by Kathleen Cahill
FREE NPSS Reading
Monday, April 30 @ 7 pm
Company Cheryl Gaysunas, Jacob Johnson, Deena Marie Manzanares, Amanda Maylett, Nicki Nixon, Nick O'Donnell, Zack Phifer, Barbara Smith
Director Alexandra Harbold
Salt Lake Acting Company is thankful to the Jarvis and Constance Doctorow Family Foundation and the Dramatists Guild Fund for their generous and vital support of our New Play Sounding Series program.
KATHLEEN CAHILL (PLAYWRIGHT) Kathleen's awards include the Jane Chambers Playwrighting Award (for her musical, DAKOTA SKY) a Jane Chambers Honorable Mention (for CHARM) two Connecticut Commission on the Arts Playwrighting Awards, (for THE STILL TIME and CHARM) a Massachusetts Artists Foundation Award, a Rockefeller Grant, a National Endowment for the Arts New American Works Grant, two Edgerton Foundation Awards (for CHARM, and for THE PERSIAN QUARTER) and a Drama League Award. Her musicals include for THE NAVIGATOR, FRIENDSHIP OF THE SEA; DAKOTA SKY, an opera, CLARA, two opera/cabarets, FATAL SONG, and A TALE OF TWO CITIES: PARIS AND BERLIN IN THE TWENTIES. Her plays include THE STILL TIME (Georgia Rep/ Porchlight Theatre, Chicago) the comedy, WOMEN WHO LOVE SCIENCE TOO MUCH (Porchlight Theatre and NPR Radio) HENRI LOUISE AND HENRY (Cleveland Public, Firehouse Theatre, Massachusetts) CHARM (National New Play Network Festival, Salt Lake Acting Company premiere, Kitchen Dog Theatre, Dallas; Orlando Shakespeare) and THE PERSIAN QUARTER (Salt Lake Acting Company, Merrimack Rep.) She wrote the screenplay for the film Downtown Express, which premiered at the 2011 Woodstock Film Festival. She has also written short stories for Cosmopolitan Magazine, worked as a journalist for the Hartford Courant, and co-authored medical papers for JAMA. Ms. Cahill received an MFA in Writing for Music-Theatre from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. She works as writer/senior editor for Masterpiece on PBS where she writes the Introductions to Downton Abbey, presented by Laura Linney, and the Introductions to Mystery! presented by Alan Cumming.
Company
CHERYL GAYSUNAS (CLEO) lasted visited SLAC as Margaret Fuller in CHARM. Recent Pioneer Theatre credits include LAUGHING STOCK, IS HE DEAD?, NOISES OFF, and THE HEIRESS. Broadway credits: the original production of LA BETE, THE MOLIERE COMEDIES, and AN IDEAL HUSBAND, directed by Sir Peter Hall. Television credits include Den Brother, Law & Order, The Chapelle Show and many commercials. Cheryl has a husband named Jeff, a daughter named Phoebe, and cats named Bruce and Pete, all of whom are lovely and highly entertaining.
DEENA MARIE MANZANARES (DAISY) is a graduate of the Atlantic Theater Co. Acting School in NYC. Training also includes NYU's CAP21 and Juilliard. Among NYC credits are Witch/Mom in AMAZING ADVENTURES OF ARTHUR (Atlantic Theater Company) and Darlene in BALM IN GILEAD (Atlantic 453). Deena Marie has previously been seen at SLAC as Dana in (a man enters), Shirin/Azedeh in THE PERSIAN QUARTER, Blue Dog in GO, DOG. GO!, Ida in SKIN IN FLAMES, Sara in BOY and various readings in the NPSS. Local credits include Plan-B, Egyptian Theatre Co., Pygmalion Productions, Pioneer Theatre Co, Meat & Potato, Hale Centre Theatre and others. Recent highlights include Actor #5 in THE THIRD CROSSING (PLAN-B) and Sheila in HAIR (ETC). Deena Marie writes and performs sketch comedy on the web and has been featured on G4TV's "Attack of the show", MTV's "It's on with Alexa Chung", and our local KUTV2 Morning Show and "Good Things Utah". She also creates and appears in a weekly video for the Salt Lake City Weekly website. Recipient, Salt Lake Magazines Best of the Beehive (The Comedienne), and City Weekly's Best of Utah (Media/Politics). Next up is SLAM with PLAN-B Theatre Company, May 2012. She is a proud member of Actors Equity. www.deenamarie.biz
AMANDA MAYLETT (LILLY) This is Amanda Maylett's first experience working with SLAC and is extremely excited to be part of this team. She is currently a freshman and a theatre major at Westminster College. Her favorite educational productions include 42nd Street (Anytime Annie), Pride and Prejudice (Elizabeth), and The Ride Down Mt. Morgan (Bessie). Amanda would like to thank her family for their continuous support.
NICKI NIXON (POPPY) is excited to return to SLAC for her first reading after having the privilege of playing Antigone in TOO MUCH MEMORY. She was most recently seen in the SLAC reading of THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY OF STEVE JOBS and as Annelle in Pinnacle Acting Company's STEEL MAGNOLIAS. Other local credits include Michella in Off Broadway's TRANSMORFERS and Princess Justine in PUSS'N'BOOTS at the Children's Theatre. She is a proud graduate of Weber State University's Theatre Arts Program, where some of her favorite roles include Tess in SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION, Angie/Dull Gret in TOP GIRLS, and Eve in WAITING FOR THE PARADE. She was also give the opportunity to perform as a Weird Woman in MACBETH at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.. She has been a proud and faithful subscriber at SLAC for the last 4 fun-filled years.
NICK O'DONNELL (NIGEL) NICK CHEEK-O'DONNELL (NIGEL) is thrilled to be working with Salt Lake Acting Company again for this reading of MONSTERHEART. He's done a few readings at SLAC before and loves the type of collaboration readings foster between playwright, performers and audience. Three years ago at SLAC, Nick doubled as Stephen Hawking and Jesus in END DAYS and Buisson and Verbeek in THE OVERWHELMING. He has also done stints at the Pioneer (JULIUS CAESAR) and Plan B (SLAM '08). A graduate of Carleton College, Nick worked in Minnesota with the Children's Theater Co., Theatre de la Juene Lune, Frank Theater and the Jungle Theater. In the Northwest, Nick performed with Seattle Shakespeare Co., Wooden O, Book-It Rep, Montana Shakespeare in the Parks and Seattle Children's Theater. He has coauthored a travel guidebook on NYC & designed theater posters for the U. Nick will enter the Master of Social Work Program at the U this Fall. These days Nick spends much of his time monkeying around with his four-year-old daughter and one-year-old son.
ZACK PHIFER (CHARLEY) Zack had uber fun doing SLAC's well received production of GOD OF CARNAGE last fall. After graduating from the U of U in the Acting Emphasis Program, he headed to Los Angeles where he appeared in over 150 commercials, 50 television shows and many films. Some favorite projects were Murphy Brown, Seinfeld, Get Shorty and Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion. He can currently be seen in the film Darling Companion shot in Utah.
BARBARA SMITH (IRENE) performed recently in LAST LISTS OF MY MAD MOTHER. Other productions include: STEEL MAGNOLIAS, MACBETH, SORDID LIVES, HOUSE OF BERNARDA ALBA, ALL MY SONS, and University of Utah Classical Greek Theatre ELEKTRA, IPHIGENIA AT AULIS (2005). HIPPOLYTUS, IPHIGENIA AT AULIS (1986), TROJAN WOMEN, THE BAKKHAI, SUMMER AND SMOKE, THE CHERRY ORCHARD, NIGHT OF THE IGUANA, EQUUS, A LIE OF THE MIND, ANNA CHRISTIE, and THE CRUCIBLE. Her directing credits include FEVER, MACBETH, HELEN, ENDGAME, JOHN LENNON AND ME, ANTIGONE, PICNIC, and COME BACK TO THE 5 & DIME JIMMY DEAN, JIMMY DEAN, and BUS STOP.
JACOB JOHNSON (READER) is pleased to be involved with this staged reading of Kathleen Cahill's MONSTERHEAD. Audiences will see him this summerJacob Johnson Headshot in his seventh production of SATURDAY'S VOYEUR here at SLAC. He was the producer/emcee of the CastPartySLC cabaret series at SLAC. He has performed with many theatres throughout the Wasatch Front, including Pioneer Theatre Company, Egyptian Theatre Company, Hale Center Theatre, The Grand Theatre, Off-Broadway Theatre, Rodgers Memorial Theatre, and many others throughout Utah and California. Favorite credits include: THE SECRET GARDEN (Dickon), FORUM (Hysterium), HOW TO SUCCEED...(Bud Frump), SOUTH PACIFIC (Lt. Buzz Adams), THE FANTASTICKS (Matt), CHARLEY'S AUNT (Jack), DAMN YANKEES (Rocky), and NO TIME FOR SERGEANTS (Psychiatrist). He is a graduate of the University of Utah and is a proud member of Actor's Equity since 2005.
KATHLEEN CAHILL (PLAYWRIGHT) Kathleen's awards include the Jane Chambers Playwrighting Award (for her musical, Dakota Sky) a Jane Chambers Honorable Mention (for Charm) two Connecticut Commission on the Arts Playwrighting Awards, (for The Still Time and Charm) a Massachusetts Artists Foundation Award, a Rockefeller Grant, a National Endowment for the Arts New American Works Grant, two Edgerton Foundation Awards (for Charm, and for The Persian Quarter) and a Drama League Award. Her musicals include for The Navigator, Friendship of the Sea; Dakota Sky, an opera, Clara, two opera/cabarets, Fatal Song, and A Tale of Two Cities: Paris and Berlin in the Twenties. Her plays include The Still Time (Georgia Rep/ Porchlight Theatre, Chicago) the comedy, Women Who Love Science Too Much (Porchlight Theatre and NPR Radio) Henri Louise and Henry (Cleveland Public, Firehouse Theatre, Massachusetts) Charm ( National New Play Network Festival, Salt Lake Acting Company premiere, Kitchen Dog Theatre, Dallas; Orlando Shakespeare) and The Persian Quarter ( Salt Lake Acting Company, Merrimack Rep.) She wrote the screenplay for the film Downtown Express, which premiered at the 2011 Woodstock Film Festival. She has also written short stories for Cosmopolitan Magazine, worked as a journalist for the Hartford Courant ,and co-authored medical papers for JAMA. Ms. Cahill received an MFA in Writing for Music-Theatre from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. She works as writer/senior editor for Masterpiece on PBS where she writes the Introductions to Downton Abbey, presented by Laura Linney, and the Introductions to Mystery! presented by Allan Cummings.
ALEXANDRA HARBOLD (DIRECTOR, ARTISTIC & LITERARY ASSOCIATE) At SLAC, Andra directed the world premieres of (A MAN ENTERS) and THE PERSIAN QUARTER and the New Play Sounding Series readings of THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY OF STEVE JOBS, T.I.C. (TRENCHCOAT IN COMMON), THE PERSIAN QUARTER and PROPHETS OF NATURE. Local directing credits: ROMEO AND JULIET, RABBIT HOLE, THREE DAYS OF RAIN (PAC), and SLAM (Plan-B); Assistant Director: EMMA (Pioneer Theatre Company) and CHARM (Salt Lake Acting Company). Education: BA, Middlebury College; Master's in Performance Studies, University of London Goldsmith's College. Training: SITI Company's Summer Intensive at Skidmore. She is currently BETRAYAL by Harold Pinter (Pinnacle Acting Company, May 3-12). Upcoming projects include SLAM (Plan-B Theatre, May 12) and a collaboration with Director Elizabeth Williamson.
