When They Go, And You Do Not

two pieces about living, dying and living

written by and starring Susan Merson*

Directed by Bob Jaffe*

The birth of something new. The start of a new journey. Summoning the joy and courage to declare to another human being:  This is who I am. This is where I've been. The path ahead is uncertain. But join me as I take the next ecstatic step forward. The joyful noise of a soul opened and exposed. A heart shared. These affirmations swirl throughout Susan Merson's new solo play, and illuminated the Opening Night of the World Premiere last night at the Fountain.

When They Go, And You Do Not is a funny and moving solo journey about love, loss and starting over. In the play, Wendy rediscovers the elements of living that pull her toward her new beginning after recovering from the death of her husband. Giving up old habits, letting go of what was, accepting new lovers and a new beginning, she finds the richness in her loss and the ways in which we all make it to the next step.

Recognition, a one-act play
by Susan Merson*

Directed by Bob Jaffe*

starring Janet Zarish*, Mark Blum, Gloria Rice, Andrew Platner

December 1st, 2nd and 3rd @ 7:30pm
December 4th @ 5pm (Only When They Go, And You Do Not)

Stage Manager/Light & Sound Board Op - Daniel Melnick

FREE

*denotes EST Member

Leave the Balcony Open
by Maya Macdonald

Directed by Jessica Bauman

May is standing in the way of control. June is trying to hold out. Jon really wants a hug. Silent Gen is still looking up at that broken window, and everyone knows why, but never says anything, especially Gen. On a rural college campus where proximity to death defines your social status, four soon-to-be-graduates party, scream and learn how to move on.

Chrissy: Heidi Armbruster
June: Molly Carden
Prospective: Jerzy Gwiazdowski
May: Jessica Lauren Howell
I Almost Died Cathy/Chorus: Julie Kline
Badly Drawn Johnny Depp/Chorus: Jared McGuire*
Silent Gen: Mary Rasmussen
Producer: Lisa Dozier
Stage Manager: Emily Paige Ballou
Casting by: Judy Bowman

Friday, November 4th @ 5:00pm
Saturday, November 5th @ 3:00pm

FREE

*denotes EST Member

This EST Member Workshop is sponsored by Jared McGuire.

EST/Youngblood presents

Hand to God
by Robert Askins*

Directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel*

October 31 - April 1, 2012

Christian Puppet Ministries are a great way to teach children about the Bible. Each child gets a puppet, and each puppet gets his own personality. But children can be fooled by Satan's tricks. For even within the sanctuary of the Christian Puppet Ministry, the devil lurks. The people of Cypress, Texas were good Christians. Until one day at Puppet Ministry, a boy named Jason, and his puppet Tyrone, let the devil in. This is their story.

Cast & Creative

Jason / Tyrone - Steven Boyer*+ 
Margery - Geneva Carr*+ 
Timothy - Bobby Moreno*+ 
Jessica - Megan Hill*+ 
Pastor Greg - Scott Sowers*+ 

Production Stage Manager - Michele Ebel
Assistant Stage Manager - Julie Watson+ 
Sound Design - Chris Barlow
Lighting Design - Matthew Richards
Costume Design - Sydney Maresca
Set Design - Rebecca Lord-Surratt
Puppet Design - Marte Johanne Ekhougen
Fight Choreographer - Robert Westley
Props Manager - Deb Gaouette

*denotes EST member + denotes Equity Member

Reviews

"Satan, the great tempter of men's souls, takes deceptively innocuous form in the frisky new comedy Hand to God, by Robert Askins. Mr. Askins possesses a perfect ear. The cast is wonderful across the board. Bobby Moreno is terrific, all pent-up lust and rage. But first honors must go to Steve Boyer, who truly gives two distinct performances - one all bewildered innocence, the other pure beastly vulgarity - as Jason and Tyrone." - Charles Isherwood, New York  Times

"Robert Askins's daffily devout black comedy is just the sort of juicy little morsel the hard-bitten theatervore hopes to find, and seldom does, Off Broadway." - New York Magazine, Critic's Pick!

"Wickedly twisted! ....Watching Steven Boyer play both Jason and Tyrone-switching back and forth between contrasting personae with ease and vast vocal range-is a big hallelujah." - Time Out NY

"Joining a rich current crop of shows about the Almighty, from The Book of Mormon to Sister Act, Robert Askins' Hand to God, might just be the quirkiest and funniest of them all!" - Theatermania

"This fantastic cast of five-six, if you count Tyrone-had me alternatively gasping for laughs, covering my eyes and jumping in my seat. ...the sock puppet sex in this production makes Avenue Q look like the teacup ride at Disneyland. A devilishly good time!" - NYTheatre

"Hand to God is riotously funny... For anyone who likes fun, puppets, and has confusing feelings about religion, the play is not to be missed." - New York Theatre Review

"Director Moritz von Stuelpnagel has added some gleeful comic sauce to Askins' script and, with a tireless cast of five who take no prisoners, keeps it all working, all the time." - Don't Miss it

"The funniest play about faith, hands down, on the contemporary stage." - Solange on Theater

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The spirit of work in progress is what EST is all about.

Memberfest is the heartbeat of our process. Our membership of over 500 artists come together to present projects in development. This is a unique opportunity to come into EST's famous creative gymnasium, to experience our members' work - new and raw and always surprising - and to share in the spirit of The Ensemble Studio Theatre.

Pig Shit and the Frozen City
by Rob Askins

Sunday 9/18 @ 6pm, on the 2nd Floor

Spill
by Paul Austin 

Tuesday 9/20 @ 7pm, on the 2nd Floor

The Share (Pilot Episode)
by Emily Chadick Weiss 

Tuesday 9/27 @ 7pm, on the 2nd Floor 

For more information click here

No Good Deed
by Eric Conger

Tuesday 10/11 @ 7pm, on the 6th Floor

Living Online
by Gina Barnett

Directed by Ellen Podolsky
with Susan Willerman & Hanna Cheek 

A recent college grad is paying off her school loans by doing cyberporn. Her mother finds out. Great web-driven chaos ensues.

Tuesday 10/25 @ 7pm, on the 6th Floor

Margaret and Kit
by Shirley Lauro

with Delphi Harrington & Lucy Devito

Tuesday 11/1 @ 7:30pm, on the 2nd Floor

Iced-out, Shackled and Chained: Still Looking for the North Star
by Kisha T. Spence & Mo Beasley

Directed by Jeffery V. Thompson
with Bianca Le-Verne Jones & Stephanie Berry
click here for more information

Wednesday 11/9 @ 7pm, on the 2nd Floor

Ocean Drive a two-act play
by Christopher Goutman

Initiated by EST member Loren Brown 

Blythe Raskin has considered herself cursed ever since she lost her parents in a boating accident 22 years ago. In Ocean Drive, the final installment of a family triology, Blythe arrives in Palm Beach to sign off on her recently deceased uncle's will. She expects only trouble, but discovers a real opportunity for change. 

Tuesday 11/15 @ 7pm, on the 2nd Floor

Try This at Home a solo-show
by Michele Remsen 

Directed by Karen Lynn Carpenter

Friday 12/16 at 7:30pm, on the 6th Floor

The Rust Age
by J. Holtham

Tuesday, 12/20 at 7:00pm, on the 6th Floor

Lilly Harvest
by Richard Toth 

Initiated by member Rob Askins

Tuesday, 1/10 at 7:00pm, 6th Floor

COLLEGE TOWN
by J. Holtham

with Corey Allen, Lydia Blaisdell, Curran Connor*, Abigail Gampel*, Graeme Gillis*, Richmond Hoxie*, David Gelles Hurwitz*, Thomas Lyons*, Dawn McGee and Nitya Vidyasagar* 

Lonnie, a grad school dropout, runs a bookstore in a college town in upstate New York. When a big box store wants to buy him and a few other small business owners out, Lonnie finds himself navigating loyalty, betrayal, friendship and what it means to finally grow up. Sometimes, even after you've graduated, you still have a lot to learn.

Tuesday, 1/31 at 7pm, 6th Floor

THE ISLAND OF NO TIME
by Kristen Lowman 

with David Bishins, Karin de la Penha, Nick Fondulis, Paul Hecht, Amy Hecht, Bob Jester, Amanda Jones, Debbie Lee Jones*, Megan Lawrence, Steve Hauck, Ryan Hugh McWilliams, Scott Sowers*, Corey Tazmania, Sam Underwood and Harris Yulin* 

Father Time and Mother Time have split. Time has stopped on the island. Second, Minute and Hour are now unemployed. Father Time, dejected and bored, tracks the world's events beyond the shore. Mother Time could give a Black Hole! But when two children are washed ashore, everything changes. Will Mother and Father Time reunite? Will the children be saved from two witches with a taste for a nice bottle of Bloody Balls of Barbarossa? Will Time resume?

Tuesday, 2/7 @ 7pm, 2nd floor

SNAKESKIN SUIT
by J. Holtham

A Play About The Devil
Directed by Christopher Burris
with Erin Cherry, Jody Christopherson, William Oliver Watkins and Andrew Zimmerman 

Lily's new boyfriend is funny, charming, more than a little goofy and quite possibly the one. He also happens to be the devil. No, really, Satan. Lucifer. The font of all evil. But he's not really that bad. Or is he? Does he have a diabolical plan for Lily's soul? Or does he just want to win her heart? As she falls deeper and deeper, and her friends get more and more worried about her heart and her immortal soul, Lily has to face her own inner demons...and maybe a few outer ones, too.

Friday, 2/17 @ 8pm - Saturday, 2/18 @ 8pm - Sunday, 2/19 @ 3pm & 8pm, on the 6th floor

STRUDEL AND SHORTS
with/by Amy Staats & Maria Gabriele 

Short works and snacks for those who deserve them

Tuesday, 2/21 at 7pm, 6th Floor

GOD'S CIGARETTE
by Tom Matthew Wolfe 

Directed by Jamie Richards* 
with Eddie Boroevich*, Helen Coxe*, Jay Patterson* & Amy Staats*

Sarah's dad is a mystery.  He sends strange packages full of painted ping-pong balls and dead leaves.  Her mom, Melanie, is worried.  Will her dad come to Sarah's 16th birthday party? And why is Sarah talking to herself? Is it possible that Sarah will inherit his mental illness?

Tuesday, 2/28 @ 7:30pm, 6th Floor

DOLL PARTS
by Rob Askins*

Initiated by member Kelli Lynn Harrison*

Ingrid hates her big fat life.  An old woman gives her a life-sized doll and everything magically gets better... for a while.  Then the doll gets hungry.

Tuesday, March 6th @ 7pm, 6th Floor

GLORIA
by Alex Beech+

Directed by Michelle Bossy

9/11 survivor Madeline returns to Caracas to stay with her family as she recovers from the tragic events that decimated her office in New York.  To surprise Gloria, her Mother, she re-decorates her apartment and discovers that new things mean little in a world undergoingnatural disasters and political upheaval. At its core, GLORIA proposesthat the only thing we have after losing everything is each other.

Tuesday, March 13 @ 4pm, 6th floor

WALKING IRON
by Linda Faigao-Hall*

Tuesday, March 27 @ 7pm

SHOUTING DOWN A QUIET LIFE
by Holli Harms*

Tuesday, April 3 @ 7pm

ANNE AND ADA
by Rachel Bonds 

Directed by Linsay Firman*
with Emma Galvin, Megan Tusing*, Jared McGuire*, Stephanie Wright Thompson & Matt Steiner

After the sudden death of their parents, Anne and Ada are left to live alone in their childhood home. As Anne longs for the safety of childhood, Ada bristles under her new duties as caretaker. When a mysterious Visitor arrives, both sisters begin to imagine how life could be better without the other...

Tuesday, May 8 @ 7pm, 6th floor

WINGWOMAN
by Ken Jaworoski 

Directed by Nick Leavens
Initiated by member Julie Fitzpatrick*
with Kelly Anne Burns, Julie Fitzpatrick*, Mike Smith Rivera, Nedra McClyde* & Joanie Schumacher

Tuesday, May 22 @ 7pm

THE WAY OF WATER
by Caridad Svich*

Directed by José Zayas* 

The Way of Water is a play that pits the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico next to the lives of those directly affected by it. It's a story about four people making do as best they can, living their lives, and trying to stay afloat in the land of many compromised dreams, as the devastation of a health and environmental crisis in the US Gulf is played out on a human scale. It's a play about poverty in America, rumors and truth, what is said and what gets written, and the quest for an honorable life. The Way of Water was developed at the 2011 Winter Writers Retreat, Roundtable Reading and 2012 Studio Retreat at the Lark Play Development Center in New York City. The Way of Water has received multiple readings at venues across the US and abroad this spring as a NoPassport theatre alliance International Reading Scheme. Dramaturges: Heather Helinsky and R. Alex Davis. For more information please click here.

Tuesday, May 29 @ 7pm

FESTIVITIES
by Tom Rowan*

with David Gelles*, Peter Levine, Mark Light-Orr, Rita Rehn, Storm Reid & Jessica B. Smith

Tuesday, June 19th @ 7:30pm, 2nd Floor Theater

Admission to all events is FREE

EST/Going to the River presents

The River Crosses Rivers II

A Festival of Short Plays by Women of Color

Started in 1999, EST/Going to the River addresses the critical lack of opportunity for women playwrights of color. The goal, simply put, is to give these women the kind of exposure that is provided by EST, whose goal is to nurture individual theatre artists and to develop new American plays. The River Crosses Rivers II is a stellar lineup of playwrights whose voices add richness and texture to the American Canon.

Special thanks to Jann Leeming, The Little Family Foundation, The Harold & Mimi Steinberg Trust, and Bloomberg Philanthropies for their support of new play productions at EST.

COMIDA DE PUTA (F#@king Lousy Food)
by Desi Moreno-Penson

Directed by José Zayas*
With Maggie Bofill+, Gilbert Cruz+, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Susanna Guzmán+
Stage Managed by Kevin Clutz

Phaedra in the Bronx. A bodega-owner's wife, is madly in love with her husband's son, the lunch-counter boy,  even her friend, the neighborhood 'spiritual' woman, Rosalia, can't save her.

LEARNING TO SWIM
by France-Luce Benson*

directed by Elizabeth Van Dyke*
with Stephanie Berry*+, Lincoln Brown+, Ashley Bryant+, & Paulo Quiros
Stage Managed by Daniel Melnick

A woman grappling with loss discovers the only way to rise above her grief is to swim through it.

MODERN ROMANCE
by Bridgette Wimberly*

Directed by Chuck Patterson*
With Chike Johnson, Trish McCall+ & Harvey Gardner Moore
Stage Managed by B'Jai Pierce-Astwood

Tanya has been lonely for a long time.  Lately she has found something exciting to do with her afternoons ' but is he for real?

ONE QUARTER
by Christine Jean Chambers

Directed by Talvin Wilks*
With William Jackson Harper*+& Amelia Workman+
Stage Managed by Jonathan McCrory

A multi-racial woman ponders the future of her progeny- How will her child inherit a culture she's always felt alienated from.

ONE FOR THE BROTHERS, A LOVE STORY
by Pearl Cleage

Directed by Woodie King, Jr.
With Reggie Burch, Denise Burse+, & Morocco Omari+
Stage Managed by Mutiyat Ade-Salu+

A love story set during the turbulent 60's & 70's when revolution was the norm.

POST BLACK
written & directed by Regina Taylor+

With Carmen DeLavallade+ performing September 14 - 18, Micki Grant+ performing September 21 - 25, & Ruby Dee+ performing  September 28 - October 2
Stage Managed by B'Jai Pierce-Astwood+

In an airport, a 110 year-old woman encounters the post black generation, much to their surprise.

THE SETTLEMENT
by Philana Omorotionmwan

Directed by A. Dean Irby
With Denny Dale Bess*+, Teresa Stephenson+, & Marie Thomas+
Stage Managed by Chiara Di Lello

New homeowners find their domestic bliss disrupted by the late-night arrival of a stranger who insists that the couple's home is rightfully hers.

SKIN
by Naveen Bahar Choudhury

Directed by Jamie Richards*
With Vandit Bhatt+  & Nitya Vidyasagar*+
Stage Managed by Joshua Hernandez

A classic tale of Hip Hop Wannabe Boy meets Disenchanted Poet Girl.

WAKING UP
by Cori Thomas*

Directed by Tea Alagic+
With Lynnette Freeman+ & Amy Staats*+
Stage Managed by Kevin Clutz

Two women on different continents face breast cancer. A play about what separates us and what makes us the same.

*denotes member of EST +denotes member of Equity

Equity Approved Showcase

REVIEWS

"Carmen DeLavallade delivers a powerful performance." - Back Stage NY, Critic's Pick! 

"Lots of Brava's to spread around here. Each piece comes close to exploding off the page. If I could split myself into a million people  I would personally kidnap you and get you over to Ensemble Studio Theatre to see this festival." - Ushernonsense

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