The Well Theater Group Presents William Shakespear's Henry V 3/31

The Well Theater Group presents an equity approved showcase of Shakespeare's HENRY V directed by Sam Kahn. The production will start its run on Thursday, March 31st at 9pm. Performances are Thursday, March 31 through Sunday, April 10th; general admission seating $15. For more information please visit www.welltheatergroup.com. Performances are Thursday, March 31, through Sunday, April 10th; general admission seating $15. All performances will be held at the 45th Street Playhouse, 354 W 45th Street, New York, NY. To purchase tickets, visit www.smarttix.com.

Fearing factious lords and civil turmoil, King Henry the Fifth of England looks to foreign wars to unify his country. Claiming better lineage to the French crown than Charles, King of France, Henry rallies his people and invades the confident neighboring country. Surrounded by the French army and finding his soldiers sick and wounded, Henry learns what it is to be a king and realizes the most stunning victory of all: the capacity of the human spirit to overcome any obstacle. The Well Theater will start its season with an athletic rendering of the final play in Shakespeare's history cycle, this adrenaline-pumped epic war play.

"Henry V is ideal for our company because, at its core, it's a play about a young person taking on a responsibility that he is not quite prepared to handle," says Bix Bettwy, executive director of the Well.

The Well Theater Group was founded this year by Bettwy and an eclectic group of young actors and directors in New York, along with some teachers, a chocolatier, and even a reporter. Many of the company members have collaborated together before.

"When good friends make theater together, there's often this extra spark of energy and truth in performance that's hard to achieve otherwise." Bettwy says.

According to the group's web site: The wise ones knew that Veritas, the Roman goddess of truth, was extremely hard to find, often hiding herself at the bottom of a deep well. The Well Theater Group is an artist-run company that attempts to dive to the bottom of that well. We are a group of actors, directors, writers, and artists committed to creating work that both raises and answers questions. We mount new and previously produced plays in all stages of development, so long as they contribute to an environment of communal artistry, and are emotionally truthful and intellectually stimulating.

HENRY V features Aaron Bartz, Bix Bettwy*, Hannah Corrigan, Frank Franconeri *, Doug Harvey, Drew Lewis, Jenny Nissel and James Rees

* Indicates member of Actors' Equity Association

HENRY V plays March 31 - April 10th, Thursday and Friday at 9pm, Saturday and Sundays at 3pm.

***

DREW LEWIS (Henry) graduated from Kenyon College where he won the Paul Newman Award for Best Performance in Strindberg's Creditors by David Greig. NY credits: A Day in Gloucester (Reading), a new musical by Bob and Jim Walton directed by Lonny Price; Romeo & Juliet (Crash Theatre/Webster Hall). Other credits include: Tim in subUrbia; Carl-Magnus in A Little Night Music; Chandebise/ Poche in A Flea in Her Ear; Gloucester in King Lear in London. Drew attended the Ojai Playwrights Conference last summer. Thanks to my wonderful family and Emily.

Aaron Bartz (The Dauphin et al) was last seen as Edmund in King Lear (Southwest Shakespeare Festival) and as Malcolm in Macbeth (West End Theatre, NYC). Thanks to everyone at The Well for this opportunity. BFA-University of MT. www.aaronkbartz.com

BIX BETTWY* (Pistol et al/and producer) is an actor/musician/ composer. Now that he's in a theater company, he hopes to add 'director' and 'writer' to that list. As an actor, Bix is a proud member of AEA; he has worked at various locations in New York as well as regionally at The Old Globe, San Diego Rep, Yale Cabaret, Cohoes Music Hall, HRC Showcase Theater, and Lamb's Players Theater, among others. Currently he works as Ethan Hawke's assistant. BA, Yale University, and graduate of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop as a composer.

HANNAH CORRIGAN (Chorus, Quickly, Katherine) graduated from Yale University in 2009 and has been enjoying life in NYC since. She originally hails from Cleveland and attended LAMDA in London. Her most recent productions in New York have been The Sweet Cheat and Act The Fool at the Looking Glass Theater.

JENNY NISSEL (Boy, Anne, Montjoy). New York: Nuyorican Poets Café (Hee-Haw: It's a Wonderful Li_e), Bleecker St Theater (Bloodletters), The Red Room (Arrows). Regional: Yale Cabaret (Catastrophe and Others, Dark Rooms), Willamette Repertory Theater (To Kill a Mockingbird, The Miracle Worker, Midsummer Night's Dream). Education: Yale University (BA Theater and Psychology), BADA, LAByrinth, T. Schreiber Studios. Other interests: dramaturgy, running, cello.

James Rees (Exeter, Constable, Fluellen) is thrilled to be making his NYC stage debut with such an amazing show as Henry V. He is graduate of the Shenandoah Conservatory of the Arts. Having recently moved up from Richmond, VA, he performed in such shows as Romeo & Juliet, Amadeus, Winters Tale, The Foreigner, and others. He wishes to thank his wife, Jess, for her undying support.

DOUG HARVEY (Grey, Nym, Orléans, MacMorris, Williams) grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area where he worked at the California Shakespeare Theater and at A.C.T. A graduate of NYU's Tisch School, he also trained at the Stella Adler Studio and RADA. Recent New York stage credits include Walkabout Yeolha at Columbia Stages and Ampersand: A Romeo and Juliet Story at the Looking Glass Theatre. He would like to thank the cast, the Harveys, the Macks, and his buddies for their love and support.

EILEEN ARNOLD (Stage Manager): Eileen Arnold, a proud member of Actors Equity, is happy to be a part of Well Theater Company's debut! Eileen technically calls New York home but has spent much of the last two years travelling the country on five tours with TheatreworksUSA. She has also worked in NY for Hudson Stage, Metropolitan Playhouse, Algonquin Theatre Company and recently Off-Broadway stage managing Devil Boys From Beyond & serving as ASM on Savage in Limbo (Extension). As always, Eileen thanks her family and friends for their love and support. Love to JBJ!

TIM ELIOT (Dialect Coach) is honored to have worked with the WELL group on their inaugural production. He holds an MFA from the ART/MXAT Institute at Harvard, and a BA from Yale. Local credits: Men Go Down (Hotel Savant), Mad Forest (Columbia Stages), Red Beads (Mabou Mines), Rockberry (Jollyship the Whiz-Bang), Akropolis/Prototype (Andrew Ondrejcak), Hamlet (Gallery Players), The Girl Detective (Ateh Theater).

FRANK FRANCONERI (French King, Bardolph, et al) most recently appeared with the Oxford Shakespeare company as Leonato in Much Ado and Stephano in The Tempest. Other New York and regional credits include the Hudson Shakespeare Company, Urban Muse, and Milbrook Playhouse, among others. Film work includes "Addiction," "Silver Night," and "Pink Eye".

ANDREW ASH (assistant director) is an actor and connoisseur of chocolate and beer. New York: TheatreWorks USA (Max & Ruby), Queens Players (A Midsummer Nights Dream), Looking Glass Theatre (Ready, Set, Story!). Regional: Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park (A Christmas Carol, The Nina Variations, The Foreigner), Hangar Theatre (What Happened to Bill Viola?, Bluebeard, Two Donuts, The Wedding Reception). Film: "Please, Talk With Me," "The Cigar Collector," "Hares Eye," "Lost." Education: Yale University, Stella Adler Studio, Upright Citizens Brigade. Proud member of AEA.

JENNIFER ANGELA BISHOP (producer) Film: Missy in the "Human War" (imdb.com), based on the novel by Noah Ciscero, Johanna Perlin in "The Sparrow and The Tigress" (imdb.com), others. Theatre: Abby in So She Said, an original monologue play, Mabel Dancey in Loyalties (Unity Stage Company), Angelika in Imaginary Invalid (Ten Grand Productions), Antigone in Antigone (Plano Repertory), Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream (Plano Repertory). She is a native of Dallas, Texas, living in Boston briefly then San Miguel de Allende, Mexico for two years before graduating college and attending drama school in New York. Jennangelab.weebly.com

JOSH EHRLICH (music) is the choral director and music director of the theater program at the Golda Och Academy in New Jersey. As a member of the Collegiate Choral he has been fortunate to perform at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. Hes competed in barbershop competitions with the award-winning group, Voices of Gotham. He is also an avid composer and has arranged music for various singing groups, including a song featured on the compilation album The Best of Jewish A Cappella. He also enjoys various fruit juices and is a highly competent fruit-peeler, stretcher, and Tupperware owner. BA, Yale University.

Sam Kahn (director) is a free-lance journalist. His writing has been published in the New York Times, and his recent coverage of events in Kyrgyzstan has appeared in many publications including the Global Post and Radio Free Europe. He has been interested in the theater since high school and directed productions of Marat/Sade and Fool for Love while at Yale. BA, Yale University.

BRIAN REED (associate producer) is a public radio reporter and producer by trade. His work has appeared on This American Life, Morning Edition, and All Things Considered, among other national radio programs. He first ventured into storytelling through the theater, as an actor, a playwright, and most commonly a director in Yale's theater studies program. Brian's story-libido has propelled him to nearly every state, including a nudist resort in Florida and a fish processing plant in Alaska. Most recently, he reported from a tiny island country most people have never heard of, called Kiribati.

Mark RosenTHAL (fight choreographer) is an actor, stuntman, and fight choreographer based in NYC. He is a member of the United Stuntmen's Association and the Society of American Fight Directors. Mark has worked on the fight team of the San Diego Opera, and has choreographed 9 stage productions and 4 short films in the past year. To find out more, visit: www.mark-rose.com.

 

 

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