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Ensemble Theatre
Celeste Cosentino, Artistic Director |
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presents
an Ohio Premiere
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PRODUCTION STAFF
Artistic Director – Celeste Cosentino Director – Fred Sternfeld Production & Operations Manager – Ian Hinz Set & Light Design – Joe Mitchell Sound Design – Matt Harmon Costume Design – Angelina Herin Special Effects Designer – Dan Folino Prop Master – Sarah May Stage Manager – Rachel Budin Production Assistant – Jeanne Task
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Kayleen – Celeste Cosentino * member – Actors’ Equity Association |
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| Excerpts from The Cleveland Jewish News review Fran HellerScars run deep in dark comedy at Ensemble “Sharply directed” “sweetly absurdist love story” “a poignant narrative of startling originality and imagination that explores why people hurt themselves to gain another’s love.” “Each scene sparkles with that aching kind of humor that makes you laugh while grabbing you in the gut.” “Making this funny, sad play so appealing is the ingenuousness of the characters, played with unflinching honesty and realism by the two actors. It never becomes cutesy or artificial; you feel for these loveable losers from the get-go.” “Cleveland thespian treasure Dan Folino is a marvel as the ever-hopeful Doug, who pursues Kayleen and won’t take no for an answer. From his first appearance as a gawky 8-year-old kid with a broken face, to a resigned, wheelchair-bound 38-year-old working at an ice rink, Folino makes each age and stage of his character’s life completely credible. It is as if eight actors were playing the part instead of one. Folino’s makeup effects are gruesomely real.” “sensational” “With orbs like saucers, the sad-eyed Cosentino holds her own as the emotionally scarred Kayleen, whose verbally abusive treatment of Doug (she calls him a “retard” and “stupid”) masks the vulnerable victim abandoned by her mother and considered worthless by her father.” “Intrinsic to the action are costume changes and application of makeup, which take place in full view of the audience. It’s a lovely touch as we watch these characters transform themselves before our very eyes, a sideshow in itself, which the deft Folino, and to a lesser extent Cosentino, turn into a work of art.” “Joseph Mitchell’s witty playground setting, filled with moving boxes resembling large blocks that serve as storage trunks for the actor-driven set changes, cleverly morphs into hospital beds, a school nurse’s office, a funeral parlor and other locales. Mitchell and Ian Hinz’s eye-catching video projections and Matt Harmon’s zippy music keep the show humming during scene and costume changes. Angelina Herin’s age-appropriate togs embellish character.” “With “Gruesome Playground Injuries,” Ensemble ends its inaugural season in its new Coventry home on a blissful high.” |
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Excerpts from the News-Herald review Bob Abelman, Member, American Theatre Critics AssociationEnsemble Theatre offers an intriguing scar-tissue tragedy “a wonderful production” “an intriguing tale about self-destruction” “just enough comedy in just the right places” “poignant” “sensitive direction” “both performers are believable, vulnerable and oddly appealing” |
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| Excerpts from the Cleveland Scene review Christine Howey, Member, American Theatre Critics Association “… resonate with depth, subtlety, and dark humor.” “… efforts at reaching out are both literally and figuratively touching.” “As Doug, Dan Folino is very good and at times exceptional, crafting a telling portrait of this adrenaline junkie.” “Playing his bruised soulmate Kayleen is Celeste Cosentino, and she has some lovely and tender moments” “Director Fred Sternfeld shapes the pacing of the scenes with clear understanding.” |
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| Excerpts from The Plain Dealer review Andrea Simakis “filled with humor, pathos and self-awareness” “When the lights fade on the opening scene, the actors retreat to their “rooms” on opposite sides of the stage and, as “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)” by My Chemical Romance tears through the space, they change costumes, brush their hair and apply makeup in full view of the audience. (This ritual is repeated with each new scene, accompanied by a tune appropriate to the decade and mood, from the Violent Femmes’ cheeky ode to lost love, “Gone Daddy Gone,” to Adele’s song to slit your wrists by, “Someone Like You.”) These intervals are mesmerizing; they foreshadow horrific injuries to come — look, Doug’s white Oxford is smeared with blood; why is Kayleen rubbing dirt on her calf? — and make ghoulish voyeurs of us all. Like Doug and Kayleen, we can’t wait to see the glistening new wounds.”“As Doug, Folino is flat-out great, a whirling dervish of weird, his disturbed energy flying in every direction as he tries to pull Kayleen into his progressively more desperate and violent orbit.” “…Folino … bouncing, schizoid charisma” |
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| Excerpts from the Times Newspaper review Roy Berko “Good” “a thought provoking concept, that is filled with pathos.” “The acting is strong.”“Celeste Cosentino is filled with angst as the depressed Kayleen. She leads us on a path through her tortured life, deflecting true feelings by ranting, “shut up” and “you’re retarded” to protect herself from emotionally bonding with Doug. We clearly see she recognizes that Doug is the only person in her life who gives her any meaningful attention, the only human who is human to her.”“Dan Folino, he of fawn eyes and mobile body, transitions from 8-year old to crippled 38-year old, with visual clarity. At times, there is some over-acting, but, in general, he is believable. By the end, his battered body becomes a clear symbol of the failed life of the duo, the crumpled mass of wasted humanity.” |
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| Excerpts from the Sun Press review Marjorie Preston “fascinatingly gross” “…drama is gripping and lingers in your mind.”“Audiences will appreciate the passion…” “Folino plays the accident-prone Doug well at several different ages, even preserving some of his frantic kid energy as he grows up. “Cosentino deftly plays the secretive, damaged Kayleen as defensive, pushing Doug away with insults, though she does care for him.” “Set Designer Joseph Mitchell’s hopscotch board and colorful toy chests with block letters perfectly exude youth and innocence.” |
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Over the course of 30 years, the lives of Kayleen and Doug intersect at the most bizarre intervals, leading the two childhood friends to compare scars and the physical calamities that keep drawing them together. Two eight-year-olds’ lives collide in the nurse’s office: Doug rode his bike off the roof and Kayleen can’t stop throwing up. As they mature from accident-prone kids to self-destructive adults, their broken hearts and broken bones draw them ever closer. These two rebels may only be fit for one another. But how far can one person go to heal another’s wounds? |
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| Meet the Company … Celeste Cosentino (Kayleen) is a graduate of the Ohio University School of Theatre. She has quite literally been raised in the Cleveland Theatre Community and has been lucky to work as an actor, director, actor/teacher, as well as in many other “roles” for many Cleveland Theatres. She has worked with Ensemble Theatre, Cain Park, Dobama, Bang and Clatter, Willoughby Fine Arts, Clague, Weathervane Playhouse, The Illusion Factory, Tri-C, Karamu, Cleveland Shakespeare Festival, and The Cleveland Play House. Favorite acting roles include Marela in Anna in the Tropics, Alice in Closer, Harper in Angels in America, and Desdemona in Othello. Celeste recently returned to Cleveland after 2 years in NYC and has been dividing her time between Cleveland and NYC. Theatre runs in her “blood”. She is the daughter of the late Founder and Artistic Director of Ensemble Theatre, Lucia Colombi. She dedicates her every step into a theatre space, and in life, to her mom. She is very excited to work on this show with such a talented group of Cleveland artists! Thank you to Fred and Dan. Thank you to Rajiv and to his wonderful family! MANY thanks to Ian. Here we go! Dan Folino (Doug) After a two year residency at the Barter Theatre in Virginia, Dan has come home to Cleveland. While at Barter, he performed in eleven full scale productions, two mini productions and two national tours. Some of his favorites include The Blue Sky Boys (Galileo and The Red Baron), Where Trouble Sleeps (adapted from the novel by Clide Edgerton by Catherine Bush), The Full Monty (Jerry), Civil War Voices (Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain) and the world premier of Richard Alfierri’s Revolutions (Nick Greenburg). Cleveland audiences may remember him from Evil Dead : The Musical (Ash), Hedwig and the Angry Inch(Hedwig), Sweeney Todd (Sweeney), Jekyll and Hyde (Jekyll/Hyde), Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (Beast), The History Boys (Irwin), and Evita (Che). While not performing in theatre, he fronts the band vanityCrash, who’s next album will drop this summer. He also has a real passion for engineering blood and gore effects, so he is thrilled to be a part of this production. You can catch Dan later this year in the regional premier of Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson (Andrew Jackson) at the Beck Center. Thanks to Ensemble, Fred, and Celeste for the opportunity! Love to Crystal. Fred Sternfeld (Director) is pleased to return to Ensemble Theatre after having previously directed Bad Seed. He most recently directed The Bluest Eye at Karamu and The Fantasticks at TrueNorth Cultural Arts. Fred is widely represented on Northeast Ohio stages through diverse projects, garnering numerous honors and awards, including for A Little Night Music, Company and Les Miserables: School Edition at FPAC, Baby at TrueNorth, Yellowman at Karamu Performing Arts Theatre, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast at Beck Center and Ragtime, the musical at the JCC. He previously served as Artistic Director at Lakewood Little Theatre – Beck Center for the Arts and the Cleveland, Seattle & Dallas Jewish Community Centers. Other selected credits: Fiddler on the Roof, Oliver! & The Sound of Music at Cain Park; The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife & The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek at Dobama Theatre; A Shayna Maidel, Jolson and Company, Man of La Mancha, Modern Orthodox, Rags, From Door to Door, South Pacific, The God of Isaac, Beau Jest, Crossing Delancey, The Twilight of the Golds, The Immigrant & Conversations With My Father for the Cleveland JCC; & Steel Magnolias at TrueNorth Cultural Arts; Amadeus at Willoughby Fine Arts; Table Settings, Isn’t It Romantic, The Diary of Anne Frank & Broadway Bound at JCC Center Stage in Seattle; Peter Pan (1987 & 2008), On the Town, Of Mice and Men, La Cage aux Folles, Saturday Night, Foxfire, Noises Off, Children of a Lesser God & The Importance of Being Earnest at Beck Center; Children of Eden, Into the Woods, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Eat (It’s Not About Food)and The Odd Couple at FPAC; Proof at GLTG and All My Sons & Enter Laughing at the Dallas JCC. For pictures and reviews for any of the shows listed here you can go to this link. |
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