Montclair Hosts World Premiere Of THE 3

Writer and Director, Francesco Paladino brings live theatre back to Montclair, after a long dark period. THE 3 (three simple plays about desire, deceit, and delusion) are three short plays exploring unconventional relationships and debatable reality.

• RECLAIM THE WOODS: Lori and Vincent live in rural upstate New York in the middle of the woods. To anyone looking in, they seem to be the typical happy couple, but they are not. Deceit comes in many boxes.

• MOTHER AND TERESA: Mother and Teresa live in the church rectory of St. Teresa of Pensacola. Their relationship becomes strained when Teresa has a desire to change her life. Mother feels betrayed and does whatever she can to keep Teresa from leaving.

• FATA MORGANA: Anna and Jason visit The Fata Morgana Hotel in Messina, Italy to celebrate a relationship milestone. They both struggle to identify what is an illusion and what is their own delusion. Their caretaker Sonya only complicates matters. This may be the last time they are guests here.

THE ACTORS:

Wendy Baron (lori, mother, & sonya)
seen on stage as Brutus in the Saint James Players 2019 production of Julius Caesar. She can also be seen in the web series Cells of Quarantine, the indie film Tinker starring Clayne Crawford, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, and the Lee Daniels film Shadowboxer.

Doug Bollinger (vincent & jason)
has gathered credits as a writer: Mail Order Bride (with Danny Aiello), a writer/director: Waltzing Anna (with Emmanuelle Chriqui), and actor: Ripples of Water (currently on Amazon). Hs awards include: BEST HORROR FEATURE (The Samaritans-Jersey Shore Film Festival), BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE (Rock Paper Scissors-Jersey Shore Film Festival), BEST ACTOR (The Evangelist-Atlantic City Cinefest), BEST ACTOR (The Dance-In The Cut Film Festival). His films have streamed on Netflix, Tubi, Apple TV, and The Movie Channel.

Penny Paul (teresa & anna) Penny has been active in New York and New Jersey theater for over twenty years. Favorite roles include Laurie Jameson in "Third," Tibby in "Regrets Only," Ivy Weston in "August Osage County," Diane in "Little Dog Laughed," Sonia in "Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike," Alexa in "As Bees in Honey Drown," Anna in "Burn This," Felicia in "I Hate Hamlet," and Mabel in "The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told." Penny has also directed productions of "Shows for Days," "Spike Heels," "Mauritius," "Fox on the Fairway," "Almost, Maine," "Lobby Hero," "Proof, "The Tempest," "The Cripple of Inishmaan," "Fuddy Meers," "The Altruists"(starring Francesco Paladino and nominated for Best Play by NJACT), and "The Laramie Project." Thanks to Michael, Caitlin, Griffin, and Ace for all their love and support, and much love and gratitude to Francesco for your weird and wonderfully creative mind.

DIRECTOR, WRITER, & PRODUCERS:

Francesco Paladino (writer & director)
A classically trained actor and director from the legendary Actor's Studio, a member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), the Writers Guild of America (WGA), and the Society of European Stage Authors and Composers (SESAC). His first play Love Is Beautiful, premiered at France's The UBU Repertory Theatre in NYC in 1995. He has been seen as an actor on Netflix's Orange is the New Black and as a regular "man on the street" writing, appearing, and directing for The Wendy Williams Show non-studio segments. He has had an extensive stand-up and comedy writing career opening for Gilbert Godfrey, Julia Scotti, and Judy Gold. He is one of the original creators of the long running series Freakout at The Stonewall Inn, which is produced monthly by international nitelife icon, Chauncey Dandridge. Francesco is currently in pre-production for a long form video exploring mental health awareness which he wrote and will direct.

Christine Nagy (executive producer)

Best known for her national broadcasting experience and hosting for over 25 years in radio. Her unique voice has been heard on Martha Stewart Radio on Sirius-XM, Q104.3, Z100, and of course The Cubby and Christine Morning Show on 106.7 Lite-FM, an IHEART radio station. She has had featured interviews with Madonna, Michael Buble, Taylor Swift, and many more. Her love for theatre shines through as a host of the podcast IHEART's Inside Broadway. She also is a founding member of La Strada Theatre Company, she hosted and produced her own live show at Caroline's on Broadway, and continues to perform as an actor. As a visionary, Christine continues to produce, develop, and curate productions that need their stage time.

Chauncey Dandridge (producer)

Artistic director, talent curator, and DJ for The Stonewall Inn. Chauncey has an extensive performing arts background in both production and marketing that enables him to be close to the pulse of the NYC theater and nightlife scene as well as links to many of the more politically progressive non-profit organizations throughout the Metropolitan area. Chauncey has worked on events and performances with Madonna, Lady Bunny, and Cate Blanchett. He is experienced in all aspects of production, helping raise funds and awareness for groups like the Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC), Marriage Equality New York, The Municipal Arts Society and The Trevor Project. He has developed a growing roster of local artists and musicians whose careers he helps nurture and promote.

Colleen Issa (producer)

The owner and director of the Ottawa, Canada based Colleen Issa Photography. She has overseen several productions in the performing arts arena for over 20 years in the capacity of project manager, set/costume advisor, location scout, and executive producer. She has had extensive experience in event planning and producing major live events, installations, and creative gatherings including the annual Goth Industrial Experience which she co-founded.

THE VISUAL COLLABORATORS:

Penelope Laughman (costume design)

An Emmy Award winning designer (Russian Doll) and wardrobe artist for the Netflix series Orange Is The New Black (all seasons). Her film and television credits include How To Get Away With Murder, Person of Interest, Smash, I Am Legend, Bull & The Gilded Age. Her work also includes working internationally for The Olympics in Greece and China. She is currently working on Ryan Murphy's current unreleased project.

Jennifer Caswell (prop & set design)

A creative director and artist for the brands Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters Inc. in New York City. She has collaborated and conceived many notable visuals in the windows of the world's largest stores. She has collaborated on interiors with HGTV, REAL SIMPLE MAGAZINE, and ELLE DECOR. Her clients include Def Jam CEO Kevin Liles, Jennifer Hudson, and Academy Award winner Olympia Dukakis.

Charles "Charlie" Noseworthy (audio & visual director)

An audio and visual artist creating a multimedia experience by marrying the two elements seamlessly. His gallery-style visual installation approach has been seen in collaborations with artists Shania Twain, Queensryche, and Micki Free. Charlie has also had the pleasure of providing his vision to projects for Sally Field, Alan Cummings, and Bradley Cooper.

Laura Desantis-Olsson (audio & visual advisor/documentation photography)

Laura will be providing the imagery and visuals in collaboration with Charlie. She is an international entertainment photographer known for photographing film, theater, television, and all things live. Her subjects include Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, Cher, Shakira, Usher, Snoop Dog, Lauryn Hill, and Madonna. Her most notable collaborations are with Mental Health America, You Rock Foundation, I Heart Radio, The Today Show, and Dollywood.