The Last Session

New York Theater Festival at TEATRO LATEA


	by John A. Duffy

Starring
Justin Masters	Celenne Morfin Zepeda	Kerem Kobanbay

	Producer John A. Duffy

Directed by Sanio Kurtesevic

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OPENING

This run marks a new chapter. After a successful production of "An Enemy of the People", Duse Productions partners with Tudor Rose Ventures to present its fourth work: an original play by John Duffy, performed as its world premiere at the New York Theater Festival. Our focus remains on clarity. On listening. On allowing a work to unfold without force. We believe the most urgent plays of our time emerge from honest encounters between writer, actors, and audience - and that our task is not to reinvent them, but to stage them with care, precision, and trust. This performance is an opening gesture, an invitation into the work, and into what may continue beyond this room. Thank you for being here.

ABOUT OUR COMPANIES

## DUSE PRODUCTIONS ##

Duse Productions is a New York–based theatre company dedicated to the clear and truthful staging of classical and contemporary works. Our practice begins with listening to the text, to the actors, and to the room itself. We observe reality and heighten it just enough to reveal what is already present. We value process as much as product, and presence as much as polish. This work is built through trust, rigor, and shared attention.

Mission: To stage works with clarity and honesty, allowing the text to speak without excess.

Past Productions: An Enemy of the People, A Night of Chekhov, The Last Session
Founder & Director: Sanio Kurtesevic

Artistic Lineage

- Our work is guided by artists who believed that theatre does not need excess to be powerful, nor volume to be heard - and whose ideas actively shape how this production is made.

- Eleonora Duse sought truth through restraint, natural presence, and deep humanity. From her work, we take a commitment to acting that is lived rather than performed - where the actor does not play for the audience, but allows the audience to witness something real. This commitment is why we chose to name the company in her honor, as an acknowledgment of her lasting contribution to theatre and to humanity.

- Yevgeny Vakhtangov embraced theatricality without abandoning sincerity, allowing imagination and realism to coexist - what he called fantastical reality. From this lineage, we permit play, scale, and contradiction, while remaining grounded in truthful behavior.

- Anton Chekhov wrote comedies that refused to announce themselves as such. He placed people in rooms, gave them needs they could not name, and trusted the audience to recognize the humor and the ache beneath it. In our staging, we follow his example: no excess, no instruction, only the encounter.

## TUDOR ROSE VENTURES ##

Tudor Rose Ventures is a [placeholder] production company founded by [John Duffy], committed to [placeholder describing mission/focus]. Based in [NYC/Location], the company focuses on [placeholder: e.g., developing original voices, supporting emerging playwrights, producing bold new work in American theatre].

Mission: [Placeholder for John to fill in]

Recent Projects: The Last Session
Founder & Producer: John A. Duffy
Artistic Lineage

Our approach to theatre is shaped by [placeholder: e.g., a belief in the power of original voices, commitment to psychological depth, dedication to authentic human connection]. These principles guide every production we develop and produce.

**[Placeholder Artist Name]** [Placeholder description of artistic influence]

**John Duffy**—Writer and Founder—brings an original voice that dares to sit in silence, to let grief speak, and to find transformation in the quietest moments. *The Last Session* emerges from this spirit: urgent, alive, and not yet finished becoming what it is.

ABOUT THIS PLAY

John A. Duffy writer, producer, and founder of Tudor Rose Ventures - brings us an original voice that dares to sit in silence, to let grief speak, and to find transformation in the quietest moments. *The Last Session* emerges from this same spirit: urgent, alive, and not yet finished becoming what it is. We are grateful for your attention, and for the time you bring with you tonight.

"The Last Session" premieres at the New York Theater Festival, Winter 2026. Written and produced by John A. Duffy in collaboration with Tudor Rose Ventures and directed by Sanio Kurtesevic, this three-character drama unfolds across a single evening in 1988, where fourteen years of therapy converge in one final encounter. Three lives intersect around absence, loss, and the question of whether healing can ever truly be finished.

PRODUCTION TEAM

Presented by Duse Productions and Tudor Rose Ventures
Written by John A. Duffy
Produced by John A. Duffy
Directed by Sanio Kurtesevic
New York Theater Festival 2026

Cast

Justin Masters		Frank
Celenne Morfin Zepeda		Maria
Kerem Kobanbay		Dr. Lomborg
KEREM KOBANBAY		Dr. Lomborg

Creative Team

John A. Duffy		Writer & Producer
Sanio Kurtesevic		Director

Meet the Company

KEREM KOBANBAY (Dr. Lomborg)

Kerem Kobanbay graduated from the Theatre Department os Mimar Sinan University's State Conservatory in Türkiye in 1995. He has acted in various television series, worked extensively as a voice actor, and taught at numerous educational institutions. In 2010, he co-founded Theatre Akla Kara in Istanbul, where he worked as an actor, director and playwright. During this period, he received Best Actor awards for his performances in six different plays. In 2025, he moved to Rutherford, New Jersey, where he co-founded Theatre Akla Kara New Jersey with his wife, Aslı Kobanbay and continues his theatre work. This year, he also joined Duse Theatre for its production of The Last Session.

keremkobanbay

Sanio Kurtesevic (Director)

Sanio is a New York–based actor, director and producer, AEA-affiliated, with nearly a decade of experience in film and theatre. Born and raised in Bosnia and Herzegovina, he brings a deep respect for language, ensemble, and classical storytelling to his work. Sanio has studied the Lee Strasberg Method since 2018 under the guidance of David Gideon in New York City. His recent stage credits include Black Sheep at Theater for the New City, The Trojan Women at Jersey City Theatre Center, and An Enemy of the People at American Theatre of Actors, where he also served as director and producer. He subsequently directed An Enemy of the People at Theater for the New City, and A Night of Chekhov(The Proposal, The Bear, and Swan Song) at the Actors Theatre Temple. Sanio is the founder of Duse Productions, dedicated to clear, truthful productions of classic plays that speak directly to the present moment.

Contact: sanio@duseproductions.com or www.duseproductions.com

duseproductions

Closing

Thank you for being here tonight.

This evening marks the beginning of a partnership between Duse Productions and Tudor Rose Ventures. One built on shared belief in bold, original theatre and the power of human voices. It exists because of the care, trust, and generosity of many people.

We are deeply grateful to our cast and creative team for their rigor, patience, and commitment to the process. To our collaborators and supporters for believing in the work at its beginning.

And to our audience - thank you for sharing your attention, your time, and the room.

With Gratitude

@ New York Theater Festival - For the opportunity and inclusion of *The Last Session* in this year's festival. Your platform for new voices makes work like this possible.

@ Teatro Latea - For warmly hosting us and providing a space where audiences and artists can gather in good faith.

@ John Duffy - For writing *The Last Session*, for producing this work through Tudor Rose Ventures, and for generously sponsoring this production. We are honored to bring your vision to the stage.

@ Our Cast and Creative Team - To the actors who gave life to Frank, Maria, and Dr. Lomborg—their embodiment of silence, grief, and reckoning has shaped this evening in ways words cannot capture. Their willingness to dwell in the quiet spaces between lines made this production what it is. And to the Director fort sharing his vision.

@ Our Audience - Thank you for sharing this moment with us. This work continues beyond tonight. We look forward to what comes next.

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With Gratitude,
Duse Productions
& Tudor Rose Ventures