R. Lazar (The Mad Ones) will serve as production stage manager.
Performance space for Halcyon Days was subsidized by the A.R.T./New York Theatres Rental Subsidy Fund, a program of the Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York (A.R.T./New York).
ABOUT A.R.T./NEW YORK THEATRES
The A.R.T./New York Theatres are a project of the Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York (A.R.T./New York), which provide state-of-the-art, accessible venues at subsidized rental rates, plus free access to top-line technical equipment, so that the city’s small and emerging theatre companies can continue to experiment, grow, and produce new works. Founded in 1972, A.R.T./New York is the leading service and advocacy organization for New York City’s 380+ nonprofit theatres, with a mission to assist member theatres in managing their companies effectively so that they may realize their rich artistic visions and serve their diverse audiences well. We accomplish this through a comprehensive roster of real estate, financial, educational, and community-building programs, as well as research, advocacy, and field-wide initiatives that seek to improve the long-term health and sustainability of the industry. Over the years, A.R.T./New York has received numerous honors, including an Obie Award, an Innovative Theatre Award, a New York City Mayor’s Award for Arts & Culture, and a Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre. For more information, please visit www.art-newyork.org.
Pimm's Mission
By Christopher Stetson Boal
Directed by Terrence O'Brien
59E59 Theaters, 59 East 59th St. NY NY 10022
59E59 Theaters was established by the Elysabeth Kleinhans Theatrical Foundation in 2004 to grant professional space and expertise to non-profit theater companies premiering their work in New York City.
CAST: Mac Brydon*, Brad Fryman*, Patrick Hamilton, Daniel Morgan Shelley*, Ryan Tramont*
In Pimm's Mission, a mystery unfolds in real time and flashbacks in the aftermath of an explosion that destroys the headquarters of a major pharmaceutical company in New York. As FBI Agent Staats tries to piece together what happened with his only witness, Robert Pimm, we move back and forth in time to discover whether Pimm, and his friend Thomas - a disgruntled employee of the same company - had anything to do with the disaster.
Set Design: Rebecca Lord Surratt
Lighting Design: Greg MacPherson
Sound Design: Nick Moore
Costume Design: Ross Manning
Prop Master: Isabella Carter
Stage Manager: Ashley J. Nickas
Production Manager: Jenna R. Lazar
Technical Director: Derek Dickinson
The Woodsman
By Steven Fechter
Directed by Alex Dinelaris
June Havoc Theatre, 312 W. 36th St. NY, New York
CAST: Gabe Bettio*, Gabriel Castillo, Jane Cortney*, Earle Hugens, Stewart Walker*, and Mercedes Griffeth
PLAYWRIGHT'S LETTER - OBERON THEATRE ENSEMBLE'S PRODUCTION
"How does one make a reviled figure in American society your story’s “hero”? In a sense, I wrote The Woodsman with the intent of answering that question. In this case, my hero, Walter, happens to be a convicted child molester. In my mind I first had to present a human being. If I could do that, I reasoned, perhaps an audience would accept (or at least be open to accepting) this unlikely protagonist. Still, it seemed like a tall order. Further, this “monster” would not die or go to prison at the end of the story. He would still be with us, living and working in our community. How would an audience feel about that?" (read more of the letter)
Set Design: Rebecca Lord-Surratt
Sound Design: Nick Moore
Lighting Design: Amith Chandrashaker
Assistant Director: Mark Karafin
Production Stage Manager: Dee Dee Katchen*
Assistant Stage Manager: Chris McFarland
Production Manager: Jenna R. Lazar
The Drawer Boy
By Michael Healey
Directed by Alex Dinelaris
June Havoc Theatre, 312 W. 36th St. NY, New York
CAST: Alex Fast, Brad Fryman*, William Laney*
This play recalls the adventures of a young actor from a Toronto theatre group who visits the rural Ontario home of two elderly bachelor farmers to "research" farm life for a new play. In doing so, he demonstrates the way in which a collective creation appropriated the lives of its subjects and changed their own interpretation of it. The two farmers, Morgan and Angus, have achieved a precarious balance in their lives together. Morgan, a tough-minded, stubborn man, cares for Angus, who has had brain damage and lost his memory during the bombing of London in the Second World War.
REVIEWS:
"Mr. Laney is unforgettable as the confused, childlike Angus.“ “Under Alexander Dinelaris’s direction, hits the target expertly.“ - The New York Times
“Fryman finds the dry sense of humor in his character.“ - The New York Times
“This is a brilliant work” - NYC Stage Review
“Artfully directed by Alexander Dinelaris, Jr.” – NYC Stage Review
"William Laney is extraordinary" - A Seat on the Aisle
"Brad Fryman seethes with repressed passion" - Backstage
"We should thank Alexander Dinelaris for directing with his heart as well as his skills because something off center wonderful like this show doesn’t just happen. It’s a gem example of the best in collaborative art effort." - TheatreScene.net
"Alex Fast is spendid" - A Seat on the Aisle
"Rebecca Lord-Surratt’s wonderful set manages simultaneously to conjure the confines of a small farmhouse and the vastness of the Canadian prairie." - Backstage
"Rather than taking our local theaters to task for overlooking it, I prefer to thank the Oberon Theatre Ensemble for finally bringing us this satisfying and moving play." - Backstage
Keep On Truckin'
By Walter Brandes
Directed by Mark Karafin
Beckett meets Stoppard in this fish-out-of-water comedy of two stranded souls, lost in a strange desert, searching for identity, purpose, and reality. Plus, it seems they've driven their truck right into a war zone and now find themselves in a definite pickle.
Oberon Theatre Ensemble (Brad Fryman, Artistic Director) returns to the Midtown International Theatre Festival where its previous two productions, Insecurity the Musical and The Starship Astrov (starring Tony Award nominee Elizabeth A. Davis), were nominated for 16 awards, winning three. Mark Karafin (MITF Outstanding Director nominee for Insecurity the Musical) directs the world premiere comedy by Walter Brandes.
CAST: Brad Fryman*, Watler Brandes*, Christine Verleny, Robert Shryock, Matt Antar
Othello
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Lucille Lortel Award recipient, Cara Reichel
The esteemed General Othello promotes Cassio instead of Iago fueling Iago’s jealousy. Iago, in turn, plans his revenge in incredibly malicious ways, causing suspicion amongst lovers and friends. The results are tragic as suspicion grows, trust is lost and Othello is compelled to take action against his lovely wife whom he believes to be unfaithful. The music of Vivaldi and the rhythm of the djembe interweave with Shakespeare's elegant language in this tragic masterpiece. As characters dance through the Bard's most intricate and compelling plot, OTHELLO illuminates the fine line between the cerebral and the animal in all of us. This is a visceral telling of Shakespeare’s great tragedy of Envy, Revenge and Damaged Love.
CAST: Daniel Morgan Shelley*, Stewart Walker*, Simon Feil*, Randy Howk, Jennifer Blood*, Jessica Angleskhan*, Matt W. Cody*, Jane Cortney*, Chris Seiler*, David Matthew Douglas*, Nate Faust, Lowell Byers, Whitney Kam Lee and Travis Allen.
Stage Manager: Dee Dee Katchen*
Order
By Christopher Stetson Boal
Directed by Austin Pendleton
CAST: Ryan Tramont, Gabe Bettio*, Mac Brydon*, Brad Fryman*, William Laney*, Amanda Plant*, James Edward Becton*, and James Washington*
Stage Manager: Jenna R. Lazar
ORDER is the darkly hysterical and ultimately tragic story of Thomas Blander, a former philosophy teacher determined to be mild and polite in a violent and greedy world, whose plan is upended when he's possessed by a creature claiming to be an ancient entity of power and hunger. The creature (real? imagined?) brings an entirely new philosophy to Blander - undeniable lust for power and insatiable appetite - that ultimately includes dining on his enemies - and his friends.
Starship Astrov
By Duncan Pflaster
Directed by Eric Parness
A play written in the style of Anton Chekov set on a starship in the year 3047. A diplomatic mission brings a professor and his lovely alien wife and faithful doctor aboard the Starship Astrov, where unspoken love and misunderstandings abound between the ship's crew and guests. In the vein of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. This play was read in our November 2009 Oberon Originals Reading Series.
CAST: Walter Brandes*, Elizabeth A Davis*, Philip Emeott, Ariel Estrada*, Jennifer Gawlik*, Rafael Jordan*, Christine Verleny
Stage Manager: Jenna Lazar
Assistant Director: Jaime Carillo
Lighting Design: Isabella F. Byrd
Costume Design: Mark Richard Caswell
Sound Design: Nick Moore
Winner, Best Supporting Actress MITF Award: Jennifer Gawlik
Nominated for ELEVEN 2010 MITF Awards including:
Outstanding Production of a Play Outstanding Playwriting for a New Script (Duncan Pflaster) Outstanding Direction (Eric Parness) Outstanding Costume Design (Mark Richard Caswell) Outstanding Sound Design (Nick Moore) Outstanding Scenic Design (Darby Cire) Outstanding Lighting Design (Isabella F. Byrd) Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play (Walter Brandes) Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play (Elizabeth Davis) Outstanding Ensemble Performance
American Rapture - The Lonely Soul of A Crowded Nation
An Evening of Short Plays By Alexander Dinelaris and William Saroyan
Directed by Alexander Dinelaris
An evening of one-act plays, some humorous, some tragic, exploring the unique mixture of loneliness and hope which makes up the American Experience. Playwright/director Alex Dinelaris weaves his way through modern relationships, religious hypocrisy, love, loss and the endless cycle of violence that threatens to swallow our society whole. The evening culminates with William Saroyan's play Hello Out There, the powerful tale of two outcasts who find love at the most unlikely time, in the most unlikely place.
Portions of American Rapture were originally produced by Shotgun Productions. The Beckett Theatre at Theatre Row.
CAST: Gabe Bettio*, Jane Cortney*, Max Darwin, Brad Fryman*, Vince Gatton, William Laney*, Diánna Martin, Donovan Patton*, Laura Siner*, Christine Verleny, Stewart Walker*
Stage Manager: Jenna R. Lazar
PEOPLE SAID THIS ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
"What makes this evening truly wonderful is the concise writing paired with actors who know exactly what they are doing" - Tullis McCalll, blogcritics.org
"All acting is superb..." - Oscar Moore, TalkEntertainment.com
"The writing and the directing of this piece are snappy and dead-on... poignant, provocative, and effective." - Travis Richards, nytheatre.com
"An unusually high level of acting...careful and caring direction" - Robert Windeler, Backstage.com
"Note-perfect performances....It's a satisfying evening of theatre" - Duncan Pflaster, broadwayworld.com
Much Ado About Nothing
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Mark Karafin
At The Beckett Theatre on Theatre Row
CAST: Gabe Bettio*,Walter Brandes*, Jordan Brown, Mac Brydon*, Don Castro*, John Dewey*, Brad Fryman*, Jennifer Gawlik*, Bill Green, Derric Harris*, Lara Ianni, Jake Lacy, Adam Petherbridge*, Lorenzo Scott*, Philip Watt*, Cotton Wright*, Elizabeth Zins*
Stage Manager: Dee Dee Katchen*
Insecurity!
By Mickey Zetts
Directed by Mark Karafin
Executive Producer: Brad Fryman
Stage Manager: Jenna R. Lazar
CAST: Walter Brandes*, Fiona Choi, Chris Combs, Keith Patrick Dunn*, Jessica Farr, Carlos Rafael Fernandez, Paula Galloway, Randy Howk, and Mickey Zetts
An unlikely romance blooms when a motley crew of recession victims scheme to save their jobs. Who knew that being a Security Guard was this much fun?
At the Midtown International Festival July 14 to August 1, 2009
NOMINATED - Outstanding Production of a Musical
WINNER - Outstanding Music and Lyrics
NOMINATED - Outstanding Ensemble Performance
NOMINATED - Outstanding Choreography
An excerpt from Mickey's acceptance speech that didn't make it to the stage:
"I would just like to thank Brad Fryman for being the best producing partner I've ever had, Dianna Martin for her tireless enthusiasm and drive, Walter Brandes and the rest of the core members of Oberon for believing in the piece and laying our foundation for us, Mark Karafin for being a galvanizing force and encouraging the cast to work as an ensemble, Fayth Caruso for her creativity within the confines of a festival and the entire cast of Insecurity! for bringing it all to life. You know, when people ask me why I wrote a show about security guards, I have to tell them that I'd worked as one in my youth and, sometimes, I missed the simpler life I once led. It was a sort of reminiscence back to a Florida where I grew up, that no longer exists. Of course, they say you can never really go back. But for a moment, this summer, through this production, I got to go home. And I can't thank you all enough for that wonderful gift."
Macbeth
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Phil Atlakson
The Lion Theatre at Theatre Row
CAST: Brian D. Coats*, James Holloway*, John Gardner, Mac Brydon*, William Laney*,
Jonathan Pereira*, Gabe Bettio*, David McLellan*, Claire Anderson, Sarah Ecton-Luttrell*,
Cliff Jewell*, Eden Walker, Laura Siner*, Grace Pettijohn, Paula Wilson*, Allison Goldberg*
Assistant Director/Stage Manager: Dianna Martin
Original Music by Mickey Zetts
Choreography: Adia Tamar Whitaker
Fight Choreography: Ryan Bartruff
Set Design: Phil Atlakson
Lighting Design: Sharon Huizinga
Graphic Design by Philip Emeott
Ghost on Fire
By Michael Weller
Directed by Eric Parness (member SSDC)
The Lion Theatre at Theatre Row
Ghost on Fire, tells the story of a trio of friends who worked together in their student days making films they hoped would change the world; now, fifteen years later, they are nostalgic for their lost idealism and unhappy with the choices they have made in the "real world." As the events of the play unfold, they are each, in their different ways, forced to confront their compromise, their failed aspirations, and their mortality, and challenged to reclaim what is best in themselves.
CAST: Brianne Berkson*, Brian D. Coats*, Jane Cortney*, Jarel Davidow*, Craig Fitzpatrick, Brad Fryman*, Rand Guerrero, Don Harvey*, Angus Hepburn*, Linda Larkin*
Assistant Director/Stage Manager: Mark Karafin
Set Design: Sarah B Brown
Lighting Design: Sharon Huizinga
Graphic Design: Philip Emeott
A Thousand Variations on a Lie Told Once
By Stacey Lane
Directed by Brad Fryman
At the Dorothy Strelsin Theatre in the Abingdon Theatre Complex and the Midtown International Theatre Festival. This play was nominated by the Festival for two awards; Stacey Lane for Best New Play, and Linda S. Nelson for Best Actress in a Play. We are especially proud, because this play was yet another work of a contemporary playwright which made it to the mainstage through our Oberon Originals Reading Series.
CAST: Jane Cortney *, William Laney *, Dianna Martin, Linda Nelson *, Laura Siner *
Merry Wives of Windsor
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Cara Reichel and Brad Fryman
Sweet Love Adieu
By Ryan JW Smith
Directed by Don Harvey