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In partnership with
at the Studio City Branch Library
Presents
THE PULITZER PRIZE WINNERS
A STAGED READING SERIES OF FIVE OUTSTANDING PLAYS
WHICH WERE AWARDED LITERATURE'S HIGHEST HONOR,
THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR DRAMA.
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Barry Heins
ITC Artistic Director & Series Producer
Kristen Egermeier
ITC Managing Director & Series Producer
DINNER WITH FRIENDS
by Donald Margulies
Directed by
Christina Carlisi
Studio City Branch Library
May 11, 2024
2:00 PM
STARRING
(In order of their appearance)
GABE ..... ROB NAGLE*
KAREN ..... ERIN PINEDA*
BETH ..... ROBYN COHEN*
TOM ..... NEAL BLEDSOE *
Additional Voices by
KRISTEN EGERMEIER* and COLIN THOMAS JENNINGS*
Assistant to the Director and Stage Manager/ Dramaturg
BAIRTON BROWN
Poster & Media Design / Sound & Projection Design
BARRY HEINS
Karen and Gabe's kitchen in Connecticut, Tom and Beth's bedroom, Karen and Gabe's living room, a house in Martha's Vineyard, Kate and Gabe's patio, a bar in Manhattan, Karen and Gabe's bedroom.
Sc 1: Karen and Gabe's kitchen in Connecticut. Evening. Winter.
Sc 2: Tom and Beth's bedroom. Later that night.
Sc 3: Karen and Gabe's living room. Later still.
ACT II
Sc 1: A house in Martha's Vineyard. Summer. Twelve and a half yeas earlier.
Sc 2: Kate and Gabe's patio. Spring. A few months after the events in Act One.
Sc 3: A bar in Manhattan. Later that afternoon.
Sc 4: Karen and Gabe's bedroom. Martha's Vineyard. That night.
*Actors appear through an Agreement between Interact Theatre Company and Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
STUDY GUIDE
Bairton Brown's study guide for the play will be available on our website soon.
www.interactla.org
Enjoy free concessions courtesy of the Studio City Friends of the Library.
DINNER WITH FRIENDS is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York.
Commissioned by and premiered at Actors Theatre of Louisville, it was later produced by South Coast Repertory. It was originally produced Off-Broadway by Mitchell Maxwell, Victoria Maxwell, Mark Balsam, Mari Nakachi, Ted Tulchin, and Steven Tulchin.
Special Thanks To
Los Angeles Public Library
Steve Orozco
Vu Le
The Library Foundation
for helping the Exploration & Creativity Department
manage the L.A. Made Fund
Marcy Capoferri
Colin Thomas Jennings
Friends of the Studio City Library
for concessions support
The Pulitzer Prize Board
Actors' Equity Association
Noho Copy and Print
David Elzer/ DEMAND PR
Tracy Lilienfield, CSA
ITC Board of Directors
Barry Heins, President
Anthony Wofford, Vice-President
Carol Doehring, Treasurer
Kristen Egermeier, Secretary
INTERACT SALUTES OUR GENEROUS DONORS
Partners
CAPLIN FOUNDATION
CAROL DOEHRING
KRISTEN EGERMEIER
BARRY AND TRACY HEINS
LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS
LOS ANGELES COUNTY ARTS COMMISSION
LOS ANGELES PUBLIC LIBRARY
UCLA SCHOOL OF LAW/ CLAFI
Sponsors
DAVID BRYANT
W. COLIN McKAY
JONATHAN MERSEL AND MARION PETERS
JOEL ZWICK
Supporters
Anonymous
Annie Abbott
Rob Adler
Dave Beazley
Mary Lou Belli
Nancy Boykin
Rob Brownstein
Amanda Carlin and Fred Sanders
Thomas Cavanaugh
Jeffery Chernin and Peter Nardi
Larry Corsa
Robyn Cohen
Beajoir Days
Laurie Dowling
Stephanie Erb and Arthur Hanket
Peng Thim Fan, M.D.
Don Fischer
Zia Garcia
Dennis Gersten
Wendy Graf
Stephanie Erb and Arthur Hanket
Steve Heisler
Andrew Heins
Jason Henkel
Elizabeth and Christopher Herron
Steve Heisler
Andrew Hill Newman and Leslie Hicks
John Hugo
Gregory Jennings
Anita Khanzadian
Maurine Kornfeld
Paul Lazarus
Terry Lilienfield
Yuri Lowenthal
Miguel Mireles
Kenneth Meseroll
Michael Modecki
Eric Mokover
Miguel Mirerles and Clara Neves-Mireles
Oliver Muirhead
Mary O'Malley
John Penzenas
Tracy Powell
Cynthia Paskos
Michael Peretzian
Triva Ponder
Francesca P. Roberts
Jim Rash
Jill Rogosheske
Stephanie Satie and Rick Friesen
Marc Valera
Steve Vinovich
Anthony White
Lara Wickes
Willow Cabin Productions
Barbara Fay Wilks
Alexandra Wright
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THE PULITZER PRIZE WINNERS
is made possible in part by a grant
from the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.
Please consider making a tax-deductible gift to
Interact Theatre Company
and help us keep us going strong.
Our mission is to:
• Nurture professional
performing artists
• Provide a forum for educational
and cultural enrichment
• Bring arts education to underserved youth
at little or no cost
• Make a positive and lasting impact
on diverse audiences of all ages
through the unique experience
of live theatre.
Donors will be gratefully acknowledged
in our programs.
ITC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
Federal Tax ID #93-1063357
Please click here to DONATE
Or use this QR Code
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Thank you!
Follow Us:
Cast
Creative Team
Christina Carlisi
Bairton Brown
Donald Margulies
Barry Heins
Kristen Egermeier
About Interact
”Invigorating."
”The Ensemble is first-rate."
“Exhilarating.”
"A DELECTABLY VERSATILE ENSEMBLE."
- Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times
"Together they form, in my view, the very best acting ensemble to be seen currently in Los Angeles."
- Cynthia Citron, Santa Monica Press
"A company of hard-hitting professionals, with a rare combination of heart and expertise."
-NoHo News
"Since its inception, INTERACT THEATRE COMPANY has become known as one of the most exciting theatrical hamlets in the urban forest."
- F. Kathleen Foley, Los Angeles Times
HISTORY
In January of 1989, actor and director Barry Heins invited fifteen friends – all experienced stage actors homesick for the New York theatrical community – to a weekly play reading group held in a vacant apartment in Sherman Oaks. Before long, a pool of forty actors was involved in readings that consisted of everything from classic plays to new plays and screenplays. The quality of the work attracted other theatre professionals eager to collaborate. Directors came to hear plays, as well as playwrights and screenwriters who arranged to hear these talented actors breathe life into their new scripts. Ten months later, the group became the exclusive tenants of Theatre Exchange in North Hollywood, and Interact was born. On May 1, 1992, the company formally incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit theater.
Interact’s loyal and supportive audience has followed the company to various stages and venues in the San Fernando Valley, the Westside, and Downtown LA, enjoying more than forty full-scale productions of plays and musicals since its founding. Interact also presents high-quality free or low-cost community programming, such as its lauded summer arts education program for underserved youth, hundreds of workshops, fundraisers and special events, and, to date, over a thousand public play readings.
AWARDS
ITC has received 95 performance and production awards (175 nominations), including Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle, Ovation, Stage Raw, Garland, LA Weekly, Telly, and NAACP Awards.
Meet the Company
Rob Nagle
Theater credits include Church and State (New World Stages), The Judas Kiss (Boston Court Pasadena), The Little Foxes (Antaeus Theatre Company), Of Good Stock (South Coast Repertory) and I Love to Eat (Portland Center Stage) — as well as productions with the Troubadour Theater Company, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Pasadena Playhouse, Mark Taper Forum, Centerstage, The Old Globe and the Shakespeare Theatre Company. Film credits include: Paper Marriage, Alien Vacation, Sisters, Incarcerated, Blonde, The 11th Green, Bad Samaritan, Fishing Naked, New Year’s Eve. Television credits include: Good Trouble, NCIS: Los Angeles, Batwoman, Mom, Dynasty, Little Fires Everywhere, Modern Family, Grey’s Anatomy, Dawson’s Creek. Education: Northwestern University. Spouse: Heather Allyn. Pug: Houston. robnagle.com @nagdoggie
Erin Pineda
Theater: Life Sucks (Interact Theater Company), As You Like It. Love & Information. The Tempest (Antaeus Theater Company), Worst Laid Plans (Upright Citizens Brigade, co-creator); My Break-Up Playlist (Rogue Machine Theatre, writer/performer), Bunny Bunny (The Garry Marshall Theatre); The Glass Menagerie (Ensemble Theatre Company); Neil LaBute’s Filthy Talk for Troubled Times (UK premiere ). Film/TV: She's currently recurring in Apple TV's Physical (Seasons 1, 2, and 3) and Freeform’s Good Trouble ( Season 5). Other Recurs include Grace and Frankie (Netflix), American Princess (Lifetime), and No Activity (Comedy Central). Training: BFA NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, The Meisner Studio, Experimental Theatre Wing, and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.
Robyn Cohen
Robyn is delighted and honored to be working with such a marvelous group of Artists and Human Beings! Onstage: She starred opposite Jeff Goldblum in both “The Exonerated" and “The Prisoner of Second Avenue,” as well as in the west coast premieres of Neil Labute's "The Shape of Things” at Laguna Playhouse and "No Way Around but Through” (with Melanie Griffith) at The Garry Marshall Theatre. She co-starred Off-Broadway in “The French Waitress” overseen by John Patrick Shanley, and “The Grand Tour” at The Colony Theatre (supervised by Jerry Herman). She’s performed with The Actors Theatre of Louisville, Lincoln Center, The Geffen Playhouse, The Ford's Theater (D.C.), The Shakespeare Theatre Company, Goodspeed Opera House, North Coast Rep., Great Lakes, Paper Mill Playhouse, Bucks County Playhouse, The National Tour of the broadway musical, “Cabaret” and in over 35 Interact Readings and Productions. In Television, Robyn was a series regular on "Gravity" for Starz and “That Guy” for FOX. She’s appeared on "Law and Order True Crime," "Cristela," "N.C.I.S.," "The Defenders," "Invasion," "The Closer," "Angel," "The Strand," "N.C.I.S. L.A.," "Starved," "LAX," and over 50 national commercials. Film Credits: Wes Anderson's "The Life Aquatic" (opposite Bill Murray), “The Celestine Prophecy," "Beau Jest,” "Road Hard" (with Adam Carolla) and the sci-fi thrillers, “Ascension,” “Bedeviled” and the cult classic, “Zzyzx.” Robyn is also a Theatre Director, helming such productions as: “A View from the Bridge,” “The Elephant Man,” “Fool For Love,” and “Drowning” at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland. Training: BFA: The Juilliard School; MFA: The Shakespeare Theatre Company at George Washington University. She’s a contributing writer to Jon Jory’s handbook, “Tips on Auditioning: Ideas for Actors,” and the founder of THE COHEN ACTING STUDIO and “The Authentic Happy Hour” Workshop for the “Creatively Curious!” She’d love to connect on:
Instagram:
@RobynCohenactingstudio
The Cohen Acting Studio:
https://www.cohenactingstudio.com
Neal Bledsoe
Neal Bledsoe is an actor, writer, director, artist, and journalist. On TV, his credits include Shameless, The Man in the High Castle, The Last Tycoon, The Mysteries of Laura, Smash, Ironside, Timeless, Ugly Betty, and many more. On the big screen, he most recently starred in the western Soldier's Heart opposite Val Kilmer, and along with turns in Revolutionary Road and Sex and the City 2, has won several awards for his work in independent features, such as Junction, West End and After The Sun Fell. On stage, he starred in Michael Arden's production of The Pride at The Wallis Annenberg (Ovation nom), he originated the role of The Count in Stephen Wadsworth's The Figaro Plays at the McCarter Theater, played the title role in Antony and Cleopatra at Penn Shakes, and worked with Jeremy Irons, Joan Allen, Andre De Shields, Marsha Mason and Jack O'Brien on Broadway in Impressionism. He is also a journalist whose work has appeared in Variety, Men's Health, and Sports Illustrated, where he has contributed since 2014. His series The Delicate Moron chronicles his attempt to play pro football for the LA KISS, the now-defunct Arena League team once owned by Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons. Find him Substack at Performative Outrage. As an artist, he has collaborated with Jon Kessler on his work The Web in New York City and Basel, Switzerland, and also with the avant-garde artist Mark Flood in Austin, TX. He is also a filmmaker, author, poet, plays the occasional Christmas Prince, and was once even an Old Spice man. He is a proud graduate of UNCSA's School of Drama and a member of The Actors Center.
Christina Carlisi
Christina is thrilled to be a part of this prestigious Pulitzer Award-winning play series for Interact Theatre Company and the Los Angeles Public Library. She directed ART by Yasmina Reza for ITC's Tony Award-winning play series in 2022.
She produced Interact Theater Company’s production of THE CHERRY ORCHARD, which received the LADCC award for best production of the year, and was nominated for an LADCC award for her role as 'Mary' in ITC's award-winning production of JUNO AND THE PAYCOCK by Sean O'Casey. Christina is also a member and on the Board at The Road Theatre Company, where she has directed BEST LIFE by Melisa Tien, TURBULENCE by William Mastrosimone, BURST by Rachel Bublitz, THE WAKE by Tammy Ryan, and HAPPENSTANCE by Craig Pospisil.
A multi-award-winning actress, Christina has acted in dozens of films and television shows, and an equal amount of theater productions. She was awarded the 2018 Best Solo Show of the year for her portrayal of legendary modern dancer Martha Graham in MARTHA. She received a Telly Award for Best Comedy of 2021 for the virtual series THE VIRTUAL END. And most recently starred in the critically acclaimed, sold-out run of Steve Yockey's black comedy MERCERY, directed by Ann Hearn Tobolosky, at The Road,
See full list of credits on ImdbPro.
Bairton Brown
Bairton Brown (he/they) is a multiracial, award-winning filmmaker and theatre practitioner. A 2023 Next-Up Playwriting Fellowship at Congo Square Theatre, Bair’s full-length play, “THE PLAY GROUNDS, or MOMENTO VIVIERE” received staged readings in Chicago, Denver, and Hollywood Fringe Festivals. Bair currently works as a writer and first AD for the web series BLACKSIDE. Bair also works as head writer for Syllble Studios’ multimedia series, BLACKTOPIA. Book One will be published on Amazon in 2024. BFA from DePaul University, MA from New York University. Media: @BairtonBrown | Bairbrown.com | stonehavenstudios.org
Donald Margulies
Donald Margulies has won a Lucille Lortel Award, two American Theatre Critics New Play Citations, two Los Angeles Drama Critics Awards, two OBIE Awards (for SIGHT UNSEEN and THE MODEL APARTMENT), one Tony Award nomination (for TIME STANDS STILL), one L.A. Ovation Award (for THE COUNTRY HOUSE), two Dramatists’ Guild Hull-Warriner Awards, five Drama Desk Award nominations, five Burns Mantle Best Play citations, two Pulitzer Prize nominations (for SIGHT UNSEEN and COLLECTED STORIES), and one Pulitzer Prize (for DINNER WITH FRIENDS). His other plays include BROOKLYN BOY, THE LOMAN FAMILY PICNIC, WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?, FOUND A PEANUT, GOD OF VENGEANCE, CONEY ISLAND CHRISTMAS and SHIPWRECKED! AN ENTERTAINMENT — THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF LOUIS DE ROUGEMONT (AS TOLD BY HIMSELF). His work has been produced in New York by Manhattan Theatre Club, Primary Stages, Roundabout Theatre Company, the New York Shakespeare Festival/Public Theatre, Jewish Repertory Theatre and Theatre for the New City; at theaters across America including South Coast Repertory, the Geffen Playhouse, Actors Theater of Louisville, Williamstown Theatre Festival, and Long Wharf Theatre; and in theaters around the world. Mr. Margulies has received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, The New York Foundation for the Arts, and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. In 2005 he was honored by the American Academy of Arts and Letters with an Award in Literature, and he was the recipient of the 2000 Sidney Kingsley Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Theatre by a playwright and the 2014 PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater American Playwright in Mid-Career Award. Mr. Margulies is an alumnus of New Dramatists and serves on the council of The Dramatists Guild of America. He is an adjunct professor of English and Theatre Studies at Yale University. The film of his screenplay, THE END OF THE TOUR, will be released in 2015.
Barry Heins
Most recently, Heins helmed the critically acclaimed Los Angeles premiere of Aaron Posner's "Life Sucks" at the Broadwater Main Stage, garnering a coveted spot on L.A. Times' theater critic Charles McNulty's "Top 9 List of 2023" and seven L.A. Drama Critics Circle award nominations (winner: Best Ensemble and Best Writing – Adaptation).
A graduate of The Juilliard School and alumnus of The Acting Company, he has appeared on Broadway and Off-Broadway, at leading regional theaters across America, and in film and TV. Notable Los Angeles stage credits include "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Ford Theater (Drama-Logue Award, Outstanding Performance) ITC's famed production of "Counsellor-At-Law" with John Rubinstein (Ovation Award, Best Ensemble), the 2018 ITC revival of Jerry Sterner's "Other People's Money," and the company's West Coast premiere of the Mark Rylance & Louis Jenkins comedy, "Nice Fish." He has worked extensively as a voice-over artist, lending his talents to everything from film trailers to political ads, and has been a dialect consultant on Broadway and for PBS. Heins has served on the faculties of several professional actor training conservatories, including NYU Tisch School of the Arts/Playwright's Horizons Theater School and SUNY Purchase College. His producing credits at Interact include curating three multi-month staged readings programs for Los Angeles Public Library's LA Made cultural enrichment program: "The Tony Award® Winners," showcased worldwide on BroadwayOnDemand.com during the pandemic, and two Pulitzer Prize-winners series (dir: "You Can't Take It With You," "The Great White Hope," and "Driving Miss Daisy"). Heins produced and directed two impactful short films for ITC, "Faultless" and "Just Another Birthday in Bedlam," which garnered international recognition and multiple honors at prestigious film festivals, including a 2021 Bronze and 2022 Gold Telly Award. Both films can be enjoyed on ITC's official YouTube channel, @InteractTheatreCompanyLosAngeles.
Kristen Egermeier
Kristen is thrilled to continue her work with ITC as the new Managing Director. While she is a trained Actor first, Kristen has served as operational support for theatres across the county for the past 15 years. She has also produced, written, and managed multiple productions on stage and film. As a graduate of Cal State University, Northridge with a BA in Theatre Arts and a minor in Chemistry, her well-rounded education has combined her love of theatre with her organizational business skills.
After working and studying with multiple theatre companies back east, she returned to Los Angeles to dive further into her roles as an actor and operational consultant, with an emphasis on nonprofit organizations. Kristen has aided in administratively supporting and developing multiple theatre and community programs.
Her 20 years of experience in management and hands-on roles in accounting, data analytics, editorial writing, and operations management have created her specialty in working with small businesses and nonprofit organizations to develop business practices and streamline financials. A background in industries outside of the theatre world includes environmental research and services, federal and state government services, manufacturing, and GIS data services
ITC's Ongoing Programs
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COMING SOON
UCLA SCHOOL OF LAW
Staged Readings Series
24 Years
2024 marks Interact's 24th season of performing at least
one staged reading each semester.
Co-hosted by the Center for Liberal Arts and Free Institutions (CLAFI), the staged readings aim to evoke discussion of the ethical and societal issues raised in the plays, stimulate interdisciplinary consideration of the law and the humanities, and, of course, entertain.
View the schedule at interact.org/programs/ucla
ITC PLAY LAB
Playwrights and screenwriters present new works for public readings performed by the ITC Ensemble and guest artists.
Lab Director Anita Khanzadian moderates audience discussion following the readings.
Free and open to the public.
No RSVP is required, but arrive
early to ensure admission.
View the Play Lab schedule at interact.org/programs/playlab.
Dramaturgical Materials - by Bairton Brown, Assistant Director/Stage Manager/Dramaturg
Click here to learn more about the play.