VINCENT MARANO (Writer/Director)
Vincent has been a fixture in the New York Theatre community for fifteen years
and at the New York International Fringe Festival for the last three, directing
the award-winning productions of Tim Nolan's "The Way Out" (Fringe,
2002, Best Performance), "Acts of Contrition" (Fringe, 2003, Best
Play), sold out hits "Wrong Barbarians" and "Choking on Happiness"
(Fringe 2004) and as dramaturg "Halflife" (Fringe 2005, Best Play).
At the Classic Stage Company he produced the critically acclaimed Box Office
of the "Damned" (with the then unknown Kristin Chenoweth), was a resident
director at Belmont Italian American Playhouse; producing or directing a dozen
plays, including early works by Julia Jordan, and a series of Italian language
productions of Pirandello, Dario Fo and Eduardo De Fillipo. Vincent was the
General Manager of Chelsea Playhouse (until its literal demise in 2003) where
he directed or co-produced shows by the TWEED ("Caged Heat" and "The
Postman Always Comes Twice" staring Varla Jean Merman), Present Tense Productions
(as director in residence), the Epiphany Theatre, El Extreme, Absolute Theater
and Riverside Theatre Company. An actor, writer and producer as well, Vincent
got his start with The Family, MCC and Circle Rep. He has studied at the Roundabout
and Terry Schrieber Studios and worked with the Drama Project. He received his
MA in Playwriting and Directing from Hunter College. He has directed over fifty
productions or staged reading in the New York City area since 1998. He's currently
working on his "Italian Iceman Cometh" and hopes to produce it at
the ManhattanTheatreSource. Thanks to a great cast, especially Tod and Barb,
an amazing family, kudos to the maestro, and the theatresource tribe, especially
Daryl, Fiona, Ed and Jennifer. You guys are the reason that theater still lives
in New York.
JOHN BLAYLOCK (First Man/Fourth Man/Gaffer) ETHAN J. DOWNING (First Soldier) TOD ENGLE (Community Executive) JERRY FERRIS (Second Soldier/Vendor) DON JUHLIN (Second Man) KELLY A. MOORE (Assistant Stage Manager) ROBERT A. NGUYEN (Stage Manager/Assistant Director)
KATHLEEN O’NEILL (Su) CHRISTINA
ROMANELLO (First Woman/Reporter) CHERI WICKS (Second/Fourth Woman) LAURA WILLIAMS (Mari/Ri) **Original music for "A Collapse" composed
by: ANDREA MAZZARIELLO **Set Design by DAVID ROMAN & ED McNAMEE **Lighting Design by: JASON STURM teatro oscuro
was born in the commercial and cultural fire that consumed the Chelsea Playhouse.
You know the story, a small group of friends, sans home or patron, who share
an irresistible desire to create live theater come together to put on shows
that only a few see, but all remember. With a century of combined theater and
stage experience, teatro oscuro is truly a fringe group of drama queens and
kings dedicated to the trinity of the stage. We write, we perform, we drink,
and not necessarily in that order. "A Collapse" marks their
third production after the Fringe festival hit "Choking on Happiness:
The Best It's Ever Looked & Homesick."
John was most recently seen as Abraham Cahan, founder of the Jewish Forward newspaper and author of "Yekl, A Tale of the New York Ghetto," in Michael Bettencourt's "Bintel Briv" which was presented as part of the East Village Chronicle series at The Metropolitan Playhouse. He also appeared as Manny in Joe Lauinger's "A Wedding Album," Gene Glimmer in "Side Man," Jack Mullen in "The Weir," and Sidney Bruhl in "Deathtrap" with The Gallery Players. Other NYC credits include Frederick Treves in "The Elephant Man," Teach in "American Buffalo," and Basil Hallward in Karen Castle's adaptation of "The Picture of Dorian Gray." (Management: Tsu Tsu Unlimited, 212-989-3424.)
Ethan is excited to be a part of "A Collapse," having worked on both the workshop production at the Mannhattan Theatresource ("...waiting") and the Fringe Festival production this past summer. A graduate of Fordham University, his credits include: "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (Billy
Bibbit), "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (Lysander), "The Complete
Works of William Shakespeare Abridged," and "The Fantasticks"
(Mute). Tours include a two month dramatic production
of "Peter Pan" (Peter) with the Rocky Mountain Theater Company.
He is currently working on the indie short film "Coffee and Fools." He would like to thank his family and friends for their infinite support and love, and would like it noted he has not been on Law and Order. For more about Ethan please check out: www.ethandowning.net
Tod has appeared in numerous off Broadway productions, including three shows
in the New York Fringe Festivals. On television he has guest starred on "Law
and Order: SVU" and "Hope and Faith," and is often on "One
Life to Live" "Late Night with Conan O'Brien." as well as this coming season of "The Sopranos;" He just finished
playing a leading role in the indie feature, "Love in the Age of Dion,"
and the short, "Cycle Unknown."
Jerry Ferris - Appeared in a Principle Role as a NYC Police Officer in Fox Television's
"America's Most Wanted". He recently completed work on the Independent
Feature Film "Love in the Age of Dion", which has been selected by
the L.I. International Film Expo. On stage he appeared at the Cherry Lane Studio
Theatre in "The Eggnog Talking", The Manhattan Theatre Source in "Waiting",
Harold Clurman Theatre in "Red Light", The Chelsea Playhouse in "Lunch
at Tom's", and The Strawberry One-Act Festival in "The Session".
His other credits include Max in "Bent" and Teach in"American
Buffalo".
Hails from Seattle … many years ago. He achieved some amount of notice
as a courtroom artist, under contract to CBS News for several years prior to
which, he supplemented his acting paychecks working for several news outlets
in the San Francisco Bay area, and garnering three Emmys along the way. After
leaving CBS in 1991, he ventured on to New York to fulfill his constant ambition
to return to the acting profession for which he’d trained at the University
of California, Pasadena Playhouse. New York credits include Guiding Light, Sex
and The City, Law and Order, One Life to Live, As the World Turns, as well as
various film and stage productions. He is happily married to the delicious Valerie
Adami of the Weist-Barron Film and Television School.
Kelly started her senior year at Fordham University this fall. She spends a great deal of time working behind the scenes for Mimes and Mummers and Fordham Experimental Theater. Kelly has stage managed numerous shows, including: “Antigone and Medea,” “The Book of Liz,” “The Last 5 Years,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “The Fantasticks,” “The Real Inspector Hound,” “The Subdued Get-Together,” and “On the Town.” She also served as President of Fordham Experimental Theater. She’d like to thank her family and friends for their constant love and support.
Rob is excited to be stage managing "A Collapse," having worked on the Fringe Festival production this past summer. A graduate of Fordham University, his production credits there include lighting design for Children of Eden, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Ponce: DeLeon and the Fountain of Youth, as well as director and lighting designer for The Fantasticks. Rob also served as president and business manager of Fordham Experimental Theater. More recently, Rob worked as a dresser on the New Victory Theater's production of Brundibar, and as an Assistant Stage Manager on Counts Media's workshop production of The Field of Mars: Chapter 1.
Kathleen has been working as a director and actor in New York, Boston and Miami. Her directing credits range from Pinero’s “Short Eyes” and William Wells “Gertrude Stein and A Companion” to “Blithe Spirit” by Noel Coward. She is a proud member of the Estrogenius Festival at Manhattan Theatre Source. Her most recent NYC acting credits include Lyubov in ”Cherry Orchard” and Clytemnestra in “The Greeks“, Some of her other favorite acting credits Olympia in “The Conduct of Life” (winner Best Supporting Actor), Jessica Lyons in “The Cat’s Paw” and originating the role of Maddy in “Blood Relative”. She is excited to be part of the NYC Fringe Festival and delighted to be a part of the cast of “A Collapse”!
Christina Romanello was last seen at Manhattan Theatre Source in the workshop
production of "A Collapse." She has performed numerous times in The
A Train Plays (24 hour play series) at the Neighborhood Playhouse and can be
seen this summer in the indie feature film "Love in the Age of Dion,"
at the Long Island Film Festival.
Cheri Wicks, a native of Montana, is excited to join the cast of A Collapse. Favorite New York theater roles include: Claire in Fuddy Meers, Mercy in Greyhounds, Agnes in The Shadow Box, Estelle in No Exit, and Queen Margaret in Henry VI, part III. Television credits include Sex and the City, The Sopranos and Law & Order. Always – immeasurable gratitude to her husband, John Shaw, her family, friends and teachers for their love, support and wisdom.
Laura is thrilled to be involved in her first Fringe Festival. As an actor and
theatre technician, you can see Laura’s work all over NYC (or not, if
she is dressed in black!), most recently having stage managed under the direction
of Vincent Marano for the long-running one-woman comedy "Corn Bread and
Feta Cheese: Growing Up Fat and Albanian." She currently is a house electrician/lighting
designer at Florence Gould Hall and a follow spot operator at "Altar Boyz."
Favorite past roles include Sara ("Stop Kiss"), Judy ("Stupid
Kids"), Katharine ("When Shakespeare's Ladies Meet"), and Anya
("Vanishing Act"). No stranger to original works, Laura has appeared
as a guest fencing artist ("A Hollywood Halloween"), Cara ("Random
Axe"), Joley ("Bloody Sky") and in numerous workshops and readings,
including the workshop production of "Waiting…" - "A Collapse’s"
former incarnation. She is a graduate of Drew University's Theatre Arts program
and has also never appeared on Law and Order.
Andrea Mazzariello, a.k.a. Massey, is an artist
living and working in New York. He creates multimedia artifacts with components
in sound, text, and image. Andrea composes and peforms his own music, for which
he creates an iconography and a body of provocative, (somewhat) explanatory
text. These efforts typically consolidate into releases by Loophole Records
and Publishing, an independent label that works in small batches of handmade
products, run on an ethical and socially responsible business model. A member
of the underground collective Thank You Campaign, Andrea collaborates actively
with other artists, most notably Martonyi, Timshel, Short Yum, Compton, and
the freaked-out pop band X27. Andrea has been working with Vincent Marano for
many years, and hopes the collaboration continues to grow in frequency and scope.
Fresh off their Scenic Design collaboration for “La Gioconda,” a New Musical at Theatre Row, David and Ed were pleased and proud to be asked to collaborate once again on “A Collapse.” David is a painter and sculptor by trade who specializes in Prop Design and Fresco work, Ed is a Carpenter and Playwright, who founded Manhattan Theatre Source; and together… they’re detectives. David is available for professional Fresco work in your home, office, or store, and of course they’re available together as a set design team. Please contact them at design@theatresource.org. Thank you always to Ashley and Nancy for the inspiration, and to Vinnie for the opportunity and the challenge!
Jason Sturm has designed Lighting and Scenery, for hundreds of events for Broadway, Regional Theatre, Opera, Ballet, Modern Dance, Rock 'n' Roll, Corporate, etc. His designs have been well received on several continents! He lit the worlds largest sand-castle, received the 1998 ACE award for his set/lighting design for The Fanlights by Rene Marques, 2006 HOLA awards for best scenery and for best production for the premiers of Lorca Federico Lorca and Blanco. Broadway credits include Chu Chem, Miss Margarida's Way, Truly Blessed. World premiers include works by Mark Medoff(The Heart Outright), Eduardo Machado(Once Removed), Mario Fratti(Sisters), Wanda Arriega(Qué Felices Son Las Barbies). He has worked with such noted directors, artist, and celebrities as: John Cage, Peter Sellars, Vincent Price, Estelle Parsons, Bonnie Raitt, Alan Ginsberg, Santa Fe Opera, Rita Moreno, John Denver, the Living Theatre, Lou Reed, Philip Glass, Spoleto Festival, Bill Clinton, Rudi Giulliani, Mike Bloomberg. Recent works include; the world premier of A Magic Place; Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum (event hall), The World Trade Center Plaza Summer Stage (until 9/11/01). Mr. Sturm is currently a freelance Designer, Artist, and Poet living in NYC.
"When shall we see poets born? After a time of disasters and great misfortunes,
when harrowed nations begin to breathe again. And then, shaken by the terror
of such spectacles, imaginations will paint things entirely strange to those
who have not witnessed them"~ Diderot