Theater Resources Unlimited to Present UN HOMBRE: A GOLEM STORY Starring Natascia Diaz & More

Theater Resources Unlimited is partnering with CreateTheater to present the fourth virtual edition of theTRU Voices New Plays Reading Series. The series marks a new partnership with Streaming Musicals and the new Milliron Media Group Studios,enabling TRU to have more sophisticated capabilities in the virtual presentation of new works for theater. Sunday February 25 at 4pm ET will mark the third and final presentation in the series, Un Hombre: A Golem Story byStephen Kaplan, directed by Farah Alvin, edited by Chris Chan Roberson, starring Broadway's Natascia Diaz, Tim Jones, Ben Sadowsky and Alycia Kunkle. 

Bob Ost, executive director of TRU, tells us: "After shutdown in 2020, TRU embraced the idea of the 'virtual' reading series and it has proven enormously successful in unexpected ways. Each of our creative teams this year approached the challenge differently. The team behind Un Hombre: A Golem Story seized the opportunity to push the limits of a Zoom style recording of the play, by engaging both a director and editor. They rose to the creative challenge imposed by the constraints of this medium, producing the edited video we will stream on the 25th."

Performance Details

Sunday, February 25, 2024 at 4pm ET

Wayward Creatives and Nima Mekala present

Un Hombre: A Golem Story by Stephen Kaplan,

directed by Farah Alvin

starring Broadway's Natascia Diaz, Tim Jones, Ben Sadowsky and Alycia Kunkle

Un Hombre: A Golem Story is a modern-day golem story about a recently widowed single mother who is struggling to resume her creative life as a sculptor after the untimely death of her husband. She makes a clay man that comes to life to serve as a Bar Mitzvah and Spanish tutor for her 12-year-old son who is grappling with his own grief and loss. As mother and son embrace the magic of this seemingly perfect solution to their problems, the clay man begins questioning his own existence and purpose, forcing all three to confront the truths they've been avoiding.

The play stars Natascia Diaz (Broadway: current Cabaret revival, Seussical, Man of La Mancha revival, The Capeman; off-Broadway: Rooms), Tim Jones (Sleep No More), Ben Sadowsky (A Christmas Story Musical tour), and Alycia Kunkle (A Child's Christmas in Wales, Shakespeare Theatre of NJ).

The reading will be followed by TRU's unique "Dollars and Sense" industry talkback featuring prominent commercial producers, artistic directors and general managers. Panelists will include Jane Dubin, producer (Is This a Room, Dana H., The Prom, Tony winning The Norman Conquests, Farinelli and the King, Bandstand, Peter and the Starcatcher and An American in Paris; plus off-Broadway Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey, The 39 Steps, Ann), Janel C. Scarborough, producer/creative investor (Single Black Female, Thoughts of a Colored Man, Tony nominated revival of for colored girls...), co-founder of TRU Diversity; Ric Wanetik, producer (Tony nominated Twilight Los Angeles: 1992, Broadway's Marlene, Off-Broadway's Jolson and Company) and senior advisor for America to the Royal Shakespeare Company; others tba.

The series executive producer is TRU executive director Bob Ost with managing producer IBen Cenholt of RuneFilms and tech consultant Tom Polum of Streaming Musicals. The series is administered by TRU literary manager Cate Cammarata and literary assistant Ross Milstead. For an overview of the series, visit https://truonline.org/tru-voices-details-and-history/ Tickets start at $12 for play only, $15 for play plus talkback and are available at https://truonline.org/events/un-hombre/.

Un Hombre: A Golem Story will also be available On Demand for a limited time after February 25, for 4 days only, dates to be announced.

CREATVE TEAM

Stephen Kaplan (Playwright) is a playwright whose work has won many awards in various presentations and productions nationally. Most recently his play Tracy Jones, was performed in a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere in multiple cities across the US. Un Hombre: A Golem Story has already been recognized with the following accolades - Winner: Barbour Award; Finalist: Gulfshore Playhouse New Works Festival, Jewish Plays Project, Wild Imaginings Epiphanies; Semi-Finalist: Bay Street Theatre Title Wave Festival of New Works, Ashland New Play Festival. Stephen serves as Northeastern Regional Representative for the Dramatists Guild National Council. He is also the recipient of a 2021 Fellowship from New Jersey State Council on the Arts. For information about his many other plays, their performances, and awards, please go to: www.bystephenkaplan.com

Farah Alvin (Director) is an award-winning vocalist and actress. She has appeared on Broadway in It Shoulda Been You, Nine, The Look of Love, Grease, and Saturday Night Fever. She has appeared Off-Broadway in The Marvelous Wonderettes (Drama Desk Nomination), I Love You Because, The Last Smoker In America, and most recently in The Jerusalem Syndrome. Her directing and development credits include Broadway Rising Star at The Town Hall, John Burns: Sock It To Me, Kate Chapman: Knock Knock and a variety of one person shows. Farah teaches at Molloy College's CAP 21 Musical Theater school and at Singnasium. Her albums someday and On Vinyl are available wherever you listen to music.

Chris Chan Roberson (Editor) is a 20-year veteran editor, digital content strategist, cinematographer, and college professor. He has been teaching cinematography and editing at Tisch School of the Arts since 1999 and served as NYU's Executive Director of Post- Production for over two years. Currently he is the Freshman Area Head. Chris was a contributing writer for Comic Book Resources and the Things. He also edits professionally and has worked with such talents as Sting, Billy Eichner, Nick Kroll and Christian McBride. In 2006, Chris won a Telly Award for his editing work with Robert Small Entertainment, where he edited for Comedy Central, Nick at Nite and The Biography Channel. From 2012 through July 2014, Chris worked at YouTube. He helped emerging partners devise channel strategy, increase production value, and develop their brand. On a regular basis Chris worked with such YouTube channels as The Key of Awesome and VSauce3. In 2023, his feature film Eleanor Slaughter made its debut, being accepted to over two dozen festivals, and won several awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Editing. He has launched Unprecious Studios with Thom Woodley, spotlighting smaller productions that often get overlooked by Hollywood.

Wayward Creatives Entertainment (Producer) is a creative incubator and marketing consultancy, focused on the theater and creative arts. Founded by Susan Casserly Griffin, Wayward Creatives helps emerging playwrights, composers/lyricists, filmmakers and theater companies find their footing and navigate the complex landscape of getting early work developed, produced and funded. We are privileged that this is our second time producing a Stephen Kaplan play, having produced a benefit virtual reading of Tracy Jones for The Bechdel Group in 2021. Other producing credits include The Goree All-Girl String Band and exec producing Sonata 1965, both at NYMF, and supporting the world premiere of The Big Blind, a noir radio play/musical by world renowned jazz vocalist Kurt Elling and Phil Galdston, which premiered at the Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center in 2019. Because "Art isn't easy", we strive to support the creators of new original work in their journey to reach each show's potential. https://www.waywardcreatives.com/

Nima Mekala (Associate Producer) is happy to be part of the team on this reading of Un Hombre: a Golem Story, having recently completed the TRU Mentorship Program. With a bachelor's degree in finance and marketing from New York University and a Juris Doctorate from Suffolk University Law school, she is eager to leverage her technical expertise with her love of theater to develop captivating stage productions.

CAST

Natascia Diaz (Rebecca): After performing Anita in New York City Ballet's "West Side Story Suites" her breakout performance on the subsequent national tour garnered critical acclaim internationally, earning Chicago's Jeff Award and St. Louis's Kevin Klein Award. Broadway: Seussical (Bird Girl); the 2002 revival of Man of LaMancha (Antonia) covering the role of Aldonza, performing opposite Brian Stokes Mitchell; and Paul Simon's The Capeman. Off-Broadway: Susan in tick, tick...BOOM!, Sondheim's Saturday Night (Second Stage), Esmeralda Agron in The Capeman (The Public Theatre), and the acclaimed revival of Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris. Regional highlights: Petra in A Little Night Music (Kennedy Center), Aurora in Kiss of the Spider Woman (Signature Theatre), Monica Miller in Rooms (Helen Hayes Award), Jacques Brel (Helen Hayes Award), Jenny in Threepenny Opera, Mrs. Gibbs in Our Town (Shakespeare Theatre), Betty #3 in the world premiere of Collective Rage, Sally in Follies (San Francisco Playhouse) Velma in Chicago (The Muny, St. Louis Critics Award). She won her third Helen Hayes for her "obsessively watchable and gorgeously sung" (Washington Post) turn as Fosca in Signature's production of Passion. Upcoming: Natascia will star in the highly anticipated upcoming Broadway production of Cabaret as Fraulein Kost.

Tim Jones (Adam) is a former Aerospace Engineer who ran away to join the theatre. Off-Broadway: Sleep No More. Regional: Seascape, Dracula, Holiday Memories, Godspell, Working: A Musical (Berkshire Theatre Group), A Christmas Carol (The Hanover Theatre). Rep: Davis/Spylios Mgmt. Thanks, as always, to family, friends and Meg.

Ben Sadowsky (Josh): Ben is so excited to participate with the Un Hombre team! Favorite credits include Dill (A Christmas Story The Musical National Tour), Mr. Wormwood (Matilda Jr., Broadway Workshop), Rousseau (Royal Blood Workshop Musical, Professional Performing Arts School), Ben/Lisa (Disaster!, French Woods Performing Arts Camp), J Finch Fletchly (Puffs, French Woods Performing Arts Camp). Ben is a graduate of Professional Performing Arts School Middle School and now attends LaGuardia High School in the Drama program. Ben would like to thank the entire cast and team of Un Hombre and Marc Tumminelli at Broadway Workshop for this amazing opportunity, as well as his wonderful family for all their support.

Alycia Kunkle (Stage Directions) Credits include The 39 Steps (Mile Square Theatre), A Child's Christmas in Wales (Shakespeare Theatre of NJ), and many workshops of new plays. Her voice can be heard in commercials on TV, radio, and online. Proud SAG-AFTRA, AEA. MFA Acting Ohio University. @AlyciaIsThatGingerGirl