The Actors Center hosts a screening of the feature film Brooklyn, Minnesota, written and directed by company member Erik Jensen and Jessica Blank on Monday, February 9th at 7:00pm at Macaulay Honors College. The event is free and open to the public.
Company member Max Wolkowitz plays Mayer Lehman in The Lehman Trilogy, written by Stefano Massini, adapted by Ben Power, and directed by Dan Hasse at Milwaukee Repertory Theater, produced in association with Guthrie Theater and Shakespeare Theatre Company. In 1844, a young man from Germany stands on a New York dockside dreaming of a new life in the new world. He is joined by his two brothers, and an American epic begins. Over the next 163 years, the Lehmans transformed a small storefront into an unstoppable investment superpower—until a collapse that pushed the global economy to the brink of destruction. This universally acclaimed play tests the bounds of the American dream and the limits of epic theatricality. Performances run through February 8 in Milwaukee, WI.
Company member Brandon Flynn is in Data, written by Matthew Libby and directed by Tyne Rafaeli, Off-Broadway at the Lucille Lortel Theatre. When a brilliant young programmer learns his own algorithm is the key to a massive AI surveillance project, he’s forced to challenge the tech world he once dreamt of joining. Confronting today’s most controversial headlines, this subversive thriller follows the terrifying choices at our fingertips—and the high cost of disrupting a system that tracks your every move. Performances run through March 29.
Company members Julian Elijah Martinez and Jo Mei are in Compagnia de’ Colombari’s King Lear, based on the play by William Shakespeare and adapted and directed by Karin Coonrod at La MaMa. Ten diverse actors, ranging in age and gender, embody King Lear at the beginning and conduct a radical takeover of the text and space. Their unity fractures as they tear off their paper crowns and assume other roles, competing for influence and diminishing the legion of Lears. Through a vigorous exploration of the characters’ egos, motivations, and power dynamics, the actors delve deeply into the internal and external journey of a stubborn, fractured soul who must lose everything to find himself. Performances run through February 8.
Pun Bandhu appears on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in Season 27, Episode 9 “Purity” on NBC/Peacock.
Heather Alicia Simms appears on Sheriff Country in Season 1, Episode 9 “Crucible, Part 1” on CBS/Paramount+.
Company member Jess Gabor returns as Janet Hamilton in Season 3 of School Spirits, created by Megan Trinrud and Nate Trinrud. Maddie, a 16-year-old girl, is deceased and finds herself trapped in afterlife-limbo at her high school, where she discovers that she’s stuck with those who have also died in the school over the past 100 years. In season 3, Maddie is haunted by visions, and driven by her unfinished business. Meanwhile, her bestie, Simon, is stuck in the purgatorial state that exists in Split River High. He becomes obsessed with uncovering the school’s secrets: chiefly, why have so many perished at the campus? And what has Mr. Martin, the ghosts’ longtime mentor, been hiding? Season 3 premieres on January 28 on Paramount+. Watch trailer here.
Company member John Cariani is in the new musical Ten Brave Seconds, with music & lyrics by Will Van Dyke, book & lyrics by Jeff Talbott, and directed by Ellie Heyman at Pioneer Theatre Company. One day can change everything if you pay attention. And Mike is certainly looking for something to change. He and his family are finding their way the best they can on a new and rocky road. Mike has also been sitting on something about himself that he’s been waiting to say, but he’s got a thing or two to find out first. What he is learning is that in order to step into his community, he’s going to have to be brave and join in. And today’s the day. Ten Brave Seconds is a vibrant and heartfelt new musical for everybody that all takes place on one day in the life of an American teenager that will open your eyes and recalibrate your heart. Performances run through February 14 in Salt Lake City, UT.
Company member Christopher Kelly is in the world premiere of Cowboys and East Indians, written by Nina McConigley and Matthew Spangler and directed by Chris Coleman at Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Lakshmi “Lucky” Sen’s dad calls her a prairie dog—hesitant and scared on the side of the road. Now on a mission to fulfill her mom’s final wish, Lucky has to figure out saris, how to stop burning the spices, and the many other things she didn’t pay attention to while she was busy trying to fit in. But on the eve of her sister’s wedding, a family secret resurfaces, and Lucky realizes there might be a lot more about her mom and being a “good Indian daughter” that she doesn’t know. Performances run through March 1 in Denver, CO.
The Actors Center is pleased to announced that the Mentorship Program for Emerging Artists is now supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with City Council.
Company member Caroline Aaron is in the short film 4th Dementia, directed by Ian Wexler and co-written with Ally Condrath, Kyle Miller and Jake Mann. Caroline plays Nellie, a woman coping with Alzheimer’s who is taken care of by her devoted and loving husband, played by Bill Irwin. But Nellie’s dementia has an unlikely side effect—it sends her time-traveling through different dimensions, in search of her husband. The free-wheeling dramedy is absurd yet heartfelt story about home and family as an emotional compass, even when all else is confused or frightening. The film has completed its festival run—winning Best Screenplay at the Rhode Island International Film Festival and screening at the Santa Barbara Film Festival, Hollyshorts, and San Diego Film Festival—and is now available to stream on Omeleto’s Youtube channel. Watch the film.