Wednesday, March 31, 2010
MEET TODD
TODD: Shocking right? And that doesn't even include all of the fictional rapes that go unreported...
MEET REV. GERALD
GERALD:
No I do not believe in comfortingthe families of irredeemable mortal sinners.
Are those biscuits made from scratch? They're lovely.
MEET PAULIE
PAULIE: You're not God.
You can't decide who's bad and who's good and who lives and who dies.
MEET MARK
MARK: I'm not sure what to say.
I know I just killed a man and that violates everything I believe in.
Abstience vs Sexual Education
I found this article on www.cnn.com and I am reminded that there are people out there who deeply believe that teaching abstience is the only way to keeping kids from having premartial sex. I think parents are so afraid to talk with their children about sex. We need to have a class to teach parents on how to talk to their teenagers about sex and the consequences. The first line of defense are the parents. We had to take a sex education class in high school, but at that point it was senior year, and although I wasn't having sex at that time I knew a lot of my peers that were already sexually active. Teach teenagers earlier than senoir year of high school. Lets be honest kids are becoming sexually active at younger ages. I don't think that teaching freshman in high school is too young to teach them all aspects of sex education. Teenagers are going to always experiment with sex, especially with the way our media exploites and glorifies it. Sex sells and the media will always use what is going to sell their product. Even MTV has a show about teenage moms. Now I know that not every method works, and there have been studies that show both sides of the arguement. But I don't think the answer is to focus on just one aspect, the education needs to include all aspects.
(CNN--)"The health care reform legislation that President Obama signed recently isn't only about insurance coverage -- there's also a renewal of $50 million per year for five years for abstinence-focused education.
Programs that receive this funding must "teach that abstinence from sexual activity is the only certain way to avoid out-of-wedlock pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and other associated health problems," according to the Department of Health and Human Services. To qualify, they must also teach that sex before marriage is "likely to have harmful psychological and physical effects." These are part of the "A-H definition," requirements for programs to receive abstinence funding under Title V of the Social Security Act.
"Title V is trying to make sure that kids are being given a message that saving sex and childbearing for marriage is the safest, healthiest, best choice," said Scott Phelps, executive director of Abstinence & Marriage Education Partnership. Public schools hire educators from this organization to teach abstinence, and may use Title V funding for it, he said.
In Phelps' experience -- he started his abstinence education work in Chicago, Illinois, 10 years ago -- the abstinence message is embraced by kids, even some who have already become sexually active. "They didn't realize they could stop," he said.
Organizations promoting evidence-based sex education say it's troubling that this $250 million will go to state programs that have not been shown to work.
"Just the fact that we continue to pour money into programs that have no evidence of effectiveness at all just doesn't seem to us to be good evidence-based health policy," said Heather Boonstra, senior public policy associate at the Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit reproductive and sexual health research firm.
There have been numerous studies suggesting that it's not so easy for people to practice abstinence consistently. A congressionally mandated study in 2007 found that none of four abstinence programs showed a significant positive effect on sexual behavior among youth. A January 2009 study in Pediatrics found that religious teens who take virginity pledges are less likely to use condoms or birth control when they become sexually active, and just as likely to have sex before marriage as their peers who didn't take pledges.
Medical professional organizations also criticize abstinence education on ethical grounds, for leaving out potentially lifesaving information. Abstinence-only programs "are inherently coercive by withholding information needed to make informed choices," the American Public Health Association said in a statement.
Phelps' program doesn't teach that sex before marriage is wrong, but that waiting will enable teens to eliminate the risks of sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy. Students are taught that contraception, a "limited part of our conversation," reduces risk, but does not avoid it altogether, he said.
The law sets up a separate funding stream of $75 million for "personal responsibility education," which includes teaching about both abstinence and contraception. It sets aside an additional $25 million for untested but innovative programs.
Having separate funding for abstinence-focused and comprehensive programs "is a method that provides real choice for states and for communities, and we would like to see that model used across the board," said Valerie Huber, executive director of the National Abstinence Education Association.
But Huber's group is not happy that abstinence-focused programs get less funding per year than the other approaches. "We would like to see equitable funding," she said.
Abstinence programs have received federal funding through a program that grew out of welfare reform during the Clinton administration. The $50 million per year began in 1998 and expired in 2009, with restoration in the recent health care legislation from this year until 2014.
States have the option of tapping into the $50 million or not, but those who want it have to contribute also, Boonstra noted. For every $4 of federal money, states have to put up $3 of their own money, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.
As of June 2009, 22 states, plus Washington D.C., had declined to apply for funds under the program, according to the Guttmacher Institute.
A study published in February in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine found that an abstinence-based program was more effective than other initiatives at keeping sixth- and seventh-graders from having sex within a two-year period.
Rather than asking students to delay intercourse until marriage, however, the program told students to wait until they were ready. It also did not portray sex in a negative light.
For these reasons, it is unclear whether that program would qualify for funding from the $50 million allocated in the health care bill, because it does not fit the A-H definition, said Bill Albert of the nonpartisan National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. Boonstra agreed that it would likely not fit this category, as it differs from the programs that have received funding in the past. Huber said she thought it would qualify, although she has not seen the curriculum.
It's better to invest taxpayer dollars into what works, Albert said. Public opinion surveys reveal that Americans view abstinence and contraceptive education as complementary, not contradictory.
"There is great and very wide support among parents and among teens themselves that young people should be encouraged to delay sexual activity," Albert said. "But it is also clear that the American public wants young people to receive information about contraception."
I say take some of the money and put it into various forms of contraception. If teenagers are going to experiment then they should have free access to condoms and birth control. You can't stop them from doing what they are going to do, but if you educate them and give them access to the condoms and birth control so that they are making safe choices. I also think a mentor that they can talk to about these topics will truly help with the complete sexual education of our teens.
(CNN--)"The health care reform legislation that President Obama signed recently isn't only about insurance coverage -- there's also a renewal of $50 million per year for five years for abstinence-focused education.
Programs that receive this funding must "teach that abstinence from sexual activity is the only certain way to avoid out-of-wedlock pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and other associated health problems," according to the Department of Health and Human Services. To qualify, they must also teach that sex before marriage is "likely to have harmful psychological and physical effects." These are part of the "A-H definition," requirements for programs to receive abstinence funding under Title V of the Social Security Act.
"Title V is trying to make sure that kids are being given a message that saving sex and childbearing for marriage is the safest, healthiest, best choice," said Scott Phelps, executive director of Abstinence & Marriage Education Partnership. Public schools hire educators from this organization to teach abstinence, and may use Title V funding for it, he said.
In Phelps' experience -- he started his abstinence education work in Chicago, Illinois, 10 years ago -- the abstinence message is embraced by kids, even some who have already become sexually active. "They didn't realize they could stop," he said.
Organizations promoting evidence-based sex education say it's troubling that this $250 million will go to state programs that have not been shown to work.
"Just the fact that we continue to pour money into programs that have no evidence of effectiveness at all just doesn't seem to us to be good evidence-based health policy," said Heather Boonstra, senior public policy associate at the Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit reproductive and sexual health research firm.
There have been numerous studies suggesting that it's not so easy for people to practice abstinence consistently. A congressionally mandated study in 2007 found that none of four abstinence programs showed a significant positive effect on sexual behavior among youth. A January 2009 study in Pediatrics found that religious teens who take virginity pledges are less likely to use condoms or birth control when they become sexually active, and just as likely to have sex before marriage as their peers who didn't take pledges.
Medical professional organizations also criticize abstinence education on ethical grounds, for leaving out potentially lifesaving information. Abstinence-only programs "are inherently coercive by withholding information needed to make informed choices," the American Public Health Association said in a statement.
Phelps' program doesn't teach that sex before marriage is wrong, but that waiting will enable teens to eliminate the risks of sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy. Students are taught that contraception, a "limited part of our conversation," reduces risk, but does not avoid it altogether, he said.
The law sets up a separate funding stream of $75 million for "personal responsibility education," which includes teaching about both abstinence and contraception. It sets aside an additional $25 million for untested but innovative programs.
Having separate funding for abstinence-focused and comprehensive programs "is a method that provides real choice for states and for communities, and we would like to see that model used across the board," said Valerie Huber, executive director of the National Abstinence Education Association.
But Huber's group is not happy that abstinence-focused programs get less funding per year than the other approaches. "We would like to see equitable funding," she said.
Abstinence programs have received federal funding through a program that grew out of welfare reform during the Clinton administration. The $50 million per year began in 1998 and expired in 2009, with restoration in the recent health care legislation from this year until 2014.
States have the option of tapping into the $50 million or not, but those who want it have to contribute also, Boonstra noted. For every $4 of federal money, states have to put up $3 of their own money, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.
As of June 2009, 22 states, plus Washington D.C., had declined to apply for funds under the program, according to the Guttmacher Institute.
A study published in February in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine found that an abstinence-based program was more effective than other initiatives at keeping sixth- and seventh-graders from having sex within a two-year period.
Rather than asking students to delay intercourse until marriage, however, the program told students to wait until they were ready. It also did not portray sex in a negative light.
For these reasons, it is unclear whether that program would qualify for funding from the $50 million allocated in the health care bill, because it does not fit the A-H definition, said Bill Albert of the nonpartisan National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. Boonstra agreed that it would likely not fit this category, as it differs from the programs that have received funding in the past. Huber said she thought it would qualify, although she has not seen the curriculum.
It's better to invest taxpayer dollars into what works, Albert said. Public opinion surveys reveal that Americans view abstinence and contraceptive education as complementary, not contradictory.
"There is great and very wide support among parents and among teens themselves that young people should be encouraged to delay sexual activity," Albert said. "But it is also clear that the American public wants young people to receive information about contraception."
I say take some of the money and put it into various forms of contraception. If teenagers are going to experiment then they should have free access to condoms and birth control. You can't stop them from doing what they are going to do, but if you educate them and give them access to the condoms and birth control so that they are making safe choices. I also think a mentor that they can talk to about these topics will truly help with the complete sexual education of our teens.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Meet the Cast & Crew!
The Last Supper Cast & Crew Bios
Akia (Director/Founding Artistic Director) is an active member of the flourishing Off-Off/Indie & Off Broadway theatre communities having produced, directed, and performed with numerous NYC companies since 1997. Akia is the Company Manager for the international sensation, The Blue Man Group at the Astor Place Theater. Proudly, she is the Founding Artistic Director of the Rising Sun Performance Company, now in entering its ninth season, and has been involved on all levels with each of its 35+ productions. She is a Board Member of The Paul Butterfield Fund & Society, and Company Manager for The New York Innovative Theatre Awards & Foundation, where she serves on their honorary awards committee as Sub-Committee Chairman and as an At-Large Judge. Past notable credits include working on staff at Horse Trade Theatre Group, serving as General Manager for FRIGID New York’s inaugural year, and returning as Volunteer Coordinator in 2009; she also served as Production Coordinator for nationally acclaimed Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre, overseeing the playwrights unit and INSIGHT 13 production series. Most recently Akia directed the remount of “Good Night Lovin’ Trail” at the Best of Strawberry Fest and the Inaugural Wilmington FRINGE festival. This past summer she was the recipient of the New York Innovative Theatre Awards “Founders Award” for her contributions to the organization. Thanks to this amazing family of theatre artists, Erez, Heidi & Elaine and Horse TRADE, her amazing cast & crew, Alexandra, Kelly & Tiffany H for Rocking it out so hard, Dan Rosen for his trust & support, to Frank, friends & family for putting up with her long absences from the world around her in pursuit of theatre, and especially to Tiffini, David, Nick & Lindsay her brilliant partners in crime, for their faith and belief in this merry band of lunatics. Merde’!!
Dan Rosen (Playwright) is a filmmaker and playwright. His first film, THE LAST SUPPER, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. It also played at the London Film Festival, Sundance, and won Best Film at the prestigious Congac Film Festival of Thrillers. His directing debut, DEAD MAN'S CURVE premiered at Sundance and went on to make a number of top ten film lists. The Last Supper is his first play.
Alexandra Duerr (Stage Manager) is thrilled to be working with Rising Sun! Past credits include: Athol Fugard Tribute (UACT), WASP (MMC Theatre), A Quiet End (RTC), Capture the Flag: Short Play Festival (NYTE), The Living (Stone Soup), Seussical the Musical (Jack Nicholson Theatre), The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek (RTC), and Naked Holidays (Endtimes Production). Thanks to the casts and production team for being so awesome!
Alexia Tate (Michelle/Allison) is pleased to start her second year as a member of the Rising Sun ensemble. Previous work with the company includes That’s Politics, Teddy Knows Too Much, and Dotty Dot. National Tour: Gilligan’s Island The Musical (Mrs. Howell). NYC: Deconstructing Berlin, Cruising To Croatia (NYC Fringe), Caitlynn by Helena Langley. Favorite roles include Drummond in Inherit the Wind and Leslie Ann in Paula Vogel’s Hot ‘n’ Throbbing. Alexia lives in Brooklyn with her husband, Sean, and spends her free time playing the ukulele, mastering the New York Times Crossword, and collecting kitchen gadgets.
Anastasia Peterson (Paulie/Cast 2) graduated from Bucknell University with a BA in theatre and mathematics classically trained at the London Dramatic Academy in London, England, and studied scene and character analysis at NYC’s Atlantic Theatre Company. She went on to work as an actress at the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble in Bloomsburg, PA and found that she was inspired and enlightened by the encouragement and growth that comes with working in an ensemble. Anastasia recently moved to the Big Apple in the fall of 2009 and is excited to have found a place in Rising Sun Theatre Company. Anastasia’s credits include productions of All My Sons, Urinetown the Musical, The Secret Rapture, A Child’s Christmas in Wales, Ken Ludwig’s Leading Ladies, and Let’s Play Two. She also wrote and performed in a one-woman show entitled Life as a Ball, which tells the personal and public story of actress and comedienne Lucille Ball (Anastasia’s ultimate idol). Anastasia loves baking (in her closet-sized kitchen!), and enjoys taking walks around the Central Park reservoir. She has a passion for live theatre and is extremely happy to be a part of the Rising Sun family.
APRIL BENNETT (Heather/Cast 2) is recent transplant from the west coast. In California she acted, sang, wrote, and directed with several different companies. She is a co-founder of Burlesque La Moustache Je T'Aime and served as a consultant for Red and Black Stage. Favorite roles include Janet in The Rocky Horror Show, Aaron Kreifels in The Laramie Project and Peaseblossom in A Midsummer Night's Dream
Ariel Heller (Mark/Cast 2) is excited to be a guest of the Rising Sun Ensemble and their production of The Last Supper. Off-Broadway: Blue Man Group. Cougar: The Musical. Television: One Life to Live. Regional: Into the Woods, King Lear (Orlando Shakespeare Theatre), Urinetown the Musical, Adrift in Macao (Lyric Stage Company, Boston) Ariel holds a BFA in musical theatre from Emerson College. As always, thanks to his friends and family!
Barry Kennedy, Jr. (Luke/Cast 2) is thrilled to be a part The Last Supper cast! Barry has studied theatre at Savannah State University and has received his BFA Degree in Theatre from Armstrong Atlantic State University in 2008. He’s also trained at The New School for Drama’s MFA Acting program. SSU credits: LUKE BAILEY in Amen Corner; SHANGO in Shango Diaspora. AASU credits: BERALDE in The Imaginary Invalid; MALE GREEK CHORUS in How I Learned to Drive. NSD credits: CREON in The Burial of Thebes; CLAY in Dutchman; MILLER in Waiting for Lefty. Other credits: PAUL in Six Degrees of Separation, ASAGAI in A Raisin in the Sun (Savannah Cultural Arts Theatre); BRIAN in One Woman’s Fog (Manhattan Repertory Theatre); MISSIONARY in The Blacks (Tishman Auditorium).
Becky Sterling Rygg (Jude/Cast 2) hails from Seattle where, after a brief stint as an accountant, she studied and worked in both film and theatre. In the past year Becky's become an Associate Artist with CRY HAVOC Company, an ensemble member of Rising Sun Production Company and a community member of Endtimes Productions, in particular, the Freedom Instinct Theatre workshop. Her recent roles include Lorelei in Party Girl, Susan in The Cooking King, Jessica in [pwnd], Becky in Through the Lens and Henderson in Basic Contributor.
Ben Friesen (Chris) moved here from Indiana a few years ago, and decided to stick around. Since then he's been seen in a lot of classical plays like the King Henry Trilogy, Twelfth Night, and Three Sisters, for the Rebellious Subjects Theatre Company, and some not-so-classical plays like Wikipedia Brown at the Tank in Tribeca, and the 30th Humana Festival at Actor's Theatre of Louisville. Ben is a card-carrying member of the United States Origami Association and proud owner of a B.A. in Theatre and English from Goshen College in Indiana.
Larry Gutman (Reverend Gerald) Trained at HB Studio. Favorite roles: Proof (Robert), Harvey (Elwood P. Dowd), Arsenic and Old Lace (Dr. Einstein), The Mousetrap (Sgt. Trotter), Awake and Sing! (Moe Axelrod), Hedda Gabler (George Tesman), Lovers and Other Strangers (Frank), California Suite (Mort Hollander), And Then There Were None (Dr. Armstrong), The Man Who Came to Dinner (Mr. Stanley), The Liar (Dr. Balanzoni), The Miser (Cleanthe), Hobson’s Choice (Willie Mossop), Pack of Lies (Bob Jackson), Bertie (Kaiser Wilhelm) and The Ship From Delos (Socrates). Regular performer on Radio Theater (WLIE). Thank you Rising Sun.
Kelly Hawkins (Assistant Director/Make-Up) is a not-so-recent graduate of the Purchase College Drama program. Previous directing credits include her musical about herself K-Hawk: The Musical, Jonathan Marc Sherman's Women and Wallace, and Christopher Shinn's Four. Performance credits include K-Hawk: The Musical, The Vagina Monologues, Rocky Horror, A Play About Science and Iphigenia. She'd like to thank Akia for being incredibly awesome and for giving her this opportunity. Big props the cast and crew for being so hardworking, and to her family for being so supportive.
Tiffini Minatel (Costume Designer/Associate producer/Mgmt Coordinator) spent most of her college years in the costume shop. Being taught how to sew at age 12 by her mother proved to be a great asset in the Off-Off Broadway community when she landed in the city in 1991. Since then, Tiffini has designed costumes for almost every show in which she performed and then some! Most notably, Gold Coast Shakespeare’s 3 seasons of Shakespeare In The Park, Long Island; 2 seasons with King’s County Shakespeare, Brooklyn; DiCapo Opera, NYC; and most recently, Rising Sun Performance Company’s “Shhh…It’s a Speakeasy”. It’s nice to be back after a very long break! After “retiring” from the restaurant business and enjoying 1-½ years of not working, Tiffini decided it was time to get back to the theater! She started working with Rising Sun as an Administrative intern in September of 2006. She was interested in learning how to transfer her restaurant operations skills to theater, her first love. So far Tiffini has learned how to: manage theaters, hire actors & techies, find inexpensive/free rehearsal space, find & use free publicity, write grants (sort of!) and how to throw a successful fundraiser party! And she’s still not done learning! Her goal is producing a show and learning everything it takes to do so!
Tiffany Hogan (Assistant Director/ Dramaturg) was born in Providence, RI and raised in High Point, NC. She studied theatre at Catawba College in North Carolina. She moved to New York two years ago where she made her directing debut with 13th Street Repertory. She would like to say thank you to the Rising Sun Performance Company for their tremendous support and love. She would also like to give a special "toast" to Akia Squitieri.
Nicole Howard (Jude/Cast 1) holds a B.F.A. in acting and music performance from C.W. Post of Long Island University. She performed most recently, in Central Park, with the Children’s Musical, Dotty Dot. Some of her favorite acting credits include, 365 Days Plays with the Public Theatre, Lucy in A Christmas in Greenwich Village, Mary in Flesh and Blood, and Rhoda in A New Brain. Nicole can also be seen in the film BLOG, which was recently shown at the Film Gate International Film Festival. Untitled Hearts, Nicole’s first staged performance of her written work, was recently produced here in NYC. Many thanks to the cast and crew… and Mom and Dad “you have given me the wings to fly.”
J.L. Reed (Luke/Cast 2) was born and raised in North Carolina and recently returned to NYC after spending the fall in Minnesota. He has done most of his stage work in the Raleigh, Durham, & Chapel Hill area of North Carolina and has performed with multiple theatre companies including: Little Green Pig Theatrical Concern, Manbites Dog, Raleigh Ensemble Players, & Burning Coal. This is his first show in New York and is very excited to make his debut with Rising Sun Performance Company!
Lindsay Beecher (Paulie/Cast 1 & Production Mgr) Lindsay is originally from Baltimore, MD and has a BFA in Acting from Adelphi University. She is an ensemble member of Rising Sun on staff with them as their Production Manager. She is very excited to be working on the New York Premier of The Last Supper with such an amazing cast, crew and design team. Recently you've seen her handy work backstage on the Off Broadway hit My First Time at New World Stages. She would like to thank her theatre family she has found at RSP, Akia for giving her this amazing opportunity, her family and friends in Baltimore and New York for their love and support. Special thanks to Mom, Dad, Ash, Justin, Rick, Carol & Toby.
Michael Bernardi (Mark/Cast 1) grew up in New Jersey and attended the University of Pittsburgh. He studied writing and theatre. Since then he has pursued his career as an actor and a comedian in NYC. He has studied long-form improv at UCB in NYC and currently studies acting at HB studios in NYC. His recent NYC stage credits include 'Tits and Assets' and 'What Say You?' He loves playing pretend.
Joe Beaudin (Zach/Cast 1) is happy to be making his debut with Rising Sun. Favorite roles in NYC include Sir Andrew in Twelfth Night (Kraine Theater), Roger in Breakfast for Dinner (NY Fringe Festival), & Stan in JFK vs. the UFOs (Ensemble Studio). Joe was also a proud member of the sketch comedy group Mini Red Satan for 5 years. He has also appeared on stage for Connecticut Repertory Theatre and the Berkshire Theatre Festival, as well as directing productions for Shakespeare in the Park(ing) Lot.
Chris Enright (Norman/Cast 1) Returning guest artist with RSP. Seen in last summer’s one act series as Herod in Head Games and Dad in Teddy Knows Too Much. As a teaching artist created “Hear Me Out” theatrical exchange program for middle school students in Manhattan and Brooklyn. He has performed improv with a couple of teams including Sporknotes, which debuted at RSP, and sketch comedy with Spurn- NYC. Favorite roles include Feste in Twelfth Night, Babbity Barc (a menacing troll) with Vital Children’s Theatre, and Antonionio, a New Jersey guido, in the film Steel Belted Romeos.
Christopher Bowen (Music Composer) is a composer, musician and actor. He scored the stop-motion animated feature $9.99 (nominated for the 2009 Annie Award) starring Geoffrey Rush and directed by Tatia Rosenthal. He also wrote the score for the award winning feature Jellyfish (2007 Cannes Film Festival Camera D’Or) written and directed by Shira Geffen and Etgar Keret. Other projects include The Pinocchio Experiment, a one-man show written and performed by Randall Jaynes and short films The Green Hour by Nicole Kassell (director of the award-winning feature The Woodsman), Fear of Flying, Crazy Glue, A Buck’s Worth and Vampire Vermont. He is currently working on the music for a film about the first woman film director, Alice Guy-Blaché, whose work first appeared in 1896.Christopher, is also a Blue Man in the internationally acclaimed Blue Man Group having appeared bald and blue on stages and television shows around the world. In addition to performing, he is Senior Performing Director for the group. Originally from Vermont, he graduated from Bennington College there, where he studied theatre and music.
David Anthony (Pete/Cast 1/Producer) has been taking a byzantine path through the creative arts for the past 22 years. He has worked actively as an actor, clown, juggler, writer, director, singer, song writer, photographer and for the past five years, has advised MTV, TMZ and independent films examining Compulsive Hoarding Disorder. He currently works as a freelance photographer and performs in what most people consider the greatest non-Irish, Irish band the world has ever seen, Three Pints Shy. David Anthony co-founded the Rising Sun Performance Company in 2001 and served as Executive Director from 2001 through 2006. He returns as a producer of this exciting production of Last Supper. Over the past 13 years, David has produced dozens of shows including one of the earliest productions of Picasso at the Lapin Agile (through special permission from Steve Martin), the second New York showing of An Adult Evening of Shel Silverstein, and numerous original works (including three of his own). His projects have earned eight Knoxville Area Theater Coalition nominations (with one win), two Innovative Theatre Award nominations, a National and Presidential Youth Service Award and a “Rennie” nomination (yes, it's a real thing)
Jeff Ronan (Pete/Cast 2) is very excited to be making his New York debut with Rising Sun. He recently returned from studying at the Moscow Art Theatre School for a semester after graduating last spring with a BFA from Kean University. Past roles include Ben in the world premiere of Humbug, Peter in Bug, , Nick in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Nic, Enid, Pev, and Alcazar in The Mystery of Irma Vep (Perry Award nomination), Iago in Othello, Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance (KCACTF nomination) Jitter in The Musical of Musicals and the title character in Steven Berkoff’s Agamemnon. Thank you mom and dad for your unending belief and support.
Jessica Ritacco (Allison Cast 2) is thrilled to join the Rising Sun Ensemble this season. She is a 2008 graduate of SUNY New Paltz, where she received her BA in Theatre Arts. Some of her favorite university credits include: King Lear (Regan), Fefu and Her Friends (Julia), Stop Kiss (Sara), and A Flea in Her Ear (Antoinette). In NYC, she most recently performed in Dracula with the Inwood Shakespeare Festival, and LuAnne and Etta at the Producer's Club. Jessica is continuing her on-camera acting training at TVI Actors Studio. She can also be found performing improv and Commedia dell’Arte at Gotham Comedy Club with the Hyperion Theatre Project. Jessica sends her love and thanks to her family, friends, and the wonderful Rising Sun team!
Matthew Kreiner (Media/Film Direction) has been working with Rising Sun Performance Company for three to four years now. He has worked on previous productions of DeCADEnce, A’Spress, the one-acts, and just recently completed a three month workshop of his play, That’s Politics. Other companies Matthew has worked with is EndTimes Productions, where he is the General Manager; Sweeter Theatre; and Sweet Sweet Motherhood Productions.
Matt Riker (Wes/Cast 2) Making his debut as both ensemble member of Rising Sun and cast member of The Last Supper, Matt Riker is beginning to live his dream. At 27 yrs of age, he is a recent graduate of the William Esper Studio (2009), having studied under Suzanne Esper. It’s been a fast start out of the gate, having landed a starring role in playwright, Meir Ribalow’s THE RECKONING, and various roles for short films. The road may be a long one, but the future is bright for Matt, as he maintains his focus and poise in making it all come true. All the successes that lie ahead are owed and dedicated to his Pop Pop, Rudy Brooks, who taught him the very essence of what a true gentleman is and can be. “Do it.”
Nick Micozzi (Media Producer/Associate Producer) is an actor, director and producer of theatre, film/video, and television. Acting credits include FringeNYC, The Chekhov Vaudevilles Festival, The Pure Pop Festival, Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet, Lucio and Pompey in (separate productions of) Measure for Measure, Bernard in Death of a Salesman, Sam in Pervy Verse, Luka in The Bear, Iago in Othello, and Misha in Nick (Ivanov). Producer credits include: Belfast Blues (Barrow Street Theatre), New York Innovative Theatre Awards (2005-09), Flags (59e59), Night at the Trojan Wall, MonkeyBusiness, and upcoming, Morgan Street (JANOR productions). He recently directed the official liveblog team for the largest party in the world - Times Square New Years Eve 2010.
Jak Prince (Set Designer) has worked in the theatre since age 6 as an actor, designer, director and educator. He has designed for Theatre on Five, Playwrights and Actors Contemporary Theatre, Vital Theatre Co. and most recently The Frog & Peach Theatre Company. He has degrees from Cornell College (B.S.S. ’72) Montclair State M.A. ’80) and has studied with Dennis McDonald, W. Scott MacConnell, Andre’Gregory, and Stuart Dillon. He has a daughter, Danielle, who is an animal trainer in Austin, Texas.
Ryan Kilcourse(Sound Design) Since Graduating from the Adelphi Theater program, Ryan has designed such shows as All Shook Up (Timberlake Playhouse) Fly (Crossroads Theater Company) and Cutman (Banner NY.) He also engineers regularly for the Lincoln Center Institute, Ars Nova Theater, and New York Theater Workshop. He's thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Rising Sun, and hope you find the show good enough to die for.
Susan Burns (Michelle/Cast 1) is pleased to be making her debut as a new member of Rising Sun Performance Company. She recently appeared onstage in the Complete Theatre Company’s Original One Act Festival and the Looking Glass Theatre’s Winter Forum. Susan is a fan of comedy, especially the dark variety. You can check out her short films on youtube.com/BurnsProductions.
Mariana Guillen (Heather/Cast 1) was born in Mexico City and has had a love for the arts for as long as she can remember. After receiving her Bachelor’s degree in English & Drama from Goldsmiths College (University of London), she decided to pursue the acting realm further. In 2009 she enrolled in the One Year Acting program at the New York Film Academy. She is excited to be making her NY stage debut with the Rising Sun Company and looks forward to the road ahead!
Leal Vona (Norman/Cast 2) isn’t paying attention right now: “What? Wait… I’m just finishing something up here. Almost got it…. Almost…. Ok, so, what? Crap. Hold on. There’s another thing I gotta take care of. Man, I tell you, they just don’t make things that last anymore. The Druids. Now there’s a group that knew how to make stuff. What’s that thing they made? You know the big thing with all the stones, in England or Scotland or something. Maybe Wales? You know…. No, not the Pyramids. The stone thing. NOT the Pyramids. Sounds like hedges, but it’s not a hedge. Funny thing is, there’s not a lot of grass there. That’s irony, right? Oh it’s not? Coincidence? Right. That’s just a coincidence. So anyway, what was it you wanted to know? A bio? For what? Whatever, I don’t care. Put whatever you want.”
Erik Gullberg (Zach/Chris) is having an absolute blast playing with all the wonderful people at Rising Sun. A graduate of NYU TSOA '08, recent credits include: Somewhere In Between (Greg) with Collaborative Stages, The Spitfire Grill (Caleb) with Phareplay Productions, and The Taming of the Shrew (Petruchio) at the NYRF. For Mom, Dad & J.
Patrick J. Egan (Reverend Gerald) a native New Yorker, is a graduate of William Esper Studios. Credits include The Crucible as Giles Corey at the Krane Theatre; The Tempest as Prospero at the Impact Theatre; Loyalties and Memorial at the Pelican Theatre; the original play, The Last Man Standing as the Last Man at the Samuel French Theatre. He has done independent films including Herman Bolster as Buck; Red Midnight as Joseph/ Announcer; Hangman’s Noose as Charles, a Film Festival winner and Behind the Eyes of a Hitman, as Paulie. He has been a member of Rising Sun for five years. He has also works as a voice over artist.
Anthony Mead (Todd Cast 1) acts in New York City. His A.D.D. prevents him from sitting at his computer long enough to craft his past credits into a third- person-paragraph-listing. He is tickled green to be working with the fine folks of The Rising Sun Performance Company, once again. He likes fuzzy little ducks, old pick-up trucks, fast moving trains and grass.
Michael Jones (Wes/Cast 1) is thrilled to join a cast of such talented performers. Studying voice under Florence Birdwell at Oklahoma City University, Michael earned his undergraduate degree in Musical Theatre. Michael has performed with many companies including Manhattan Repertory Theatre, Lyric Theatre, Light Opera Oklahoma, Texas Heritage Foundation, and is a proud new member of the Rising Sun Productions Ensemble. He has performed many contrasting roles including Leo Frank in Jason Robert Brown's "Parade", both the narrator (El Gallo) and the actor (Henry) in different performances of Schmidt and Jones' "The Fantasticks", and King Arthur in Lerner and Loewe's, "Camelot".
TURNER SMITH (Fight Director) is a fight choreographer, stunt coordinator, performer, and stage violence instructor working out of Manhattan. He is a graduate of NYU/Tisch Drama, and has studied with many of the most respected stage violence professionals in New York, including J. David Brimmer and Michael Chin, both Fight Masters with the Society of American Fight Directors. Favorite theater projects include The Office and the Metal Blob (produced by Centrifuge and featured at the New York Fringe Festival '09), La Coupe et les Levres (a new opera by Maestro Anton Coppola), and The Who's Tommy (NYU MainStage, fight directed by J. David Brimmer). He is also assisting Mr. Brimmer on the Red Bull Theater Company's production of The Duchess of Malfi, and is looking forward to several other projects in the coming months. (http://emailmg.ipower.com/sqmail/src/compose.php?send_to=smith.turner@gmail.com)
Mike McManus (Todd/Cast 2) is a charismatic New Yorker, born and raised in The Bronx, and proud company member of Rising Sun. A neo-renaissance man who has been known to cut a mean rug and stir up a lyrical whirlwind. Recently his passions has turned to curating and producing affordable art shows for righteous causes all over NYC.
Dan Jobbins (Lighting Design) MISSING BIO- TO FOLLOW SOON
Akia (Director/Founding Artistic Director) is an active member of the flourishing Off-Off/Indie & Off Broadway theatre communities having produced, directed, and performed with numerous NYC companies since 1997. Akia is the Company Manager for the international sensation, The Blue Man Group at the Astor Place Theater. Proudly, she is the Founding Artistic Director of the Rising Sun Performance Company, now in entering its ninth season, and has been involved on all levels with each of its 35+ productions. She is a Board Member of The Paul Butterfield Fund & Society, and Company Manager for The New York Innovative Theatre Awards & Foundation, where she serves on their honorary awards committee as Sub-Committee Chairman and as an At-Large Judge. Past notable credits include working on staff at Horse Trade Theatre Group, serving as General Manager for FRIGID New York’s inaugural year, and returning as Volunteer Coordinator in 2009; she also served as Production Coordinator for nationally acclaimed Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre, overseeing the playwrights unit and INSIGHT 13 production series. Most recently Akia directed the remount of “Good Night Lovin’ Trail” at the Best of Strawberry Fest and the Inaugural Wilmington FRINGE festival. This past summer she was the recipient of the New York Innovative Theatre Awards “Founders Award” for her contributions to the organization. Thanks to this amazing family of theatre artists, Erez, Heidi & Elaine and Horse TRADE, her amazing cast & crew, Alexandra, Kelly & Tiffany H for Rocking it out so hard, Dan Rosen for his trust & support, to Frank, friends & family for putting up with her long absences from the world around her in pursuit of theatre, and especially to Tiffini, David, Nick & Lindsay her brilliant partners in crime, for their faith and belief in this merry band of lunatics. Merde’!!
Dan Rosen (Playwright) is a filmmaker and playwright. His first film, THE LAST SUPPER, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. It also played at the London Film Festival, Sundance, and won Best Film at the prestigious Congac Film Festival of Thrillers. His directing debut, DEAD MAN'S CURVE premiered at Sundance and went on to make a number of top ten film lists. The Last Supper is his first play.
Alexandra Duerr (Stage Manager) is thrilled to be working with Rising Sun! Past credits include: Athol Fugard Tribute (UACT), WASP (MMC Theatre), A Quiet End (RTC), Capture the Flag: Short Play Festival (NYTE), The Living (Stone Soup), Seussical the Musical (Jack Nicholson Theatre), The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek (RTC), and Naked Holidays (Endtimes Production). Thanks to the casts and production team for being so awesome!
Alexia Tate (Michelle/Allison) is pleased to start her second year as a member of the Rising Sun ensemble. Previous work with the company includes That’s Politics, Teddy Knows Too Much, and Dotty Dot. National Tour: Gilligan’s Island The Musical (Mrs. Howell). NYC: Deconstructing Berlin, Cruising To Croatia (NYC Fringe), Caitlynn by Helena Langley. Favorite roles include Drummond in Inherit the Wind and Leslie Ann in Paula Vogel’s Hot ‘n’ Throbbing. Alexia lives in Brooklyn with her husband, Sean, and spends her free time playing the ukulele, mastering the New York Times Crossword, and collecting kitchen gadgets.
Anastasia Peterson (Paulie/Cast 2) graduated from Bucknell University with a BA in theatre and mathematics classically trained at the London Dramatic Academy in London, England, and studied scene and character analysis at NYC’s Atlantic Theatre Company. She went on to work as an actress at the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble in Bloomsburg, PA and found that she was inspired and enlightened by the encouragement and growth that comes with working in an ensemble. Anastasia recently moved to the Big Apple in the fall of 2009 and is excited to have found a place in Rising Sun Theatre Company. Anastasia’s credits include productions of All My Sons, Urinetown the Musical, The Secret Rapture, A Child’s Christmas in Wales, Ken Ludwig’s Leading Ladies, and Let’s Play Two. She also wrote and performed in a one-woman show entitled Life as a Ball, which tells the personal and public story of actress and comedienne Lucille Ball (Anastasia’s ultimate idol). Anastasia loves baking (in her closet-sized kitchen!), and enjoys taking walks around the Central Park reservoir. She has a passion for live theatre and is extremely happy to be a part of the Rising Sun family.
APRIL BENNETT (Heather/Cast 2) is recent transplant from the west coast. In California she acted, sang, wrote, and directed with several different companies. She is a co-founder of Burlesque La Moustache Je T'Aime and served as a consultant for Red and Black Stage. Favorite roles include Janet in The Rocky Horror Show, Aaron Kreifels in The Laramie Project and Peaseblossom in A Midsummer Night's Dream
Ariel Heller (Mark/Cast 2) is excited to be a guest of the Rising Sun Ensemble and their production of The Last Supper. Off-Broadway: Blue Man Group. Cougar: The Musical. Television: One Life to Live. Regional: Into the Woods, King Lear (Orlando Shakespeare Theatre), Urinetown the Musical, Adrift in Macao (Lyric Stage Company, Boston) Ariel holds a BFA in musical theatre from Emerson College. As always, thanks to his friends and family!
Barry Kennedy, Jr. (Luke/Cast 2) is thrilled to be a part The Last Supper cast! Barry has studied theatre at Savannah State University and has received his BFA Degree in Theatre from Armstrong Atlantic State University in 2008. He’s also trained at The New School for Drama’s MFA Acting program. SSU credits: LUKE BAILEY in Amen Corner; SHANGO in Shango Diaspora. AASU credits: BERALDE in The Imaginary Invalid; MALE GREEK CHORUS in How I Learned to Drive. NSD credits: CREON in The Burial of Thebes; CLAY in Dutchman; MILLER in Waiting for Lefty. Other credits: PAUL in Six Degrees of Separation, ASAGAI in A Raisin in the Sun (Savannah Cultural Arts Theatre); BRIAN in One Woman’s Fog (Manhattan Repertory Theatre); MISSIONARY in The Blacks (Tishman Auditorium).
Becky Sterling Rygg (Jude/Cast 2) hails from Seattle where, after a brief stint as an accountant, she studied and worked in both film and theatre. In the past year Becky's become an Associate Artist with CRY HAVOC Company, an ensemble member of Rising Sun Production Company and a community member of Endtimes Productions, in particular, the Freedom Instinct Theatre workshop. Her recent roles include Lorelei in Party Girl, Susan in The Cooking King, Jessica in [pwnd], Becky in Through the Lens and Henderson in Basic Contributor.
Ben Friesen (Chris) moved here from Indiana a few years ago, and decided to stick around. Since then he's been seen in a lot of classical plays like the King Henry Trilogy, Twelfth Night, and Three Sisters, for the Rebellious Subjects Theatre Company, and some not-so-classical plays like Wikipedia Brown at the Tank in Tribeca, and the 30th Humana Festival at Actor's Theatre of Louisville. Ben is a card-carrying member of the United States Origami Association and proud owner of a B.A. in Theatre and English from Goshen College in Indiana.
Larry Gutman (Reverend Gerald) Trained at HB Studio. Favorite roles: Proof (Robert), Harvey (Elwood P. Dowd), Arsenic and Old Lace (Dr. Einstein), The Mousetrap (Sgt. Trotter), Awake and Sing! (Moe Axelrod), Hedda Gabler (George Tesman), Lovers and Other Strangers (Frank), California Suite (Mort Hollander), And Then There Were None (Dr. Armstrong), The Man Who Came to Dinner (Mr. Stanley), The Liar (Dr. Balanzoni), The Miser (Cleanthe), Hobson’s Choice (Willie Mossop), Pack of Lies (Bob Jackson), Bertie (Kaiser Wilhelm) and The Ship From Delos (Socrates). Regular performer on Radio Theater (WLIE). Thank you Rising Sun.
Kelly Hawkins (Assistant Director/Make-Up) is a not-so-recent graduate of the Purchase College Drama program. Previous directing credits include her musical about herself K-Hawk: The Musical, Jonathan Marc Sherman's Women and Wallace, and Christopher Shinn's Four. Performance credits include K-Hawk: The Musical, The Vagina Monologues, Rocky Horror, A Play About Science and Iphigenia. She'd like to thank Akia for being incredibly awesome and for giving her this opportunity. Big props the cast and crew for being so hardworking, and to her family for being so supportive.
Tiffini Minatel (Costume Designer/Associate producer/Mgmt Coordinator) spent most of her college years in the costume shop. Being taught how to sew at age 12 by her mother proved to be a great asset in the Off-Off Broadway community when she landed in the city in 1991. Since then, Tiffini has designed costumes for almost every show in which she performed and then some! Most notably, Gold Coast Shakespeare’s 3 seasons of Shakespeare In The Park, Long Island; 2 seasons with King’s County Shakespeare, Brooklyn; DiCapo Opera, NYC; and most recently, Rising Sun Performance Company’s “Shhh…It’s a Speakeasy”. It’s nice to be back after a very long break! After “retiring” from the restaurant business and enjoying 1-½ years of not working, Tiffini decided it was time to get back to the theater! She started working with Rising Sun as an Administrative intern in September of 2006. She was interested in learning how to transfer her restaurant operations skills to theater, her first love. So far Tiffini has learned how to: manage theaters, hire actors & techies, find inexpensive/free rehearsal space, find & use free publicity, write grants (sort of!) and how to throw a successful fundraiser party! And she’s still not done learning! Her goal is producing a show and learning everything it takes to do so!
Tiffany Hogan (Assistant Director/ Dramaturg) was born in Providence, RI and raised in High Point, NC. She studied theatre at Catawba College in North Carolina. She moved to New York two years ago where she made her directing debut with 13th Street Repertory. She would like to say thank you to the Rising Sun Performance Company for their tremendous support and love. She would also like to give a special "toast" to Akia Squitieri.
Nicole Howard (Jude/Cast 1) holds a B.F.A. in acting and music performance from C.W. Post of Long Island University. She performed most recently, in Central Park, with the Children’s Musical, Dotty Dot. Some of her favorite acting credits include, 365 Days Plays with the Public Theatre, Lucy in A Christmas in Greenwich Village, Mary in Flesh and Blood, and Rhoda in A New Brain. Nicole can also be seen in the film BLOG, which was recently shown at the Film Gate International Film Festival. Untitled Hearts, Nicole’s first staged performance of her written work, was recently produced here in NYC. Many thanks to the cast and crew… and Mom and Dad “you have given me the wings to fly.”
J.L. Reed (Luke/Cast 2) was born and raised in North Carolina and recently returned to NYC after spending the fall in Minnesota. He has done most of his stage work in the Raleigh, Durham, & Chapel Hill area of North Carolina and has performed with multiple theatre companies including: Little Green Pig Theatrical Concern, Manbites Dog, Raleigh Ensemble Players, & Burning Coal. This is his first show in New York and is very excited to make his debut with Rising Sun Performance Company!
Lindsay Beecher (Paulie/Cast 1 & Production Mgr) Lindsay is originally from Baltimore, MD and has a BFA in Acting from Adelphi University. She is an ensemble member of Rising Sun on staff with them as their Production Manager. She is very excited to be working on the New York Premier of The Last Supper with such an amazing cast, crew and design team. Recently you've seen her handy work backstage on the Off Broadway hit My First Time at New World Stages. She would like to thank her theatre family she has found at RSP, Akia for giving her this amazing opportunity, her family and friends in Baltimore and New York for their love and support. Special thanks to Mom, Dad, Ash, Justin, Rick, Carol & Toby.
Michael Bernardi (Mark/Cast 1) grew up in New Jersey and attended the University of Pittsburgh. He studied writing and theatre. Since then he has pursued his career as an actor and a comedian in NYC. He has studied long-form improv at UCB in NYC and currently studies acting at HB studios in NYC. His recent NYC stage credits include 'Tits and Assets' and 'What Say You?' He loves playing pretend.
Joe Beaudin (Zach/Cast 1) is happy to be making his debut with Rising Sun. Favorite roles in NYC include Sir Andrew in Twelfth Night (Kraine Theater), Roger in Breakfast for Dinner (NY Fringe Festival), & Stan in JFK vs. the UFOs (Ensemble Studio). Joe was also a proud member of the sketch comedy group Mini Red Satan for 5 years. He has also appeared on stage for Connecticut Repertory Theatre and the Berkshire Theatre Festival, as well as directing productions for Shakespeare in the Park(ing) Lot.
Chris Enright (Norman/Cast 1) Returning guest artist with RSP. Seen in last summer’s one act series as Herod in Head Games and Dad in Teddy Knows Too Much. As a teaching artist created “Hear Me Out” theatrical exchange program for middle school students in Manhattan and Brooklyn. He has performed improv with a couple of teams including Sporknotes, which debuted at RSP, and sketch comedy with Spurn- NYC. Favorite roles include Feste in Twelfth Night, Babbity Barc (a menacing troll) with Vital Children’s Theatre, and Antonionio, a New Jersey guido, in the film Steel Belted Romeos.
Christopher Bowen (Music Composer) is a composer, musician and actor. He scored the stop-motion animated feature $9.99 (nominated for the 2009 Annie Award) starring Geoffrey Rush and directed by Tatia Rosenthal. He also wrote the score for the award winning feature Jellyfish (2007 Cannes Film Festival Camera D’Or) written and directed by Shira Geffen and Etgar Keret. Other projects include The Pinocchio Experiment, a one-man show written and performed by Randall Jaynes and short films The Green Hour by Nicole Kassell (director of the award-winning feature The Woodsman), Fear of Flying, Crazy Glue, A Buck’s Worth and Vampire Vermont. He is currently working on the music for a film about the first woman film director, Alice Guy-Blaché, whose work first appeared in 1896.Christopher, is also a Blue Man in the internationally acclaimed Blue Man Group having appeared bald and blue on stages and television shows around the world. In addition to performing, he is Senior Performing Director for the group. Originally from Vermont, he graduated from Bennington College there, where he studied theatre and music.
David Anthony (Pete/Cast 1/Producer) has been taking a byzantine path through the creative arts for the past 22 years. He has worked actively as an actor, clown, juggler, writer, director, singer, song writer, photographer and for the past five years, has advised MTV, TMZ and independent films examining Compulsive Hoarding Disorder. He currently works as a freelance photographer and performs in what most people consider the greatest non-Irish, Irish band the world has ever seen, Three Pints Shy. David Anthony co-founded the Rising Sun Performance Company in 2001 and served as Executive Director from 2001 through 2006. He returns as a producer of this exciting production of Last Supper. Over the past 13 years, David has produced dozens of shows including one of the earliest productions of Picasso at the Lapin Agile (through special permission from Steve Martin), the second New York showing of An Adult Evening of Shel Silverstein, and numerous original works (including three of his own). His projects have earned eight Knoxville Area Theater Coalition nominations (with one win), two Innovative Theatre Award nominations, a National and Presidential Youth Service Award and a “Rennie” nomination (yes, it's a real thing)
Jeff Ronan (Pete/Cast 2) is very excited to be making his New York debut with Rising Sun. He recently returned from studying at the Moscow Art Theatre School for a semester after graduating last spring with a BFA from Kean University. Past roles include Ben in the world premiere of Humbug, Peter in Bug, , Nick in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Nic, Enid, Pev, and Alcazar in The Mystery of Irma Vep (Perry Award nomination), Iago in Othello, Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance (KCACTF nomination) Jitter in The Musical of Musicals and the title character in Steven Berkoff’s Agamemnon. Thank you mom and dad for your unending belief and support.
Jessica Ritacco (Allison Cast 2) is thrilled to join the Rising Sun Ensemble this season. She is a 2008 graduate of SUNY New Paltz, where she received her BA in Theatre Arts. Some of her favorite university credits include: King Lear (Regan), Fefu and Her Friends (Julia), Stop Kiss (Sara), and A Flea in Her Ear (Antoinette). In NYC, she most recently performed in Dracula with the Inwood Shakespeare Festival, and LuAnne and Etta at the Producer's Club. Jessica is continuing her on-camera acting training at TVI Actors Studio. She can also be found performing improv and Commedia dell’Arte at Gotham Comedy Club with the Hyperion Theatre Project. Jessica sends her love and thanks to her family, friends, and the wonderful Rising Sun team!
Matthew Kreiner (Media/Film Direction) has been working with Rising Sun Performance Company for three to four years now. He has worked on previous productions of DeCADEnce, A’Spress, the one-acts, and just recently completed a three month workshop of his play, That’s Politics. Other companies Matthew has worked with is EndTimes Productions, where he is the General Manager; Sweeter Theatre; and Sweet Sweet Motherhood Productions.
Matt Riker (Wes/Cast 2) Making his debut as both ensemble member of Rising Sun and cast member of The Last Supper, Matt Riker is beginning to live his dream. At 27 yrs of age, he is a recent graduate of the William Esper Studio (2009), having studied under Suzanne Esper. It’s been a fast start out of the gate, having landed a starring role in playwright, Meir Ribalow’s THE RECKONING, and various roles for short films. The road may be a long one, but the future is bright for Matt, as he maintains his focus and poise in making it all come true. All the successes that lie ahead are owed and dedicated to his Pop Pop, Rudy Brooks, who taught him the very essence of what a true gentleman is and can be. “Do it.”
Nick Micozzi (Media Producer/Associate Producer) is an actor, director and producer of theatre, film/video, and television. Acting credits include FringeNYC, The Chekhov Vaudevilles Festival, The Pure Pop Festival, Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet, Lucio and Pompey in (separate productions of) Measure for Measure, Bernard in Death of a Salesman, Sam in Pervy Verse, Luka in The Bear, Iago in Othello, and Misha in Nick (Ivanov). Producer credits include: Belfast Blues (Barrow Street Theatre), New York Innovative Theatre Awards (2005-09), Flags (59e59), Night at the Trojan Wall, MonkeyBusiness, and upcoming, Morgan Street (JANOR productions). He recently directed the official liveblog team for the largest party in the world - Times Square New Years Eve 2010.
Jak Prince (Set Designer) has worked in the theatre since age 6 as an actor, designer, director and educator. He has designed for Theatre on Five, Playwrights and Actors Contemporary Theatre, Vital Theatre Co. and most recently The Frog & Peach Theatre Company. He has degrees from Cornell College (B.S.S. ’72) Montclair State M.A. ’80) and has studied with Dennis McDonald, W. Scott MacConnell, Andre’Gregory, and Stuart Dillon. He has a daughter, Danielle, who is an animal trainer in Austin, Texas.
Ryan Kilcourse(Sound Design) Since Graduating from the Adelphi Theater program, Ryan has designed such shows as All Shook Up (Timberlake Playhouse) Fly (Crossroads Theater Company) and Cutman (Banner NY.) He also engineers regularly for the Lincoln Center Institute, Ars Nova Theater, and New York Theater Workshop. He's thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Rising Sun, and hope you find the show good enough to die for.
Susan Burns (Michelle/Cast 1) is pleased to be making her debut as a new member of Rising Sun Performance Company. She recently appeared onstage in the Complete Theatre Company’s Original One Act Festival and the Looking Glass Theatre’s Winter Forum. Susan is a fan of comedy, especially the dark variety. You can check out her short films on youtube.com/BurnsProductions.
Mariana Guillen (Heather/Cast 1) was born in Mexico City and has had a love for the arts for as long as she can remember. After receiving her Bachelor’s degree in English & Drama from Goldsmiths College (University of London), she decided to pursue the acting realm further. In 2009 she enrolled in the One Year Acting program at the New York Film Academy. She is excited to be making her NY stage debut with the Rising Sun Company and looks forward to the road ahead!
Leal Vona (Norman/Cast 2) isn’t paying attention right now: “What? Wait… I’m just finishing something up here. Almost got it…. Almost…. Ok, so, what? Crap. Hold on. There’s another thing I gotta take care of. Man, I tell you, they just don’t make things that last anymore. The Druids. Now there’s a group that knew how to make stuff. What’s that thing they made? You know the big thing with all the stones, in England or Scotland or something. Maybe Wales? You know…. No, not the Pyramids. The stone thing. NOT the Pyramids. Sounds like hedges, but it’s not a hedge. Funny thing is, there’s not a lot of grass there. That’s irony, right? Oh it’s not? Coincidence? Right. That’s just a coincidence. So anyway, what was it you wanted to know? A bio? For what? Whatever, I don’t care. Put whatever you want.”
Erik Gullberg (Zach/Chris) is having an absolute blast playing with all the wonderful people at Rising Sun. A graduate of NYU TSOA '08, recent credits include: Somewhere In Between (Greg) with Collaborative Stages, The Spitfire Grill (Caleb) with Phareplay Productions, and The Taming of the Shrew (Petruchio) at the NYRF. For Mom, Dad & J.
Patrick J. Egan (Reverend Gerald) a native New Yorker, is a graduate of William Esper Studios. Credits include The Crucible as Giles Corey at the Krane Theatre; The Tempest as Prospero at the Impact Theatre; Loyalties and Memorial at the Pelican Theatre; the original play, The Last Man Standing as the Last Man at the Samuel French Theatre. He has done independent films including Herman Bolster as Buck; Red Midnight as Joseph/ Announcer; Hangman’s Noose as Charles, a Film Festival winner and Behind the Eyes of a Hitman, as Paulie. He has been a member of Rising Sun for five years. He has also works as a voice over artist.
Anthony Mead (Todd Cast 1) acts in New York City. His A.D.D. prevents him from sitting at his computer long enough to craft his past credits into a third- person-paragraph-listing. He is tickled green to be working with the fine folks of The Rising Sun Performance Company, once again. He likes fuzzy little ducks, old pick-up trucks, fast moving trains and grass.
Michael Jones (Wes/Cast 1) is thrilled to join a cast of such talented performers. Studying voice under Florence Birdwell at Oklahoma City University, Michael earned his undergraduate degree in Musical Theatre. Michael has performed with many companies including Manhattan Repertory Theatre, Lyric Theatre, Light Opera Oklahoma, Texas Heritage Foundation, and is a proud new member of the Rising Sun Productions Ensemble. He has performed many contrasting roles including Leo Frank in Jason Robert Brown's "Parade", both the narrator (El Gallo) and the actor (Henry) in different performances of Schmidt and Jones' "The Fantasticks", and King Arthur in Lerner and Loewe's, "Camelot".
TURNER SMITH (Fight Director) is a fight choreographer, stunt coordinator, performer, and stage violence instructor working out of Manhattan. He is a graduate of NYU/Tisch Drama, and has studied with many of the most respected stage violence professionals in New York, including J. David Brimmer and Michael Chin, both Fight Masters with the Society of American Fight Directors. Favorite theater projects include The Office and the Metal Blob (produced by Centrifuge and featured at the New York Fringe Festival '09), La Coupe et les Levres (a new opera by Maestro Anton Coppola), and The Who's Tommy (NYU MainStage, fight directed by J. David Brimmer). He is also assisting Mr. Brimmer on the Red Bull Theater Company's production of The Duchess of Malfi, and is looking forward to several other projects in the coming months. (http://emailmg.ipower.com/sqmail/src/compose.php?send_to=smith.turner@gmail.com)
Mike McManus (Todd/Cast 2) is a charismatic New Yorker, born and raised in The Bronx, and proud company member of Rising Sun. A neo-renaissance man who has been known to cut a mean rug and stir up a lyrical whirlwind. Recently his passions has turned to curating and producing affordable art shows for righteous causes all over NYC.
Dan Jobbins (Lighting Design) MISSING BIO- TO FOLLOW SOON
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Tickets are now onsale for The Last Supper!
Click here to purchase tickets for the Last Supper!
Limited Seating per show! Don't miss out!!
Limited Seating per show! Don't miss out!!
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