ZOETIC STAGE Announces Casts & Creative Teams for THE FINSTROM FESTIVAL OF NEW WORK

The casts and creative teams have been assembled for Zoetic Stage's second annual Finstrom Festival of New Work which will be co-presented with and hosted at the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami, live and in person in the Peacock Foundation Studio. The readings are free and open to the public. Tickets will be available at arshtcenter.org beginning Wednesday, May 11 at 12pm/EST.

The winning plays are One Stone: The Story of Mileva Marić and Albert Einstein by Kathleen Cahill, Effect If Not Intent by David Rosenberg, Sibling Rivalries Or, Spooks in the Ivory Tower by Marcus Scott, The Public Execution of The American President by Nick Valdes.

Prior to the readings, each winning playwright will spend almost 20 hours workshopping their play with directors, dramaturges, and actors. "The goal of this year's festival is to aid playwrights in a creative rehearsal space to move their play one step closer to a final draft," says Zoetic Stage Artistic Director Stuart Meltzer.

"We were looking for plays that move theater forward - the plays of tomorrow. I believe we've found them. These writers took risks, challenging the styles, themes and topics that reflect the world we live in today but in fresh and exciting ways," says Festival Coordinator Gabriell Salgado.

Casts, creative teams and showtimes are listed below:

The Public Execution of The American President

A new play by Nick Valdes

Thursday, May 19 @ 8pm

The day is upon us. A man is to be executed publicly on Capitol Hill. Just a few hours before his execution, he grants an interview to Sam Wiles, who is hoping to finally learn the truth about the day that the former President William Harris committed an act of treason against the United States of America.

Director: Gabriell Salgado

Dramaturge: Vanessa Garcia

Stage Manager: Annabel Herrera*

CAST

William Harris: Paul Wong*

Sam Wiles: Laura Plyler

Officer Jones: Jerel Brown

Sibling Rivalries Or, Spooks in the Ivory Tower

A new play by Marcus Scott

Friday, May 20 @ 8pm

Sibling Rivalries Or, Spooks in the Ivory Tower is an all-male political drama set during the Obama Administration at an Ivy League school. The play follows a diverse group of young black men, all members of a fraternity, who face shifting loyalties and eroded principles when they are forced to compete against one another for a prestigious scholarship/fellowship. The narrative explores racial issues, black camaraderie, competitive suffering, elitism, male bonding, school bullying, apex predators, homosexuality, machismo, and brotherhood and toxic masculinity.

Director: Geoffrey Short

Dramaturge: Kent Chambers-Wilson

Stage Manager: Annabel Herrera*

CAST

Dorian Lewis: Doriyan Caty

Malik Ocean: Thomas Johnson
Brandon Montague: Mikhael Mendoza
Alistair Fairchild: Justise Hayward
Sheldon Henderson: Sefanja Galon
Elijah Martinez: Phillip Andrew Santiago
Noah Evans: Warren Welds
Sarabi Ferguson: Chantal Mendoza
Corrina Thompson: Marlo Rodriguez
Dean Rudolf Harper: Kent Chambers-Wilson

One Stone: The story of Mileva Marić and Albert Einstein

A new play by Kathleen Cahill

Saturday, May 21 @ 2pm

One Stone: The story of Mileva Marić and Albert Einstein is a play about an intimate relationship between two scientists - one who became internationally famous, and one who disappeared from history. It is a story about the sexual, emotional, and intellectual connection between Albert Einstein and the physicist Mileva Marić who was his first wife. It dramatizes the uncredited role she played in Einstein's breakthrough achievements and raises questions about how gender affects the success or failure of talent. It is a historical play which leads us to ask if it is any easier for women in science today.

Director: Gail S. Garrisan

Dramaturge: Emma Sue Harris

Stage Manager: Bailey Hacker*

CAST

Mileva Marić: Emma Garcia Seeger
Albert Einstein: Bobby Eddy*

Effect If Not Intent

A new play by David Rosenberg

Saturday, May 21 @ 8pm

When Ben leaves his lucrative associate job at a New York law firm to join the Israeli Defense Forces, his secular Jewish family must reexamine its positions towards the state of Israel and their Jewish identity. A play about whether political belief can destroy familial bonds, how Jewish families educate their children about Israel, and how much we owe to our people.

Director: Stuart Meltzer

Dramaturge: Michael McKeever

Stage Manager: Bailey Hacker*

CAST

Mark Silver: David Kwiat*
Fay Silver: Jeni Hacker*
Cindy Blumenthal: Jodie Langel*
Ben Baum: Chad Raven
Leo Blumenthal: Wayne LeGette*
Jake Blumenthal: Jonah Robinson*
Amelia Zheng: Thaylin Xie

(*Member of Actors Equity Association)

Festival Coordinator: Gabriell Salgado
Production Manager: Vanessa McCloskey
Production Assistant: Talia Rodriguez

Sound Design: Matt Corey

The Festival will be co-presented with and hosted at the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami, live and in person in the Peacock Foundation Studio. The readings are free and open to the public. Tickets will be available at arshtcenter.org beginning Wednesday, May 11 at 12pm/EST. While the entire festival is free and open to the public, donations are welcome and can be made at www.zoeticstage.org.

The festival is named after beloved South Florida playwright and arts patron Tony Finstrom, who was a long-time Carbonell Award judge and founder of the Silver Palm Awards. The author of numerous plays, Finstrom was the recipient of various honors including the Charlie Cinnamon Award and the South Florida Theatre League's Remy Pioneer Award. Mr. Finstrom passed away in December 2018.

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