Spotlight On...Briana Pozner

Name: Briana Pozner

Hometown: Denver, Colorado

Education: Sarah Lawrence College (B.A.)

Select Credits: Stranded on Motor Parkway (Angela, Teatro Sea)

Why theater: I have always been interested in the universality of the human condition. Regardless of background, age or economic status, there seems to be a fundamental commonality in our desires and our struggles. I don’t think an answer exists as to how we can live an easy, pain free life while seeking our own idea of truth and happiness, but I do think facing that question is important. And examining the complexity and contradictions of our behaviors is important. I think theater, at its best, reflects the human condition, causing us to continually ask the important questions and relate to each other on a deeper level. Or at least to laugh at ourselves along the way.

About Stranded on Motor Parkway: In short, Stranded on Motor Parkway is a show about an adolescent girl and boy from Queens who, having recently lost their mother, are now forced to live with their father in Long Island. It raises a lot of complex questions about what constitutes a family, what it means to grow up, and how and when to say goodbye.

What is it like being a part of Stranded on Motor Parkway: Being a part of Stranded on Motor Parkway has been a lot of fun. It is a very different kind of experience for me. For one thing, the age range of our cast spans about 50 years. It’s really thrilling to be working with actors that have been doing this for thirty plus years while working with actors that are just beginning their careers.  I am also getting to play an age that I won’t get to play much longer (17). It’s been really challenging and exciting to try to delve back into the psyche of what it means to be an adolescent. I think being on the precipice of adulthood is such an exciting age, especially for women. You are dealing with so many hormonal/emotional changes that make you somewhat of a loose cannon. Incorporating the deep passion and loss of control that goes along with all of that is both terrifying and exhilarating.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: A lot of different kinds of theater speak to me. But I think when I go to the theater, I want to see guts and I want to see joy. I want to see the bravery of being alive to your impulses and I want to see you having fun. That is not to say it has to be light; I think being a train wreck is often the most fun. I am inspired by artists who have found their own unique voice. Currently, I am specifically inspired by female writers and directors because there just aren’t enough of them, and I think the feminine voice is lacking in art.

Any roles you are dying to play?: My dream role is Harper in Angels in America. I played it when I was in high school, and have been dying for the chance now that I am actually age appropriate for the part.

What’s your favorite show tune?: I grew up loving Phantom of the Opera, so I have a soft spot for it. I still get goose bumps when I listen to “Masquerade.” I think a giant chandelier makes anything magical.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: A lot of people, but I would really love to one day work with Fiona Shaw because HOW DOES SHE DO THAT???

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: I would honestly be pretty pissed if I didn’t get to play me in the movie about myself. My first choice is me, my second choice is that it would be a cartoon and I would be played by a really cute mouse that looks similar to Fievel’s sister and my third choice would be the brunette model in the “Blurred Lines” music video. I think it would be called “Don’t Look at Me.”

What show have you recommended to your friends?: There was one play this past year that inspired me to send a mass email begging people to see it. It was a night of two one woman shows called Naked and Crazy and I actually saw it at the Fringe last year. I originally went because a friend of mine created one of them, and I was really caught off guard by how transformative the experience was. It was moving, funny, honest, brave, just really wonderful. It was everything you are hoping for when you go to the theater.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Uh-oh. I have so many. I guess I will say eating ice cream for breakfast and pretending it’s a smoothie so that I don’t feel bad about it.

What’s up next?: I am currently filming a feature called “Ship Happens” through mid-September. I also just completed the first draft of a pilot I am writing with my close friend Chelsey Duckworth, and I am very excited to continue to work on it in the months ahead.

Spotlight On...Dave Hanson

Name: Dave Hanson

Hometown: Olympia, WA.

Education: Whittier College, Theatre & English Lit

Favorite Credits: Playing Michael Regan in The Boss at the Metropolitan Playhouse. It was the first time playing the lead in a play in New York and the first time I have ever been reviewed in New York. Having spent the first part of my career in Los Angeles, and only being in New York for two years, the idea getting good reviews from the New York Times was something special to me. And to be doing theatre in NYC is just pretty damn cool, no matter how Off Broadway you are. Most notable credit though? I wrote for the Chelsea Lately show for 3 years.

Why theater?: Its what got me into all this in the first place. First time I saw a play as a kid I was intrigued. First time I saw a friend in High School get cast in a play I knew that was something I could do. Then the fist time I got cast in a play I knew this is what I wanted to be around the rest of my life.

Tell us about Waiting for Waiting for Godot: Its about two understudies back stage at a production of Waiting For Godot, trying to wrap their heads around life, art, the biz and their absurd existence. It turns out the only people who truly understand Waiting for Godot, are the understudies who are waiting… for Waiting for Godot.

What inspired you to create Waiting for Waiting for Godot?: I was cast as an understudy in WFG back in Los Angeles several years ago. It was an awful experience. But while suffering through it I noticed that the life of an understudy in this particular show (or any show for that matter) mirrored the story of Beckett's play. The understudies are the only guys doing what the play is about: waiting. So I thought that would be a funny story to tell.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: I don't know if there is one type or a kind of theatre that speaks to me other than 'good' theatre. But I suppose good theatre speaks to everyone. Since moving to New York I've gotten to see all kinds of great shows. Smart comedy probably tickles my fancy the most. I suppose the short answer is anything that takes me by surprise or turns me into an audience member again instead of an actor or writer sitting amongst the audience and watching. Im inspired by my friends. They're mostly artists who all do some pretty incredible stuff. I'm lucky in that regard. I'm the least talented amongst this group so everyday I get to practice with the varsity team. That's pretty cool for me. I learn a lot.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Mel Brooks. Hands down, Mel Brooks. He is so old though. I hope he doesn't die before I get a chance to do that. He's really old. In fact I hope he doesn't die before he reads this. He's one of your readers, right? What am I saying, of course he isn't! He's old! He probably doesn't even know what a website is. He probably has a nurse who reads websites to him. In that case I hope Mel Brooks' live in nurse reads this website and reads it to him before he dies! But who am I kidding? Obviously she only reads Perez Hilton or TMZ! She's a live in Nurse for crying out loud! In that case I hope Amanda Bynes tweets this website so the link goes to Perez Hilton so Mel Brooks' gossiping live in nurse will see it, click on it, and read it to Mel Brooks before he dies. What was the question? 

What show have you recommended to your friends?: I recommend seeing improv at the UCB theatre (asscat), If you can afford the super expensive tickets (I got to go for free) The Book Of Mormon is amazing. Once is one of the best musicals I've ever seen. The music and story is great and its staged in a fantastic, unique way.  And for a great night of voyeuristic mind bending theatre that will just mess with your head that also involves dressing up, jazz and classy cocktails go see Sleep No More. Totally worth the money. And for Pete's sake dress up when you go the theatre people. It's not your living room. When my girl and I went to see Book Of Mormon, some idiot was sitting in like the third row sporting a baseball cap and a basketball jersey over a white undershirt and jeans. And he was in his 60s. He had to have paid through the ass for those tickets and he couldn't even wear a tie. At least take the hat off, buddy. Some people are real jerks.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: No one. That project would never get off the ground. Who would be dumb enough to fund that film? And who the hell would go see that?! What an awful idea for a movie… George Clooney. 

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: First, I don't feel guilty for any pleasures. My biggest distractions from getting work done are NFL Football (go Seahawks!), video games and science fiction novels. In what order depends on what time of year.

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: Writing science fiction novels, which I try to do in my spare time.

What’s up next?: We'll see where WFWFG goes after the festival. We think there is life for this play after the Fringe. I also have another one act play, entitled The Exit Interview, that's been accepted to the Collective Theatre Group's ten minute play festival. That will be in October. I will be involved with that. And then it's helping my fiance (executive producer for WFWFG Hillary Burgess) plan our wedding.

For more on Waiting for Waiting for Godot, visit www.wfwfgodot.com

Spotlight On...Charlie Gorrilla

Name: Charlie Gorrilla

Hometown: Minneapolis, Minnesota

Education: University of Minnesota, Duluth

Select Credits: Five Women Wearing the Same Dress (Tripp Davenport, WOW Café); Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Block Head (Matt- The Bridge Theater)

Why theater?: It is ALWAYS a thrill to perform in front of a living breathing audience. (And every audience is different)  The immediate reaction to the dialogue is fascinating to me.  What hits one audience may not hit the next audience and I find that so great...keeps it fresh and new.   That's my main one.  I also really enjoy the collaborative nature of theater.  So many people have to work as a unit to bring off a great show that every show feels like a success when things run flawlessly.

Tell us about Track Twelve: Track Twelve at first glance seems like a "New York" story, because it take place at Penn Station, but the themes and situations I think can resonate with any person who steps out of their house or apartment, interacts with people, in any city.  It's about four travelers who are left stranded waiting for their train to DC during a terrible blizzard. The stress of delays and confinement forces unresolved issues to the surface, and creates a few new issues as well.  In the end making the travelers accept sometimes the only way to move forward into the future is to let go of the past.

What is it like being a part of Track Twelve?: I'm not going to sugar coat this- Being a part of this production has been one of the best theater experiences I have ever had.  I am having such a great time rehearsing this show and discovering who these characters are I almost do not want the rehearsing portion to be over.  Josh Penzell, the director, is open, questioning, but not closed to a different interpretation of the given situation or line.  Emily Comisar, the playwright, has given us dialogue that snaps along with little barbs and some very poignant moments.  It is a pleasure to work with these words.  I also can not say enough about Sarah, Keelie, and Leo.  They bring a tremendous amount of talent and energy to this show....I'm honestly enjoying just trying to keep up.  I feel fortunate to be working with this class of actor.

What kind of theater speaks to you? Who or what inspires you as an artist?: I really like simple theater.  Sometimes I think plays are overcrowded with what I call "bells and whistles" and it gets to the point where the play is lost.  I saw two shows that I thought we truly outstanding- Clybourne Park and The Normal Heart.  Simple straight forward sets and performances that simply enfolded in front of you.  Both amazing shows I will remember for many many years to come. I draw inspiration from a multitude of different sources, but it changes depending on the day.  Sometimes it's the paintings of Edward Hopper.  Sometimes it's the music of Van Morrison. But most times it's the waiters, bartenders, baristas, etc...who are all here pursuing dreams other than the "day job" and making it work to make their art.

Any roles you’re dying to play?: Secretly, but I guess not so secretly anymore, Javert, from Les Miserables.  Only hitch is I don't sing, so that most likely will not happen.

What’s your favorite showtune?: “Stars”...see above.  However, my showtune knowledge is extremely lacking.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: That list is long.  I've really enjoyed working with everyone I have so far, but if I had to pick someone it would be 
Joe Mantello or Sam Rockwell.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Fred Savage maybe. "Growing up Gorrilla"

What show have you recommended to your friends?: Track Twelve...I hear it's going to be great.  http://www.fringenyc.org/basic_page.php?ltr=T#TrackT 

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Bourbon and Summer Blockbusters, but I don't bring bourbon into the movie theater.

What’s up next?: I have a film trying to work its way into the festival circuit.  It's called "The Liberation of James Joyce"  I had a great time making it and Ryan Alexander, the writer and director, put his heart and soul into getting it made.  The link to the trailer- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ER6d4S1jXzU

Spotlight On...Gregory Jacobs-Roseman

Name: Gregory Jacobs-Roseman

Hometown: Hockessin, DE

Education: BA in Theatre Studies with emphasis in Musical Theatre and Musical Composition from Emerson College (studied Musical Composition at Berklee College of Music), MFA in Musical Theatre Writing from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University.

Favorite Credits: Party Like Me, Cold Turkey, Chase.

Why theater?: I think the more important question is: why NOT theatre? I got bit by the theatre bug at a very early age when I played Jack in a 4th grade production of a musical adaptation of Jack and the Beanstalk. I totally broke character and yelled at my parents for not having the camcorder on me. Clearly I wasn’t meant to be an actor, but rather was meant to work behind the scenes. I’ve devoted my life’s study to theatre because there’s really nothing else I know how to do. I’d like to think I’m a born storyteller, and the medium of musical theatre is the only one that can accurately convey the heightened emotions of the stories I want to write.

Tell us about Save the Date: The show focuses on the friendship between a straight woman and a gay man and how that friendship changes from college to adult life. Just because they were "besties" when they were 20, does that mean they're still meant to be friends as they turn 30? Is it weird for them to be so co-dependent at that age? Is it keeping them from finding love? Can a friendship grow toxic as we age? In addition to focusing on the friendship of the two main characters, the show also is about growing up and coming of age. These characters are already adults, but they're not truly "grown up" yet. Like the TV show "Girls" the story takes place during that time of stasis between 22 and 30: that time after you graduate college but before you truly have your life together. The story also focuses on what it means to commit. These are characters on the outside looking in when it comes to marriage. They're at the age when everyone around them is committing their lives to someone else. They can't seem to do the same for some reason. It's not that they don't want to, it's just that they're scared.

What inspired you to create Save the Date?: This show is actually based on personal experience. It largely follows actual events that happened to myself and my then best friend in 2006. I just thought this ridiculous screwed-up trip we had taken was so bizarre and epic in scale that it needed to be told onstage. And because emotions were so high it definitely needed to be sung.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: I work in musical theatre, so of course that comes to the forefront. When it comes to non-musical plays, my favorites run the gamut from Samuel Beckett to Neil Simon. Some of my favorite classic musical theatre composers are Marc Blitzstein, Frank Loesser, Meredith Willson, and George Gershwin. Some of my favorite contemporary composers are Adam Guettel, Michael John LaChiusa, Jason Robert Brown, William Finn, and Ricky Ian Gordon. As for my religion, I worship at the altar of Stephen Sondheim.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: That’s a pretty wide-open question. There are literally thousands of people I wish I could work with. So, I’m going to attack this one with what many non-composers may consider left field and say that in my dreams I’d get Jonathan Tunick to orchestrate one of my scores.

What show have you recommended to your friends?: If we’re talking this season’s FringeNYC festival, I’d say check out Ex Machina. It’s very different from Save The Date but my friend Sarah Wansley directed it and it is absolutely sure to please. If we’re just talking general New York theatre scene: go see the Pippin revival on Broadway RIGHT NOW. Not only is one of the Pippin understudies the husband of our Save The Date lead Kristine Reese, but OH. MY. GOD. it’s quite possibly the best directed piece of Broadway theatre I’ve seen in years.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Well, Noah Zachary is playing a character based off of me in Save The Date and is absolutely perfect! But if I had to pick a movie/TV star, it would be someone like Fred Savage if for no other reason that we slightly resemble each other and in my head I live my life with constant "Wonder Years"-style voiceover narration.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Any girl buddy movie or TV show. "The Sweetest Thing", "Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion", "Cybill", I love all of them.

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: I’m a certified sommelier, so I’d probably work in the wine industry. Probably as a winemaker in California as I don’t really have any interest in working in service.

What’s up next?: Honestly, it’s hard for me to think past this production of Save The Date. I am also writing a new Christmas-themed musical currently titled Letters To Santa, though I’m uncertain if I’ll have a draft ready by this coming holiday season.

For more on Save the Date, visit  http://savethedatemusical.com/

Spotlight On...Jacob Thompson

Name: Jacob Thompson

Hometown: Des Moines, Iowa

Education: BFA in Theater/Speech from Wagner College, NYC

Select Credits: The Pirates of Finance (Bill Brilliant, Signature Theater); Beauty and the Beast (Beast, Arts Center of Coastal Carolina); Bye, Bye Birdie (Conrad Birdie, Inside Broadway Tour)

Why theater?: They won't pay me to play Xbox in my underwear? But seriously, it is truly the most alive I have ever felt.  The rest of life is sleepwalking.  I know my past and my future on stage and can truly appreciate the now.

Tell us about The 3rd Gender: This totally new and different Sci-Fi epic takes place hundreds of years in the future when all of humanity is "The Third Gender". War, poverty and injustice no longer exists... except in rare instance, when someone is born different.

What is it like being a part of The 3rd Gender?: Naked.  Or very, very near.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: Small, contemporary adult musicals, especially dark ones.  When someone can not only speak of what scares them, or moves them; but sing about it, on a brightly lit platform in front of a judgmental audience. That inspires me.

Any roles you’re dying to play?: Any character in a Sondheim show.  Roles like that can get you through a dozen Smokey Joe's. From the comedy of the Princes in Into the Woods to the honesty of Bobby in Company.

What’s your favorite showtune?: "What Would I Do" from Falsettos.  I sang it at my final show choir concert in high school.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: My husband.  He is so passionate about the non-performing side of theater.  His intelligence and integrity set him apart from anyone else in the business.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: My story isn't finished yet.  I'll let you know when it is.

What show have you recommended to your friends?: I'm obsessed with Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812.  There's nothing like it in the past decade, on B'way or off.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Booze and cheese.

What’s up next?: The most wonderful and terrifying part of this business is I have no idea.

For more on Jacob, visit http://jacobthompson.net/ For more on The Third Gender, visit http://the-third-gender.com/

Spotlight On...Remy Germinario

Name: Remy Germinario

Hometown: Tampa, FL (Or as I like to say...Trampa. Gotta love it!)

Education: BFA in Theatre from NYU TIsch School of the Arts (CAP21/Strasberg Studios)

Select Credits: Bradley Cole (Fringe NYC); Bunnicula (Toby, TheatreworksUSA), Two Gentlemen of Verona the Musical (Speed, NYU), Little Shop of Horrors (Seymour, NYU), The Who's Tommy (Mr Simpson/Local Lad, NYU), Hairspray (IQ, Greater Ocean City Theatre Co), "The Feast of Stephen" (Stephen, A film directed by James Franco) 

Why theater?: Because I'd be a terrible doctor or businessman! But in all seriousness, I couldn't imagine doing anything else with my life. I think that's why most actors have the drive to do this despite it being the highest rejection rate of any job. We work hard because this is IT. The thought of doing something besides performing is actually terrifying. It's a part of us. Theatre has been the central part of my life since i started acting at age 5. I love entertaining; whether I'm making people laugh or cry, I enjoy changing an audience. I hope to work in both theatre and Film/TV, but there is no greater high than performing live. You get to leave your reality behind for 2 hours and get to PLAY. It's a shame people who aren't actors don't get to experience the adrenaline rush of putting your creative self before an audience. I'm the luckiest guy alive to have this privilege!

What is it like being a part of Bradley Cole?: Bradley Cole has been one of my favorite projects to work on. I did a workshop of the show last summer at NYU, and was fortunate enough to get the offer to do it all over again! The show is about Ian Maxwell (yours truly), who is a socially awkward computer geek. Ian has created this false online persona via a blog named Bradley Cole. This fake glamorous life that Ian has created through Bradley get's national acclaim. But his life unravels as people begin to find out who he really is.  I think this is such an important story for our day and age: the age of social media. The show raises the question of "Is your online self really you?" and truly explores the extreme impact of social media  as well as the themes of a crumbling friendship, betrayal, devotion, sexual orientation and the idea of celebrity. And of course there is a little bit of a love story thrown in there as well (But I won't give too much away!)   This relevant show is absolutely hilarious with a lot of heart. It features an amazing book/lyrics by Jason Young and score by Bomi Lee. Directed by Geoffrey Goldberg and produced by Nickey Frankel/Preview of the Arts. I truly love playing this role because I can relate to Ian a lot. So as I'm discovering things about Ian, I'm also discovering things about myself as a person. 

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: A show that has no boundaries or censors that turns a mundane aspect of every day life into a masterpiece. And it doesn't hurt if a show makes me laugh at something inappropriate. Collaboration. Optimism. Spontaneity.

Any roles you’re dying to play?:  For now I'd love to play Alan Strang in Equus, Boq in Wicked, Mark in Rent or give Seymour in Little Shop another try. Even though I'm 23, I mostly play teenagers (not complaining!) but, when I look older I'd love to play Louis in Angels in America, Pippin in Pippin, and Robert in Company (I played this role in high school, but I'd like to play this 35 year old again when I’m not 16)

What’s your favorite showtune?: Without a doubt, it is "Cabaret" from Cabaret. Secret: My ACTUAL dream role that will probably never happen (but one can always hope) is to do the male version of Sally Bowles in Cabaret.  Sal Bowles, if you will. It would be different but I'd have such a good time. I'm obsessed with her journey through that show.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: I always have day dreams of doing a sitcom where Lisa Kudrow plays my mom. I have a deep love for sitcoms and it all started with watching Lisa on "Friends" when I was a kid. She is definitely my comic inspiration, and if I ever got the chance to work with her, I'd be a happy fella.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Daniel Radcliffe and it would be called “I'm Not Harry Potter: The Remy Germinario Story”. 

What show have you recommended to your friends?: My two favorite shows this season have been Pippin and Vanya and Sasha and Masha and Spike.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Donuts. I have a crazy appetite and have been known to eat quite a few donuts in one sitting. NO SHAME.

What’s up next?: After Bradley Cole is finished, I'll be back at the audition scene of course. I also work as a NYC Tour Guide, so I'll be doing that a lot (Best survival job EVER). Finally, I'm writing a web series with my dear friend, Anthony Ritosa, called "Just Two Bros", which follows the story of two gay best friends dealing with life immediately after college and the scary year that follows graduation.

For more on Remy, follow him on twitter @RemyGerminario and visit www.remygerminario.weebly.com. For more on Bradley Cole, visit www.bradleycolethemusical.com and follow them on twitter @BColeMusical.

Rolling in the Dough with...Adam Milano

Name: Adam Milano

Hometown: Allendale NJ

Who do you play in Serious Money?: Martin

Tell us about Serious Money: Serious Money is a fast, smart, and vicious satire about the financial world set in 1980's England.

Describe Serious Money in 3 words: Fast, smart, vicious

Most likely to solve a murder mystery?: Mat Nakitare - he always seems to have the low down

Cocaine or champagne?: Chocolate milk

Favorite 80s song?: “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”

Why should we come see Serious Money?: It is unlike anything you've seen before. It moves quickly, is whip smart and outrageously funny.