Outrageously comic!
Student Matinee: Friday, October 19, 2018; 11am (more info) (view the study guide)
A side-splitting, freewheeling adaptation in rhyming verse of Molière’s classic comedy The Misanthrope, from the author who wrote The Liar, Venus in Fur, and All In The Timing. It’s 1666, and Frank, a caustic and crabby guy who despises social niceties, falls for Célimène, a beautiful young widow and dazzling social butterfly.
Adapted from The Misanthrope by Molière. It’s 1666 and the brightest, wittiest salon in Paris is that of Celimene, a beautiful young widow so known for her satiric tongue she’s being sued for it. Surrounded by shallow suitors, whom she lives off of without surrendering to, Celimene has managed to evade love since her beloved husband died – until today, when Frank appears. A traveler from England known for his own coruscating wit and acidic misanthropy, Frank turns Celimene’s world upside-down, taking on her suitors, matching her barb for barb, and teaching her how to live again. (Never mind that their love affair has been engineered by a couple of well-placed lies.) This wild farce of furious tempo and stunning verbal display, all in very contemporary couplets, runs variations on Molière’s The Misanthrope, which inspired it. Another incomparable romp from the brilliant author of All in the Timing.
–Dramatists Play Service
“A fun, frilly and decidedly cheeky adaptation… The School for Lies is a rom-com for wordsmiths… [Ives’s] unstoppable couplets, and the infusion of mega-topical references blows [Le Misanthrope] wide open for today’s audience.”
–Metro Weekly (Washington, D.C.)
“…we are in prime-time rhyme time yet again with uber-clever playwright David Ives… slyly funny… an irreverent tribute”
–Washington Post
Samantha Eggers (Arsinoe) is thrilled to be returning to Ensemble Theatre Company! Recent regional credits include: The Two Noble Kinsmen, Othello (Kingsmen Shakespeare Co.), Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley (Ensemble Theatre Company), King Charles III (Pioneer Theatre Company), Pride and Prejudice (La Mirada Theater), What the Butler Saw (Mark Taper Forum), Hero! (Asolo Repertory Theater), The Fox on the Fairway (St Michael’s Playhouse), The Glass Menagerie (American Repertory Theater) and The Lily’s Revenge starring Taylor Mac (American Repertory Theater). She also appeared in the Broadway production of Mamma Mia! as Lisa (Sophie cover), in the Second National Tour (original cast), and Las Vegas company. Internationally, Samantha has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (The Druid Tree) and the Moscow Art Theater (The Imaginary Invalid). Film and television credits include: Get Happy, Racing Colt, “Deadly Sins” and “Jane the Virgin.” Training: M.F.A., American Repertory Theater/Moscow Art Theater School Institute for Advanced Theater Training at Harvard University. Proud member of AEA, SAG-AFTRA. Love to Ped!
Ross Hellwig (Clitander) is thrilled to be back on the Ensemble Theatre Company stage. Other ETC credits include Alcippe in The Liar, Geoffrey in The Lion in Winter, and Demetrius in the ETC / Santa Barbara Symphony collaboration, Shakespeare Set to Music. Europe: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof directed by Jonathan Fox (Vienna’s English Theatre). Elsewhere: The Two Noble Kinsmen, Othello, Love’s Labour’s Lost, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Henry V, Richard III, Measure for Measure, Twelfth Night, Antony & Cleopatra, Romeo & Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing, The Comedy of Errors, The Winter’s Tale, All’s Well That Ends Well, and Macbeth (Kingsmen Shakespeare Company); Noises Off, The Explorer’s Club, Beau Jest, and Equivocation (Lamb’s Players Theatre); Noises Off (Sierra Rep); Not Media (B Street Theatre); Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (Intrepid Theatre Company); Abigail/1702 (International City Theatre); King Lear, As You Like It, King John, The Taming of the Shrew, and Macbeth (Southwest Shakespeare Company); Edward II (Diversionary Theatre); King o’ the Moon (North Coast Rep); Crimes of the Heart (Rubicon Theatre Company); RFK: The Journey to Justice (LA Theatre Works); Photograph 51 (The Fountain Theatre); The Rainmaker (A Noise Within); Private Lives (Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre); Spinning into Butter (Pittsburgh Public Theatre); Vincent in Brixton, Macbeth, Don Juan, Antony & Cleopatra, The Winter’s Tale, The Comedy of Errors, and As You Like It (The Old Globe Theatre); The Frozen Man (Thin Air Theatre Company). Television: “Numb3rs,” “Law & Order: SVU,” and “The Guiding Light.” Education: MFA – The Old Globe / USD Graduate Theatre Program; BFA – The University of Arizona.
Lara Hillier (Eliante) is delighted to be making her ETC debut. A proud Pittsburgh native and Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama alum, Lara made her Off-Broadway debut in the American premiere of Exit/Entrance for Origin Theatre at 59E59. Additional theatre credits include The Pride (Wallis Annenberg Center, Dir. Michael Arden), Harold Pinter and Di Trevis’ Pinter/Proust (92Y, Dir. Di Trevis), Real Dead Ghosts (Under St. Marks, New York; Montreal Improv, Montreal; Robert Gill Theatre, Toronto; Mixed Blood Theatre, Minneapolis), Love, Genius and a Walk (Abingdon Theater), Shelby Company’s Ephemerama (Magnet Theater), Le Grand Meaulnes (Quantum Theater), The Little Foxes, Metamorphoses, The Tempest (Pittsburgh Public Theater), Romeo and Juliet (Drama Centre, London). TV: “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” (Netflix), “As The World Turns” (CBS). Lara’s play, Starring Elizabeth Taylor, was workshopped by the Hangar Theatre Lab Company in New York. Her writing has also been featured online at Hello Giggles, and Glamour Magazine. Lara currently writes and performs with The Second City Hollywood-based sketch ensemble, OVER EASY. For information on their upcoming performances, visit Lara’s website: HerNameWasLara.com
Adam Mondschein (Frank) has toured nationally and performed Off-Broadway with the Tony Award-winning Acting Company, and has played leading roles with various theater companies across the country. He has also appeared on numerous television shows, including Netflix’s “Arrested Development,” ABC’s “Castle” and TNT’s “The Last Ship.” His favorite role, however, is still Dorante, the title character in Ensemble Theatre Company’s production of David Ives’s The Liar, for which he won the Santa Barbara Independent Theatre Award for best performance. Adam has an MFA in Acting from UCLA, is happily married to actress Yaani King and has recently stepped into producing with the release of the documentary The Gate: Dawn of the Baha’i Faith. www.thegatefilm.com
Gino Montesinos (Oronte), in his ETC debut, is an esteemed, Los Angeles-based actor active in film, television, Equity theater, commercials, and voice-overs who started his career in theater as a youth. He’s starred at such premiere American stages as Pasadena Playhouse, Mark Taper Forum, Lincoln Center, The Public Theater, San Diego Rep, Ford Amphitheatre, Glendale Centre Theatre, Circle Rep Lab, and American Repertory Theatre. Abroad, Gino represented the U.S. as Zanni in a major Commedia dell’arte production headlined by Nobel Laureate Dario Fo, directed by First Harlequin of Italy, Ferrucio Soleri, in Vicenza’s 433-year-old Teatro Olimpico. At Dominican Republic’s 1,202-seat Teatro La Fiesta in world-class Hotel Jaragua, he was originally hired to star in West Side Story, but then went on to direct when the original director resigned. In Mexico, Gino took audiences of all ages time-traveling as the paleontologist in the $27 million dollar production of Walking with Dinosaurs: The Arena Spectacular, directed by Scott Faris. As the lead and only actor, at two premiere sports arenas in Mexico City and Monterrey, he performed in Spanish opposite 17 life-size, state-of-the-art, animatronic dinosaurs, many 40 feet tall, costing $1 million each, to sold-out performances of 11,000 spectators each show. The limited-engagement tour played to a total audience of over 100,000 spectators, grossing nearly $10 million at the box office in just two weeks. In these international productions, he worked in Italian, French, Spanish, and English, often serving as interpreter for international actors and creatives. Select TV work includes series regular, recurring, major guest starring roles on network series like “Atypical,” “Hawaii Five-0,” “NCIS,” “Chicago Med,” “Shameless,” “Dexter,” “The Young and the Restless,” “24,” “Drake & Josh,” “Charmed,” “Raising the Bar,” “Mental,” “K-Ville,” “CSI: NY,” “Medium,” and “Celebrity,” a Fox pilot created by Shane Salerno. Select film work includes lead plus supporting roles in indie and studio films like Poor Boy starring Michael Shannon, Bruce Almighty, The Spongebob Squarepants Movie, Universal Remote, Devil’s Knight, Is That a Gun in Your Pocket?, The Perfect Game opposite Clifton Collins Jr., and Killian’s Chronicle, in which he learned to speak Passamaquoddy, an almost extinct Native American language. Recent work includes a recurring guest star on the upcoming TV series “Palomino & Swissy” (2019) with Eric Roberts, a guest star on Jordan Peele’s new YouTube Premium series “Weird City” (2019), another guest star on TNT’s “Animal Kingdom,” the lead in TV pilot “Loose Screws” opposite Tia Carrere, and his film directorial debut of Soi Fabulous’ music video Fallen Angel, featuring Bollywood star Sheena Chohan, which he also conceived and produced. Gino’s been fortunate to collaborate with some of the best artists working in entertainment today. He has collaborated with nine Oscar winners, eight Golden Globe winners, thirty-one Emmy winners, five Tony Award winners, two MacArthur “Genius Grant” Awardees, and a Nobel Laureate in Literature. Training: The Acting Center, Milton Katselas, Jeffrey Tambor, A.R.T. Institute at Harvard University, RADA. Heartiest thanks to the wonderful Jonathan Fox, company & crew, for this joyous experience!
Para mis queridos padres, Roberto y Martha, quienes nos dieron todo….
Matt Shea (Acaste) is so happy to be back at ETC, where he first appeared as Bellomy in The Fantasticks. In Los Angeles, he has originated roles in Ball Yards (Zephyr Theatre), Monkey Business (Self-Realization Fellowship, Hollywood Temple), Greeks 6-Trojans 5 (Whitefire Theatre), Libraries Are Exciting Places (Eclectic Company Theatre), and Theatre Movement Bazaar’s The Treatment (The Theatre @ Boston Court). Matt has been seen on Broadway in Ragtime and Off-Broadway in Abingdon Theatre Company’s productions of Zona, The Ghost of Greenbriar and The Appearance of Impropriety. While in New York City, he studied acting with Betty Buckley, one of theater’s most respected and legendary leading ladies, at the T. Schreiber Studio. His regional credits include The School for Scandal (National Actors Theatre), She Loves Me (Great Lakes Theatre Festival), All My Sons (Raven Playhouse), and Fairy Tales (Bailiwick Repertory), for which he received a Jeff nomination. On HBO’s hit show “Silicon Valley” he portrayed the memorable role of the friendly Satanist Priest. Matt played the part of Karl Hansen in the critically acclaimed feature film Bold Native, which is about the animal liberation movement. Other TV/Film: “Superior Donuts,” “Ray Donovan,” “House of Lies,” “Lopez,” “The Middle,” “Gamer’s Guide,” “Henry Danger,” “Anger Management,” “The Young and the Restless,” “Trailer Park Boys: Out of the Park,” Relative Strangers, and Desperation Boulevard. He is a graduate of Miami University in Oxford, OH.
Jamie Torcellini (Dubois/Basque) For ETC, Jamie has directed The 39 Steps and Tell Me on a Sunday, and also starred in The Mystery of Irma Vep. Jamie has performed in many Broadway shows since 1980, including Cats (Mr. Mistoffelees), Little Johnny Jones (Standby to Donny Osmond), Me and My Girl (Standby for Jim Dale), Jerome Robbins Broadway, Man of La Mancha (Barber), Beauty and the Beast (LeFou), and the original company of Billy Elliot. Regional credits: Hamlet, Young Frankenstein (Igor), Spamalot (Patsy), My Fair Lady (Alfie Doolittle), You Can’t Take it With You, Tuna Christmas, Man of La Mancha (Sancho), and starred in a dozen productions of Me and My Girl. As a director and/or choreographer, Jamie has mounted several productions of The 39 Steps, The Mystery of Irma Vep, Pirates of Penzance, My Fair Lady, The Producers, Me and My Girl, How to Succeed…, West Side Story, Life Could Be a Dream, Kiss Me Kate, and many benefits and industrials across the country. He also assisted on both of the Stuart Little films starring Gena Davis and Hugh Laurie. He has been a teacher of musical theater and tap at the College and Conservatory of the Performing Arts (New York), and a teacher of comedy improv for several institutions, including Notre Dame De Namur (Belmont).
Jill Van Velzer (Celimene) is proud to make her ETC debut. A former Los Angeleno now based in New York, Jill’s favorite roles have included a pole-dancing stripper (Pippi in The Great American Trailer Park Musical, San Diego Rep; SDCC nominee), a junkie punk queen (Gertrude in God Save Gertrude, Theatre at Boston Court; Backstage Garland Award), a First Lady (Abigail Adams in 1776, Performance Riverside; L.A. Ovation Award), and a teacher who wears really big dresses (Anna Leonowens in The King and I national tour). Other highlights in SoCal and elsewhere include three different Jane Austen adaptations (Fanny in Sense and Sensibility, The Old Globe; Cassandra Austen in Pride and Prejudice, McCoy Rigby; Mrs. Elton in Emma, Arizona Theatre Company) and a healthy dose of Noël Coward (Ruth in Blithe Spirit, Pasadena’s A Noise Within/Portland’s Artists Repertory Theatre; Myra in Hay Fever in rotation with Helen in The Vortex, San Diego’s Cygnet Theatre), as well as The Playboy of the Western World (Widow Quin, Artists Repertory Theatre, Portland), The Heiress (Mrs. Montgomery, Pasadena Playhouse, opposite Richard Chamberlain), The Matchmaker (Irene Molloy, Utah Shakespeare), Boeing Boeing (Gloria, Arrow Rock Lyceum), and leads in a heck of a lot of musicals: The Music Man (Marian), Kiss Me Kate (Lilli/Kate), Into the Woods (Witch, Baker’s Wife), Camelot (Guenevere), The Most Happy Fella (Rosabella), The Secret Garden (Lily), Carousel (Julie), Brigadoon (Fiona), On the Twentieth Century (Lily Garland) and She Loves Me (Amalia), to name just a few. Jill graduated as valedictorian of Pepperdine University way too many years ago. She is married to NYC conductor/music director Timothy Splain, with whom she has an incredibly delightful, if perpetually sticky, 19-month-old son. She is wholly grateful to them, everyone at ETC, everyone at BBR Talent, and the various loved ones who are making it possible for her to be both a parent and a performer.
Matt Wolpe (Philinte) is quite pleased to return to Santa Barbara. This marks Wolpe’s 4th show with ETC but his first at The New Vic. His past ETC credits include Matt in The Fantasticks, Cliton in The Liar, and Matt/Gene in Striking 12. Broadway: Finding Neverland. National Tours: Once, Finding Neverland. Off-Broadway: Hell’s Bells. Regional: Laguna Playhouse, Kirk Douglas, Pasadena Playhouse, Weston Playhouse, The Blank, The Engeman, La Mirada, NoHo Arts Center, Boston Theatre Works, and Sacramento Music Circus. He is the former Bumble Bee Tuna Spokesman and has graced your small screens in various other commercials and formats. An LA native currently residing in NYC, Matt is also an award-winning songwriter and multi-instrumentalist with five records out and one more due out this fall. More info and music at MattWolpe.com. Much love and thanks to Mom, Pops, Amy Lieberman, BRS GAGE and Cocktail The Wiener Dog. A huge hug and never-ending gratitude to Jonathan Fox, who has been a friend, colleague, and champion of Matt’s career for over 10 years. Thanks for bringing me back to the West Coast. Proud member of Actors Equity @MattWolpe.
David Ives (Playwright) is perhaps best known for his evening of one-act plays, All in the Timing (he has been included in the “Best Short Plays” series seven times), and for his drama Venus in Fur, which was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Play. His plays include New Jerusalem: The Interrogation of Baruch de Spinoza; The School for Lies (adapted from Molière’s The Misanthrope); The Liar (adapted from Corneille); Time Flies; and Is He Dead? (adapted from Mark Twain). He has also translated Feydeau’s A Flea in Her Ear and Yasmina Reza’s A Spanish Play. A former Guggenheim Fellow in playwriting and a graduate of The Yale School of Drama, he lives in New York City.
Jonathan Fox (Director) joined ETC in 2006. His most recent production was The Invisible Hand, which went on to play in Frankfurt, Germany. He adapted and directed ETC’s recent production of Woody Allen’s Husbands and Wives. Other ETC productions include Porgy and Bess, Macbeth, Sweeney Todd, Woyzeck, Amadeus, A Little Night Music, The Liar, Crime and Punishment, and a dozen others. He directed Opera Santa Barbara (OSB)’s 2014 production of The Consul at the Granada Theatre, and will direct Eugene Onegin for OSB in February 2019. He has collaborated with the Santa Barbara Symphony on their Shakespeare and Valentine’s Day concerts, and will be directing their upcoming production of The Soldier’s Tale. In 2016, he directed ETC’s production of Bad Jews, which traveled to Germany for the play’s German premiere. Other European productions include Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, A Streetcar Named Desire, Visiting Mr. Green, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at The English Theatre Frankfurt, and Old Wicked Songs, Crimes of the Heart, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at the Vienna English Theatre. Before joining ETC, Mr. Fox spent 12 years with Two River Theater Company in New Jersey, which he helped establish in 1994. He served as Managing Director of the company from 1994-99, and subsequently became its Artistic Director. For Two River, he directed their recent world premiere production of Lives of Reason. His production of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg was profiled in American Theatre Magazine, as was his festival of work by Samuel Beckett. His directing work has been seen in New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Cologne, and has received critical acclaim in The New York Times, Variety, the LA Times, and other publications. He received his MFA from Columbia University, and is a recipient of the prestigious Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Fellowship. He has served as an adjunct faculty member in theater departments at UCSB, Columbia University, University of Utah, and Monmouth University.
Harry Feiner (Scenic Designer) is a set and lighting designer for theater, opera and dance. His work includes more than 45 Off-Broadway productions, as well as LORT and regional productions, including designs for: The Mint Theatre Co., The Peccadilo Theatre Company, The Cherry Lane Theatre, The Pearl Theatre, The Directors Company, Missouri Repertory Theatre, Virginia Stage, A Red Orchid Theatre, Ensemble Theatre, Peoples’ Light & Theatre Company, Olney Theatre, Studio Arena Theatre, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, McCarter Theatre, Capital Rep, Delaware Theatre Company, Two River Theatre Company, GEVA, Premier Stages, George Street Playhouse, Syracuse Stage, Theatre Virginia, Philadelphia Drama Guild, The Pennsylvania Stage Company, New Jersey Rep, & The Actors’ Studio. He has designed for The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, The Colorado Shakespeare Festival, The Alabama Shakespeare Festival, and The North Carolina Shakespeare Festival. Dance designs include Rioult Dance, Germaul Barnes’ Viewsonic Dance & North Carolina Dance Theatre. He has designed opera for Central City Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Lake George Opera, Florida State Opera, Pennsylvania Opera Theatre, Syracuse Opera, Chatauqua Opera, Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh, Fort Worth Opera, Orchestra of St. Luke’s and Manhattan School of Music. Mr. Feiner has served as head of production for the Lake George Opera Festival and resident designer for Missouri Repertory Theatre. Exhibitions include several Prague Quadrennials, The World Stage Design Exhibition and USITT Design Exhibitions. Mr. Feiner has received grants from the Graham and Tobin Foundations. His awards include nominations and awards received in Boston, Connecticut, and Santa Barbara, and company commendations with the Pearl Theatre Company (Drama Desk and Obies). He also received a CUNY Chancellor’s Honoree for Excellence award. Mr. Feiner also writes on the relationship between consciousness studies and the arts. He has given several papers internationally and published book chapters and conference anthologies. He teaches at Queens College, CUNY and served as department chair from 1999–2003.
Kate Bergh (Costume Designer) is happy to be working at ETC again, where she designed costumes for City of Conversation, Woyzeck, Metamorphosis and A Little Night Music. Recent credits: Chasing Mem’ries with Tyne Daly (world premiere), Next Fall, Yes, Prime Minister (The Geffen Playhouse); Hopscotch, the Mobile Opera (The Industry with Ann Closs-Farley); Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally, L. O. V. E. R., Transition (Theatre Planners); The Graduate, Twelve Angry Men, The Roger Miller Story, Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks (Laguna Playhouse); Stupid Kid (The Road Theatre); Tribes (Chance Theatre); Broadway Bound (The Odyssey Theatre); For Piano and Harpo (Falcon Theatre); Empire Burlesque (The Broad Stage); 100 Aprils, Bled for the Household Truth (world premiere), Daytona, Super Variety Match Bonus Round (world premiere) and Cock; Grey Nomad, Ruben Guthrie, Speaking in Tongues (The Australian Theatre Company); Gigi, Cabaret (Backstage Garland Award), They’re Playing Our Song, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Reprise Theatre); Prisoner of Second Avenue (El Portal Theatre), Side Show, Shrek the Musical (3D Theatricals, Ovation Nomination), The House in Scarsdale, Creation (Theatre at Boston Court), Amahl and the Night Visitors, Art, Sleepless in Seattle, Miracle on 34th Street, Casa Valentina (Ovation Nomination, LADCC Award) (Pasadena Playhouse). Kate works in all mediums telling stories with costumes––theater, opera, dance, film, television, music videos, and commercials. She loves her job and is a proud member of United Scenic Artists, Local 829. kateberghdesign.weebly.com
Jared A. Sayeg (Lighting Design) is a four-time Ovation Award Nominee and winner of the Ovation, StageRaw, Garland and the LADDC Kinetic Lighting Awards. Designs for ETC include: City of Conversation, Baby Doll, Intimate Apparel, A Little Night Music, Frankie & Johnny, The Liar, Bell Book & Candle, Creditors and The Fantasticks. His designs have been seen throughout the US, Canada, Spain, and Edinburgh. On Broadway he designed the magic spectacle The Illusionists and two National Tours as well as Bravo Bernstein, Gotham Glory at Carnegie Hall. Regional: Center Theatre Group, Pasadena Playhouse, South Coast Repertory, 5TH Avenue Theatre, Sacramento Music Circus, International City Theatre, Reprise, Ensemble Theatre Company, Cabrillo Music Theatre, Laguna Playhouse, Virginia Stage Company, The Colony, Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey and CLO of South Bay. On the West-End he designed Rolling with Laughter at Her Majesty’s Theatre. He was on the design teams for the Broadway productions of PRIMO, The Woman in White, The Radio City Christmas Spectacular and the national tour of Blithe Spirit starring Angela Lansbury. Other designs include productions for Holland America and Norwegian Cruise Lines, the 2011 NBA All Star Game, LA Lakers at Staples Center, Neil Diamond’s world tour, the LA Auto Show, and in 2008, he had the honor of lighting Pope Benedict XVI for the Papal Rally in NYC. Jared is Principal Designer for the prestigious USA International Ballet Competition held every four years and creates the lighting for the nationally touring music group The Company Men. He has served as designer to artists such as Sutton Foster, Jason Alexander, Barbara Cook, Martin Short, Liz Callaway, Lorna Luft and Betty Buckley. His architectural designs are seen regularly in restaurants and exhibits as well as the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific. Member of the International Association of Lighting Designers and the youngest member to join the United Scenic Artists-Local 829 and serves as a trustee to the executive board. www.jaslighting.com
Rick V. Moreno (Production Stage Manager) is a Central Coast native. He recently returned to Southern California after stage Managing Baz––Star Crossed Love (created by LA’s For The Record Live), at the Palazzo Hotel in Las Vegas. Rick possesses his BFA in Stage Management from The USC School of Dramatic Arts, and completed a one-year Stage Management Apprenticeship at Juilliard. NY Credits: Lincoln Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York Classical, Symphony Space, The Juilliard School; Regional: Williamstown Theatre Festival, The Old Globe, Pasadena Playhouse, The Wallis Annenberg Center, L.A. Theatre Works, Pasadena Opera, Pacific Conservatory for the Performing Arts (PCPA), Santa Cruz Shakespeare, Boston Court Theatre. Proud AEA member.
Cole Remmen (Dramaturg) is a PhD student in the Theater Studies program at the University of California, Santa Barbara, having received his MA from UCSB in 2018. He graduated summa cum laude with distinction in 2016 from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts and a minor in Studies in Cinema and Media Culture. A recipient of several awards for achievement in acting, playwriting, academics, and leadership, Cole has directed and performed in numerous productions and workshops with the UCSB Department of Theater and Dance, the University of Minnesota Department of Theatre Arts and Dance, as well as Theater Latté Da (Minneapolis) and Theater Arts Caltech (Pasadena). In addition to his strong background in musical theater and vocal performance, Cole is an instrumentalist with training in piano, which he studied formally for 12 years, and saxophone. In his academic research, Cole explores the interconnection between science and theater, particularly science-driven and science-fiction drama. He is especially interested in bringing together scientific and artistic communities, bridging these seemingly disparate fields through the study and staging of theatrical works that draw from the rich history, stimulating theories, and rigorous methodologies of science. His recent work examines the relationship between robotics and theater, from Karel Čapek’s 1920 play R.U.R. to performance techniques of contemporary real-world robots. Cole’s directing credits include the 1917 sci-fi one-act Efficiency, Caryl Churchill’s A Number, Samuel Beckett’s Footfalls, and Michael Frayn’s Copenhagen. Most recently, he served as assistant director of UCSB’s productions of Cabaret and A View from the Bridge. Recent acting credits include Spock in Boldly Go!, Krapp in Samuel Beckett’s Krapp’s Last Tape, Ralph Werner in the University of Minnesota’s mainstage production of Working, Werner Heisenberg in Copenhagen, various roles in the workshop of the new musical C. with Theater Latté Da, and Dr. Henry Jekyll in Jeffrey Hatcher’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Cole also co-wrote/composed an original two-act, 19-song musical, Boldly Go!, which parodies both Star Trek and musical theater. Boldly Go! premiered with a sold-out run as the mainstage show at the California Institute of Technology in 2016, in which (in addition to performing in the role of Spock) Cole served as assistant director. You can now watch the world premiere of Boldly Go! on YouTube.
Amy Lieberman, CSA (Casting Director): Six-time Artios Award winner. Center Theatre Group, 1982–1990 and 1999–2006. Broadway (The Dinner Party, Flower Drum Song, Big River). Ongoing: Ensemble Theatre Company of Santa Barbara (10 seasons). Other: Reprise Theatre Company, La Jolla Playhouse, Manhattan Theatre Club, Goodman Theatre, ACT, Denver Center, Berkeley Rep, Seattle Rep, Pasadena Playhouse, Rubicon, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Actors Theatre of Phoenix, Actors Theatre of Louisville, L.A. Theatre Works’ The Play’s the Thing series, North Coast Repertory and more. Film and TV throughout the 90’s. Visiting Associate Professor at UCLA’s MFA program 2007-2013.
"Photo Flash: First Look at THE SCHOOL FOR LIES"—Boardwayworld LA
"The School for Lies Comes to Ensemble Theatre Company"—Santa Barbara Independent
"BWW Previews: THE SCHOOL FOR LIES at Ensemble Theatre Company"—Boardwayworld LA
"Ensemble Theater Starts Season With Comedy School For Lies— Honestly"—Noozhawk
"ON STAGE: Ensemble opens 40th season with David Ives comedy."—Santa Barbara News-Press
"Photo Flash: Ensemble Theatre Company Presents THE SCHOOL FOR LIES"—Boardwayworld LA
"Ensemble Theatre Co Opens Season with THE SCHOOL FOR LIES"—Boardwayworld LA
"Get Schooled in Fun with Ensemble Theater Co.'s The School for Lies"— Noozhawk
"Santa Barbara's School for Lies offers some of the funniest lines around"— Ventura County Star
"The School for Lies Is a Boisterous, Self-Aware Comedy"— Santa Barbara Independent
ETC's 2018-19 Season Sponsored by Leatrice Luria
Production sponsored by The Pulitzers
Additional sponsorship from Helene Segal and George Konstantinow, Gwen and Henry Baker, and Gail Beust Matt Wolpe, Gino Montesinos, Adam Mondschein