BLUFF
"The play jumps around in time and space to develop some of the most interesting characters I’ve seen in the festival circuit this season. Credit this to the magical combination of a wonderful script, tight, well-constructed and blocked direction...and some really fine performances by this well-rounded cast." -- LocalTheatreNY.com
"Who would have thought that a coma could provide a new lease on life?...(Playwright) Lenore Skomal and director Magda Skomal Nyiri guide us through Jude’s journey with aplomb and delicacy. Though the play deals with heavy drama, Skomal’s script (which she adapted from her own novel) is infused with a sardonic humor."
NYC WORLD PREMIERE CAST
(in alphabetical order)
MINDY CASSLE
as GAY BLACK
Mindy has appeared in Removal at the Manhattan Repertory Theatre, which dealt with the timely topic of illegal immigration. Her credits include: Mrs. Robinson in the Heights Players production of The Graduate, Poncia in The House of Bernarda Alba, Edna in Waiting for Lefty, Mrs. Berger in Spaghetti and Matzo Balls, and Sister Robert Anne in Nunsense. In August, she will be featured on the Discovery Family Network’s new show, “Secrets of America’s Favorite Places.”
EMILY CORDES
as JUDE BLACK
Emily is a New York City-based actress specializing in devised, physical-based ensemble theatre. On stage, on camera, and in life, she seeks to create work which moves, transcends, captivates, provokes, and connects. Recent credits include Marlowe in Subway Plays (This is Not a Theatre Company/Dir. Erin Mee), Mother in Seven Deadly Sins (Schapiro Theater/Dir. Pálína Jónsdóttir), Courtesan in Dances of Life—And Death (Hudson Guild Theatre/Dir. Anna Mantovani), Mater Coeli inEleusis: Saturn (Dixon Place/Dir. Randal Barnett) and Lea in Look Alive, Starshine (Waking Vision Productions/Dir. Sean Jenny). Emily is a graduate of Smith College and Columbia University, and has trained with SITI Company, ESPA/Primary Stages, Interactive PlayLab, and Lucid Body House. Offstage, she works as an arts marketer and writes reviews for the blog Theatre Is Easy. http://tinyurl.com/emilyscordes
DENNY DESMARAIS
as PAUL WILLIAMS
Denny's credits include Ajax (Agamemon), The Man Who Came to Dinner (Jefferson), Three Sisters (Vershinin), A Midsummer Nights Dream (Lysander), Uncle Vanya (Astrov) (Red Monkey Theatre). Other credits include Can This Marriage Be Saved? (God), Crimes of the Heart (Doc Porter), The Trial of Salomé (Rodger P. Billing), Anthony and Cleopatra (Ventidius), West Side Story (Bernardo), and Love and Latkes (Ensemble). Education: Circle in the Square Theater School (New York), The Magnet Theatre, Michael Howard Studios.
KAREN FORTE
as FRANCES HART
Karen was nominated for a best actress in The Danaid in the 2015 Thespis Festival. She is excited make her 2016 return to the Thespis stage in the debut of BLUFF. She’s a founding member of Spring Theatreworks, where she appeared in nearly every production, including Urge, Cinders, and the world premiere of Post-Oedipus by Steven Gridley. She has also appeared in shows produced by New Georges, Twilight Theatre Company, Queens Players, and Gallery Players. She is a graduate of Northwestern University.
TERRENCE MONTGOMERY
as HANK HART
Terrence is an actor, director, acting coach and acting teacher in NYC. His expertise also includes working as a director, lighting designer and stage manager in productions around the USA as well as in Scotland, Russia, Poland,Georgia and Romania. His loyalty to the theatre dates back through his grandmother, Elizabeth Montgomery who started the Tony and Olivier award-winning Motley Design Group that created costumes and sets for many productions in London, on Broadway and at the New York Metropolitan Opera. His recent acting credits include: WC Fields in The Canary Trial, Ernest Hemingway in Ayn Rand in Wonderland; Mark Twain in Mark Twain and the General; Matthiot in Dreams of Sturgis; John in The Prayer; Chebutykin in an immersive Three Sisters; Kurt Diebner, Farm Hall; Sir Toby in Twelfth Night; Duke of York in Richard II; Kind Edward in Richard III; Ghost in Hamlet; Professor Sheridan in The Fourth State of Matter.
STEPH VAN VLACK
as MARY SHANNON WILLIAMS
Steph has always loved theater. One of her favorite sounds in the world is applause and her mother's ambitions to be an actress instilled a love of acting, which was fostered at Dartmouth College. Her recent credits include Alla Nazimova in Women of the Wind written and directed by Barbara Kahn; Annie in Bob Homeyer’s Three of a Kind with Two Wild Cards, and Donna in Matt Morrillo’s newest work Allen Wilder 2.0, all premiering at The Theater For The New City. Other credits include Kate in Taming of the Shrew, and Queen Eleanor in The Lion in Winter. www.StephVanVlack.com
ROBERT TEKAVEC
UNDERSTUDY PAUL WILLIAMS
Robert Tekavec is very excited to join the cast of Bluff. He has appeared in numerous productions over the years with companies such as The Jewish Theater of New York and The Brooklyn Players Community Musical Theater. His credits include (Sid) The Pajama Game, (Torvald) A Doll’s House, (Biff) Death of a Salesman and (Ben) Look Homeward Angel. Robert has studied theater at The Pennsylvania State University, Stephen Black (Pittsburgh), Terry Schreiber (New York) and Louis Kornfield at The Magnet Theater.
