A selection of 3 short plays featuring a cast of characters unknowingly caught in time together. This story takes place across 3 time periods: 1886, 1969, and 2025. Exploring themes of violence, racial biases and our own mortality in the world. Starting with Death Keeps his Court: A western, involving 11 strangers who find themselves trapped in a saloon with the grim reaper and must choose one person to live while the others escape. The Cart Before The Horse: See's two detectives in Los Angelas trying to piece together the bizarre murder involving a scientist and the invention he was hiding from the world. The King is Dead: A dark comedy that takes place during a sold out production of King Lear, the lead and his understudy turn up dead and the cast scramble to replace him one hour before they go on stage
Cast and Creative team for Compendium of Death at Brooklyn Art Haus
Cast
Imogen Whist
Death/Cecilia
Imogen Whist is a Canadian-born actor, director, and writer
based in New York City. She completed the 1-Year
Professional Acting Program at The Barrow Group after
graduating from Herbert Berghof’s Core Acting Training.
Additionally, she holds a BA in Political Science, Anthropology,
and Cinema Studies from the University of Toronto. She
recently co-wrote and starred in her first short film titled 'The
Waiting Room,' about grief, connection between strangers
and the liminal space between this life and the next. Imogen
loves to create stop-motion and experimental videos, as well
as whimsical watercolor paintings.
Connor Wilson
Outlaw/Tobey
Native Alaskan, Connor Wilson, completed the one-year Acting for Film program at the New York Film Academy. He then completed a 1 Year Professional Acting program at The Barrow Group and is very keen on continuing to learn and hone his craft. He loves and participates exceedingly well in a great many athletic endeavors. He also loves gaming and will kick your ass at Monopoly anytime. Comedy, Improvisation and Magic are his passions and Chick-Fil-a.
He has appeared in several Theater productions including No Exit (2024), Some Girl(s) (2023) and Cherry Jam (2022), as well as films such as Passing Through (2025) and Our Son (2023)
Phil Green
Sheriff
Phil Green is a full fledged New Yorker actor with a variety of credits spanning indie films, theater and television. Credits include The Marvelous Ms. Maisel, Lola Kent and Practice What You Preach.
Gabrielle Driese
Daughter/Ariana
From the heart of Atlanta, Gabrielle Driese is a singer, actor, and gemini who received her BFA in Musical Theatre at Marymount Manhattan College. Her recent credits include the role of Medusa in the recent reading of “Medusa: A New Musical,” NYU Tisch Film ‘Ignominy,” and she also played the role of Ariana in the NYTF production of “The King is Dead, Long Live the King.” She is so excited to be apart of the full Compendium of Death!
Manuel Zopiyaxtle
Son
Manuel Zopiyaxtle is a NYC based actor proudly born and raised in Mexico. He has starred in several plays across Mexico and the United States, such as Wicked, Aladdin, On What Is Confidential and Murders in the Heir.
Rich Dekorte
Cowboy
Rich DeKorte is a New York based playwright making his stage debut in Death Keeps His Court. Born and raised in Northern New Jersey, his journey as a storyteller has included producing the feature length documentary 56 Innings In July, serving as a reporter for the New York Islanders radio broadcast, and a few other interesting stops. He’s incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work with this incredibly talented cast and creative team.
Wally Valenti
Tycoon/Peter
Wally Valenti has been acting since he was 13y.o. Started out in Musical theatre, then studied Drama. He is a singer, songwriter and has his own band. He was a part of "Wallyboy" and "The Wild Bunch", that are on various streaming sites. He continues to seek out projects that speak to him, whether they be acting projects or musical ones. Wally is thrilled to be a part of such an exciting play and a wonderful cast.
Matthew Smith
Husband/Jason
Matthew Phillip Smith is appearing in his second production with GroupSee Theater Company. Past roles include Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby, Captain Brice in Arcadia, and the Viking, Halvar, in the original work Danelaw. Originally from lowa, he obtained Degrees in Theatre Arts and Cinema from the University of lowa. Matthew wants to thank his family and friends for their support and pushing him to be all he can be.
Dani Connor
Wife/Vera
Danielle is an Irish actor, based in New York. Growing up with artist parents, and spending most of her youth involved in stage school and 'feisanna', she has always had a connection to the performing arts.
After studying at Bow Street Academy, the national screen acting school of Ireland, and graduating from university, Danielle moved to the U.S. to begin her acting career in by training at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting.
Since graduating, Danielle has continued her study of the craft through both practical and theory based experience and is so excited to continue this journey with 'Compendium of Death!
Stacey Robinson
Bartender/Noelle
Originally from Denver, CO, Stacey starting acting in Berlin, Germany, where she appeared as Marley in Zayd Dohrn’s WANT, directed by Geordie Brookman. She is overjoyed to have settled here in NYC, and recently made her directorial debut with a production of GOOD PEOPLE by David Lindsay-Abaire.
Gil Cole
Preacher/Anthony
Gil Cole: trained at The Juilliard School 1973-1977. Appeared on- and off- Broadway, regional theater.
When AIDS hit he changed careers: graduate school in Social Work, psychoanalytic training, community
mental health, private practice for 30 years. Retired in 2021 to return to his first love: acting.
Kelechi Udenkwo
Det. Donophan
Kelechi Udenkwo was born and raised in Dallas, Texas and didn’t begin acting until he moved to New York City in 2022. Upon arriving in NYC, he studied acting at Pace University and Oxford University (BADA ‘23). Since receiving his MFA he has worked professionally in New York City and Philadelphia.
Nik Pagan
Det. Vallance/Thomas
Nik Pagán is a New York-based actor. Prior to acting, Nik played Division 1 baseball at the University of Hartford where he received a B.S. in Marketing and a M.A. in Communications. In 2023, Nik completed two years at the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University (MFA). Currently, he is studying under the guidance of Lee Brock at the Barrow Group.
Select credits include: Antonio in Número which had its world premiere at the New York Latino Film Festival (NYLFF) hosted by HBO in 2024. Can be seen in Season 5 of the Equalizer (CBS).
Lizzie Freilich
Dr. Barkley/Gina
Lizzie Freilich is an actress and artist whose work spans theater and film. In addition to her on-camera and on-stage work, she is a voice actress on the NPR podcast Wow in the World, where her vibrant storytelling helps bring science to life for curious young minds.
Kevin Lombard
Young Boy/Joe Erin
Kevin Lombard is a Brooklyn based actor. His recent credits include Teenage Bounty Hunters, Baskerville, and Side Effects. He is a grad of Tufts University, the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, and the Barrow Group.
Rylie Butzbaugh-Patrick
Anya
RYLIE BUTZBAUGH-PATRICK is a Brooklyn-based actor and producer. She graduated with her BFA in Acting from Shenandoah Conservatory. Recent film credits include CUPID FOR CHRISTMAS (Hulu), THE PLACES THAT I’VE BEEN (Independent Short, Chicago), and JULES AND DEE (Independent Short, NYC) which premiered at the NYC Indie Film Festival. Her recent New York theatre credits include a new play workshop, QUEER LIAISONS, at the historic Off-Broadway Cherry Lane Theatre.
Creative Team
Samiha Ahmed
Co-Director
Samiha Ahmed is an actor, director, and producer from Brooklyn, NY. She has studied at The Barrow Group in NY and the Stella Adler Art of Acting Studio in LA. Her directorial debut Sleep Therapy (starring Ashendri Picon!) is currently making its way through the global film festival circuit. In her free time, you can find her scrolling Facebook for treasures or trying to read her cat’s mind.
Ashendri Picon
Co-Director
Ashendri Picon is an actor, director, and writer based in New York City. She studied at The Second City in Toronto and is currently a student at The Barrow Group in New York. Her first short film is currently in post-production, and up next, she is directing a short play, “Sunny Side Up”, for the New York Theater Festival. Ashendri is delighted to be flirting with death through play and to be working with this brilliant cast!
Sandra Rocha
Production Manager
Sandra Rocha is a trained and working actress, dancer and producer. Born and raised in Mexico City, co-founder of GroupSee Theater Company, has also starred in and/or produced different plays and short films in both NYC and Mexico and loves to question herself and others through acting and the exercise of creating. She would like to thank her family without who her life would not be nearly as beautiful, and hopes to keep growing as a human being to also bring better art. Thank you for coming!
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