Laura Laman Joins International Cast of SNAZZY at New York Theatre Festival

RiffRaff NYC has announced that Netherlands-born actress Laura Laman will join the cast of Snazzy, the new play by British actor-writer-producer Joe Staton, as part of the company's upcoming New York Theatre Festival premiere at LATEA Theater this July.

Born near Amsterdam to a Dutch father and Lithuanian mother, Laman brings a distinguished international training background to the production. She studied at Utrecht University before completing advanced drama studies in Leuven, Belgium, and subsequently trained at the prestigious Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York City - one of the most respected actor training institutions in the United States, whose alumni include Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro, and Benicio Del Toro. Her stage credits include Barbara in August: Osage County, Stephano in The Tempest, and one of the witches in Macbeth, alongside film appearances in Nachtzwaluw and Voor Masja. Snazzy marks her New York stage debut.

Staton, who hand-picked Laman for the ensemble, speaks to the calibre she brings to the production: "Laura is exactly the kind of artist RiffRaff NYC exists to champion. She has trained rigorously on two continents, and that commitment shows in every moment she's on stage. Her range, her instinct, and her ability to hold the emotional truth of a scene are genuinely rare. I have no doubt that audiences and the wider industry will take notice of her this summer."

Laman's casting carries particular resonance given the play's Dutch thread - her heritage lending an authenticity to a story in which Dutch theatrical craft played a formative role. "Joe has shown me that crossing the ocean in pursuit of your dreams is worth it and that hard work pays off if you just keep going," she says. "He's an inspiration to me and many others."

Snazzy has attracted significant international media attention ahead of its premiere, with coverage spanning the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Canada. Industry outlets including BroadwayWorld and TheaterMania have featured the production alongside coverage from BBC News, Yahoo News, and BBC Radio Somerset in the UK; La Marina Alta, The Leader Costa Blanca, Bridging the Gap, and Euro Weekly News in Spain; and She&Success in Canada. Additional features in France & New Zealand are expected. The BBC News feature - headlined "Snazaroo: A Story of Love, Loss and Success" - brought the story to a global audience, while the breadth of Spanish-language and regional UK coverage reflects the production's unusually wide international reach for an Off-Off-Broadway premiere.

Written by Staton and adapted from his mother Lauren Staton's memoir A Snazzy Tale, Snazzy tells the true story behind Snazaroo - the internationally recognised face-paint brand sold in over 40 countries. Set in the 1980s, the play traces how a simple idea at a holiday park in Minehead, Somerset grew into a global business, with an early and vital connection to Grimas, the professional theatrical make-up company based in Heemstede in the Netherlands.

The production is directed by Chloe Champken - herself the subject of coverage in the Leighton Buzzard Observer and Living Magazines for her work on the show - and presented by RiffRaff NYC, the company co-founded by Staton and dedicated to supporting immigrant artists, with a commitment to casting at least 50% international performers. The company has established itself as a significant voice in New York's independent theatre landscape, with productions that have garnered critical recognition and festival acclaim.

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