Theater 91 Woman On The 97th Floor
Summary
About the short play Woman on the 97th Floor: There was an image, burned into the minds of some Americans on September 11th, when a man and a woman leapt out of an office window of one of the Twin Towers. They were holding hands. This is a fictionalized account of what may have happened, or what some people did that day, the moment before. It is a play about choice.Woman on the 97th Floor was written by Susan Kelejian, directed by Bernadette Armstrong, starring Gloria Tsai as Woman and Michael Fletcher as John Washington.
Playwright Susan Kelejian
Susan Kelejian
SUSAN KELEJIAN is the Artistic Director of Ojai Valley Artists Theater Ensemble (ovate.org), past AD of Equine Dell Arte 2013-2016 (Los Angeles), and Hourglass Figures 1999-2001 (Ventura County). As a classically trained actor, she has performed at the Granada Theater, Mark Taper Forum, Kingsmen Shakespeare, Will Geer Theatricum, Odyssey Theater, Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, Ojai Shakespeare Festival, The John Anson Ford Amphitheatre, Disney Concert Hall, J. Paul Getty Museum, and more. In her local town of Ojai, CA, she has acted in AEA shows: Harvey, Macbeth, The Tempest and the world debut Bless Your Heart (Martha, 4-Star award) by Richard Camp.
In addition to directing and acting, Susan is a multiple award- winning playwright, several of which have been produced including “The Painter’s Wife”, “The Tragedy of Boudicca,” “O, for a Horse with Wings,!”“The Gilded Lilies”, “Woman on the 97th Floor” and the most recent devised play for Women’s empowerment, “The FuryUs Collaborative Project.”
As an artist-activist, she believes in inclusion and supporting human rights around the world and strongly believes that the Arts can be a profound vehicle for personal and societal transformation.
Education: AADA west, BA Goddard College, MSW from USC, MFA from MUW
Director Bernadette Armstrong
Bernadette Armstrong
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 – like 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 Short and 1ACT plays from Playwrights across the country and internationally.
CAST:
Gloria Tsai as Woman
Gloria Tsai
Gloria Tsai is a Taiwanese-Texan actor/voice actor originally from Austin. After leaving a corporate career in 2015, she decided to pursue her childhood passion for performing and in late 2018 relocated to LA. In the Fall of 2019, Gloria was cast in “The Joy Luck Club” at Sierra Madre Playhouse (SMP), directed with LA Arts Commissioner & former East-West Players Artistic Director, Tim Dang. She returned to SMP in July of 2020 for a virtual production of “Yellow Face” by D.H. Hwang. And this past December, she played Clara Stanton in "Sex" by Mae West. Gloria’s VO career is just beginning! She completed her demos and narrated 2 romance novels in 2020. She has trained with famous vocal coaches: David Sobolov, Steve Blum, Bob Bergen, and Eliza Jane Schneider. Learn more at GloriaTsai.com or check out @glowtsai on all socials.
Michael Fletcher as John
Michael Fletcher
Michael Harvey Fletcher loves to perform whether it be on the stage or on the screen. No part is too large or too small for although he has played heavy hitters like Hamlet and Caligula, he's also played more quirky character bit parts than you can count!
Recorded at The Oak House Studio by Sound Engineer David Peters