For Immediate Release

June 27, 2011
For interviews and features contact: Phil Elman, General Manager
518.828.7843 contact@stageworkshudson.org

STAGEWORKS/HUDSON CELEBRATES THE 15th ANNUAL PLAY BY PLAY FESTIVAL OF NEW ONE ACTS
June 29 to July 10, 2011

Hudson, NY - Executive Artistic Director, Laura Margolis, announces the 15th annual PLAY BY PLAY FESTIVAL OF NEW ONE ACTS, produced at company's home in Hudson, New York. Columbia County's award winning theater company will produce the festival from June 29 through July 10. Preview performances are June 29 and 30. Opening night is July 1 at Stageworks/Hudson's Max and Lillian Katzman Theater.

PLAY BY PLAY SHADOWS features actors Timothy W. Hull, Louise Pillai, Belvani Selvarajah and Donald Warfield and is directed by John Sowle and Laura Margolis. This season, Stageworks' annual PLAY BY PLAY Festival of New One-Acts, reveals how "shadows" inexorably reflect upon our character no matter what light is being cast.

The darkness following a sunset, a faint memory, a harbinger of what's to come . . . eight discerning dramatists capture the reflective, prophetic and funny moments in life with a sharp eye, a keen wit . . . and a hint of mystery. Stageworks welcomes the 2011 PLAY BY PLAY SHADOWS playwrights Suzanne Bradbeer, Zack Calhoon, Yussef El Guindi, Ron Riekki, Al Sjoerdsma, Zach Udko, Jesse Waldinger and David Zellnik.

PLAY BY PLAY SHADOWS - THE ACTORS

TIMOTHY W. HULL (Man, Ratib, Ethan, Chris, Alan) makes his Stageworks/Hudson debut in PLAY BY PLAY. He received his MFA from The Theatre Conservatory at The Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. He has performed at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, The Goodman, Writer's Theatre, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, NY International Fringe Festival and the 2011 Tony Award winning Lookingglass Theatre Company. Locally, he was in Cap Rep's TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (Boo Radley/Mr. Gilmer) and NYSTI'S A CHRISTMAS CAROL (Bob Cratchit/Christmas Future). He also has a supporting role in the film "Virgin Alexander" which is currently rocking film festivals around the country.

LOUISE PILLAI (Woman, Barbara, Flora Macdonald, Oldest Jackal, Tamarah, Sarah, Carol) is well known in the Hudson Valley for her work at numerous regional theater companies including Rhinebeck Center for the Performing Arts, The Two Of Us Productions, Tri Arts, Saturday Night Liv, Taconic Stage and Classics at the Point. Productions include: CAROUSEL, RAGTIME, CABARET, AGNES OF GOD, HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE, BLITHE SPIRIT, THE GOOD DOCTOR and numerous others.

BAVANI SELVARAJAH (Shadiyah, Annie, Peggy, Katie and Stacie, Spanish Chick, Susan, Nanci). Bavani's theater credits include A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, ORESTES, THE WAITING ROOM, TARTUFFE, WITH THEIR EYES, TRANSGENDERED and SEASONS. She has appeared in the films "Mikey & Me" and "Sadie" and was recently cast in the television pilot "Dark Day." Born and raised in California, Bavani is currently attending the Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Purchase College where she is a B.F.A. Acting candidate.

DONALD WARFIELD (Narrator, Alan, VO, Duncan Campbell, Asad, Kurt) is very happy to be making his debut with Stageworks/Hudson. He has performed extensively On and Off-Broadway, in regional theaters nationwide, and on many TV assignments, night and day. He originated the role of Jamie Rollins on the long-time CBS serial "Love Of Life," and more recently won the Best Acting Award for his portrayal of "The Professor" at the S.O.T.R. Film Festival in Honolulu. He is two-thirds of the way to his goal of playing in all of Shakespeare's plays, including six years with the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, and stints with several other major festivals. He is also a producer, On Broadway (G.R.POINT) and regionally, as well as a playwright, and lives in Fairfield, CT with his wife Laura. donaldwarfield.com.

PLAY BY PLAY SHADOWS - THE PLAYWRIGHTS

Suzanne Bradbeer (OKOBOJI) Current projects include THE JESUS FACTOR, an election year drama about the intersection of faith and politics; and SHAKESPEARE IN VEGAS, a comedy about a New York actress trapped in the land of slot machines and showgirls. Suzanne's work has been workshopped and produced at theatres around the country, including Barrington Stage Company, The New York Musical Theatre Festival, Joe's Pub at the Public Theatre, the Stamford Center for the Arts, the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, and City Theatre of Miami. Suzanne was a Fellow at The Lark's Playwrights' Workshop and is also a member of the Ensemble Studio Theatre, the Actors Studio P/D Workshop, and the Dramatists Guild.

Zack Calhoon (VIOLENCE IN THE AIR) graduated from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts with BFA in Acting. His plays have been performed and developed by the Orlando Shakespeare Theater, Boomerang Theatre Co., East 3rdProductions, Living Image Arts, Flux Theatre Ensemble, Oberon Theatre Ensemble, New Mummer Group, On the Square Productions, and Dreamscape Theatre. Playwriting credits: The Weird Sisters (East 3rdProductions), Breaking Ranks (New Mummer Group), Marlowe, P.I.(Dreamscape), Violence in the Air,Enough (which was later made into a short independent film), Dream House, Obamaville, Krueger, RINO(Resonance Ensemble Play commission) and Paint (Winner of 2010 Georgia Theatre Conference New Play Award, 2010 Semi-Finalist for a Juilliard Playwriting Fellowship). He also wrote two episodes for the second season of the award winning web series, Then we got HELP! (www.thenwegothelp.com). He is a member of the Dramatist Guild, a member of the Independent Theater Bloggers Association, the Writers Guild of America East, and an Eagle Scout. He was the 2008 East 3rd Productions Playwright-in-Residence, and is a found member of the Dreamscape Theatre. He is currently working on a play commission for Rising Phoenix Rep.

Yussef El Guindi's (THE REVIEW) most recent production was LANGUAGE ROOMS at the Wilma Theater in Philadelphia: the play won the Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award, as well ACT's New Play Award. It is scheduled to be staged again in San Francisco this Fall. Other productions: JIHAD JONES AND THE KALASHNIKOV BABES, produced at Golden Thread Productions in San Francisco, at InterAct Theater in Philadelphia, and at Kitchen Dog theater in Dallas, as part of the National New Play Network. It has also been performed at Theater Schmeater in Seattle, and Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater in Massachusetts. OUR ENEMIES: LIVELY SCENES OF LOVE AND COMBAT, produced by Silk Road Theatre Project in Chicago. The American Theater Critics Association gave it the 2009 M. Elizabeth Osborn Award. BACK OF THE THROAT, and the two related one-acts, SUCH A BEAUTIFUL VOICE IS SAYEDA'S and KARIMA'S CITY, have been published by Dramatists Play Service. The latter one-acts have also been included in The Best American Short Plays: 2004-2005, published by Applause Books. His play, TEN ACROBATS IN AN AMAZING LEAP OF FAITH, is included in Salaam/Peace: An Anthology of Middle-Eastern-American Playwrights, published by TCG in 2009. Upcoming production: PILGRIMS MUSA AND SHERI IN THE NEW WORLD at ACT in Seattle.

Ron Riekki's (CAROL) play ALL SAINT'S DAY opened Chicago's Ruckus Theater's 2010-2011 theater season, http://www.ruckustheater.org/home/2010-11.html. His novel U.P. was one of Ghost Road Press's top ten bestselling books for over 100 weeks,http://www.amazon.com/u-p-R-Riekki/dp/0979625564. Gypsy Daughter Press published his chapbooks Leave Me Alone I'm Bleeding and Poems about Love, Death and Heavy Metal, http://www.gypsydaughter.com/. U.P. is in film development with Two Eyes Productions in the San Francisco Bay area. He's repped for TV writing by DSA in Beverly Hills.

Al Sjoerdsma (CLOUD) is an award-winning playwright whose work has appeared in theatres all over the country including Vital Theatre, The Producer's Club, Kimball Studio Theatre and Chez Leroe Poets Theatre in New York; The Odyssey Theatre in Los Angeles; City Theatre in Miami, Florida; Milwaukee Rep; Cleveland Public Theatre; the old (and now new) Performance Network in Ann Arbor; The Vortex Theatre in Albuquerque; the Pittsburgh New Works Festival; New Jersey Rep; Northern Kentucky University; Keene State College in New Hampshire and elsewhere. His The 82nd Shepherd's Play appears in the Doubleday anthology Incisions and his Gandhi Goes Fishing in Playscripts, Inc's Great Short Plays Volume 2. Al is currently working as a Head Writer for Marvel Comics' "The Official Index to the Marvel Universe" and is a member of the Dramatists Guild.

Zach Udko (THE CLAW OF THE SCHWA) holds a MFA in Dramatic Writing from New York University and a MA and BA in English from Stanford University. His plays have been read or produced in New York, Los Angeles, the Bay Area, London, Edinburgh, and have won awards from the Kennedy Center A.C.T. Festival and the Midtown International Theater Festival. He contributed a piece to the anthology "Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys," published by Plume and the basis of the Sundance television series. As a lyricist and performer, his music has appeared on MTV2/LOGO, FUSE, and Spike TV. A Dramatists Guild Playwriting Fellow, he is currently a full-time Lecturer at New York University, Tisch School of the Arts.

Jesse Waldinger (THE LOYALIST), is the author of several plays and screenplays. His short pieces ADAGIO LAMENTOSO and OLD PRICES were seen in recent editions of Stageworks/Hudson's PLAY BY PLAY. In addition, three of his works have been staged and published by the Association for Theatre in Higher Education. His full-length courtroom drama, THE KNIGHTS OF MARY PHAGAN, has been produced on Long Island and in Hollywood. Waldinger resides on Long Island and in Columbia County with his wife Barbara, a director and theatre professor.

David Zellnik (JACKALS) is the author of the book and lyrics for the musical "YANK!" (off-Broadway 2010 @The York Theatre, music: Joseph Zellnik) for which he received 2 Drama Desk nominations, as well as nominations from the Outer Critics' Circle, and Lucille Lortel Foundation. YANK! also had an award winning run at the Gallery Players in Brooklyn 2007 (IT Award for Best Musical, GLAAD nomination for best Off-Off Broadway Musical) and a sold out run in San Diego's Diversionary Theatre 2008. His previous musical, CITY OF DREAMS has been performed in Cardiff, Wales at the first Int'l Music Theatre Festival, as well as in New York at the Midtown International Theatre Festival. In addition, it won the Nat'l Music Theatre Network competition culminating in a reading at the Lamb's Theatre; 2 songs from it appear on Alison Fraser's album "Men In My Life." David adapted the Arthur Giron play FLIGHT for TheaterworksUSA, creating the musical FIRST IN FLIGHT which toured the US in 2003/2004. He is also currently adapting Peter Pan for Disney (with Eric Svejcar, music) to culminate in "Peter Pan Jr" – 4 productions are already planned around the country for the 2010/2011 season. His plays include: SERENDIB (Off-Broadway Ensemble Studio Theatre, created with a grant from the Sloan Foundation); ARIEL SHARON HOVERS BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH AND DREAMS OF THEODOR HERZL (Developed at Chautauqua, Epic Theatre Ensemble and Culture Project in NYC, and Theatre J in DC); LET A HUNDRED FLOWERS BLOOM (OOBR Award winner for Best Play, seen in London and NYC); as well as the published one-acts IDEOGRAM and KILLING HAND both part of Ensemble Studio Theatre's Marathons. He has been given grants from the Sloan Foundation, NYSCA, Jerome Foundation. He is a member of Ensemble Studio Theatre and The Dramatists Guild. www.davidzellnik.com

THE DESIGNERS

MOE SCHELL (Costume Design) is the head of costumes at Bard College. At Bard Moe designs with student choreographers to teach them real world skills to help realize their work and it's potential. She has designed the past three seasons at the Bard Dance Department and The Judson School 40th Anniversary at Bard and at The Judson Church in NYC . This fall, she designed The Laramie Project and The Laramie Project 10 Years Later with Moises Kaufman and members of The Tectonic Theater Project . Some favorite designs include: Little Red, Emerson High, Seven Stories and Almost Maine with Half Moon Theater; The Good Person of Sechuan at the Atlantic Theater; the original production The Laramie Project with the Tectonic Theater Company, Denver, NYC, LaJolla Playhouse; Pentecost with the Barrow Group directed by Seth Barish (Drama Desk Nomination) and Benten Kozo at the Flea directed by Jim Simpson (Obie Award). She is a graduate of Rutgers University with an MFA in costume design in 1994.

MICHAEL PORTER (Lighting Design) is a Chicago-born lighting designer who owes his capacity in the field to the tutelage and inspiration of Hudson locals John Musall and Andrew Hill. A recent graduate, he has designed extensively for both student and faculty productions at Bard College, with notable productions: THE NATALYA PIECE and FEFU & HER FRIENDS.

PHIL ELMAN (Sound Design & Technical Director ) has served as Resident Technical Director for Stageworks for the past three years. Recent plays include THA AMISH PROJECT, IMAGINING MADOFF, OR, and PLAY BY PLAY. He has also designed the sound for several Stageworks' productions. As the company's General Manager, Phil has been an integral part of Stageworks both artistically and managerially for over fourteen years.

THE DIRECTORS

JOHN SOWLE (Director and Scenic Design) has produced, directed, designed and performed in hundreds of productions over the years. In 1986 he founded Kaliyuga Arts (www.kaliyuga.com) with his partner Steven Patterson and has received multiple awards for his directing and design work on their Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York productions. In Manhattan he has recently directed and designed Beckett's ALL THAT FALL and CARBONE'S KINGDOM OF NOT at the Cherry Lane and the musical IN CIRCLES by Al Carmines based on the work of Gertrude Stein. John received his PhD in Dramatic Art from UC Berkeley.

LAURA MARGOLIS (Director) is the founder and Artistic Director of Stageworks/Hudson. Her directing credits for Stageworks include: THE AMISH PROJECT, IMAGINING MADOFF (premiere), NOWHERE ON THE BORDER (world premiere), CAR TALK (world premiere), FALLING: A WAKE (American premiere), A WEDDING STORY (American premiere), DOG STORIES (world premiere) and many regional premieres such as OMNIUM GATHERUM, LEBENSRAUM, GUTENBERG! THE MUSICAL!, BRUTAL IMAGINATION and WIT. Highlighting her career are the plays she has directed for Stageworks' annual PLAY BY PLAY FESTIVAL of original one-acts. Regionally, she has directed at Capital Rep, Proctors, SUNY/Albany, among others. Laura has received the Certificate of Recognition from the Columbia County Board of Supervisors for providing original and creative opportunities to the community and the Columbia County Arts Award for Artist "for excellence in developing and fostering the arts in Columbia County." She attended Brooklyn College's MFA in Arts Administration program and has taught as an adjunct professor of theater at SUNY/Albany.

The production team includes: Assistant Stage Managers Catherine Seeley, Caitlyn Mazzacano, Damian Rossmann.

About Stageworks/Hudson

Stageworks has established a reputation for its ambitious programming and adventurous productions. The company is especially known for producing the bold, risk-taking work of new dramatic voices. Central to its vision is Futures, an integrative program designed to move Stageworks to the forefront of new play development. Stageworks is both the experiment and the resource to infuse the whole life of the theater with a creative process that produces new ways of expressing, interpreting and sharing the human experience. Stageworks is a member of Theatre Communications Group, the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce and Perform Columbia. It is the recipient of a Proctors Regional Arts Award inaugurated by Proctors Theatre in 2008 to honor the outstanding work of performing arts organizations. For four consecutive years, Stageworks was distinguished in Metroland Magazine as "Best Theater Company." Stageworks is recipient of the Crystal Apple Award from the Chamber of Commerce for providing a positive effect both culturally and economically on the quality of life in our community. Plays are for everyone, whether written by students, established authors or emerging dramatists. Theater illuminates, expresses and interprets the human experience and profoundly serves as a global stage for social exchange and enrichment. Stageworks complements its main season with a series of programs to encourage and engage young people, traditional theatergoers and new audiences. Stageworks continues to actively take a leadership role in establishing the Hudson Valley as a cultural destination by exploring and expanding its reputation for developing new theatrical works, forms and programs.

PLAY BY PLAY SHADOWS - FACT SHEET

Calendar of Events
Previews: June 29 and June 30
Opening: Friday, July 1
Closing: Sunday, July 10

Performance Calendar PLAY BY PLAY SHADOWS at Stageworks/Hudson
Wednesday at 7:30 pm: June 29 and July 6
Thursday at 7:30 pm: June 30 and July 7
Friday at 8:00 pm: July 1 and July 8
Saturday at 8:00 pm: July 2 and July 9
Saturday Matinee at 2:00 pm: July 9
Sunday Matinee at 2:00 pm: July 3 and July 10
Talk Back with the cast and directors post-performance: July 7

Cast (Ensemble)
Timothy W. Hull, Louise Pillai, Belvani Selvarajah and Donald Warfield

Playwrights
Suzanne Bradbeer, Zack Calhoon, Yussef El Guindi, Ron Riekki, Al Sjoerdsma, Zach Udko, Jesse Waldinger and David Zellnik

Production Team
John Sowle and Laura Margolis, Directors
Michael Porter, Lighting Design
John Sowle, Set Design
Philip Elman, Sound Design
Moe Schell , Costume Design
Jennifer Schilansky, Stage Manager

Tickets For tickets or information, contact Stageworks by mail at 41-A Cross Street, Hudson, NY 12534 or call the box office at (518) 822-9667. For further information, visit the website at www.stageworkshudson.org.

Single ticket prices are: $18 for preview performances $24 for Weekdays, Matinees and Sundays $29 for Friday and Saturday evening performances. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more and there are special rates for students and seniors. V

isit Stageworks' home page for more details at www.stageworkshudson.org.

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