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Metropolitan Playhouse
The American Legacy

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The East Village Theater Festival

The East Village Chronicles, Vol.7 - Cast
Paul Bomba*
In New York City, Paul has appeared in productions of Beirut, Three Sisters, Tony N’ Tina’s Wedding, The Cherry Orchard, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Thieves Carnival, Picnic on the Battlefield, Blood Wedding, and The Philoctetes among others. Paul has appeared on Rescue Me, One Life to Live, and in over twenty independent film and video productions in the New York area, including the title role in Bono, an independent feature film, and as Joey Shovels in Vinny Vino, a multiple-award-winning short film. Founding member, Animus Theatre Company. Studied acting at Circle in the Square Theatre School, and policy analysis and management at Cornell University. www.paulbomba.com
Bomba
John Fennessy*
John is thrilled that Metropolitan Playhouse has given him the opportunity to return to the New York stage for the first time in 30 years. Broadway; Grease (original 1972 company), Over Here, (Starring The Andrews Sisters), Frankenstein, Got tu Go Disco, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat; Off Broadway; Greenwillow, (Equity Library Theater) National Tour; Fiddler On the Roof, 2nd National. Also: Director/Production Stage Manager of over one thousand Industrials (Business Theater) and special events; Executive speaker coach for over one hundred major corporations. He is a producer of the new musical , Words on Fire, based on the life of Frederick Douglass. Thanks to Paul Fouquet, Karen Ludwig and Trudy Steibl for lighting the path. www.johnfennessy.netwww.fennessyassociates.com
For Susi Wuennenberg.
Fennessy
Sidiki Fofana
Most recently performed at The Billie Holiday Theatre as Hubcap in The Legend of Buster Neal. Credits: No Place to Call Home (Paul Robeson Theatre). Homage 3:Illmatic (Black River Performing Arts). Casket Sharp (HorseTrade Theatre Group). Films: Deeper Than Rap Executive Produced by Rick Ross, The Children of Hip Hop, Missing Picture & Mean Streets. Sidiki is thrilled to be a part of the cast of Stained Glass. Making his debut at the Metropolitan Playhouse!.
Fofana
Kate Geller
Kate Geller is thrilled to be a part of Metropolitan Theatre’s East Village Chronicles. Credits include: TV/FILM: Mercy (NBC), Couples (Cannes Film Festival ’08), Sara&Jay4Ever (Pilot), multiple CollegeHumor.com sketches. THEATRE: Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse (Mile Square Theatre), Second Love (Kate), Mad Forest (Columbia University Theatre Co.), Jesus Hopped the A Train (Rutgers Theatre Company), The House of Bernarda Alba (Rutgers Theatre Company), Dershowitz Protocol (Michael Weller Theatre and Fringe Fest ’08), and Imminent Indeed… (Fringe Fest ‘06). MFA in Acting from Rutgers University, Mason Gross School of the Arts.  Thanks and love to Chris, and my supportive family and friends.
Geller
Emily Gittelman
Emily is a recent graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. She will be appearing as Theresa in Don Gio by Josh Pangbourn at the Midtown International Theater Festival this July. For more information about Emily and other upcoming projects, visit her website at emilygittelman.com. Emily would like to thank her teachers for guidance and patience, her family and friends for love and support, and everyone for coming here to support this festival.
Gittelman
Russell Jordan*
Russell Jordan makes his Metropolitan Playhouse debut in this production. Recent stage appearances include Athena Theater Company’s production of Beirut and MultiStages’ production of Hell and High Water, or Lessons for When the Sky Falls. Notable on-screen performances include Principal Dennis in the award-winning web series Anyone But Me. You can see Russell in Siodmak, an independent horror feature, which debuts later this year.  Visit www.RussellJordan.com to learn more about Russell and to subscribe to his newsletter.
Jordan
Gordon Kupperstein*

Gordon is an actor, a director and an attorney, having also worked in multiple production and administrative capacities in the theatre.  He has appeared in a wide range of roles in New York, including such works as The Cradle Will Rock, Fifth of July, Lorenzaccio, La Ronde, The Cherry Orchard, Hot Saki With A Pinch of Salt, and short works by Samuel Beckett.  In regional theatre he has appeared in A Man For All Seasons, Alice In Wonderland, Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living In Paris, You're A Good Man Charlie Brown, The Wizard of Oz, The Most Happy Fella, Troilus and Cressida, The Dumbwaiter, The Real Inspector Hound and Young Bucks, among others.  Recently he appeared in the Web Sit-Com Smile and Nod.  He has been fortunate to work with many fine teachers and directors, most recently at HB Studio.  Proud member of the Circle Rep Directors Lab.  MFA-Goodman School of Drama.

Kupperstein
Rob Maitner*
Rob made his off-Broadway debut in the musical Fairy Tales, winning the Backstage Bistro Award.  He originated the role of Mr. McQueen in the world premiere of Urinetown!  Other roles in New York include Shannon in Poor Super Man (Fringe Excellence in Performance Award),  the Chaplain in Fleet Week (Talkin Broadway Citation for Performance), Einstein in Picasso at the Lapin Agile and John the Baptist in Corpus Christi.  Regionally, he's appeared in Private Lives, Charley's Aunt, Secrets Every Smart Traveler Should Know and The Big Bang.  This and every performance is for David.  Always.
Maitner
Ralph Pochoda*
Off-Broadway: Creon – Oedipus (with James Earl Jones), Elias – Second Avenue;  Regional Theater/National Tour: Matt Friedman – Talley’s Folley, Iago – Othello, Jack –Broadway Bound, Claudius – Hamlet, The Attendant (God) – Steambath,  Brutus – Julius Caesar, Victor – The Price, Jaques – As You Like It, The Doctor – Medal of Honor Rag NY Radio: Macbeth – Macbeth, Claudius – Hamlet, Garcin – No Exit.  Recent NY appearences include three one-man pieces: Scrooge in Jason Grote’s surrealistic A Christmas Carol, Karl Marx’s illegitimate son in Sylvia Manning’s A December Eve’s Visit with Frederick Demuth, and. a smoking fetishist in Sharon Lintz’s Groupies.   He is a graduate of the Juilliard School Advanced Acting Program.
pochoda
Teresa Stephenson*
Teresa’s recent credits include the regional premiere of Neil LaBute’s Reasons to Be Pretty at the Studio Theatre in Washington DC; Race Music with Diverse City Theatre Company at Theatre Row; Y-E-L-L and Up with (Some) People at Ensemble Studio Theatre; Therese Raquin Desire with Project Y; and Caitlin and the Swan with The Management. Regional credits include Rosalind in As You Like It and Juno in The Tempest at The Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey; June Moon at the Dorset Theater Festival and Trash Bag Tourist with the New Orleans Theater Experiment. Film and television work include Evan and Gareth are Trying to Get Laid on Comedy Central and the independent feature Happy New Year (SXSW 2011). Teresa earned a BA from Vanderbilt University and an MFA in Acting from Rutgers University, Mason Gross School of the Arts.
Stephenson


The East Village Chronicles, Vol.7 - Playwrights

Robert Anthony
North Carolina playwright, Robert Anthony, studied English and Drama at Western Carolina University and then made his way to New York City. He has appeared in numerous films and Off-Off Broadway productions. Mr. Anthony has held a variety of jobs, including shrimp boat operator, Bible Salesman, and magazine editor. In recent years he has written six full-length plays and more than thirty one-acts, seven of which have had New York City productions. He currently divides his time between New York City and Cherryville, North Carolina.
www.robertanthonyplaywright.com
Anthony
Claudia Barnett
Claudia Barnett’s plays have recently been included in the Ingram New Works Festival, the Independent Actors Theatre Short Women’s Play Festival, and the Kennedy Center Page to Stage Festival. She has served as playwright-in-residence at Tennessee Repertory Theatre and guest faculty in Western Michigan University’s Prague Summer Program, and she is a professor of English at Middle Tennessee State University. Her book of short plays, I Love You Terribly, will be published by Carnegie Mellon University Press in 2012.
Barnett
Alberto Bonilla
Alberto Bonilla trained with Maggie Flanagan and William Esper at Rutgers University, Mason Gross School of the Arts receiving his MFA in Acting. Previously, He studied at The British American Dramatic Academy in Oxford, England and received his BA in Theater from Arizona State University. In addition to teaching, Alberto is a playwright, director, actor and fight director. His play Walking to America was published in “Plays and Playwrights 2005”. TV/Film credits: My Best Friends Girl with Dane Cook and Kate Hudson, Sopranos, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Strait No Chaser with Bronson Pinchot, The Territory, and All My Children. Stunt work: Pride and Glory with Colin Farrell, As The World Turns, and Spike TV.  His theater credits include performances at; The Kennedy Center, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, The York Theatre, The Beckett Theatre, The Ohio, 78th Street Theatre, Metropolitan Playhouse, and NJ Repertory Theater. He is a member of SAG, AEA, AFTRA, HOLA, NALIP, and Resonance Ensemble.
Bonilla
Lawrence DuKore
Lawrence began his writing career with the Richard Pryor film, Greased Lightning, which was produced by Hanna Weinstein for Warner Bros. His television play, A Mistaken Charity was produced by Lindsay Law for PBS/American Playhouse and was nominated for a Writers Guild of America award for best dramatic writing. As a lyricist, he wrote with the late Danny Hurd. Their songs were recorded by Bernadette Peters and Chita Rivera. Mr. DuKore has also written daytime tv serials: One Life to Live for ABC and Search For Tomorrow for NBC. For Saturday morning television, he wrote the cartoon series, Thunder Cats and Silver Hawks. For somewhat older teenage girls, his novels, Never Love a Cowboy and Long Distance Love, were published by Bantam. The Boy Barrier and its French version, La Rivale were published by Scholastic. He is a member of the Actors Studio Playwrights/Directors Unit and the HB Playwrights Foundation (Uta Hagen/Herbert Berghof). His plays have been produced regionally and off-Broadway. Exploding the Swan had its world premiere at the Montauk Playhouse, produced by Bill and Anita Brown. His play, Spinsters, was presented at Tennessee Stage (Knoxville) and also at CenterStage in Greenville, South Carolina. More recently, Tennessee Stage presented his coal-mining play, Carry Me Back to West Virginia. Mr. DuKore has been a semi-finalist three years running in the American Globe Theatre Festival of One Act Plays. He was a finalist in the Heideman Awards competition at the Actors Theatre in Louisville for his one act play, When Men Were Men. This play took first prize / “Audience Favorite” at the American Globe Theatre / Turnip Theatre Festival in New York City and was later presented in Kingwood (Texas) as part of their festival. His one act play, The Day that Brando Died, was also a finalist in the Heideman Awards at the Actors Theatre in Louisville. The Day that Brando Died was presented at the Jewish Ensemble Theatre (Michigan) as part of their two day festival and subsequently presented at CenterStage in Greenville, South Carolina

Bryce Richardson
Bryce Richardson is a screenwriter and playwright based in Brooklyn, NY.  He has studied at the University of North Texas and the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater.  He can currently be seen performing long-form improvisation with Iron Ruckus at Player's Theater.
Richardson
Michael Ian Walker
Michael’s play, Letter from Algeria, had its world premiere at the Abingdon Theater in NYC this fall, and at UNC-Chapel Hill this past summer. Other full-length plays include Blackout (Off Broadway in 2007), and The Unrellliable Narrator. Along with composer Kyle Ewalt, Michael’s musicals have been seen at Playwrights Horizons, Ars Nova, Joe’s Pub, and 92YTribeca. Their show, Bromance : The Dudesical, was most recently at Carolines On Broadway. Education: Yale University (BA) and The Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (MA). Thanks to the Metropolitan and all the EVC7 cast and crew for a great time with his first ever short! www.ewaltandwalker.com
Walker
Kathleen Warnock
 is a playwright and editor. Her work previously appeared in the East Village Chronicles with All Good Cretins Go To Heaven."(Best 10-Minute Plays, 2009). She is a member of the Dramatists Guild. This play is dedicated to Doric Wilson.
www.kathleenwarnock.com

Larry R. Yates
Larry returned to the theater as a contributor after retiring from Columbia University where he was an administrator and technologist.  To become a dramatist, he studied at Gotham Writers' Workshop and then joined Polaris North, a co-op of actors, directors, and playwrights.  He is also an associate member of the Dramatists Guild.  Larry thanks Metropolitan Playhouse for producing his first play.

Yates


Alphabet City VII - Cast


Clare Barron*
Clare hails from Wenatchee, Washington. She recently appeared as Miranda in Target Margin’s The Tempest and has developed and presented original work at the Theatre of Desire Cabaret (helmed by Deb Margolin), the Yale Playwrights Festival, the Grotowski Institute, and in Bafounda, Cameroon under the guidance of Gilbert Doho. She is an alum of the Emerge NYC artist/activist program at the Hemispheric Institute and a member of Masrah Ensemble (Beirut/NYC).
Clare Barron
Jane O'Leary*
This is Jane’s third time with Alphabet City having performed both The Mayor of Henry Street and  Touched in previous series. Favorite roles include Maureen in The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Bunny in House of Blue Leaves, Lenny in Crimes of the Heart and 18 roles in A State of Hope. Film: Welcome to Earth, and Among the Joneses. TV: NYCTV’s Secrets of NY.  IMPROV: Gotham City Improv and The Pit.   Thanks to Derek and Alex for having her back.  Special thanks to Patricio for sharing his heart, and Ted for the intro. Love to Frankie and Myles. www.janeoleary.biz
O'Leary
Joel Putnam
Joel is proud to make his Alphabet City debut this year. Previous New York stage credits include By The Light Of A Match with Snorks and Piñs Theater, and Something Outrageous with the 45th St Theater. Other stage credits include Seattle Repertory Actors Theater, Seattle Public Theater, Court Theater and University Theater at the University of Chicago. He'd like to thank Derek for the fascinating opportunity to tell stories on stage, and Danny for loaning his exciting life experiences for those stories-- he won't hope to duplicate Danny onstage, but he hopes his performance is at least a fitting tribute. Read more about Joel's acting and world travel at www.joelrputnam.com.
Putnam
Me'Lisa Sellers*
Me’Lisa is a NYC transplant via Des Moines, IA, where she received her B.A. in Theatre Arts from the University of Iowa. Some of Me'Lisa's favorite theatrical credits include regional theatre productions of Sheila’s Day (ensemble player in US and S. Africa); A Raisin in the Sun (Mama); The Wedding Band (Fannie); Simply Heavenly (Madam Butler); The River Niger (Anne); and For Colored Girls… (Lady in Green); The Colored Museum (Ensemble) and most recently One~Third of a Nation (ensemble player) here at the Obie Award-winning Metropolitan Playhouse.  Her television credits include Rescue Me, The Parkers, 3 Lbs., The Jury and multiple commercials.  Film credits include The Salon, About Ugliness and The Hebrew Hammer. Me’Lisa’s other creative talents entail fashion and wardrobe styling, jewelry design--found exclusively at Sohung Designs in the East Village--and most recently, playwriting, as she is currently scripting a length play and one-woman show.

Sellers
Keri Setaro*
NY Theater: The Awesome 80’s Prom, The Voyager (An evening of Eugene O’Neill), Alphabet City IV and V, Walk Two Moons, See Rock City, Women at 4 O’clock, JOE! The Musical and Historic Times. Regional Theater: The Matchmaker (Centerstage Baltimore) Ah, Wilderness! (St. Louis Repertory & Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park) and Proof. London Theater: The Water Engine and The King Stag. Television: All My Children and Law & Order: SVU, as well as numerous commercials and voice overs. She is a graduate of Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University and The London Academy of Theater and has studied with The Barrow Group and the improv group the Groundlings
Setaro
Abraham Sparrow
This is Abraham's 5th Alphabet City. Film & TV: I Am Legend, Super Ex-Girlfriend, Chris Rock Show; Theater: Christmas Carol at MSG, The Priest in Tony & Tina's Wedding Off B'roadway, and 20 years more of productions. An RBB&B Clown College grad, he has performed as a variety artist all over in many countries and especially North of the Zoo in Central Park. Thanks to all that came today, the help fulfill his passion. He seeks representation.

Sparrow
The East Village Theatre Festival- Crew
Andrew Firda
Andrew is delighted to direct Evening B for the East Village Theatre Festival.  He has appeared on stage in numerous productions for Metropolitan Playhouse.  Other directing credits: Twainathon (Metropolitan Playhouse), Gallery Players' Black Box Festival.  He holds an MFA from Ohio University.

Derek Jamison
This is the sixth time Derek has had the pleasure directing Alphabet City. Other work with Metropolitan include The East Village Chronicles II, War Prayer and War of the Worldz. He is the Associate Artistic Director of Emerging Artists Theatre Company. Credits there include Off-Broadway premieres of Claymont and Elephant Girls and whole bunch of other original work. Occasionally he is convinced to act Peculiar Works, La MaMa and New Jersey Shakespeare are among those who have. He is a graduate of NYU

Laura Livingston
Laura is the Artistic Director of the improv company, Freestyle Repertory Theatre (www.freestylerep.org). At the Metropolitan Playhouse she has written and directed The Purloined Detective, A Twice-Told Romance, The First Lowering, and Nellie and the Madhouse; written A Pearl of Great Price, An Inconvenient River and Quiet Howl; directed East Village Chronicles, Vol. 6; and acted in The Devil’s Disciple. She is a resident director for the Readers Ensemble Company. Her newest play, Brooklyn Crossing, is part of the Gallery Players Black Box Theatre Festival this month.

Alex Roe
Artistic Director of Metropolitan since 2001, his productions have included One-Third of a Nation, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, The Return of Peter Grimm (5 NYIT Award nominations), The Contrast, Nowadays, Year One of the Empire, Margaret Fleming, Denial, The OctoroonThe Scarecrow, Children’s Crusader, Metamora, Arden of Faversham, Pick Up Ax, Fashion, Bacchus, Dom Juan, and his own plays Haunted and Salem (published in 2006 by New York Theatre Experience).  As an actor, he has appeared here as Jesse James, Richard Dudgeon, and Blemie. Alex is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.

Liz Elise Richards*
Liz Elise Richards (Festival Stage Manager) is pleased to be back at Metropolitan Playhouse after managing Chasing Heaven during the Harlem Renaissance Festival. Recent credits include: The Changing Room and Balm in Gilead (T. Schreiber Studio) and The All-American Genderf*ck Cabaret (Paradise Factory). Other New York SM credits:  Joking Apart, The Cherry Orchard, Fifth of July, The Real Thing, Twelfth Night (all with T. Schreiber Studio), And A Wake Up (NYCFringe), Lizzie Borden (2010 Drama Desk nominee) and Children At Play (both with The Living Theater).

Christopher Weston
(Lighting Designer) At Metropolitan: One-Third of a Nation, Uncle Tom's Cabin, The Great Divide, The Drunkard, Under the Gaslight, Dodsworth, The Contrast, The Return of Peter Grimm (2010 NY IT Award Nomination for Outstanding Lighting Design).  Regional productions include Mrs. Mannerly (Penguin Rep), Logomaniacs (Actors Shakespeare Company), Proof, Having Our Say (Hangar Theatre), and The Color of Flesh (NJ Rep).  International: T.E.L.O.S. (European Biennial in Athens, Greece).  Recent and upcoming productions include To Carry On... (Cherry Lane), Fool for Love (Variations Theatre Group), What Happened in Ohio (NY Theatre Workshop), 300 Vaginas Before Breakfast (Blue Coyote Theater Group).  In NYC, his work has been seen at the Kitchen, John Houseman, Tribeca Performing Arts Center, 59E59, 45th Street Theatre, Barrow Group, Center Stage/New York,  HERE Arts Center, the Connelly Theatre and many more.  For more information, please visit www.chriswestondesign.com.

Michael Hardart
Michael Hardart (Sound Designer) has designed sound for The Great Divide, Under the Gaslight, It Pays to Advertise and EVC IV & V, all at Metropolitan Playhouse. He is also a director and actor who has been a part of many productions at Metropolitan, around New York, and around the country. Visit michaelhardart.com for more info.
Sidney Fortner
Sidney Fortner (Costume Coordinator) has coordinated, designed and built period costumes at times simultaneously acting, directing and/or producing‹for over 20 years.  Her costume credits include:  Our Town, Once Upon A Mattress, Measure For Measure, Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead, Volpone, Cabaret, The Importance Of Being Ernest, Urinetown, Assassins, My Fair Lady, The Tragedy Of King Lear, The Drunkard and most recently, The Great Divide.  She is currently Resident Costumer/Costume Manager at Metropolitan Playhouse. Contact:  elsid14@verizon.net.
* Appearing courtesy of Actors Equity Association. 
  East Village Chronicles, Vol. 7 and Alphabet City VII  are AEA Showcases.