Stepinac High School Drama Club Inspires Start Of New Theater Company in White Plains and Inaugural

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. - June 21, 2016 - PRLog -- Rehearsals are underway to stage an unusual production of the classic drama, Death of a Salesman,  at 7:30 PM, Friday and Saturday, July 1 and 2 at the Play Group Theatre,1 North Broadway (#111), White Plains. Tickets are $10 and will be sold at the door or can be ordered by calling 914-493-8328.

What is unusual is that the cast- which for the most part will take on the roles of the play's principal middle-age characters led by the tragic figure of Willy Loman- are young (18 to 20 years of age). Moreover, the entire enterprise is being directed and produced by two young talents who decided to launch their new theatrical venture with their interpretation of Arthur Miller's seminal tragedy.

The inspiration that gave birth to this production of Death of a Salesman is Archbishop Stepinac High School's acclaimed Drama Club.

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It began more than a year ago when two Stepinac Drama Club members- Kevin Ulrich of White Plains who graduated in May and junior Nicholas Tabio of Croton-on-Hudson-approached Frank Portanova, Stepinac Drama Club Director, seeking his advice and guidance.

As a result of that discussion, Portanova and the students developed a new Drama Club initiative called the Theater Lab which would provide young aspiring producers and directors with the "first-hand experience of executing and managing a complex array of activities and tasks entailed in successfully mounting a theatrical production," Portanova explained.

The decision was made for the Theater Lab to stage 12 Angry Men as its first production which Christian Prato, another senior, taking the helm as director. Joining him in the creative enterprise were Ulrich and Tabio who served as assistant directors and assistant producers. Ulrich also played the role of Juror 3.

Last February, audiences saw the results of the student-led creative efforts during two riveting performances of the classic courtroom drama.

Emboldened by this experience, Ulrich and Tabio put their plans of forming a theatrical company on a fast track. In addition to choosing Death of a Salesman, they began to search for a venue and met with artistic directors of area theaters to explore rental opportunities. "I gave them a list of the theaters and they ran with it in terms of preparing face-to-face meetings and establishing a realistic budget," Portanova stated.

By the spring, they had selected The Play Group Theatre. Next up was casting. The key roles of Willy Loman and his wife, Linda, will be played, respectively, by Chris Guzman (Class of '14) and Christine Turturro. Guzman won two Metro Awards in Stepinac productions-best supporting actor in Phantom of the Opera ('12) and as lead actor in Evita ('13). He is in his junior year at NYU Tisch. Turturro, who attended Croton-Harmon High School, won a best actress Metro Award for her starring role in the Stepinac production of Mary Poppins (2014). She is a theatre major at Niagra University entering her sophomore year.

The role of the son, Biff, will be performed by Matteus van der Wilden, also a graduate of Croton-Harmon High School ('15). Other cast characters will be played by three Stepinac graduates (Class of 2015) and Drama Club thespians: Joseph DeSanctis, Jesse Hernandez and Frank Rocco.

And Tabio and Ulrich will be at the helm, sharing responsibilities of director and producer.

What are for the plans for Tabio and Ulrich after Death of a Salesman?  In the fall, Ulrich will pursue his theatrical studies as a freshman at Marymount Manhattan and Tabio will begin his senior year at Stepinac. He looks forward to helping to stage the Theater Lab's next production.

Additional Death of a Salesman information and links to the playbill ad forms and ticket reservation forms can be found on the Twitter page @crusaderprod and on Instagram at crusader.productions or by sending an e-mail to Nicolas Tabio: tab21658@stepinac.org.

About Archbishop Stepinac High School

The mission of Archbishop Stepinac High School is to offer young men of the Archdiocese of New York a highly competitive academic and extracurricular program that will prepare them for college and leadership roles. The faculty and staff accomplish these objectives by pursuing excellence and creating a supportive, disciplined atmosphere with a strong sense of camaraderie and Christian values that is unique to the Stepinac experience. For more information, visitwww.Stepinac.org.