Theater
“The difference between a good director and an amateur director … is good directors can execute what they think…the difference between a good director and a great director is…what they think.”
Nothing But The Truth
Nothing But The truth
Play
Frank Calo has been helping to develop this play by Eve Lederman, and will be Directing and Producing the upcoming production.
SYNOPSIS: NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH (90 minutes)
Inspired by deposition transcripts from a malpractice case, Nothing But The Truth portrays the relationship between patient and therapist. Rachel is a vivacious yet distraught young woman exploring her family secrets and fears about children with her maternal therapist Marilyn. But when Marilyn faces questions in a lawsuit for abruptly terminating Rachel’s treatment, she paints her as violent, and an explosive life-altering battle ensues.
The scenes alternate between the doctor’s office and the deposition room, toying with the timeline and challenging the audience to uncover the truth: Marilyn testifies to one version of events and then the clock turns back to the doctor’s office where the facts unfold. Like Mamet’s Oleanna, the viewers’ allegiance vacillates as the protagonists’ power struggle unfolds, similarly inciting and polarizing the audience.
This story shares a tale of betrayal that ignites a heated dialogue about the dynamics of abandonment.
Stills
Production Poster
To Life
To Life
Play
Frank Calo directed and produced the debut production of To Life by Eve Lederman at The Theater for the New City (Artistic Director: Crystal Fields).
TO LIFE …The Rosen family, battered and blessed, celebrates Jeffrey’s life as their hearts lie gasping on the floor.
Backs are turned and accusations hurled as the Rosens come together and fall apart, bound by heartbreak and humor. Nobody escapes a good kick in the tuchas as they expose their foibles, confront their fears, and cling to their fragile connection amidst the chaos. The story is both elegy and eulogy to the death of a family and reminds us that we’re not alone.
Original Cast:
Yaron Urbas
Dori Levi
Joseph J. Menino*
Francesca Calo*
Lori Ackerman*
James K. Fulater
(*Member AEA)
Technical / Production Staff:
STAGE MANAGERS: Melissa Mauer, Nicole Carne
LIGHTING DESIGNER: Alex Bartenieff
SET DESIGNER: Mark Marcante
GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Lavin Cuddehee
COSTUMES: Juliet Ouyoung
SOUND DESIGN: Paul Howells
SOUND/VOICE-OVERS: Katelyn Richards
MUSIC SUPERVISOR: Danny Hartig
STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: Diane De Rosa
Stills
Production Poster
The Playwright: Eve Lederman
Eve Lederman
Playwright
BIO: EVE LEDERMAN
Eve Lederman is a playwright, monologist, essayist and author. Her drama TO LIFE appeared as a showcase co-production with FMC Productions and Theater for the New City in October 2019. The play was a semifinalist for the Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, a finalist for the Association for Theatre in Higher Education/Award of Excellence in Playwriting, and a semifinalist for the 2018 Athena Project.
NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH was mounted as a showcase in Ontario, Canada, with Post Productions in April 2019 and was produced as an audio drama by The Radio Theatre Project. The play was a finalist for the BBC’s International Playwriting Competition, the Urban Stages Development Program, T. Schreiber Theatre’s New Works Project, Theatre Evolve New Works Festival (Chicago), Phoenix Theatre Festival of New American Theatre, and Geva Theatre’s Festival of New Theatre (Rochester), among others.
Eve’s monologues have been produced by The Jewish Women’s Theatre in LA and she has told stories on stage in New York at The Players Club, The Bryant Park Reading Room and the Museum of Jewish Heritage. Her essays have appeared in The New York Times and her book Letters From My Sister was published by Skyhorse Publishing and Audible.
