Monday, August 12, 2013

Familiar and New Faces Arrive for Death of a Salesman Rehearsals


Thirteen actors are now full into rehearsals for the season-opening production of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman.The cast is a mix of new and familiar faces.

Larry Bates as Happy. He has appeared at South Coast Repertory as Ralph D in The Motherf**ker with the Hat. His other SCR credits include Booth in Topdog/Underdog, Cory in Fences, Cactus in Mr. Marmalade and Youngblood/Darnell in Jitney, for which he won the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle (LADCC) Award for Best Featured Actor. He is a graduate of The Theatre School, DePaul University.
Chris Butler as Biff.  Butler is a two-time Ovation, NAACP, LADCC and Garland Award winner for his work in Yellowman (The Fountain Theatre) and Stick Fly (The Matrix Theatre Company).  He is making his SCR debut. Other theater includes the Broadway revival of 110 In The Shade (Roundabout Theatre Company); Gem Of The Ocean, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (Rubicon Theatre); A Raisin In The Sun, The Piano Lesson (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); Blue (Pasadena Playhouse); A Midsummer Night's Dream (The Globe Theatre); and The School For Wives (La Jolla Playhouse). Butler holds an MFA in theatre from the University of California at San Diego and a BA in dramatic arts from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Gregg Daniel as Uncle Ben. He is returning to SCR after previously appearing in August Wilson's Jitney and Fences. He recently appeared in the Mark Taper Forum's production of Joe Turner's Come and Gone. His other SCR appearances include A Christmas Carol (Jacob Marley) and Theatre for Young Audiences production of James and the Giant Peach. He is a founding member and artistic director of Lower Depth Theatre Ensemble.
Celeste Den as Miss Forsythe She returns to SCR after appearing in the Broadway international tour of Chinglish at SCR, Berkeley Repertory Theatre and the 2013 Hong Kong Arts Festival.  Her other theatre credits include the world premieres of Wild Swans at American Repertory Theater and Young Vic in London; Between Two Friends and Island at Actors Theatre of Louisville; 11 Septembre 2001 and Peach Blossom Fan with Center for New Performance; Spit, Shine, Glisten! with Cotsen Center for Puppetry; and Laws of Sympathy with Playwrights' Arena. Den received her BFA in theatre from the University of Florida and MFA in acting from the California Institute of the Arts.
Tracey A. Leigh as The Woman. Her previous appearances at SCR include In the Next Room (or the vibrator play), Safe in Hell, the NewSCRipts reading of The St. James Infirmary and the Pacific Playwrights Festival readings of Happy Face and Tough Titty. She recently appeared as Titania in Shakespeare Center Los Angeles' A Midsummer Night's Dream, in Lower Depth Theatre Ensemble's production of Elmina's Kitchen, and in The Many Mistresses of Martin Luther King at Ensemble Studio Theatre/LA.
Becca Lustgarten as Letta. She is her South Coast Repertory debut. Her past credits include work at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, Primary Stages, Hangar Theatre, and the Actor's Studio NYC. Lustgarten received her BFA in theatre arts from Boston University and studied at the Accademia Dell'Arte in Arezzo in Italy. She is a graduate of the 2013 South Coast Repertory Acting Intensive Program.
Georgina E. Okon as Jenny. She grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, and Essex, England. She moved to the United States to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and “live”out a dream. She recently performed in To Be or Not at Actors Art Theatre, and The Changeling at Long Beach Playhouse. Other roles include The Snake in The Little Prince and Esther in Amazing Grace.
Tyler Pierce as Howard Wagner. Pierce returns to SCR where his credits include How to Write a New Book for the Bible and Death of the Author (NewSCRipts). He has appeared in tours of Legends with Joan Collins and Linda Evans, Barriers and A Midsummer Night's Dream. His selected regional theatre credits include I'll Be Back Before Midnight (The Colony Theatre Company); How to Write a New Book for the Bible (Berkeley Repertory Theatre and Seattle Repertory Theatre); Good People (Geffen Playhouse); Gronholm Method (Falcon Theatre); Death of a Salesman (The Old Globe); and A Streetcar Named Desire (Guthrie Theater).
Christopher Rivas as Stanley. The New York City native recently finished a great run and romp in The Assassination of Leon Trotsky, A Comedy at the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble. His other stage credits include Helen at the Getty Villa, Songs of Bilitis with Rogue Artists Ensemble at the Bootleg, and Camino Real at The Theatre@Boston Court. His Indie film Public Law is making the festival circuit now, and he's just shot a pilot titled "Clandestine." Next to acting, Rivas lives creatively through his poetry.
Charlie Robinson as Willy Loman. His work at SCR includes The Piano Lesson; My Wandering Boy; Fences, which earned him a 2006 Ovation Award for his portrayal of Troy; and Jitney, which earned him a Los Angeles Drama Critics award nomination for his portrayal of Becker. He is received an NAACP's Theatre Image Award for Best Actor in a Play for The Old Globe's The Whipping Man. Another theatre home for him has been the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. See him soon in the feature film, Hoovey, to be released this year.
Kim Staunton as Linda Loman. She last appeared at SCR as Berniece in The Piano Lesson. Staunton has been a guest company member at the Denver Center Theatre Company for the past 13 seasons. She represented the Colorado company as an inaugural Lunt-Fontanne Fellow at the Ten Chimneys Foundation. Staunton has also appeared regionally at Ebony Repertory Theatre, Center Theatre Group/Kirk Douglas Theatre, Syracuse Stage and the O'Neill Theatre Center. She is a native of Washington, D.C., and a graduate of The Juilliard School.
James A. Watson Jr. as Charley.  He last appeared at SCR in August Wilson's Jitney. Watson trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (U.S. Extension) and his television and film work earned him an Emmy nomination, and NAACP Image Award. His other theatre work has included National Pastime (The Fremont Centre Theater, Pasadena) Dream on Monkey Mountain (Mark Taper Forum) Lemon Meringue Façade (Best Supporting Actor nomination, San Fernando Valley Awards), In White America, Room Service (A.C.T., San Francisco), and Rashomon/Outrage, Golden Boy, Calculated Risk (Marla Gibbs Theater).  
Tobie Windham as Bernard. His last appearance at SCR was in A Midsummer Night's Dream. His other stage credits include The Whipping Man at Marin Theater Company, Seven Guitars (San Francisco Bay Area Critics circle nominee for best actor), Blues for an Alabama Sky, American Buffalo, Balm in Gilead, Slither, The Brothers Size (SFBATCC nominee for best actor), Marcus; Or the Secrete of Sweet and Two Coons. He has performed on the stages of The American Conservatory Theater, Magic Theater, California Shakespeare Theater, Chalk Repertory Theatre, South City Theater Company, City Equity Theater and Birmingham Park Players.  He is a native of Birmingham, Ala.
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