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Mr. Toole
Award-winning playwright Vivian Neuwirth creates a deeply personal reflection on the life of John Kennedy Toole, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, A Confederacy of Dunces.
Before he was an author, John Kennedy Toole was a teacher. That’s how Lisette, one of his students at an all-girl’s college in New Orleans, knew him and loved him. Through her eyes, amid the music, magic, and mystery of The Big Easy we, too, learn to love “Mr. Toole.” The teacher a student will never forget becomes a legend the world will always remember. |
CAST
* denotes a member of Actors Equity Association
JOHN INGLE * - Theatre credits include: Ring Round the Moon, Women Beware Women (The Acting Company); Lovers (TOSOS & Players Theatre); Barefoot in the Park, Blithe Spirit, A Man For All Seasons, The Importance of Being Earnest (Creede Repertory Theatre); Measure for Measure, Marat/Sade, Camille, She Stoops To Conquer, The Night Thoreau Spent In Jail (Missouri Repertory Theatre); Tree Man, Fire & Ice (Articulate Theatre Company); Mr. Toole (Midtown International Theatre Festival); Pillars of Society (Spectrum Theatre Company); Back Bog Beast Bait (Direct Theatre). Film: Hell’s Kitchen (PaNDa Films). AEA/SAG-AFTRA.
LINDA PURL * - Broadway: Adventures of Tom Sawyer; Getting and Spending. Off-Broadway: Baby Dance. Regional (partial): Merchant of Venice, Hedda Gabler, Real Thing, Glass Menagerie, Little Foxes, Streetcar Named Desire, Road to Mecca, Doll’s House, Year of Magical Thinking, Hippolytus, Miracle Worker, Nora, Copenhagen, Oliver, Grease, Three Penny Opera. Partial film: Bender, Mighty Joe Young, Walking Major. Current tv series: Suzanne, Claire-ity. Recent recurring: Homeland, The Office, Designated Survivor. Over 45 TV movies, especially known for Charlene Matlock, Matlock; Ashley Pfister, Happy Days. Studies: Toho Geino Academy, LAMDA, Neighborhood Playhouse, Lee Strasberg Institute. Founder, California International Theatre Festival. Concert venues include Catalina Jazz Club, 54 Below, Colorado Springs Philharmonic, Crazy Coqs (London), Club Raye (Paris), Satin Doll (Tokyo). CD’s: Midnight Caravan, Up Jumped Spring, Try Your Wings. JULIA RANDALL is a recent graduate of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. She has been in countless productions, such as The Last Days Of Judas Iscariot, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Merrily We Roll Along. She has also appeared in staged readings, such as The Rose Tattoo at The Acting Company. In addition to her theatrical performances, Julia has also appeared in a feature film under the direction of Garry Marshall, titled New Years Eve. Born and raised here in New York City, she is excited to be back performing in her hometown. STEPHEN SCHNETZER * - Broadway: Oslo, The Goat, or Who is Sylvia; Filumena; A Talent for Murder. Off-Broadway: Mankind (Playwrights Horizons), Next Fall (Naked Angels), Miss Julie (Roundabout), Timon of Athens (NY Shakespeare Festival), Tribes (Barrow Street), Romeo and Juliet (Theater 91), Unfaithfully Yours (Mint). Regional: Tribes (Guthrie), Broken Glass (Westport Country Playhouse), Awake and Sing (Huntington), Noises Off (Arena Stage), As You Like It (McCarter), The Tempest (Mark Taper), The Taming of the Shrew (American Conservatory Theater). Film: Aardvark, Brooklyn Lobster, A Case of Blue. TV: "Billions," "Blue Bloods," "Blacklist," "Flesh and Bone,"Forever," "Homeland," "Damages," "Rubicon," "The Good Wife," "The Wire," "Fringe," all the "Law and Orders," "Another World." RYAN SPAHN * - Ryan began his New York stage career in Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ Pulitzer Prize-finalist GLORIA at the Vineyard Theatre. He has since appeared in Moscow, Moscow, Moscow, Moscow, Moscow, Moscow (MCC and Williamstown Theatre Festival), Daniel's Husband (Westside Theatre, Primary Stages, and Penguin Rep), Summer and Smoke (Classic Stage and Transport Group), Still at Risk (TFTNC), and Exit Strategy (Primary Stages). As a co-writer and producer, his features include He's Way More Famous Than You, Grantham and Rose, and Woven, and his latest play Nora Highland was a semi-finalist for the 2019 O’Neill Playwrights Conference. He is a graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy and The Juilliard School, and will appear in the upcoming film Shirley. THOMAS G. WAITES * - Tom’s career started in 1976 with When Ya Comin Back Red Ryder at Center Stage in Baltimore. From there, Molly by Simon Grey at the Spolletto Festival playing Oliver Treeve with Christina Pickles. Over fifty professional plays as an actor and director both here and in Europe. Notably, Awake and Sing! with Frances McDormand, Bobby in American Buffalo with Al Pacino, and Pastorale with Judith Ivey at Second Stage playing Steve. On film, Thomas starred in On The Yard with John Herd, And Justice For All with Al Pacino, Clan of the Cave Bear with Daryl Hannah, Light of Day with Michael J. Fox, The Warriors, The Thing with Kurt Russell and McBain with Christopher Walken. And many more. On TV, Tom was in Law and Order (6 six episodes), Oz (4 seasons) New Amsterdam, The Punisher, and Homeland. Tom directed two short films Pandora starring Joe Mantenga and Francis Fischer. Most recently, Late Show Host written by Jules Feiffer. CREATIVE TEAM
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REVIEWS
"John Kennedy Toole has become a literary legend. His one novel has become an American classic that continues to influence modern readers with its insightful wit. Don't miss the chance to see Mr. Toole and be engaged with a story of life and times in the Big Easy." - Marina Kennedy
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"The poem is a metaphor for Toole’s life that is in shambles, filled with anxiety, isolation, unfulfilled desires, longing, not fitting in, and dealing with the question “Do I dare disturb the universe?”" - Sandi Durell
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"Perhaps Mr. Toole‘s ultimate message is that there is both pain and beauty in inspiration, whether it’s provided by art or by people." - Elysa Gardner
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"While Eliot serves as the play's poetic touchstone, words of Shakespeare's too come to mind, specifically his promise to the subject of Sonnet 18 that as "long as men can breathe or eyes can see," his writing will keep that person alive. Within Neuwirth's play, this sentiment certainly applies to A Confederacy of Dunces, but it is equally true of Mr. Toole itself." - John R. Ziegler and Leah Richards
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"You don’t have to read the Pulitzer Prize winning book A Confederacy of Dunces to have a great time at the show Mr. Toole. The show stands perfectly well on its on without reading Mr. Toole’s hilarious and Pulitzer Prize winning book. As a matter of fact, a remarkable amount of the story takes place after Mr. Toole himself leaves the scene. For a lover of the book, this is no surprise. A Confederacy of Dunces was published posthumously, and Mr. Toole tells the tale."
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“Mr. Toole” shows the lasting effects one person can have on those around him—particularly when the person in question is both passionate about things he cares about and willing to share them with others. Running through the story is the warning to not simply go through life, but to truly live it. “Mr. Toole” reminds us that good can come from even the most personal pain.
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Vivian Neuwirth (Playwright, Producer - Lagniappe Productions) is an award-winning playwright who is thrilled to have her new play produced as a full production at 59E59 Theaters. Mr. Toole has been expanded from a one act that was presented in the Estrogenius 2014 Short Play Festival, where it won awards for Best Play and Best Playwriting. Vivian continued to develop it with EstroGenius 2016 where it received staged readings as a full length in March at the 4th Street Theatre, followed by a production at the Midtown International Theatre Festival in July at The WorkShop Theatre (11 nominations, including Outstanding Play, three awards). In March of 2017 Vivian was invited to present Mr. Toole in the Tennessee Williams Festival in New Orleans. She continued to develop and expand the play in readings with her playwriting group, Writers@LargeNYC in 2017 and 2018. Other works include NOLA, Three Plays About Home, a trilogy about Katrina (co-produced by Manhattan Theatre Source and Lagniappe Productions, published) at TheatreLab, The Key (EstroGenius 2012 Best Play, published) at The Barrow Group, Fun on the Bayou (published: Best Plays of the Strawberry Festival, Best Actress Award), Lifeline (Samuel French Short Play Festival), Destination (InGenius Festival and InGenius Encores), Mardi Gras Child, Do You Know What It Means and The Towering Dead (Neighborhood Playhouse). Acting credits: The Kennedy Center (Marvin’s Room), The Goodman, MinettaLane, The Barter, The York, Ensemble Studio Theatre, The Alonquin, The ArcLight and Abingdon Theatre. Member of the Dramatists Guild, AEA and Writers at the Players. Graduate of The Juilliard School. Vivian is from New Orleans and was a student of John Kennedy Toole. She dedicates this play to him.
Cat Parker (Director) Cat Parker is the artistic director of Articulate Theatre Company, an ensemble driven organization based in NYC. She has been directing for several decades, and began producing as the Producing Director for T. Schreiber Studios, and continues to produce and direct within the Indie Theatre community. Cat is part of the leadership of the New York Innovative Theatre Awards, is a CTI 14-Week graduate, a member of the Indie Theatre Hall of Fame and a Planet Connection's outstanding director award winner.
George Allison (Set/Video/Sound Designer) George has been telling stories through physical means for over 30 years, as a production designer for television, film and theatre. He has designed over 200 Off and Off-Off Broadway productions. New York debuts include The Strike by Rod Serling, Divine Right, Carreno and Nightshade written by Howard Koch (Casablanca), and his own new work, Doctor Frankenstein. He has designed many productions for Articulate and T. Schreiber Studio and has won NYIT awards for best set for Picasso at the Lapin Agile and Hot L Baltimore. www.GADesigns.net
Kia Rogers (Lighting Designer) Kia Rogers is a New York City based lighting designer for Theatre. Recent designs: 3LD Art & Technology Center, BAM Fisher, Cherry Lane Studio, Gural theatre at ART/NY, Gym at Judson, and Theatre 511 at ARS NOVA. International credits: Lighting Designer for The Baby Monitor at the Belgrade LGBTQ theatre festival in Belgrade, Serbia. Associate Lighting Designer for Slutforart/98.6 in Gothenburg, Sweden with Muna Tseng. West coast designs: El Portal's Monroe Forum Theatre, Los Angeles and Z Space, San Francisco. Awards: NYITA Outstanding Lighting Design for Real and Jane The Plain. MITF 2016 Outstanding Lighting Design for Mr. Toole. Kia is a member of Rising Phoenix Repertory and a Creative Partner with Flux Theatre Ensemble.
Brittney Venable (Managing Director, ATC) Brittney is the Managing Director of ATC. She loves bringing new & old works to the stage as well as being on stage herself. Most recent past performances include Articulate's The Art of Protest and The Radio Plays. Much love to P, J&C!
John Concannon* (Production Stage Manager)
New York: Stage managed 59E59’s Summer run of Two’s a Crowd starring Rita Rudner; Tennessee Williams One Act Festival; Waltz of the Stork; Alice in Wonderland; The Learned Ladies; Life is a Dream; Marat/Sade; It’s Hard to Be a Jew; Plain and Fancy. Regional LORT - Chappaqua, NY, Talley’s Folly. Production manager for the gala renaming The Lucille Lortel Theater. John is a founding member of The Stage Managers’ Association, a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association, and is celebrating The Year of the Stage Manager 2020.
Angela Harner (Costume Designer) Designer In Residence Live Source Theatre Group, Triggered Series (The Amoralists), The Wholehearted (Stein|Holum Projects), Suddenly, Solstice Party! (Live Source), OKAY Taylor Mac (Ugly Rhino), Jupiter (LaMama/Superhero Playhouse), Utility (The Amoralists), Blue Stockings(NYU), Kill Me Like You Mean It (Stolen Chair), The Three Christs of Yipsilanti, Spring Pictures (Peculiar Works). Film/TV: The Accidental Wolf season 1 & 2, Half Life, The Nearest Human Being, According to my Mother Daniel K. Isaac. She studied at The Theatre School at DePaul (BFA) and NYU Tisch Design for Stage and Film (MFA). www.angelaharnerdesigns.com
Tekla Gaughn (Assistant Director/Producing Director ATC) Tekla Gaughan is the Producing Director for Articulate Theatre Company and a group sales agent and marketing assistant at BroadwayGPS. Most recently, Tekla was an associate producer for The Day the Sky Turned, a fundraising performance for Australian Bushfire Relief at The Tank. Past projects also include the developmental production of Doctor Frankenstein and Perversity in Articulate's series, Articulating the Arts: The Art of Protest. Tekla is a former intern for Commercial Theatre Institute and Scorpio Entertainment. She is an alumna of Cincinnati’s School of Creative & Performing Arts and Kent State University’s School of Theatre and Dance. She is thankful for the ability to speak her mind, her partner and their family. www.teklagaughan.com
Charley Layton (Dialect Coach) is a professional speech/dialect coach (recently: Ain’t Too Proud, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, Kinky Boots, Escape to Margaritaville, and Jersey Boys). He is a faculty member of the Atlantic Theater Company Acting School through Tisch/NYU. Charley works privately with actors, singers and public speakers. He was a two-time semi-finalist in the National Shakespeare Competition with the English-Speaking Union (Lincoln Center). (BFA Drama NYU, BA Linguistics Brooklyn College) www.charleylayton.com
Morry Campbell (Sound Designer) For Articulate, Morry has designed for Listen! The River, On This Mountain, The Radio Plays and Doctor Frankenstein. He also collaborated on Mr. Toole. As resident Sound Designer for the TOSOS Theatre Company, he has designed sound and/or composed original music for Damaged Goods, The Mermaid, Christmas Moon, and Byron Loyd’s Rebel Boy Fireworks, among others. He has also written original music for lyrics found in Tom Eyen’s Sarah B. Divine, and Shakespeare’s Winter’s Tale, Twelfth Night, and Midsummer Night’s Dream. Morry is a member of Articulate, and his full bio can be found HERE.
Courtney Ferraro Smith (Asst Stage Manager/Props)
Courtney Ferraro Smith is a Brooklyn based costume designer. Along with design, she works professionally as a wardrobe supervisor and technician for theater, dance, and film. Recent work includes original plays Forgiveness by John Attanas, Superman and Serena by Omar Bakry, and Night of the Neutron Dance by Sharifa Williams. courtneyferrarosmith.com
Cat Parker (Director) Cat Parker is the artistic director of Articulate Theatre Company, an ensemble driven organization based in NYC. She has been directing for several decades, and began producing as the Producing Director for T. Schreiber Studios, and continues to produce and direct within the Indie Theatre community. Cat is part of the leadership of the New York Innovative Theatre Awards, is a CTI 14-Week graduate, a member of the Indie Theatre Hall of Fame and a Planet Connection's outstanding director award winner.
George Allison (Set/Video/Sound Designer) George has been telling stories through physical means for over 30 years, as a production designer for television, film and theatre. He has designed over 200 Off and Off-Off Broadway productions. New York debuts include The Strike by Rod Serling, Divine Right, Carreno and Nightshade written by Howard Koch (Casablanca), and his own new work, Doctor Frankenstein. He has designed many productions for Articulate and T. Schreiber Studio and has won NYIT awards for best set for Picasso at the Lapin Agile and Hot L Baltimore. www.GADesigns.net
Kia Rogers (Lighting Designer) Kia Rogers is a New York City based lighting designer for Theatre. Recent designs: 3LD Art & Technology Center, BAM Fisher, Cherry Lane Studio, Gural theatre at ART/NY, Gym at Judson, and Theatre 511 at ARS NOVA. International credits: Lighting Designer for The Baby Monitor at the Belgrade LGBTQ theatre festival in Belgrade, Serbia. Associate Lighting Designer for Slutforart/98.6 in Gothenburg, Sweden with Muna Tseng. West coast designs: El Portal's Monroe Forum Theatre, Los Angeles and Z Space, San Francisco. Awards: NYITA Outstanding Lighting Design for Real and Jane The Plain. MITF 2016 Outstanding Lighting Design for Mr. Toole. Kia is a member of Rising Phoenix Repertory and a Creative Partner with Flux Theatre Ensemble.
Brittney Venable (Managing Director, ATC) Brittney is the Managing Director of ATC. She loves bringing new & old works to the stage as well as being on stage herself. Most recent past performances include Articulate's The Art of Protest and The Radio Plays. Much love to P, J&C!
John Concannon* (Production Stage Manager)
New York: Stage managed 59E59’s Summer run of Two’s a Crowd starring Rita Rudner; Tennessee Williams One Act Festival; Waltz of the Stork; Alice in Wonderland; The Learned Ladies; Life is a Dream; Marat/Sade; It’s Hard to Be a Jew; Plain and Fancy. Regional LORT - Chappaqua, NY, Talley’s Folly. Production manager for the gala renaming The Lucille Lortel Theater. John is a founding member of The Stage Managers’ Association, a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association, and is celebrating The Year of the Stage Manager 2020.
Angela Harner (Costume Designer) Designer In Residence Live Source Theatre Group, Triggered Series (The Amoralists), The Wholehearted (Stein|Holum Projects), Suddenly, Solstice Party! (Live Source), OKAY Taylor Mac (Ugly Rhino), Jupiter (LaMama/Superhero Playhouse), Utility (The Amoralists), Blue Stockings(NYU), Kill Me Like You Mean It (Stolen Chair), The Three Christs of Yipsilanti, Spring Pictures (Peculiar Works). Film/TV: The Accidental Wolf season 1 & 2, Half Life, The Nearest Human Being, According to my Mother Daniel K. Isaac. She studied at The Theatre School at DePaul (BFA) and NYU Tisch Design for Stage and Film (MFA). www.angelaharnerdesigns.com
Tekla Gaughn (Assistant Director/Producing Director ATC) Tekla Gaughan is the Producing Director for Articulate Theatre Company and a group sales agent and marketing assistant at BroadwayGPS. Most recently, Tekla was an associate producer for The Day the Sky Turned, a fundraising performance for Australian Bushfire Relief at The Tank. Past projects also include the developmental production of Doctor Frankenstein and Perversity in Articulate's series, Articulating the Arts: The Art of Protest. Tekla is a former intern for Commercial Theatre Institute and Scorpio Entertainment. She is an alumna of Cincinnati’s School of Creative & Performing Arts and Kent State University’s School of Theatre and Dance. She is thankful for the ability to speak her mind, her partner and their family. www.teklagaughan.com
Charley Layton (Dialect Coach) is a professional speech/dialect coach (recently: Ain’t Too Proud, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, Kinky Boots, Escape to Margaritaville, and Jersey Boys). He is a faculty member of the Atlantic Theater Company Acting School through Tisch/NYU. Charley works privately with actors, singers and public speakers. He was a two-time semi-finalist in the National Shakespeare Competition with the English-Speaking Union (Lincoln Center). (BFA Drama NYU, BA Linguistics Brooklyn College) www.charleylayton.com
Morry Campbell (Sound Designer) For Articulate, Morry has designed for Listen! The River, On This Mountain, The Radio Plays and Doctor Frankenstein. He also collaborated on Mr. Toole. As resident Sound Designer for the TOSOS Theatre Company, he has designed sound and/or composed original music for Damaged Goods, The Mermaid, Christmas Moon, and Byron Loyd’s Rebel Boy Fireworks, among others. He has also written original music for lyrics found in Tom Eyen’s Sarah B. Divine, and Shakespeare’s Winter’s Tale, Twelfth Night, and Midsummer Night’s Dream. Morry is a member of Articulate, and his full bio can be found HERE.
Courtney Ferraro Smith (Asst Stage Manager/Props)
Courtney Ferraro Smith is a Brooklyn based costume designer. Along with design, she works professionally as a wardrobe supervisor and technician for theater, dance, and film. Recent work includes original plays Forgiveness by John Attanas, Superman and Serena by Omar Bakry, and Night of the Neutron Dance by Sharifa Williams. courtneyferrarosmith.com