Theater 83: Part Two- Just Playin’
Synopsis:
Lee Franklin’s play Just Playin’ PART 1 focuses on a group of men at a rustic cottage in Maine celebrating the 25th Anniversary of their regular poker game. PART 2: 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
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.
Rachel Berney Needleman
Cast:
Elizabeth Wells (Rachel)
Elizabeth Wells is the founder and co-artistic director of Theatre Unlimited in North Hollywood, California. She has appeared in and produced various productions in the Los Angeles area. A graduate of New York’s American Academy of Dramatic Art, she has also performed in stock and regional theater in North Carolina and Florida. TV credits include ANOTHER WORLD, ONE LIFE TO LIVE, and ALL MY CHILDREN.
Elizabeth Wells
Anne Cooper (Helen)
Anne Cooper, a member of SAG/AFTRA and AEA for over thirty years, has acted under the direction of many talented Film and TV directors. She is in the upcoming movie MARRY ME with Jennifer Lopez. She is a theatre consultant to LA GOAL, which provides services for adults with developmental disabilities.
Anne Cooper
Rosemary Thomas (Ruthie)
As an actor, writer, and part-time producer, Rosemary is now finding time to practice living life from a conscious, peaceful, and grateful perspective. In the TV arena, her most recent appearance was on Better Things. She’s done several National commercials, shorts, and a few films. Her first theater performance was playing Rose in Fences. She’s a proud member of SkyPilot Theatre Co., a volunteer member of Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival and so pleased to be involved with Open-door Playhouse.
Rosemary Thomas
Alexis Genya (Shelley)
ALEXIS GENYA. This is Alexis’s first project with Open Door and she is thrilled to have been a part of it. Most recently Alexis was seen as “Liza” in Inkwell Theater’s production of “LET.HER.RIP.” Her Los Angeles premiere garnered her an LA Weekly Best Performance award for Me and We, written expressly for her by Michael Patrick King. (Sex and the City.) Other Los Angeles productions include The Groundlings Main Stage and Holiday Dinner. Couerage Theater, Nicky, by Boni Alvarez. Chalk Rep, “Uncle Vanya”, “Flash Festival” and “Space Flash” at the Downey Space Center, where she portrayed NASA scientist, Margaret Hamilton, on the 50th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing. Guest Artists at Tulane University: Queen Margaret, Richard the III, Beatrice, View from the Bridge, Mrs. Prentice What the Butler Saw. In New York, she worked with 6-time Obie winner, David Greenspan, premiering Dig a Hole and Bury You Father, and Principia at HERE. TV work includes Masters of Sex, Unforgettable, and the SEAL Team pilot. She is the co-creator of “The Wish Book” published by Random House, now in its 3rd printing. As a producer, she was invited twice to HBO’s Aspen Comedy Festival with projects. One of her proudest achievements is working with video artist, Bill Viola in casting The Quinet of Remembrance, a short video. (Permanent collection Metropolitan Museum.) MFA from the University of Washington-PATP. BS from Marquette University. Proud member: Moving Arts Theater, AEA-AFTRA, SAG, WGA (Associate)
Alexis Genya
Noelle Evangelisti (Barbara)
Noelle received her MFA in Acting from the California Institute of the Arts. She was cast in the following major motion pictures: Terminator Two, LA Confidential, and Pacific Heights. Noelle has performed in numerous theaters in Los Angeles and one of her favorite and most memorable roles as Liz in The Philadelphia Story. She loves working on commercials and voiceovers and had a great time doing a radio play pre-Covid with the Screen Actors Guild. Enjoy and stay safe and healthy everyone!
Noelle Evangelisti
Sound Production:
Oak House Recording Studio in Pasadena, CA with Sound Engineer David Peters.
