World Premiere of SUKKOT Comes to the 6th Act in January

THE 6th ACT has announced that Natalie Lander, Liza Seneca, Andy Robinson and Jonathan Slavin will star in the world premiere of SUKKOT, written by Matthew Leavitt (The Boomerang Effect) and directed by Joel Zwick (My Big Fat Greek Wedding).  SUKKOT will preview on Friday, January 12 at 8pm; will open on Saturday, January 13 at 8pm (press opening); and runs through Sunday, February 4, 2024 at The Skylight Theatre, 1816 1/2 N. Vermont Ave. in Los Feliz.

SUKKOT is the hilarious and heartwarming story of the Sullivan family, a half-Jewish-half-Irish-Catholic family attempting to rejoice by celebrating an obscure Jewish holiday that no one has ever heard of. One year after losing his wife to cancer, Patrick Sullivan is still unable to overcome his overwhelming grief, until a rabbi introduces him to the little-known Jewish holiday of Sukkot - the only holiday where God directly commands us to rejoice! Suddenly energized by the holiday, Patrick builds a sukkah (a Jewish hut) in their yard and forces his three grown children to celebrate with him as they gather at the family house to attend their mother’s unveiling ceremony. 

           

ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM AND CAST

MATTHEW LEAVITT (Playwright) is an award-winning playwright, director, librettist, and co-artistic director of The 6th Act. His most recent play, The $5 Shakespeare Company, was recognized as an LA Times Critics’ Choice. His award-winning play The Boomerang Effect is published by Concord Theatricals and has enjoyed numerous productions throughout the US and UK. He has been commissioned by LA Opera twice to write the librettos for two new operas, Orpheus and The Wreck of the Miranda (both collaborations with award-winning classical and film composer Nathan Wang). Directing credits include Hamlet (winner of “Best Director of a Play,” StageSceneLA Award), Legally Brunette (World Premiere - Garry Marshall Theatre in Los Angeles, 54 Below in NYC), Sonnets From Suburbia (World Premiere - HIT Fest and Hollywood Fringe Festival), The Scorpion and the Frog: a time killer (World Premiere - Hollywood Fringe Festival), Double Play (World Premiere – Stephanie Feury Theatre), Barfly Shakespeare (The 6th Act), Twelfth Night (Village Green Productions), The Taming of the Shrew (Village Green Productions), Arrival (Sci-Fest LA), Human History (Sci-Fest LA), Ladies of State (Working Stage), Goes The Weasel (Ammunition Theatre Company), as well as assistant director/dramaturg for Romeo and Juliet at A Noise Within.

JOEL ZWICK (Director) directed My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the highest-grossing romantic comedy of all time. Recent films include Fat Albert and Elvis Has Left the Building. Mr. Zwick directed the Broadway production of George Gershwin Alone at The Helen Hayes Theatre. He and Hershey Felder have also collaborated on Monsieur Chopin, Beethoven As I Knew Him and Maestro. Mr. Zwick began his theatrical career at La Mama E.T.C., as director of the La Mama Plexus. He has directed on Broadway, Off-Broadway and Broadway touring companies. Previous New York productions have included Dance With Me (Tony nomination), Shenandoah (Broadway national tour), Oklahoma (national tour) and Cold Storage (American Place Theater). He acted in the original New York production of MacBird. He directed Esther (Promenade Theater, NY), Merry-Go-Round (Chicago and Las Vegas), Last Chance Saloon and Woycek (West End, London). Currently, Mr. Zwick is recognized as one of Hollywood’s most prolific directors of episodic television, having directed over 650 episodes to his credit. Mr. Zwick has taught drama at Yale University, Brooklyn College, Queens College, Wheaton College, and the University of Southern California. He is a graduate (B.A., M.A.) of Brooklyn College.

NATALIE LANDER (Eden Sullivan) gained notoriety in the musical theater community after competing on MTV's Legally Blonde: The Musical -- The Search for Elle Woods. She recently turned her reality TV experience into a one-woman show Legally Brunette, which she has performed at the Garry Marshall Theatre in Los Angeles and 54 Below in New York City. Her subsequent TV credits include recurring guest star roles on ABC's “The Middle,” TV Land's “Lopez”, and TNT's “Major Crimes.” Other TV credits include “13 Reasons Why,” “911: Lonestar,” “Castle,” “That Girl Lay Lay,” “KC Undercover,” “Touch,” “Hannah Montana,” Lifetime’s “Killer Assistant” and Tubi’s “Classmates,” directed by Danielle Fishel.  

 Natalie has also voiced many animated and video game roles such as, Disney Junior’s “Goldie & Bear,” Hulu’s “Animaniacs,” Cartoon Network's “Craig of the Creek” and “Justice League Action” and Disney XD's “Spiderman,” “Final Fantasy,” “Saints Row,” “God of War,” “Fire Emblem.” and “Genshin Impact.”

           

ANDY ROBINSON (Patrick Sullivan) As an actor and director, Mr. Robinson has done all kinds of work on stage, film and TV for over 50 years. He trained for Shakespeare at LAMDA in London; apprenticed in regional reps; did backbends and flips with Joel Zwick at La Mama Plexus, which led to off and on Broadway; moved to LA for film and TV work and found solace in its theatrical community (especially at Mark Taper Forum, Antaeus, and Matrix Theatre); created and directed the MFA Actor-training Program at USC (Professor Emeritus); and wrote the published memoir “Stepping Into The Light” that tries to make sense of it all. Proudest achievement? His 50 years of marriage to Irene and the family they made together.

LIZA SENECA (Mairead Sullivan/Co-Artistic Director, “The 6th Act”) previously performed in Matthew Leavitt’s The Boomerang Effect at the Odyssey Theatre and The $5 Shakespeare Company (The 6th Act at Theatre 68). Also with The 6th Act, she adapted and starred in An Evening of Betrayal and most recently co-directed the fringe festival hit Sonnets From Suburbia. She is a member of The Antaeus Company where she received a Lead Actress LADCC nomination for The Caucasian Chalk Circle and an LADCC award as part of the Ensemble of Cloud 9. Other notable stage work includes Ameryka at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, Macbeth at Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Much Ado About Nothing at Kentucky Shakespeare, A Shayna Maidel at ICT, and the LA and NYC premieres of Pulp Shakespeare.         

On screen she is most known for her role on the cult FOX series "The Following" and has also been featured on "Grey's Anatomy" and "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," among others. She is a prolific voice over artist and you can hear her in countless episodes of television and film. Some favorites include "Ted Lasso," "Atlanta," "Elvis," "Ready Player One," and "Finding Dory."       

JONATHAN SLAVIN (Asher Sullivan) began his career in New York and performed in The Best of Schools at Ubu Rep, Lincoln Center and on Broadway in Wendy Wasserstein’s The Sisters Rosensweig. In Los Angeles, he appeared in the West Coast premiere of Larry Kramer’s The Destiny of Me.  Recently, he appeared as “Freud” in Howard Skora’s Freud on Cocaine at the Whitefire Theatre, and in the award-winning Home Front at The Victory Theatre.  Additional local theater credits include Matthew Leavitt’s The Boomerang Effect at the Odyssey and then the Zephyr, and Spencer Green's Arrival at Sci-Fest. On television, Jonathan has appeared as a series regular on “Dr. Ken,” “Better Off Ted,” “Andy Richter Controls the Universe,” “Union Square,” and voiced “Ogo”, a neurotic and slightly deranged robot, on the animated series “Robot and Monster.” He recurred on Netflix’s “Santa Clarita Diet,” “Speechless,” “Family Tools,” and “My Name is Earl.” Recent and/or notable guest stars include “Grace and Frankie,” “Pam & Tommy,” “The Neighborhood,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Friends,” and “Major Crimes.” Among his film credits are Starf*ckers, 

Marvelous and The Black Hole, Dirty Girl, Hard Pill, and A Cinderella Story. 

   

The Design Team for SUKKOT features Set Design by Mark Mendelson; Sound Design by Chris Moscatiello.  The Production Stage Manager is Rich Andrew.

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