Bryce Pinkham Leads Staged Reading Of THE NOOSE

Joe Pope and PopeFilms will be presenting a staged reading of THE NOOSE, a new play by Nicholas T. Proferes, on Friday, May 17, 2019 at 11am and 3pm at Ripley Grier Studios, 305 West 38th Street, Studio 312, NYC. THE NOOSE will be directed by Tom Caruso and features Bryce Pinkham (TONY & Grammy for A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE & MURDER), Marcia DeBonis (ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK), Martin LaPlatney (LAW & ORDER), Kara Lindsay (NEWSIES, WICKED), Jaygee Macapugay (SCHOOL OF ROCK) and Ray Lee (SMASH).

Henry Sterling, mid-thirties, former theoretical physicist, whose algorithms contributed to the 2008 global financial crisis, wearing an adult diaper so he will not make a mess, plans to hang himself in atonement for his part in the devastation which affected the lives of millions of people worldwide. As he places the noose around his neck and begins the countdown to oblivion, a screaming neighbor who has woke up blind convinces Henry to let her in. Once he does he goes back to the noose, but a Pandora's box has been opened. A movie director brandishing a gun and the actress he betrayed join Henry, when a black bank robber running from the police enters the fray. The stakes are raised. Someone could be killed. In this heated atmosphere the souls of the characters are laid bare: their passions, their morality, their dreams, and yes, decency where least expected.

THE NOOSE is directed by Thomas Caruso, whose recent Broadway directing credits include Groundhog Day, Matilda the Musical, Ghost the Musical and Bombay Dreams (Associate Director). Producer Joe Pope has produced several independent films, including Down the Shore staring James Gandolfini and The Drowning staring Josh Charles & Julia Stiles.

Nicholas T. Proferes, the playwright, is an experienced screenwriter. His screenplay Handsome Harry, directed by Bette Gordon, opened the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival. Nick was the Director of Photography and Editor on Wanda, a film that he wrote along with Barbara Loden that won Best Picture at the 1971 Venice Film Festival. He was also the Director of Photography and Editor on Elia Kazan's The Visitors. Nick has directed and photographed many documentaries, including Free at Last, a chronicle of the last three months of Doctor Martin Luther King Jr.'s life that won an Emmy and Best Television Documentary at the 1969 Venice Film Festival. Recently retired from Columbia University as a Professor Emeritus after over thirty years of teaching directing and screenwriting, he is the author of the book Film Directing Fundamentals: See Your Film Before Shooting published in 2017. The Noose is his first stage play.

Admission is free, but Reservations are required. Please RSVP at least one day in advance (or sooner) by calling (212) 381-6168, or by emailing cate@catecam.com. Please specify whether you would like to attend either the 11am or the 3pm reading, and the number attending.