Award-winning play Love, Bitches is a teen comedy tinged with horror and centered on a conflict between a punk and pop music band on a concert tour they must share due to production reasons. The initial animosity must subside when it is revealed that the sister of the punker Tequila is living with the leader of the pop band, Étien, who has been entrusted with the care of the beloved poodle of the manager of both bands. After a visit from her sister, the alcohol-soaked and depressed Tequila falls in love with the poodle and walks off into the night with him. Étien’s frantic search for his boss’s most precious possession takes unexpected turns.
Love, Bitches (Czech Republic). Playwright: Petr Kolecko. Director: Edward Einhorn. Cast: Stephan Amenta (Ricardo), JaneAnne Halter (Lucia), Ian J Hayes (Etien), Ethan Horgan (Dolly), Jordana Kagan (Poodle), Delia Kemph (Teen 2), Sara Rahman (Teen 1), Rivera Reese (Tequila), Nathaniel J. Ryan (Slim), Dana Watkins (Pinhead), Maxwell Zener (Ben). Composer/Music accompaniment: Adam Bernstein. Translated by: Edward Einhorn with assistance of Katerina Lu.
Love, Bitches is a play about young people who live in a fake world of lifestyle magazines and TV shows. Overwhelmed by images of perfect happiness and true love, they can no longer actually recognize perfect happiness and true love.
Free and open to the public. Online registration through Eventbrite is required.
The 2022 Spring Stage Readings: Bridging the Worlds is dedicated to the people of Ukraine fighting for their independence. 🇺🇦 Suggested donation ($10) will be used to support Ukrainian refugees. All collected funds will be donated to People in Need, a Czech non-governmental, non-profit organization with over 20 years of experience in helping people in emergencies all over the world.
Proof of vaccination and wearing of a face mask during the event is required.
ABOUT
PETR KOLECKO graduated from Drama at the Drama Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (DAMU) in 2009. In addition to studying dramaturgy, he also devoted himself to playwriting from the very first year at the Academy. His first professionally staged play was, Britney Goes to Heaven, produced by the Petr Bezruč Theatre in Ostrava, which was translated into English and in December 2007 was presented as a staged reading at Immigrants Theatre in New York City. In 2008, he took part in the prestigious playwright residence at the Royal Court Theatre in London. Between the years 2008-2015, he became one of the most successful Czech authors. Both Czech and foreign theaters have staged over 20 of his plays. Among the best known are the musical Porn Stars (co-author Tomáš Svoboda, produced by: ROXY, Prague and Petr Bezruč Theatre, Ostrava); The ‘women’s trilogy’: The Salome Case, The Medeia Case, The Maryša Case (The Salome Case and The Medeia Case were nominated for the Alfred Radok Award for the Play of the Year). The Forbidden Ease was staged at the A Studio Rubin and has become the basis for the author’s own script for Jan Hřebejk’s film; or the play Poker Face that been produced by three different theatres, in Bratislava, České Budějovice and by the Teatrul Nottara in Bucharest. In October 2016, the play was premiered in London at the King’s Head Theatre. The most recent theatrical achievements of the author are: the crazy comedy Woman at the Counter 2: Counter of Personality with the cult duo Kaiser-Labus at the Kalich Theatre, Prague, or the play Padesátka (Fifty) that inspired a same-named film. The author’s plays have also been produced as staged readings abroad, aside the Immigrants Theatre in New York and the Theatre under Ratusz in Krakow, also at the Royal Court Theatre in London, the Martin Segal Theatre Centre in New York, the Tag Theatre in Vienna or the Satirical Theatre in Sofia.
EDWARD EINHORN is a playwright, director, translator, librettist, and novelist. Recent work includes The Marriage of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein (The Jermyn Street Theatre, London), Alma Baya (A.R.T./New York), Doctors Jane and Alexander (HERE), The Resistible Rise of J. R. Brinkley (Apple podcasts), City of Glass (The New Ohio), The Pig, or Václav Havel's Hunt for a Pig (3 Legged Dog), Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (3 Legged Dog and Sacred Fools, Los Angeles). Directed the filmed version of The Last Cyclist, to be shown on WNET television. His graphic novel version of Iphigenia in Aulis will be released by Image Comic in May.
Untitled Theater Company No. 61 (UTC61) is a Theater of Ideas: scientific, political, philosophical, and above all theatrical. UTC61 has been performing independent theater in New York for 25 years, collaborating with venues such as HERE, The New Ohio, 3LD, La MaMa, The Brick, and other downtown spaces. They have also maintained a durable partnership with the Czech Republic, originally established through their work with former President Vaclav Havel during their 2006 Havel Festival. Recent UTC61 work has been Critic's Picks in The New York Times, The Village Voice, and Time Out New York.
CAST
STEPHAN AMENTA is an actor, singer, and writer living in Brooklyn. He is a graduate of NYU Tisch. Select credits include -- Off Broadway: Frankenstein (Write Act Repertory). Regional: Vanya & Sonya & Masha & Spike (Martha's Vineyard Playhouse), A Great Wilderness (Williamstown Theatre Festival), Dear Evan Hansen (Arena Stage), Good Boys and True (Retro Productions). Film/TV: PLANT: The Second Coming (Amazon), On The Case With Paula Zahn (Investigation Discovery), and Rough Night (Sony Pictures).
JANEANNE HALTER is a New York City-based actor and performance artist. She received her BA in Visual Arts from Fordham University and MFA from The Actors Studio Drama School. Recent credits include: Somewhere I Can Scream (The Players Theater), Alma Baya (A.R.T./New York), Let’s Pretend (Wild Project Theater).
IAN J HAYES is from Central Massachusetts where he made a living singing, performing, and teaching music in the Greater Boston area. In September of 2017, Ian moved to New York City to train at the Maggie Flanigan Studio where he spent two incredibly formative years in their rigorous conservatory program. He was fortunate to act in many short films during his training and the following year, he was blessed even more to work in a few films until the end of 2020, including #pizzagate (director Stuart Valberg) and Hired Man (director Raw Leiba).
ETHAN HORGAN is an actor, musician and writer living in the East Village. He is an acting student at Mason Gross School of The Arts and a graduate from Interlochen Arts Academy. Some of his favorite roles are Ms. Trunchbull in Matilda, Damis in Tartuffe and Touchstone in As You Like It. Follow Ethan’s music on his instagram @everybodyhatesethn.
JORDANA KAGAN is a New York City based actor, singer, and dancer, originally from Framingham, MA. She recently graduated from Fordham University at Lincoln Center with a BA in theatre performance. Jordana trained in physical theatre and clowning at the Accademia dell'Arte in Tuscany. Credits include The Wolves (Fordham University), Newsies (Weston Drama Workshop), and various Feinstein's/54 Below cabaret performances.
DELIA KEMPH is an actor, comedian, and teaching artist based in NYC. She has worked with Smith Street Stage, Disney/iTheatrics, Music Theater International, and Mile Square Theater, among other companies. Her work with NYU's Reality Show, originally conceived by Liz Swados, can be seen in the short documentary Better to Live (official selection: 2015 Tribeca Film Festival). Delia has also worked for numerous arts education organizations and early learning centers in the tri-state area, including Hoboken Children's Theater Company, CenterStage Stars, and Broadway Bound Kids. She holds a BFA in Drama from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, and splits her time between choreographing, acting, teaching, and performing stand-up comedy around New York City. Delia is the co-producer and co-host of Energizer Honeys, a live variety show which strives to highlight up-and-coming female, LGBTQ+, and BIPOC voices in the comedy world.
SARA RAHMAN is a Brooklyn-based actor and voice-over performer. Most recently, she has performed in Kept in the Dark at New Ohio Theatre, voice-acted in popular game franchise Pathfinder and features in upcoming live action and animated feature films Maggie and Omul as on-screen and voiceover talent, respectively. Her past and present projects range widely from perfoming at Abrons Arts Center in punk-rock cabaret Ubu Sings Ubu to currently starring in a prominent Youtube kids series Ellie Sparkles, boasting over two million subscribers. When not performing, Sara writes poetry and screenplays, teaches chess to toddlers, and plays with her cats Boop and Cup.
RIVERA REESE is a Meisner trained actor from the Canadian Rockies. Rivera is a proficient stage combat and stunt performer, traveling across America and Internationally with the Marvel Universe Live stunt show playing Nebula from Guardians of the Galaxy and recently finished heisting audiences in Brooklyn with the immersive theater experience Money Heist. Rivera is thrilled to be working with Edward again, previously they worked together on his Sci-Fi absurdist play Alma Baya with Untitled Theater Company No. 61. Rivera has had her films showcased all over Canada and The United States. She won Best Actress at the NOLA Horror Film Festival, and has also received nominations for her films both as an actor and director.
NATHANIEL J. RYAN can be seen starring in the Independent Feature Film Luv Don't Live Here, which received a national distribution deal through Amazon.com as well as several television appearances, which include The Blacklist, Blue Bloods, Random Acts of Flyness and more.
DANA WATKINS Theatre includes Edwin (Edwin Booth) Theatre at St Clements, Culture Project’s production of Tennessee Williams’ In Masks Outrageous and Austere, My First Time at New World Stages, F. Scott Fitzgerald in Allan Knee’s The Jazz Age at 59E59 (world premiere), Marat/Sade (Corday), Native Son (Jan Erlone), Macbeth (Banquo) and The Cherry Orchard (Trofimov) at CTH, Charles in The French Lieutenant’s Woman at The Fulton (world premiere), Kafka in Stanley Walden’s Letter to My Father at the Kaye Playhouse, Hal in Henry IV, Poe in the one man show An Evening with Edgar Allan Poe. TV: Loosies (pilot), Christmas with Holly, OLTL, Guiding Light. Film: The Stuff, Falling to Pieces, How to be a Man, The Empath, Dreamgirl. Graduate of SUNY Purchase.
MAXWELL ZENER has appeared in many UTC61 productions, including Doctors Jane and Alexander, Linguish, Strangers, Unauthorized Magic in Oz, and the premiere of Paul Wilson’s translation of Havel’s The Memo. Other NYC theater credits include productions with Theater for the New City, Resonance Ensemble, and Rosalind Productions. Regionally he has appeared at the Williamstown Theater Festival and Signature Theater (VA). TV credits include Boardwalk Empire and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. He has narrated over 100 audiobooks.
ADAM BERNSTEIN writes, produces and performs his own music and is an active freelance bassist in New York City. His music has been featured in the hit TV series Degrassi, Heartland, and the films Abduction and Wet Behind the Ears. His score for the new film Bride in the Box was featured last summer at the Maine Independent Film Festival. An accomplished composer, arranger as well as bassist, Adam has performed and/or recorded with a wide range of talented musicians and dancers, including Levon Helm, Jonathan Coulton, Joan Osbourne and many others. He has released nine solo albums of original material since 2001. Varying from singer-songwriter pop, more hard edge rock music and songs/scored works from the Grown Ass Men podcast, Adam shows a wide array of musical palettes he works in.
THE 2022 SPRING STAGE READINGS
The 2022 Spring Stage Readings: Bridging the Worlds is organized by the Vaclav Havel Library Foundation and the Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Association in partnership with the Polish Cultural Institute New York, Untitled Theater Company #61, Consulate General of the Czech Republic in New York, GOH Productions, and Romanian Cultural Institute. The festival is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Spring Stage Readings is part of the Rehearsal for Truth Theater Festival honoring the playwright and human rights activist Vaclav Havel.
The 2022 edition has been conceived in consultation with Attila Szabo, Deputy Director, Hungarian Theatre Museum and Institute; Martina Peckova-Cerna, Head, International Cooperation Department, Arts and Theatre Institute, Prague; Tomek Smolarski, Performing Arts Programming, Polish Cultural Institute New York; Raluca Cimpoiasu, Program Manager, Romanian Cultural Institute; Vladislava Fekete, Director, Theatre Institute in Bratislava; and Andrea Domeova, Head of the Centre for Editorial Activities, Theatre Institute in Bratislava.