SNAZZY to Make New York Debut at LATEA Theater with RiffRaff NYC

RiffRaff NYC has announced the cast and creative team for Snazzy, a new play written by Joe Staton and based on A Snazzy Tale, the memoir by his mother, Lauren Staton. The production will be presented as part of the New York Theatre Festival at LATEA Theater in Manhattan, with performances on July 21, 22, and 25, 2026.

Set between Somerset, England and the wider world, Snazzy tells the remarkable true story behind Snazaroo, the face-paint company founded in the 1980s by Lauren and Paul Staton. What began as a small family business in a holiday park near Minehead grew into an internationally recognised brand sold across the globe. Blending humour, heart, and entrepreneurial determination, the play explores creativity, ambition, family, and the sacrifices often hidden behind success.

Produced by RiffRaff NYC, a New York-based theatre company committed to championing immigrant artists and international voices, Snazzy brings together performers from England, New Zealand, Australia, the Netherlands, and the United States.

The production is directed by Chloe Champken, a graduate of the Trinity Laban Conservatoire in London and the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York City. Champken has built a reputation for creating work that bridges British and American theatrical traditions. She is the co-founder of Crowded Space, alongside fellow Brit Michael Reid, an ensemble dedicated to reimagining English classics for contemporary audiences, and Devious Minds, a company she co-founded with Brooklyn-based artist Gabriel Drax to develop bold new collaborative works.

Whether preparing a new production for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe at Underbelly or staging Shakespeare in a Manhattan black box, Champken's work is distinguished by its fusion of British and American storytelling traditions. Both Champken and playwright Joe Staton are company members of the Ensemble Shakespeare Company, one of New York's leading classical theatre ensembles.

Leading the company is Jenny Taher as Older Lauren. A New York-based actress, Taher has performed throughout New York City as well as regionally and internationally. She is also an occasional writer and, by her own admission, "a sucker for a good story."

Playing Lauren is Brenna Peerbolt, a New York City-based actor. Her regional theatre credits include The Stranger (Enid Bradshaw) at Bluff City Theater, Babes in Toyland (Mistress Mary) at Woodstock Playhouse, Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors (Lucy/Others) at Millbrook Playhouse, The Wedding Binder at Seven Angels Theatre, and both It's a Wonderful Life and Doubt: A Parable at Cumberland Theatre.

Ross Mason will portray Paul Staton. Originally from London and now based in New York and New Jersey, Mason has spent more than twenty-five years working across stage, television, film, voiceover, and audiobook performance. With training in musical theatre from Amersham & Wickham College and the School for Film and Television, his career has spanned both sides of the Atlantic.

The production's Chorus is played by an international ensemble of performers who embody the many characters, voices, and moments that shaped the Snazaroo story.

Truman Gaudoin, an English-American actor and graduate of Drama Studio London, is known for his work with classical text and Shakespeare. Recent credits include Becoming Hamlet with The Shakespeare Forum in New York, Mercutio in Romeo & Juliet with Gallery Players, As If at the Etcetera Theatre, and Anna Karenina.

Naomi Orange is a New York-based performer, producer, and co-founder of Fruit Fly Theatre. Born in London, raised in New Zealand, and spending her adolescence in Australia, Orange brings a uniquely international perspective to her work. Her credits include The Wolves, Carrie, Matilda, and Cahoot's Macbeth. Influenced by punk and rave culture, she has developed a bold personal style that informs both her performance and creative work. She is also the granddaughter of renowned New Zealand historian Dame Claudia Orange.

Ronan Eddy Spierenburg, originally from Taunton in Somerset-just a few miles from Minehead, where much of Snazzy is set-is now based in New York City. Working across film, television, and theatre, he brings a versatile and emotionally grounded presence to the stage. His recent credits include Grace, Fixation, World War C**T, Girl Movie, and Growing Pains.

Laura Laman, born near Amsterdam to a Dutch father and Lithuanian mother, brings an extensive international training background to the production. Most recently she appeared as Stephano in The Tempest in New York, directed by Isaac Butler, author of The Method: How the Twentieth Century Learned to Act. The production was attended by Ethan Hawke and Brian Cox, both of whom praised the work.

The international nature of the cast mirrors the global impact of the company at the heart of the story. While Snazaroo began in Somerset, it would eventually become one of the world's best-known face-paint brands, used by professional artists, schools, theatres, sporting events, and families around the globe.

Since its announcement, Snazzy has attracted significant media attention on both sides of the Atlantic. Coverage has included a major feature by the BBC, which explored the remarkable true story behind the production and the family that inspired it.

The project has also been highlighted by the St. George's Society of New York, one of the city's oldest charitable and social organizations. Founded in 1770-before the American Revolution, the United States Constitution, and even the United States itself-the Society has spent more than 250 years supporting New Yorkers of British and Commonwealth heritage. The organization's interest in Snazzy reflects the production's uniquely Anglo-American story and its celebration of entrepreneurial, immigrant, and cultural connections between Britain and New York.

Joe Staton, playwright and producer of Snazzy, said: