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ABOUT
THE PLAY
THE
CHARACTERS
The stories of this play follow a travel journey narrative starting with the “moment of death” when the characters have been declared clinically dead or experienced a medical crisis that brought them to the edge of death. This leads to a crossing of the veil between life and death and profound experiences and visions of life in the post-mortem realms. The journey concludes with a return to physical life and the challenges of sharing the experience with others and integrating it into their lives. The piece was conceived and produced by Robert Cornett and directed by Ted Pugh.
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The Musician
A musician who was clinically dead during a high risk surgery for a brain aneurism.
The Burn Victim
A woman who was severely burned in a plane crash.
The Soldier
An army recruit who nearly died of pneumonia during boot camp.
The Child
A woman who was severely abused as a child and nearly died from strangulation by her foster mother.
The Dissident
A Russian dissident who the KGB tried to assassinate and was pronounced dead.
The Nurse
A hospice nurse who has experienced multiple shared death experiences and death bed visions with dying patients.
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Eddie Allen is a seasoned actor, director and playwright who has performed in numerous plays, films and television shows including “The Blacklist”, “Blue Bloods” and “Seinfeld”. He has performed in improv groups such as The Spolin Players and leads improvisation workshops.
Robert Cornett is an actor and playwright and holds a master’s degree from Harvard Divinity School. He has done extensive study of the literature of post-mortem experience and communication. He is a certified End of Life Doula working with hospice patients and their families in New York state.
Berenika Lehrman is an actor, filmmaker and teacher. She is active in community theater and a student of the Michael Chekhov acting technique.
Rosibel Mejia holds a degree in Theatre Arts from Scripps College. Most recently she performed in “Fire in the Temple”, “In the Heights” and “Annie” with the Miami Acting Company.
Laurie Portocarrero is an actor and storyteller trained in drama, speech, dance, music, and Waldorf teaching. She directs and teaches adults and children in the dramatic arts and performs with several stage groups throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe and China.
Vincent Roppolo has a background in theater in New York as well as coaching and training in the corporate world. He is currently a board and adjunct faculty member of The Association for Anthroposophic Psychology.
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Dasana Smyth is an Australian actor, writer and director currently based in upstate New York. She is a graduate of the National Theatre Drama School and a student of the Michael Chekhov acting technique.
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Ted Pugh, Director, is the co-founder and co-director of The Actors’ Ensemble and the Michael Chekhov School of Acting in Hudson, NY. He has over 50 years of professional acting experience including Broadway, Off Broadway and regional theater productions.
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Madison Shulkin and Lyla Rivers are the musical duo “Rose & Pearl.” Their traditional and original folk and fiddle music strives to bring joy, dancing, stories and inspiration into the world.
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Christina Porkert and Sarah Stosiek have played lyre together for over 10 years as “The Voice of Silence” duo.
Their music draws on classical and improvised music and strives to cultivate the threshold between the audible and
the inaudible inviting deepened listening.
THE
ENSEMBLE
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