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NEVERDARK SERIES 2019

Outstanding stories brought to life by expert performers for one-night-only shows.

Tuesday, August 6 @ 7:30pm | FREE ADMISSION 

Sex and Other Disturbances

By Marisa Smith
Directed by Nadia Tass

It’s the fall of 2018 and a storm with no end is pummeling Manhattan and so are a variety of extreme midlife crises for the characters in Sex and other Disturbances. When your husband is too busy buying cabins in Newfoundland for the apocalypse, what’s the harm in having a little affair? Sarah, a former actress and now stay-at-home Mom and woman on the verge, finds out the hard way in this fast-paced comedy about friendship, love, sex, and other disturbances.

“The Portland Stage premiere explores messy mid-lives with a light touch. With likable characters and ample laughs, it asks some not-so-simple questions in an entertaining way.” 

Portland Press Herald, Steve Fenney, May 7th, 2018

“…Marisa Smith’s genial farce could well command the rom-com slot  virtually every regional theater in the world yearns to fill.”

– The Arts Fuse, David Greenham, May 6, 2018

“Sex and Other Disturbances is a lively spring romp.”

– Phoenix Arts Theater, Megan Grumbling, May 17th, 2018

 

Cate Damon* (Sarah Young) most recently, she appeared as Sonia in VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE at Martha Vineyard Playhouse, and as Martha in WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF with New Century Theatre in Northampton, MA. Cate has worked regionally, off-Broadway, and in Europe but her theatrical home base is western Massachusetts where she has appeared in over 50 shows with NCT and the Majestic Theater. In addition to her stage work, she has appeared in commercials, films and does voice over work. Cate is proud mom to the actor Molly MacLeod and the writer Aaron Damon-Rush and is a long-time member of the professional actors’ unions AEA and SAG-AFTRA.
Bren McElroy* (Ruth Wilson) holds her MFA in Acting from the American Conservatory Theater and was honored with the coveted Professional Theater Internship (PTI) position in the ACT Company.  She received her BA in Theater from Kenyon College, where she was awarded the Joanne Woodward Acting Trophy.  In the National Speech and Debate Association, Bren became a National Champion in Dramatic Interpretation while attending Milton Academy High School; her Acting has been recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Boston Shakespeare Company. Known in film for Dead Man on Campus (1998), Defending Jacob and Fair City (1989).
Bill Mootos* (Alan Young) recent credits include The Hound of the Baskervilles at the Nora, Moonlight and Magnolias with Connecticut’s Playhouse on Park, The Company We Keep with Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, Little Shop of Horrors  with New Repertory Theatre, and I’m  Connecticut at Ivoryton Playhouse.  Bill has worked in many regional theaters throughout the country as well as the Boston area. Film credits include The Company Men, Locked In, Hard Luck, Siren, The Hatfields and the McCoys and ABC TV’s The Makeover. Bill serves on the National Board of SAG-AFTRA, and is a proud member of AEA.
Lily Narbonne* (Kelsey) is an actor and singer currently splitting her time between New York and Gloucester, originally from Lancaster, Massachusetts. Select Credits: The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, Under Milk Wood, Don Carlos, A Christmas Carol (American Conservatory Theater); A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Jane Austen’s Persuasion  (Livermore Shakespeare Festival); The Three Musketeers, King Lear, Two Noble Kinsmen (Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival). Narbonne has also worked at Boston Playwrights Theatre, Boston Theater Marathon, HartBeat Ensemble, The Lark Play Development Center, Bushwick Starr, and in readings at Primary Stages, The Roundabout Theatre Company and the Dramatists Guild. In March, she formed a New York based film collective, Bad Guru, @badguruproductions. Narbonne is also a Dialect Coach. She holds an MFA from the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, and she received her BFA from the Boston University School of Theatre, where she was awarded the Sir Rex Harrison Scholarship for Emulation of Craftsmanship. @lilynarbonne www.lilynarbonne.com
__________________ Zaven Ovian* (Nikko Pappas) recently appeared in Romeo and Juliet (2019) at the Huntington. Regional theatre credits include Shakespeare in Love and Big Fish (SpeakEasy Stage Company); Water By the Spoonful and The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife (Lyric Stage Company); and The Tour (The Underlings Theatre Company). Mr. Ovian has participated in readings for Disgraced(ArtsEmerson); Demonstrate (Israeli Stage); Zabel In Exile (Merrimack Repertory Theatre); and We Foxes (Goodspeed Festival of New Musicals). He received a BFA from the Boston Conservatory in 2016.

Marisa Smith is an award-winning American playwright. Full-length plays: Sex and Other Disturbances (2018 Edgerton-winner, Portland Stage Company and The Bridge Initiative semi-finalist), Saving Kitty (Eliot Norton Award-winner for Jennifer Coolidge Best Actress, The Nora Theater Company), Mad Love (O’Neill semi-finalist, Clauder winner/Kilroy list, premiered at Northern Stage), Venus Rising (premiered at Northern Stage), audio drama titled The Defenestrator, produced by Wondery. Marisa’s 10-Minute plays have been produced in the Boston Marathon of 10-Minute Plays, Barrington Stage, New Jersey Repertory and more, and include Heideman finalist Total Expression. Co-founder of Smith and Kraus Publishers, publishers of trade books for school, college, and theatrical communities. Screenplays: Second Wind and Surprise Engagement. Read her full biography HERE.

Nadia Tassopoulos (mostly known with the name Nadia Tass) is a Greek director, born in Florina, Greece, in the village Lofoi. She was raised there until the age of 7, when she migrated to Melbourne, Australia, along with her parents. She started her career as an actress in the acclaimed TV series “Prisoner,” which ran for an unprecedented 692 episodes, while simultaneously directing in Australian theatre. Her 1986 debut feature “Malcolm” was a worldwide smash, winning 21 international awards and 8 AFI Awards. It starred Colin Friels and John Hargreaves with a soundtrack by the renowned Penguin Cafe Orchestra. It went on to win an unprecedented eight Australian Film Institute Awards (including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actor and Actress).

She has directed more than 15 films, tv series and tv movies in her career, among which are: “Malcolm” (1996), starring Coling Friels, Lindy Davies and Chris Haywood, “Rikky and Pete” (1988), “The Big Steal” (1990) which won many awards, “Pure Luck” (1991) with Martin Short and Danny Glover, the very famous “Amy” in 1997 with Rachel Griffiths, Alana de Roma and Ben Mendelsohn, also awarded with many great prizes, “Mr. Reliable” in 1996, “The Miracle Worker” in 2000,  the tv movie “Samantha: an american girl holiday” with Mia Farrow and AnnaSophia Robb in 2004, “Matching Jack” in 2010 with Jacinda Barrett and Richard Roxburgh and “Fatal Honeymoon” in 2012 with Harvey Keitel, Amber Clayton and Billy Miller, and many many more. In fact, “The Big Steal” is considered an Australian Classic. With this film Ms. Tass swept the Australian Film Institute Awards winning three and being nominated for six more. The film was a huge international success.