| THE NEW YORK PREMIERE OF RONNIE LARSEN'S THE ACTORS AT THEATRE ROW | |
| Posted by: Official_Press_Release 06:21 pm EDT 04/18/24 | |
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| PLAYS OF WILTON (POW!) THE LGBTQ PERFORMING ARTS COMPANY OF SOUTH FLORIDA TO PRESENT THE NEW YORK PREMIERE OF RONNIE LARSEN'S THE ACTORS PREVIEWS BEGIN SATURDAY APRIL 27 OPENING NIGHT SET FOR WEDNESDAY MAY 8 OFF BROADWAY AT THEATRE ROW'S THEATRE 4 IN A RARE DEPARTURE FROM HIS X-RATED GAY THEMED PLAYS SUCH AS MAKING PORN, GRINDR MOM, & TRUCKSTOP SALLY'S SEX PARTY, LARSEN RETURNS TO THE NEW YORK STAGE WITH HIS FIRST G-RATED PLAY - ABOUT A LONELY MAN WHO HIRES ACTORS TO PLAY HIS FAMILY (New York, NY) - Plays of Wilton (POW!) the non-profit LGBTQ performing arts company of South Florida, today announced the New York premiere of The Actors, a "profound, hilarious metafictional dramedy" written by Ronnie Larsen (1997 Off Broadway hit Making Porn). Directed by Stuart Meltzer (Artistic Director of Miami's Zoetic Stage), the production will run Saturday April 27th through Saturday June 1st at Theatre Row's Theatre 4, 410 West 42nd Street. The official opening night is set for Wednesday, May 8th at 7:00pm. https://www.theactorsplay.com The Actors is about a lonely man, grief-stricken by the death of his parents, who hires actors to come to his apartment a few times a week to play his family. But what happens when the lines between theatre and reality begin to blur – and the actors overstay their welcome? A rare departure from his X-rated, gay themed hits like Making Porn (which ran Off-Broadway for 511 performances in 1996 through 1997), and TruckStop Sally's Sex Party (a sold-out hit in South Florida), The Actors is Larsen's first g-rated play – taking on issues of grief, loss, and loneliness in a strikingly comic and touching way. "The Actors is a comedy about the death of my parents," says Larsen. "In the late 90's when some of my plays experienced a little success Off-Broadway I earned enough money to bring my parents to New York City and take them to a bunch of Broadway shows. We celebrated our love of theatre together but could not celebrate my plays because the work I was producing was at odds with their conservative Mormon beliefs. So, it's ironic to be returning Off-Broadway with a play that features my parents as major characters and that is suitable for all audiences. Had they lived, they would have been extremely proud to know that I've finally written a play they can bring their friends to. However, had they lived, I would never have written the play." The Actors first premiered in Utah at the Hive Collaborative Theatre. It won The Hive Inaugural Production Contest, and it was the first production in their new theatre in Provo, Utah. It went on to play Michigan at The Penny Seats Theatre in Ann Arbor Michigan. It subsequently ran in 2023 at The Foundry Theatre in Wilton Manors- playing to sold out audiences and was critically acclaimed – receiving several Carbonell Award nominations and awards (Jenni Hacker was a Carbonell Award winner for her role in the South Florida production). The cast of The Actors features Jason Guy, Jeni Hacker, Ronnie Larsen, Allen Lewis Rickman, and Gabriell Salgado. The Actors features set and sound design by Stuart Meltzer, lighting design by Leonardo Urbina, costumes by Laura Turnbull, and casting by Robin Carus. Performances of The Actors are on Wednesdays at 2:00pm and 7:00pm; Thursdays at 7:00pm; Fridays at 8:00pm; Saturdays at 2:00pm and 8:00pm; and Sundays at 3:00pm. There are 37 performances in total. Tickets are $45-65 and can be purchased online at https://bfany.org/theatre-row/shows/the-actors/ - The Box Office is available in person and by phone Tuesday-Sunday from 12:00pm - 5:00pm at 212-714-2442 ext. 45. The Box Office is open for will-call beginning two hours before the show. MEET THE FAMILY: Ronnie Larsen's relationship with New York began in 1986 when he came here to study acting at SUNY Purchase and then the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. At 17 he landed a job as a Broadway usher and for two years he basically got paid to watch Broadway shows. He took a break from the city but returned in 1996 at the age of 27 with a series of Off-Broadway plays about sex: Making Porn, 10 Naked Men, Peep Show, All Male Peep Show and Sleeping with Straight Men. The success of these plays led to productions in every major city in America as well as multiple productions in other countries including, England, Canada, Italy, and Australia. A vacation in Mexico halted his theatre career when he met his husband, Melquisedel Dominguez, who did not have a green card. They built a life together in Mexico while waiting for the U.S. Supreme Court to recognize their marriage. Finally in 2008 with the legalization of gay marriage they came to America together, moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, opened a theatre called The Foundry in Wilton Manors and launched a non-profit committed to producing LGBTQ theatre, Plays Of Wilton aka POW! At 55, Larsen is now the author of over 35 plays and three musicals. As a producer he has presented over 78 individual productions in South Florida, which have garnered 31 Carbonell nominations, four Carbonell Awards, including The Howard Kleinberg Award, and six Silver Palm Awards. Stuart Meltzer is the Artistic Director of Zoetic Stage in Miami. Select works he's directed include the world premieres Fear Up Harsh, Captiva, Stripped, Wrongful Death and Other Circus Acts by Christopher Demos-Brown, South Beach Babylon, Clark Gable Slept Here, After, American Rhapsody by Michael McKeever, GringoLandia by Hannah Benitez, Wicked Child by David Rosenberg, Fuacata: A Latina's Guide to Surviving the Universe and Cuban Chicken Soup co-written with Elena Maria Garcia. Other select works include Clyde's, Cabaret, Next to Normal, Mlima's Tale, American Son, Our Dear Dead Drug Lord, The Wolves, Sweeney Todd, The Curious Case of the Dog in the Night-Time, Fun Home, Sunday in the Park with George, The Caretaker, Betrayal, Dancing Lessons, Rapture, Blister, Burn, Passion, Detroit, I Am My Own Wife, All New People. Select Regional: Red Speedo, The Actors, Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks, Gint, Lysistrata, and One for the Road. Meltzer has been nominated for over twenty Carbonell Awards and has received six for his work as director and one for his play The Goldberg Variations. Stuart received his M.F.A. in Directing from the Actors' Studio/New School. Jason Guy has been seen in nearly 80 productions cross the globe, with performances ranging from verse tragedy to tap dancing, and everything in between. Credits include: Doubt, Art, The 39 Steps and I Am My Own Wife. He has performed in the Flea Theater's long-running Back of the Throat, 42nd Street, West Side Story, and Singin' in the Rain and performed across four continents, fifteen countries, and all 50 States. Jeni Hacker is an actress, singer, dancer and choreographer based in Miami, Florida. Her work has been seen on multiple stages throughout South Florida. Credits at Zoetic Stage include: Next to Normal (Carbonell Best Actress / Musical), Sweeney Todd (Carbonell Best Actress-Musical & Silver Palm Award) Fun Home (Carbonell Best Supporting Actress-Musical), Passion (Carbonell Best Actress - Musical & Silver Palm Award) After (Carbonell Best Supporting Actress-Play). The Foundry: The Actors (Carbonell Best Supporting Actress - Play), Grindr Mom (Carbonell Best Actress - Play) TheatreLab: Everything is Super Great; Boca West Theater: The Camp (Carbonell Nominee Best Supporting Actress); Actors' Playhouse: Caroline or Change, Once (Carbonell Nominee Best Choreography), Noises Off, It Shoulda Been You, and Ruthless! The Musical. Other stage credits include: Into the Woods; Our Town (Miami New Drama), Les Misérables (Jupiter Theater), The Most Happy Fella (Palm Beach Dramaworks). Allen Lewis Rickman's Broadway credits include Relatively Speaking. Film/TV: the Coen Bros.' Oscar-nominated A SERIOUS MAN, BOARDWALK EMPIRE (recurring), Steven Spielberg's PUBLIC MORALS (recurring), YOU DON'T KNOW JACK (with Al Pacino), THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL (as Red Skelton), Michael Moore's THE AWFUL TRUTH (as Hitler). Off-Broadway: Mack & Mabel (Encores!), So Help Me God! (Mint), The Shanghai Gesture (Mirror Rep), Theda Bara And The Frontier Rabbi (JRT, York), and the Yiddish Pirates Of Penzance (also co-adapted and directed; Drama Desk nominee, Best Musical Revival, 2006-2007). Regional: Room Service (Cleveland Playhouse), Victor/Victoria (Paper Mill), Waiting For Godot (Two River), and his co-authored farce Off The Hook (Forum and Oldcastle Theatres; also produced in Paris, Barcelona, Copenhagen, and Luxembourg). He has also performed at the Royal National Theater in Stockholm, the International Samuel Beckett Festival in Ireland, the Dresden Staatsschauspiel, the State Jewish Theater of Romania, and at Carnegie Hall. Gabriell Salgado is making his Off Broadway debut in The Actors. After making his professional debut less than three years ago in South Florida, he's starred in a dozen productions including the 20th Anniversary of Anna in The Tropics written and directed by Nilo Cruz, for which he was named 'Best Actor in a Male Role' by Miami New Times. Other credits include Nick Dear's adaptation of Frankenstein, Lynn Nottage's Clyde's, Lucas Hnath's Red Speedo, Amy Herzog's 4,000 Miles, Nilo Cruz's Two Sisters and a Piano, and more. Gabriellsalgado.com |
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