Performance Calendar

JEREMIAH KISSEL (Zeblyan) makes his Geva Theatre Center debut in Two Jews Walk Into a War…. A native New Yorker, Mr. Kissel is a thirty-year veteran of Boston’s theatre community. New England appearances include The Sisters Rosensweig, A Month in the Country and Betty‘s Summer Vacation at the Huntington Theatre; Henry V, The Accident and Three Farces and a Funeral at American Repertory Theatre; The Scene, Noises Off and Time Stands Still at the Lyric Stage; Circle Mirror Transformation, Persephone, Sonia Flew at the Wimberly; Hamlet, The Tempest, As You Like It for Commonwealth Shakespeare; Betrayal, Moon for the Misbegotten, All in the Timing at Merrimack Repertory Theatre, The Odd Couple at Nickerson Theatre, Little Black Dress for Boston Playwrights, Mortal Terror at Modern Theatre, and The Merchant of Venice for Actors Shakespeare Project. New York credits include No Vacancies in Hell, A Woman of No Importance and The Playboy of the Western World. Film and TV appearances include The Town, The Fighter, and “Body of Proof”. He is the winner of several Boston theatre awards, and in 2003 received Boston’s top honor, the Elliot Norton Prize for Sustained Excellence.

WILL LeBOW (Ishaq) makes his Geva Theatre Center debut in Two Jews Walk Into a War… . He is happy to be working at the birthplace of Shear Madness. Having worked in the Boston production of Shear Madness as an actor/director for 14 years, being at Geva feels a bit like a homecoming. At the American Repertory Theatre, he appeared in 55+ productions over seventeen seasons including Shylock in Andrei Serban’s The Merchant of Venice, Adam Rapp’s Nocturne (Drama Desk nomination), Heiner Muller in Full Circle (Eliot Norton Award), Hamm in Endgame, and the Judge in David Mamet’s Romance. Productions at the Huntington Theatre include Sir Anthony Absolute in The Rivals, The Corn is Green with Kate Burton, and Sam/Orfeo in Melinda Lopez’ Sonia Flew directed by Nicholas Martin. Mr. LeBow has narrated with the Boston Pops and BSO since 1980, including world premiere productions of Sutter’s Gold, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Polar Express, and A Christmas Carol. For six seasons he was the voice of Stanley in Comedy Central’s Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist.

SETH ROZIN (Playwright) is the author of several plays, including Men of Stone (produced by Theater Catalyst in 2001, nominated for a Barrymore Award for Outstanding New Play, published by Playscripts, Inc.), Missing Link (produced by InterAct Theatre Company in 2002, nominated for a Barrymore Award for Outstanding New Play), Reinventing Eden (showcased by the National New Play Network in 2005, produced by InterAct in 2006), The Space Between Us (readings at Abingdon Theatre in New York and InterAct), Black Gold (showcased by the National New Play Network in 2006, NNPN rolling world premieres at InterAct, Phoenix Theatre in Indianapolis, Prop Thtr in Chicago, Arts West in Seattle in 2008), and Two Jews Walk Into A War… (NNPN rolling world premieres at Florida Stage, New Jersey Repertory Theatre and Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey, as well as Shadowland Theatre (Ellenville, NY), Unicorn Theatre (Kansas City), Merrimack Repertory Theatre (Lowell, MA), InterAct and Florida Studio Theatre in 2010-11. He has also written the book, lyrics and music for a new musical entitled A Passing Wind: The (Mostly) True Story of Joseph Pujol, about the rise and fall of the world’s greatest “fartiste,” which will be premiered as part of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts’ Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts in April, 2011. Mr. Rozin is the recipient of two playwriting fellowships from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the 2007 Smith Prize, as well as a 2002 new play commission from the Foundation for Jewish Culture. He is the founder and Producing Artistic Director of InterAct Theatre Company in Philadelphia, where he has directed over 45 productions, including the world premieres of Thomas Gibbons’ Permanent Collection, Bee-Luther-Hatchee, Black Russian, A House with No Walls, and 6221. He served as President of the National New Play Network from 2002-2006, and currently chairs the Philadelphia New Play Initiative.

MELIA BENSUSSEN (Director) makes her Geva Theatre Center debut with Two Jews Walk Into A War….She is the recipient of an OBIE Award for Outstanding Direction, and has directed extensively around the country including productions at the Huntington Theatre, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Actors Shakespeare Project, La Jolla Playhouse, Baltimore Center Stage, Hartford Stage Company, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the New York Shakespeare Festival, Manhattan Class Company, Primary Stages, the Long Wharf Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse, Actors Theatre of Louisville (Humana Festival), People’s Light and Theatre Company (where she received a Barrymore nomination for Best Direction), and many others. Her edition of the Langston Hughes translation of Garcia Lorca’s Blood Wedding, is in its eighth printing by Theatre Communications Group. Ms. Bensussen was twice given Directing Awards by the Princess Grace Foundation, USA, including their top honor, the Statuette Award for Sustained Excellence in Directing. She is featured in Women Stage Directors Speak by Rebecca Daniels (McFarland and Co.), and in Nancy Taylor’s Women Direct Shakespeare (Fairleigh Dickinson University Press). Her essay on The Merchant of Venice will be published this year in Jews, Theatre, Performance in an Intercultural Context by Brill Publishing. A graduate of Brown University, Ms. Bensussen is Chair of the Performing Arts Department at Emerson College in Boston.

EMILY STORK (Lighting Designer) makes her Geva Theatre Center debut with Two Jews Walk Into a War... Her designs for theatre, dance, opera, puppetry and performance art have been seen worldwide, including festivals in Italy, France, Scotland, and Israel and in the U.S. at places as diverse as PS 122, Dance Theatre Workshop, the Cherry Lane Theatre, the Public Theater, La Mama, St. Ann’s Warehouse, Walker Arts Center, Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, the National Museum of the American Indian, On the Boards, and the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center in Troy, NY. In 2003, she was the resident lighting designer for the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy where she had the pleasure of working with Maestro Gian Carlo Menotti on Wagner’s Lohengrin. She has also worked with Diamanda Galas, John Kelly, Doug Elkins, Pig Iron Theater Company, Peggy Shaw and puppetry artist Janie Geiser. Ms. Stork received her M.F.A. from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and was the lighting director at the Juilliard School for eleven years. www.emilystorkdesign.com

JUDY GAILEN (Costume Designer) makes her Geva Theatre Center debut with Two Jews Walk Into a War…. Most recently, she designed the set and costumes for God of Carnage for Asolo Theatre Company, and costumes for Two Jews Walk into a War… and the set for The Exceptionals at Merrimack Rep. Other recent credits include sets for Boeing, Boeing; Hearts (with costumes) and The Imaginary Invalid at Asolo Theatre Company; Don Giovanni for Music Academy of the West; A Little Night Music at Bowdoin College (where she is currently Adjunct Lecturer in Design); and The Prufrock Variations for the Islesford Theater Project. She has designed sets (and sometimes costumes) for theatre and opera throughout the U.S., including La Jolla Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, George St. Playhouse, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Trinity Rep, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Portland Stage Company, Pittsburgh City Theatre, Beau Jest Moving Theater, Opera Omaha, and Anchorage Opera, as well as Off- and Off-off Broadway. She also designed and directed The Stooge: A Troubled Clown for Troubled Times and other works written and performed by her husband, Michael Lane Trautman. A graduate of the Yale Drama School, Ms. Gailen has been awarded a Maine Arts Commission Fellowship for Artistic Excellence.


DAVID REMEDIOS (Sound Designer) makes his Geva Theatre Center debut with Two Jews Walk Into a War…. Other collaborations with director Melia Bensussen include The Luck of the Irish and Circle Mirror Transformation for Huntington Theatre Company; The Blonde, the Brunette, and the Vengeful Redhead at Merrimack Repertory Theatre; Not Enough Air for Nora Theatre Company; The Merchant of Venice for Actors’ Shakespeare Project; and productions for Baltimore Centerstage, La Jolla Playhouse and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. Recent projects include Marie Antoinette: The Color of Flesh for the Portland Stage Company; Art for New Repertory Theatre; Before I Leave You (original music and sound) for the Huntington Theatre Company; All’s Well That Ends Well for Commonwealth Shakespeare Company; Car Talk: The Musical!!! for Suffolk University; and The Emperor of Atlantis for Boston Lyric Opera. His work has been heard at many other regional theatres, including Contemporary American Theater Festival, Theatre for a New Audience, fifty productions for American Repertory Theatre, and internationally in Europe, Asia, and the UK. Mr. Remedios is the recipient of the Elliot Norton Award and a Connecticut Critics’ Circle Award. remediossound.com

JENN LYONS (Stage Manager) is a Rochester native making her Geva Theatre Center debut. She has spent most of the last 16 years on the road with National Tours including Mary Poppins, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella (staring Eartha Kitt), Showboat and The Who’s Tommy. New York credits include work at Roundabout Theatre and Circle Repertory Theater as well as the Broadway production of The Little Mermaid. Ms. Lyons is happy to finally be home and working on her two most important productions, Madeline and Jack.