New Plays Now

Contains mentions of violence, blood, gore, sexual innuendos, and simulated gunshots.

CAST:

Karim Angulo was born and raised in Washington DC. He featured in local productions of Much Ado About Nothing, Arcadia, and The Electric Man. He would like to thank the cast, crew, and his parents (of course).

Issa-Malik A. Bernard is a third year BFA actor from Harlem, New York. Purchase Rep credits include: Back County Crimes (Reverend Courtney/ Carter/ Sheriff) and Gint (Man/ Medicine Man). Thank you to his family and friends for showing such support . He hopes you all enjoy the show!

Leah Bloom

Anthony Costello is a third year BFA actor from North Carolina. Purchase Rep: Plato in Socrates, Hog King in Gint, Caleb Williams in Back County Crimes, and Orpheus Descending. Regional: world premiere of Double Helix (Bay Street Theater), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (The Neo-Political Cowgirls), A Christmas Carol (Triad Stage). Shoutout to the production team and Jamie Leonhart!

Oona Gladding is a third year BFA actor from NYC. Previous purchase credits include Orpheus Descending (Sister Temple) Back County Crimes (Mrs Scott/Mrs JP Simpson) and Gint (Runaway Bride/Devil Woman). She would like to thank her wonderful company and her family for their support!

Imani Jones is a third year BFA actor from Prince George’s County, MD. Purchase Rep credits include: Socrates (Anytus / Eryximachus) Gint (Older Man/ Ensemble), Back County Crimes (Doc Autry). Other credits include: The Government Inspector (Anna Andreyevna) Three Sisters (Olga/Maria) She is grateful for all her family and friends for the continuous support. Much love!

Darren Kinzler is a third year BFA actor from New Jersey. Previous Purchase Repertory credits include Back County Crimes (Ensemble), Gint (Pete Gint), and Socrates (Socrates). Other credits include The Drowsy Chaperone (Underling), Arsenic and Old Lace (Mortimer Brewster), and Deathtrap (Clifford Anderson), for which their performance garnered an NJACT Perry Award Nomination. Many thanks to the entire production team and Company 49 for all their support.

Nora O’Donnell is a third year BFA actor from Brooklyn, NY. Past Purchase credits include Back County Crimes (Mrs. Draughn, Celia Parker, Pearl Avery) and Gint (Sally Vicks). Other credits include As You Like It (Rosalind) at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. Thank you to all of her family and friends that have supported her!

MisaLove Smith (she/they) is a third year BFA Actor from Harlem, New York. Love from 22! Purchase Rep Credits include Gint, (Older woman) & Back County Crimes (Honey/Mrs.MaHorney/Widow Wheelwright) Other creds include: The Wolves (#25), Alter Ego (Dre), A Midsummer Nights Dream (Titania), The Comedy of Errors (Dromio of Syracuse) Shoutout to her family & friends + many thanks to everyone that’s supported her journey!

Em Rose Stern is a third year BFA actor from Brooklyn, New York. Purchase credits include Crito in Socrates, Oldie Momma in Gint, and Joy Jean MaHorney/ Bird Carlton in Back County Crimes. Em would like to thank her stage managers,  her friends,  and her family!

Leanora Octavia Tapper is a third year BFA actor from Harlem, New York. Purchase Rep credits include: Back County Crimes (Carrie/ Maude) and Gint (Younger Woman/ Sally Vicks). Many thanks to her friends and family for being her biggest supporters. She hopes you all enjoy the show!

Myles Windbush-Soules is third year BFA actor, from Buffalo New York. Purchase credits include: Back county crimes ( Richard Prichard, Christopher Cadwell, Timmy) Gint ( Pete Gint, Older man). Many thanks to his family and friends for supporting him along the way, he wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them! 

PRODUCTION:

Chloe Casavant (they/she) is a second year BFA Stage Manager from Saratoga Springs, New York. Purchase Rep Credits include: Heroes of the Fourth Turning (Assistant Stage Manager), Socrates (Sound Engineer), Fefu and her Friends (Sound Engineer) and Orestes (Run Crew). Many thanks to their friends and family for always supporting her. And a special thanks to Sarah Drew and Suellen Bolles for their continuous love and support all the way from Orlando, Florida. 

Nate Tohill is a third year BFA Stage Manager from Long Island, New York. Purchase Rep credits include: Road (Stage Manager), The Attic (Stage Manager), Make It Play (Stage Manager). Many thanks to his mom, girlfriend, and everyone who supports him!

Caelyn Speicher

Michael Riotto (Playwright: Fairytale High) is a junior at Purchase College, majoring in Playwriting and Screenwriting with a minor in Film/Video Production. He recently wrote and directed a short documentary titled The Comedy King.

Alyssa Bernstein (Playwright: Glass Slippers in Closets of Lies) is a director and playwright.Most recently, they directed “Room For Growth.” Next semester, they’re looking forward to being assistant director on the BA mainstage production of “Angels In America.” They’ve also worked with the Museum Of Chinese In America on multiple projects, most recently on “Passage: A Walk of Chinatown Stories.” This is their first experience putting up a written script and they couldn’t be more grateful to everyone involved.

Courtney Honors (Playwright: The Special Victims Who Ruined Golf For Us) is a
writer/performer from Kansas City and senior at Purchase College Majoring in Playwriting and Screenwriting, minoring in Literature. She has performed Improv with the Kansas City Improv Company, The Bird Comedy Theatre, and the Brooklyn Comedy Collective. She placed in Purchase’s 2022 Storyboard Festival, writing and directing the orchestral horror-comedy short film “Brahmsland”. Most recently Courtney produced and wrote for Purchase Late Night, the campus sketch comedy group’s semester production The Connecticut Sitcom Girl Sketch Show. She would like to thank her friends, family, and the New Plays Now! production team for all the support!

Salvador Rubio (Playwright: Contigo Siempre) is a Mexican American playwright,
screenwriter, and creative producer based in NYC. He co-produced the 2023 short, A Hurt Like Mine, thanks to funding from Pacific Islanders in Communication, for writer/director Kahea Kiwaha. He’s a proud art school dropout whose writing explores the duality of opposite truths,the fringes of sexuality, and the impossibility of truly understanding your personhood. Prior to theatre making he lent his skills to higher education, community building, industrial design, and student advocacy.

Cezar Williams is an award-winning director. Recent credits include the Off-Broadway premiere of Dancing on Eggshells (Billie Holiday Theatre), Till: A Musical (American Theater Group), Mitchelville (Lean Ensemble Theatre), Sweat (Purchase Repertory Theater), Fucking A (Purchase Repertory Theater), The October Storm (Hudson Stage Company), Crowndation (National Black Theatre and CTG Digital Stage), The Hunting Season (Planet Connections Festivity, Award for Best Direction), You Wouldn’t Expect (American Bard Theater), How To Be Safe (The Dirty Blondes Theater), Lunchtime in Heaven (48 hours in Harlem), Nightfall, Slow Gin Fits, Ain’t No Mo’ (The Fire This Time Festival 2013, 2014, 2016). He is the Artistic Director of the Obie Award winning Fire This Time Festival, a New York University graduate, and an Adjunct Professor of Acting at SUNY Purchase College. Cezar is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.

In our teaching and art, the Conservatory values inclusiveness, equality, and excellence. Upholding all of our training is our aim to train and graduate citizen artists: multifaceted people with a strong sense of purpose in approaching an arts education.

What is a citizen artist? Citizen artists seek to discover how their unique voices can contribute to our world. They understand what it means to be an artist, and what they are here on earth to say and do and make.

The Conservatory trains future citizen artists in three degree programs:

+ BFA Actor Training. The BFA is an intensive professional training program offered to a highly select and diverse group of students. The professional training is anchored in four years of study in acting, voice, speech, and movement, complemented by offerings in dramatic literature and analysis, history of the theatre, stage combat, improvisation, mask work, acting for the camera, and the business of acting. As one of five schools in the Consortium of Professional Theatre Training Programs, Purchase is one of a handful of colleges in the world capable of training artists at this level—and of drawing a faculty from the ranks of professional theatre

+ BFA in Theatre Design/Technology. Emphasizing studio and classroom training, our professional training program in theatre design/technology gives students the guidance and support of established and theatre industry professionals. Many of our alumni are recognized at the top of their field, and have received Tony, Emmy, Obie, and Drama Desk Awards, among other honors. Quite literally, Purchase grads are working in or have worked in every theatre on Broadway, in all tristate venues, and with countless touring productions

+ BA program in Theatre and Performance. From traditional theatre to cutting-edge interdisciplinary work, the theatre and performance major encourages creativity, intellectual curiosity, social engagement, and critical thinking. The core requirements combine scholarship and practice to provide students with a strong foundation in theatre history and dramatic literature, with mandatory stagecraft/production courses. Theatre and Performance majors are encouraged to expand the scope of their education by studying abroad, as well as pursuing coursework in other programs of study within the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Purchase College.