Company member Colby Minifie stars in the feature film The Surrender from director Julia Max, now available to stream on Shudder and AMC+. A fraught mother-daughter relationship is put to a terrifying test when the family patriarch dies, and the grieving mother hires a mysterious stranger to bring her husband back from the dead. As the bizarre and brutal resurrection spirals out of control, both women must confront their differences as they fight for their lives—and for each other. The film premiered at SXSW earlier this year and also stars Kate Burton.
Company member Sarah Baskin’s short film I Want to Go to Moscow has its world premiere at the Brooklyn Film Festival on June 5. The film’s cast includes company members Merritt Janson, Karl Bury and Liza Fernandez, who also serves as an executive producer. Mara is a disillusioned actor dealing with the terror of time. When she’s thrown into a classroom of kids rehearsing a Disneyfied version of Chekhov’s Three Sisters—her favorite play about existential longing—she swan dives into her own crisis of aging, nostalgia, and the loss of childhood dreams. The film is being screened at Windmill Studios in Brooklyn and is also available stream online.
New Federal Theatre, led be company member Elizabeth Van Dyke, is this year’s recipient of a Special Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Body of Work. Founded in 1970 by Woodie King Jr., during the Black Arts Movement, the theatre has been amplifying the stories of marginalized communities on stage for more than five decades. Elizabeth became Artistic Director of the venerated theatre company in 2021. The award was presented by Ruben Santiago-Hudson at a ceremony in early May.
Company member Christopher Ryan Grant is in Lights Out: Nat “King“ Cole, written by Colman Domingo and Patricia McGregor and directed by Patricia McGregor, now playing at New York Theatre Workshop. On December 17th, 1957, it was lights out on The Nat King Cole Show. Despite being the voice that built Capitol Records, Nat’s groundbreaking television show was rejected by Madison Avenue, unwilling to sponsor one of America’s first black television hosts. Now, on the night of his final broadcast, Nat must grapple with the complexities of his psyche, personified by his best friend and alter-ego, Sammy Davis Jr., and decide whether to quietly step out of the spotlight or go out with a bang. The production stars Dulé Hill and Daniel J. Watts and runs through June 29.
Company member Cindy Cheung is in Bus Stop by William Inge, directed by Jack Cummings III in a co-production with Classic Stage Company, NAATCO, and Transport Group. On a snowy night in Kansas, a diner can be an oasis, a prison, a place to hide, or a place to discover yourself. When a bus is forced to take shelter from stormy weather outside, a mismatched group of dreamers and cowboys, waitresses and outcasts find unexpected warmth in one another. In Inge’s 1955 classic, this great playwright of the Midwest gives voice to memorable characters who’ll linger like the perfect cup of diner coffee. Performances run through June 8 at the Lynn F. Angelson Theater.
Company member Maggie Siff is in Creditors by August Strindberg, adapted by Jen Silverman, and directed by Ian Rickson, now playing at Audible’s Minetta Lane Theatre. Adi, a struggling painter, finds his creative spark reignited by Gustav, a magnetic stranger at an isolated sea-side hotel. Their connection is instant and intimate, but what seems like a chance encounter quickly twists into something far darker, as Gustav becomes intrigued by Adi’s wife, the dazzling Tekla. Talk into the night devolves into an intricate web of deception, seduction, and revelation, where the lives of all involved may be destroyed or transformed. The cast includes Liev Schreiber and Justice Smith. Performances run through June 18.
Company member Jason Butler Harner plays Torvald in A Doll’s House, Part 2, written by Lucas Hnath and directed by Jennifer Chang at Pasadena Playhouse. Nora’s back—15 years after walking out on her family—ready to confront the fallout of her iconic escape. Bold, satisfying, and packed with razor-sharp twists, the play dives into the messy reality of what it means to be a woman living on your own terms. The production’s cast includes Elizabeth Reaser and Kimberly Scott and runs through June 8 in Pasadena, CA.
Company member Rebecca Harris directs Revolution, a new play written by Brett Deveau and produced by Michael Shannon, Becky Creech, and Brett Deveau. It’s Puff’s 26th birthday and she’s celebrating the only way she knows how—hanging out in the alley behind her hair salon with her best friend Jame, a fellow stylist, and the unexpected company of Georgia, an eccentric ‘Dress for Less’ employee. What begins as a casual night of beers and banter soon turns into something much bigger—an exploration of friendship, life’s absurdities, and the small revolutions that keep us moving forward. Performances run through June 8 at The Flea Theatre’s Siggy Space.
Company member Chris Henry Coffey is in the short film Little Orange Flags, directed, written, and produced by Julianna Gelinas Bonifacio. Twelve-year-old Iris is sent to live on a farm in rural Pennsylvania after an encounter with her mom’s boyfriend. There, she is required to follow the rules set by Nana and enforced by Nana’s twelve-year-old granddaughter, Pruey. The film is a finalist in the Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at the The American Pavilion in Cannes, where there will be a screening on May 21. Watch the trailer.
Company member Tina Chilip is in the feature film Nonnas, starring Vince Vaughn and Susan Sarandon, directed by Stephen Chbosky and written by Liz Maccie and Jody Scaravella, now streaming on Netflix. After the loss of his mother, Joe Scaravella risks everything to honor her by opening an Italian restaurant with a group of local grandmothers as the chefs. Based on a true story, Nonnas is a heartfelt celebration of the love of food, family, and all the ingredients of life. Watch the trailer.