BWW Interviews: Andrea Gallo Stars in BROOMSTICK at NJ Rep

Broomstick, an original play by noted author and playwright, John Biguenet, opens at New Jersey Repertory Theatre on September 19th and runs through October 13th with opening night on September 21st. Directed by Suzanne Barabas, and produced by Gabor Barabas, the play stars Andrea Gallo. Gallo's impressive theatrical career includes NJ Rep plays, Temp Odyssey, and Donna Orbits the Moon. Her extensive regional credits include Murderers at The Hudson Stage, and I'm Not Rappaport at Horse Cave Theatre. She has also appeared in the NY Fringe Festival as a member of the Pillars ensemble and has film and TV work that includes Law and Order, SVU.

Broomstick is set in a remote cabin deep in the woods in the mountains of Appalachia where an old crone lives alone in her own unique world. As she unveils her life, we journey with her down a shadowy path somewhere between our material world and the realm of fantasy. Wickedly funny and sometimes frightening, the play takes us back to our childhood, when we first wrestled with good and evil.

Gallo is delighted to be returning to NJ Repertory Theatre in this one-woman production. She said, "I love working at NJ Rep because as an actor here you are always creating something new, creating a character no one has seen before. That is very freeing. SuzAnne and Gabe look for challenging material and it's always exciting to work on. The process is a collaborative one. You get to stretch your muscles as an actor."

Gallo has enjoyed rising to the challenge of being in a one-woman, She commented, "The challenge with any one-person show is keeping oneself present, active, and moving forward. With a one-person show, one has to use the audience even more as another character so that the story gets told in an active way, physically and mentally."

Broomstick is having its premiere at NJ Repertory and it has already received a coveted honor; the distinction from the National New Play Network of being selected for the organization's Continued Life of New Plays Program. The show will be on a rolling world premiere in four venues across the country over the next year, with New Jersey Repertory as the lead theater.

Gallo is sure that the audiences in Long Branch will enjoy the production, "It holds a lot of surprises and it's both funny and poignant. It's sort of a ghost story for modern times."

The New Jersey Repertory Theatre is located at 179 Broadway in Long Branch. For tickets to Broomstick, and their other upcoming shows, contact the NJ Rep Box Office at 732-229-3166 or visit www.njrep.org to reserve your seats online

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