From the Playwright...
"The first academic explanation I got for Hamlet emphasized the shift from a medieval to a modern world. The hero gets this terrible information that SHOULD mobilize him. The problem is that he gets this information from a ghost at a transitional historical moment (in Shakespeare's jumbled timeline) when people can neither believe nor disbelieve in the existence of ghosts with any confidence. Yet most productions I've seen treat ghosts as REAL. Frightening and dreaded, but not fundamentally astonishing. Hamlet's struggle is then all about murder, not about whether to believe what a spirit tells him. One thing I wanted to explore in The Fall is how someone would deal with a poltergeist in our own time when most any educated person has no belief whatsoever in the reality of ghosts."
About the Playwright...
Kenneth Nowell is a playwright whose works have been produced by The Looking Glass Theatre, Anagram, Expanded Arts and New Mercury. He was born in Mississippi and lives in Brooklyn. He recently participated in Chuck Mee's playwrighting workshop and Untitled Theater Company's 24/7 festival. For his story "Magnolia Under Glass, he was nominated for both a Pushcart Award and Million Writers prize. He has designed sound and set for numerous shows and worked extensively as a musician and songwriter.
About the Director...
Kate Marks, a graduate of Brown University with honors in Playwriting, has most recently completed The Looking Glass' production of Ark, a darkly comic work that she wrote as well as directed. Other recent directing credits include the sold-out production of Jack! at Looking Glass Theatre, and her own bilingual adaptation of The Odyssey at the Baracke Theatre in Germany. Other directing credits include Nothing of Origins (Studio 42), Reproduction (The Riant Theatre), Faith (The Broadway Institute), Romeo and Juliet, Lola and the Planet of Glorious Diversity, Decent, and Bumping Umbrellas (The Looking Glass Theatre). She has choreographed for Two Sides of A Coin Productions, Studio 42, and Cabaret at The Baracke Theatre in Germany.
CAST AND CREW BIOS:
VANESSA DANIELS (Jill): Theatrical credits include: The Lion in Winter (Indiana Rep.), Grease! (European Tour), Cowboy Mouth (Playwright's Horizon's), West Pier (Ohio Theater), Doo Wop Dracula (LaMama), and several productions with the Playwrights Theater of NY and the Stella Adler Conservatory. Film Credits include: Pet the Goat, The Sandpiper, Trackers (Oxygen Network), The Difference (Nickelodeon), and several NYU graduate films and commercials. Look for her on an upcoming episode of "Law and Order: Criminal Intent." Vanessa holds a BFA from New York University. Sincere thanks to cast and crew for this wonderful experience.
BETH GLOVER (Mary) was most recently seen in the critically acclaimed Off-Broadway production of Counsellor-at-Law playing Cora Simon opposite John Rubinstein. Also Off-Broadway: Body Shop at Westbeth; Prime Time Prophet at The Players; Appetite at The Miranda; Heartbreak with The Lark and more. National Tours: Dirty Blonde; Promises, Promises; Anything Goes; The Taffetas (opened for Ray Charles). Regional: Pittsburg CLO, Goodspeed, Walnut Street, GeVa, TheatreVirginia, Maine State, etc. Some favorite roles: Adelaide, Guys & Dolls; Billie Dawn, Born Yesterday; Phyllis, Follies (opp. Mark Jacoby); Shelley, Buried Child; Cantor, Book of Candy (World Premiere); Mira, Wicked City (World Premiere). TV: "As The World Turns," "Another World." Film: Leads in several Indies; in release now -- Family Portraits: An American Trilogy and Brother. Of her one-woman show Impaled on a Magnolia, The Observer's Rex Reed said, "Clever and hilarious. She's a formidable cross between Marilyn Monroe and Fannie Flagg."
SUSAN McBRIEN (Mother) has appeared in many New York productions, including The Taming of the Shrew (reversed gender), Twelfth Night, Macbeth, and in regional productions of Two By Two and Lend Me A Tenor. She also performs her own cabaret show The Ins and Outs of Love here in New York, and provides entertainment for elderly and wheelchair-bound patients with her own "portable" show Sooz Sings Songs That Make You Smile. She's currently finishing work on the independent film The Apartment, she'll be appearing in the upcoming movie musical The Producers, and has appreared on TV on "Law and Order," "Rescue Me" and several New York daytime dramas. She currently studies acting with Sande Shurin and voice with Norma Garbo.
NISI STURGIS (Lisa) is nutsy-crackers about this play and all the folks working on it. Nisi hails proudly from Arkansas. In 2000, she spent a summer at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. Then, took off for graduate school where she received an M.F.A. from the Old Globe Theatre where some of her favorite credits include Loves and Hours, dir. Jack O'brien, Pentecost, dir. Mark Lamos, and Marina in Pericles dir. Darko Tresnejak. Since moving to New York she has understudied the Roundabout Theatre's production of Intimate Apparel, dir Daniel Sullivan. This show goes out to Matthew and Jes, of course.
WILL ELLIS (Richard) is a graduate of CSU, Fullerton, where he studied Theatre and Sociology. His New York stage credits include Macbeth (Workshop Theatre) and Rock of Ages (Underground at GTT). Favorite roles of the past include Owen Musser in The Foreigner, and Lucas Brickman in Laughter on the 23rd Floor. Will thanks his Mom for her support (no money, mo' money, yo' money), and his entire family for their patience as he tries the "acting thing." To the Whybrew's, The Thompson's, The Jensen's and many other families: "Thank you." He thanks Kate Marks for her vision and trust, and for the entire cast and crew for putting up with his "stair walking." To his wife Erin, Will especially says, "Thank you, I love you, and the time will come." And to God who holds that time: Soli Deo Gloria.
JERRY MOND (Father) is pleased to be making his debut at The Looking Glass. His most recent appearances in the big apple include Off-Broadway roles in The Golem Stories and Stripped. Mr. Mond is a veteran of Summer stock and regional theater where he has performed such roles as Victor Franz in Arther Miller's The Price, Horace Giddons in Lillian Hellman's The LIttle Foxes, Harry Berlin in Luv and the Devil in Damn Yankees. Jerry also just completed an independent film soon to be released entitled The Bristol Boys. Jerry would like to thank the director, Kate Marks, the cast and the crew for their all their support and boundless energy.
ERIKA EWING (Assistant Director/Stage Manager/Shady Character) is a multi-talented professional actress, writer, and director daring to live out her divine potential. She holds a B.A in Theatre from Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts where and was the proud recipient of the Denton M. Snyder Acting Prize. Her love for the theatre led her to New Brunswick, New Jersey where she achieved her M.F.A in Theater Arts from Rutgers University, Mason Gross School of the Arts and was awarded the Patricia Roberts Harris Fellowship for her outstanding accomplishments in Acting. In April 2005, the Wake-Up Club on 98.7 Kiss-FM in New York City recognized Erika as their "Phenomenal Woman" for her artistic achievements. Erika continues to write and direct participatory drama workshops for an educational theatre company, The Creative Arts Team. She has been a featured director for The American Theatre of Harlem. Erika has appeared in many theater productions and staged readings throughout New York City. She is also a member of Gabrielle Lansner Dance Theater Company's. Her television credits include: ABC-TV, "All My Children," CBS-TV, "As The World Turns" and On-Air Hostess for Manhattan Cable- Channel 34 Video Culture. Music credits: "Can You?" song written and performed for the independent film For Charity's Sake. I thank my family and friends for their continued support. I thank God for blessing me with these amazing gifts. "The life I live inspire the art I create."
KAT VECCHIO (Assistant Director/Stage Manager) is excited to be working on her first production at The Looking Glass Theatre. She recently completed a casting internship at New York Theatre Work Shop and an internship in London with Sally Potter. Previous assistant directing positions include the 2004 season at the Hangar Theatre. She is currently working on a production with i-ensemble set to open late this summer. She graduated from Smith College.
MAX MacMILLAN (Assistant Director/Set Design/Production Assistant) is excited to trek uptown for her first collaboration with the Looking Glass. A graduate of Smith College and a native of California, she has been happily working in NYC as a director and designer at Theater for the New City, where recent projects include The Village Halloween Ball (New York's largest Halloween performance/party) and TNC's award-winning Street Theater. Max herself has won such awards as the Samuel Eliot Prize for Distinguished Directing and the Herb Alpert Foundation's Emerging Young Artist Award for Theatre. She looks forward to more exciting projects at the Looking Glass.
MARIA CATALDO (Set Design) is a visual artist, writer, director, and so on in this way. She teaches playwriting and writes plays for kids, uses a jigsaw, conceptualizes/actualizes site/user-specific installation environments, makes movies, and designs (e.g., this show). The proper names of some recent projects include: "Nita and Zita," "I Made This, (40 Worth)," "Small Spaces, Sometimes," and "Views." Maria recently completed a ten-month residency at Chashama Theater Company. Maria hopes you enjoy this show.
JAMES BEDELL(Light Design) is proud to be the resident lighting designer for the Looking Glass Theatre as well as a freelance designer all over NYC. A varied sampling of recent credits include; Falling Petals (Pace U.-Schaeberle Studio), Melancholia/Dis-ease (Looking Glass Theatre), Bizarre Science Fantasy (Brick Theater), The Snow Queen (Looking Glass Theatre), The Fall Collection (CSV, LaTea), A Christmas Carol (Northern Stage, VT), Cocktails With Coward (Northern Stage, VT), Camino Real (Pace U.-Schimmel Center), Kiss of the Spiderwoman (Pace U. Schimmel Center). James is thrilled to have this opportunity to work with such a talented and dedicated group of artists.
SEAN SULLIVAN (Costume Design) is excited to be working Kate again at the Looking glass (Jack and Ark). Most recent work includes Intrigue and Love at the Jean Cocteau repertory theatre, Sideman at Gallery Players. Other design credits include cult horror films Killjoy and The Horrible Dr. Bones.
OWEN O'MALLEY (Sound Design) studied directing and design at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. There he designed numerous student productions, along with several Main Stage (Tisch produced) shows. Off Off Broadway he has designed productions of Othello and The Merchant of Venice (Dreamscape Theatre Company), The Just Assasins (7th Sign), and the new play ...Straight on 'till Morning (78th Street Theatre Lab). He has also wiritten original music for Woyzeck, Yerma and Vinnegar Tom.
PACO TOLSON (Line Producer) is proud to have been involved in bringing this play to life on the stage. He would like to thank Kate Marks and applaud the hard work and dedication brought to the process by all involved. He is also an actor and has appeared with the Williamstown Theatre Festival, The Arden Theatre, EST, New Dramatists, Manhattan Theatre Source and the Looking Glass. He will appear next in How Light Is Spent at the 78th Street Theatre Lab this month.
