PERESTROIKA C&C

In the second part of Tony Kushner's epic, set in 1980's New York City, a gay man is abandoned by his lover when he contracts the AIDS virus, and a closeted Mormon lawyer's marriage to his pill-popping wife stalls. America in the mid-1980s. In the midst of the AIDS crisis and a conservative Reagan administration, New Yorkers grapple with life and death, love and sex, heaven and hell.  
By Tony Kushner. Directed by Celeste Cosentino.
 

“Playful and profound, extravagantly theatrical and deeply spiritual, witty and compassionate, furious and incredibly smart. It’s impossible to imagine anyone captivated by the beginning not wanting— needing — to go back for the end.” -Linda Winer, Newsday

Run Time: TBA
PLEASE NOTE:
This production contains STRONG LANGUAGE and ADULT THEMES and may not be suitable for younger audiences. 

Reception opening night with Chocolate Covered Strawberries! 
BOGO offer for opening weekend! Enter "BOGO" discount code online or mention by phone or at the door!
PAY WHAT YOU CAN performance Sunday April 29th @2pm.   

MEET THE CAST & CREW

Jeffrey Grover* (Roy Cohn)  is excited to return to Ensemble Theater this winter and spring in both "Angels.” Previous Ensemble productions include The Normal Heart, Free Man of Color, Nocturne and Side Man. Jeff just completed the fall tour of the courtroom drama, Defamation, performing throughout the Northeast and Midwest. Earlier this year he appeared in Kiss Me Kate at Opera North, and Leah, The Forsaken at Metropolitan Playhouse. Other recent credits include All The Way (Cleveland Play House), Annapurna and God of Carnage (none too fragile), and Botanic Garden, which won best new play at the 2016 NY Theater Festival. Recent film: I Feel Pretty (with Amy Schumer), Galveston (with Ben Foster), Miles Ahead (with Don Cheadle), I Am Wrath (with John Travolta), as well as Take Shelter, Compliance, and several others. He plays John Roebling in the new short, Roebling’s Bridge. Jeff is partners in g2h films with Steve Hacker and Andrew Gorell, just completing the film version of the acclaimed Christine Howey play, Exact Change. Jeff is a member of Actors Equity and SAG-AFTRA. Ingrid French Management (NY). www.jeffreygrover.com.  This performance and all performances will be forever dedicated to the memory of Jeff’s dear son, Jeremy. 

James Alexander Rankin (Joseph Pitt) is beyond excited to be a part of this production and to work with these lovely people. James has appeared in several Ensemble productions over the seasons, including Beyond the Horizon (Robert) and The Iceman Cometh (Parrit) and The Great Gatsby (Nick Carraway.) He most recently appeared in the inaugural production of Sharhazad Theatre Company's Caucasian Chalk Circle. He has also appeared in productions at Dobama, Cleveland Playhouse, Great Lakes, Beck Center, French Creek, CPT, and Ohio Shakespeare Festival. James would like the thank Ian and Celeste for all their guidance over the years, the cast for all their work, and the audience for supporting the theatre and he would love to thank his father, for making him the person that he is today.

Kelly Strand (Harper Pitt) is honored to be returning to Ensemble Theatre where she was last seen as Rita in Prelude to a Kiss. Recent credits include Salvage at none too fragile, A Great Wilderness at Beck Center for the Arts, and Silence! The Musical at Blank Canvas. Kelly is a proud alumnae of the Barter Players at Barter Theatre and holds a degree from Ashland University. She would like to dedicate this performance to her parents, who are just awesome folks.
 

Craig Joseph (Louis Ironson) is excited to be returning to the Ensemble stage for both parts of "Angels" after his debut earlier this season in Well. A native of Canton, Ohio, Craig has been making theater since age 5 in the backyard all the way through a Masters in Directing at Northwestern University to a professional acting / directing career in Chicago, Minneapolis, and now back home again. His most recent credits include The Christians, Chesapeake, The Flick, Bus Stop, Side by Side by Sondheim, Good People, and Assassins. By day, Craig is the Creative Director for a branding agency called Cassel Bear, and serves as the Artistic Director for Seat of the Pants Productions. He's grateful to his family for helping provide transportation and dog care that make Cleveland gigs possible, and is thankful to each of you for supporting live theatre.

Scott Esposito (Prior Walter) is thrilled to return to Ensemble Theatre.  His last show here was The Normal Heart (Felix Turner). Recent credits include Parade (Leo Frank) at French Creek Theatre and The Bridges of Madison County (Bud Johnson) at Lakeland Civic Theatre.  Other favorite credits include Mothers and Sons (Will Ogden), Lend Me a Tenor (Max) Jeffrey (Jeffrey), Lord of the Flies (Jack), and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Lysander) at Beck Center for the Arts; Godspell (John the Baptist/Judas) at Cain Park; Assassins (John Wilkes Booth) at Lakeland Civic Theatre; Hair (Claude) and 12 Angry Men (Juror #8) at Blank Canvas Theatre; Arcadia (Valentine) with Mamai Theatre Company; The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? (Billy) with Dobama Theatre; and The Taming of the Shrew (Petruchio), Romeo and Juliet (Mercutio), and Twelfth Night (Sebastian) with the Cleveland Shakespeare Festival. Scott would like to thank Celeste for this opportunity and his husband Vince for his constant love and support.

Derdriu Ring* (Hannah Pitt) A graduate of The Gaiety School of Acting University College Cork, Ireland, Derdriu began her career at The Abbey Theatre, Dublin and her first American equity role was as Lucy in Dracula at The Cleveland Playhouse. She was most recently seen as Tess in Marjorie Prime at Dobama Theatre and is honored to be a part of Ensemble’s epic two part production of Angels in America. She was last seen at Ensemble as Emma Bruckner in The Normal Heart. Some memorable roles include: Slippy Helen in The Cripple of Inishmaan (Geffen Playhouse, Los Angelas), Catherine in A Long Day's Journey in to Night (Hartford Stage), Catherine in Proof (The Cleveland Playhouse), Nancy in Frozen ( Beck Center), Josie in Moon For The Misbegotten, (Great Lakes Theater Festival), Ellen in There is a Happiness That Morning Is (Cleveland Public Theatre), Barbara in Major Barbara, Maggie in Hobson's Choice all at (Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre- awarded Best Actress /Best Supporting Actress/ Best Ensemble of the year by Pittsburgh Post Gazette). Pegeen in The Playboy of The Western World, (The Irish Rep, NYC.) Rosie Redmond in The Plough & The Stars (The Guthrie Theatre), Nora Reilly in Jon Bulls Jon Bull's Other Island (Geva Theatre), Vivie in Mrs. Warren's Profession (Austin State Theatre),  Paulina in Death & The Maiden, Alexa in Stranded On Earth (Theatre Ninjas/Mamai Theatre Co.-Best Actress by The Cleveland Critics Circle Awards and #1 Most Memorable Moment in Theatre) Ellen in Over The Pub (The New London Barn, New Hampshire). Maureen in The Beauty Queen of Leenane,  Emma in Annapurna at None Too Fragile. Television: Law and Order, C.I., Hope & Faith. Film: The Yank, Fortune. “Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life; define yourself.” ~ Harvey Fierstein

Davion T Brown (Belize) has performed an assortment of iconic roles. Characters such as Hamlet (Hamlet), Macbeth (Macbeth), George Murchison (A Raisin in The Sun), Joseph Garcin (No Exit), and many more. Davion is also touted as an actor of great versatility, cast in several productions where he seamlessly plays a multitude of characters within one show such as: The Laramie Project, Corpus Christi, Metamorphosis, and Henry V, to name a few. Being only a year and half into his professional career, he is very proud of his track record thus far, stating; "I simply want to make a career out of doing what I love to do, and that's Acting." This will be Davion's third show at Ensemble, having recently appeared in The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail and The Phantom Tollbooth. He's very excited to be back!

Inés Joris (The Angel) is a graduate of the DRAMA STUDIO LONDON and has worked in theater, film, TV, commercials and voice over work in Europe and the U.S. She moved to Oxford, MS, U.S. in 2013 and collaborated with Theatre Oxford in The Pillowman, (Ariel), Harvey, (Nurse Kelly), Sex, Love and the IRS, (Vivianne), Lend me a Tenor, (Maria), and directed A Tuna Christmas. She studied at The University of Mississippi where she directed the short film Shabati for her Film Directing Class. In 2016 Inés moved to Cleveland where she has appeared in City of Angels (Margie) at Beck Center, Bonnie & Clyde (Governor Ferguson) at French Creek Theatre, and two dramatic play readings Mira La Mer, (Penelope), at Cleveland Public Theatre, and One Crazy Day, (Toni) at Cleveland Playhouse. She directed America Yo Soy for Teatro Público de Cleveland, Cleveland Public Theatre’s Latino Branch, for Station Hope. Inés is also an acting coach, British Accent Coach, Language teacher, interpreter and translator. She is thrilled of being part of Ensemble Theatre Family in this awesome production and is looking forward to new creative and exciting adventures!