United Stages

United Stages
November 17, 2010; vol. 810
UnitedStages.com
Ego Actus Design
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presents
The RESISTIBLE RISE of
FATLINDA PALOKA
by Anne Giordano
Directed by Joan Kane*
Scenic Design by Starlet Jacobs
Costume Design by Cat Fisher
Lighting Design by Bruce A! Kraemer
Sound Design by Jason T. Hurley
Cast (in order of appearance)
Narrator and Leotrim Paloka. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Roland Uruci
Jolene Earp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Julia Baltz
Jimmy Earp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nick Palladino
Blerim “Benny” Paloka. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bujan Rugova
Fatlinda Paloka. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elza Zagreda
Conrad Stuckey and Tommy Barry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Louis Zweibel
Drita Paloka and Duane Tallman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cat Migliaccio
Sokol Paloka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Johnny Shrkeli
Mandy de la Beckwith and Ruby Rogers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amanda Johnson
Lule Paloka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lumi Subasic
Besarta Paloka. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anisa Dëma
Heather Lee. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kazue Peck
The time is the present.
The locale is Greenville, Georgia
Fatlinda will be performed without intermission
*member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society
I
Playwright's Note
n this production of The Resistible Rise of Fatlinda Paloka, we reference the accounts of
“Aunt Shirley” and Albanians who carry guns in their underwear at weddings. These
stories, based on a real-life events, are facets of an enigmatic culture I felt were too
profound and illuminating to exclude. They are elements that come from the original work
of Elza Zagreda's solo comedies Corn Bread & Feta Cheese: Growing up FAT & Albanian
and DIVORCE! Albanian Style!
W h o’ s W h o
Roland Uruci (Narrator, Leotrim Paloka)
was born in an Albanian town in what is
today Macedonia. He
began his stage career
acting with the sketch
comedy group Bathing with Toasters. Favorite roles
include Lopakhin in The Cherry Orchard, Terence
in Breaking Legs and Dominick in Don’t Shoot.
Film: Wife Broker in Mail Order Wife and Southie
in the indie film Across Dot. Ave. He would like to
thank Anne Giordano for letting him create unique
characters for this production.
Nick Palladino (Jimmy
Earp) graduated with a
B.F.A. in acting from
Mason Gross School of the
Arts at Rutgers University.
NYC and international
credits include Richard in
Richard III (Globe, London), Hysterical Blindness,
La Ronde (Centerstage, NYC), Two of Swords
(Drove Theatre Co.NYC), Groves of Academe, Roulette, Mojo and Unpublished Letters (Rutgers Theatre Co, NJ). Nick is a member of the comedy team
Bear in a Hammock. He would like to thank Joan,
Naomi, Bruce, Anne, Cat and the entire cast and
crew for their amazing work, and, as always, his
friends and family for their continued support.
Julia Baltz (Jolene Earp)
is thrilled to be making her
Off-Off-Broadway debut.
She recently graduated
magna cum laude with a
B.F.A. in theater from the
University of Memphis.
Favorite roles include Pandora in Pandora’s Box and
Other Greek Tales and Elizabeth in The Syringa
Tree. She was recently heard as Echo in Happily
Ever After at Abingdon Theatre’s Throne Comedies.
She would like to thank her family for all their support, her roommate Tyler for putting up with her
and Joan for giving her this opportunity.
Thank You
Sound and Light Board Operator: Naomi Anhorn
Box Office Manager: Sara Gosses
Assistant Sound Designer: Daniel Sori
Liability insurance by Philadelphia Insurance Companies
Ticketing services by Smart Tix
Special thanks to Fadil Berisha
Special thanks to The Producers’ Club for their support
W h o’ s W h o
Bujan Rugova (Blerim
“Benny” Paloka) has been on
and off stage since he was a
wee lad. He is a graduate of
LaGuardia HS for the Performing Arts. NYC credits
include Hidden Fees and
Too Clever by Half (FringeNYC festival). Voice-over
credits include RockStar (video game GTA IV).
Internationally he tours Germany as a fiddler with
Riverdance . He’d like to thank everyone who supported him, including a certain sea-green fairy.
Good Karma.
Cat Migliaccio (Drita
Paloka, Duane). NYC and
regional credits: The Wizard of Oz (Lincoln Center), It’s the Economy, Stupid! or The Turning Point
(Theater for the New
City), Brownstone Breakdown (Ego Actus), Dee Off
the F (Left Hip Festival), The Grapes of Wrath
(Shakespeare in the Park, Oklahoma), Art Thou
Dying (U.S. Actors Co. Texas). International credits: Terry Pratchett’s Guards! Guards! and Roehyde,
the Rock Musical (director Prince Edward Hall,
Hatfield, UK). Upcoming: Maddie Madhatter in
Elza Zagreda (Fatlin- the web series The College Grads. Cat can be seen
da Paloka) has written performing stand-up and improv at Broadway
and performed three Comedy Club and Upright Citizens Brigade.
solo comedies: Corn www.CatMigliaccio.com.
Bread & Feta Cheese:
Growing up FAT &
Johnny Shrkeli Albanian, DIVORCE!
(Sokol Paloka) has perAlbanian Style! and The BEST of ELZA: Growing
formed in comedy
up FAT, Albanian &…Divorced!?!?. Elza has
clubs throughout the
worked in the Helen Hayes Theatre sharing a stage
tri-state area. Film
with Vanessa Redgrave and Tim Robbins, Classic
credits include My
Stage and at the West End Theatre in New York
Brother & Me, Go Go
City. She has performed in The Vagina Mono- Tales, Is This Thing On?, Deranged High, Brutal
logues written and directed by Eve Ensler and and, now in post production, Happy Life.
Ellen McLaughlin’s Tongues of a Bird, Helen and
The Persians. TV: Law & Order: SVU, a recurring
Amanda Johnson (Mandy
role on One Life to Live, 30 Rock and the ABC
de la Beckwith, Ruby Rogshow The Unusuals. Elza is represented by Robyn
ers) graduated with a B.A.
Bluestone Management. www.ElzaZagreda.com.
in drama from Washington University. NYC and
regional credits include
Louis Zwiebel (Tommy
Doctoring (Astoria PerBarry, Conrad Stuckey) is
forming Arts Center),
an actor, writer, filmmaker,
Almost, Maine (Theater
photographer and creative
consultant living in New 809), Story Park (Youth on Target), 365 Plays/365
York, and is making his Days (Faux-Real Theatre Co.), Girl, Interrupted,
Off-Off-Broadway debut. Hot Dogs? Pizza? and Coney Island (Grove Street
He was the head writer for Playhouse, Florida), Cheaper by the Dozen (OsceoBullseye Art, an anima- la Center for the Performing Arts), Jekyll and
tion production company. As a filmmaker, he is Hyde (Courtyard Playhouse, Florida). Film and
currently in post-production on The River (working TV: DC Gentleman’s Club (director Bob Cook),
title), a narrative film that takes place in New York, The Hive (director Diego Llamazares), B.R.O.O.D.
Ecuador and Colombia, and does various client (Vortex Cinema), Secrets (Travel Channel).
work, including music videos and promotional Amanda was a stage manager at Walt Disney
spots. As a photographer, he shoots portraits, pro- World prior to moving to New York City. Big
shout out to Joan.
duction stills, and special events.
W h o’ s W h o
Lumi Subasic (Lule Paloka) is thrilled to be making her New York stage
debut in a project that
combines two things that
are close to her heart: acting and pizza. She was
born in Bar, Montenegro,
and raised in Queens, NY,
and she has a background in the fashion industry.
Lumi would like to thank her family and friends
for their continuous love and support.
Anisa Dëma (Besarta
Paloka). NYC and regional credits include Joking
Apart (T. Schreiber Studio), Fatal Attraction: A
Greek Tragedy and Full
Frontal Comedy (Second
City, the Chicago College
Improv Fest and the Dirty
South Improv Fest, in Chapel Hill, NC). Film and
TV credits include the eighth season on Slow Children at Play, WTIU; and One Eye Shut, an Albanian short film directed by Andamion Murataj.
Anisa was born in Fier, Albania, and is proud to
finally be able to use her Albanian accent on stage.
She is ecstatic to be working with such a wonderful and diverse cast and crew and would like to
thank all of her friends and family for their constant support.
Kazue Peck (Heather Lee) is an actor
and voice-over artist
originally
from
Yokohama.
NYC
and regional credits
include After the
Rain and Sundown (La MaMa E.T.C.), Phantasmic Physical Theatre (HERE Arts), 365 Days/365
Plays (Zipper & The Public), Kutsukake Tokijiro
(CRS), Ghostbustas (Gene Frankel) and Danger
Man—Or a More Beautiful Heaven (Collective:
Unconscious), Jewtopia and From Auction Block to
Hip Hop. Tokyo credits include Katachi no Katachi, Sansho Dayu and The Wizard of Oz. She is a
graduate of the Neighborhood Playhouse. She
would like to thank her Albanian family for their
Southern hospitality.
Starlet Jacobs (set designer). Recent credits
include Edgewise (props) at Walkerspace, Marat/
Sade (set and lighting design) at The Secret Theater, What the Butler Saw (set design) at The Gallery Players, Danny (set design) at 45 Bleecker
Theater, Jesus Hates Me (set design) at South Coast
Rep and Freckleface Strawberry (scenic painter) at
New World Stages. Starlet has an M.F.A. in set
design from UCLA, and a double degree in music
and art from the University of Washington. Her
work can be seen at www.starletjacobsdesign.com.
Catherine Fisher (costume designer) has
designed over sixty shows for stage and independent film; the most recent was For the Birds, a
FringeNYC 2010 production. Catherine is a 2007
member of the Lincoln Center Directors Lab, and
a New York State Counsel for the Arts (individual
artist) awards recipient. Her collaborative work in
the 2009 Midtown International Theatre Festival garnered a best scenic design nomination for
Crossroads. www.CatFisher.homestead.com.
Bruce A! Kraemer (lighting designer) has done
lighting design for the Roundabout Theatre,
Ensemble Studio Theatre, Soho Rep and many
others. Bruce also does audio, technical direction,
stage management and production intercom. He
has done one or another of those for the Summer and Winter Olympics, the Paralympics, the
World Cup, three Superbowls, two Papal visits,
the Commonwealth Games, the Goodwill Games,
six Tony Awards shows, the Grammys, three
Video Music Awards shows, the NBA All Star
game, the WNBA All Star Game, the NBA Draft,
four NFL Drafts, the MLB Draft, ten Christmas
Tree Lightings at Rockefeller Center, on Broadway, Off Broadway, Off-Off Broadway, dance,
fashion shows, art installations and hundreds of
corporate events. Bruce is delighted to be married
to director Joan Kane.
Jason T. Hurley (sound designer). Off and OffOff Broadway: The Toymaker, Marrying Meg,
Count to Ten, Pulitzer Prize-winner Bernard Malamud’s The Assistant, Tony Award-winner Mario
Fratti’s The Academy, Dina and Alba and Alessia. Regional/tours: The Glass Menagerie starring
Sandy Duncan, Carmina Burana, Ring of Fire, I’ ll
Never Go Hungry Again, Lakmé, Peter Pan, The
Pajama Game, A Christmas Carol, The Rocky Hor-
W h o’ s W h o
ror Show, Blast, The Nutcracker, The Little Prince,
Romeo and Juliet, Tosca, The Jonas Brothers, Neil
Sedaka, Cherry Holmes, Tommy Emanuel, BB
King and Cameron Mackintosh’s first national
tours of Oliver! and Oklahoma!
Joan Kane (director) has directed plays and readings at Theater for the New City, Cell Theatre,
Ensemble Studio Theatre, East Lynne Theatre,
Abingdon Theatre, Theatre of the Open Eye, University of the Streets, NADA, Henry Street Settlement, Samuel French OOB Festival, Strawberry
Festival and the Hudson River Museum. Joan
wrote and directed The Trial of Mary Reade for
the Sackett Group. She has an M.F.A. in directing from The New School for Drama, an M.S.
in museum education from Bank Street and is a
member of The Dramatists Guild and the Stage
Directors and Choreographers Society. Upcoming: Robin Rice Lichtig’s Play Nice. Much admiration for my favorite Dago-Mick Brooklynite,
Anne Giordano.
Anne Giordano (playwright), a.k.a. Marcy Wallabout, is a fourth-generation Brooklynite. She is
a member of the Brooklyn Playwrights Collective
and a founding member of the NYC Surveillance
Camera Players. Her play Why, This Is an Outrage!
was produced at the Theater for the New City and
Sleepy played at the WAH Center in Brooklyn.
Miss Ronkonkoma of the Klan was seen in a staged
reading at Brecht Forum. This year, her The Scald
and Smirch was presented at the Manhattan Theatre Source. A short version of The Resisitible Rise
of Fatlinda Paloka played at the Brecht Forum in
2007 and an Equity showcase-code production
was staged at Theater for the New City in 2008.
Her plays Fetishwear and Hoboken is Quiet will be
produced in 2011 and she will debut a short play
for the Brooklyn Playwrights Collective’s Euripides Festival. Anne loves her not-quite brothers and sisters in Albania, the American South,
Brooklyn and the world over.
Ego Actus (production company), Latin for “My
Way,” is an independent theater company dedicated to doing art for art’s sake. Founded by coartistic directors Joan Kane and Bruce Kraemer
in 2009 to produce, direct and design plays that
are presented as a complete audience experience
using all the elements of theater: developed scripts,
accomplished acting and designs for set, costumes,
lighting, sound and props by people who have
made those disciplines a focus of their lives.
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