Edward Albee's THE GOAT Reboots The 'From A To Zoo' Staged Reading Series in Teaneck

In association with The Estate of Edward Albee, Black Box will present a staged reading of Edward Albee's THE GOAT (2002) on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, 7:30PM at Debonair Music Hall: 1409 Queen Anne Road b/w State Street and Walraven Drive in Teaneck, NJ 07666.  Please reserve seats for FREE at www.debonairmusichall.com. 

In the winner of the Drama Desk Award for Best New Play 2002 and the Tony Award for Best Play 2002, Martin—a successful architect—leads an ostensibly ideal life with his loving wife and teenage son. But when he confides to his Best Friend that he is also in love with a goat, he sets in motion events that will destroy his family and leave his life in tatters.  The dynamic  performance will feature Black Box mainstays Justin Jager, Alexandra Brokowski, 

J Niles and Mark Riccadonna, with Ilana Schimmel providing stage directions.  Following the show, join us for conversation with the cast, director Matt Okin, and Jakob Holder, Executive Director of The Edward F. Albee Foundation and Mr. Albee's longest serving assistant. 

From the masterworks to the rarely seen, the curated monthly 'From A To Zoo' series began in May 2023 with THE SANDBOX and THE AMERICAN DREAM, and continued with FINDING THE SUN and MARRIAGE PLAY in June, THE MAN WHO HAD THREE ARMS in July, MALCOLM  in August, and COUNTING THE WAYS and LISTENING  in September, FRAGMENTS (A SIT-AROUND) in October, and a special workshop presentation of THE STATE OF UNIONS: MARRIAGE PLAY & COUNTING THE WAYS was featured for November, December highlighted THE PLAY ABOUT THE BABY, THE LADY FROM DUBUQUE was performed in January, EVERYTHING IN THE GARDEN was read in February, AT HOME AT THE ZOO was featured in March, and ME, MYSELF & I was presented in April, ALL OVER was the focus for June, and SEASCAPE was performed in July.  An "encore" of sorts, a special one-night-only benefit staged reading of FRAGMENTS featured Oscar winner  F. Murray Abraham in early Spring. For 2025, the series will continue in the latter part of each month in Teaneck...

Edward Albee was born on March 12, 1928, and began writing plays 30 years later. His plays include THE ZOO STORY (1958), THE DEATH OF Bessie Smith (1959), THE SANDBOX (1959), THE AMERICAN DREAM (1960), WHO'S AFRAID OF Virginia Woolf? (1961-62, Tony Award), TINY ALICE (1964), A DELICATE BALANCE (1966, Pulitzer Prize; 1996, Tony Award), ALL OVER (1971), SEASCAPE (1974, Pulitzer Prize), LISTENING (1975), COUNTING THE WAYS (1975), THE LADY FROM DUBUQUE (1977-78), THE MAN WHO HAD THREE ARMS (1981), FINDING THE SUN (1982), MARRIAGE PLAY (1986-87), THREE TALL WOMEN (1991, Pulitzer Prize), FRAGMENTS (1993), THE PLAY ABOUT THE BABY (1997), THE GOAT OR, WHO IS SYLVIA? (2000, 2002 Tony Award), OCCUPANT (2001), AT HOME AT THE ZOO: (ACT 1, HOMELIFE. ACT 2, THE ZOO STORY.) (2004), and ME, MYSELF & I (2008). Mr. Albee was awarded the Gold Medal in Drama from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters in 1980.  In 1996 he received the Kennedy Center Honors and the National Medal of Arts.  In 2005, he was awarded a special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Matt Okin (Director) is currently directing ANNABEL'S SISTER by George Kolber, the writer/producer of the 2023 feature film 'Miranda's Victim'. Recent theatrical directing credits include Sam Shepard's ACTION, the U.S. Premiere of LITTLE OCEAN, and THE UNSEEN HAND; each monthly installment of 'From A To Zoo: An Exclusive Staged Reading Series of Edward Albee's Plays' in New Jersey; the initial workshop of THE LOST YEARS by John Patrick Shanley; 1+1 by Eric Bogosian; IMAGINARY COMFORTS by Daniel Handler a.k.a. Lemony Snicket;  THE CLEOPATRA CLUB by Paul Schrader; EXPOSED by Beth Henley; and Edward Albee's THE PLAY ABOUT THE BABY. His original plays showcased in NYC, NJ, and on tours include CHERRY HILL; BELTSVILLE/ROCKVILLE, PART ONE: RISE OF THE GOATMAN; #ONEINNOCENTWOMAN; TWIST OF FAITH; and WALTER LIKED TO SIT IN HIS BIG BACKYARD. Original musicals include SOUL SEARCHING -- which is currently being redeveloped and revived for NYC -- and the long-running A MATCH MADE IN MANHATTAN: THE INTERACTIVE JEWISH WEDDING EXPERIENCE. Matt received a BFA in Dramatic Writing from New York University's Tisch School of The Arts where he studied with the likes of Maria Irene Fornes, Len Jenkin, Martin Epstein, Jan Hartman, Leslie Lee, Charlie Purpura, and Gary Garrison; he is the founder of Black Box and a long-time Teaching Artist for select theater programs for teens and adults in Bergen County NJ. Matt's new comedy screenplay, 'Issues', is in active development. 

Justin Jager (MARTIN) is a NY based actor, writer, and director. Recent creative credits include writing, directing, and starring in his original play ONE MAN SCREAMING and directing the NY debut of Carly Polistina's NOSEBLEED. Acting credits include starring in Black Box's GUILTY PLEASURES by Ken Levine (Larry) and Edward Albee's THE MAN WHO HAD THREE ARMS (Himself), as well as Connecticut Repertory Theatre's THE CURIOUS INCIDENT… (Man With Socks), and SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE (Wessex). His original sitcom pilot, 'The Startup', is currently in post-production.

Alexandra Brokowski (STEVIE) is a stage actor, mover, and voice over artist. Recent credits include Grumio in TAMING OF THE SHREW and Heffy in THE 100 ACRE WOODS at Columbia University, Woman #2 in Edward Albee's FRAGMENTS and Ann in Edward Albee's AT HOME AT THE ZOO at Black Box. She is also co-owner at her own production company, Learning Curve Productions, where she has produced and starred in their new sitcom pilot, 'The Startup'. 

Mark Riccadonna (ROSS) is a graduate of The American Academy of Dramatic Arts who has built a diverse and prolific career as an actor, voice-over artist, writer, comedian, producer, and director. Known for his ability to connect with audiences through humor, Mark has toured globally, performing in theaters, clubs, and for the USO and Armed Forces Entertainment, earning him a Travel Column "Dad Trippin" in Today's Man Magazine and contributions to Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update. He has performed on the "Monsters of Rock Cruise," "Disney Cruise Lines," Fox's "Laughs," "Red Eye," "Live at Gotham," and a recently released "Dry Bar Comedy Special." Over two decades of touring, he found time to thrive as a talk radio host, perform in the Off-Broadway hit HAPPY IN THE POOR HOUSE. and work on several films as an actor, director, and producer. 

J Niles (BILLY) has extensive experience on-camera, on stage, and in the voiceover booth. Highlighted theatrical credits include: Edward Albee's FRAGMENTS (Man 1, alongside F. Murray Abraham), SKUNKWEED (Boner, alongside Kevin Corrigan), THE PILLOWMAN (Michel), Edward Albee's THE PLAY ABOUT THE BABY (Boy),  THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD (Neville), and THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST (Jack). Highlighted film credits include: 'Secrets of Eternity' (YouTube), 'Paper' (Amazon Prime), 'Playing the Long Game' (IMDb), 'The Pink Carnation' (MSU) and more. 

Ilana Schimmel (STAGE DIRECTIONS) is an NJ/NYC based artist. She graduated from Montclair State University with a B.A in Theater Studies. Recently, she has been an actor and producer for her queer women art collective Adult Children, and has been developing an immersive installation, “girlz night in: rated r”, that was featured live at the ChaShaMa Gala in NYC as well as a film adaptation of the piece at The Edvarie Gallery during Art Week in SoHo. Highlighted credits: Edward Albee's FRAGMENTS (Woman 1) performed alongside F.Murray Abraham. Sam Shepard's THE UNSEEN HAND (Wille), Edward Albee's THE PLAY ABOUT THE BABY (GIRL), FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (Tzeitel), FAT MEN IN SKIRTS (Pam/Popo Martin), THE PILLOWMAN (Ariel), and THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST (Gwendolyn). 

Debonair Music Hall is a live music venue that brings the best national touring acts and local bands to Teaneck, NJ. Enjoy delicious food and drinks while you experience the electrifying energy of live music: www.debonairmusichall.com. @DebonairMusicNJ on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. (Debonair is adjacent to free street and municipal lot parking, and the venue offers accessible ground floor entry.)

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