Sand

February 1-March 2, 2008

By Trista Baldwin
Directed by  Daniella Topol

A young American soldier in the Middle East encounters an ever-shifting landscape, forcing him to confront powers foreign and domestic, secular and divine, real and imagined.

“STUNNING” –  New York Times, Caryn James

“Taut” “Powerful” “Unnerving!” – Time Out NY, David Cote

“Nuanced, honest, and engaging.” – Associated Press, Jennifer Farrar

“Sand is a powerful piece; it has guts.” – Ivanna Cullinan of NYTheatre.com

Daniella Topol

(Director) Daniella Topol’s NYC productions include: Sheila Callaghan’s DEAD CITY (New Georges), Peter Gil-Sheridan’s TOPSY TURVY MOUSE(Cherry Lane Theatre), Stanton Wood’s SNOW QUEEN (Urban Stages), Zakiyyah Alexander’s SICK (Summer Play Festival), David Simpatico’s MARY (NYC Fringe), and she has directed numerous readings and workshops at a number of theaters including: The Lark, New Dramatists, New York Theatre Workshop, Playwrights Horizons, The Public’s New Works Now Series, Rattlestick, Roundabout Theatre, among others. A graduate of Carnegie Mellon’s Directing Program, Daniella was previously the New Works Program Director at the National Alliance for Musical Theatre and the Associate Producing Director at City Theatre in Pittsburgh, and is currently the Artistic Program Director at the Lark Play Development Center. She is an NYTW Usual Suspect and a HARP artist at HERE developing a new epic piece on floods with Sheila Callaghan and William Cusick. Other upcoming productions include: Kim Oler, Sean Hartley and Alison Hubbard’s musical LITTLE WOMEN (Village Theatre, WA), Judith Thompson’s PALACE OF THE END (Epic Theatre), and Sheila Callaghan’s LASCIVIOUS SOMETHING (Cherry Lane Theatre).

Trista Baldwin

(Playwright) Trista Baldwin is the recipient of two Jerome Fellowships (04-05 and 05-06)and a 2006-2007 McKnight Advancement Grant. Her work has been produced and developed around the country by groups including The Lark, New Georges, HERE, Urban Stages, The Guthrie, Circle X, The Production Company, ESP, The Red Eye, Bloomington Playwrights’ Project, Overlap Production, The Empty Space Theatre, National New Play Network and HB Playwrights’ Foundation. Recent projects include DOE at the Tokyo International Festival in Japan, FALLING UP at Perishable Theatre Company and PATTY RED PANTS at Seattle’s Live Girls!. Her work is published through Playscripts and Heinnemann. Trista is a co-producing diector of the Workhaus Collective, an Associated Artist of New Georges and a Core Member of The Playwrights’ Center. She currently makes her home in Minneapolis where she is a professor of playwriting at St. Cloud State University

Alec Beard

(Justin) Off-Broadway: A Feminine Ending (Playwrights Horizons); As You Like It (NYSF/The Public). Regional: Lulu, The Cherry Orchard (Yale Rep); Once in a Lifetime, The King Stag (Williamstown). Training: Yale School of Drama.

 

Angela Lewis

(Keisha) Angela Lewis is a native of Detroit, and earned her BFA in acting at the University of Michigan. Among her favorite credits are commercials for McDonalds, Verizon DSL; films Frijolito Go!, Black Sorority Project; choreographing Killa Dilla directed by Andre DeShields , Classical Theater of Harlem’s Caligula (’05 AUDELCO Award Nomination, Best Choreographer); Original cast of Ben Snyder’s History of the Word, Cherry Lane Theatre’s 2006 Mentor Project workshop production of Katori Hall’s Hoodoo Love (’06 AUDELCO Award Nomination, Best Leading Actress), and the 2007 remount of Hoodoo Love for Cherry Lane’s mainstage. Angela recently joined the LAByrinth Theatre Company and thanks all the powers that be for the opportunity.

Pedro Pascal

(Armando/Ahmed) OFF-BROADWAY: Terrence McNally’s “Some Men”, dir. Trip Cullman (Second Stage), Douglas Carter Beane’s “The Cartells” (Drama Dept.), “Macbeth”, dir. Moises Kaufman (NYSF/The Public), “Based on a Totally True Story” and Nilo Cruz’s “Beauty of the Father”, dir. Michael Greif (MTC). REGIONAL: “Hamlet”, “Lorenzaccio”, and “Ghosts” with Jane Alexander, dir. Ed Sherin (The Shakespeare Theatre Co.), “Anna In the Tropics” (Portland Center Stage), “Lobby Hero” and “Gizmo Love” (W.H.A.T.) “Orphans” (International City Theater ) for which he recieved the L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award and Garland for lead performance. FILM: “I Am That Girl” (upcoming), “Hermanas”, “Burning Bridges”, “Window Shopping”. TV: “Law and Order: CI”, HBO”s “Earth vs. The Spider”, “NYPD Blue”, “Touched By an Angel”, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, USA Network’s “G vs E”. AEA member since 2001.

Anita Fuchs

(Set Design) Anita is originally from Freiburg, Germany. She recently designed AMERICAN BUFFALO at the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre and the Off-Broadway production of BILL W. AND DR. BOB, New World Stages, NYC. She has designed at Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Lowell, MA, Clarence Brown Theatre, Knoxville, TN, Virginia Stage Company, 2006 Summer Play Festival New York City; Opera Boston, Cutler Majestic Theatre, Boston, American Repertory Theatre Institute; National Players, Olney, MD and Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Boston, MA. Some American directors she has worked with include Melia Bensussen, John Sipes, Marcus Stern, Mark Wilkinson, Charlie Hensley, Evan Bergman, Rick Lombardo, Derek Scott and James Petosa. Internationally she worked on the III. International Christmas Circus Festival, Freiburg, Germany; Kormoran (Premiere) Freie Kammerspiele, Cologne, Germany; Four Elements – Elements of Nature (Photographic Exhibition), Wallstreet Institute, Freiburg, Germany. She holds an MFA in Scenic Design, Boston University and an apprentice diploma as designer of digital and print media, Atelier für Medienprojekte (Media Art & installation Studio) -Egbert Mittelstädt, Cologne, Germany.

Clint Ramos

(Costume Design) Women’s Project : Transfigures. Current credits include sets and/or costumes for Equus / Blonde Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead ( Asolo Repertory Theater), Edward the Second ( Red Bull Theater),The Tempest( The Acting Company),Most Wanted (La Jolla Playhouse), Donnie Darko, Onion Cellar (American Repertory Theater), As You Like It ( Folger Shakespeare)Taming of the Shrew (Dallas Theater Center), Measure for Measure (Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey), The Tempest (Acting Company), Ah, Wilderness!! (Centerstage Baltimore), Angels in America (Opera Boston). Una Cosa Rara (Opera Theatre of St. Louis) and others. New York: Public Theater, Vineyard Theater, The Play Company, Ma-Yi Theater, Mint Theater, Red Bull Theater, Play Company, Women’s Project, PS 122, Foundry Theater, The Culture Project, NAATCO, Juilliard and others. International: De Nederlandse Opera (Amsterdam), Stuttgarter Ballet (Stuttgart), Rijksteatern & Folkoperan (Stockholm), Teatro Pilipino (Manila), Barbican (London), Kanon Dance (St. Petersburg). Awards and Noms: IRNE, Audelco, Elliot Norton, Gary Kalkin Memorial Award, NYTW Design Fellowship, Live Design Magazine’s list of Designers to Watch for 2007and recently, the American Theater Wing’s Henry Hewes Design Award.

Daniel Baker

(Sound Design) Off- Broadway: The Atlantic Theater (Scarcity, The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow), Cherry Lane Theater (Hoodoo Love), Keen Company (Theophilus North, Tea and Sympathy, The Dining Room, The Maddening Truth), MTC (The Four of Us), The New Group (Everythings Turning Into Beautiful, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, The Things We Want), SecondStage (The Mystery Plays), Rattlestick Theater (Acts of Mercy, Stay), Women’s Project (The Cataract, Victoria Martin).  Regional: Actors Theater of Phoenix, Alley Theater, Arena Stage, Dallas Theater Center, Dorset Theater Festival, Geva Theater Center, Huntington Theater, Long Wharf , Portland Center Stage, San Jose Rep, The Shakespeare Theater,  Studio Theater, TheaterWorks Hartford , Westport Country Playhouse, Weston Playhouse, and Yale Rep.

The Broken Chord Collective

(Original Music) The Broken Chord Collective is a collaborative partnership of musicians that compose, produce, and design music for theater, film. For this production, The Broken Chord Collective is Aaron Meicht (Composition), and Daniel Baker (Production).

J. David Brimmer

(Fight Director)  N.Y. Theater: Almost an Evening, (NY premiere) Ethan Coen one acts, Atlantic Theater, Neil Pepe dir.;  Spring Awakening, Atlantic Theater and Broadway, Michael Mayer dir.; Come Back, Little Sheba, (MTC revival) Biltmore Theater, Michael Pressman, dir.;  Blackbird, (NY premiere) Manhattan Theater Club, Joe Mantalo dir.;  Our Leading Lady, (NY premiere) Manhattan Theater Club, Lynne Meadow dir.;  The American Pilot, (NY premiere) Manhattan Theater Club, Lynne Meadow dir.; The Lieutenant of Inishmore, (NY Premiere) Atlantic Theater and Broadway, Wilson Milam dir; Sore Throats, Theater for a New Audience, Evan Yionoulis dir; Bug, (NY premiere) Barrow St. Theatre, Dexter Bullard dir.; Women of Lockerbie, St. Clement’s Church, Scott Elliot dir.; Killer Joe, 29th St. Playhouse (NY premiere) & Soho Playhouse, Wilson Milam dir.; Blood Wedding, Joseph Papp’s Public Theater, Melia Bensussen dir.; Richard II, NYSF, Stephen Burkoff dir.; Revenger’s Tragedy, Culture Project, Jesse Berger dir.; Eat The Taste, Barrow St. Theatre, John Clancy dir.; Bare, ATA, Kristin Hanggi, dir.;  Hiding Behind Comets, 29th St. Rep, David Mogentale dir. Touring/Regional: Jekyll & Hyde, National Tour, David Warren dir.; The Taming of the Shrew, Dallas Theater Center, Richard Hamburger dir.; Othello, Hartford Stage, Karin Coonrod dir.; Camelot, Shubert Theater, Boston, Gabriel Barre dir.; Pacific Overtures, North Shore Music Theatre, Kent Gash dir.; Speed the Plow, Center Stage, Daniel Fish dir.;  Indian wants the Bronx, Edinburgh Festival, Bill Balzac dir..  A Fight Master with the Society of American Fight Directors, David is also the creator and current instructor of the Stage Combat Program at Tisch School of the Arts, and has taught at Yale Schools of Music and Drama, The Stella Adler Conservatory, The Lee Strasberg Institute, Atlantic Theater, and The Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (Guest Instructor).  He has also had the pleasure of working with Stella Adler, Franco Zeffirelli, Joe Chaikin, JoAnne Akalaitis, and Joseph Papp.  “…walk cheerfully over the world, answering that of God in everyone.”  G. Fox

Alaine Alldaffer

(Casting Director) Alaine Alldaffer is the Casting Director for Playwrights Horizons and The Huntington Theater in Boston. Currently in production at PWH is Deadman’s Cellphone with Mary Louise Parker. Theater credits include Grey Gardens (PWH) and Broadway, Walmartopia the musical, “The Knights of Prosperity” (ABC), “ED” ( NBC). Currently in the works is She Loves Me for the Huntington and The Williamstown Theater Festival.  She credits Lisa Donadio, her Associate and right arm.

Traci Klainer Polimeni

(Lighting Design) NY theatre credits include: Sand (Women’s Project); The Asphalt Kiss (59E59, Drama Desk nomination); Broadway production of Prune Danish starring Jackie Mason (Royale Theatre); Four (MTC, Lucille Lortel nomination); One Ride (Queens Theatre in the Park); Now Circa Then, Core Values and 2 Girls For 5 Bucks (Ars Nova); The Irish Curse (Soho Playhouse); Based On A Totally True Story (MTC). Regional credits include: Hartford Stage, Virginia Stage Co., Two River Theatre Co., Asolo Repertory, Maltz Jupiter, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Capital Repertory, City Theatre.  Traci is the owner of the design firm Luce Group that specializes in museum, architectural, exhibit and event lighting design. Current Luce project includes:  Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Alec Beard in SAND.

Alec Beard and Angela Lewis in SAND.

Angela Lewis and Pedro Pascal in SAND.