What happens when you’ve lost all hope and the one thing that can get it back — your own creativity — has deserted you as well? “Chagall In New York” is the story of hope and redemption that begins with a profound loss — that of Marc Chagall’s wife Bella, the woman who floats with him in so many paintings. For decades, Bella had been Marc Chagall’s muse, partner, and sounding board, his adoration for her made iconic by the sheer amount of paintings where she flew alongside him. It was a deep, deep spiritual bond.
But in 1944, Bella died suddenly in upstate New York, consumed by grief and guilt over the countless loved ones left behind in Eastern Europe—many of whom perished in the Holocaust. Chagall, devastated, found himself unable to paint for more than a year.
Into this landscape of grief and artistic paralysis comes Virginia Haggard, a young Englishwoman seeking work, who is hired as Chagall’s assistant by his daughter Ida. Their initial meeting reveals Chagall’s profound resistance to help and his deep-seated pain. He is belligerent, lashing out in grief and frustration.
The play beautifully portrays Virginia’s patient determination to connect with Chagall, to draw him back into the world, and ultimately, to reignite his creative fire. It is a slow and delicate process, filled with both conflict and unexpected moments of connection. Through their interactions, Chagall confronts his grief, rediscovers his passion for art, and finds a new way to engage with the world.
“Chagall In New York” is a poignant exploration of loss, the healing power of art, and the surprising ways in which human connection can lead to renewal and second chances.
Starring Ukrainian-born Hollywood actor Ilia Volok, best known for his roles as Russian gangsters in film, the play explores the complex emotional and artistic journey of celebrated Jewish artist Marc Chagall during his time as a refugee in 1940s New York. Volok takes on the role of Chagall, portraying the artist’s struggles with exile, grief, and the transformative power of creativity.
Joining him on stage is Amilia Shaw as Ida Chagall, the artist’s devoted daughter, who introduces her father to the young Englishwoman Virginia Haggard (played by Gracie LeClere). Jamie MacDonald portrays Virginia’s husband, John McNeil, alongside a talented ensemble cast, including Austin Pendleton as André Breton, actor/brain surgeon Ezriel Kornel, and Vadim Kroll as a prison camp escapee.
Written by David McDonald, whose acclaimed works include “Ella The Ungovernable” Chagall In New York is more than a historical drama—it is a meditation on the power of art as a spiritual force. This production delves into the resilience of the human spirit and the role of creativity in navigating tragedy. It is a poignant and timely exploration of how art can transcend suffering and bring meaning even in the darkest moments of history.
Chagall In New York is a must-see for theater lovers, art enthusiasts, and anyone moved by stories of survival and renewal.
Ilia Volok has close to 190 IMDB Credits.
Recent film credits: The Accompanist, DreamQuill, FARAAR, Palace, Full Circle, and Self Reliance. Recent TV: FBI:Most Wanted, Ballard, NCIS, The Morning Show, Diarra from Detroit; and Agent Elvis. Theater: Our Class, Stalin's Master Class, The Gaaga, Yaacobi and Leidental, The Orchard, and The Revisionist. Ilia’s one-man show Diary of a Madman won the LA Weekly Theater Award for Best Solo Performance and has been presented in Dubai, Paris, Kiev, Zurich, and London. Films: Gemini Man, Air Force One, U-Turn, Indiana Jones 4, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Soloist, Water for Elephants, Mission Impossible, Ghost Protocol, Abduction, GI JOE 2, The Immigrant, Pawn Sacrifice, and Hunter Killer. Last October, Ilia received the NOHO Cinefest Best Actor award for his portrayal of Dark in the independent feature Balloon Animal.
Gracie LeClere is an actor originally from Los Angeles who recently graduated from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London. Her recent works include a gothic period drama film called Strike, which is about to be shown at a BAFTA qualifying film festival and a high profile project at Audible. This is her Off-Off Broadway debut and she is thrilled to be part of this incredible production in New York City!
Amilia Shaw is an award-winning actress, singer, and dancer based in New York City. She was most recently awarded ‘Best Supporting Actor in a Play’ at the 2024 SheNYC festival for her performance as ‘The Woman’ in Mere Waters. She was featured as Alice in the short film Where The Walls Fall Over, produced by the acclaimed Timothy Scott Bogart. Her theatrical credits include: Nurse Abby in the world premier of Healing Mined(Theaterlab), Shakespeare and the Zombie Plague of 1590 Industry Salon as Lady Macbeth (First You Dream Entertainment), New Voices Concert as Anne Miller (Paper Mill Playhouse), I Have Friends! (The Tank), Minotauromachy (Spark Theatre Festival), Love’s Labours Lost (Theatre 315), The Wizard of Oz (Seattle Children’s Theatre), R.U.R. A New Musical (Spark Festival NYC). Additionally, she was a lead vocalist aboard AIDA cruise lines. Amilia plays Madelyn in the web series Casting Madness (IF Productions) and Judy in the vertical series Marriage First to be streaming on ReelShort. '
Jamie MacDonald is a British actor based in New York, with dual UK/US work eligibility. Trained at The Actors Temple in London, Jamie brings a grounded, expressive presence to both stage and screen. He plays John McNeil in Chagall in NY, the husband of Virginia Haggard, in this new production at Theatre for the New City. His international credits include portraying Rembrandt in an immersive theatre production at The Louvre Abu Dhabi — a career highlight — as well as roles in London, Mexico, Dubai, and New York. Recent film projects include OSSOBUCO, Things That Didn’t Happen, and 280 Days.Website: www.jamiemacdonaldactor.com Instagram: @jamiemacdonaldactor
Alexandra Hanna (7) is a Greek-Palestinian-Lebanese-American 2nd grader, living in Brooklyn with her parents, twin brother and older sister. This is her first play. She wants to be an artist, like Chagall, when she is older.
Vadim Kroll, born in Vyborg, Soviet Union, has had an extensive career in TV, film, and theater. His TV and film credits include "The Blacklist," "Allegiance," "FBI," "Nose," "John Wick: Chapter 2," and "Petropolis." He has performed Off-Broadway in "The Killer" and "Hidden Fees," and Off-Off Broadway in "Crematorium," "Mr Puntila and his Man Matti," "Lady with the lap dog," "Lovely leave," "Here we are," "Behind the mirror," and "Master and Margarita." Kroll has also appeared in numerous Metropolitan Opera productions, including "Fedora," "Nose," "Lulu," "The Death of Klinghoffer," "La Boheme," "Medea," and "Don Carlo."
Austin Campbell Pendleton (born March 27, 1940)[2] is an American actor, playwright, theatre director, and instructor.
Pendleton is known as a prolific character actor on the stage and screen, whose six-decade career has included roles in films including Catch-22 (1970); What's Up, Doc? (1972); The Front Page (1974); The Muppet Movie (1979), Short Circuit (1986); Mr. & Mrs. Bridge (1990); My Cousin Vinny (1992); Mr. Nanny (1993); Guarding Tess (1994); Amistad (1997); A Beautiful Mind (2001), which earned him a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture nomination; and Finding Nemo (2003).
Pendleton received a Tony Award nomination for Best Direction of a Play for the Broadway revival of The Little Foxes in 1981 starring Elizabeth Taylor. He received Obie and Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Performance in The Last Sweet Days of Issac in 1970, and an additional Special Drama Desk Award for being a "Renaissance Man of the American Theatre" in 2007. He received an additional Obie Award for directing the Off-Broadway revival of Three Sisters in 2011.
Ezriel Kornel performed the role of Galba in the New York Theater Festival production of “Nero” written by Doyle Judge and directed by Chris Carver. The play won the Best Production of the Festival Award. Ezriel recently completed filming the feature film, “The Renaissance of Oddity Todd” written and directed by Noah Marks. He also appeared in the feature film, “Moma Duck” as well as “The Karamazovs” written and directed by Anne Brennan. The feature film “Drunken Noodles” written and directed by Lucio Castro, in which Ezriel portrayed the artist Sal Salandra, was selected for screening at the Cannes Acid Film Festival in May. Ezriel has appeared in numerous student films, winning the Lead Actor Award at the NYU student film festival. His day job is as a neurosurgeon. He is delighted to be part of this insightful and engaging play with its terrific team and cast.
Rick Jordan is a NYC-based actor who has appeared as Sergeant Michaels in Ella The Ungovernable and numerous micro-budget films. He is now appearing as newspaper publisher Joseph Opatashu in “Chagall In New York.”
April Sandmeyer, excited to act alongside her first crush Austin Pendleton, recently assistant directed him in "Afterwards" which returns in TNC summer '25. During the Pandemic, April acted/directed/wrote with Theater of the Oppressed. April had a decades long career as Agent/Asst. to 300+ artists including Dave Davies & Angie Bowie. Film credits: "Gayle's Wedding"'24, "Trouble in Law" '24, "Lick of Heaven"'23, "No Translation" ' 22, "Pocketful of Nickels" '13, "White Boy Brown" '10, Naim Amor music video "Reminds Me of a Song", "Nick & Jane", "Celebrity", "Truth or Dare", "Miracle on 34th St". She has shared the stage with bands Brian Jonestown Massacre & Calexico. Studied Drama- Interlochen Arts Academy.
Abraham Sparrow (Understudy for Andre Breton and Goldwasser)
Theater-Christmas Carol@MSG, Tony & Tina's Wedding Off-Bway, numerous one man interview shows also as writer...
Film&Tv-I Am Legend, Shakespeare's Sh*tstorm, School of Rock, Chris Rock Show; Abraham's singing & variety shows are popular. Drop his name in YouTube. Thanks to friends & family that make this worth it.
David D. McDonald is the playwright and director of Chagall In New York, a new work exploring the relationship between the artist Marc Chagall and his assistant Virginia Haggard. This is Mr. McDonald's second production at Theater For The New City, following his play Ella The Ungovernable, which was presented to enthusiastic audiences in June and July of 2024. Mr. McDonald is a writer with a deep interest in exploring complex human relationships and historical contexts through his dramatic works. He is particularly drawn to stories that illuminate the struggles and triumphs of individuals navigating extraordinary circumstances, as seen in both Ella The Ungovernable and Chagall In New York.
Samantha Ruinsky is a senior at Stuyvesant High School. She is proud to have been a dedicated Props Director at Stuyvesant for the past 3 years, working on shows including Frankenstein, Matilda, Comedy of Errors, Anastasia, Arsenic and Old Lace, Sing!, and Harvey. She is thrilled to take on the role of Stage Manager for Chagall in New York, which will be her first foray into professional theater. She would like to thank her family and pets for their love. She could not have done this without them.
Alexandra “Sasha” Ruinsky is 18 years old, in her final year at Stuyvesant High School, and is honored to be the Assistant Director for “Chagall in New York” after 4 years of dedicated theatre work at stuy. She has served as the director of 5 shows there — Matilda, Shakespeare’s “Comedy of Errors”, Anastasia, SING! 2024, Arsenic and Old Lace — and producer and cast member of Mary Chase’s “Harvey”. She now serves at the highest level as Executive Producer, where she is responsible for choosing and overseeing the annual drama, which was a classically adapted production of “Frankenstein” this year. She is excited to continue pursuing her passion for theatre next year in Boston, and for all the thrilling years to come.
Ruinskysasha@gmail.com
Giovanni Villari is also a lighting, sound and set designer; director; actor; fight and stunt choreographer; prop master; stage manager; technical director; and drama teacher. His work has been seen all over NYC and Europe.
