AWAKE AT NIGHT: Modern Takes On Stories Of Edgar Allan Poe

Bay Street Theater & Sag Harbor Center for the Arts is pleased to announce the premiere of Awake at Night, a virtual reading of modern takes on stories by Edgar Allan Poe, adapted by Will Pomerantz, on Tuesday, October 20, at 8 p.m. at baystreet.org.

A live talkback between Will and the cast will be held following the premiere via Zoom. Tickets for the prerecorded telecast and live talkback are $30. Following the premiere, the entire evening will be available on-demand through the end of the year for $10 via baystreet.org. For more information, contact Marketing Coordinator Michael Pintauro at mpintauro@baystreet.org.

Awake at Night celebrates the Halloween season by reimagining three iconic thrillers by American Romanticist Edgar Allan Poe, placing them in a modern settings. The result is an evening of frightening fun as we bare witness to tales of suspense and horror. Each work has been adapted for the stage by Bay Street's Associate Artistic Director Will Pomerantz. Making appearances across the three plays will be six actors from the stage and screen: Ari Brand, Daniel Gerroll, Loren Lester, Michael Levi Harris, Kevin Orton, and Teal Wicks.

In A Case of Romanee Conti, we follow a young programmer who runs into an old boss while visiting a vineyard; in Through My Flesh ..., a soon-to-be-retired professor elucidates a mysterious and tragic experience in Istanbul many years ago; and in 812 East 9th Street, a young man records his shocking visit with an old friend.

Will Pomerantz is a writer and director who has developed new plays and musicals with such theaters as American Repertory Theatre, 2nd Stage, The Guthrie, Playwrights Horizons, The Public Theatre, Hartford Stage, and the New York Theater Workshop. He became the first American director to be invited to direct for The National Theatre of Poland, and his production of Cinders by Janusz Glowacki was performed as part of their repertory for four years. His own scripts for the plays and musicals, This Side of Paradise, For The Last Time and About Love have been produced in New York and regionally.

Bay Street audiences will recognize Ari Brand from his role as Joe in the 2016 Mainstage production of The Last Night of Ballyhoo. His Broadway credits include The Neil Simon Plays; Off-Broadway credits include My Name is Asher Lev, The Lucky One, Romeo and Juliet, and Much Ado About Nothing. He has performed with theaters around the country, including Geffen Playhouse Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Westport Country Playhouse, Dallas Theater Center, and Long Wharf Theatre. Television and film credits include Fosse/Verdon; The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel; The Other Two; FBI; White Collar; To The Flame; and Listen.

Daniel Gerroll is happy to do anything at or for Bay Street Theater. His first appearance at Bay Street was in Accomplice in 2001 followed by Blithe Spirit, No Time For Comedy, Dinner, Dissonance, and, most recently, Frost/Nixon. Broadway credits include Plenty, High Society, and Enchanted April. He has appeared in many plays Off-Broadway, and some regional credits include the role of Salieri in Amadeus and most recently Skylight at ACT in Seattle. Let year he presented a solo piece, Dr Glas, at the Solo Flights festival in Aspen.

Michael Levi Harris has appeared in the Off-Broadway productions of The Puschart Peddlers at the New York Theatre Foundation and The Bad Date Project at 34 Bleecker Street. Regional credits include Fifty Million Frenchman at the Medicine Show Theater. In London, he appeared in Dealer's Choice at Milton Court Theatre and Lulu at the Silk Street Theatre. Film and television credits include Listen, Naked Singularity, Endeavour, Patrick Melrose, Devs, and World on Fire. He recently wrote and starred in the short film The Hyperglot, directed by Michael Urie, and will play the lead role in the New York Theatre Foundation's 2021 production of The Tenth Man.

Loren Lester moved from Los Angeles to New York in 2018 and was almost immediately cast in the National Tour of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical The Band's Visit, with which he toured until earlier this year. His more than 200 television credits include The Orville, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and three seasons on the HBO comedy series Hung. Film credits include Wes Craven's Red Eye and the cult classic Rock 'N' Roll High School. He has performed in dozens of plays and musicals in Los Angeles, including Fallen Angels at The Pasadena Playhouse, and Nancy Meckler's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He has had a large following in the animation world as the voice of Robin and Nightwing in the iconic Batman: The Animated Series. Loren is married to singer/actress Kelly Lester and together they have three actress-daughters.

Juilliard-trained actor Kevin Orton has appeared in the Broadway production of Amadeus, directed by Sir Peter Hall. Additional credits include Merry Wives of Windsor with the New York Stage and Film;The Workroom and Prince Hal with Public Theatre; Edison's Elephant with Metropolitan Playhouse; and The Rivals, Henry V, and The Tempest with New York Classical Theatre. Regional credits include Summerscape's Uncle Vanya with Peter Dinklage; and performances with Cincinnati Playhouse, Cleveland Play House, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Baltimore Center Stage, and others. Film and television credits include One Take, Wu Tang: American Saga, Blacklist, FBI: Most Wanted, Law & Order, and Darwin.

Teal Wicks is celebrated by Bay Street's audience as originator of the title role in the 2011 Mainstage world premiere of Turandot, and also made in appearance in Bay Street's 29th annual virtual Starry Night Gala Telethon. Recently, she created the role of Lady in the new Broadway musical The Cher Show as well as Mary Barrie in Find­ing Neverland and Emma Carew in the revival of Jekyll & Hyde. She made her Broadway debut as Elphaba in Wicked after playing the role to critical acclaim in the Los Angeles and San Francisco companies. She has starred in the Off-Broadway productions of The Blue Flower (Second Stage), Stairway to Paradise (City Center Encores), the world premieres of Piece Of My Heart: the Bert Berns Story (Signature Theatre) and Fahrenheit 451 (59E59). Regional credits include The Ballad of Little Jo (Two River Theatre), Life of the Party (Theatreworks), The Blue Flower (A.R.T.), and Carousel (Goodpseed).

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