Donna Lee Michaels, Gerald vanHeerden, Drew Valins, Bill Rogers, Trip Plymale, Eric Kuzmuk

Janet and I are catching our breath after an exhilarating summer of theater on the coasts. I attended the 3^rd National Conference of the Dramatists Guild in La Jolla, California in mid-July, and, after a three-day turnaround in KC, we were off to New York City for the Midtown International Theatre Festival’s Equity Staged Readings of Caldwell’s Bomb. Gerald vanHeerden, the Artistic Director of Plays for the Midtown International Theatre Festival, produced and directed the three readings on the Davenport Theatre’s main stage.

Gerald assembled an excellent cast, and we were quite pleased with attendance and the enthusiastic reactions from our audiences. Gerald and I have agreed to continue discussing ways to bring the play to a wider NYC audience.

I was pleased to have the company of Herman Johansen and Vicki Vodrey, two well-known members of Kansas City’s theater community at the final reading of Caldwell on July 31. They are each in NYC to produce their original plays in the New York International Fringe Festival. Herman, who produced and directed Caldwell’s Bomb during the 2011 KC Fringe Festival and produced Dangerous To Dance With in the 2014 Fringe, flew in from his home in Los Angeles to produce and direct his new play, Fading Light. Vicki will present her play, Hard Day’s Night. Two other close New York friends, Mike DeCuollo and playwright Satinder Sood, also attended that performance.

Thanks to Bob Johnson of Bitten By A Zebra Photography for the photos he shot through the performance! Photos

The cast of CALDWELL’S BOMB in order of appearance:

Eric Alexander Kuzmuk appeared as EARL, Trip Plymale* appeared as JOLLEY, Drew Valins* appeared as CALDWELL and Donna Lee Michaels appeared as DEENA.

Gerald van Heerden was our Producer/Director, Jana Llynn* was our Stage Manager, and Marcie A. Friedman* was our PSM Sub for the performances of 7/30 and 7/31. Jeremy Duncan Pape was the production manager.

*actor appears courtesy of Actors Equity Association, the union for professional actors and stage managers.