Theater 82: Part One- Just Playin’
Synopsis:
Lee Franklin’s play Just Playin’ focuses on a group of men at a rustic cottage in Maine celebrating the 25th Anniversary of their regular poker game. The next day, their wives (in one case, an ex-wife) gather at the same cottage (after the guys have left) to play Mahjong. The Mahjong game is also marking its 25th Anniversary.
Writer
Lee Franklin
Mr. Franklin lives in the Portland, ME area. He has acted and directed in countless productions over his career, both as an amateur and professional. He graduated from UConn in 1974 with a BFA in theatre and lived/worked in NYC for nearly ten years. Mr. Franklin recently earned 1st & 2nd Place and Finalist designations for his one-act play, The Sea Nest, 1st Place and People’s Choice for another one-act play, Just Playin’, along with Finalist designations for Isaac, a two-act documentary play, and The Thesis, a two-act drama. He has also received many accolades for his short plays. Mr. Franklin is a member of the Dramatists Guild.
Lee Franklin
Director
Dennis Gersten
Dennis is co-artistic director of Theatre Unlimited in the Noho Arts District in L.A. He is a founding member of the Michael Chekhov Studio in L.A., and Stagewrights, Inc. in NYC, as well as a teaching artist with Inside Out Community Arts/P.S.Arts. He has directed and performed in many original and classic works, garnering multiple awards.
Dennis Gersten
Cast:
Gary B. Lamb (Stan)
Gary B. Lamb has appeared as an actor in more than 50 plays and musicals as well as on TV and film. He recently completed a National Tour of EVITA as Juan Peron and the title role in MACBETH for Shakespeare @ The Castle in Ohio. He can be heard on the recently released podcast DREAMLAND as Bruce. He has also been behind the camera directing several films including; THE BOX (over 5 million hits on youtube); THE BUG A CREEPY COMEDY; ROOMMATE RULES and most recently FITZWATER & MUTTON, A BUDDY FILM. His Voice-Over work includes several animated series and dubbing on several Columbian Novellas. Gary has been a stage actor/director/producer for most of his life. Repair at www.GBLambMusic.com. Available on iTunes and Amazon.
Gary B. Lamb
David Purdham (Glen)
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.
David Purdham
Allan Wasserman (David)
Allan Wasserman celebrates fifty years as a working actor in many feature films ...such as Suburbicon playing opposite Matt Damon and directed by George Clooney and Funny People opposite Adam Sandler and directed by Judd Apatow and many more. His numerous television appearances include recurring guest star work as Rabbi Sherman on the upcoming series The Shrink Next Door opposite Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd, Hunters as well as the F/X pilot Gone Hollywood, and numerous guest stars on Arrested Development, Castle, Two Broke Girls, Bones, The Office, ER, The Sopranos, Boston Legal, Las Vegas, Sex and the City, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Seinfeld. On stage Allan performed on Broadway in The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel with Al Pacino and in many plays in numerous theaters around the country. Allan is an alto saxophonist, vibraphonist and bandleader of The Allan Wasserman Jazz Ensemble.
Allan Wasserman
Rick Friesen (Dick)
Rick Friesen: Broadway: Fyedka in Fiddler on the Roof (“Is Friesen the only one who can act around ?” –Zero Mostel). Off and off-off Broadway, he was a member of the Open Theatre and other avant-guardish theatre groups. The Traveler (Taper), Chinamen (Best Acting Achievement of ‘87 - L.A. Times), Death of a Salesman, No Exit, Nice Fish. He has been directed by Joe Chaiken, Ruth Mitchell, Jerome Robbins and Viveca Lindfors. He has shared stages with F. Murray Abraham, Scott Bakula, Fivish Finkle, Cheech Marin, Billy Barnes, Theo Bikel, Judd Hirsh, and John Glover. He is also an accomplished visual artist (painting and sculpture), graphic designer, photographer, playwright, published poet, cab driver, postal worker, etc. He is the owner of birdbrain Arts, serving the visual art and theatrical communities with photography and graphic design. He is married to acclaimed actress & writer Stephanie Satie.
Rick Friesen
James Gleason (Chip)
JAMES GLEASON- Broadway: An Act of God, The Miser,. off-Broadway: curse of the starving class, The Battle-for the pentagon papers;Los Angeles Theatre: Mark Taper - stuff Happens (US premiere), Histoty of American Flm; Geffen - The weir;Regionar: streamers, speed-The-plow, snoopy(original cast & Cast Recording), Counselor-At-Law, State of the (Jnion. Tours: LATW- Top secret. Television: Modern Famiry, Frasier, ER, First Monday, Days and lVights of Molly Dodd etc; Film: Mother, Revenge of the IVerds, The World,s Greatest Love, Rules Don't Appty Starred in and wrote the play ACT1R UI4DER FIRE which was a semi- finalist at the Eugene o'Neill Theater Festival. Member of the Groundlings ( 1 97 7 -198 1 ). wwwjimmytheg
James P Gleason
Sound Production:
Oak House Recording Studio in Pasadena, CA with Sound Engineer David Peters.
