DECADENT ACTS

Genre: Drama
Written and Directed by Ashley Marinaccio

Set in late 1980s New York City, Decadent Acts chronicles the story of a lesbian couple struggling against legislated discrimination. When television personality Farah White falls fatally ill, her partner, professor Jolene Shatila, along with their daughter Nicole, are faced with unexpected challenges that will change their lives forever. From child custody laws, to hospital visitation rights, Decadent Acts spotlights the harsh reality of discriminatory regulations against same-sex partners, plunging emotional and political depths with grace and searing honesty. At a time when the push for full equality is finally building real momentum across the country, this play couldn’t be timelier.


About the Company: Co-Op Theatre East

Founded in 2008, Co-Op Theatre East (COTE) creates theatre for social change. COTE provides an entertaining performance forum in which to ask evocative, challenging questions of artists and audiences on our way to creating collaborative answers. www.cooptheatreeast.org. 

Open:   04/22/10
Close:   04/25/10

Schedule:
April 22nd, 23rd, 24th and 25th at 8:00pm
April 24th and 25th at 2:00 pm
Theater:   Beckmann Theatre @ American Theater Of A
Address:   314 West 54th Street, 2nd floor bet
New York, NY 10019
Google Maps
Cost:$18 General/$15 Valid Student ID
Buy Tickets Online or Call: SmartTix at 212-868-4444
Company: Co-Op Theatre East         Official Web Site: www.cooptheatreeast.org
Anna Savant Dr. Jolene Shatila

  Originally from San Francisco, Anna has lived and performed in Munich, Tokyo and in various cities around the United States. Favorite roles include M’Lynn in Steel Magnolias, Ruth in Blithe Spirit, Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hecuba in The Trojan Women Redux and Dr. Jolene Shatila inDecadent Acts (Outstanding Actress nomination, Planet Connections Theatre Festivity). She studied classical theater at ACT in San Francisco, is a graduate of the New Actors Workshop in New York and is a member of the ensemble of Co-Op Theater East and the Killington Shakespeare Retreat. You can find her at www.annasavant.com. 

Hannah Rose Barfoot Farah White

Hannah is a native of Kansas City,MO and most recently a resident of Iowa City, IA where she received her MFA in Acting from The University of Iowa. She is still new to NYC and proud to be working with COTE for the first time. Some of her other credits include Sabrina in Sabrina Fair (Bell Road Barn Players), Standing Tall (tour-Iowa Tent Theatre), Mrs. Van Buren in Intimate Apparel, and Versailles (with David Schweizer). Hannah is blessed to have never been faced with this kind of discrimination and she dedicates this show to all those men and women still struggling. She's hopeful that one day a play like this will be completely irrelevant. Thanks to COTE, the cast and crew of Decadent Acts,old friends, new friends andher impossibly supportive family. Love you Mama, Dad, Jane, and Sam.

Beatrice Miller Nicole White

11 year old Beatrice was born in NYC and has been acting, modeling and singing professionally for 3 years. Her feature film and prime-time TV credits include a starring role in the Ridley and Tony Scott-produced thriller, "Tell Tale," "Confessions of a Shopaholic," the CBS holiday special, "Yes Virginia," the forthcoming “Toy Story 3,” "Ice Age 3," and “Saturday Night Live." She has also starred in numerous independent short films and participated in staged readings of plays and film scripts, including the staged reading of "Decadent Acts" and has performed with "The GirlPower Ensemble," also directed by Ashley Marinaccio. Beatrice is a seasoned voice over actress, lending her voice to characters in feature films, animated TV shows and commercials. She has performed live, singing at the U.S. Tennis Open and is currently working on her R&B, rock and pop repertoires.

Mike Callahan Roger White

  Mike Callahan is pleased to be playing the role of Merriman in “The Importance Of Being Earnest”.  In 2010, having never been on a stage, he auditioned for what he thought was a  reading , and was given the role of the “bigoted father” Roger White in the COOP Theater East production of“Decadent Acts”. Oops! Shortly thereafter he enrolled in classes at The Einhorn School of Performing Arts( ESPA). Since then he has stubbornly persisted in attempting to become an actor. His next effort included the roles of “the Player King and the Gravedigger” in the Beautiful Soup production of “Hamlet”.  Most recently he was Big Jake in RAL Production’s “What Flood Means in Football”, Truman’s Alter Ego in “Strike” at the Culture Project Impact Festival, and had various roles in last years “One Minute Play Festival” at Primary Stages. Mike’s day job? Voice over guy.

Joanie Fritz Zosike Mindy White

Joanie Fritz Zosike has performed with The Living Theatre in over 15 productions, multiple street theatre works and 10 international tours. She's co-director, with Mort Kroos, of DADAnewyork (a DADA/surrealist theatre company) and co-founder/co-director, with Lois Kagan Mingus, of Action Racket Theatre (ART), a company that performs and presents workshops for people from 1 to 100. One of ART's most cherished achievements is establishing a resident theatre company, Young at Art, at Beth Abraham Adult Day Health Care in the Bronx. Recent roles include "Ruth" in Brunch at the Luthers at Theater for the New City (TNC), the "Nurse" in Medea at Le Jardin Petit Versailles, and "Chloe" in Wade Savitt's Spring, featured in a Festival of Short Plays at Where Eagles Dare. Last spring Joanie directed and co-produced Tomando Café (Drinking Coffee) at TNC, with Rosateresa Castro-Vargas, the Subway Diva. Joanie serves on the production committee of TNC's annual Lower East Side (LES) Festival, the board of New York City People’s Life Fund and the steering committee of Theaters Against War (THAW).

C. Rose Kearns Eve Shaw

Rose is a student at Columbia University and a graduate of Michael Howard Studios Acting Conservatory. Past favorite roles include Rosemary Sidney in Picnic, Juliet in Romeo and Juilet, and "True" in A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant & A Prayer. She is presently rehearsing the role of Ellida in Ibsen's Lady from the Sea with the Brooklyn-based Saint Jude of the Cats Players.

Alex Herrald Ensemble

Alex is a New York City based actor and very proud member of Co-Op Theatre East. His work with Co-Op Theatre East includes roles in the staged reading of Decadent Acts (Pace University) by Ashley Marinaccio, A Memory, a Monologue, a Rant, and a Prayer (Gene Frankel Theatre), and the 2008 Questionable Content Festival (Gene Frankel Theatre). Other New York theatre credits include Buddy Holly at the Armory (Prospect Theatre's Dark Nights Series), Ronnie in The House of Blue Leaves (The Gallery Players), Andrea in Galileo (The Milk Can Theatre Company at Urban Stages), Earl Lindquist in The Tender Trap (Retro Productions at the Spoon Theatre), George in The Meaning of Life... and Other Useless Pieces of Information (Rope Swing Entertainment at the 45th St. Theatre), Thomas Kid in The Reckoning of Kit and Little Boots (The Gallery Players and Engine 37 at the Gallery Players and Manhattan Theatre Source), and
Hans/Brunette Waiter in Dinner With Ahmed (Blume Media Group at the American Theatre of Actors). Alex was also in the 2008 College Academy Award winning film for comedy, The Conservatory, directed by Reed Van Dyk, as well as the short films Currents, Rooth and B, and Hypno (feat. James Franco). Alex is an alumnus of Cornell University.

Alionka Polanco Ensemble

Alionka is super excited to be working with Co-Op Theatre East on this amazing show! She is currently a junior at Pace University where she is pursuing a BFA in Acting. Previous NYC credits include: All God's Saints Go To Heaven-Not! (Rhoda), Cafe Playa Moon (Olivia) and Undress Me (Hannah). Previous Pace University credits include: Summer and Smoke (Mrs. Bassett), Ragtime (Ensemble), and Out in the Open (Apaga El Fuego).

Robert is a theatre artist and musician residing in Brooklyn, NY. He is an alumnus of Siena College’s Creative Arts & Political Science departments, and the Master’s program in Performance Studies at Tisch School of the Arts, New York University. Recent acting credits include: Nicholas Kristoff's monologue Untitled in COTE's production of A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant & A Prayer, a Suburban Singer in The Effects of Suburbia on an Otherwise Normal Brain with Native Aliens, and as The Living Voter Guide in a street theatre piece he created with COTE. He has directed several COTE productions, including Do/Don't Do and his own Urinal Play as part of COTE's 2009 Questionable Content one-act play festival, Absolutes and Been Laden with Terrorette’s Syndrome in Questionable Content 2008, Samuel Beckett’s Cascando (with music ensemble thingNY), as well as Mission with Mixed Phoenix Theater Group and Hitchhikers May Be Escaping Convicts with End Times Productions. www.robertgonyo.com.

Elizabeth is a founding member of the Ateh Theater Group, where she has performed in Mr. A's Amazing Maze Plays, The Girl Detective, Long Distance, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and The Girl in the Flammable Skirt. Other credits include Romeo and Juliet, Abraham: A Shot in the Head, Grimms' Tales, 7 Blowjobs, The Little Prince and Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams. Elizabeth is a graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, where she studied at the Atlantic Theater Company and Classical Studio.

David Roberts Ensemble

David Roberts started acting doing off-Broadway theatre, where he received a list of theatre reviews posted by the Amsterdam News, nytheatre.com, and Backstage.com. Besides being a three-time winner of the Manhattan Monologue Slam (www.mmslam.com), he has been successful in a group of independent films. The most recent film, HEY DIDDLE, DIDDLE (www.whereismadmax.com) was premiered at the Hollywood Black Film Festival and nominated for a VOICE Award. After training at the School for Film & Television (now known as the New York Dramatic Conservatory), he has also been successful in a group of commercials/infomercials including Sloman’s Shield, Canon EOS, ESPN Zone, Papa John's, NJ Lotto, CBS Sports, Home Paramount Exterminators, NEFCU (Nassau Educators Federal Credit Union), TriVantage and voice-overs for Remy Martin, Popeye's, & YoutheMan.com. He also landed a principal role in the music video "I'm Grown" by R & B sensation, Tiffany Evans.
 

Sheira is delighted to return to Co-Op Theatre East! Off-Broadway: The Public Theater, Julyfest. Off-Off Broadway: Queens Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing (Role of Beatrice); Faux-Real Theatre Company, 365 Days/Plays; Co-Op Theatre East, Questionable Content. Regional: Millbrook Playhouse, Once Upon a Mattress (Role of Winnifred); The Theater Barn, Leading Ladies (Role of Audrey); Philadelphia Music Theater Works, Watch the Birdie. Other credits include Maria in West Side Story, Pennsylvania Players; Carla & Saraghina in Nine, Front Row Theatre Company, Woman 2 in Songs for a New World, iNtuitons Theatre Company and Kate/Lilli Vanessi in Kiss Me, Kate, Pennsylvania Singers Light Opera Co. Sheira is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the American Theatre Wing’s SpringboardNYC. www.sheirasings.com.