Season

Balm in Gilead

An Ensemble Production

Playwright: Lanford Wilson

Director: Marshall W. Mason

Cast: Johnathan Hogan, Danton Stone, Laurie Metcalf, Gary Sinise, Giancarlo Esposito, Glenne Headly

Performances: December 5 – 22, 2013

Synopsis: Wilson’s first full-length play, Balm in Gilead centers on a café frequented by heroin addicts, prostitutes, and thieves. It features many unconventional theatrical devices, such as overlapping dialogue, simultaneous scenes, and unsympathetic lead characters. The plot draws a parallel between the amoral and criminal activity that the characters engage in to provide escape from their boredom and suffering, and the two main characters’ becoming a couple in order to escape from their lives

 

Six Playwrights in Search of a Production – Fall 2012

I, NIXON by Stanley Kutler
September 24/25, 8pm

SIMONE by David Loughlin
September 27/28, 8pm

EVERY TIME I FALL BACK by Jenifer Badamo
October 1/2, 8pm

HAWKMAN AND TONTO by Robert King
October 4/5, 8pm

THE AMERICAN WIFE by Stephen Fife & Ralph Pezzullo
October 11/12, 8pm

VEILS by Nadine Bernard
October 15/16, 8pm

With: Wendy Baron, Jim Boerlin*, Misha Braun, Chris Brescia, Billie Brouse, Colin Chapin*, Matthew Conlon*, Morgana Cragnotti, Paul D’Amato*, Stephanie Jean Davis, Sharon DeCoursey, Adam Delia, Renée Delio, Paul Eisemann, Julia Eringer, Xavier Fiore, Anna Fishbeyn, Robert Grogan, Billy Hayes, Philip Kushner*, Courtney Lemkin, Marlene Mancini*, Andy McCutcheon*, Craig McNulty, Emily Jon Mitchell*, Amanda Nicastro, Anton Obeid, Julio C. Pena*, Jose Luis Pueyo Poves, Jody Prusan*, Eric Rasmussen*, Antony Raymond, Margaret Ritchie*, Tristan Sample, Lorraine Serabian*, Joe Stillman, Renée Taylor*, Jennifer Dorr White*, Catherine Zubkow…among others

*Member Actor’s Equity Association/An Equity Approved Showcase

Six Playwrights in Search of a Production

Playwright: Peter Coston, Laura Shaine, Lawrence DuKore, Julie McKee, Richard Warren Green, Norman Kline, Samuel Warren Joseph, Bill Quigley

Director: Mark St. Germain

Cast:Joseph Prussak, Briana Pozner, Kathryn Danielle, Matthew Conlon, Sean Walsh, Julie Kline, Fukumi Kashiwagi, Tokio Sasaki, Joseph Foley

Managing Director: Marlene Mancini Technical Director: Giovanni Villari Office Manager: Christina Roussos

Six Playwrights in Search of a Production was performed on February 26 – March 10 2013

Synopsis:

A compilation of six plays all in one performance. Phantom Limbs

The Kitchen Plays

One Act Play Festival

Playwrights: Jenifer Badamo, Natalie Bates, Carolyn Boriss-Krimsky, Adam Delia, Susan Eve Haar, Agnes Garrett, Matthew Heftler, Jason Jung, Philip Kushner, David Loughlin, Karen Ludwig, Randy McHaney, Charles J. Sirey, Matthew Widman.HB Studio's The Kitchen Plays

Directors: Abigail Zealy Bess, Adam Delia, Gwynn MacDonald, Peter Zinn, Marlene Mancini, Giovanni Villari, Dawn Knipe, Elizabeth Bove.

Cast: Philip Kushner, Eric Rasmussen, Ilia Widman, Laurel Castilla, Sylvana Widman, Alessandra Bonvicini, Misha Braun, Danielle Velcroft, Joe Stillman, Sheilagh Weymouth, Ryan Quigley, Suzanne Limozinere, Anne Kearns, Margaret Ritchie, Rachel Benbow Murdy, John L Payne, Timothy Laurel Harrison, Billie Brouse, Jim Boerlin, Melissa Sussman Siobhan O’Loughlin, Gloria Lamoureux, Noel MacDuffie, Julio C Pena, Domenica Galati.

Production Stage Manager: AJ Dobbs, Production Assistant: Elisa Nieto, Managing Director: Marlene Mancini, Office Manager: Susannah Robertson.

The Kitchen Plays were performed April 10 – April 27 2013

All-Star Of David Team by Philip Kushner: Neil and Samuel, two men at a kitchen table talk about Jewish baseball players.

Roz and Her Daughters by Karen Ludwig: A mother at breakfast with her two daughters is surprised to discover her ex husband is having a new child.

Eulogy by Jason Jung: Paul and Esther, a couple in their 50s prepare to go to a funeral for Paul’s brother.

Dinner Knight by Matthew Widman: Jessica and Gavin, a teenage girl and boy are in her kitchen when Jessica’s younger sister barges in.

It’s Time by Natalie Bates: Roz and Joan, two women converse in Joan’s kitchen after not seeing each other for a long time.

Dirty Little Secrets by Jennifer Badamo: Patricia and John, a couple have dinner with John’s disapproving grandma.

Kevin and Angela by Matthew Heftler: Two young lovers, Kevin and Angela talk in the kitchen after Kevin is released from prison for 3 weeks.

Numbers by Carolyn Boriss-Krimsky: During breakfast two sisters argue over responsibility.

Dinner At Finnerans by Agnes Garrett: An elderly father and his son reflect on their childhoods.

Irish Crystal by Randy McHaney: Two estranged sisters, Anne and Jenny talk in a kitchen after a funeral. Tension increases when Anne tries to fix things and go back to how they were.

The Epiphany Of The Jewish Ducks by Charles J Sirey: Middle-aged Fiona and her husband, Sam plan a long awaited trip to Paris in order for their children to meet each other, but Fiona’s mother has different plans.

Avenue B by David Loughlin: Lovers, Raul and Blanca discuss in the kitchen of their apartment upcoming changes in their lives revolving gentrification on Avenue B.

The Wedding Plays

One act play festival

Playwrights: Gusi Gram, Adam Kraar, Quincy Long, Julie McKee, Jocelyn Meinhardt, Daniel Reitz, Susan Sandler, Joe Sutton, Laura Shaine Cunningham, Donna deMatteo, Catherine Filloux, Alexandra Gersten- Vassilaros, Jacquelyn Reingold, James Ryan, Lydia Stryk, Tug Yourgrau

The Wedding Plays - Poster Flyer

Directors: James Ryan, Susan Einhorn, Deborah Offner, Michael Barakiva, Amy Wright, David Letwin, Susan Einhorn, Paul Weidner, Gus Kaikkonen, Jules Ochoa, Andy Goldberg, Marya Cohn, Kathleen Dimmick, Nela Wagman, Brad Rouse

Cast: Timothy Altmeyer, Victor Arnold, Mia Barron, Scotty Bloch, Larry Block, Stephanie Brooke, Molly Carden, Lynn Cohen, Drew Cortese, Sean Cullen, Tan Darrah, Jack Davidson, Dawn Evans, Dorothi Fox, Katherine Hiler, Abigail Lopez, Chaz Mena, Deborah Offner, Peter Rini, Marilyn Sokol, Daniel Cameron Talbott, Marc Vietor, Rosemary DeAngelis, Claudia Fielding, Ben Hammer, Matthew Hoverman, Lucy Little, Robin Moseley, Susan Pellegrino, P.J. Sosko, Mike Doyle, Eliza Foss, Bette Henritze, Ken Kliban, Lois Markle, Jane Nichols, Jesse Pennington, Jeanine Serralles, Anna Stumpf, Marc Vietor,

Artistic Director: William Carden Managing Director: Robert Callely Director of The Playwrights Unit: Pamela Berlin Set: David Korins Lighting: Chris Dallos Costume “Eve A”: Caitlin Stolley Costume “Eve B”: Maggie Lee-Burdorff Sound: Shane Rettig Production Managers: Matthew D. Britt, Melanie J. Morgan Stage Manager “Eve A”: Melanie J. Morgan Stage Manager “Eve B”: Tiffany Tillman Technical Director: Joshua Sherer

The Wedding Plays were performed June 8th – 27th of the year 2004.

Plays:

Green Sappho Rising: A woman, Sappho, and her mother, Joanna are at a wedding. Sappho is feeling discouraged because she feels that the bride, Claire, always outshines her, so Sappho and her mother converse about the situation and what it is that’s bothering her.

Married Before: A couple that has both been wed before is scared to get wed once again. They reveal to each other how they feel about one another that leads to conflict, but slowly comes to a resolution.

Our Son’s Wedding: A couple, Mary and Angelo, goes to there gay son, Michael’s, wedding. As they are at the wedding Angelo complains about his son a lot, which leads to Mary revealing a lot of things Angelo did not know as they converse.

“Marriage a trois”: A war is coming and a couple, Ben and Maggie, are about to get wed in a field of trash. Maggie has second thoughts about marrying Ben and is pushing him to marry Rosa, a hispanic woman who collects trash, even though they have never even met.

Wedding Play : Two woman, Minda and Rita, are at Rita’s sister’s wedding. The both of them are jealous of the sister and converse about how spoiled and privileged the sister is.

Waukegan Wedding: Two brothers, Sam and Milton, are having a conversation about Sam’s wedding tomorrow. Milton is not thrilled for his brother because he’s going through his own problems with his wife, in addition he thinks the woman Sam is engaged with is too young for him.

Wedding Picture: The wedding ceremony is occurring and as the service is in session a man objects for them to get married. This leads to a bunch of conflict but is soon resolved in the most unexpected way.

Hope: A woman that goes by the name of Rita goes to the wrong wedding two times in the same day. She talks about her experience of it with another woman named Merle, a relative of the bride.

Little Monsters: A man named Phil, and a teenage girl, Tina, are conversing in a conference about recent events in their lives. It starts by Phil apologizing to Tina, since his wife assaulted her because she upset about marriage issues.

One Hand One Heart: A couple, Wendy and David, are about to get wed. But the minister, Quinn, is having some issues of his own. They converse about them with each other, a boy and a girl. After the conversation, unexpected things happen.

2B (Or Not 2B) Part 2: A woman, Franny, has had a tough break-up and after “became a bee”. She goes to the wedding of the man who broke her heart so she could kill him. In the process, she meets a piano boy at the wedding, Manny, and they connect right away.

Wedding Play #2: Brendan, a young man and the groom’s best man, is gossiping about what’s going on in the wedding, and after makes a speech as the best man in the wedding.

Venice in Vegas: A couple, Jack and Amy, are in a weird relationship and they’re about to get married. A gay friend of the couple, Mark, converses shocking experiences and stories that the couple are involved in.

The Lovely Just So: An old couple is about to get wed and they discuss about their plans and life after getting married.

The End of Civilization As We Know It: Two old women, Edith and Be, who have led strong secret lives for a long time are conversing about their past relations with each other.

John’s Dad: John and his dad are having a serious conversation because John’s dad got upset over something. As the conversation continues they start talking about their father-and-son relationship and the decisions John’s dad made in the past.

Just The Two of Us: A couple, Roger and Susan, are having a private wedding. Mr. Johnson, the justice of the peace, is having difficulties with having them wed. He eventually brings his wife to be witness, and she shares opinions of her own about the marriage.

Wedding Play #3: A male biology teacher, Chalabian, and a girl highschool student, Mandy, are in a relationship. They have been caught in a situation that is looked at by others as kidnapping of the girl but in their eyes they are in a relationship. The police are after them, so they devise a plan which consist of getting married so the man doesn’t go to jail.

 

The Less Than Human Club

An HB Studio Production

Playwright: Timothy Mason

Director: Trudy Steibl

Cast: Molly Carden, Anthony Cataldo, Christine Evangelista, Joanna Hartshorne, Annabel LaLonde, Luke Pendley, Gwen Royer, Michael Joseph Smith, Edwin Straw, Shaun Willis.

Design Consultants: Ray Recht, Maggie Lee-Burdorff Stage Manager: Stephanie Caragliano Production Assistant: Andrew Kerr-Thompson

The Less Than Human Club was performed April 30th – May 2nd, May 4th – 9th

Synopsis: The unexpected arrival of a postcard plunges Davis into his vivid memories of 1968 — a wildly turbulent year in both his high school and in the U.S. In the throes of navigating complex relationships, racial tensions, crises of sexual identity, and self-worth, Davis and his friends search for purpose in a society struggling through its own weighty issues. While school dances mark milestones in their high school careers, tensions bubbling up in the U.S. are increasingly mirrored in their lives, until an explosion seems imminent. A moving exploration of the often comical absurdities of teenage life in the midst of the heartbreaking realities of a changing world.

The Less Than Human Club - HB Studio

Six Available Men

An HB Studio Production

Playwright: Jocelyn MeinhardtSix Available Men - HB Studio

Director: Andy Goldberg

Cast: Mia Barron*, Ken Leung*, James Martinez*, Saxon Palmer*, Peter Rini*, Greg Shamie*, David Christopher Wells*.

Scene: Shoko Kambara Lighting: Chris Dallos Costume: Leslie Bernstein Sound: Fitz Patton Production Stage Manager: Matthew D. Britt  Technical Director: Joshua Sherer Casting: Vince Leibhart Audio Engineer: Sten Severson Master Electrician: Matthew D. Britt Paint Crew: Catherine Siracusa Sound Board Operator: Jason Paire

*Appearing Courtesy of Actor’s Equity Association

Six Available Men was performed February 14 – 15th, 18th – 22nd, 25th – 28th, 2004

Another Vermeer

The 2003 Herbert Berghof Memorial Production

Playwright: Bruce J. Robinson Another Vermeer - HB Studio

Director: William Carden

Cast: Bruce McCarty*, Austin Pendleton*, Hal Robinson*, Michael Urie.

Scenic Design: Michael Schweikardt Lighting Design: Chris Dallos Costume Design: Maggie Lee-Burdorf Sound Design: Christopher Webb Production Stage Manager: Matthew D. Britt Assistant Director: Catherine Siracusa Original Artwork: Tom Hooper, Andrew Reiss Technical Director: Joshua Sherer Scenic Construction: Marc Fernandes, Jesse Green, and Matthew Semler Sound Board Operator: Stephanie Caragliano

*Appearing Courtesy of Actor’s Equity Association

Another Vermeer was performed November 6th – 22nd, 2003

The Subway Plays

One Act Play Festival

Playwrights: Cusi Cram, Laura Shaine Cunnigham, Donna deMatteo, Catherine Filloux, Alexandra Gersten, Adam Kraar, Quincy Long, Julie McKee, Jocelyn Meinhardt, Edward Napier, Lisa-Maria Radano, Theresa Rebeck, Daniel Reitz, Susan Sandler, Joe Sutton, David Wiener, Tug Yourgrau

Directors: Amy Wright, Will Frears, Susan Einhorn, Christopher McCann, Nina Steiger, Nela Wagman, Jules Ochoa, Kent Paul, Christian Parker, Susan Einhorn, Linsay Firman, Julie Boyd, Marcia Jean Kurtz, Marcia Jean Kurtz, Amy Saltz, Linsay Firman, Susan Einhorn

Cast: Jen Albano, Brad Bellamy, Kenjuan Bentley, Larry Block, Brie Bryant, Marylouise Burke, Johann Carlo, Molly Carden, Anna Cody, Alex Cooper, John Daggett, Matthew Dawson, Stephan DeRosa, Doc Dougherty, John FitzGibbon, Lanny Flaherty, Fiona Gallagher, Kate Gersten, Maribel Gonzalez, Kathryn Grody, Sean Gullette, Edward A. Hajj, Katherine Hiler, Annabel LaLonde, Aarah Lord, Laura Marks, Bruce McCarty, Alexandra Napier, Rebeca Nelson, Matte Osian, Walter Pagan, Susan Pellegrino, Keith Powell, Dana Reeve, Dave Rosenberg, Caesar Samayoa, Stephen Singer, Michael Smith, Nick Toren, Marisa Vural

Scene: Michael Schweikardt Lighting: Chris Dallos Sound: Sten Severson Costume “Evening A”: Mary Margaret O’Neill Costume “Evening B”: Amela Baksic Production Manager: David Apichell Production Stage Manager “Evening A”: Sarah Keener Production Manager “Evening B”: Conor J. Loughran Director of the Playwrights Union: Pamela Berlin

The Subway Plays were performed June 10th – 29th

The D Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore by Laura Shaine Cunningham –  On a night train two men, Tom and Stanley greet two women who have just arrived in New York.

A Moment Defined by Cusi Cram: A woman and her boyfriend on a train to Brooklyn argue over their feelings toward each other.

Gerald And Josie…A Love Story by Donna de Matteo: On a subway platform Gerald and Josie, a husband and wife fight against a robber.

THE G Word by Catherine  Filloux: In a subway car a U.N General and Lemkin, a younger woman make a surprising connection.

Actresshead by Alexandra Gersten: Dolly, a 20 year old women and Hari, a middle aged man on a train talk about her acting career.

Brecht And The West Coast Offense by Quincy Long:  Two train workers and a woman waiting have an insightful conversation.

Colorful Past by Jocelyn Meinhardt: Natasha and Jake, two college students waiting on a trail platform talk about their childhoods.

Red Signal by Lisa Maria Radano: A mother, her young daughter, and a stranger get stuck in a train tunnel after a technical malfunction.

You Belong To Me by Daniel Reitz: Susan and Robby, two former lovers reconcile after they run into each other on a train.

The French by Joe Sutton: A french couple and an American man, Horace bond on a stalled train car.

No Exit by Theresa Rebeck: Three women, Julia, Stephanie, and Holly have several feuds as they’re in a stopped train on their way to a baby shower.

HB Studio's - The Subway Plays

 

 

War in Paramus

An HB Studio Production

Playwright: Barbara Dana

Director: William Carden

Cast: Anthony Arkin*, Beth Bartley*, Daisy Eagan*, Michael Hirstreet, John D. McNally*, David Rosenberg, Amy Wright*.

Scene: Ray Recht Lighting: Chris Dallos Costume: Amela Baksic Sound: Sten Severson Production Manager: David Apichell* Stage Manager: Christine McBridge Assistant Director: Catherine Siracusa Technical Director: Josh Sherer Master Electrician: Kathleen Peirce Sound Board Operator: Lawrence A. Aeschliman Scenic Construction: Michael L. Marra, Scott Sloan Electrics Crew: Joseph O’Keefe, J. Michael Zygo Paint Crew: Mary-Ellen Loukas, James Wilson

*Appearing Courtesy of Actor’s Equity Foundation

War in Paramus was performed April 12th – 26th, 2003

Synopsis: This play is about a wild, rebellious, fifteen year old girl in a conservative family living in Paramus, New Jersey, who’s conventional older sister, who always does everything right, is getting married because she’s twenty-two and that’s what you do. Tensions rise until the young girl sets fire to Ethical Culture where the wedding is scheduled to take place. Set in 1970, the war in the family is so all consuming that the Vietnam War, happening somewhere “over there”, is an afterthought.

War in Paramus - HB Studio