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In partnership with
at the Studio City Branch Library
Presents
The Prize Winners
Season IV
A Staged Reading Series
Featuring Five Iconic Plays
Honored with the Pulitzer Prize for Drama
or the Tony Award® for Best Play
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THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR DRAMA
THE TONY AWARD® FOR BEST PLAY
American Theatre Wing, TM
Barry Heins
ITC Artistic Director & Series Producer
Kristen Egermeier
ITC Managing Director & Series Producer
GOD OF CARNAGE
by
Yasmina Reza
Translated by
Christopher Hampton
Directed by
Christina Carlisi
STUDIO CITY BRANCH LIBRARY
MARCH 8, 2025
Assistant to the Director and Stage Manager/ Dramaturg
BAIRTON BROWN
Poster & Media Design
BARRY HEINS
The Actors employed in this production are members of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers
in the United States.
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GOD OF CARNAGE is presented by special arrangement with
Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York.
GOD OF CARNAGE was produced on Broadway by Robert Fox, David Pugh & Dafydd Rogers, Stuart Thompson, Scott Rudin, Jon B. Platt, The Weinstein Company, and The Shubert Organization.
SPECIAL THANKS TO
Los Angeles Public Library
Brian Cunningham, Senior Librarian, Studio City Branch Library
Ann Bowman, East Valley Area Manager
Diane Olivo-Posner, Principal Librarian/Associate Director
Kevin Awakuni
Celia Avila
Tina Lerno
Steve Orozco
Margaret Trtyan
Vu Le
The Library Foundation
for helping the Exploration & Creativity Department
manage the L.A. Made Fund
Friends of the Studio City Library
American Theatre Wing™ and The Tony® Awards
The Pulitzer Prize Board
Actors' Equity Association
Noho Copy and Print
Eric Babb
Rob Brownstein
Steven Culp
Cherish Monique Duke
Don Fischer
Arthur Hanket
Dramatists Play Service
Concord Theatricals
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
Benefactors
LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS
LOS ANGELES COUNTY ARTS COMMISSION
DANIEL AND SHARON LOWENSTEIN
LOS ANGELES PUBLIC LIBRARY
Partners
ANONYMOUS
KRISTEN EGERMEIER
DIANA FINK AND DAVID SMITH
BARRY AND TRACY HEINS
MICHAEL JAY SKLOFF
FRIENDS OF THE STUDIO CITY LIBRARY
Sponsors
PETER GOLDEN
THE LANDERS FAMILY
JEFF KAUFMAN AND MARCIA ROSS
TERRY LILIENFIELD, IN LOVING MEMORY OF TODD LILIENFIELD
W. COLIN MCKAY
JONATHAN MERSEL AND MARION PETERS
ANDREW HILL NEWMAN AND LESLIE HICKS
STACY RAY
ANDY WOLK
Supporters
Anonymous (6)
Tony Abatemarco
Mary Lou Belli
John Ross Bowie
Rob Brownstein
Anne Gee Byrd
Christina Carlisi
Steven Culp
Magomed-Gusein Gasanov
Amanda Carlin and Fred Sanders
Jeffery Chernin and Peter Nardi
Larry Corsa
Tyne Daly
Beajoir Days
Tate Ellington
Zia Garcia
Wendy Graf
Elin Hampton
Steve Heisler
Andrew and Leslie Heins
Mark and Jackie Heins
Joan Henehan and Jenny Williams
Elizabeth and Christopher Herron
Steve Heisler
John Hugo
Susan and Steven Hull
Colin Thomas Jennings
Gregory Jennings
Marta Kauffman
Anita Khanzadian
Karyn Kobayashi
Glen Kovacs
Leonard Lapinski
Yuri Lowenthal
Paul Mackley
Diana Daves McLaughlin
Jeff Meshel
Carolyn Mignini and Steve Vinovich
Clara Neves-Mireles and Miguel Mireles
Oliver Muirhead
Mary O'Malley
Amy Pietz
John Penzenas
Tracy Powell
Cynthia Paskos
Michael Peretzian
Triva Ponder
Francesca P. Roberts
Stephanie Satie and Rick Friesen
Alison Ginebra Shanks
Harris Shore
Marc Valera
Tommy Wallach
Allan Wasserman
Willow Cabin Productions
Barbara Kay-Wilks
Alexandra Wright
is made possible by funding from the
LOS ANGELES PUBLIC LIBRARY LA MADE Fund,
a generous grant from the
Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs,
and supplemental funding from
Friends of the Studio City Library.
Additional support for ITC is provided by the
LA COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF ARTS AND CULTURE
as part of CREATIVE RECOVERY LA,
an initiative funded by the AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN.
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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 are 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!
A STUDY GUIDE FOR "GOD OF CARNAGE" IS AVAILABLE AT
www.interactla.org
Free concessions provided courtesy of
Friends of the Studio City Library.
Follow Us:
Cast
Creative Team
Christina Carlisi
Bairton Brown
Yasmina Reza
Christopher Hampton
Barry Heins
Kristen Egermeier
About Interact
"Invigorating...The ensemble is first-rate...."
“Exhilarating...”
"A delectibly versatile ensemble..."
- Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times ("Life Sucks.")
"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
Tate Ellington
Tate Ellington most recently stared as a regular in the NBC drama series, Law and Order: Organized Crime. He appeared in a major recurring role on Showtime’s critically acclaimed show, Shameless, opposite Emmy Rossum and William H. Macy as well as one of the leads in the independent film, The Endless.
Previously, Tate was seen in both Universal’s Straight Outta Compton as well as the sequel to the blockbuster horror film Sinister. Other film credits include the indie comedy Wanderland as well as the the foreign horror film Belzebuth. Other TV credits include lead roles on NBC's The Brave and ABC's Quantico, two major recurring roles on the hit comedy series The Mindy Project as well as on AMC’s The Walking Dead, and numerous guest spots including The Affair, Big Bang Theory, The Blacklist, The Resident, Parenthood, Castle, and The Good Wife.
Ellington also has an extensive theater background with roles in productions that include “The Philanthropist” on Broadway, opposite Matthew Broderick and Steven Weber, “The Shape of Things,” and the original cast of the Fringe Festival-winning “Dog Sees God.”
Ellington is a proud member of the Interact Theatre Company.
Emily Swallow
Emily plays “The Armorer” in THE MANDALORIAN and THE
BOOK OF BOBA FETT and played fan favorite “Amara" in
SUPERNATURAL. She was a series regular on THE MENTALIST
and on David E. Kelley's TNT series, MONDAY MORNINGS. She
also recurred on SEAL TEAM and HOW TO GET AWAY WITH
MURDER. Emily can now be heard voicing “Puck” in SECRET
LEVEL’s “Pac-Man: Circle” on Amazon Prime. She has also voiced
Dracula’s ill-fated wife “Lisa Tepes” in CASTLEVANIA and did
voice and mocap work for “Emily” in THE LAST OF US: PART II.
On stage she starred in KING LEAR at The Wallis, opposite Tom
Hanks in the Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles production of
HENRY IV followed by CRY IT OUT at the Echo Theater Co.
(Ovation Award 2019). Other theater highlights include world
premieres of Donald Margulies' THE COUNTRY HOUSE at the
Geffen Playhouse (Ovation Award 2014) and opposite Oscar and
Tony-Award-Winner Mark Rylance in NICE FISH at the Guthrie
Theatre.
Michael Manuel
Michael Manuel is happy to be back with Interact Theatre Company where he was a proud member from 1999-2010.
Regionally Michael has worked at The Alley Theatre, Yale Rep, Berkley Rep, Seattle Rep, Arena Stage, Shakespeare Theatre DC, the Group Theatre, Empty Space, New Jersey Shakespeare Festival, Theatre for a New Audience, among others.
In Los Angeles he has worked at Pasadena Playhouse (Sunday in the Park with George and The Father with Alfred Molina (LADCC)), A Noise Within, (Tilden in Buried Child, The Creature in Frankenstein (LADCC, Ovation, Stage Scene LA Performance of the Year, LA Theatre Bites Best
Actor), and Iago in Othello (LADCC)), Mark Taper Forum, South Coast Repertory, Geffen, Shakespeare Festival Los Angeles (6 Seasons), Parson’s Nose, Ojai Playwrights Conference, Pacific Playwrights Project, Cornerstone, Playwright’s Arena, and Impro Theatre where he is a company member.
Michael has appeared in numerous TV shows and films, including the upcoming Redux Redux directed by the McManus Brothers premiering at SXSW this month.
As an acting coach, Michael has worked with Oscar, Tony, Emmy and Grammy winners, most recently serving as coach and creative consultant to John Legend, (An Evening with John Legend) as well as writing the script for A John Legend Christmas that toured the US in 2024.
Michael is a 2023 Lunt-Fontanne Fellow and a graduate of the Yale School of Drama.
Stephanie Erb
Stephanie graduated with honors from SMU’s Professional Theatre Training Program, as well as garnering degrees in Biology and English from that fine institution. After Texas, she moved straight to New York, where she worked steadily in professional theatre all over the country (touring with the Acting company, hitting regional theaters and Shakespeare festivals) and in the Big Apple. Some of her favorite roles were Beatrice in MUCH ADO, Maud in BAKERSFIELD MIST, and Elvira in BLITHE SPIRIT. She moved to LA upon realizing that theatre might not pay for grownup things.
Stephanie’s first gigs in LA involved a “dream job for a Trekkie,” playing “Liva the Lumerian” on STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - followed by a wonderful job working for a dream director, Peter Weir (the movie being FEARLESS). Stephanie has worked steadily since then on film and TV. She continues to do plays in Los Angeles, for which she has won LA WEEKLY, STAGE SCENE LA awards and an Ovation nomination.
Stephanie has performed in over 100 guest appearances on shows such as NCIS, LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN, MONSTER, 911, SNOWFALL, BOSCH, GRACE AND FRANKIE, GREY’S ANATOMY, HOUSE, BONES, TWO AND A HALF MEN, THE MENTALIST, PARKS AND RECREATION, NUMB3RS, CRIMINAL MINDS etc., as well as many appearances on TV movies and pilots.
Her recurring TV appearances have included shady politician “Helen Miller” on RAY DONOVAN, the rather dim vampire fighting witch, “Luellen” on TRUE BLOOD, the insane “Mags” on WEEDS, Head Flight Attendant Susan on “24” and outspoken “Mrs. Yeats” on FREAKS AND GEEKS, not to mention a few therapists and weirdos on some soaps as well. She is not a doctor, but she plays one on TV. A lot. Her most recent recur on BOSCH: LEGACY of lawyer “Amanda Scones” can be seen in the upcoming season on Amazon.
Movie credits include work on the aforementioned FEARLESS, as well as THE RING directed by Gore Verbinski, THE LITTLE THINGS with director John Lee Hancock. STARSHIP TROOPERS directed by Paul Verhoeven, LUCKY NUMBERS directed by Nora Ephron and more. She was honored to be cast as Rear Admiral Lucille Stutz in William Friedkin’s last film, THE CAINE MUTINY COURT MARTIAL with Kiefer Sutherland which aired last year. Her resume includes numerous thrillers and indies, including a project she directed and starred in, LADY INVISIBLE, which has appeared in festivals since its completion over a year ago.
Christina Carlisi
Christina is thrilled to be a part of this prestigious Tony 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, and Donald Margulies' Pulitzer Prize winning play DINNER WITH FRIENDS in 2024.
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. In September, she will direct the Road's 2025/2026 world premier season opener, OTHERKIN by N.T. Vandecar.
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. Christina recently starred in the critically acclaimed, sold-out run of Steve Yockey's black comedy MERCURY, at The Road, and is currently in rehearsals (as an actor) for Erik Gernand's Jeff Award winning play, THE TOTALITY OF ALL THINGS, opening in April.
Bairton Brown
Bairton Brown (he/they) is a multiracial filmmaker and theater practitioner. While earning their B.F.A. from DePaul University in Chicago, Bair’s first short, FROM YOUR FORMER LOVER, premiered at the New York Independent Cinema Awards. As their thesis, Bair directed the web series NAOMI & LEVI TAKE ON THE WORLD (2021), which was selected for distribution on Open Television | OTV.
While earning their Master’s in Arts & Public Policy from NYU, Bair directed the sold-out world premiere of HOW DARE YOU by Kendra Augustin at Affirmation Theatre, and FINAL GOODBYE by Shaneisha Dodson at Soundscape Theatre. In 2023, Bair completed a Next-Up Playwriting Fellowship at Congo Square Theatre. Brown’s second full-length play, MEMENTO VIVERE, received staged readings at Congo Square Theatre in Chicago, Denver Fringe, & Hollywood Fringe Festival.
Bairton returns to Chicago annually as a writer and director for Congo Square’s web series, BLACKSIDE. In Los Angeles, Bair supports Interact as an AD/SM and Dramaturg for Interact’s Pulitzer Prize Winners’ Series. Bair’s Virtual Playwriting course, DEFINING MOMENTS, will launch in Autumn 2024 through their LLC, Stonehaven Studios. Bair’s fist book, BLACKTOPIA, will be published by Syllble Studios on June 3, 2024. An audio series will premiere alongside the books beginning June 7!
Yasmina Reza
been multi-award-winning, critical and popular international successes, produced worldwide and translated into 35 languages. She has written seven plays (CONVERSATIONS AFTER A BURIAL, THE PASSAGE OF WINTER, "ART," THE UNEXPECTED MAN, LIFE X 3, A SPANISH PLAY, GOD OF CARNAGE, HOW YOU TALK THE GAME) and 6 novels ("Hammerklavier," "Une Desolation (Desolation)," "Adam Haberberg," "Dans la Luge d'Arthur Schopenhauer," "Nulle Part" and "L'Aube, le Soir ou la Nuit (Dawn Dusk or Night)"). Films include: "Le Pique-Nique de Lulu Kreutz," directed by Didier Martiny and "Chicas," written and directed by the author.
Christopher Hampton
Christopher Hampton’s plays and musicals have so far garnered four Tony Awards, three Olivier Awards, four Evening Standard Awards, and the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award; prizes for his film and television work include an Oscar, two BAFTAs, a Writers' Guild of America Award, the Prix Italia, a Special Jury Award at the Cannes Film Festival, Hollywood Screenwriter of the Year, and The Collateral Award at the Venice Film Festival for Best Literary Adaptation. Original plays: APPOMATTOX, THE TALKING CURE, WHITE CHAMELEON, TALES FROM HOLLYWOOD, TREATS, SAVAGES, THE PHILANTHROPIST, TOTAL ECLIPSE, and WHEN DID YOU LAST SEE MY MOTHER? Adaptations from novels: YOUTH WITHOUT GOD (Horváth), EMBERS (Márai), and LES LIASONS DANGEREUSES (Laclos). Musicals: STEPHEN WARD, DRACULA: THE MUSICAL, and SUNSET BOULEVARD. Libretti: APPTOMATTOX, THE TRIAL, and WAITING FOR THE BARBARIANS (all for Philip Glass).
Translations include plays by Chekhov, Ibsen, Molière, Horváth, Yasmina Reza, and Florian Zeller. Film includes: "Ali and Nino," "A Dangerous Method," "Chéri," "Atonement," "The Quiet American," "Dangerous Liaisons," "The Good Father," "The Honorary Consul," "Total Eclipse," "Mary Reilly," "Tales From The Vienna Woods," and "A Doll’s House." He wrote and directed "Imagining Argentina," "The Secret Agent," and "Carrington." Television includes: "The Thirteenth Tale," "The Ginger Tree," "Hôtel Du Lac," "The History Man," and "Able’s Will."
Barry Heins
Most recently, Heins produced and directed the critically acclaimed Los Angeles premiere of Aaron Posner's "Life Sucks" at the Broadwater Main Stage. The production earned a coveted spot on L.A. Times theater critic Charles McNulty’s Top 9 List of 2023 and received seven nominations from the L.A. Drama Critics Circle, including wins for Best Ensemble and Best Writing–Adaptation.
A graduate of The Juilliard School and an alumnus of The Acting Company, Heins has performed on Broadway and Off-Broadway, at leading regional theaters across the U.S., and in both film and television. His notable Los Angeles stage credits include "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Ford Theatre (Drama-Logue Award for Outstanding Performance), ITC's celebrated production of "Counsellor-At-Law" with John Rubinstein (Ovation Award for Best Ensemble), the 2018 ITC revival of Jerry Sterner's "Other People's Money," and the West Coast premiere of Mark Rylance and Louis Jenkins' "Nice Fish."
Heins is also an accomplished voice-over artist, lending his talents to everything from film trailers to political ads, and has served as a dialect consultant on Broadway productions and for PBS. He has taught at several professional actor training conservatories, including NYU Tisch School of the Arts/Playwrights Horizons Theater School and SUNY Purchase College.
During the summers, Heins serves as executive producer of the company’s summer theater camp for underserved youth, INTERPLAY, which was integrated into the L.A. Department of Cultural Affairs’ five-week Summer Performing Arts Camp (SPAC) in 2023. Heins curates the ITC Play Lab for established local playwrights and has spearheaded four annual staged readings series in partnership with the Los Angeles Public Library’s LA Made cultural enrichment program, where he directed "You Can’t Take It With You," "The Great White Hope," and "Driving Miss Daisy," and performed in "Art."
Heins also produced and directed two impactful short films written by Catherine Butterfield for ITC: "Faultless" and "Just Another Birthday in Bedlam." Both films garnered international recognition, winning multiple awards at prestigious film festivals, including a 2021 Bronze and 2022 Gold Telly Award. These films are available 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.
Our Ongoing Programs
THE PRIZE WINNERS
Season IV
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ITC PLAY LAB
Established 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 at the Lankershim Arts Center, no RSVP required.
View the Play Lab schedule at:
interactla.org/programs/playlab
ITC welcomes the submission of new plays written by established writers for consideration. Please submit a .PDF of the work along with playwright's bio and a detailed description of the play (including a breakdown of the characters) to:
submissions@interactla.org
ITC MASTER CLASSES
Join Interact Theatre Company for an inspiring weekly evening acting class designed for professional actors, led by ITC Ensemble Member James Eckhouse. A celebrated actor, director, and educator, James brings his expertise in the Meisner Technique to help you deepen your craft, sharpen your instincts, and elevate your performance skills in a supportive and engaging environment.
For more information, please visit:
https://www.interactla.org/itc-master-classes
ITC Free Play Readings
At Lankershim Arts Center
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