VERMONT, INDIA at New Theater Hollywood

A very New York theatre community has come together to present what is sure to be a soaring dramatic project. The new play “VERMONT, INDIA” written by Luca Carson Milstein and directed by Michael Hertz is presented by Calla Henkel and Max Pitegoff at their visionary Black Box Theater, the NEW THEATER HOLLYWOOD, on Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood. Opening Thursday January 22nd, the compelling engagement is a limited 6 performance run through January 29th.  

LILY SANTIAGO (Netflix’s UNTAMED) stars alongside ZACHARY ZAMSKY (The Testament of Ann Lee) to make up this powerful sibling duo who navigate buried trauma. Both are gifted theater actors and graduates of La Guardia School of Music and Performing Arts.

“Vermont, India” follows the path laid out by theatrical masterworks like Suzan-Lori Parks' Topdog/Underdog, which utilize high-octane theater to navigate the treacherous space between love and destruction, and explore how family ties can both bind and destroy.

Produced by BRIANA BURSTEN, LUCA CASSON MILSTEIN, Original Score by MK VELSORF, Set Design by JANE HAMOR, Costume Design by ALYSON GOLDEN MILBERG, Movement Direction by HALEY DENNIS

This energetic groundbreaking project is driven entirely by New York friends, classmates, and co-conspirators.

What: VERMONT, INDIA Starring LILY SANTIAGO and ZACHARY ZAMSKY
When: January Thursday through Saturday, January 22nd, 23rd at 7PM and 24th at 4PM
And Tuesday through Thursday, Jan 27th, 28th, 29th at 7PM
Where: New Theater Hollywood, 6500 Santa Monica Blvd. Hollywood, CA 90038
Tickets are $35 at www.newtheaterhollywood.com or www.tickettailor.com

About: Lily Santiago, “Sadie”

Lily Santiago stared opposite Eric Bana, Sam Neil in the 2025 Netflix Original crime-drama mystery series, “Untamed”. She co-stared as Veronica for three seasons in the NBC drama “La Brea” for which she was nominated as Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series at the 2023 Imagen Awards.

Lily made her Broadway debut in Amy Herzog’s Tony-nominated “Mary Jane” opposite Rachel McAdams. In 2023, she performed the pivotal role of Cordelia with Washington D.C.’s Shakespeare Theatre Company in their beautifully received production of “King Lear”. Other stage productions include the all-female “MacBeth” at Red Bull Theater, “Othello” at the Delacorte, “Romeo & Juliet” at the Huntington Theatre, and “Measure for Measure” at the Public. Santiago is a graduate of the theater program at Northwestern University as well as LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. Lily also studied at the British American Drama Academy.

As a child, she appeared in a small supporting role in George C. Wolfe’s HBO film “Lackawanna Blues.”

About: Zachary Zamsky, “William”

Zachary Zamsky is a New York City born, bred, and based actor-writer. Recent film credits from this LaGuardia HS and Boston University alum include Blue Sun Palace (Constance Tsang, Cannes), The Woman Clothed by the Sun (Mona Fastvold), The Threshing (Sean Mannion), Pet Shop Days (Olmo Schnabel, Venice), and the forthcoming Pocket Dream (Sam Guest and Julia Baylis). His stage credits include Laertes/Player King in Hamlet at Gloucester Stage Company, Mason in What Came Up from Mason’s Hole at the Paradise Factory, and Murray Brenfarb in self-produced-directed-written piece titled Stallions.

About: Creative Team

MICHAEL HERWITZ, DIRECTOR— Michael began his career as a child actor on Broadway. After graduating from LaGuardia Arts High School, he co-founded G45 Productions, an ensemble-based collective dedicated to incubating new theater. His work has been seen at HERE, Ensemble Studio Theater, JACK, SoHo Playhouse, Williamstown Theater Festival, IRT Theater, Martha's Vineyard Playhouse, and the Pasadena Playhouse. Michael directed Max Wolf Friedlich’s JOB from its original festival run at SoHo Playhouse’s Lighthouse Series, through two sold-out Off-Broadway engagements, to its Broadway production.

LUCA CASSON MILSTEIN, WRITER, PRODUCER— Luca Casson Milstein is a New York-born, -bred, and -based playwright. His writing explores the intersection of toxic humanity and the acceptance of hard truths, often with heartbreaking results. Luca holds a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and an M.A. in Writing for Performance from Central Saint Martins, as well as being a 2025 La Mama Umbria resident playwright. His debut play, How to Live in a House, had a sold-out reading at the Blue Room in Bronxville. In 2023 and 2024, his play Demons at Night had two successful runs at London's Studio Theater.

BRIANA BURSTEN, PRODUCER— Briana Bursten is an independent producer and writer working on various narrative, commercial, and experimental projects across music and film. She has produced performances at Paradise Factory Theater and 42n Studios. She is the Founding Associate Director of The Downtown Festival, a film, music, and arts festival in New York City.

About: New Theater Hollywood / Calla Henkel and Max Pitegoff

New Theater Hollywood is a forty-nine-seat black box theater on Santa Monica Boulevard dedicated to experimental and interdisciplinary performance, founded by artists Calla Henkel and Max Pitegoff in January 2024. New Theater Hollywood is a 501(c)(3) non-profit.

"Opening post-pandemic, at a time of rising costs, dwindling audiences and little financial aid, New Theater Hollywood feels like an anomaly. It’s an intricate support system for practitioners to hone their craft in a space dedicated to original theatrical work." – LA Times

###

For Coverage Information

andrew@sharpassociatespr.com

Sharp & Associates PR