The Actual Dance LLC Presents THE ACTUAL DANCE in Limited Engagement at 1st Stage, 7/12-27

THE ACTUAL DANCE, LLC is pleased to announce Samuel A. Simon's THE ACTUAL DANCE, directed by Kate Holland. THE ACTUAL DANCE will play a limited engagement at 1st Stage (1524 Spring Hill Road, Tysons, VA 22102). Performances begin Saturday, July 12 and continue through Sunday, July 27.

An award-winning play, The Actual Dance is a beautiful love story--a graceful and inspiring journey through the uncharted waters of illness, where the resilience and power of the human heart ultimately persevered.

When first noticing his wife at the age of sixteen, Sam could not predict the profound connection they would share-they are two halves of the same whole. In their 33rd year of marriage, that love was tested...and the ringing in Sam's ear was not as one would expect, in fact it was an orchestra, playing the music of his life--The Actual Dance.

The show will feature the live music of New York's Eli Zoller, a seasoned music director and guitarist who has worked with the likes of Peter Mills, Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik among others. He will be joined by local cellist, Stephanie Herman.

The production features music direction by Eli Zoller, movement direction by Marine Sialelli, dramaturgy by Gabrielle Maisel and Justin Cornell is the stage manager.

The performance schedule is as follows:
Saturday, July 12 at 8:00 pm
Sunday, July 13 at 2:00 pm
Sunday, July 13 at 7:00 pm
Saturday, July 26 at 8:00 pm
Sunday, July 27 at 2:00 pm

Tickets are $20* and are now available online at www.1stStageTysons.org. Running Time: 60 minutes
*$5.00 of every ticket sold will be donated to the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer

For more information, visit www.1stStageTysons.org or www.TheActualDance.com.

KATE HOLLAND (Director) trained in London as an actor and director at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art (now part of Central School of Speech and Drama). She has performed in New York, regional theatre, and international arts festivals. Kate studied acting with Carol Fox Prescott and directing with Karen Kohlhaas of Atlantic Theatre Company. Directing credits include: Little Wing at the Kraine Theatre as part of a Field Artist Residency, Cloud 9 at the Drayton Theatre in London, Henry VI Part 1 at the Fall Festival of Shakespeare in Lenox, MA, Bongani in the 2011 New York Fringe Festival, June and Nancy in the 2012 New York Fringe Festival, and Clear Cold Place and A Bright Room Called Day, both produced by Vilde Chaye Collective. Kate is currently directing Sam Simon in The Actual Dance and is collaborating on a new play with Caroline Prugh, No Provenance.

SAMUEL A. SIMON (Playwright/Performer) is the playwright and performer of The Actual Dance. He also is the Artistic Director of the company that has been formed to produce the show.

Sam describes The Actual Dance work as his "fourth age." He comes to it after a career as a prominent member of America's consumer movement. Trained as a lawyer, he started his career as one of the original member of Ralph Nader's very first legal advocacy group in Washington, DC in 1970. Early in his career his leadership was recognized through a profile in the New York Times. (NY Times, Jan 29, 1971 p. B1). After a stint in the US Army as a JAG Captain, Sam returned to work for Ralph Nader and then start his own consulting firm. During that time Sam became a regular in the national news, appearing in program such as Face the Nation,, The Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS Morning News, The Nightly News, Phil Donahue Show, and the Oprah Winfrey Show, among others.

In 2008 Sam began his "third age" following the sale of his consumer affairs firm in Washington and became a Senior Fellow with the then new non-profit, Intersections International, a social justice initiative of the Collegiate Church of New York. He has transitioned that work at Intersections to serve on its advisory board in 2013 as he began to devote himself full time to The Actual Dance.

Sam returned to theater as an avocation in the late 1990's. He is new to play writing. He has been active in community theater in the Northern Virginia/Washington DC area for about 15 years. He has performed in Temple Rodef Shalom Players group, including roles in plays such as Last Night of Ballyhoo (Adolph), Neil Simon's "Fools" (Doctor) and roles in annual hour long plays. He performed with other companies in Washington, DC area including McLean Drama Company, Great Falls Players and others. He is also trained in improv starting with Sylvia Toone in Washington and a member of the S*T*A*R*S Troupe. He began working with Artistic New Directions of New York through their annual Improv Retreats in the Catskills and he has attended ten retreats including three "master retreats" He has taken Gary Austin, Rachael Hamilton, and Michael Rock workshops. He is an acting student of Carol Fox Prescott and has taken classes from her for four years. He has performed in Gary Austin shows. "The Actual Dance" is his first play.

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