CTG LA.ORG / DIG ITALSTAG E
JUNE 2–30, 2022
MEGHAN PRESSMAN Managing Director | DOUGLAS C. BAKER Producing Director GORDON DAVIDSON Founding Artistic Director
Center Theatre Group LA Writers’ Workshop Festival: New Plays Forged in LA Presents
A Staged Reading of
PALMYRA Written and Directed for the Digital Stage by
Daria Polatin With
Hunter Abal Poonam Basu
Amir Arison Emily Swallow
Sound Designers
Associate Artistic Director
Stage Manager
Assistant Stage Manager
Cricket S. Myers Gary Zacuto
Neel Keller
David S. Franklin
Maggie Swing
Time and Place
TIME: NOW PLACE: ON THE TURKISH-SYRIAN BORDER
JUNE 2–30, 2022 DIGITAL STAGE Filmed live at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, Culver City, CA, June 2021 Palmyra is part of Center Theatre Group’s L.A. Writers’ Workshop Festival: New Plays forged in L.A., a celebration of the unrivaled diversity and excellence of the Playwrights who call Center Theatre Group and Los Angeles home. Center Theatre Group's L.A. Writers’ Workshop and Festival is made possible with funding from WarnerMedia and the National Endowment for the Arts. Lead support for Center Theatre Group’s Artistic Development Program is generously provided by the Annenberg Foundation and the Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust.
WHO’S WHO AMIR ARISON (Qasim, he/him/his) is best known for his work on the NBC/Sony/Netflix hit series The Blacklist, now entering its 9th season. Other TV credits include recurring and guest appearances on Law & Order: SVU, American Horror Story, Ramy, Billions, Bull, Homeland, Girls, among others, and numerous films, most recently the indie drama 20 Weeks now streaming on Hulu. Amir can also be seen starring in the Butterfinger commercial campaign running worldwide. On stage, he's performed all over with world premieres at New York Theatre Workshop, The Public Theater, Signature Theatre, MCC Theater, Waterwell, Yale Repertory Theatre, Huntington Theatre Company, Royal Shakespeare Company, and more. Amir is also an awardwinning director and is currently directing a documentary about working with 8-year-old cancer survivor Tatianna Bernard on her own short film, demonstrating his heartfelt belief on the creative process and its power to help and heal. EMILY SWALLOW (Jody, she/her/hers) is happy to return to Center Theatre Group after appearing in the 2016 production of Disgraced. She can currently be seen as The Armorer in the Disney+ series The Mandalorian. Other TV includes Supernatural, Castlevania, The Mentalist, How to Get Away With Murder, Man with a Plan, and The Good Wife, among others. On stage, she most recently played opposite Tom Hanks in The Shakespeare Center LA’s production of Henry IV, Parts 1&2. Other theatre includes High Fidelity on Broadway, Nice Fish with Mark Rylance at Guthrie Theater, and Cry it Out at Echo Theater Company. M.F.A.: NYU/Tisch HUNTER ABAL (ISIS Soldier/Stage Directions, he/him) is an L.A. based actor originating from Kuwait. He is elated to have his professional debut at the Kirk Douglas Theatre. He received his B.F.A. in acting at California Institute of the Arts. He is proud to be able to tell this story with such an incredible cast and crew. He would like to thank Bart DeLorenzo, Neel Keller, Daria Polatin, and his friends and family. “The wound is the place where the light enters you.” —Rumi www.hunterabal.com POONAM BASU (Aisha, she/her/hers) Poonam Basu is honored to play Aisha in this beautiful play. It was so healing to be on a stage again! Audience, you're next! Credits TV: S.W.A.T., Parks and Recreation, Baskets, Splitting Up Together. VO: Genshin Impact, Psychonauts 2, Life After Bob, Uglydolls. Feature Films: The English Teacher, 1 Chance 2 Dance. Theatre: Riot Grrrrl Saves the World, Romeo and Juliet, Pigs and Chickens, The Curious Savage, Vagina Monologues. Virtual Theatre/ #artinthetimeofcorona: First Honest Conversation, Superheroes Sidelined, Parallel, Viral, In Search of P-I-G. TikTok & IG @iampoonambasu
DARIA POLATIN (Director/Playwright, she/her/hers) is an award-winning playwright, TV writer/producer, and author. Plays presented at The Kennedy Center, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Center Theatre Group, Cherry Lane Theatre, Primary Stages, Cape Cod Theatre Project, Golden Thread Productions, Noor Theatre, and Ensemble Studio Theatre. TV writer/producer on Jack Ryan, Castle Rock, Hunters, Condor, Heels, and Shut Eye. Daria is Showrunner/Executive Producer of Devil in Ohio (upcoming on Netflix), based on her debut novel of the same name, published by Macmillan. Awards: Kennedy Center/A.C.T.F. Best One-Act Play, Middle East America Playwriting Prize Honorable Mention, The Wendy Wasserstein Prize Nominee; M.F.A. Columbia University. Co-founder of The Kilroys. www.dariapolatin.com MAGGIE SWING (Asst. Stage Manager, she/her/hers) Center Theatre Group: The Last Ship, Dana H., For The Love Of, Native Son, Linda Vista, Quack, Bloodletting, Ameryka, Die, Mommie, Die!, Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue, Spamilton, Big Night, King of the Yees, Failure: A Love Story, Dry Land, Vicuña, Throw Me on the Burnpile and Light Me Up. Geffen Playhouse: Big Sky, Barcelona, Guards at the Taj, Discord, The Country House, American Buffalo. Boston Court: Collective Rage. European Tour: The Apple Family Plays. Off-Broadway: Regular Singing, Sorry, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Sweet and Sad, Knickerbocker, Compulsion, That Hopey Changey Thing (The Public Theater), Slowgirl (Lincoln Center), Blood Knot, The Orphans’ Home Cycle (Signature Theatre Company). CINEVATIVE (Video Producer) Mark Ciglar is Founder and Creative Director of Cinevative, the nation's leading producer of on-screen media for performing arts and live entertainment. Their innovative approach to theatrical video has helped some of the most prestigious performing arts organizations in the country. Clients include Disney Theatricals, Cirque du Soleil, multiple Broadway shows and national tours as well as regional and presenting theatres including, Center Theatre Group, Arena Stage, Pasadena Playhouse, The Hollywood Pantages, The Old Globe, Denver Center, 5th Avenue Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, NY City Center, Goodspeed Musicals, Paper Mill Playhouse, Kimmel Center, Pittsburgh CLO and many others. Their video design for stage projections can be seen around the world on Royal Caribbean stage shows, World Concert Tours, and numerous theatrical productions and venues such as the Superdome, Staples Center, Nissan Stadium, The Dolby Theatre, The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, The MGM Grand and many others.
CRICKET S. MYERS (Sound Designer, she/her/hers) On Broadway, Cricket earned a Tony Nomination and a Drama Desk Award for her design of Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo. Regional designs include La Jolla Playhouse, Ahmanson Theatre, Mark Taper Forum, South Coast Rep, Shakespeare Theatre Company of D.C., Kirk Douglas Theatre, Pasadena Playhouse, and Geffen Playhouse. She has earned 24 Ovation Nominations and has won The Ruth Morley Award from the League of Professional Theatre Women, The Kinetic Award for Outstanding Achievement in Theatrical Design, as well as an LADCC and Garland Award in Los Angeles. www.cricketsmyers.com GARY ZACUTO (Sound Designer, he/him/his) Gary is a seasoned sound designer with numerous film, television and theatre credits. Works include Netflix’s Love, Death and Robots, short films Mila and Gopher Broke (both receiving Academy Award consideration), recent independent film Too Late, documentaries Attack of the Murder Hornets and The Tent Mender, special projects for films such as Deadpool and Sonic, network nmemonics for HBO Max, and numerous trailers and cinematic for the video game industry for titles such as Halo, Elder Scrolls, and League of Legends. Gary spent three decades as a studio owner and sound designer/mixer in Santa Monica, California, and now works from his home studio in Alexandria, Virginia. With a focus to keep the viewer “in the moment and the scene” within the soundtrack, he approaches sound as a character in and of itself. As a firm believer in the collaborative process, being a part of Palmyra and working closely with playwright and director Daria Polatin has been creatively fulfilling. NEEL KELLER (Associate Artistic Director, he/him/his) For Center Theatre Group, Neel has directed the World premieres of Eliza Clark’s Quack, Lucy Alibar’s Throw Me On The Burnpile and Light Me Up, Dael Orlandersmith’s Forever, Kimber Lee’s different words for the same thing, Jennifer Haley’s The Nether, and Jessica Goldberg’s Good Thing, as well as productions of Sheila Callaghan’s Women Laughing Alone With Salad, David Greig’s Pyrenees, Dael Orlandersmith’s Until The Flood, and Marie Jones’ Stones in His Pockets. He has also directed for New York Theatre Workshop, The Public Theater, La Jolla Playhouse, South Coast Repertory, Long Wharf Theatre, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, Goodman Theatre, Portland Center Stage, Williamstown Theatre Festival, and several hospitable theatres in the UK and EU. As a producer at Center Theatre Group, Neel has worked closely with dozens of creative teams on the development and production of a wide range of plays and musicals. Two of the happiest of these experiences have been working with Rajiv Joseph on Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo and Archduke. Neel is a member of The Stage Directors and Choreographers Society and the Directors Guild of America.
MEGHAN PRESSMAN (Managing Director/CEO, she/her/ hers) joined Center Theatre Group in 2019. Previously, she served as Managing Director of Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company (D.C.), Director of Development for Signature Theatre (N.Y.), and Associate Managing Director of Berkeley Rep. She is a graduate of Yale School of Drama/Yale School of Management, and serves as a mentor in the Theater Management program. Meghan has served as the Vice-Chair for the Theatre Communications Group Board of Directors, and is a member of the Broadway League. DOUGLAS C. BAKER (Producing Director, he/him/his) joined Center Theatre Group in 1990. Doug is an active member of the Broadway League, the Independent Presenters Network (IPN), and is a proud member of the Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers (ATPAM). In 2013, Doug received the Broadway League’s prestigious Outstanding Achievement in Presenter Management Award. NAUSICA STERGIOU (General Manager) has worked supporting artists in theatres of all shapes, sizes, and locales including Center Theatre Group as General Manager and, previously, as Audience Development Director. She oversees productions at the Taper and Douglas, as well as new play commissions and developmental productions. Nausica has taught Marketing and Management at USC’s School of Dramatic Arts and works with local nonprofits including Hollywood Orchard. B.A. Cornell University. M.F.A. Yale School of Drama. GORDON DAVIDSON (Founding Artistic Director) led the Taper throughout its first 38 seasons, guiding over 300 productions to its stage and winning countless awards for himself and the theatre—including the Tony Award for theatrical excellence, Margo Jones Award, The Governor’s Award for the Arts, and a Guggenheim fellowship. The Kentucky Cycle and Angels in America (Part One) won the Pulitzer in consecutive years and, in 1994, three of the four plays nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play were from the Taper (Angels in America won). In 1989, Gordon took over the Ahmanson and, in 2004, he produced the inaugural season in the Kirk Douglas Theatre.
ADDITIONAL PRODUCTION SUPPORT: KDT STAFF CREW FOR FILM DAY: Audio Supervisor.................................................................Corey Charness Photography.................................................................... Courtnay Robbins Video Producer........................................................................... Cinevative Director of Photography................................................................Josh Park Camera Operator..................................................................... Brad Haskell Camera Assistant........................................................Michael Wade Young Post Producers.....................................................Eric Garcia (48 Windows) Mixer........................................................................................ Gary Zacuto
Lead Compliance Officer...........................................................Niki Armato Covid Compliance Officers................................... Dean Grosbard, Liv Scott
Special Thanks: Bart Delorenzo, Joy Meads, Pier Carlo Talenti, Patricia Garza, Jennifer Chambers, Andrew Leynse, Erin Daley, Portia Krieger, Alexis Jacknow, Sydney Ross, Myles Reid, Heyva Sor a Kurd/Kurdish Red Crescent
The Actors and Stage Managers employed in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States. This theatre operates under an arrangement between the League of Resident Theatres and Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States.
UNITED SCENIC ARTISTS represents the designers and scenic painters for the American Theatre.
Center Theatre Group is a member of the American Arts Alliance, the Broadway League, Independent Presenters Network (IPN), LA Stage Alliance, League of Resident Theatres (LORT), National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT) and the Theatre Communications Group (TCG).