Theater 93 How We Heal
Summary
In the short play How We Heal, Andrea is a 30-something woman who uses a chakra yoga meditation to tell the story of her past and how she's turned experiences of abuse over in her mind to heal. She addresses her parents and ex-boyfriends from childhood through young adulthood on her journey to realizing she was always okay, exactly as she was.
Written by Amanda ReCupido and directed by Rachel Berney Needleman staring Monique Gonsalves as Andrea, Camilla Ameen as Mom , David Purdham as Dad and Peter Bonoff as Max.
Plays are produced by Bernadette Armstrong at The Oak House Studio in Altadena, CA with Sound Director David Peters.
Open-Door Playhouse is a 501c3 organization, donations are tax-deductible. . Playwright Amanda ReCupido
Amanda ReCupido
Amanda ReCupido is the playwright. A graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University, she is the author of a musical parody, Sex and the Windy City. She is a member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Associates Board
Directed by Rachel Berney Needleman
Rachel Berney Needleman
Rachel Berney Needleman is a director and dramaturg for new plays and classical work. As a director: 4 Minutes by DJ Hills (MeetCute LA 2022), Playground-LA (2021-22 Season), Theresa Rebeck’s What We’re Up Against (Pacific Resident Theatre Co-op), Cabaret Noel with Gigi Bermingham (Antaeus Theatre Co. and Skylight Theatre), Five Second Chances by Mattie Brickman (PRT Co-op), Cowgirls by Mildred Lewis (EST-LA), The Space Between (The Braid). Rachel has directed new play readings and workshops at The Blank, EST-LA, Skylight and Theatricum Botanicum. Her dramaturg credits include Antaeus (Diana of Dobson’s, Cloud 9, Henry IV) and Arizona Theatre Company (At Wit’s End). Rachel is also a co-author of the LA Anti-Racist Theatre Standards.
CAST:
Monique Gonzalves as Andrea
Monique Gonsalves
Monique Gonsalves is thrilled to perform in her first podcast play production with Open Door Playhouse. She holds a BA in Theater Arts with an Emphasis in Acting from the California State University of Fullerton. She has enjoyed success as a Children’s Theater Director for Town Hall Kids at the Town Hall Theater in Lafayette, CA. As well as her extensive experience as a costume character performer ranging from Princess Parties as Barbie and Cinderella to singing telegrams as Betty Boop and various events as a Marilyn Monroe Impersonator. After many years of moving across America and living and loving in some of its greatest cities like Chicago and New York- she is happy to be back on the best coast ardently pursuing the dream in Hollywoodland
Camille Ameen as Mom
Camille Ameen
Camille has acted on Broadway, off-Broadway & major regional theatres. Most recently, she appeared in Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders and Gilmore Girls. Other TV shows include ER, L.A. Law, Newhart, Roseanne, and Kate & Allie. She had the pleasure of performing in Othello, starring James Earl Jones and Christopher Plummer, Garland Wright/Jack Heifner's Colette: Music Hall Sidelights with Kathy Bates, Awake and Sing opposite Nancy Marchand, Miss Julie & The Stronger with Rip Torn and Geraldine Page, Pirandello's Chee-Chee with Actors Theatre of Louisville, and 2 productions each of A Streetcar Named Desire and The Three Sisters. She co-founded a theatre-based non-profit for underserved middle schoolers, which became so successful (went to the White House to accept an award for the organization) that she had to let go of other passions. Now, she's thrilled to be acting again with Open-Door Playhouse. She's extremely grateful for the opportunities she's received.
David Purdham as Dad
David Purdham
As a professional actor and director, David Purdham has worked extensively in theatre on and off Broadway, in many of the great resident theatres in our country(including New York Shakespeare Festival, Roundabout Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Club, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Old Globe- San Diego, Yale Repertory Theatre, American Repertory Theatre, Long Wharf Theatre, Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Pasadena Playhouse, Williamstown Theatre Festival) as well a lot of television and film during the last 45 years. He is a member of the NEW AMERICAN THEATRE, and directs The Tempus Theatre Group’s Classical Play reading series (an exploration by professional actors of the evolution of theatre from the Greeks forward.) There is a nice Television Series on HBO - “Winning Time”, in which he plays Larry O’Brien, the commissioner of the NBA.
Peter Bonoff as Max
Peter Bonoff
Peter Bonoff is an actor and musician from Portland, Oregon. He received his B.F.A. in Acting from California Institute of the Arts (Calarts). He made his onscreen debut in the feature film adaptation of William Faulkner's classic novel The Sound and the Fury, directed by James Franco. Recently, he starred in the pilot episode of the upcoming series Influence, written and directed by Max Del Rio and Matt Reesing. He was last seen onstage playing Claudio in Measure for Measure at the New American Theatre. He is currently based in Los Angeles.