John Glover, Max Casella et al. Join Ellen Burstyn in Labyrinth's ATMOSPHERE OF MEMORY
By: Jessica Lewis
LAByrinth Theater Company has announced final casting for the World Premiere Production of The Atmosphere of Memory by David Bar Katz. Performances begin Saturday, October 15th with Opening Night scheduled for October 30th at Labyrinth's new home, the Bank Street Theater for a limited engagement through Sunday, November 13th.
Joining previously announced Academy, Emmy, and Tony Award-Winner Ellen Burstyn will be Max Casella ("The Sopranos," "Boardwalk Empire"), Kelley Curran (Angels in America, Henry V), David Deblinger (The Wood, Our Lady of 121st Street), Tony Award-winner John Glover (Love! Valour! Compassion!, Waiting for Godot), Charles Goforth (underneathmybed, Henry V), Paul Kandel (The Who's Tommy, One Flea Spare), Kelley Rae O'Donnell (Heal Me Television, The 24 Hour Plays), Melissa Ross (Our Lady of 121st Street, A Winter Party), and Sidney Williams (Little Flower of East Orange, Identical Same Temptation).As previously announced, Pam MacKinnon will direct the production, with Scenic Design by David Gallo, Costume Design by Emily Rebholz, Lighting Design by Dans Sheehan, and Sound Design by Brendan Connelly. The Atmosphere of Memory opens Labyrinth's 2011/12 season and tells the story of playwright Jon Stone, who has recently found the courage to write his masterpiece: a play about his upbringing. But when his actual mother is cast to play his mother on stage and his estranged father remembers the family history differently, Jon is forced to rewrite, not only his play, but his past as well. With twists hilarious and heartbreaking, playwright Katz (Philip Roth in Khartoum, Freak) turns Williams and O'Neill on their heads by imagining a world where the boundaries between life and art, fact and fiction, are as blurry as The Atmosphere of Memory itself.Tickets are now available at labtheater.org.Labyrinth is committed to making theater affordable and accessible to all of New York. Tickets for this production start at just $25.Following the successful Broadway engagement of the Tony-nominated Best Play, The Motherf**ker with the Hat by Stephen Adly Guirgis, Labyrinth has found a new home for its 20th season, taking up residence at the newly rechristened, Bank Street Theater (155 Bank Street), a Greenwich Village landmark, formerly known as The Cherry Pit. LAByrinth Theater Company offers an opportunity for theater patrons to become part of one of New York's most exciting theater companies with our LABPASS Membership. For just $35, LABPASS Members enjoy a host of exclusive benefits including steep discounts and pre-sale opportunities for all productions, advanced reservation privileges to our free Barn Series readings, Members only workshop performances of new plays, as well as invitations to special Member events throughout the year.For additional information, or to order a LABPASS Membership, visit the website www.labtheater.org.Ellen Burstyn is a member of LAByrinth Theater Company. Her illustrious acting career encompasses film, stage and television. She became a "triple crown winner" when she won an Emmy for her guest appearance in "Law & Order: SVU" (2009) to add to her Oscar win for Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) and her Tony Award for Same Time, Next Year (1974) on Broadway. Ellen has been nominated for an Academy Award five other times for The Last Picture Show (1972), The Exorcist (1973), Same Time, Next Year, (1979), Resurrection (1981), and Requiem for a Dream (2000). Her many theater credits include the Broadway production of 84 Charing Cross Road (1982), the acclaimed one-woman play Shirley Valentine (1989) and Sacrilege (1995). She received glowing reviews in Stephen Adly Guirgis' play The Little Flower of East Orange (2008), directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman at The Public Theater in New York. Earlier this year, Ellen appeared in London's West End in Lillian Hellman's The Children's Hour to rave reviews. Ellen was the first woman elected president of Actors Equity Association (1982-85), and served as the Artistic Director of the famed Actors Studio where she studied with the late Lee Strasberg. She continues to be active there as co-president with Al Pacino and Harvey Keitel. Academically, Ellen holds four honorary doctorates, one in Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts, a Doctor of Humane Letters from Dowling College, a doctorate from the New School for Social Research, and a doctorate from Pace University where she teaches in The Actors Studio M.F.A. program. Ellen lectures throughout the country on a wide range of topics, and became a national best-selling author with the publication in 2006 of her memoir, Lessons in Becoming Myself, published by Riverhead Press. In addition to a continuing and thriving acting career, Ellen is writing a screenplay, as well as planning a book of her photography accompanied by her favorite poetry.
Max Casella was a cast member of HBO's original iconic series "The Sopranos" for five seasons, playing "Benny Fazio," a loyal member of Tony Soprano's crew and was featured in the final episode. Max portrayed Nucky Thompson's nemesis, Leo D'Allessio, throughout the first season of HBO's hit series, "Boardwalk Empire." He can currently be seen starring in John Turturro's Passione, playing in theaters now. Max just completed Cogan's Trade with Brad Pitt, directed by Andrew Dominik. He recently starred opposite Richard Thomas in Timon of Athens at the NY Public Theater. He also just wrapped Somewhere Tonight with John Turturro. Other recent films include Revolutionary Road, Leatherheads and Big Momma's House 3. Max was in the critically acclaimed mini-series "The Bronx Is Burning" with John Turturro. He was Clov to John Turturro's Hamm in Samuel Beckett's Endgame at the Brooklyn Academy Of Music. Max also starred opposite John and Aida Turturro in Souls of Naples both Off-Broadway and in Naples, Italy. Max and John recently collaborated and co-wrote Fiabe Italiane which toured Italy in 2010. Max's work on Broadway includes The Music Man, playing Marcellus Washburn, and as "Timon" in the original cast of the Tony award-winning musical The Lion King. He received a Theatre World award for Outstanding Broadway Debut, as well as a Drama Desk nomination. Max first became widely known in his role as Vinnie on the hit television series "DoogieHowser, M.D.," produced by Steven Bochco. Roles in major motion pictures include Disney's Newsies with Christian Bale and Robert Duvall, Tim Burton's Ed Wood opposite Johnny Depp, Sgt. Bilko opposite Steve Martin, and Analyze This with Robert De Niro. He has also lent his voIce To roles in Disney animated features including Dinosaur, and the "Jak and Daxter" games for Sony Playstation. Max was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up in Boston, Massachusetts where he honed his skills as an actor in regional theater in productions such as Tom Stoppard's Night and Day and Cyrano de Bergerac at the prestigious Huntington Theater. Max is a member of the New York City based Rising Phoenix Repertory Theatre Company.
Kelley Rae O'Donnell: Member of LAByrinth Theater Company. Producer/Host/Creator of "WE Buzz with The Video Chick" for Women's Entertainment Television. Theater credits include: Heal Me Television (Labyrinth Barn Series), Action Philosophers!, The 24 Hour Plays, Rosa's Little Jar of Fear (+30 NYC), Cynthia & The Dreadful Kite, Fight Girl Battle World (Vampire Cowboys - NY Innovative Theater Award Best Ensemble). Films include: The Thorny Rose (Cherry Films - Kenny Hillman, Tricia Cooke and Carrie Schrader), The Saint of Avenue B, On Your Mark directed/written by Dylan Kidd, and Acme Pictures Summer Project directed by Michael Nigro and Perry Grebin. Melissa Ross: Melissa's acting credits with Labyrinth include Our Lady of 121st Street (wr. Stephen Adly Guirgis, dir. Philip Seymour Hoffman) and A Winter Party (wr. John Patrick Shanley, dir. John Gould Rubin). Her play Thinner Than Water was presented at The Bank Street Theater in the Winter of 2011 and she has received readings and workshops at 24Seven Lab, Electric Pear Productions, LAByrinth Theater Company, Manhattan Theater Club, and Rattlestick Playwrights Theater. Melissa is a graduate of Bennington College, a Lila Acheson Wallace Playwriting Fellow at The Juilliard School, a recipient of the Le Comte Du Nouy Award, and a proud member of LAByrinth Theater Company. Sidney Williams was the vocalist and bass guitarist for the punk rock power trio "homemade sin" from 1986 - 1991. As an actor he has performed Off-Broadway in Stephen Adly Guirgis's Little Flower of East Orange, Bob Glaudini's Identical Same Temptation, and Andrea Ciannevei's Pretty Chin Up. His other New York stage credits include Nothing from the Notebooks of Richard Foreman, Michael Puzzo's The Dirty Talk, Kelly Stewart's Mayhem, Craig muMs Grant's Paradox of the Urban Cliché, among numerous others. He has appeared in the films Haunts, Up to the Roof and Handsome Harry. His TV credits include "Law & Order,""Sopranos," "Ghost Stories with Rip Torn" and "Louie." He is a member of the LAByrinth Theater Company and The Actors Studio. At The Actors Studio Sidney participated in the Al Pacino and Estelle Parsons project "Oedipus" and the Opera "Dynamite Tonite!" directed by Rip Torn.
Photo Credit: Walter McBride/WM Photos
