Jason Michael Snow, Tobias Segal, et al. Set for REAGAN Reading, 5/16
By: Nicole Rosky May. 09, 2011
Alexander Greenfield (Asst. Director, BORN YESTERDAY) will direct a cast that includes Jason Michael Snow (The Book of Mormon), Tobias Segal (The Miracle Worker), Arden Myrin (Chelsea Lately), Lucas Near-Verbrugghe (Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson) Maggie Low (Times of War) and Elizabeth West (The Women) in a reading of Pulitzer- nominated Tom Diggs' new play LOVE IN THE TIME OF REAGAN at an industry reading in midtown Manhattan one day only on May 16, 2011 at 3 pm in an undisclosed location.
Long before middle school kids came out of the closet and got bullied, back when syringes washing ashore on a beach would shut it down immediately, the summer Michael Dukakis' shot at the White House disappeared faster than Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car," Parker and Cole were trying to find Love in the Time of Reagan.Love in the Time of Reagan explores the relationship between gay and naive Parker (Jason Michael Snow) and straight and confident best friend Cole (Tobias Segal). Can their friendship coexist with the passions of youth and the politics of the Reagan years? The play looks head on at the world that led to today's gay bullying.Love in the Time of Reagan takes place during a hazy summer on Cape Cod, a place renowned for its eccentric characters: an oversexed local check-out girl (Arden Myrin), a bad boy with more than a chip on his shoulder (Lucas Near-Verbrugghe), an extreme right-wing grandmother (Maggie Low), and an all-knowing Reagan-era Sexpert (Elizabeth West) who generously offers lifestyle advice to all who cross her path.ACTORS: Jason Michael Snow (Parker). Broadway: South Pacific (Quale). National Tour: Xanadu (Thalia). Playwrights Horizons: Saved (Zac). Goodspeed Opera House: Pirates! (Frederic). Jason received a BFA from The Boston Conservatory and is currently a member of BMI.
Maggie Low (Grandma) most recently collaborated with Alexander Greenfield on Happy Days by Samuel Beckett at NYU and with Tom Diggs on Milo at the Movies at Seven Devils Playwrights Conference. Also: Times of War by Eric Lane directed by Martha Banta, Candle In The Window by Tom Gilroy, directed by Michael Imperioli, Catholic School Girls by Casey Kurtti, directed by Burry Fredrik. She played Gertrude in Hamlet with JarEd Harris and Lili Taylor. Film & TV include: Poverty Outlaw, Postcards from America, Burnzy's Last Call, The Houses That are Left, and a guest lead on Law & Order. www.maggielow.com Elizabeth West (The Sexpert). Elizabeth West is originally from the UK, but now splits her time between Harlem and Hollywood. She has appeared in NYC in The Women for The Roundabout at American Airlines Theatre and has worked off-Broadway for The New Group , MTC, The Culture Project and off-off Broadway with the award-winning Rising Phoenix Rep, among others. Regionally she has worked at Northern Stage in Vermont , a five-year stint in Chicago, and in the West Coast Premiere of The History Boys at the Ahmanson Theatre with Alex Brightman. Film and TV include Law & Order, From Stage to Screen on PBS and the indie film Anamorph .She has been involved with Love in the Time of Reagan since its early days with the 24Seven Lab.
Tom Diggs (Playwright)
Tom's work has been seen at major regional theatres, including The Seattle Rep, East/West Players, Intiman Theatre, 24Seven Lab, Seven Devils Playwriting Conference, The Kennedy Center, Pittsburgh New Works Festival, Vital Theatre, and Moving Arts. A Yorkshire Fairie Tale won the Aurand Harris Award at NETC in 2006 and was produced at The Michael Weller Theatre in NYC. Fair and Decent opened the 2007-2008 Luna Stage season and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Tom most recently created and produced the pilot for the web series Perks, which will launch in June, 2011. Tom graduated from NYU's Tisch of the Arts in 2007 with an MFA in Dramatic Writing, was named a Dramatist Guild Fellow for 2007-2008, and is an alum of BMI Songwriting Workshop. Alexander Greenfield (Director)
Alex is an Atlanta raised, New York based stage. He has directed work by Samuel Beckett, Doug Wright, Caryl Churchill, and Stephen Sondheim as well as numerous new and original plays. Most recently, he assistant directed three Broadway shows-MRS. WARREN'S PROFESSION, ELLING, & BORN YESTERDAY. Alongside Tony-winning director, Doug Hughes (DOUBT), he has worked with such actors as Cherry Jones, Sally Hawkins, Denis O'Hare, Brendan Fraser, Jim Belushi, Nina Arianda, and Robert Sean Leonard. As an Artistic Associate at 7 Stages Theatre in Atlanta, GA, Alex worked to create a three-week training intensive in devised theatre. He was a core collaborator on the resulting workshop performance: THE BANANA RAPTURE OF 2012. Alex has directed at the Seven Devils Playwriting Conference and has worked in an administrative capacity for FringeNYC and the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta. Alex will be directing SWEENEY TODD this fall at Fabrefaction Theatre Company. BFA with honors in Theatre from New York University: Tisch School of the Arts. "Tom Diggs has written an American play of great humor, love, and relevancy," says Greenfield. "I cannot wait to hear these accomplished actors bring it to life around a table." The reading is produced by MYTP Productions LLC.Industry professionals interested in attending the reading, please make a reservation at lovereagan2011@gmail.com.
Photo Credit: Walter McBride/WM Photos
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