Cast Set For THE LAST GOAT at Central Works

Central Works' season continues with The Last Goat, written and directed by Gary Graves, and running Jun 28–Jul 27 (with previews 6/26, 6/27) in which a young woman lives alone with her grandmother on an isolated Greek island, desperately longing to see the world. 

The Last Goat features a cast that includes Andre Amarotico*, Liris Robles and Jan Zvaifler. (*AEA). 

In The Last Goat a  young man suddenly appears in the home of the only two inhabitants of a small island. The young woman must decide: can she leave with him and abandon her grandmother to solitude and destitution? 

The play unfolds on the Greek island of Kasos, in the distant past, Kori lives in an old family farmhouse with only her grandmother to keep her company. She longs to escape the desperate isolation of the island, but that would mean abandoning her grandmother's sole means of support. When a young man staggers into the old house claiming he was shipwrecked on the island, tradition demands they offer the wayfarer hospitality.  But can he be trusted?  He claims to be the son of a wealthy landowner on another island. Kori wonders if he might be her ticket to freedom. Her grandmother believes he's after the farm, or Kori–or both!  Is Kori falling in love? Or is she just using the handsome young stranger?  Or…is he using her?

This year, Boss McGreedy (also written and directed by Gary Graves) received 6 nominations for SFBATCC awards, including “Original Script” and “Entire Production.”  Central Works (CW) takes risks, fearlessly embracing edgy, controversial issues.  Now in its 35th season, the company remains committed to developing and producing challenging new works with talented local artists and ensuring fair compensation to our workers, while maintaining affordable admission prices. We are “The New Play Theater.”

Gary Graves (playwright/director) has been a resident playwright and company co-director at Central Works since 1998. He has been a part of developing 76 world premiere productions with the company, many of which he has either written and/or directed.  Titles of plays he has both written and directed include:  Red Virgin, Machiavelli's The Prince, Chekhov's Ward 6, Boss McGreedy and The Contest.  He directed the company's first collaboratively developed script, Roux, at the Berkeley City Club in 1997. He also leads the Central Works Writers Workshop, and he teaches playwriting regularly at the Berkeley Rep School of Theater.

Andre Amarotico* (Nikolis) is an actor, collective member, and board president at the Tony Award winning San Francisco Mime Troupe. He was also recently featured in several world premieres, including Central Works' Push/Pull by Harry Davis, Jewel Theatre's Under Ben Bulben by Kate Hawley, and in Neighborhood Stories in a piece by Pulitzer-nominated playwright Amy Freed. He was nominated for a TBA award for his role in Ross Valley Players' The 39 Steps, and a BATCC Award for his portrayal of John Wilkes Booth in Hillbarn Theatre's Assassins. Favorite past roles include Anthony in Sweeney Todd, and Shakespeare's Romeo, Hamlet, and Macbeth. He has also performed at The Mountain Play, 6th Street Playhouse, Cutting Ball Theatre, Word for Word, and Stanford Repertory. He received his BA in Theatre at Stanford University. andreamarotico.com *member AEA 

Liris Robles (Kori) is delighted to make her debut with Central Works in The Last Goat. A lifelong performer, she began acting at age five and has since appeared in over 20 theatrical productions and short films. Favorite roles include Elle Woods in Legally Blonde (Korsa Musical Theater), Maria in West Side Story (Throckmorton Theater), and Little Red Riding Hood in Into the Woods (Tomorrow Youth Rep). Most recently, she appeared in the short film Offsides. This fall, Liris will enter her second year at Laney College while continuing her theater training through Studio A.C.T. When off the theatrical stage, you can find her (still on stage!) performing as a musician/singer/songwriter or teaching acrobatics in her hometown of Alameda. 

Jan Zvaifler (Melina) is delighted to be on stage again, after last year's final appearance as Valeria Hunter in Accused! by Patricia Milton. Ms. Z. is a founding member of the company and co-director of Central Works along with Gary Graves. She has participated over the past 34 seasons as an actor, designer, director and/or producer. She has also worked with many other local theater companies including the Berkeley Rep, Berkeley Shakespeare Festival, Marin Theater Company, San Francisco Playwrights Foundation, and San Francisco Shakespeare Festival.