PROGRAM 10

Program #10 (4th Floor)

Listen, Won't You? by Philip Cioffari

Same Dog, New Tricks by Jess Senie & Maile Binion

The Aliens Came by Matthew Daley

The Escape by Sean O'Leary

Philip Cioffari (Playwright/Director) is the author of the novels: Night And Its Longings; If Anyone Asks, Say I Died From The Heartbreaking Blues; The Bronx Kill; Jesusville; Dark Road, Dead End; and Catholic Boys; and the short story collection, A History Of Things Lost Or Broken, which won the Tartt Fiction Prize, and the D. H. Lawrence award for fiction. His Indie feature film, which he wrote and directed, Love In The Age Of Dion, has won numerous awards, including Best Feature Film at the Long Island Int’l Film Expo, and Best Director at the NY Independent Film & Video Festival. He is a playwright member of the Actors Studio. He teaches fiction writing at the Gotham Writers Center in NYC.  www.philipcioffari.com

Tod Engle (Father Mac) is thrilled to be speaking Phil’s words again. Many NYC theatre credits over the years.TV roles include Law And Order SVU, The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire, New Amsterdam. Tod’s agents, The Collective Talent Agency and CESD. More info on his IMDB page.

Scott Rogers (Soldier) Hailing from sunny San Diego, I grew up immersed in theater, performing in productions like The Wizard of Oz and Peter Pan. After a long hiatus from acting, I’m thrilled to return to the stage and continue this lifelong passion. Soon I will be appearing in an upcoming performance of Lysistrata. I’ve been studying at HB Studio and Upright Citizens Brigade, where I’ve been fortunate to learn from incredible mentors and peers. A heartfelt thanks to everyone who’s come out to support—it means the world!

Sara Beneke (Waitress) is an actress and model, born and raised in Minnesota. There, she discovered her love of acting through local theater productions and was a trained dancer for 16 years. Since moving to New York, she’s had the opportunity to work in commercials and film while studying at HB Studio. Sara was seen recently as the lead in A Dream in 303 in the New York Theater Festival.

Jemma Giberson (Girlfriend) is thrilled to be returning to performing after a several year hiatus. She has previously appeared in I Am Not That I Play (Emory University), Pinter Kaleidoscope (Emory University), Mandragola (Emory University), Rathskellar Improv Troupe (Emory University), Chamber Music (Oregon Children’s Theater), Gatherings in Graveyards (Oregon Children’s Theater), among others. Originally from Portland, Oregon, she has trained at HB Studio, Upright Citizens Brigade, Emory University, Oregon Children’s Theater, and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Big thank you to her loved ones who encouraged her to return to acting!

Holland Lane Curtis (June) is delighted to be making their Chain Theatre debut, and would like to thank the cast and crew for inviting her to be a part of this story of queer joy. Alongside acting, they find passion in songwriting, springtime, and D&D. Previous credits include Young Eleanor Roosevelt in Eleanor and Alice, Touchstone in As You Like It, and Little Girl in Corpse Crusade, a choose-your-own zombie apocalypse musical.  Holland is an American Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni. 

Kelsea Baker (Daisy)’s first Winter One-Act Fest at The Chain!  NY Theater includes On the Verge (Retro Productions), Urinetown (Fracture Theatre Co.), Three Sisters (Red Monkey Theater Group), Dissecting Civil Rights (The Tank), Against the Wall (Playwrights Realm), Your Colonel (Metropolitan Playhouse). Regional credits include the world premiere of Horseshoe Empire, a play about Jersey City’s most notorious mayor directed by TACT’s Scott Alan Evans. Other regional credits at Connecticut Rep Theatre, Sierra Repertory Theatre, Millbrook Playhouse. Kelsea recently shot her first feature film near her hometown called The Girl Who Cried Her Eyes Out (Yes, that’s really the title. No, she wasn’t the girl who cried her eyes out. But it is available on Amazon now.) Next to speaking in third person, Kelsea’s greatest joy is her ten pound chihuahua-mix, Tippy, whom she has requested remain a dog and alive forever.

Phoebe Leonard Dettmann (Eileen) is an actor, writer and director. She is a founding member of Randomly Specific Theatre (randomlyspecifictheatre.com), a Taurus and the devoted servant to a cat named Aurora. Thanks to Maile, Jess and Lucy for the opportunity to play with this marvelous play!

Jess Senie and Maile Binion (Playwrights) are a gay, clown-lovin’ writing duo (They are also engaged to be married!) Jess is an NYC native with a background in comedy and music. Maile is a New Orleans native with a background in theatre and crawfish boils. Together they try to create more queer art that’s fun and filled with joy!

Lucy Roberts (Director) would like to thank Jess, Maile, Holland, Kelsea, and Phoebe for their collaboration and camaraderie. Recent projects include All-American Sex Addict/Woke Af (American Theater of Actors), Practice (Hudson Guild Theater), Katy And Jennifer Vs The Flasher On New Year’s (Theater for a New City), Slanted! Enchanted! (Sheen Center for Thought and Culture), Brighton Beach Memoirs (Village Gate Theater) and multiple collaborations with New Ambassadors Theater Company. 

Caitlin Howe (Nora)  is thrilled to be making her Chain Theater debut! As a graduate of AMDA, she is so proud and excited to be working with some of her fellow alumni on this production. She was most recently seen as Katie Lapp in The Bird-in-Hand Stage’s The Confession, and has performed with various other companies such as Dollywood and Disney Cruise Line. For more information please visit her website: caitlintheresehowe.com

Jordan Blue (Wallace) is an AMDA alumni and is making his Chain Theatre debut! He would like to thank everyone for coming to see the show, and most importantly the people who got him to where he is today.

Megan Geiger (Stage Manager) is so excited to be managing the stage of The Aliens Came. She has been seen most recently as a Swing in Jimmy Fallon’s Tonightmares. Their recent stage management credits include PYTC’s High School Musical and 35MM: A Musical Exhibition. They hope you enjoy the show!

Hunter Fenstermaker (Director) is excited to be making her directorial debut at The Chain Theatre! She is a graduate of AMDA and is excited to be working with other alumni on this production. This is her first time as the role of director, and she couldn’t be more pleased with the experience! Hunter would like to thank the cast, Jordan and Caitlin, for their amazing work, as well as Megan for all of her help during the process. And finally, Matthew Daley for writing a wonderful story and for the opportunity! 

Matthew Daley (Writer) still isn’t sure if he believes in aliens or not, but given the size of the universe, it seems possible; if they do exist, he hopes they have a sense of humor. He is also the playwright of The Grand Experiment (Chain Theatre), DMV not the Musical (The PIT), and Pen Pals (New York Theater Festival). 

Ocean M Harris (Michael) was born in Westminster but spent his formative years in his native Sierra Leone until civil war would necessitate a return to England. Raised in South London and schooled in Kent at Beth's Grammar School for Boys; Harris would go on to study at the University of Nottingham. He began acting in 2019 and has had main cast roles in season 2 of The Capture (2022, BBC/NBC), Christmas Indie rom-com Feather Christmas (2024), and short films including World Fiction (2024) and Immaculate Deception (2023).  In 2023 he studied Stanislavsky under Brigid Panet at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Harris moved to New York in 2024 and has since performed at the Theater for the New City working with Lyle Kessler and also read at the Actors studio.

Ron Barba (Jake) is an actor and producer from Greenwich, CT. His recent films, Bobby Mortal and Gods Will are on Amazon. He starred in the independent film in 2022, Third Week and has appeared in national commercials and off-Broadway plays. He is a stand-up comedian who has produced 4 of his own television pilots.

Tara Westwood (Rachael) Some of Tara’s film and television credits include Plane, The Grudge, Law & Order, and Fleishman Is in Trouble. Her theater credits include Reprise at Paradise Factory and Branched at HERE. She made her directorial debut with the short film Triggered, which was featured at Tribeca, Woodstock, and the Chicago International Film Festival, and was nominated for a Hollywood Critics Association Award in 2023.

George Zach (Solider) George was born in Greece, raised in Australia. He has worked in tv, film, and theatre. He is thrilled to be part of The Escape with such a brilliant cast and crew.

Chelsea LeSage (Understudy - Rachael) Favorite Off-Broadway/New York theatre: Much Ado About Nothing (Beatrice) at Stag & Lion, Girls Who Walked On Glass (Katrina) at Alchemical, Macbeth (Lady Macbeth) at Stag & Lion. Regional/International favorites: Into The Woods (Witch) at Barrington Stage Company, Hamlet (title role) at Minvera Arts Center, Henry V (title role) at Rotations Theatre (Germany). Film/TV: 21st Century Demon Hunter, The Following, The Virginia B*tches, Bishop’s Cove, Macbeth: A Cursed Film. www.chelsealesage.com

Mario Corry (Director) award winning director with Sean O’Leary’s Reservations for Dinner and The Sample. Director of best play Something Like Penguins written by Levi Wilson. As a character actor, Bridge of Spies directed by Steven Spielberg, The Irishman and Wolf of Wall Street directed by Martin Scorsese. The Parents directed by Darren Aronofsky, Tulsa King with Sylvester Stallone, plus multiple cable and network TV roles.

Sean O’Leary (Playwright) is excited to be returning to Chain Theatre after a successful premier of The Wedding Story in the 2024 festival. He was the 2022 Week Three winner of the Short Play Festival’s 11th Annual Boo Festival with the play Boo.  His play Reservations for Dinner appeared in the Strawberry Festival at Symphony Space in 2020 in New York City. Prior to that, three of his plays (The Empty Space, The Sample, and Reservations for Dinner) appeared in the Green Lit Showcase at Teatro Circulo.  Other plays have been performed at the New York Theater’s Summerfest, Riant Theater’s Strawberry Festival, where Reservations for Dinner was nominated for best play, and at the Secret Theater’s One Act Festival.

Jennifer O’Leary (Producer) has been producing operas and plays in NYC for over fifteen years. She has directed Le Nozze Di Figaro, The Magic Flute (Mozart), Christopher Columbus (Offenbach), and The Sorcerer (Gilbert and Sullivan), and the premier of Sean O’Leary’s The Return at the Secret Theater. As a vocalist, she has performed the roles of Monica (The Medium), Laetitia (Old Maid and the Thief), and Rose Maybud (Ruddigore) along with several cabarets and recitals throughout New York. 

Sara Gierc (Stage Manager) Sara is a writer and aspiring director. She studies creative writing and dramatic literature at NYU and is currently studying with Lyle Kessler’s Master Class. Previous credits include Barry Primus’s Soup in the Second Act (TNC) and Crystal Field’s Street Theatre production Socialization of a Social Worker; Or, Justice in a Time of Need (TNC).