Bouril, Crane, Reznikoff Lead OUT OF ASKJA At Planet Connections

Small Pond Entertainment is pleased to present the world premiere of OUT OF ASKJA, a magical, comedic love story written by Drew Larimore, as part of the 3rd Annual Planet Connections Theatre Festivity. The production will be held at The Robert Moss Theater, 440 Lafayette Street, NYC, 10003 for six performances from June 4-23, 2011. Jesse Edward Rosbrow will direct a cast of three, including Curt Bouril* (Bway: Accent On Youth, A Man For All Seasons), Jillian Crane*, and Peter Reznikoff* (Bway: Irena's Vow). AEA Showcase, pending approval. *Member, Actors' Equity Association.

What happens when Caroline Miller falls off a cliff of one of Iceland's most treacherous volcanoes and into the arms of a nearby cowboy? With an imminent eruption and a troll at every turn, getting out of Askja proves a mystical challenge of superhuman proportions. Welcome to Iceland! Leave your inhibitions at the door - and your secrets.

"I wrote OUT OF ASKJA in an attempt to bring the mystical world of Iceland to the American stage," explained playwright Drew Larimore. "In doing so, I've crafted not only a complicated love story, but a magical one in a place where trucks disappear out of thin air, trolls are the ultimate puppet masters and the chance to rewrite your own story, no matter how far along you are in your journey, is still possible."

Director Jesse Edward Rosbrow stated, "I love fairy tales - the old, dark ones - and Iceland's a great setting for a play with supernatural tricksters and mountains with agendas. It's a place where people really do still believe in superstitions like elves and trolls, and that they'll trick you and seriously screw you up if you let them. In OUT OF ASKJA, Drew has transcended the traditional girl-meets-guy story with clashing cultures, transforming trolls, and a sentient volcano. It's wonderfully theatrical, while keeping its truthful emotional grounding."

OUT OF ASKJA is presented by Small Pond Entertainment. Producers: Drew Larimore and Jesse Edward Rosbrow. General Manager: Andi Cohen; Set Designer: Eric Beauzay; Lighting Designer: Morgan Anne Zipf; Costumer Designer: Jennifer Raskopf; Publicist: Paul Siebold/Off Off PR.

OUT OF ASKJA plays for six performances on the following schedule: Saturday June 4th @ 1:40pm; Sunday June 5th @ 7:00pm; Thursday June 9th @ 6:30pm; Friday June 10th @ 9:00pm; Thursday June 16th @ 4:00pm; Thursday June 23 @ 6:10pm

Director Jesse Edward Rosbrow's directing credits include: the New York premiere of Václav Havel's Audience, Unveiling, Protest (John Housman Studio Theater); What Where by Samuel Beckett (The Ensemble Studio Theatre); the radio play Fallout (The Dreamscape Theatre); Mare Cognitum (FringeNYC 2008/Theatre of the Expendable); the first New York revival of Conor McPherson's St Nicholas, Almost Exactly Like Us, Mare Cognitum (2009), Three Sisters (in his own adaptation, performed by six actors), Dick 2 (a.k.a. Richard II), and 6:1 (Theatre of the Expendable). Jesse's production credits include: the New York premiere of Cherry Docs (nominated, three NY Innovative Theatre Awards including "Outstanding Production of a Play"), the first New York revival of Conor McPherson's St Nicholas, Almost Exactly Like Us, TotE's New Works Festival, Dick 2 (a.k.a. Richard II),The Tragedy of John, and The Ocean Is Big And The Sky Is Blue (Theatre of the Expendable); Get S.O.M.! (a three-company, three-play repertory season, with Theatre of the Expendable, Cross-Eyed Bear Productions, and Small Pond Entertainment); and "Hello, My Name Is..." (Living Image Arts, Theatre Row's Lion Theatre). He performed in Four If By Space (www.fourifbyspace.net). Other companies Jesse has worked with include: Roundtable Ensemble, Beacon Productions, Quo Vadimus Arts, and the Simon Studio Lab. His education credits include: BA from Vassar College, where he studied Drama (mostly directing) and Classics (mostly dead guys). Jesse is the Artistic Director of Theatre of the Expendable www.theatreoftheexpendable.org.

Playwright Drew Larimore is the creator of the Boston-based playwrights group The Red Hand Collective. Currently a New York resident, Drew is also a member of Circle East Theatre Company (formerly Circle Rep) in New York. His mini-musical, WHAHOO! is published through Heuer Publishing Company. His ten-minute play THE QUINTESSENTIAL RAPPORT was a finalist in the 2002 National Ten-Minute Play Competition and in 2006 his full-length TOUCH was awarded an EVVY Award for "Best Dramatic Script." He has received staged readings through The Blank Theatre Company, Ensemble Studio Theatre-LA, The Bridge Theatre Company, City Attic Theatre, Studio 42, The Acting Company & Artistic New Directions. Drew's short plays have been produced in New York and Australia, both with the Eclectic Theatre Festival in Midtown's Theatre 54 and the Short & Sweet New Play Festival in Melbourne and Sydney. Drew's short film, C U @ ED'S, was a finalist at the USA Short Film Competition and has screened in more than twelve festivals throughout the country, winning the "Audience Award" in the DC Shorts Fest. OUT OF ASKJA, was developed in the 2008 Telluride Playwrights Conference. Drew was a finalist for The Lark Theatre's Playwrights Week 2009, a semi-finalist for the P73 Playwriting Fellowship & also a finalist for the 2010 O'Neill Theatre Conference. A former member of Ensemble Studio Theatre-LA's Playwrights Coalition, he is currently a member of The Writer's Room, an urban writer's colony, in NYC. He is represented for playwriting through the Paradigm Agency and Headlong Entertainment in LA for film.

The Planet Connections Theatre Festivity is New York‘s premiere eco-friendly/socially-conscious theatre festival. Fostering a diverse cross-section of performances, the festival seeks to inspire artists and audiences both creatively and fundamentally, in a festive atmosphere. At the heart of the festivity are like-minded individuals striving to create professional, meaningful theatre, while supporting organizations, which give back to the community at large. The Festivity will take place June 1st through the 26th at Gene Frankel Theatre (24 Bond Street) and The Robert Moss Theater at 440 Studios (440 Lafayette Street) in New York City. www.planetconnections.org.

Tickets are $18 and can be purchased by visiting www.planetconnections.org.

The run time is 90 minutes with no intermission.

Cast Bios

Curt Bouril* was born, raised and educated in the great state of Iowa. He graduated from the University of Iowa Theatre Dept., then moved to Los Angeles for six years to work as a commercial TV and film actor (mostly surfing though). He relocated to New York three years ago to perform in a play, trading his surf board for a six story walk up, and he has never looked back West. Favorite credits: Broadway: Accent On Youth, A Man For All Seasons. Off Broadway: Guest at Central Park West, Tickets Please. TV: "The Onion Sports Dome," "Law and Order C.I," "Royal Pains," "All My Children," "Guiding Light," "Boston Legal." Film: Found In Time, We Are The Hartmans, The Take.

Jillian Crane* has performed in leading roles at The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The Huntington Theatre, Trinity Repertory Theatre, and New York Theatre Workshop where she played the title role in The Duchess of Malfi. Jillian created the role of The Woman in the Premiere of Sam Shepard's short play, It wasn't Proust at The Matrix Theater. Other roles include, Queen Anne in Circle X's Edward II at The Actors Gang, Beth in Dinner With Friends at The Vineyard Playhouse, Ophelia in Fortinbras at The 78th Street Theatre Lab. Her most recent film credit is "Great Kills Road," directed by the Dutch director, Tjebbo Penning. Other film credits include Election with Mathew Broderick, Hamlet with Campbell Scott, The Great New Wonderful with Edie Falco and Tony Shaloub, Godless with John Shea. "The Practice," "Law and Order Criminal Intent," and "Homicide." She is excited to be part of Planet Theater Connections Festivity 2011.

Peter Reznikoff* appeared on Broadway in Irena's Vow. Off Broadway: Irena's Vow (Baruch Performing Arts Center), Richard lll (New York Shakespeare Festival - two productions), Henry Vl, Romeo and Hamlet (June Havoc Theatre), Far and Wide (Mint Theatre), All The Rage (Manhattan Theatre Source), Harry The Hunk On His Way Out (Cherry Lane Theatre), EST's One Act Festival (Ensemble Studio Theatre), Three Men On A Base (Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre), The Lost Box of Utopia (Mabou Mines), The Caterers (Altered Stages), Compulsion (Van Dam Theatre), The Truth (Metropolitan Playhouse), Rhinestone (Richard Allen Center), Venus Observed (Verse Theatre), The Cold Wind and the Warm (Jewish Repertory Theatre), Pavilion (Provincetown Playhouse), Reflected Glory (45th St. Theatre), Troublemaker (Theatre for the New City). Regional Theatre credits include: Lyman in The Ride Down Mount Morgan (Stamford Theatre Works), Arturo Ui (The Hartman Theatre). Film and TV: Trojans, What She's Having, Dining Table, Marathon Man, The Quinns, "Guiding Light," "All My Children." New York based Voice-over/Narrator with many commercials and books on tape.

 

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