THE READING SERIES
ORCHID CHILD BY LESLIE C. LEWIS
OCTOBER 26, 2016, 6:30PM
2199 CALIFORNIA, DENVER, 80205
TICKETS-FREE -RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED CALL 720-583-3975 (We do ask that you purchase something from the venue as they are donating the space)
ORCHID CHILD
BY LESLIE C. LEWIS
DIRECTED BY SUSAN LYLES
STARRING
EMILY DAVIES, MISSY MOORE, JAMES O'HAGAN-MURPHY, STEPHEN R. KRAMER, DEBORAH PERSOFF, PAUL PAGE, KATE POLING
Violent and unpredictable, Ada is the child of your nightmares. Would she turn out differently if her teenage parents could give her away to the “right” family? Watch two possible futures unfold for Ada, and consider whether or not nurture can really overcome nature.
PLAYWRIGHT
LESLIE C. LEWIS
Leslie C. Lewis is a writer and producer with a background as a musician and conflict resolution specialist. She is the author of non-fiction essays and articles for the academic and popular press, receiving awards for subject matter on the environment and contemporary culture. Her short and full-length plays have received performances, staged readings and workshops in the West. Leslie is a co-founder, co-producer and emcee of Rough Draught Playwrights, a live performance venue presenting Colorado playwrights’ works-in-progress, and a founding member of Dirtyfish Theater, a playwrights collective creating and producing original work in Denver. Radio credits also include a series of essays addressing contemporary social issues which she wrote and broadcast for Connecticut Public Radio. She lives in Longmont, Colorado with her husband, daughter, and assorted critters.
DIRECTOR
SUSAN LYLES
Susan Lyles, is an award winning director with an BA from Wichita State University, and received certification from The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts in Shakespeare. She has worked on stage in London, Chicago and Denver and has also worked in film, commercials, print, industrials, and voice over. Susan is the founder and Producing Artistic Director of And Toto too Theatre Company, and has directed more than 20 plays, including the award winning Naked in Encino, Car Talk, and Heads. She has designed costumes for more than 50 plays, including Lion in Winter (Denver Victorian Playhouse), 12th Night (Denver Victorian Playhouse), and Greater Tuna and Christmas Tuna (Denver Victorian Playhouse, Town Hall Arts Center). Susan was recently honored with a 2015 True West Award. She also owns the award winning film production company, Ruff, Ruff Dog Productions.
CAST
Emily Davies (eLIZABETH)
Emily has performed with companies throughout Colorado for more than a decade. Her work on stage has earned her two inclusions in Westword's annual Best of Denver edition: in 2009 for "Best Season for an Actress," and again in 2014, for "Best Supporting Actress" for her work in The Beauty Queen Of Leenane. A three-time Henry Award nominee for Outstanding Actress in a Play from the Colorado Theatre Guild, Emily won the award in 2007 for her work in Frankie And Johnny In The Clair De Lune.
Stephen R Kramer (Peter)
Stephen R Kramer has worked in the Rocky Mountain Region for over 30 years as actor, director and designer. With And Toto too he was seen in The Playground which he also designed the lighting and designed lighting for last year's Smoke.
MISSY MOORE (VALERIE)
Missy Moore is a freelance actor, director and teacher that has been working throughout the state of Colorado for the last fourteen years. You can currently catch her playing the title role in Marie Antoinette at The Edge Theatre Company through November 13th. Recent credits include Bianca in The Taming (The Catamounts), directing Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune (Vintage Theatre), Henrietta in DUST (Wounderbound/Curious Theatre Company), Arlene in Getting Out (The Edge Theatre Company) – Henry Award Winner for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play, Myra/Myrna in The Mineola Twins (Thunder River Theatre Company) and Myrtle Mae in Harvey (Arvada Center). She would like to extend her love and gratitude to her friends and family for their continuous love and support.
James O'Hagan-Murphy (lUKE)
James has worked with many companies in Colorado including the Edge Theatre, Denver Center Theatre Company, Town Hall Arts Center, Avenue Theatre, Vintage Theatre, Miners Alley Playhouse, Breckenridge Backstage Theatre, Bas Bleu Theatre, Cherry Creek Theatre, Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company, and, of course, And Toto Too. This holiday season he will be returning to Vintage Theatre as Jacob Marley in Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol. It is a humorous and moving re-telling of the traditional tale as told from the perspective of the ghost of Marley. In the new year he will once again portray Bobby Kennedy in a Vintage Theatre touring production of the award-winning show RFK: A Portrait of Robert Kennedy.
kate poling (ada)
Kate Poling is graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts where she earned her BFA in Acting. Colorado credits include Smoke (And Toto Too), Twelfth Night (Foothills Theatre), and The Stonemason's Wish BiTSY Stage). In addition, Kate is a frequent actress for Miners Alley Children's Theatre, and has appeared with BETC in their annual Generations readings. Kate also teaches and directs theatre for kids at The Arvada Center and the MAAC. Kate is excited to help And Toto too in bringing this new work to life!
Deborah Persoff (judith)
Deborah most recently appeared in The Rabbit Hole at Vintage Theatre, and Vera in 4000 miles at Miners Alley (best performance by an actress in a comedy, Westword 2016) Other recent favorites include Lily in Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks, Big Edie in Grey Gardens, Maude in Harold and Maude, and Rita in The Lyons. Deborah just received a Lifetime Achievement Award in Theatre from The Henry Awards.
Paul Page (reverend mike)
Paul recently appeared at the Arvada Center as General Waverly in White Christmas as well as their productions of The Crucible, The Man Who Came to Dinner, A Wonderful Life, Jekyll and Hyde, Do I Hear a Waltz? and As Bees in Honey Drown, for which he received the Denver Drama Critics Circle Award. Recent work elsewhere: Lyman Wyeth in Other Desert Cities (Vintage Theatre), Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo and Glengarry Glen Ross (Edge Theatre), receiving an Edgy Award and Marlowe Award for both. Paul graduated with a BFA in Acting from Kent State University and then spent ten years as a working actor in New York City before relocating to Denver. www.paulpage.biz
Carol Timblin (Stage Directions)
A graduate of Loretto Heights College, Carol has acted and production managed for many Denver theater companies over the past 30 years including The Changing Scene, Aurora Fox, And Toto too, and Germinal Stage. Most recently she was seen on stage in Germinal's Six Characters In Search of an Author.