LABORATORIUM WEEK SIX
The Semis of Abu Dhabi
By Chris Widney Directed by Chris Goodrich Featuring: Zach Stephens as Sammy Grunberger Danielle Smotrich+ as Lianne Nessi Sven Haabeth+ as Vasily Medvedenkov Steven Nsuguba as Lala N'gala Jean-Luc McMurty as Dave Haney Sammy Grunberger quits college to prove that he can make it as a professional tennis player. But when the Futures Tour stops in Abu Dhabi, Sammy discovers that online betting has violated the integrity of the game - and he may not be good enough to do anything about it. Cast & Creative Bios
Chris Widney: Full-length plays, “Big, Fat And Ugly With A Moustache” (Perry Street Theatre, NYC), “Family Men” (Arden, Philadelphia), “The Normals” (Luna Stage, NJ), “Consumed” (Barter Theatre, VA). Other full-lengths, one-acts, musicals and screenplays have been presented, read, work-shopped and honored in theatres and contests around the world including The Actors Theatre Of Louisville, City Theatre, Miami and The Fire Rose Theatre in Los Angeles. He is co-author of a book about squash (the sport, not the vegetable), a member of The Dramatists Guild, the BMI Workshop, and a graduate of the Musical Theatre Writing Program at NYU. Danielle Bee Smotrich is a passionate and bubbly actress with a wide range of experience in theatre and film. After studying at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Danielle has worked on commercials, short films, and off-off Broadway productions. daniellebeesmotrich.com Sven Haabeth is honored to part of The Rising Sun family. Sven is a company member with Rising Sun Performance Company and most notably seen as Myron in their production of Helvetica at Planet Connections 2016. His most recent work in NYC was portaying Mort'd'Mer in Steven Tenney's D4rkly Your Retrorockets Fl4re at Planet Connections 2017. Originally hailing from Norway, Sven has starred in many a production there.Thank you, Akia for welcoming me into the Family. Shout out to Kristen, Birgit and Nina, and Jerrod Bogard. Look out for Sven Haabeth in upcoming productions of Ibsen's Peer Gynt and Brand. www.sthaabeth.com Born and raised on Hilton Head Island, SC; Jean-Luc is an NYC-based actor with a B.F.A. In Acting from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. He has studied the Meisner Technique, worked with International Artists in Amsterdam (ITW) and at Stonestreet Studios. Stage credits: American Premiere of Lars Von Trier’s Dogville, (dir. Robert O’Hara), Trojan Women: A Love Story (NYU Meisner Studio), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (NYUMS), Film credits: Curveball (Supremacy Films), Ridgeland (Official Selection 2016 Macon Film Fest) Jean-Luc is thrilled to be working with the talented artists at Rising Sun. For more info visit: www.jeanlucmcmurtry.com Zach Stephens is an actor/writer based in New York. His most recent credits include The Adventures of Cheap Chad (feature film); A Glass of Tea (Rhapsody Collective, The Tank Theater); Sienna's Mantram (2017 NY Frigid Festival, The Kraine Theater); and Tailspin! (2016 NY Fringe Festival, The Kraine Theater). He is thrilled by new works and is grateful for the chance to work on The Semis of Abu Dhabi. |
The Vincent Experience Playwright: Megan Lohne Director: Shoshanah Tarkow Assistant Director: Evelyn Dumont Featuring: Amy Northup, Keleigh Principi, Lily Aberdi, Rebecca Ross Bailey, Stephen Schmidt & Sven Haabeth+ THE VINCENT EXPERIENCE immersively follows the life of Edna St. Vincent Millay from childhood, to her formative years as a student at Vassar, and finally to her death. A writer, activist, and feminist, Millay was the third woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. She sold out auditoriums in the 1920s, but by her death in 1950, Millay was all-but-forgotten. This interactive and experiential journey explores the family dynamics and romantic relationships that shaped Millay's life, inspired her writing, and, perhaps, led to her death. THE VINCENT EXPERIENCE offers a window into Edna St. Vincent Millay's complex soul and the (mis)identities of an artist. www.thevincentexperience.org #wordslikefreshskin #thevincentexperience #ednastvincentmillay Twitter: @ESVincentMillay CAST & CREATIVE BIOS
Megan Lohne, Playwright Plays include MY BOY BUILDS COFFINS (2014, The Table, 2015 New School for Drama Development Lab, 2016 Reading with Lafayette Salon) NINE DAYS (Developed with Royal Court Young Writers Programme), REINVENTING THE WHEEL (Brooklyn Generator, Theatre Alberta 2015, Salem Theatre Company 2014, published The Best Short Plays of 2013), THE LIGHT PATTERNS OF STRANGERS, WILLOUGHBY (2008 Heideman Award Finalist, 2007 Semi-Finalist American Globe 15-Minute Play Festival) OH, MOMMA (2008 Finalist Algonquin Theater’s One-Act Festival) PURGE PARTNERS (2006 Finalist Samuel French off-off Bway Festival) OPHELIA & LUCY (Semi-Finalist 2006 John Cauble Playwriting Award, Semi-Finalist 2007 Samuel French off-off Bway Festival) THE EDEN PROJECT (Nominee Cherry Lane Mentorship, 2008) THE LIFE’S GOODBYE (Semi-Finalist 2007 Samuel French off-off Bway Festival.) Her plays have been read, workshopped and produced at The New School For Drama, The American Globe Theatre’s Fifteen Minute Play Festival, The Creative Place Theatre, The Chernuchin Theatre, The American College Theatre Festival Region II, Adelphi University, The Algonquin Theatre’s One-Act Play Festival, The Sargent Theater, The Emerging Artists Theater One Woman Standing Festival, Little Bird Productions Mix Tape One Act Series, Left Hip Productions, Rising Sun Theatre Company, Nylon Fusion, Live Girls. She has a B.F.A. in acting from Adelphi University and an M.F.A. in playwriting from The New School For Drama. She was a member of the 2007 Young Writers’ Programme at The Royal Court Theatre and is a member of The Dramatists Guild. Shoshanah Tarkow (Director) is a scholar, conceptual artist, and digital-interventionist. Shoshanah is an arts-practitioner, cyborg, and shower-karaoke aficionado. Shoshanah is a child, friend, and lover. Her scholarly and practice-based research exists in the interstices between real and virtual, analog and digital. Shoshanah explores the performance of identity online, the digital preservation of live performance, and the affective potentialities of digital technology. Shoshanah is the creator, developer, and Chief Citizen Curator of #digitalhappening (a community-sourced, durational, artistic experience presented across social media). People from around the world, between the ages of twenty-two and eighty-two, have participated in one of Shoshanah's Digital Happenings. NYC Directing Credits: WILLOUGHBY (2007 Semi-Finalist American Globe 15-minute Play Festival) OH, MOMMA (2008 Finalist Algonquin Theatre’s One-Act Festival) THE EDEN PROJECT (2008 The New School for Drama). Shoshanah received her BFA in Theatre Studies (with a concentration in acting and dance) from Adelphi University, where she was the recipient of the Provost Arts Talent Scholarship. She recently completed her MA in Performance Studies from New York University, where she was the recipient of the Emerging Scholars Award. Shoshanah had the honor of presenting her Master’s Thesis (All the Feels: entangled explorations in digital sensation) as a finalist in the NYU Graduate School of Arts and Science’s Master’s College 2017 Threesis Academic Challenge. Evelyn Dumont (Assistant Director) is an artist originally hailing from the woods of Massachusetts. She recently returned from The Hamilton Residency at Barn Arts Collective in beautiful Maine where she was working on her newest one woman show, BIG BAD WORLD. She received her BFA in Acting from Adelphi University as well as trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Recent credits include: Summer 2017, Fall 2016, and Summer 2016 Seasons performing with the Adirondack Shakespeare Company. Last February she performed in Electric Eye Ensemble’s WELCOME TO THE DOLL DEN, set to tour Texas in Spring 2018. She is currently involved in devising EARTHRISE with Electric Eye Ensemble, which is being presented as a part of Puppetblok at Dixon Place in October. You may also catch her marching in the front row with her other favorite trombone players in the Lesbian and Gay Big Apple Corp Marching Band. Her two biggest passions are theatre, nature, and finding ways to combine the two. She also works as a scenic painter, short-form writer, playwright, poet, and musician. Amy Northup (Vincent) is thrilled to be working with this team on this gem of a project. She was recently directed by Emmy Award Nominated Pamela Adlon (Better Things, Louie) in her NYC directorial debut of several Theresa Rebeck short plays, and can be seen in the upcoming horror film Offseason alongside Chance Kelly and Sosie Bacon. Other favorite credits include Vanda in Venus in Fur, Lady M in Macbeth, and Maggie in After The Fall. In addition to her work as an actress, Amy is the proud Associate Artistic Director of Animus Theatre Company (www.animustheatre.org). Many, many thanks to Megan (and Edna!) for the words, and to the rest of the cast and crew. Always, for 32. www.amynorthup.com Keleigh Principi (Ensemble) is a recent graduate of the BA International Performance Ensemble at Pace School of the Performing Arts. She is a co-collaborater of Gathering Sparks, a piece that premiered at the Exploriment Festival in Bangkok, Thailand. She is a member and cofounder of Don't Trust the Postal Service, an experimental theatre troupe that creates immersive theatre with a punk rock aesthetic. Lily Abedin (Ensemble) is a New York based actor and writer. Some favorite credits include Hermia in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Deanie Loomis in Splendor in the Grass, and Jean in August: Osage County. She also co-wrote and stars in a series of short films from Tinted Productions, due out in 2018. B.A. in Theatre and Film from Muhlenberg College. Rebecca Ross Bailey (ensemble) hails from Maine, where she has performed with various companies all over the state! Some of her personal favorites include The Marriage of Figaro, Hedda Gabler, Guys and Dolls, Jesus Christ Superstar, Batboy: The Musical, and Carousel. She made her NYC debut this summer, where she appeared in several new works. She is currently studying at the William Esper Studio and greatly looks forward to what lies ahead! www.RebeccaRossBailey.com Stephan Schmidt, Ensemble Bio Coming Soon Sven Haabeth, Ensemble Bio Coming Soon |
The Gemini Twins
Written by Conor Daniel Bartram Directed by Ariel Francoeur Featuring: Dave Herigstad , Rachael A. Schefrin, Anthony Paparello, Desiree Pinol + & Kyonne Smith The Gemini Twins follows the life of two fraternal twins. The twins return to their childhood home to clear it out causing them to dive into old memories. As they sort through the physical junk they begin to work their emotional struggles. Growing up together and growing apart from each other. Losing and finding love, hope, and meaning. It explored the history and mythology of twins as well as the astrology of Gemini’s. Cast & Creatives Bios
Conor Daniel Bartram (Playwright) is an actor/writer based in New York. He is very excited to be developing a new play with The Rising Sun Performance Company Laboratorium! He has a BA in theatre performance from Western CT State University with a minor in creative writing. Last summer he went to the Portfringe (ME) as the tech director for GARBAGE by Meghan Bandelt. NY acting credits include I Am Not An Allegory (Under St Marks) The Will of Love (Silvius) The Turtle Shell Theatre, I Love A Piano and Almost Maine (Steve) TBG Theatre. Horsetrade's DRAFT series (2014) You can see him next at The Kraine Theater November 14th and 15th performing in Phoenix (S. Organ) Ariel Francoeur (Director) Based in New York, Ariel Francoeur is a feminist theater director and actor. She received her MFA in Directing at The University of Iowa in conjunction with the Iowa Playwrights Workshop. Her directorial focus is new play development, and conversely as an actor she works on classics – with the goal of illuminating the feminist perspective in leading women characters written by men. Her directing and acting credits span the country, and most recently she directed SQUEEZE: A Motel Play by Theresa Giacopasi at the Iowa New Play Festival, Strong Female Character: The Musical by Marianne Pillsbury at the PortFringe Festival, two original operas with the Hartford Opera Theater, and I am a Seahorse by Judith Leora at New York Madness. This August she played Clytemnestra in Euripides’ Iphigenia at Aulis at the Alchemical Studios, with Spirit Fox Productions. Ariel is also a co-founder and the Producing Artistic Director of The Navigators, a feminist Sci-fi theater company (www.navigatorstheater.com). By empowering women playwrights, producers, directors, designers, and actors in their productions, The Navigators are dedicated to elevating female driven stories in a genre dominated by men. With The Navigators Ariel has directed full-length and 10-minute readings in their annual Lift-Off Festivals and fundraising events, directed the workshop performance of Poe Play by Mark Cole in the Dark Matter Series, and was the executive producer of their first full production The Aurora Project by Bella Poynton. Ariel writes a blog called The Little Apple, where she shares adventures and advice about being a multi-hyphenate theater artist in New York City. www.arielfrancoer.com Dave Herigstad (Jameson) has been blessed to perform along both west and east coasts throughout his acting career. Favorite roles include John Merrick in The Elephant Man, Oberon in Midsummer Nights Dream and Jacob Marley in Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol. He would like to dedicate this reading to his sister, Alison. Rachael Schefrin (Allanah) A proud Colorado native, Rachael came to New York to study at the Actors Studio Drama School. Since graduation, she has performed with plays and readings with Urban Stages, Nylon Fusion, and the Curious Theatre (CO). Most recently, Rachael was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in the Roly Polys production of Horse at the Planet Connections Festivity. Also, she is a teaching artist with Community Word Project, Urban Arts Partnership, and Wingspan Arts. Desiree Pinol (Girl) is a proud ensemble member of Rising Sun Performance Company. Desiree was born in Orlando, Florida but grew up in Garner, North Carolina. She graduated with a BFA in Acting from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Favorite roles include Katie in Bachelorette, Kit/Shona in Top Girls, and Roberta in Danny and the Deep Blue Sea. Endless love and thanks to her incredibly supportive family, friends, and loving partner Jackson. Anthony J Paparello (Guy) is thrilled to be joining this amazing creative team for his third Conor Daniel Bartram original work. Past credits include: Imaginary (Kraine Theatre), Almost Maine (TBG Theatre), Sex with a Sensor (TBG Theatre), School House Rock Live (Ives Concert Park), Suessical (Ives Concert Park) and more. In 2013, Anthony graduated from Western Connecticut State University with a B.A. in Theatre Performance. Anthony would like to thank his husband for all of his support in this crazy journey called life. Kyonne Smith (V.O./Stage Dir.) is thrilled to be making her debut with The Rising Sun Performance Company. Recent credits include A Sketch of New York, The Nemesis Effect , Twelve Angry Women, and Supertopia. |