Theatre XP

   

 

 

Experimental and Extraordinary Stage Experience

 


Announcing

THE KEY WEST SUMMER STAGE 2012!



 


  Key West
Summer Stage 2012
at the Red Barn
produced by TheatreXP

Sponsored by
Conch Color,
The Grand Cafe
Royal Furniture

July 10-14:  TALK RADIO by Eric Bogosian 8 pm

Controversial talk show host Barry Champlain is on the air doing what he does best: insulting the pathetic souls who call in the middle of the night to sound off. Tomorrow, Barry’s show is set to go into national syndication and his producer is afraid that Barry will say something that will offend the sponsors. This, of course, makes Barry even more audacious. An entrancing evening of theater.

“…grabs an audience by the lapels and shakes it into submission.” – The New York Times
…wickedly entertaining…”The NY Sun
“…Bogosian is still the radical poet of the American theater…” NY Press
“…blazing directness, intensity, and caustic humor…” NY Blade

July 17-21: YOU'VE GOT HATE MAIL by Billy Van Zandt 8 pm

The comic answer to A.R. Gurney’s LOVE LETTERS. In this modern-day fable, love “bytes” all when an extra-marital affair goes horribly wrong, thanks to a juicy email left sitting on a desktop. The story is told entirely in  emails  from laptop computers and smart phones, although their still manages to be an unforgettable chase scene – thanks to Blackberries and iPhones. The heartiest laugh-for-laugh show of all the Van Zandt-Milmore comedies.

“…outright guffaws greeted this 75-minute free-for-all…” Neward Star Ledger
“… very funny play where the verbal zingers fly fast and furious…” Asbury Park Press

July 24-28: THE SEAFARER by  Conor McPherson  8 pm

It’s Christmas Eve. Mid-life Sharky Harkin, erstwhile fisherman/chauffeur, finds himself reluctantly hosting old friends at the dingy house that he shares with his brother who has recently gone blind. A lot of booze and card playing carry the men into Christmas Day, when Sharky must face the grim promise he made decades ago to a mysterious stranger who appears at the door.

“…succinct, startling, and eerie, and the funniest McPherson play to date…” London Observer
“…a hilarious, spooky, and delving play about living hells, drying out, despair, and hope…” Independent
“…ambushes you and then haunts you for days afterward…” TIME OUT (London)


 

What is THE KEY WEST SUMMER STAGE?

KWSS is a fast-paced, powerhouse three-week mini-season at the Red Barn Theatre in Key West, Florida, produced by TheatreXP. KWSS features a great mix of Key West’s most  recognizable actors and new faces. Each specific production runs for five performances only, Tuesday through Saturday, with all curtain times at 8 pm. Tickets are obviously  limited for each show’s run.

Productions in 2012 include Eric Bogosian's iconic TALK RADIO, running July 10-14; the hilarious YOU'VE GOT HATE MAIL by Billy Van Zandt and Jane Milmore, running July 17-21; and Irish playwright Conor McPherson's remarkable THE SEAFARER, which electrified Broadway just two years ago, running July 24-28.

All plays are produced by TheatreXP, the Key West theater company founded by Key West actor/writer/director Bob Bowersox in late 2010, in association with The Red Barn Theatre. Lead sponsors for the season were Conch Color, The Grand Café, and Royal Furniture.

An Opening Night Party follows each play’s Tuesday night opening, and anyone with a ticket to that night’s performance is invited to stay and enjoy food and bar provided by The Grand Café, one of the Summer Stage sponsors, and mingle with the cast and crew of the Summer Stage season, all of whom will be in attendance.

Season ticket packages are available this year, including special "Dinner and a Show" packages available through the Grand Cafe, directly across the street from the Red Barn Theatre. Call TheatreXP at 302-540-6102 for more information.

 

Who's Who in The Key West Summer Stage 2012
(in alphabetical order)

MICHAEL AAGLAN, Actor
Michael made his professional debut at 17 as a dancer in Sugar. He toured for nearly a decade with Metamophosis Performing Company in interactive theatrical productions for elementary school through corporate age audiences. He spent several years working for Lycoming College in Pennsylvania as Musical Theatre Dramaturg and as an Artis-in-Residence for their Summer Theatre Internship Program. Michael has been seen regularly in Israel  Horowitz's Line (playing Dolan), Peg of My Heart (Jerry), The Great American Backstage Musical (Banjo), Pergolesi's The Perfect Wife (Vespone), David Mamet's A Life in the Theatre (The Stage Manager), Lend Me A Tenor (Max), The Importance of Being Earnest (Algernon), The Secret Garden (Neville Crane), Sylvia (Tom/Phyllis/Leslie), and Carousel (Jigger). Micheal was last seen in Key West in the Waterfront Playhouse productions of The Best Man and Reefer Madness: the Musical, and he's directed at the Waterfront as well...The Red Head Dilemma (with Key West Children's Theatre, and stage managed Naked Boys Singing!

JUSTIN AHEARN
Justin has been acting all of his life. Recently, though, Key West theater lovers have been blessed with his talents in such shows as the Waterfront Playhouse's 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and The Full Monty. Last year he starred in the Red Barn's Becky's New Car, and has also been seen in other productions around the Keys, including Incorruptible, Company, The Amorous Ambassador, and Cactus  Flower.

BOB BOWERSOX, Actor, Director, Founder of TheatreXP
Bob has spent the last 26 years acting professionally in theater, film, and television in Philadelphia and New York, and now in Key West, his home for the past 4 years. He studied acting at the University of Delaware’s acclaimed Professional Theatre Training Program, and concentrated on Meisner training with noted director Danny Peak. Stage roles have included everything from Shakespeare to Albee, Gurney to Tennessee Williams. He was last seen as Juror#8 in last year’s Waterfront Playhouse production of 12 Angry Men, as well as several roles in the Red Barn’s Short Attention Span Theatre the last few years. On the silver screen, he's appeared in over 21 films, from big-budget studio pics (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Addicted to Love, Burn After Reading) to quirky independents (Touched, Frayed, 99 Percent Sure).  He’s also written several screenplays and stage plays, some of which have been optioned by Hollywood production companies and/or produced on stage. Bob  is the founder and Artistic Director of TheatreXP in Key West.

LAURIE BREAKWELL, Actor
Laurie is one of the most recognized and respected talents in Key West, particularly when it comes to the musical stage. She’s graced the Red Barn stage in productions that include Wild Women of Planet Wongo, Batboy, the Musical, and Bark. At the Waterfront, she starred in Musical of Musicals, the Musical, The Full Monty, and Stepping Out. She’s also worked with the Key West Pops at the Tennessee Williams Theater in Follies, Pajama Game, A Little Night Music, and most recently, Leading Ladies of Broadway. She also premiered her own signature show, CleaVage in the Night – Laurie Breakwell Exposed  earlier this year. THE KEY WEST SUMMER STAGE marks Laurie’s first non-musical appearances at The Red Barn.

PONY CHARVET, Actor
Pony has been a fixture around Key West for years, especially when it comes to comedy. He was a founding member of The Improvables comedy troupe in Key West, building upon his stint with the ground-breaking Los Angeles improvisation group, The Groundlings. Pony has been seen in numerous Key West productions, most recently Short Attention Span Theatre at The Red Barn.

JACK MCDONALD, Stage Manager, Lighting Designer, Master Electrician
Jack has been involved with theater his whole life. He was Assistant Stage Manager for the first production of Sylvia at the Red Barn and has gone on to become an integral part of the inner workings of the theater -- designing and running lighting, stage managing, building and painting sets. Jack studied Fine Arts in college and now fills his courtyard with painting when he is not turning a brush on a stage flat. His fine art paintings are shown regularly the galleries of Key West.

ERIN MCKENNA, Actor
Erin's from Long Island, NY, and studied dance at Hunter College there. She works as a licensed massage therapist at two local Key West spas. She last performed at the Red Barn Theatre's production of Becky's New Car, and is a regular member of the Short Attention Span Theatre troupes every year. Erin is also an active member of the Key West Burlesque Troupe, performing as "Cheeky Derriere".

GEORGE MURPHY, Actor
George is the author of two book of poetry, a six-act musical (The Meaning of It All), a stage adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut's Mother Night, and has edited numerous literary anthologies, including The Key West Reader, Poetics: Essays of the Art of Poetry, and The Poet's Choice. He has appeared on stage in Key West in 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, Jeffrey, Rumors, Carnival, La Cage aux Folles, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Pageant, Shel's Shorts, Shel Shocked, The Outer Shel, Sherlock's Secret Life, The Graduate, Incorruptible, Opus, Regrets Only, and 12 Angry Men. His autobiographical monologue Electra: The Birds of Death and the Mongoloid Troubadour has been featured at the Red Barn Theatre. 

QUINCY PERKINS, Actor, Producing Partner of TheatreXP
Quincy is a native of Key West. He grew up performing in the local theaters until he went off to high school at the prestigious Deerfield Academy in Mass. There he honed his skills with famed theater coach John Reese (who also coincidentally taught co-star Laurie Breakwell). He was accepted and studied at Stella Adler Academy in NYC and appeared in an off-Broadway production of This Is Our Youth by Kenneth Lonergan. He has appeared at the Red Barn Theatre in Greetings, Wild Women of Wongo, Shel's Shorts, Rompers, The Outer Shel, Fresh Rompers, and another Mamet play Speed-The-Plow where he became bilingual in "Mamet-talk". He was also Juror #5 in 12 Angry Men and Richard Roma in Glengarry Glen Ross at the Waterfront Playhouse. Quincy is also a local filmmaker and producer. He has involved in films such as Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Master and Commander, Men in Black, Cat in the Hat and others. He has also won several awards for his directed short films including Start Spreading The News and Driving Lessons, which was recently selected as one of 40 most influential films made in Florida in the last decade.

RANDI REAMS, Director
Randi holds a B.A. in Performance Studies from New College of Florida, and most of her recent directorial credits have been affiliated with the institution. Her favorites have included productions of Buchner's Wozzeck, Sartre's No Exit, and a selection from Sarah Kane's Blasted. Additionally, in the past year, she has put up a showcase of original work as part of her thesis project, called Rivalry, and had the privilege of directing the premiere production of Aaron Amram's Don't Listen to What we Say, Watch What We Do, an original documentary theatre piece based on material from the Nixon tapes. As an actress, Randi recently appeared in this year’s Short Attention Span Theatre at the Red Barn in The Snap. KWSS marks Randi’s directorial debut at the Red Barn.

TAMMY SHANLEY
Tammy graduated from the University of Akron with a major in Theater/Acting, and a minor in Anthropology. She received a scholarship upon graduation to study with Shakespeare and Co.  in Lennox, MA for their month intensive. She studied six years with James Slowiak and The New World performance lab (using actor movement training under the guidelines of Jerzy Grotowski). Tammy has performed professionally from Cleveland, OH to Minneapolis, MN. Some of her favorite roles include Trinculo in The Tempest, Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Barbara Allen in Dark of the Moon, Poppy in Noises Off, and Veronica in Walking the Dead. She has also written, produced, and directed.

REBECCA TOMLINSON, Director
Rebecca has been involved with theater most of her life....as a director and theater manager. In her past lives, she's been a college professor and a business consultant. In her current life, besides directing productions like Short Attention Span Theatre at the Red Barn in Key West, she is the Executive Director of the Key West Business Guild.