Our Home States 2024

Bios

Miranda Belle (Ann – Swimming to Tuftonboro; Christine – The Other Side of the Street; Veronica – Hellbender: Live)  — Miranda is thrilled to be back at Broom Street Theatre for another installment of ‘Our Home States’, having been in the Midwest Edition last year. Her previous BST roles include Stacy in Menace to Society: A Mormon in Milwaukee. As a big Star Trek: Voyager fan, she’s particularly tickled to be playing opposite a salamander this year. (Shout out to all the Trekkies who get that reference!)

Matthew Bialo (Passenger – Über; Jason  – Same Jokes; Ron  – Hellbender: Live) Matt first tried acting in 10th grade as part of his high school’s performing arts program and was instantly hooked. In college he served as assistant producer and assistant stage manager for several productions and acted in 11 different shows, including 3 on the main stage at the Loeb Drama Center. His favorite of these was Burns in Enda Walsh’s Penelope and Alfred in Jules Feiffer’s Little Murders.

Matt is thrilled to be involved in his first Broom Street production. He has had a blast working with the wonderful Our Home States cast and crew and thanks his fellow actors, Melissa, Steven, and everyone else at Broom Street for the opportunity to be part of this show — and to represent the great schmucks of his home state of New York! He also thanks his family and friends for their support, and especially his ever-patient scene/life partner, Naomi.

Arthur Boatin (Playwright, On the Beach) — Arthur Boatin is a Michigan native who has lived in Maine since 1985. He spent sixteen years in rural, coastal Washington County, Maine, which is the setting of his play ON THE BEACH. Arthur wrote fiction for many years before turning his hand to playwriting in 2015. One-acts by him have been produced in Portland, Maine, by Maine Playwrights Festival; and stage-read in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and Bath, Topsham, and Portland, Maine. Arthur’s first full-length play, THE DAUGHTER OF THE RULER OF THE SEAS AND TIDES, received a Zoom reading from MPF in March 2021. His one-act play NOW DEPARTED placed third in the first annual Veterans Repertory Theater radio play competition and will be produced by VRT. One-page excerpts from Arthur’s play TALKING TO CATS are included in the Smith and Kraus publications BEST MEN’S and BEST WOMEN’S STAGE MONOLOGUES 2020.

Maria Dahman (Mom – Like a Kite; Ashley – Same Jokes; Millie – The Other Side of the Street; Celia – The Jersey Who?) — Maria is very happy to be working with this great crew on the Our Home States festival of plays. She has been acting, writing and directing in Madison since 2017. Previously, she worked with theaters in Zürich Switzerland, Chicago, and Bloomington Indiana. She is currently the artistic director of Broom Street Theater.

Joel Davidson (Dad – Like a Kite; Clayton – On the Beach) — Joel has been active in theater for over 50 years.  He was a theater major at Northeastern University in Boston, and was the Production and Stage Manager at Priscilla Beach Theater, a summer stock theater south of Boston.

Since moving to Madison in 1979, he became active with Madison Theater Guild, Strollers Theater, and Broom Street Theater, and has had the chance to play some wonderful roles.  His favorites are: CK Dexterhaven–“The Philadelphia Story”, Bert Cates—“Inherit the Wind”, Alan Felix—“Play it Again, Sam”, Lord Fancourt Babberly—“Charley’s Aunt”, Lyman Wyeth—“Other Desert Cities’, and Tom—“The Glass Menagerie”.  Most recently, he played the deliciously nasty role of Magnificent Tyrant Ferocious in Paul Blart 3—Blart of Darkness, at Broom Street Theater, in fall 2023, and the Chaplain in the Strollers Theater production of Mother Courage and Her Children, in winter 2024.

Joel thanks his family and friends, especially, for supporting his passion (and rehearsal schedules!), and you, the audience, for supporting community theater here in the Madison area.  

Ron Fromstein (Playwright, Like a Kite) — Ron is a largely self-taught playwright from Toronto, who has also lived  in New Orleans, Chicago, Iceland and Vancouver.  He is a four time winner of the Canadian National Playwriting Competition and fifteen time winner-finalist of Toronto-Hamilton Fringe playwriting competitions.  Works include The Big Smoke, Two in the Coop, Black & Blue, Dianne & Me, Zach Zultana, Cleft and One in a Million (a micromusical).  When not writing he can most often be found on basketball courts throughout the land.

Mitchell P. Ganem (Playwright, Swimming to Tuftonboro) — Award-winning New York filmmaker Mitchell P. Ganem literally grew up on film sets and has written and directed for both stage and screen.  He is co-writer of the Joel Zwick-directed ELVIS HAS LEFT THE BUILDING, starring Academy Award winner Kim Basinger and John Corbett.  

Original screenplays include the often optioned but, yet to be produced, SING ME BACK HOME, THE FALL OF DARK and KINKY GRACE – which won a Platinum Award in the LGBTQ Unbordered Film Festival, a Gold Award in the WRPN Women’s International Film Festival and was a Semi-Finalist in the Toronto LGBT Film Festival.

Currently, Mitch is wrangling financing on his original screenplays LOSING JERRY and FLEUR DE LIS, both of which are music-centric and that he plans to direct. 

For the stage, Mitch currently has in development EMPEROR NORTON, a musical about the eccentric life of San Francisco’s most beloved folk hero, and THE CAPITOL YEARS, the story of some of the greatest music in history, featuring star turns by Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and Ava Gardner.  Most recently his play INDIAN SUMMER was performed as part of the Firehouse Festival of New Works and BROWNSVILLE GIRLS was published in the Coachella Review.  A TRAIN TO LAUGH won the grand prize in the William Faulkner Literary Competition and his play HE. SHE. US. THEM. premiered as part of the 30th Anniversary Pittsburgh New Works Festival.  His play SCREAMING FOR TRAINS was presented at The Miniature Theater of Chester under the direction of Vincent Dowling.  Mitch’s plays have been produced across the country and won numerous awards, including the Playwrights Forum Award at the Spokane Civic Theatre, the Grand Prize in the DFAP National One-Act Playwriting Competition and the New England Actors Theatre Short & NEAT Playwriting Contest.  Mitch is a member of The Dramatist’s Guild.

Mitch lives, works, rocks and rolls in New York City.

Andres Guzman (Will – Like a Kite; JJ  – Feeder; Jersey  – The Jersey Who?) Andres is making his theater debut at Broom Street Theater in his first ever production with Our Home States — Northeast. Performing in three roles in his first ever production was intimidating to say the least, but he feels excited and honored to be a part of the cast and crew. Andres wants to thank his friends and family for their support and hopes you enjoy the show!

Andrew R. Heinze (Playwright, The Jersey Who?) — Andrew’s plays have been produced in NYC, LA, Seattle, Austin, Miami, Denver, Tucson, Albuquerque and regionally. His full-length plays include The Invention of the Living Room; Moses, The Author; Great Roles for Old Actresses; Shylock the First; Leonardo’s Virgin; and The Rimsky-Fogelman. His one-act plays include the The FQ (comedy about obscenity and cable TV, published in Smith & Kraus’s The Best Ten-Minute Plays, 2011) and The Bar Mitzvah of Jesus Goldfarb (Winner, “Judges’ Choice” and “Audience Choice,” Best Play, New York City 15-Minute Play Festival; Finalist, National Award for Short Playwriting). A member of the Dramatists Guild and PEN, Andrew serves as dramaturg for the American Renaissance Theater Company in New York City. [andrewheinze.com]

Julie Linden (Playwright, Feeder) — Julie has lived in Connecticut (not the rich part) for most of her life. When she’s not watching birds in her backyard, she works as a librarian at Yale University. A fledgling playwright, Julie has participated in the William Inge Festival’s 2022 New Play Lab and the 2023 Play Incubation Collective’s Summer Salon.

Liz Mael (Props Master) — Liz has been an RN for 30 years and a thespian for 15, fulfilling all three of the major branches of the humanities she requires for a happy life; the natural sciences, the cultural sciences, and the social sciences. She enjoys all aspects of theater; acting, producing, stage managing, being in “the booth,” and especially prop master.  The only things she loves more than theater is family!  But, the thing about theater, is that you become “family”!   Love to Todd and hugs to ‘my girls’.

Melissa Minkoff (Director) — Melissa is very excited to be directing her first Broom Street production with Our Home States – Northeast. Previous Broom Street acting credits include the roles of Tiresias/Chorus in Antigone, Lampito in Broom Street’s 50^th Anniversary Production of Lysistrata, and Delphyne/Beth/South Wind in Hark! A Lark!.  Most recently, Melissa served as stage manager for Our Home States – Midwest and Paul Blart 3: Blart of Darkness. Melissa is exceedingly grateful to her friends and loved ones for their support, as well as the playwrights, cast, and crew for helping her bring this show to life.   She is also grateful to you, the audience. Enjoy the show!

Laura Neill (Playwright, The Other Side of the Street) — Laura (she/they) is a Brooklyn-based playwright. Published plays include Don’t Give Up the Ship (Uproar Theatrics), Game Night (Stage Partners), Funtown (YouthPLAYS), The Last Cookie (Stage Partners), One Kind of Fear (Flowersong Press, upcoming), The Last Red Lion (ScriptWorks’ Perfect Glitch), and Applause Books and Smith and Kraus anthologies. Laura is under commission with Ensemble Studio Theatre/Sloan Project to write CWIID: a comedy!, a play about seaweed bioplastics, and is also developing Foot Wears House, a play inspired by retail workers at REI and their union’s drive for a contract. Laura’s play the doctor will see you shortly premiered with Keen Company’s 2024 Keen Teens Festival and will be published with Concord Theatricals. Previous residencies include the O’Neill National Playwrights’ Conference (Winter People), University of Tulsa (The End Will Hurt), VoxLab (you are not alone, but you can be if you want to) and CompanyOne’s PlayLab. Laura’s play I Love You Elizabeth Warren won the Clauder Competition Massachusetts prize. Productions include Isolated Incidents (Broadway Podcast Network and Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre), Public Property (Salvage Vanguard Theatre), Skin and Bones (Wilbury Theatre Group), Don’t Give Up the Ship (Fresh Ink Theatre), and DIVAS (OperaHub, commission). Laura was commissioned by SpeakEasy Stage Company to write Just Cause, a horror comedy about gentrification. Laura coordinates the “playwright amoeba,” a hangout space for creative community. MFA: Boston University. Website: www.laura-neill.com

Peter Olson (Peabody – Feeder; Ron – Swimming to Tuftonboro; Nate – Hellbender: Live) — Peter is honored to be part of Broom Street Theater’s Our Home States play festival. Past roles include Dr. Sanderson in Harvey and Bardolph in Henry IV. He hopes all of you enjoy the show!

Ron Rosenfeld (Playwright, Über) — Ron is the author of five full-length plays and numerous one-act plays. His works explore the interface between science, religion, faith and ethics. Many are based upon historical figures, such as Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace (SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST), Spinoza (BLESSED THORN), the 19th century photographer, Eadweard Muybridge (HELIOS), the Nobel Prize-winning chemist, Fritz Haber (FIXATION), the astronomer, Johannes Kepler (STELLA NOVA) and, of course, Adam and Eve (SO HELP ME GOD). His plays have received productions, podcasts and staged readings in Europe, Asia, Australia and throughout the United States. He can be reached at ronsplays@yahoo.com. Website: https://ronsplays.wixsite.com/website

Mark Sawtelle (Playwright, Same Jokes) — After several years supporting the playwrights of The Blue Cow Group in Providence, RI with theater logistics and public outreach, Mark took the plunge into playwriting. He’s pretty delighted to see his first play accepted into Our Home States.

Steven E. Smith (Assistant Director/Alex – On the Beach; Robin  – Feeder) —Steven returns to Broom Street Theater’s OUR HOME STATES series for the second year after acting in 3 shorts last summer.  This year marks his debut being part of the direction team.  Collaborating with and supporting his friend Melissa has been a gratifying and educational experience.  Due to unexpected and unintended circumstances, Steven is also acting in two of the shorts this year.  He is thrilled to be sharing the Broom Street stage for the third summer in a row with his good friend, Joel.  Being part of putting this show together and watching the growth of the fine actors assembled has been a thrilling experience.  Steven’s done a lot of acting over the years and plans to continue doing so for many years to come.  His entry into the Directing world is new and he already has plans to continue in that capacity with two upcoming projects elsewhere.  Please enjoy the show.

Leah Stern (Sarah – Like a Kite; Driver – Über; Stevie – Feeder; Tracey – Swimming to Tuftonboro) — Leah is thrilled to be in her debut performance at Broom Street Theater. As a Pennsylvania native, she is excited to represent her home region in Our Home States. When not acting, Leah can be found birding or biking around Madison.

Joe Verstynen (Radio Announcer – Über;  Matt – Same Jokes; David – Swimming to Tuftonboro; Big – The Jersey Who?) — Joe is thrilled as all get out and pleased as punch to be part of Our Home States. He extends thank yous of enormous proportions to Melissa and Steven for this awesome opportunity.  Hats off to the writers and cast, too. Joe also thanks his family and friends (heaven help them!) for their support. Lastly, remember “You can fail at what you don’t want, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love.”

Valerie Work (Playwright – Hellbender: Live) — Valerie is a playwright, librettist, lyricist and screenwriter. Her musicals, plays, songs, and short film have been presented by or developed with The New Ohio, The Brick, The Tank, The Bushwick Starr, 14th Street Y, Piper Theatre Productions, Dixon Place, and more. She is a veteran of several project development programs, most recently Fresh Ground Pepper’s PlayGround PlayGroup (2023) and NYPL’s Across a Crowded Room (2022/2023/2024.) She has been a finalist for the Jerome Fellowship and the Leah Ryan Award, won a $10K production grant from the Berks County Community Foundation, and is a New Georges Affiliated Artist. Valerie teaches first-year writing at CUNY City Tech and is an independent private tutor. B.A.: Yale. MFA: Brooklyn College. www.valeriework.com

Full Cast and Crew

Cast

Crew

Director: Melissa Minkoff

Assistant Director: Steven E. Smith

Lighting Designer: Taylor Kokinos

Sound Designer: Doug Reed

Props Master: Liz Mael

Board Operator: Liam Dahman-Leiseca

BST Board Liaison: Christa Dahman Zaborske

Poster designed by: Kedar Joyner

Program designed by: Melissa Minkoff

“Live with Nate” theme music by: Wavecont (https://protunes.net/  https://pixabay.com/music/funk-cool-funky-background-music-201680/)