Dead Man’s Cell Phone - Between the Lines Studio Theatre Stage Mag

DEAD MAN’S CELL PHONE by Sarah Ruhl Playwrights Horizons, Inc., New York City, produced the New York Premiere of DEAD MAN'S CELL PHONE Off-Broadway in 2008. Originally produced June 2006 by Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Washington, DC Howard Shalwitz, Artistic Director; Kevin Moore, Managing Director. DEAD MAN'S CELL PHONE was commissioned by Playwrights Horizons with funds provided by the Harold and Mimi Steinberg Commissioning Program.



Starring

Kirsten Almeida Lisa Gump	Jeremy Melendez	Genia Miller Jane Steffen

Playwrights Horizons, Inc., New York City, produced the New York Premiere of DEAD MAN'S CELL PHONE Off-Broadway in 2008. Originally produced June 2006 by Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Washington, DC Howard Shalwitz, Artistic Director; Kevin Moore, Managing Director. DEAD MAN'S CELL PHONE was commissioned by Playwrights Horizons with funds provided by the Harold and Mimi Steinberg Commissioning Program.

Dead Man’s Cell Phone is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com

When I first encountered Dead Man's Cell Phone, I was struck by how something so simple-a ringing phone in a quiet café-could open the door to something so expansive. Sarah Ruhl's play begins with an ordinary moment and spirals into a whimsical, surreal, and deeply human exploration of connection, loneliness, and the stories we tell about ourselves.

In a world where we are constantly "connected," this play gently (and sometimes absurdly) asks: are we truly present with one another? Jean's impulsive decision to answer a stranger's phone pulls her into a web of relationships built on half-truths, longing, and reinvention. Through humor and heightened theatricality, Ruhl invites us to consider how we construct identity-both our own and others'-especially after someone is gone.

In a small black box setting, the story feels immediate and personal—almost as if we, too, are sitting in that café when the phone won't stop ringing. The minimalism allows the language, the actors, and the imagination to do the work, blurring the line between reality and fantasy in a way that feels both playful and poignant.

At its heart, Dead Man's Cell Phone is about the courage to reach out, to connect, and to risk being known.

Thank you for silencing your phones, stepping into this world with us, and sharing in a story that reminds us that even in death, we continue to shape one another's lives.

Forever Grateful

Rachel

...

Cast

KIRSTEN ALMEIDA

JEAN

JEREMY MELENDEZ

GORDON/DWIGHT

GENIA MILLER

MRS. GOTTLIEB

LISA GUMP

HERMIA

JANE STEFFEN

THE OTHER WOMAN/THE STRANGER

Creative Team

Rachel Williams

Director

Tera Williams

Stage Manager/Lighting Design

Erin Sten

Stage Manager

Benjamin Ruth

Fight Coordinator

Mackenzie Alexander Hall

Intimacy Coordinator

Meet the Company

KIRSTEN ALMEIDA

JEAN

KIRSTEN ALMEIDA (JEAN) - is thrilled to be making her Between the Lines debut in Dead Man's Cell Phone. Kirsten has performed both on and off Broadway as well as U.S. National Tours, Film, TV, and most recently a J.G. Wentworth commercial. Favorite roles include Nancy (Oliver), Mama Noah (Children of Eden), The Witch (Big Fish), The Angel (Tidings), and Sveta (Professor VonAwesome's Ghost Hunting Safari). She is extremely grateful to the Lehigh Valley arts community for its wide variety of opportunities for local artists to continue learning and honing their craft. She is the Founder/Managing Artistic Director of Star of the Day (www.StaroftheDay.org) in Emmaus,PA a family-friendly theatre specializing in musical productions. She owns and operates Free Your Voice Singing-Acting Studio and teaches vocal music at Cedar Crest College. She would like to thank her husband, Michael, and their cats for loving and supporting her. This performance is dedicated to her Daddy. For Beth Always!

JEREMY MELENDEZ

GORDON/DWIGHT

Jeremy Melendez, born in NYC, studied theater while attending Buffalo state college. After graduating and returning back to the city, he was a stage and film actor working on sets and stages all over the five boroughs. He most recently appeared in an original piece, Visions of Wishes at the Queens Short Play Festival, presented by the Secret Theatre in Woodside, NY. Previous credits include an audio play on Spotify channel: Random Thursday Radio Theater, entitled: Familiar Strangers, he also played Sammy in The Wedding Singer with Royal Star Theatre, also in Queens. Jeremy recently moved to PA this past summer and this is his debut in this state Jeremy is passionate about storytelling that connects and uplifts audiences and is excited to continue exploring new roles and collaborations within the vibrant Pennsylvania theater community.

GENIA MILLER

MRS. GOTTLIEB

Genia Miller is the founding Artistic Director of two non-mainstream theater companies in Eastern PA. Her acting and directing resume spans 40 years and includes work in amateur, university, and professional theatres. Among acting credits are May in "Fool For Love", Lady in "Orpheus Descending" and the title character in "Lysistrata". Directing credits include Aristophanes’ "The Frogs", Mamet’s "American Buffalo", and The History Channel’s "In Search of History: The True Story of the Molly Maguires". Miller’s play "Spirit of the Molly Maguires" has been produced in several theaters and is published in Anthracite: an "Anthology of Pennsylvania Coal Region Plays". Recently, Miller’s play “Back Talk” has been selected for two upcoming national shorts contests. Her most recent play, "Christmas Eve in the Dunk Tank", is slated to be Between the Lines’ December 2026 holiday production.

LISA GUMP

HERMIA

Lisa (she/her) is so happy to return to the stage - her first show with Between The Lines. Favorite previous roles include Luciana in A Comedy of Errors, Morticia in The Addams Family, and the Stepmother in Cinderella. Outside of rehearsal she’s probably thinking about Formula 1 racing and pizza. Thank you, Rachel. You know what for. 💜”

JANE STEFFEN

THE OTHER WOMAN/THE STRANGER

Jane Steffen is thrilled to be making her stage debut at Between the Lines with such a talented cast and crew! After a total body and soul upheaval, Jane returned to the stage in Dec of 2024 as an Ensemble member in Too much Light makes the Baby go Blind at Civic Theatre 514 with the Amalgamation Theatre Co. She was also seen as Letter Writer #2 in Tiny Beauty Things at Hershey Area Playhouse and as various characters of fun in Comedy of Errors(with more errors) at The Good Human improv this past year. Before the coma and NDE, favorite roles include Inez in No Exit, Sarah Goodwin in Time Stands Still and Nurse Ratchet in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. And further back, before running off to the commune, some of her best times were as Catherine in Proof, Antigone in Antigone and Rizzo in Grease. Her hobbies include staring off into the abyss, communicating with the universe and contemplating the threshold of fear. The light wins! I promise! Thank you for coming and enjoy the show!