press release

Play By Play: Rendezvous

June 27 — July 15, 2012reviewsphotos

For Immediate Release

June 14, 2012
For interviews and features contact: Phil Elman, General Manager
518.828.7843 contact@stageworkshudson.org

STAGEWORKS/HUDSON CELEBRATES THE 16th ANNUAL PLAY BY PLAY FESTIVAL OF NEW ONE ACTS
June 27 to July 15, 2012

Hudson, NY - Artistic Director, Laura Margolis, announces the 16th annual PLAY BY PLAY FESTIVAL OF NEW ONE ACTS, produced at the company's home in Hudson, New York. Columbia County's award winning theater company will produce the festival from June 27 through July 15. Preview performances are June 27 and 28. Opening night is June 29 at Stageworks/Hudson's Max and Lillian Katzman Theater.

For the past fifteen years, Stageworks/Hudson's critically acclaimed PLAY BY PLAY Festival of New One Acts has been a staple of the season. Comprising four actors and eight new one-act plays, PLAY BY PLAY has become the cornerstone of our growing reputation for developing and producing adventurous new works that speak to a diverse audience. Stageworks has been hailed as a risk-taker in its refusal to shy away from producing new plays that illuminate the challenges faced in our contemporary world. This year the 2012 Festival titled PLAY BY PLAY: RENDEZVOUS, is no exception.

PLAY BY PLAY RENDEZVOUS features actors Claire Epstein, Steven Patterson, Louise Pillai and Christopher Smith in eight new plays by Kieron Barry, Hal Corley, Christina Gorman, Karla Jennings, Andrew Charles Lark, Kim Sykes, Zach Udko and Michael Whistler. The Festival is directed by John Sowle and Laura Margolis.

Chance meetings. Anticipated interludes. The familiar look of a friend or the unexpected gaze of a stranger. In PLAY BY PLAY RENDEZVOUS, eight of theater's most compelling playwrights take a look at risky, humorous, inspiring and surprising encounters – whether by intention, coincidence or accident.

In FREE by Karla Jennings, the frazzled CEO of a medical electronics firm encounters the man on whom he modeled his career – who is now happily homeless! LONELY HEARTS VENTURA by Kieron Barry is a funny and quirky look at contemporary love as seen through the "Missed Connections" postings found on the Craigslist website for Ventura, California. Hal Corley's I'D LIKE TO KNOW SO MUCH LESS ABOUT YOU brings together an unlikely match on a commuter train as Christina, an unemployed office worker in love with her cell phone, goes one-on-one with Fuller, an unkempt eccentric who is wiser than she knows. THE GOD PARTICLE by Christina Gorman takes place outside a bar in Geneva, Switzerland as Gavin, a particle physicist who has had way too much to drink, meets Izzy, a geneticist with far more than sex on her mind. Andrew Charles Lark's ASK ME! TELL ME! puts Jamie, a young gay man, in a high state of anxiety as he waits at the airport to meet Casey, his pen-pal soldier coming home from serving in Afghanistan – unfortunately Casey doesn't know that Jamie is a guy. In SEX AND COMMERCE by Kim Sykes, a successful academic who has written a best-selling book on sex workers is confronted by an activist social worker with a decidedly different point of view. Zach Udko's GRAVE SHOPPING WITH MAMA tells the darkly humorous story of Mama, a woman who is adamant that her son, Sebastian, is gay in spite of his protests; nothing, not even death, will change her mind. In QUIMPER by Mike Whistler, a lonely but passionate collector reveals the pleasures of owning an antique chamber pot from Quimper, France.

Funny, poignant and on the edge, PLAY BY PLAY RENDEZVOUS vibrantly unveils those life changing moments that bring us together, break us apart or simply drive us crazy!

PLAY BY PLAY RENDEZVOUS BIOS

PLAYWRIGHTS

KIERON BARRY (LONELY HEARTS VENTURA) Born in Stratford-upon-Avon, Kieron is the recipient of three Peggy Ramsay Foundation awards and a Norman Mailer Fellowship. He was also nominated for a London Evening Standard Theatre Award for his play STOCKWELL, which enjoyed two sell-out runs in London and was described by The Times in its five-star review as 'more gripping than anything else to be seen in the London theatre.' His other plays include MAHLER & RACHMANINOV, CUMQUATS – developed with the Royal National Theatre of Great Britain – and GRASSHOPPER LEGS: CASE CLOSED.

HAL CORLEY (I'D LIKE TO KNOW SO MUCH LESS ABOUT YOU) Plays: AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION and FINDING DONIS ANNE (Seattle Rep, Syracuse Stage, the Walnut Street, Westbeth; Atlanta, LA, Boston, Charlotte), IN THE CHARGE OF AN ANGEL (Stageworks/Hudson), MAMA AND JACK CAREW, EASTER MONDAY and ODD (published by Samuel French),1959 and IL NIDO È BELLO (finalists for the Heideman Award). Recent one-act productions: Washington, DC's Source; LA's Eclectic Co.; Santa Ana's Theatre Out; Theatre Three, Port Jefferson, NY; Flush Ink, Ontario, and Brooklyn's Gallery Players.

CHRISTINA GORMAN (THE GOD PARTICLE) Plays: AMERICAN MYTH: American Blues Theater Blue Ink Playwriting Award; The Public Theater Spotlight Reading Series; hotINK International Festival of Readings. JUST KNOTS: winner of Samuel French Short Play Festival and published by Sam French. SPLIT WIDE OPEN: Summer Play Festival (NYC); Princess Grace Award runner-up; Ensemble Studio Theatre New Voices Program Fellowship. DNA: Hangar Theatre; Prospect Theatre Company; New York International Fringe Festival (Overall Excellence in Playwriting Award). ORION RISING: New Harmony Project; Lark Play Development Center. New York Foundation for the Arts 2010-11 Fellow; Public Theater inaugural Emerging Writers Group member; Women's Project Playwrights Lab alumna.

KARLA JENNINGS (FREE) is a 2012 O'Neill Playwrights Conference finalist for CHILDREN LIKE US. Her Tea Party spoof WHACKING THE TURKEY was produced in Denver last November. Recognition includes two Sloan commissions, the National Arts Club Playwrights First Award, Lark Playwrights Week, the John Gassner New Play Award (SUNY Stony Brook); YES Festival of New Plays, and Stage Left's LeapFest. She's a former newspaper reporter whose freelance has appeared in The New York Times, Newsweek, Cosmopolitan, and elsewhere, as well as a book author ("The Devouring Fungus," on computer folklore).

ANDREW LARK (ASK ME! TELL ME!) graduated from Wayne State University with a BA in English. His play, STOP UP YOUR EARS!, a farcical account of a month in the life of Florence Foster Jenkins won the Heck- Rabi award and was produced at the Hilbery Studio Theatre in Detroit. He is currently work shopping his play, THE EMBRACE OF REDEMPTION and just finished the first draft of his first novel.

KIM SYKES (SEX AND COMMERCE) is a writer, with short stories published in Akashic books Noir Series. One of them, "Arrivederci Aldo," was included in The Best African American Fiction of 2010. SEX AND COMMERCE stems from her work as Director of Special Projects for the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW) to which this play is dedicated. Kim is also an actress who has performed with numerous theater companies including Crossroad Theatre, La Mama, Actor's Theater of Louisville, Brave New World Theater and Stageworks/Hudson. She can be seen in the independent film "Pariah," which won the John Cassevettes Award at the 2012 Independent Spirit Awards

ZACH UDKO (GRAVE SHOPPING WITH MAMA) is delighted to be returning to Stageworks/Hudson, where his play THE CLAW OF THE SCHWA was produced last year. His plays have been read or produced in New York, Los Angeles, the Bay Area, London, Edinburgh, and have won awards from the Kennedy Center A.C.T. Festival and the Midtown International Theater Festival. This summer, he looks forward to traveling to England with the cabaret piece he conceived and directed, STRANGER IN THE NIGHT. He contributed a chapter to the anthology "Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys," published by Plume and the basis of the Sundance television series. As a lyricist and performer, his music has appeared on MTV2, LOGO, Fuse, and Spike TV. A graduate of Stanford University (BA and MA, English) and New York University (MFA, Dramatic Writing), Zach has also been a theater critic for Back Stage and a Dramatists Guild Playwriting Fellow; he is currently a full-time Lecturer at New York University, Tisch School of the Arts.

MICHAEL WHISTLER (QUIMPER) Plays: THE F*GGOT MUSEUM (Theatre Off Jackson; Theatre Catalyst; Dixon Place); phidias8 (InterAct Theatre; Phoenix Theatre); LITTLE LAMB (InterAct Theatre; 20/20 Commission for New Plays; winner Virginia Brown Martin Award); I'M BARBARA EDEN (Stageworks/Hudson; Riverside Theatre Company); OUR LADY OF BALENCIAGA (Philadelphia Theatre Workshop); TUESDAY (Stageworks/Hudson). For Montgomery County Community College, he created HIDDEN RIVERS, theatrical evenings of oral histories of the College's students and community members. His next PLAY, THE PRESCOTT METHOD, will be given its world premiere at the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia in Spring 2013.

CAST

CLAIRE EPSTEIN is a graduate of Vanderbilt University, Circle in the Square Theatre School, and is currently studying improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade. Recent shows include: Estelle in NO EXIT (13th Street Repertory), June Miller in UNREACHABLE EDEN (Theatre for the New City), Isabella in MEASURE FOR MEASURE (Secret Theatre), Kathleen in HARRY AND PEP (LAByrinth Theatre Co. Intensive), Tricia in DOG SEES GOD (Studio Theatre, DC). She can also be seen in national print ads for Amtrak. For more: www.claireepsteinactor.com.

STEVEN PATTERSON has performed in New York City and regionally with such theaters as South Coast Repertory, TheatreWorks, Capital Repertory, Kaliyuga Arts, Lexington Conservatory Theatre, freeFall Theatre, Chenango River Theatre, Centenary Stage Company, Depot Theatre, Contemporary Opera Marin, and the Oregon, Orlando, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Utah, and Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festivals. A few of his favorite roles include Lear in KING LEAR, Jean Genet in BEAUTY, Austin Wiggin in THE SHAGGS: PHILOSOPHY OF THE WORLD, David in POOR SUPER MAN, Zach in A CHORUS LINE, the Creature in FRANKENSTEIN, Judi Boswell in HOW TO PRAY, and August Howe in THE MOUND BUILDERS.

LOUISE PILLAI's most recently appeared in Stageworks/Hudson's productions of THE DIVINE SISTER, PLAY BY PLAY SHADOWS and THE MOUND BUILDERS for Kaliyuga Arts. She is well known in the Hudson Valley for her work at numerous regional theater companies including Rhinebeck Center for the Performing Arts, The Two Of Us Productions, Tri Arts, Saturday Night Liv, Taconic Stage and Classics at the Point. Productions include: CAROUSEL, RAGTIME, CABARET, AGNES OF GOD, HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE, BLITHE SPIRIT, THE GOOD DOCTOR and numerous others.

CHRISTOPHER SMITH New York theater credits include: TENNIS IN NABLUS (Stageworks/Hudson), EURYDICE (Walking the Dog Theater); LA theater: THE CHERRY ORCHARD, ANTIGONE, ORANGE FLOWER WATER (LA Times Critic's Choice), THE PAVILION (StageSceneLA award for best male performance of the year). Independent film credits: "Wart," "The Golden Age," and "Something Blue" (winner Best Feature at the Sonoma International Film Festival).

DIRECTORS

John Sowle (Director/Set Designer) is the Associate Artistic Director of Stageworks/Hudson where he also serves as Literary Manger. For Stageworks he co-directed PLAY BY PLAY BLUE MOONS and PLAY BY PLAY: SHADOWS. He is the founding partner of Kaliyuga Arts, the production company for which he has directed and designed more than 25 productions in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City and this past spring, in Hudson, NY (www.kaliyuga.com). Favorite design work for Kaliyuga Arts includes POOR SUPER MAN by Brad Fraser, ALL THAT FALL by Samuel Beckett, Robert Montgomery's SUBJECT TO FITS and an adaptation of Michael Ondaatje's THE COLLECTED WORKS OF BILLY THE KID. Other designs include the Off-Broadway production of CRIME AND PUNISHMENT at the Harold Clurman Theatre, CRIME AND VARIATIONS for J.B. Productions in San Francisco and Judith Weir's HEAVEN ABLAZE IN HIS BREAST at Contemporary Opera Marin. He received Bay Guardian Upstage/Downstage Awards for his designs of PROBLEM CHILD at EXIT Theatre and THE YEARS for Signal Theatre, both in San Francisco. Most recently he directed and designed THE MOUND BUILDERS which was performed at Stageworks/Hudson and a revival of the Al Carmines/Gertrude Stein musical IN CIRCLES at Judson Church in Greenwich Village where it was originally produced. John has a BS from MIT and a Ph.D in Dramatic Art from UC Berkeley.

Laura Margolis (Director) is the founder and Artistic Director of Stageworks/Hudson. Her directing credits for Stageworks include: THE AMISH PROJECT, IMAGINING MADOFF (premiere), NOWHERE ON THE BORDER (world premiere), CAR TALK (world premiere), FALLING: A WAKE (American premiere), A WEDDING STORY (American premiere), DOG STORIES (world premiere), TENNIS IN NABLUS (2nd production) and many regional premieres such as OMNIUM GATHERUM, LEBENSRAUM, GUTENBERG! THE MUSICAL!, BRUTAL IMAGINATION and WIT. Highlighting her career are the plays she has directed for Stageworks' annual PLAY BY PLAY festival of original one-acts. Regionally, she has directed at Capital Rep, Proctors, SUNY/Albany, among others. Laura has received the Certificate of Recognition from the Columbia County Board of Supervisors for providing original and creative opportunities to the community and the Columbia County Arts Award for Artist "for excellence in developing and fostering the arts in Columbia County." She attended Brooklyn College's MFA in Arts Administration program and has taught as an adjunct professor of theater at SUNY/Albany.

DESIGN TEAM

The design team includes: John Sowle (Set/Lighting Design), Phil Elman (Sound Design/Technical Director), Moe Schell (Costume Design). The Stage Manager is Jennifer Schilansky, the Assistant Stage Manager/Understudy is Aizzah Fatima.

About Stageworks/Hudson

Stageworks has established a reputation for its ambitious programming and adventurous productions. The company is especially known for producing the bold, risk-taking work of new dramatic voices. Central to its vision is Futures, an integrative program designed to move Stageworks to the forefront of new play development. Stageworks is both the experiment and the resource to infuse the whole life of the theater with a creative process that produces new ways of expressing, interpreting and sharing the human experience.

Stageworks/Hudson recently launched five of the plays the company premiered into the next phase of their development. In 2011, FALLING: A WAKE (American premiere, 2008) was optioned by Daryl Roth Productions for a commercial run in New York, TENNIS IN NABLUS (East Coast premiere, 2nd production, 2011) was slated for a non-profit Off-Broadway run at the Culture Project in 2012, IMAGINING MADOFF (premiere, 2010) was regionally produced in Washington, D.C. and two plays from the 2011 season's PLAY BY PLAY Festival of New One Acts were chosen for publication in Smith & Kraus' 2012 best ten minute plays anthology. These recognitions are a measure not only of the quality of the plays Stageworks produces, but of the attention that the industry is paying to the gifted playwrights Stageworks has supported.

Stageworks is a member of the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce and Perform Columbia. It is the recipient of a Proctors Regional Arts Award honoring the outstanding work of performing arts organizations and is the recipient of the Crystal Apple Award from the Chamber of Commerce for providing a positive effect both culturally and economically on the quality of life in our community.

Plays are for everyone, whether written by students, established authors or emerging dramatists. Theater illuminates, expresses and interprets the human experience and profoundly serves as a global stage for social exchange and enrichment. Stageworks complements its main season with a series of programs to encourage and engage young people, traditional theatergoers and new audiences. Stageworks continues to actively take a leadership role in establishing the Hudson Valley as a cultural destination by exploring and expanding its reputation for developing new theatrical works, forms and programs.

PLAY BY PLAY RENDEZVOUS - FACT SHEET

Calendar of Events:
Previews: June 27 and 28
Opening: Friday, June 29
Closing: Sunday, July 15

Performance Calendar:
PLAY BY PLAY RENDEZVOUS at Stageworks/Hudson
Wednesday at 7:30 pm: June 27, July 4, July 11
Thursday at 7:30 pm: June 28, July 5, July 12
Friday at 8:00 pm: June 29, July 6, July 13
Saturday at 8:00 pm: June 30, July 7, July 14
Saturday Matinee at 2:00 pm: July 14
Sunday Matinee at 2:00 pm: July 1, July 8, July 15

Talk Back with the cast and directors post-performance: July 5 and July 12

Cast (Ensemble):
Claire Epstein, Steven Patterson, Louise Pillai and Christopher Smith

Playwrights:
Kieron Barry, Hal Corley, Christina Gorman, Karla Jennings, Andrew Charles Lark, Kim Sykes and Zach Udko

Production Team:
John Sowle, Director
Laura Margolis, Director
John Sowle (Set/Lighting Design), Phil Elman (Sound Design/Technical Director), Moe Schell (Costume Design), Stage Manager is Jennifer Schilansky, Assistant Stage Manager/Understudy is Aizzah Fatima.

Tickets:
For tickets or information, contact Stageworks by mail at 41-A Cross Street, Hudson, NY 12534 or call the box office at (518) 822-9667. For further information, visit the website at www.stageworkshudson.org.

Single ticket prices are:
$18 for preview performances
$24 for Weekdays, Matinees and Sundays
$29 for Friday and Saturday evening performances.
Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more and there are special rates for students and seniors.

Visit Stageworks' home page for more details at www.stageworkshudson.org.

***

Stageworks/Hudson's mainstage season is made possible, in part, with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency. Additional major support provided by The Shubert Foundation, Ernest O. Reaugh Foundation, City of Hudson, Columbia County Tourism, Bank of Greene County Foundation, Empire State Appraisal Consultants, Hudson River Bank & Trust Company Foundation, Jewish Communal Trust, Kinderhook Bank, Stewart's Shops, Trustco Bank, Ulster Savings Bank, United Way, Wood Hill Veterinary and individual donors.
We need your help — Make a donation today!

Stageworks is a member of Columbia County Chamber of Commerce, Perform Columbia, BeLo3rd and HADA.

Stageworks On The Hudson, Inc. is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization. Contributions are fully tax deductible as allowed by law.
All pages © Stageworks On The Hudson Inc • PO Box 200, Hudson NY 12534 • Tel 518-828-7843