Cast & Crew

Brian Costello - After a brief hiatus, Brian is very happy to be returning to theatre in his first show with the Phoenix. ?Brian was born and raised on Long Island, received his BA in Acting and Directing at Binghamton University, and had been living a semi-nomadic life working in various theatres across the country until finally planting himself here in NYC. ?Favorite roles include Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing, Jinx in Forever Plaid (which he's performed in five times and directed thrice), Turing in Breaking The Code, Prince Hal in Henry IV, Part I, and Che in Evita.

Erin Espelie - Erin worked with the Aquila Theatre Company at the Lincoln Center Institute in A Midsummer Night?s Dream (Hippolyta/Titania/Peter Quince). She has especially enjoyed past productions with directors Will Pomerantz (Taming of the Shrew as Kate) and Sam Gold (Three Birds at GAle GAtes). She is grateful to now include Romulus Linney, whom she is delighted to know, as a favorite director. Thanks to Romulus and the folks with Phoenix!

Kelli Holsopple - Kelli is honored to be performing with the Phoenix Theatre. Past theatre credits include Natasha in Three Sisters with American Globe Theatre, the Duchess in Duchess of Malfi, Queen Elizabeth in Richard the III with New England Shakespeare Festival, Celia in As You Like It and Peridita in A Winter's Tale with Shenandoah Shakespeare. TV: Lifetime Television Online, Kiss and Tell. Kelli also works as a teaching artist with the Creative Arts Team doing residencies in New York City public schools. She is grateful for beautiful stories to tell and beautiful words to say! Peace!

Libby Hughes - Libby began acting in her native Canada at the renowned Shaw Festival where she appeared in Man and Superman. She has built an extensive r?sum? in American regional theatre and Off-off Broadway. Classical roles include Miss Prism in The Importance of Being Earnest, Maria in Twelfth Night, the Countess in All?s Well That Ends Well, Mrs. Tarleton in Misalliance, and Amanda in Tennessee Williams? American classic, The Glass Menagerie. Contemporary roles include Mary in Shivaree (director: Terrence Lamude), Betty in Cloud Nine (director: Paul Wagar), and Dotty Otley in Michael Frayn?s superlative farce Noises Off (director: Christopher Owens).

Mara Stephens - Titanic (original Broadway cast), Epic Family Epic (DTW), Somewhere Someplace Else, (Clubbed Thumb), Bread and Roses (NYTW), Birdseed Bundles (DTW), Wally?s Ghost (Soho Rep), Fire Eater, (NY Stage & Film), Coming Through (American Place Theater), LCT Director?s Lab. Regional: George Street Playhouse, Cape Cod Theater Project, Cleveland Play House, Denver Center Theater, and Prince Music Theater where she originated the role of Charlotte in Charlotte: Life or Theater? (also performed in Washington D.C., and Amsterdam). Film/TV: Pursuit of Happiness, dir. Peter Riegert; Slings & Arrows, Cold Feet. Mara is a NYTW Usual Suspect. Mara?s deeply involved in ASL and the Deaf Community since portraying twins with a Deaf actress in the play Epic Family Epic. Performs with ?Funny Zeros? (Deaf Improv comedy group), works as a T.A. at St. Francis De Sales School for the Deaf, works for the Sign Language Center (SLC), and studies ASL at SLC and Laguardia.

Michele Tauber - Michele just recently completed filming a role in the new Chevy Chase film; Funny Money. ?This past fall with Arkansas Repertory Theatre she performed the role of the ?Nurse? in Romeo & Juliet. ?She also toured R&J throughout the South as part of the NEA funded ?Shakespeare in the American Communities? program. NY stage work includes The Mint Theatre Company in The Charity That Began At Home and two seasons with The Acting Company appearing in NYC and touring in The Rivals, ?Macbeth, The Comedy of Errors ? The Trevor Nunn Musical Version directed by John Rando and O, Pioneers! ? Other New York work includes shows with; On The Verge Theatre Company, The Workhouse Theatre, ACTROUPE, the Turnip Theatre Company, The Roundtable Ensemble and Life Repertory. ? Regional Theatre; Alabama Shakespeare Festival, the Cleveland Playhouse, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, The Depot Theatre and the Present Stage Company. ?NJ theatres includes; The Forum Theatre, Theatrefest, Two River Theatre Company, Twelve Miles West, Luna Stage Company, Dreamcatcher Rep, the Ironbound Theatre Company, and three seasons with Summerfun Theatre. ?Michele is also a company member of New Jersey Rep. where she just performed in their Theatre Brut Series. ?Stock work includes three seasons with both the Texas Shakespeare Festival and Shadow Lawn Stage. ?TV work includes principle roles on The Street, Kate & Allie and Law & Order. ?She has her BFA from Montclair State University in Acting and her MFA in Acting from the Professional Theatre Training Program at the University of Delaware.

Robert Ierardi - Robert's favorite roles include: Woyzeck at AXIS Theater, Macbeth, Claudius, & Creon at CSC in Dallas, Serge in Art, in Hilton Head, SC, Chris Keller in All My Sons at The Emelin Theater, Rossetti in Shear Madness at the Kennedy Ct., Algernon in Earnest at The Jean Cocteau, and Officer Krupke in the European Tour of West Side Story. He has performed with The Colleague?s Theatre Co. with such stars as Ann Jackson, Kim Hunter, Alvin Epstein, Laurence Luckinbill, Sandy Duncan, and Tammy Grimes. Robert spent four seasons with Jean Cocteau Repertory.

Jolie Garrett (Son of Mars): NYC credits include Domingo in Don Carlos (Prospect Theatre), Ben in Freedom Train (Theatreworks USA), Lampito in Lysistrata, Montjoy in Henry V, Delroy in Sus, Mageeba in Night and Day, Bassanio in The Merchant of Venice, Jason in Medea (Jean Cocteau Repertory), Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing (Gorilla Rep) and Philoctetes in The Cure at Troy (Blue Heron). Regional: The Shakespeare Theatre of Washington, D.C., Arena Stage and Shenandoah Shakespeare.

Romulus Linney (Director/Playwright) - Romulus is the author of three novels, many stories, and forty plays, staged throughout the United States and abroad. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, which gave him its award of Merit Medal for Drama. He was an actor when he was young.

Jonathan Silverstein (Director) - Jonathan most recently directed the Keen Company?s revival of John Patrick?s The Hasty Heart. Recent credits include: Tick, Tick, BOOM! (Cape Repertory Theatre), Greater Messapia (Queens Theatre in the Park), The Dadshuttle (DirectorFest 2003) and The Rats Are Getting Bigger (New York International Fringe Festival and The Public Theatre?s New Works Now! festival). Jonathan has worked at The Kennedy Center, La Jolla Playhouse, The Roundabout Theatre Company, The Signature Theatre, Playwrights Horizons, Clubbed Thumb, First Look/NYU DDW, and San Diego?s Slegehammer Theatre, He is a graduate of the MFA directing program at UCSD and an alumnus of The Drama League Director?s Project.

Amy Wagner (Assistant Director/Production Stage Manager) - Amy is thrilled to be joining old friends and new ones on the Phoenix?s latest project. Amy returns to the Phoenix after stage managing The Trial earlier this season. She stage managed and assistant directed many productions at Jean Cocteau Repertory (including Oedipus the King, Arms and the Man, Sus, Night and Day, and The Effects of Gamma Rays?), throughout NYC, and regionally. Amy also served on the administrative staff of the Cocteau for several years. Although an aspiring director and producer, Amy spends her spare time grading papers as a high school English teacher.

Brian Aldous (Lighting) - Brian is glad to be here for the Phoenix. Other companies he has designed for include the late lamented Circle Rep, Soho Rep, the Flea, HERE, Primary Stages, Cucaracha Theatre and Batoto Yetu. For Engarde Arts he lit eight site-specific productions, including Orestes by Charles Mee, and Mac Wellman?s Crowbar. This production, which demonstrated the viability of 42nd Street?s Victory Theatre and helped save it from destruction, was nominated for an American Theatre Wing Design Award. He was a resident designer for the Jean Cocteau for ten seasons. Other designs this spring include halftone, choreographed by Sonya Robbins & Layla Childs for DTW, Shoe Palace Murray for Circle East and Wall-to-Wall Sondheim at Symphony Space.

Keith McCulloch (Assistant Stage Manager) - Keith has very little previous theatre experience other than reading plays and trying to write some of his own and is very grateful towards The Phoenix for welcoming him into their family. He thanks his friends and parents and wonderful girlfriend Carla for their support so far.

Julie Bleha (Dramaturg) - Julie is a dramaturg, director, producer, writer and educator who has worked with many downtown theatre companies, including Elevator Repair Service, Target Margin, adobe, New Georges, Workhouse, and Jean Cocteau Repertory, and has worked with London's Shared Experience and Gate Theatre. ?She holds graduate degrees in Theatre and Performance from King's College, London/RADA and Columbia University, and has taught at Columbia, Fordham and New School Universities. ?She has recently begun exploring the world of documentary film production.