THE NEW AMERICAN festival of new one act plays
Fall, 2018
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ASSISTED LIVING by Jeffrey Neuman
with Brendan Brandt, Tania Getty, David Purdham BETTER by Vince Gatton with Jade Sealey, Elise Robertson BIRDFEEDER by Eve Johnstone with Jeff Kongs, Floyd Lewis, Tiana Randall-Quant, Carly Waldman, Gina Weber |
MURDER OF CROWS by Nancy Halper
with Jeff Kongs, Sara Spadacene, Susan Ziegler RED TABLE 3 by Dennis Moore with Chelsea Brandt, Eva Holliday, Samuel Kay, Cesar Sebastian Obregon |
MEET THE CAST
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BRENDAN BRANDT (Assisted Living)
With NAT: Measure for Measure (also playing) Meanwhile, Back at the Super Lair...Macbeth: Revisited, Boy’s Life, Julius Caesar, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, 5 Beauties (Green Eyes), Macbeth, Getting Out, and 9 years of One-Act Festivals (authored Exigence). Other theater- Godspell, Wild Geese, and Twist in SoCal, and Macbeth, Assassins, and Equus in Minneapolis. TV: Workaholics, Criminal Minds, Last Man Standing, Working Class, Close to Home. Brendan directed the documentary Victor’s Last Class, which has played in festivals in Amsterdam, Kansas City, and Pasadena, on TV in Israel and Slovenia, is coming to theaters in Poland, and is still touring colleges and festivals. www.victorslastclass.com . |
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CHELSEA BRANDT (Performance Review)
Member of the New American Studio Ensemble. With New American Theatre: Measure for Measure, Meanwhile, Back at the Super Lair.. Macbeth: Revisited, Boy’s Life, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Julius Caesar, I Never Sang for My Father, The Women, and 365 Days/365 Plays. Other Theater: Romeo & Juliet (Juliet) The Night of the Black Cat, Brigadoon, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Sound of Music, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Annie Get Your Gun, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Oklahoma!. Film/TV: The Drama Club, Boytalk, The Hunted. She was also a Lead Singer/Dancer for Holland America Cruise Lines. PCPA Graduate. |
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EVA HOLLIDAY (Red Table 3)
Eva Holliday is thrilled to be making her debut with the New American Theatre Company. She graduated from Drury University with a BA in Theatre and minors in Music and Dance. There her passion for acting was only further enriched by a passion for artistic collaboration. Previously she has appeared as Sally Bowles in Cabaret, Velvet in Some Velvet Morning, and Masha in Chekhov’s The Three Sisters under the direction of her mentor Robert Westenberg. Eva is incredibly grateful to Jack and Jeannine Stehlin and the company for the opportunity to work with the New American Theatre. |
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TANIA GETTY (Assisted Living)
Tania Getty is happy to be a part of another show with New American Theatre, after having played Selina in Loose Ends and participated in prior One-Act Festival. She is also a member of Pacific Resident Theatre in Venice, where earlier this year she was seen in Cigarettes and Chocolate, The PRT Shakespeare Project, and A Touch of the Poet. Also at PRT (selected) The Cherry Orchard, Skylight, Closer, Orpheus Descending, Fata Morgana, and Alice Sit-by-the-Fire. Tania also performs with guerrilla troupe Salty Shakespeare. Tania studied theatre at the University of Arizona and Goldsmiths College, London. www.taniagetty.com |
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SAMUEL KAY (Red Table 3)
Samuel Kay was born and raised in Rome, Italy. After graduating from the National Academy of Dramatic Arts in Rome, he's lived in Los Angeles since 2014. In the past five years he’s earned an MFA degree in Acting from UCLA and completed the "Summer at Oxford" with the British American Drama Academy at Oxford University. He's followed his passion for storytelling across the world, encountering craftsmen of all mediums and genres, collaborating and performing with artists in and from Rome, London, Budapest, Vienna, Barcelona, Tel Aviv, New York, Venice and many more. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife Giorgia. |
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JEFF KONGS (Birdfeeder, Murder of Crows)
Member of the New American Studio Ensemble. Associate Producer with New American. Recent productions with NAT include: Meanwhile, Back at the Super Lair... Loose Ends, Boy’s Life, 5 One Act Festivals. Favorite past film, tv and theatre credits include: Criminal Minds, Rizzoli and Isles, Ask J, Jerry and Tom, Knockout Mouse, Fighting Mr. Right, Searching, and The Insider's Guide To Film School. Jeff is currently serving as a producer and actor on The Carnivore Project, an ambitious film collaboration that his beautiful and talented wife and friends have been creating. Jeff is a graduate of Columbia College Chicago with a B.A. in Film. A big thank you to his friends for their unmatched support. Remember people, "The greatest power on Earth is the magnificent power we all of us possess...the power of the human brain!" --Professor Charles Xavier. www.jeffkongs.com |
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FLOYD LEWIS (Performance Review)
With The New American Theatre / Circus Theatricals: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Sam I Am,The Man with the Tiny Head, Getting Out, Macbeth, Twelfth Night, Week 50 of 365 Days/Plays by Suzan-Lori Parks, The Test (Annual Festival of New One-Act Plays), Joey (Annual Festival of New One-Act Plays), Barnette Lloyd in Crimes of The Heart (Great Scenes from Pulitzer Prize Winning Plays), Oscar in Another Part of the Forest (Great Scenes from Classic American Plays), Tuzenbach in Three Sisters (Great Scenes by Anton Chekhov), Norman in Boys Next Door (Ten Great Scenes). Originally from North Carolina, Floyd is a UCLA graduate and proud member of the New American Studio Ensemble. |
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DAVID PURDHAM (Assisted Living)
As a professional actor and director, David Purdham has worked (and continues to work) extensively in theatre, on and off Broadway, in many of the great resident theatres in our country - including New York Shakespeare Festival, Roundabout Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Club, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Old Globe- San Diego, Yale Repertory Theatre, American Repertory Theatre, Long Wharf Theatre, Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Pasadena Playhouse, Williamstown Theatre Festival- as well a lot of television and film during the last 40 years. He currently directs and adapts The Tempus Theatre Group’s Classical Play reading series. |
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CESAR SEBASTIAN
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TIANA RANDALL-QUANT (Birdfeeder)
Tiana is grateful to be taking part in what she hopes to be the first of many productions with The New American Theatre. A recent UC Berkeley graduate, her goal is to immerse herself in theatre that speaks for the silenced, that tells stories that otherwise would not be heard. Her past work includes playing Veronica Craye in Agatha Christie's The Hollow at Theatre Palisades, and Ida Horowicz in Farragut North with the Kentwood Players. She is continually thankful for the love of her family, getting her hands on new plays, and CTRL by SZA. |
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ELISE ROBERTSON (Better)
New American Theatre Associate Member Elise Robertson splits her creative time between acting and directing. She appeared in 2015 Oscar nominee American Sniper, and has recently guest-starred on NCIS, Masters of Sex, & American Vandal. Directing credits include feature film Donner Pass, American Storytellers for PBS, Adventures with Kanga Roddy (for which she received a Northern California directing Emmy) and many plays, including The Women, Sister Cities and Seduced with New American. Favorite stage roles include Emma in Betrayal, Josie in Ourselves Alone, and Masha in The Seagull. A descendant of the real King Duncan, she is thrilled to working on the Scottish play for the first time. |
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JADE SEALEY (Better)
Member of The New American Studio Ensemble. With NAT:Meanwhile, Back at the Super Lair, Macbeth: Revisited, The Number, Julius Caesar, Christina Woodman in the world premiere play Bedfellows, Baltimore in Sister Cities (Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Circus Theatricals), Jane in Mooney’s Kid Don’t Cry, Crystal Allen in The Women, Shannon Gosling in Safe, Viola in Twelfth Night, Marian in The Heiress, Genevieve in Weedwacker, Iphigenia in Iphigenia , Debby in Deconstructing the Torah. Other theatre: Janna in Blind Spots, Ruthie in Tsuris (Sidewalk Studio Theatre), Portia in The Author's Voice and Constanze in Amadeus(Steve Dobuzyinski Theatre). Film/TV credits include: “Chasing Eagle Rock,” “How to Cheat,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Saturday Night Live,” “Bridesmaid #3,” “The Hunger Artist,” “ Cul De Sac” and “Fool's Paradise.” |
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SARA SPADACENE (Murder of Crows) is very excited to be making her debut with the New American Theatre! Sara is a proud Pittsburgh native. TV: S.W.A.T., Betrayed and Dr. Dre’s new show releasing on Apple TV in 2019. LA Theatre: The Maiden’s Prayer. Commercials Match.com, Cupcake Wines, SOFI, and Toyota! Sara’s studied at UCB LA, The Second City Chicago and at The Imaged Life with Faline England. Sarawants to thank Jack for his guidance and her family for their Italian hugs and kisses and good food. BFA Musical Theatre Elon University. Let’s go Pens!
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CARLY WALDMAN (Birdfeeder)
With New American Theatre: Mars, Maraya in Loose Ends, Lisa in Boys' Life. Carly was born and raised in the beautiful Bay Area. She recently graduated from Boston University with a BFA in Acting. She also received a certificate of Classical Acting from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. Some of her favorite Boston credits include Mary’s Wedding (Mary), The Imaginary Invalid (Angelique), Arcadia (Chloe). LAMDA credits: Julius Caesar (Cassius) and The Country Wife (Lady Fidget). Carly is a recent member of the New American Theatre Company. She is thrilled to be working with such a wonderfully dedicated team. |
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GINA WEBER (Birdfeeder)
Gina is a new company member and pleased to be making her debut with The New American Theatre Company as Mary in Birdfeeder. Gina is originally from WI where she received her BFA in Musical Theatre and has been living in LA since 2014. Some of her favorite credits include: HAIR(Jeannie) Guys and Dolls (Adelaide) Dancing with my Heart (Anna) Bachanalia (Ariadne) Louisa Johnson’s ‘Best Behaviour’ (dancer) Gina has also worked on Jane the Virgin, Rosewood, Masters of Sex, Supergirl and Grandfathered. You can catch her dancing in the upcoming movie musical written and directed by Sia. |
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SUSAN ZIEGLER (Murder of Crows)
Off-Broadway includes: Macbeth: Revisited, Oona ; Lurleen (The Public Theatre), Angel City (Miss Scoons), Suicide in B Flat (Laureen), The Duchess of Malfi (the Duchess). With NAT (company member): Three Sisters (Masha), As You Like It (Rosalind), and The Women (Sylvia Fowler). LA theatre includes: Cheyenne, Mercy Warren’s Tea (The Odyssey Theatre), Sister Cities (World Premiere & Edinburgh Fringe Festival). Recent TV: Search Party, Don’t Trust the B* In Apartment 23, Days Of Our Lives. Recent film: Hello My Name Is Doris, Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same (Sundance), The Foxy Merkins (Sundance) and the soon to be released Wild Nights With Emily. Graduate of NYU’s Experimental Theatre Wing. For Michael and Oona. |
MEET THE PLAYWRIGHTS
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Vince Gatton (playwright, Better)
Vince Gatton is a New York-based actor and writer. He received a Drama Desk nomination for David Johnston's Candy and Dorothy, and sits on the Board of New York Shakespeare Exchange, with whom he’s appeared in King John, Titus Andronicus, ShakesBEER, and The Sonnet Project. Other notables: SPILL at Ensemble Studio Theatre; Cock and Clean Alternatives at Kitchen Theatre in Ithaca; The House at Human Race Theatre Company in Dayton; I Am My Own Wife and Fully Committed at Barrington Stage; I Am My Own Wife again at Coachella Valley Rep (Desert Star Award Nomination) and Two Turns Theatre Company; and The Temperamentals at New World Stages, standing by for Michael Urie. His short plays IN THE WHOLE HISTORY OF HI-Q, HAIR TUCK HALF SMILE, NEON GLOWING NEW, STATUS UPDATE, and BETTER have had readings in mtp’s annual CHERRY PICKING at the Wild Project in NYC; HI-Q was a finalist for the 2015 Short Playwriting Award at City Theatre in Miami; STATUS UPDATE was recently produced as part of Ten Below at the Fine Arts Association in Willoughby, Ohio; and another short, JAM, won Best Play in the 2015 LIC Short Play Festival at the Secret Theatre in Long Island City. WAKE, his first full-length play, was a semifinalist for PlayPenn 2016 and Boomerang Theatre’s First Flight 2017, and was a finalist at Dayton Playhouse’s FutureFest 2017. Vince once lived the nerd dream by competing on Jeopardy. He didn’t win. www.vincegatton.com |
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NANCY HALPER (playwright, Murder of Crows)
A native of Long Island, Nancy Halper now lives in New Jersey with her husband and four children. She attended Georgetown University and Teachers College, Columbia University, studying linguistics. Currently, she works for an educational resource center and volunteers in an English language learning program for adults. Nancy is the author of several short plays, including The Murder of Crows, Dewey or Don't We? and The Truth About the Lemmings. |
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EVE JOHNSTONE (playwright, Birdfeeder)
Eve Johnstone is an emerging multidisciplinary theatre artist based in Portland, Oregon. She is a Co-Founder and Artistic Director for Rutabaga Story Co., a theatre company dedicated to producing new, fun, and accessible theatre with an emphasis on visual storytelling. Eve graduated from NYU Tisch at the Experimental Theatre Wing with a BFA in Drama. In Portland, Eve directed her original play An Interlude in Birdsong for Rutabaga Story Co. and was one of four theatre artists chosen to develop new work at the 2018 Coho Lab at Coho Productions. Her new play, Fire and Meat, will premiere at The Headwaters Theatre in Portland, May 2019. For more please visit: www.evejohnstone.com and to learn more about her theatre company please visit: www.rutabagastoryco.com |
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DENNIS MOORE (playwright, Red Table 3)Born: 09 09 1954 , Morristown, New Jersey. 5' 11" 185. Dennis has made his living as a professional painter in the Seattle area for damn near 40 years now. He loves theater and writing and is delighted to have a piece included at the New American Theatre. He admits he finds it odd to refer to himself in the third person. Dennis has been married for over 40 years to the best person in the world, Kristine Iwersen Moore, renowned second violinist with the Cascade Symphony Orchestra and dedicated Nursing professional. They have two grown sons, Casey and Nathan, and a new daughter, Norah, in whom they are well pleased.
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JEFFREY NEUMAN (playwright, Assisted Living)
Jeffrey Neuman is an award-winning playwright whose work has been performed at theaters and festivals across the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom. His plays have been produced and/or developed by Emerging Artists Theatre, Denver Center Theatre Company, LaMaMa, Edge Theatre Company, National Public Radio, Stage Left, FUSION Theatre Company, and the Samuel French Off Off Broadway Festival, among many others. He is a Heideman Award Finalist, cofounder of Colorado’s Rough Draught Playwrights, Director of Literary Development for Benchmark Theatre, and an active member of the Dramatists Guild of America. www.theaterbyjeff.com. |
MEET THE TEAM
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JACK STEHLIN (Artistic Director/Director)
Jack Stehlin has directed over 50 plays for The New American Theatre. Fresh out of The Juilliard School, he founded the company (as Circus Theatricals) in 1986. Also an actor, he can regularly be seen on television. His Los Angeles stage roles include New American Theatre productions of Tempest Redux (co-production with Odyssey Theatre), 63 Trillion, More Lies About Jerzy, Julius Caesar, Harm’s Way (LA/Off Broadway), Titus Redux (Not Man Apart co-production at Kirk Douglas Theatre and RadarLA,) and Odyssey/New American Theatre co-productions of Creditors (LA Weekly Award nomination-Best Actor),Taming of the Shrew, The Misanthrope, Macbeth, Richard III, Tartuffe, and True West. On the small screen, he is perhapsbest known on television as DEA captain Roy Till on the Showtime series Weeds (SAG award nomination). New York/Regional stage credits include Salome (with Al Pacino), numerous productions at New York’s Public Theatre including Richard II (with Steven Berkoff), Henry V (with Kevin Kline), Casanova (with Ethan Hawke), Henry IV, (with Mandy Patinkin), and Julius Caesar (with Al Pacino and Martin Sheen). His many guest-starring roles on countless TV fan favorites include the recent Assassination of Gianni Versace, NCIS Los Angeles, Without a Trace, Monk, The Practice, Crossing Jordan, ER, NYPD Blue and Fox’s Hieroglyph. Jack can currently be seen on the big screen in Wilde Salome with Al Pacino. |
