PROGRAM 14
PROGRAM #14 (3RD FLOOR)
Blizzard: A Love Story by Melissa Skirboll
Sunday At Eleven by Al Monaco
The Likes by JP Skocik
blizzard
Written and directed by Melissa Skirboll
Synopsis: In this serio-comic look at love and letting go, an epic snowstorm shuts the city down. With no way to get home, Ian shows up at his ex-girlfriend’s door looking for a place to crash and a chance to revive their relationship. With the weather forcing them together, Ian and Lacey rehash the past. And though it’s clear they love each other; they are unable to find any shelter in each other – for them the storm outside reflects their love; beautiful and oh so destructive.
Melissa Skirboll (Writer/Director) an award-winning director, writer, actor and producer – for both screen and stage. She's thrilled to be returning to stage work with this new production of Blizzard: A Love Story after spending the majority of the 202's behind the camera making short films. Both Blood Is Thicker which she produced, directed, wrote and edited and Her Turn which she directed/edited are currently on the festival circuit. She teaches acting for film, acting for directors, screenwriting and more at the New York Film Academy and is available for private coaching and audition prep. melissaskirboll.com THANK YOU JEANINE and JOHN!
Jeanine Bartel (Lacey) is an actor, writer, audiobook narrator, mental health advocate, soon to be director, and Mom. Select TV and film credits: Blue Bloods, FBI, Blindspot, Chicago PD, The Blacklist, Bull, Law & Order, SVU, Criminal Intent, East, Nurse Jackie, Ramsey. Fave short films, include Overdue, Blood is Thicker & My Dinner with Schwartzey (all with writer/director Melissa Skirboll) On stage: The Wolves, Hurlyburly, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Macbeth, The Problem of Verisimilitude, Oh, My Goodness, Unmentionables, Muffin, Thank You For Letting Me Have Sex With You, to name a few. Jeanine coaches privately for on-camera and audition technique, self-tape & on-set prep www.jeaninebartel.com
John Adams (Ian) is an NYC actor, SAG member, and Wynn Handman student. Couldn't be happier getting to work with Melissa and Jeanine in a snowy love story. Next on stage in the fall of 2025 in Tim Tuttle's 44 Lights. Striving to open an American theater company in Torino and Vienna. Big love to his favoritist acupuncturist.
sunday at eleven
Written by Al Monaco
Directed by DJSJ
Synopsis: Sunday at Eleven is a one-act play about whirlwind love through the eyes of a free-spirited young woman, Cece, trying to find a home for herself. The play takes place over seven scenes as we watch Cece be swept away for what she hopes is the last time. As she witnesses from her Mother and Sister what she does not want, she throws herself into the arms of what she thinks she does. The play explores the selfish nature of dating in the 21st Century and hopefully embodies the tried and true lesson of “Home is where the heart is.”
Al Monaco (Playwright) Al is an emerging director and playwright from Buffalo based in New York City. Al’s work has been showcased at Dixon Place, The Makers Ensemble, The Playground Experiment, and various festivals throughout New York. Al is overwhelmingly grateful to the Sunday at Eleven family. Al is an avid knitter. @al_monaco
DJSJ (Director) is a Black & LatinX, queer, proud Gemini. A multi-hyphenated actor and content creator, DJ also engages in playwriting, poetry, directing, and podcasting. Outside the arts, DJ manages operations for the Ali Forney Center. Currently, DJ is crafting the play To The Queer Black Boys Who Won’t Be Found. @djsj614
Hassan Akua (Isaac) is a versatile multidisciplinary artist based in New York, known for his work across various performance mediums. Recently, he portrayed the character "Joseph" in Hosanna in the Highest, directed by John Brown. Additionally, Hassan directed and acted in the short film Show’s Over. Currently, he is an active member of the Westchester Collaborative Theater, where he continues to hone his craft and collaborate on creative projects. @this_ishassan
Luisa Lyons (Barb) is an Australian actor, writer, and musician. She holds an MA in Music Theatre from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London. Luisa is an active member of NYC’s MasterVoices chorus, and is the creator of Filmed Live Musicals, a site dedicated to cataloging musicals that have been filmed live on stage. @luisalyons
Erin Jillian Clarke (Dara) has acted in plays by Chekhov, Lorca, Brecht and Shakespeare as well as contemporary plays, developmental work & short films in New York and London. She received her MFA from East 15 Acting School, London. @erinjillianclarke
Paeton Chavis (CeCe) is an actor/singer/director/playwright based in Brooklyn, New York. Her self-produced original plays have graced Brooklyn and Manhattan stages for the past four years. Her most recent piece, Outcall, which she is directing and starring in, premiers at Brooklyn Art Haus in January 2025. Paeton's work consistently features the themes of vulnerability, fearless self-expression, empathy, and love. She is thrilled and grateful to be a part of Sunday at Eleven, a piece so aligned with her artistic mission. @paetonchavis
the likes
Written and directed by John Paul Skocik
Synopsis: The Likes is a short one act play where the main characters, two Generation Xers, discuss what should be appropriate etiquette while navigating the mores of social media. It is a comedic look at dealing with events beyond our control, and how we have allowed social media to trigger feelings of acceptance, achievement, and abandonment.
Gregory Konow (Terrence) is a veteran New York based actor. Theatre credits include: Fahrenheit 451, 1984, Clockwork Orange, Deliverance. Film credits include: Columbia Pictures’ Spider-man: No Way Home, and Netflix’s Back In Action. TV credits include: CBS’s FBI, Netflix’s Stranger Things and Outer Banks, and Showtime’s Billions.
Michael Marc Friedman (Eddie) is proud to be a member of The Actor’s Gym and The Actor’s Studio. He is a recurring guest star on SWAT and has guest starred on Blue Bloods, NCIS and Modern Family to name a few. He is a writer and filmmaker and his pilot Kensington recently won for Best Pilot at the Soho International Film Festival.
John Paul Skocik (Playwright / Director) is an actor and musician, with songwriting being a precursor to playwriting. Other plays include Where To Buy Caviar and Because of Everything. He studied theatre at West Virginia University, Carnegie Mellon University, and The Moscow Arts Theatre School. He is absolutely thrilled to have his play featured in the festival this year and sends many thanks to his family and friends who have been so incredibly supportive, particularly his wife Jessica.