Andrew Benator
(Hirsh/Soldier 1/Zapata)
Alliance Theatre:
Eurydice (Suzi Award),
Tennis in Nablus. Atlanta:
Young Man From Atlanta (Theatrical Outfit);
Becky Shaw (Actor’s Express);
You Can’t Take It With You (Theatre Emory);
Boeing, Boeing (Aurora Theatre);
Room Service (Theatre in the Square);
Brooklyn Boy,
Hank Kimmel’s Shorts (Jewish Theater of the South). Off-Broadway:
Things You Shouldn’t Say Past Midnight,
Valparaiso,
Flu Season. Regional: Hartford Theater Works, Pittsburgh Public Theater, Sacramento’s B St. Theater, San Jose Rep, San Francisco’s Magic Theater. Film & TV:
House of Payne,
Meet the Browns,
Law & Order,
Third Watch,
Quarantine 2,
Game Six,
Nowhere to Go But Up. andrewbenator.com
Demosthenes Chrysan
(Yusef)
Demosthenes Chrysan recently appeared in the world premiere of
Aftermath by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen at New York Theatre Workshop. Other professional credits include the award winning regional premiere of Tony Kushner’s
Homebody/Kabul at Trinity Repertory Theatre, Queens Boulevard:
The Musical by Charles Mee at the Signature Theatre;
The Kite Runner at San Jose Repertory;
Miklat at Florida Stage;
The Miracle Worker at Arkansas Rep;
Measure for Measure,
Macbeth,
Midsummer Night’s Dream,
Much Ado About Nothing at Riverside Theatre;
Tartuffe for Sonnet Repertory;
Twelfth Night at The Hamptons Shakespeare Festival;
The Tempest at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. Independent film credits include
Layla is Bad and
Santa Clause in Baghdad. Television credits include "Law & Order: SVU," "One Life to Live" and "Boardwalk Empire" for HBO.
Suehyla El-Attar
(Ambara)
Suehyla El-Attar is honored and excited to return to the Hertz Stage. Her previous role, in
Bluish, won her a Suzi Bass Award for Best Featured Actress. Suehyla has worked with Horizon Theatre (
9 Parts of Desire,
The Clean House), Synchronicity Performance Group (
Women+War,
Expecting Isabel,
Looking for the Pony,
1:23), Theatre in the Square, Dad’s Garage, Essential Theatre Company, PushPush Theater, Savage Tree Productions and Cyrano’s Theatre Company, in Anchorage, Alaska. Most recently, she stepped into the world of TV and film, with roles in "Drop Dead Diva,"
Father of Invention and
The Signal. Suehyla is also a guest-director at local Georgia high schools; most recently, The Scottish Play at Shiloh High in Snellville. She’s also been known to write a play, or two. She deeply thanks the theatre community and her family of friends for their amazing, continued support.
Bart Hansard
(General Falbour)
Bart was last seen at the Alliance in last season’s production of August: Osage County as Sheriff Deon Gilbeau. His previous Alliance credits include Grapes of Wrath, A Death in the House Next Door to Kathleen Turner’s House on Long Island, A Question of Mercy, A Christmas Carol, Tennis in Nablus and many delightful Alliance Theatre for Youth and Families shows like Ferdinand the Bull, The Little Baby Snoogle-Fleejer and Lily’s Purple Plastic Purse. On the regional scene, Mr. H has performed in Actor’s Theatre of Louisville’s A Tuna Christmas as one half of the town, as well as Psuedolous in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum for the Attic Theatre in Detroit. His film and television credits include “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne” as the recurring fireman Bart and “Good Eats,” as various and sundry gormands who plague host Alton Brown. He also keeps popping up in films, such as Why Did I Get Married, Too?, Deja Vu, One Missed Call and Broken Bridges. Around town, you may have spied Mr. H in Superior Donuts as Max Tarasov at Horizon Theatre and Keith in Gray Area at The Aurora. As per tradition, Mr. H sends his love to Miss Haley and Mr. Will. He also requests chocolate in lieu of flowers be thrown on the stage during his curtain call. Happy holidays!
Joe Knezevich
(Lieutenant Douglas Duff)
Joe is honored to return to the Alliance with this group of Atlanta’s finest theatre artists, including many of his best friends. Raised in Miami, trained at Florida State (with a stop-over in London) he has been in Atlanta for 12 years, primarily acting and teaching at the Alliance as well as Georgia Shakespeare, where he is a devoted artistic associate. Professional highlights include
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, here on this stage, starring the playwright of tonight’s show, the amazing Tracy Letts; also
Metamorphoses and
Richard III at Georgia Shakespeare, where he can be seen in this year’s upcoming summer repertory. He also plays Jonathan Gilbert on
The Vampire Diaries and has appeared in
One Tree Hill,
Drop Dead Diva and will be in the upcoming series
Franklin and Bash and
Necessary Roughness. Follow Joe online at joeknezevich.com
Bhavesh Patel
(Tariq)
New York:
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Continuum Company),
The Tempest (Classic Stage Company),
Hayden’s Seven Last Words (Lincoln Center, CMS in collaboration with TACT),
Richard II in Rehearsal (New York Shakespeare Society with Stephen Spinella). Regional Credits:
Metamorphoses at The Pittsburgh Public;
The Book Club at The Berkshire Theatre Festival;
The Four of Us at Merrimack Repertory Theatre;
The History Boys at Repertory Theatre of St. Louis;
Picasso at the Lapin Agile at the Chautauqua Theatre Company;
Henry VI Trilogy: War of the Roses and
A Midsummer’s Night Dream at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company; the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Company; the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival and The O’neill Theatre Institute. He also performs the voice of Sedgewick in the online science fiction serial radio program
The Leviathan Chronicles (theleviathanchronicles.com/). TV/Film credits:
You Should Have the Body (1st place N.A. Goethe Film Institute; Berlinale Film Festival), "The Lonely Maiden," and "Lipstick Jungle" (NBC). MFA from the NYU’s Graduate Acting Program.
Jim Sarbh
(Rajib)
The colonial wheels are always turning, steamrolling countries flat as a map to partition. Temporarily Atlanta based. Alliance debut. Looking for a path to take, a body to inhabit. Love All.
Michael Simpson
(Michael O'Donegal/Radio Announcer/Reggie)
Michael is very happy to be making his debut at the Alliance Theatre and is honored to be working on such a brave and strange play.
Tom Thon
(Hajj Waleed/Soldier 2)
This is Tom’s first appearance on stage at the Alliance, although he understudied Grandpop in
Elliot: A Soldiers Fugue in 2006. He appeared this year in Art Station’s
Tuesdays With Morrie and Horizon Theatre’s
Third by Wendy Wasserstein. In 2008, Tom earned a Suzi Award nomination as Featured Actor in
Some Men directed by Kent Gash at Actors Express. Other stage credits include, the concert version of
The King & I with the Atlanta Pops Orchestra under the direction of Kevin Farrell and Baayork Lee,
All the Kings Men,
365 Plays-365 Days, Suehyla El Attar’s
The Perfect Prayer and Agatha Christie’s
Black Coffee, directed by Russell Treyz. Commercials include Georgia Lottery, HGTV and Beauty and the Beast. Tom is a proud member of Actors Equity Association and AFTRA. He dedicates this performance to his son Colin Thon, a Combat Medic in the United States Army.
David Quay
(US Lieutenant Douglas Duff/Michael O'Donegal)
Dave has thoroughly enjoyed his time with this company of actors. Dave has also performed at Georgia Shakespeare, Aurora, Synchronicity, Out of Hand, Theater Emory, and others. Most recently, Dave appeared in Georgia Shakespeare’s
Julius Caesar. He also clowns with Big Apple Circus Clown Care, and has directed several short independent films. He is excited to be working on this new play.
Khalid Robinson
(US Yusef)
If every year could only be like 2010! Off to a great start already as part of this wonderful production and then jetting off on his honeymoon to celebrate his marriage to Ziah (Colon) Robinson. Growing up a season ticket holder with his mother, Khalid is thrilled to be back at the Alliance Theatre – the theatre that gave birth to his love of the art of acting. This is his third production with the theatre; last year’s
26 Miles (understudy) and the Kendeda finalist reading of
The Near East. A huge thank you to Jody Feldman for the opportunity! You can also see Khalid in the upcoming short film
Deadbeat playing the role of Markus as part of BET’s filmmaker’s challenge. Khalid continues to train and teach at The Company Acting Studio and wants to thank everyone for their love and support. "Live like there’s no tomorrow and today will be a success."
Ismail Khalidi
(Playwright)
Ismail Khalidi was born in Beirut and grew up in Chicago. After receiving his B.A. from Macalester College, he went on to act and write as part of the Pangea World Theatre ensemble in Minneapolis, where he wrote and performed his first play,
Truth Serum Blues. He received his MFA in dramatic writing from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Many Voices Fellowship at the Playwrights Center and the Emerging Writers Award (Jerome Foundation), as well as the Quest for Peace Award and the Mark Twain Award in Comic Playwrighting, both from the Kennedy Center (ACTF). Ismail is also a past winner of the Goldberg Award in Playwriting (NYU) and is a finalist for the L. Arnold Weissberger Award for Playwriting. He lives in New York City and is currently an Emerging Artist fellow at the New York Theatre Workshop. He would like to send thanks and love to his wonderful family, to Carolina, and a special shout out to lil Tino.
Peggy Shannon
(Director)
Peggy Shannon became the artistic director of the Sacramento Theatre Company in 1998. During her tenure, the Sacramento Theatre Company has risen in national and international prominence. She has staged more than 30 shows for this theatre and seven years ago launched a conservatory training program. The STC-2 School of the Arts, with almost 500 students, was recognized in 2006 by California Theatre Educators as one of the best theatre arts training programs for high school students in the state of California. Directing credits include the West Coast Premiere of
Treasure Ialand,
Cyrano De Bergerac,
Someone’s Somebody,
Othello,
Amadeus,
Five Course Love,
The Syringa Tree,
Arranged Marriage,
Arcadia,
Cinderella,
Shedding The Tiger,
Tea,
On The Way To Love Starring Patti Austin,
Picasso At The Lapin Agile,
Always...Patsy Cline,
Having Our Say and
An Evening With Camryn Manheim,
An Evening With Danny Glover, and
An Evening With Ruby Dee & Kenny Leon. Shannon has directed at many theatres across the country, including Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre, the Seattle Repertory Theatre, A Contemporary Theatre, San Jose Repertory Theatre, Los Angeles Theatre Center, L.A. Theatre Works, Mixed Blood Theatre, the New Jersey, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, California and Oregon Shakespearean Festivals, and the Portland Repertory Theatre. In Europe, she has directed at Hydrama in Greece and assistant directed at the Old Vic National Youth Theatre in London. Ms. Shannon has taught at several universities, including the University of Southern California, the University of Washington, and the University of California–Davis, where she is a professor of theatre and also served as the associate vice provost for University Outreach. She has an M.F.A. in Directing from the University of Washington and trained as an actress in London, where she lived and worked professionally for six years.
Brian Sidney Bembridge
(Set Designer)
Brian Sidney Bembridge is a member of Lookingglass Theatre Company and Circle X Theatre Company, and an artistic associate of Timeline Theatre Company, Teatro Vista, and Uma Productions. Off-Broadway: Second Stage, Jean Cocteau Repertory, Kids With Guns Theater Company, Theatre at St Clement’s. National Tours: Chicago Shakespeare. Chicago: Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, The Second City, Court Theatre, Chicago Theater, Writers’ Theatre, Ravinia Music Festival, Drury Lane Theatre Water Tower/Oakbrook, Luna Negra Dance Theatre, Chicago Civic Ballet, Next Theater, Famous Door Theater Company, The Gift Theatre, Pine Box Theatre Company, Naked Eye Theatre Company, Bailiwick Repertory, Noble Fool Theatricals, Live Bait Theater, among others. Regional: Guthrie Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Children’s Theatre Company, California Shakespeare, Maltz Jupiter Theater, Two River Theater, Virginia Opera, Opera Omaha, The Arden Theatre, The Second City Toronto, Milwaukee Repertory, Madison Repertory, among others. Honors: five Joseph Jefferson Awards, five After Dark Awards including Outstanding Season, two L.A. Drama Critic Circle Awards, two Garland Awards and an L.A. Weekly Award. Mr. Bembridge was just named one of the five most prolific theater artists of the decade by Time Out Magazine. Film: Wallace Shawn’s
Marie and Bruce,
Holding Out,
Manfast,
Stray Dogs,
Late for Church,
Muppets from Space. B.F.A. from North Carolina School of the Arts, School of Design and Production. briansidneybembridge.com.
Anne Kennedy
(Costume Designer)
Off-Broadway credits:
Geometry of Fire (Rattlestick),
Floyd and Clea Under the Western Sky (Playwright’s Horizons),
Walk Two Moons (Lucille Lortel),
Cam Jansen (Lamb’s Theatre),
Opus, Boy (Primary Stages). Regional productions:
Light in the Piazza (PTC),
Sarah Plain and Tall (Dallas Theatre Center),
Durango (Cincinnati Playhouse),
Third,
The Sweetest Swing in Baseball,
The Clean House (Denver Center),
The Bluest Eye (Playmaker’s Rep),
The Glass Menagerie,
Lincolnesque (The Old Globe),
The Goat or, Who is Sylvia?, Proof (Arena Stage),
Living Out (Round House),
Nijinsky’s Last Dance (Berkshire Theatre Festival),
The Last Five Years (Philadelphia Theatre Co.),
Tooth and Claw (Arden),
Passion, Sunday in the Park with George (Sondheim Celebration/Kennedy Center). Helen Hayes Nominations:
Urinetown,
Side Show,
The Fix. Julliard School of Drama:
Arms and the Man,
The Misanthrope,
Othello,
Love’s Labour’s Lost. Artistic associate at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center’s National Playwrights Conference.
Mike Post
(Lighting Designer)
Georgia Shakespeare:
Julius Caesar,
Titus Andronicus,
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,
A Midsummer Night’s Dream,
Antigone,
Alls Well That Ends Well,
The Merchant of Venice,
As You Like It,
Metamorphoses (with Lis Lee). Georgia Ensemble Theatre:
Cotton Patch Gospel. Theatrical Outfit:
Cotton Patch Gospel,
Driving Miss Daisy. The Horizon Theatre:
13 of Paris. Gainsville Theatre Alliance:
The Wedding Singer,
Thoroughly Modern Millie. Actor’s Express:
Some Men. Theatre in the Square:
The Belle of Amherst. The Alabama Shakespeare Festival:
Rocket City,
Doctor Faustus,
Noises Off. Mike is the Production Manager at the Center for Puppetry Arts and has designed for The Montana Rep, New Stage Theatre, and Southern Arena Theatre. At the Alliance, he assisted H. William Grant on
Sophisticated Ladies and is happy to be back for another round. In 2010, Mike will be back at Actor’s Express with
Slasher and at Theatre in the Square with
Ethan Frome.
Clay Benning
(Sound Designer)
Clay has been the resident sound designer at the Alliance Theatre for 12 years and has designed more than 70 productions. He is also an associate artist at Georgia Shakespeare with designs for more than 18 productions. Other work includes the Atlanta Ballet:
The Great Gatsby,
big (featuring Big Boi); Cincinnati Playhouse; Repertory Theatre of St. Louis; Theatrical Outfit; Synchronicity Theatre. Awards: 2006, 2007 and 2009 Suzi Bass awards for best sound design. He is a graduate of Presbyterian College (BA), North Carolina School of the Arts (MFA) and a member of IATSE/USA829.
Rodney Williams
(Production Stage Manager)
R. Lamar Williams is an Atlanta native. Rodney received his undergraduate training at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU). His show experience at the Alliance Theatre includes
The Second City: Peach Drop, Stop and Roll;
Jesus Christ Superstar GOSPEL;
Managing Maxine;
August Wilson Full Circle: Gem of the Ocean and Radio Golf;
Doubt;
Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies;
Sleuth; the World Premiere of
The Women of Brewster Place; the World Premiere of
Sister Act the Musical;
Steve Martin’s The Underpants;
Jelly’s Last Jam;
Five Guys Named Moe;
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter;
A Christmas Carol;
The Color Purple;
Pacific Overtures; and
Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse. His most recent directing and assistant directing credits include Suzan-Lori Parks’
365 days/365 plays with Lov’n It Live Theatricals; assistant directing
Topdog/Underdog and
King Hedley II with Kent Gash;
Kings of the Dust (a reading) at The New Jomandi. Rodney is the production coordinator and music consultant for the Alliance Theatre’s Collision Project. Thank you Ti-Ti! J. Dawn 80 years or bust . . .
blog comments powered by
Jeff
posted on
2/9/2010 10:14:00 PM
Did we see a different play from the reviewers? This was one of the most disappointing plays we've seen on the Hertz stage. Instead of characters, you get caricatures. Instead of plot, you get propaganda. The program describes it as "thoughtful, hilarious, historical" but it is none of those. The British did not conquer by being silly, stupid, evil, and cruel but that's what they are in this play. And, to top it off, the playwright wants you to know they were effeminate too - 'wink, wink." In case you still don't get it, he has the British General dress as Hitler. The noble Palestinians spout poetry while the rich jews bribe them to silence them and buy up their land. There is no subtlety in this play and no wit. What a waste of talented actors.
Ernesto
posted on
2/8/2010 10:03:00 PM
I thought the cast was superb! The play itself is fantastically crafted, hilarious, tragic, and thought-provoking. I have never seen a play quite like it and I have never read or seen anything on this era in Palestine/Israel. It is worth seeing on many levels.
The playwright does have a Palestinian perspective but there is nothing inherently wrong in that, despite what we are told in this country. In fact, I thought the writing (and the acting) of the Jewish character in the play, Samuel Hirsch (played by locaL actor Andrew Benator) was nuanced, very human, and incredibly touching. I give a lot of credit to the Alliance for staging this unique and daring play. Bravo!
Maria Surprise
posted on
2/4/2010 8:43:00 AM
Do not miss the world premiere of this talented playwright. Ismail Khalidi has a true gift, using excellent dialogue and humor to convey one family's story during a time of conflict. The cast is superb. "Tennis in Nablus" is the best show so far this season!
Matthew
posted on
2/11/2010 1:22:00 PM
This production has it all - great story, great acting, drama, comedy and action. I was particularly intrigued because my Palestinian grandparents left their homes in Jenin (about 30mi from Nablus) a few year after the time period this play was set in. For me, it was a unique window into their experience, but the play was so good overall that I'd recommend it to anyone. I thought it was just simply amazing how well the playwright was able to walk the fine line between tackling such a serious, potentially politically polarizing topic and simultaneously keeping the audience laughing almost the entire way. All the characters in the play (Palestinian, Jewish, Irish and Indian) were portrayed quite sympathetically. The only two that were depicted negatively were the two British commanding officers, who were racist and made butt of many jokes. Even then, I think it's been pretty well established in the history books that the British did plenty of short-sighted double-dealing in an attempt to maintain and expand their empire. If you are a skeptic, look up the Sykes–Picot Agreement that led to the British colonial rule. Kudos to the Alliance Theatre for taking on this wonderful production. I really hope it gets people thinking, discussing and further researching this historic period in Palestine including the tragedy that soon followed soon befell the Palestinian people in the year that followed 1939.
Daniel
posted on
2/10/2010 8:42:00 AM
Tennis in Nablus makes fun of the British, and with good reason.; They did conquer half the world and there is no other way to do this than cruely and violently. The idea that they accomplished this feat with kindness, with rose petals and poetry is ridiculous. Imperialsim and colonialism are brutal and unjust and there is no way to put it differently. So Mr. Khalidi rightly examines the British role in messing up Palestine/Israel and alludes to their destructive role in Ireland, India and Africa as well.
Of cpourse, It is by no means a perfect play, either in its writing, direction or acting, but it is an entertaining and commendable effort on all fronts and manages to balance the history, comedy, and tragedy of the conflict and the characters with some success. Go see it and decide for yourself. But go with an open mind.
Terminus
posted on
1/31/2010 12:12:00 PM
The actors are superb. The dialogue is funny, the story well-told, and the atmosphere of the play remains light despite the serious subject matter.
The political message, however, which is directed heavily in favor of the Arab revolt and against the creation of Israel, is one-sided to the point of being offensive. The play is advertised as a portrayal of "humanity and complexity," but the British officers in Palestine are depicted as racist buffoons without any nuance. The local Arab rebels who are smuggling arms and bankrolling the intifada are treated as heroes.
I am also voicing these concerns through reviews posted at moneyjihad.wordpress.com and www.TheaterReview.com.