Theater 88: con(fusion)
Summary
In the short play (con)fusion, Dan is a good man and Sadie is a lovely lady. Alas, they are both human and have fallen prey to the rituals and routines that eventually befall all those in relationships: they have stopped communicating with each other. They talk at each other, not to each other, repeating the to-do lists that occupy space in their minds. Now the bedroom, a sanctuary for seduction, has become a refuge of rejection between them. They bolt out of bed into the societal roles that entrap them until eventually they end up in the arms of strangers.
Written by Mark Dylan Brown and directed by Bernadette Armstrong staring Cynthia Gravinese Brown, Jeffrey S.S. Johnson, Leah Jarvik and Gareth Williams
con(fusion) was recorded at The Oak House Studio in Altadena, CA, Sound Engineer David Peters..
Writer: Mark Dylan Brown
Mark Dylan Brown
Mark Dylan Brown is the playwright. His previous plays include The Midsagittal Waltz, Simulating Flight, and Rosetta Stoned. He attended the UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television
Director:
Bernadette Armstrong & thank you to Sue Gisser…(who steped in for me as I battled my way through a blizzard in LA!)
Bernadette Armstrong has been writing, directing, and producing successful plays in North Hollywood since 2000. Her most recent success occurred under the direst circumstances, the COVID-19 pandemic. When the pandemic forced the closure of live theater, including the premier of her play Custody, Bernadette’s disappointment led her to launch a new theater venue, Open-Door Playhouse. Open-Door Playhouse is a Theater Podcast – similar to the radio dramas of the 1940’s and 1950’s. The Playhouse launched on September 15, 2020. At the time Open-Door Playhouse provided Playwrights, Actors and Directors a creative outlet during the shutdown. Since its inception, Open-Door Playhouse has presented over 80 new Short and 1ACT plays from Playwrights across the country and internationally. She’s thrilled to be working with the SkyPilot team, and appreciates the opportunity to direct her first live play in Los Angeles since the pandemic. .
Bernadette Armstrong
Cast:
Cynthia Granvinese (Sadie)
Born and raised in Philadelphia, PA, Cynthia attended the Philadelphia College of Performing Arts, and made her way to NYC where she studied at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She began working in a variety of Off-Broadway and regional theatres. In
Los Angeles, Cynthia had the pleasure of performing in one of her most memorable roles as Rose Weiss in A Shayna Maidel. In the comedy world, Cynthia became a member of the famed CANDID CAMERA improv troupe of actors pulling pranks and catching people.
off guard across the U.S. For 13 years she had the pleasure of running around the halls of Greystone Mansion in a red flapper dress, boa and high heels causing mayhem and havoc as the “saucy, hilarious, scheming British dance hall trollop”, in the smash hit, long-running show, THE MANOR, based on the Doheny family's infamous rise and devastating fall. Her love for dance and the diverse people she encountered at the local YMCA prompted Cynthia to write, produce and star in the award-winning, hit web series “MEET ME AT THE BARRE”. Currently streaming on YouTube, the series stars Cynthia, Pete Gardner, (from the Golden Globe award-winning show, My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), former Broadway dancer, Malinda Farrington, and Cheryl Harrington (Tulsa King). Cynthia will be seen in the upcoming Russo Brothers Film “Something’s More Than One Thing.”
Cynthia Granvinese
Jeffrey S.S. Johnson (Dan)
Jeffrey S.S. Johnson has made a career as an actor since the late 90s. Originally from Massachusetts, he has called Los Angeles home now for over two decades. He started his performing career with lauded theatre groups such as Critical Mass, The Evidence Room, VS.
Theatre, Sons of Semele, Moving Arts, Bad Puppets, Bootleg Theater, the Odyssey, FAKE Radio Players, the Celebration, and more, also in the Pacific Northwest with the Portland Center Stage. Film roles include roles in the Magazine Dreams (*Sundance FF), Helter Skelter,
Letters To God, Terminator Genisys, Good Grief (*award winner), Haunting Of Cellblock 11 (*award winner), Worth, The 6th Degree, Stellina Blue, A Coat Of Snow, Down Dog, (*award winner), Scorcher, Over The Shoulder (*award winner), and many more. Television appearances include Lovecraft Country, Bones, Criminal Minds, NCIS, Lie To Me, Burn Notice, CSI, Without A Trace, Barbershop, Boomtown, The Secret Life Of The American Teenager, Tremors, Unhitched, and more. Over the years, he’s become an accomplished voiceover artist in commercials, industrials, narration, video games, and the like. Most notably, Mr. Johnson has been the voice of TMobile since 2012. “Captain Black”, his debut as a feature film writer/director was featured in 11 film festivals worldwide, earning awards for Best Actor, Best Film & Best Direction. He has also been dipping his toes into producing film & music
Jeffrey S. S. Johnson
Leah Jarvik as the Bartender
Leah is a Los Angeles-based actress and a recent Seattle transplant. Recent theatre credits include Cybernella (Culver City Public Theater), The Fifth Wave and Blood Water Paint (Macha Theatre Works), I Did The Holidays My Way (Tales of The Alchemysts Theater), The Winter’s Tale, and Head Above Water… (Powerhouse Theater). During the pandemic, she has performed online with V.S. Theatre Company, AFI Conservatory, Station House, and the Secrets of Chekhov (LA); GreenStage, The Seattle Film Summit, Zelda Oasis Productions and Macha Theatre Works (Seattle); and Clamour Theatre Company (Florida). Leah completed a double major in Theatre and English at Haverford College, and is the current Literary Associate at Macha Theatre Works. Come visit at leahjarvik.com or on Instagram @leahjarvik.
LEAH JARVIK
Gareth Williams as The Older Man
Gareth’s career work spans across all mediums; Film, Television, and Theatre, working with icons from each. In Theatre, he has worked onstage with Martin Sheen, Laurence Fishburne, Marisa Tomei, Lili Taylor, Paul Giamatti, James Gandolfini, and many, many more. In Film, he has worked with Andie McDowell, Frances McDormand, Tim Roth, Steve Buscemi, Peter Dinklage, Annette Bening, to name a few. And in Television; Tom Hanks, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Groff, David Fincher, David Milch, among others. He has played a string of Dad’s to the likes of Katie Holmes, Emmy Rossum, and Jennifer Love Hewitt respectively on “Dawson’s Creek,” “You’re Not You,” and “The Time Of Your Life”. In 2014, Gareth started his own Production Company; Detroit Street Films, developing and producing several short films as an Actor, Writer, Director, Cinematographer, Editor, some of which were award winning productions.
Gareth Williams
Recorded at The Oak House Studio by Sound Engineer David Peters