Theater for the New City Presents GHOST IN THE MACHINE, Closes 10/23

"Ghost in the Machine" is the first play by Mike Leon. Originally produced at Williams College in October, 2010, the play will close on October 23, presented by Theater for the New City in association with The Dead Copycats. Director is Nathaniel Basch-Gould.

In this four-character drama, a girl named Rachel is dead (victim of a drunk driver) and her lover, James, is reliving his relationship with her through flashbacks. He can't seem to snap out of his grief, but what he's actually got is a sort of enhanced-dream disorder. His younger brother, Eddie, is very concerned about him. James finds that certain things trigger the memories that bring Rachel back to him, like her voice mails and a dose of Ambien. When memories of her start, James revisits the storytelling and role playing that characterized their relationship, that actually bound her to him. It's a pressure-cooker of memories, dreams and the unresolved aspects of their relationship. It's also not without perils: a man named Brent, who would have taken Rachel from him, lurks as a sinister presence in his flashbacks, with his own competitive games. And the flashbacks themselves are dangerous, locking James into a nowhere zone between dreaming and memory, in which he must re-enact his role playing with Rachel in a perfect playback, or else lose her.

The play actually started in a playwriting class during Mike Leon's junior year at Williams College. It was assigned as a short play and tumbled out 120 pages long. It was submitted to a student theater company the next season, where it was directed by Nathaniel Basch-Gould, who had just returned from an acting program in London and wanted a chance at directing. The production took the campus by storm and comes to New York complete with its original cast, although some NYC designers have been added. Its New York premiere is presented by Theater for the New City, Crystal Field, Executive Director, in association with The Dead Copycats.

Mike Leon (playwright) was born in Queens and recently graduated from Williams College with a major in English. In addition to "Ghost," three of his plays received full productions at Williams College. His acting credits at Williams include "Dr. Faustus" (as Faustus), "The Last Days of Judas Iscariot " (as Judas) and "A Streetcar Named Desire" (as Mitch). He recently finished writing and directing his new play, "Blood and Glitter," a combination of "The Lion the Witch, and the Wardrobe" and a Lady Gaga/Elton John rock opera, with a company of mentally and physically disabled children and adults on Martha's Vineyard.

Nathaniel Basch-Gould (Director) is an actor, director, singer-songwriter, and co-founder/artistic director of The Dead Copycats. He made his New York directorial debut last Spring in "The 20-Something Project" (The Lost Theatre). At Williams College, Nathaniel served as the artistic director of Williams Immediate Theatre and directed "The Last Five Years" and "Arcadia." He also directed the original production of "Ghost in the Machine" at Williams College in 2010. He received his a B.A. in theatre this year. He trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

Peter Drivas (James) was born and raised in New York City. He has been acting onstage since the age of ten, first in children's theaters in the city and through his days at Williams College, where he graduated this June. He played Garcin in "No Exit," Kent in "King Lear," Demetrius in "A Midsummer Night's Dream," Petruchio in "Taming of the Shrew" and Giuliano in Charles Mee's "Big Love."
Ryan Pavano (Eddie) grew up in suburban Connecticut and is currently studying English in his third year at Williams College. He has performed with several music and theatre groups there. He is a member of Williams College's improv comedy group Combo Za and plays trombone in the Berkshire Symphony Orchestra, the Williams College Symphonic Winds and the Williams College Jazz Ensemble.

Aspen Lee Jordan (Rachel) is a native of Seattle and a recent graduate of Williams College, where she majored in Literary Studies. As a singer, she has performed at many venues in the Seattle area, as well as abroad. She is also featured on the soundtrack of the off-Broadway musical "Momma Don't Hurt Me So Bad." As an actress, she has played Carmen Diaz in "Fame, the Musical," Lady Croom in "Arcadia" and Deena Jones in "Dreamgirls."

Eli M. Bronfman (Brent) hails from NYC and is fresh on the acting scene. He graduated from Williams College this year with a major in History and a certificate in Latino/a Studies. He is a dedicated amateur contortionist.

Eben Hoffer (Sound Design) is an actor and sound designer from Portland, OR. Since relocating to Brooklyn in 2010, he has worked at The Kitchen, Dance Theater Workshop, The Chocolate Factory, Palissimo, Williams College, Magic Futurebox, Siti Company, Target Margin Theater, The Civilians, Lincoln Center Theater, and others. He plays in the band Urban Growth Boundary.

Kate Sinclair Foster (Set Designer) designed The Flea Theater's "Office Hours," "Looking at Christmas," "American Sexy" and "Just Cause." She has also collaborated with Target Margin Theater, MCC Theatre Youth Company, Clubbed Thumb's Summerworks Festival, Young Jean Lee, The Pearl Theater Company, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, and Glimmerglass Opera. She is originally from Madison, WI and holds a B.A. in theatre and art history from Williams College ('08). http://web.me.com/katesinclairfoster/Kate_Sinclair_Foster

Nick Houfek (Lighting Design) has designed for the Tank, FringeNYC, Potomac Theater Project, Olney Theatre Center, Triskellion Arts Center, Boston Center for American Perf., Garage Ensemble, Lincoln Center Festival and Boston University. He has also worked as an associate or assistant designer with Martha Graham Dance Company, Eisa Monet Dance, Deborah Hay Dance Company, Nai-Ni CHen Dance Company, BAM Opera House, New York City Ballet, New York City Center and Williamstown Theater Festival. http://www.nicholashoufek.com/

Joseph Wolfslau (Costume Design) recently graduated with a BA in Theater from Vassar College, where he worked as a scenic, costume, sound, props, publicity or production designer for "Harm's Way," "A Midsummer Night's Dream," "Angels in America: Millenium Approaches," "Perestroika," "Much Ado About Nothing," "Hamlet:The First Quarto" and "Rent." In New York he has worked with the Brooklyn Studio Lab and The Lost Theatre Company.

The Dead Copycats (www.deadcopycatsNY.org) is an organization formed to bring this playwright's work to New York. The name comes from Charlie Mingus, who once said, "If Charlie Parker was a gunslinger, there'd be a whole lot of dead copycats."

Theater for the New City, in association with The Dead Copycats, presents "Ghost in the Machine" October 13-23, 2011. The performance schedule is: Th, 10/13 to Sat, 10/15 at 8 PM; Sun, 10/16 at 2 PM; Mon, 10/17 to Sat, 10/22 at 8 PM, Sun 10/23 at 2 PM. Tickets are $18 general admission. To purchase tickets call SMARTTIX at (212) 868-4444 or visit www.smarttix.com.