Multi award winning playwright/lyricist Steven Sater has chosen LA's Rogue Machine to present the World premiere of his play New York Animals.
Bitingly funny entertainment as twenty one characters, portrayed by four actors, wind their way through each other's lives during one long day and night in Manhattan. This insidiously devastating and modern "Our Town" ultimately reveals who we are now, and how we live.
Steven Sater won the Tony Award for Best Book and Best Score, the Drama Desk and Outer Critics' Circle Award for Best Lyrics, the 2008 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album and the 2010 Olivier Award for Best New Musical for Spring Awakening. Other awards include the
Dramatists Guild Hull-Warriner Award, the
Lucille Lortel, New York Drama Critics' Circle, and Drama League Awards for Best Musical. Plays include the long-running Carbondale Dreams; Perfect for You; Doll (Rosenthal Prize); Umbrage (Steppenwolf New Play Prize); A Footnote to the Iliad (New York Stage and Film); Asylum (
Naked Angels), and a reconceived musical version of Shakespeare's Tempest (Lyric Hammersmith). In addition to Spring Awakening, he has collaborated with
Duncan Sheik on Umbrage (HERE); Nero (Magic Theatre, New York Stage and Film); The Nightingale (
La Jolla Playhouse and
American Conservatory Theater); the critically acclaimed album Phantom Moon (Nonesuch); and a new musical version of Alice in Wonderland. Steven is currently at work with Serj Tankian (System of a Down's; 2006 Grammy Award, 4 Grammy nominations) and
Burt Bacharach on new musicals. Additionally, he works as a pop/rock lyricist and a screenwriter (the forthcoming Chitty Chitty Bang Bang remake for Sony Pictures).
NEW YORK ANIMALS opens June 26th and runs (in rep with FOUR PLACES, Thursdays and Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 3pm thru July 25th) thru August 8, 2010. After June 26th the schedule is Thursday, Fridays & Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 3pm (dark on July 4th) ROGUE MACHINE is located at 5041 Pico Blvd., LA, CA 90019. Tickets are $25 and may be purchased by calling or (323) 960-7792 at
www.roguemachinetheatre.com John PerriN FLYNN (Director) directed the multi-award winning World Premiere of Henry Murray's Treefall (now being produced regionally and published by the Dramatist Play Service in 2010) last season, and the critically acclaimed Los Angeles premiere of Rogue Machine's inaugural production Compleat Female Stage Beauty. He helmed the
Craig Lucas' hit Small Tragedies at The Odyssey Theatre and the world premiere of John Pollono's Lost and Found at The Lounge Theatre. John is Rogue Machine's founding Artistic Director and has been the Executive Producer of all three successful seasons. He was the Executive Producer and director of Lifetime's long running award winning series Strong Medicine, has produced two other series and 14 television movies or miniseries including the Emmy nominated Burden of Proof. He attended The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, has an MA degree in Theatre from Illinois State University.
MATTHEW ELKINS (Producing Director) produced and co-directed the LA Premiere of Stop Kiss and he produced the inaugural award winning production of Compleat Female Stage Beauty at Rogue Machine. Matthew will direct Milk Milk Lemonade for Rogue Machine's Off-The-Clock late night series during the 2010 season. Recent acting credits: A Chorus of Disapproval (Odyssey Theatre); Happy End, The Turn of the Screw (Pacific Resident Theatre); and NBC's ER.
ROGUE MACHINE THEATRE presents New York Animals as their third world premiere production in Los Angeles. The company has presented 2 Los Angeles premiere (COMPLEAT FEMALE STAGE BEAUTY, and STOP KISS) 4 West Coast premiere (FOUR PLACES, AMERICAN DEAD, BINGO WITH THE INDIANS, and HALF OF PLENTY), and 3 world premiere productions which include last season's critically acclaimed RAZORBACK and the award winning production of Henry Murray's TREEFALL, now being published by the Dramatist Play Service. Rogue Machine is a collective of award winning entertainment veterans bringing a new and distinctive voice to the Los Angeles theatre scene. Their mission includes building a theatre of ideas and nurturing the development of plays from contemporary writers while manifesting current culture, and consciousness.
Our Ensemble
Caroline Aaron (Older Woman) made her Broadway debut in
Robert Altman's Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean. Subsequent appearances on Broadway include starring roles in the
Jose Quintero/
Jason Robards' revival of The Iceman Cometh, and the
Mike Nichols comedy Social Security, (Mr. Nichols first directed her on film in Heartburn opposite
Meryl Streep, she then reteamed with him for Working Girl, Primary Colors, and What Planet Are You From?). Caroline returned to Broadway for I Hate Hamlet. Most recently, she appeared in Love, Loss, and What I Wore at the
Geffen Playhouse. At the
Mark Taper Forum she was seen in
Wendy Wasserstein's The Sisters Rosensweig and was acknowledged by the theatre community with both a
Helen Hayes and Dramalogue Award. Caroline garnered an Ovation Award nomination and another Dramalogue Award for her work in the stage version of Call Waiting. She has a distinguished career in TV and film and has repeatedly worked with directors such as
Woody Allen,
Mike Nichols,
Robert Altman,
Nora Ephron,
Paul Mazursky and Don Roos. Caroline was honored with a Blockbuster Award nomination for best supporting actress in Bounce.
KEVIN BRIEF (Older Man) is perhaps most familiar for his appearances on over fifty television shows. He is recognized for roles on local stages in plays such as A Prayer for My Daughter at Crown City Theatre, and the award winning productions of Additional Particulars and Glengarry Glen Ross. Kevin is a founding member of the Mud-Luscious Theater Ensemble and has appeared in many of their productions. He often works regionally at theatres such as Missouri Repertory, Asolo State Theatre, and the Unicorn Theater. Selected TV credits include: Big Bang Theory, Medium, and American Teenager, Cold Case, Will & Grace, ER, and House. TV movies in which he has played leading roles include Three Secrets with Jaclyn Smith, Dead Before Dawn with
Cheryl Ladd, Gone In The Night, Live From Bagdad, and Little John (Hall
Mark Hall of Fame). Kevin will be seen in the
Adam Sandler film, Born To Be A Star, and other film credits include The Kingdom, Full Count, Guinevere (a Sundance winner), A Month of Sundays (opposite
Rod Steiger), Durango Kids, and Threat of Exposure.
JUDITH CHAPMAN (Maxine Faulk) began working on stage and in television in New York where she joined the Actors' Studio, and landed the role of Natalie Hughes on the daytime drama As The World Turns. She has enjoyed a long career with many of the networks daytime dramas. Other TV: Murder, She Wrote, The Fall Guy, Magnum, P.I. and Silk Stalkings. Film credits include: 28 DAYS, The Sweetest Thing, Night of The Running Man and Scorpio One. Judith was recognized by The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences with a Silver Circle Award, which honors members of the television community who have contributed 25 years to the industry. She joined the cast of The Young and the Restless in 2005, in the role of Gloria Bardwell. Judith formed "The Troubadours of Daytime," a theatre company of Daytime actors who utilize their time, talent, and love of theatre to raise money for organizations such as Kiva.org.
Burl Moseley (Younger Man) began his acting career in New York performing in such plays as
Christopher Shinn's Where Do We Live (
Vineyard Theatre),
Zakiyyah Alexander's Blurring Shine (NYC Fringe), and Daryl Watson's Prime Time (Abingdon Theatre). He created the role of Benjamin in Daniel
Alexander Jones' Bel Canto in Boston and has performed at the
Sundance Theatre Lab and the New York Theatre Workshop. Selected TV credits include 24, Law & Order, Brothers & Sisters, Young & The Restless, and Monk. Film credits include Truth, Feel Good Lost, and Straw Man.
JENNIFER RILEY (Younger Woman) is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and is originally from Dallas, Texas. She has starred in over 30 stage productions and several independent films. Since moving to Los Angeles five years ago, Jennifer co-founded the Jabberwocky Theatre Company and has starred in several of their acclaimed productions. Her favorite roles in Los Angeles have been Clara Dearborn in Grace (Actor's Circle Theatre) and Marie Broncato in Lost and Found (Lounge Theatre). Jennifer produces the Rogue Machine Off-The-Clock series and is a founding member of Rogue Machine.
Our Design Team
MAUREEN WEISS (Scenic Design) is a freelance director and designer based in Los Angeles. In 1997, Maureen started her own non-profit arts and theatre organization, Trade City Productions. She has worked steadily to increase community awareness in theatre, arts, and education. Maureen has produced numerous art and theatrical events throughout the city, and has been awarded grants from the California
Arts Council, the City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Cultural Affairs, and the City of Santa Monica. Maureen received a Masters degree in Theatrical Design from Long Beach State. Recently, she has designed shows for Theatre of Note, The Long Beach Playhouse, Inside the Ford, The Getty Villa, and Ghost Road Company.
SWINDA REICHELT (Costume Design) began her design career in East Berlin where she was an apprentice to a Master of costume tailoring for theatre and opera. There she acquired a strong base in the design and fabrication of costumes and fashion apparel. Swinda was the lead designer at the avant-garde fashion show OFF-LINE BERLIN ‘90 which was featured by MTV, news channel Tagesthemen and magazines such as Bild and Fashion. Subsequently, she worked with Komische Opera, 20 Dancer Ballet, and Opera/Gasteig-Munich. Her work in Europe culminated with costume designs for the MILLENNIUM AWARDS SHOW for 50 dancers and a speech by the German Chancellor G.Schroeder. Feature film credits include: The Brothel, Garcia Girls, The Gun, Expired, and American East. Short film credits include: Shui Hen, and The Wind Fisherman, by Anna McRoberts. Swinda was recently a guest lecturer at UCLA.
Leigh Allen (Lighting Design), a multi-award winner for lighting design, is a recipient of the Career Achievement Award from the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle. Leigh returns to Rogue Machine after her highly acclaimed designs for Stop Kiss, Half of Plenty, Razorback and American Dead. Other credits include: Beauty and the Beast (Musical Theater West), Champagne (Regent Cruise Lines), Shimmy! (Princess Cruise Lines), Snoopy on Ice, The Red Road (Native Voices), Killer Joe (Ovation Award: Production of the Year), The Fab Four (South Bay CLO), The Prince of LA (
The Old Globe in San Diego), and Vincent in Brixton (
Pasadena Playhouse). Leigh also received the Los Angeles Drama Critics' Circle and LA Weekly Lighting Design Awards for Johnny Got His Gun.
JOSEPH "SLOE" SLAWINSKI (Sound Design) recently received an LA Weekly Award for Sound Design on the world premiere production of Treefall at Rogue Machine. He created the sound in Steppenwolf playwright Lisa Dillman's Los Angeles premiere of Half of Plenty last season, The Perfect Moment at NoHo Arts Center, and for Confusions at The Lost Studio. Joseph has completed production for the short film The Great Fantastic which will be seen making the festival circuit this season.
VINCENT RICHARDS (Assistant Scene Designer) Vincent graduated with a BA in theater from Cal State Long Beach focusing on Scene Design. He has studied and worked in the U.K., Cambodia, and St. Petersburg, Russia. In the Fall, Vincent will pursue a MFA in Scene Design from Cal Arts.
For reservations call: 323-960-7792 or visit
www.roguemachinetheatre.com.
