Henrik Ibsen's Ghosts in New York
Andrew Janet’s modern adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s GHOSTS. It will be the inaugural full production by the Classic Play Reading Series, and will be produced outdoors in the Secret Garden of the Merchant’s House Museum in New York, and runs between July 7—10 and 14—17.
Ghosts is directed by Emmy Frank and features Antoinette Lavecchia as Mrs. Alving, Marc Levasseur as Oswald Alving, Nicole Rodenburg as Regina Engstrand, Andrew Sellon as Pastor Manders & Peter Reznikoff as Jacob Engstrand. The design team includes Jennifer Caprio (costumes), David Bullard (sound), and Jillian Watson (sets). Please note that there is no lighting designer for this production. Tickets are $18 at ovationtix.com or calling OvationTix at 866-811-4111, or at the box office at the Merchant’s House Museum. Box office opens 1 hour prior to curtain each night of performances.
Emmy Frank (Artistic Director/Director): A graduate of NYU- Tisch School of the Arts, for the past two years she has assisted James Lapine on productions such as Sondheim on Sondheim (Studio 54, Roundabout), Little Miss Sunshine (La Jolla Playhouse), and Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing(reading at Lincoln Center). She has also assisted Ethan McSweeney on Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (CenterStage) and Ms. Frank’s directing credits include “Animal” (The Public Theater/Old Vic New Voices), “Suessical” (Cape Rep), and numerous readings with her company the Classic Play Reading Series. In addition, Ms. Frank is currently the NYC New Play Scout for CenterStage in Baltimore.
Antoinette LaVecchia (Mrs. Alving): Broadway: A View From The Bridge/Cort Theater. Other NY: A World Apart/Flea Theater, her original one-woman show, How to Be A Good Italian Daughter (In Spite of Myself)/The Cherry Lane, A Touch of the Poet/Friendly Fire, The Europeans/PTP-NYC, Max & The Truffle Pig/NYMF, The Bottle House/Public Theatre, Puccini: A Composer’s Journey/Carnegie Hall, String of Pearls/Primary Stages, Magic Hands Freddy/Soho Playhouse, Kimberly Akimbo/MTC. Regional: Superior Donuts/Pittsburgh Public Theater, The Pavilion/Dorset Theatre Festival, Heartbreak House/Two River, Little Dog Laughed/Portland Ctr. Stage,Tough Titty/Williamstown, The Laramie Project/Hartford TheaterWorks (CT Critics Award). Film/TV: “The David Dance”, “Delirious”, “Jesus’ Son”, “The Sopranos”, “Law & Order”, “L&O SVU, “Guiding Light”, “One Life To Live” & the short films: “The Face”, “Lily of the Feast” and “Sophie Gets A Head”. Training: MFA-NYU/Tisch, Moscow Art Theatre & Philippe Gaulier. Grants: Fox Fellowship, Anna Sosenko Assist Trust Grant. She’s taught at NYU’s Grad Acting Program and The Actor’s Center.
Marc LeVasseur (Oswald Alving): NY Theatre: Iachimo in “The Winter’s Tale” (NY Classical Theatre), Man 2 in the premiere of “Love/Stories” and Ryan in “Yellowjackets” both written by Itamar Moses (Flea), Messenger in “Women Beware Women” (Red Bull), Understudy for “Misalliance” (Pearl), Orlando and Coriolanus (NY Neo-Classical), Mr. Tozer in “Marrying of Ann Leete” (Mint). Nat’l Tour: Mark Antony in “Julius Caesar” and Aarfy in “Catch-22” (Aquila). Regional: Numerous parts with The Peterborough Players.
Nicole Rodenburg (Regina Engstrand): This past fall she played Cherie in Bus Stop (Huntington Theatre Company – dir. Nicholas Martin). She played in the world premieres of Allison Moore’s Slasher! (Humana Festival of New American Plays at the Actors Theater of Louisville) and Sheri Wilner’s The End (Guthrie Theater). Other favorite regional credits include Lisa Loomer’s Distracted (Mixed Blood Theater) and The Tempest, Taming of the Shrew, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Julius Caesar and The Merchant of Venice (Great River Shakespeare Festival). She earned her BFA from the University of Minnesota’s Guthrie Theater Actor Training Program and currently studies with Michael Howard.
Andrew Sellon (Pastor Manders): Andrew’s recent stage roles in New York and around the U.S. include the Fool in King Lear, all 35 roles in I Am My Own Wife, Vladimir in Waiting for Godot, Charlie in The Foreigner, Dr. Rance in What the Butler Saw, and Bazzard in The Mystery of Edwin Drood. He also portrays all the characters in his original solo play Through the Looking Glass Darkly: A Dream Play about Lewis Carroll. He can be seen in the upcoming feature films The Smurfs (in 3D) and Mamarosh, and he also contributed the voice of the Judge to the upcoming feature The Hunting of the Snark. Andrew holds a B.A. cum laude in English from Harvard College, and an M.F.A. in Acting from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he also taught acting for two years. Andrew is a proud member of Actor’s Equity, the Dramatists Guild, and ASCAP.
GHOSTS by Henrik Ibsen
Adapted by Andrew Janet
Directed by Emmy Frank
With Antoinette LaVecchia, Marc LeVasseur, Nicole Rodenburg, Andrew Sellon & Peter Reznikoff
Run: July 7-10, 14-17, Thurs-Sat @ 7 PM, Sun @ 6 PM
Henrik Ibsen’s classic play, set in 2011 suburban America. A family torn apart by scandal. Religious zealotry. A mother desperate to save her only son. Performed in the secret garden of one of the most haunted houses in Manhattan littered with old family ghosts. Originally written in 1881 Norway, Ibsen’s scandalously scathing social commentary is still alarmingly relevant today.
About Classic Play Reading Series
Founded in 2008, the Classic Play Reading Series strives to update classic plays and musicals to make them more relevant, thought-provoking and enjoyable for modern audiences.
Source: Royal Norwegian Embassy
