Who Will Carry the Word?
By Charlotte Delbo
Directed by Melanie Moyer Williams
Translated from French by Cynthia Haft

Featuring Lindsey Andersen*, Laura Anderson, Julia Arazi, Jarusha Ariel, Ilana Becker, Kirsten Benjamin, Alexandra Cremer*, Storm Garner, Nicole Grillos, Anaïs Koivisto, Kasey W. Lockwood, Mariya King, Laura Luciano, Sierra Marcks, Paige McDonnell, Emilie Elizabeth Miller, Adair Moran*, Dot Portella*, Kendall Rileigh*, Emily Riordan,  Jacquelyn Schultz, Alicia St. Louis,  and Christine Wolff

*Actors appeared courtesy of Actors Equity Association.  Equity Approved Showcase.

Based upon the true story of Charlotte Delbo, Who Will Carry the Word depicts the lives of 23 women while they shared a barracks in Auschwitz.  Their goal:  to keep the strongest of them alive so that someone could share what they had experienced with the world.

Who Will Carry the Word? was be performed from February 21-March 2, 2008 at Center Stage, NY (48 West 21st Street, between 5th and 6th Ave).

Press Representation by Lanie Zipoy @ 646-284-3517.


Show Schedule:

Thursday, February 21 @ 8pm
Friday, February 22 @ 8pm
Saturday, February 23 @ 8pm
Sunday, February 24@ 3pm
Monday, February 25 @ 8pm
Thursday, February 28 @ 8pm
Friday, February 29 @ 8pm
* Saturday, March 1 @ 8pm
Sunday, March 2 @ 3pm AND 8pm

Please vote for us for the New York Innovative Theatre Awards!

Who Will Carry the Word? is registered with the New York Innovative Theatre Awards, new awards specifically for Off-Off-Broadway theatre, and your vote will make a difference.  Vote for us at www.nyitawards.com!

The following talkbacks were held in conjunction with Who Will Carry the Word?

Saturday, March 1, 2008 - Gala Production and Reception - We held a Q&A and reception with Bronia Brandman, Holocaust Survivor, and Dr. Rochelle Saidel, the Founder and Executive Director of our Philanthropy, the Remember the Women Institute.   Mrs. Bronia Brandman is a member of the Speakers Bureau of the Museum of Jewish Heritage--A Living Memorial to the Holocaust (www.mjhnyc.org).

A special thank you to Fairway for donating food for the reception.   www.fairwaymarket.com

Sunday, February 24, 2008 - Following the 3pm performance, Peter Fleischmann shared his story.  He was a young boy when he fled Czechoslovakia with his family after living under Nazi rule for two years.  Peter’s story reminds us that we all have the responsibility to speak up about atrocities happening in the world today to prevent history from repeating itself.

Friday, February 29, 2008 - Following the 8pm performance, Maia Wechsler spoke.  Maia is the producer and director of Sisters In Resistance, a documentary following four women who survived Ravensbruck after being incarcerated for their involvement in the French Resistance.  If you would like to purchase a copy of Ms Weschler’s DVD for $15, please email info@redferntheatre.org.

Remember the Women Institute

Chosen for “Who Will Carry the Word?” by Charlotte Delbo

The Remember the Women Institute is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation that conducts and encourages research and cultural activities that contribute to including women in history.

Special emphasis is on women in the context of the Holocaust and its aftermath, including post-World War II immigration. Other topics include women marginalized within Jewish religion and inter-religious dialogue, as well as the accomplishments and exclusion of women in Jewish and general history, the effects of genocide on women, exploitation of women, and the effects of culture on memorialization.

Through this research and related activities, the stories of women - from the point of view of women - will be available to be integrated into history and collective memory. The work of the Institute is intended to influence academic research and publications, as well as popular culture, by encouraging the inclusion of all of humanity in historical and commemorative representations. Such academic fields as History, Holocaust Studies, Political Science, Sociology, Women's Studies, Gender Studies, and Cultural Studies can benefit from the Institute’s contributions. The Institute’s work can also enrich future films, theater, museum exhibits, and other cultural products.

For more information, please visit http://www.rememberwomen.org.

Cast Bios:

Lindsey Andersen*, Claire

Lindsey has been performing professionally in New York for the last four years. Recent projects include Off-Broadway: The Contrast, Richard & Anne, The Master Builder.  NYC: Love's Labours Lost, Bury the Dead, The Marriage of Bette & Boo, Hay Fever. Regional: Pericles, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Electra, Charlotte's Web. Film: Four-Eyed Monsters, My Mother's Kitchen, Helpful Hannah, G'hal. Lindsey's voice can be heard on various radio spots as well as in the new puppet film, Gasso & Mitch.  More info at lindseyandersen.com

Laura Anderson, Renée

Laura is thrilled to be returning to the Red Fern Theatre Company after having worked on "Long Christmas Ride Home" with them last season.  She has appeared at Tony Award Winning regional theaters: The Children's Theatre Company, The Guthrie, and Theatre de la Jeune Lune in Minneapolis.  She is a proud graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts where she studied with the Atlantic Theater conservatory.  NY Theater: Sail Past Molokai (Equity Showcase) and Boise, Idaho (Atlantic Theater conservatory)  TV/Film: Sugar and Spice, Haunting Evidence, and various short films.  Currently, she is working as an Associate Producer for Showtime Sports.  She would like to thank Melanie and Emilie, the Showtime Family, Mom, Dad, Alysia, and Bryan for their unending support and love. 

Julia Arazi, Hélène

Julia is so pleased to be making her Red Fern debut. A graduate of Tufts University, her recent experience includes Mosheh: A videOpera and Orestes 2.0 at HERE Arts Center, The Game Boy at Vital Theatre and a long-ish stint with Galveston Island Musicals.

Jarusha Ariel, Mounette

Jarusha Ariel is so excited to be working on such an important piece for her first production with the Red Fern Theatre Company. She received a BFA in Acting from Marymount Manhattan College. Favorite roles include Cinderella, Into the Woods and the title role in Gigi.  She was most recently seen as the Tooth Fairy in Vital Children's Theatre production, A (Tooth) Fairy Tale on the Upper West Side. Love and thanks to friends, family, and Matt for all the support I need. 

Ilana Becker, Yvonne

Ilana Becker is a graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where she studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute.  Ilana's most recent commercial work includes Burger King, Herbal Essences, Radio Shack, the Emmy-Award winning Citibank Identity Theft campaign, and countless voiceovers for radio and TV.  Recent film and television credits: a starring role in VH1's Meet the Upper Crust, AMC's Date Night, NBC's pilot NY70, Nickelodeon's Scaredy Camp and the film Perfect Stranger.  This is Ilana's third time under Melanie's direction, having performed the role of Francis in Five Women Wearing the Same Dress (Michael Chekhov Theatre Company), as well as the NYC Fringe Festival's, Henry Kissinger: A Romantic Comedy. 

 Kirsten Benjamin, Monique

Kirsten Benjamin, a native Detroiter, is thrilled to be working with Red Fern Theatre. She is a graduate of The University of Michigan (BFA) and The British American Dramatic Acadamy's Oxford program. She's worked in DC theatres including The Folger Theatre, Arena Stage, and appeared in the Capitol Fringe Festival. She recently co-wrote and starred in an original play. TV: National Geographic's Under Cover History.

Alexandra Cremer*, Hélène’s Mother

Alexandra appeared as Sue in the Red Fern Theatre Company's production of The Exonerated. Favorite roles include Kate in Sylvia , Gertrude in Hamlet, Titania in Midsummer Night's Dream, and Goneril in King Lear. Film and tv credits include Leslie in Two Player Game, Marcia Kent on FTL Newsfeed (science fiction channel) and Mrs Truex on Law and Order SVU. Alexandra finished writing her first full length play Neurotic We Stumble, and has a BFA from Emerson College. She is pleased to once again be working with the Red Fern Theatre.

Storm Garner, Small Peasant Girl

Storm Garner was born in Washington DC in 1983 and raised in Paris, France. Based sometimes in Kraków, Poland, sometimes in Washington DC, right now in the Upper West Side, she works as an actress, a composer, a writer, an editor, a raw food chef, a violinist and a singer-songwriter, and also (somehow) studies philosophy at Columbia University.  Music is her true love, acting her secret indulgence, academia her bête noire. Some of her most formative theatrical experiences took place at La Mama, ETC, in the East VIllage, where she worked on three plays in 2006.

Nicole Grillos, Agnès

Nicole Grillos is very excited to be making her debut with the Red Fern Theatre Company.  She is a graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, where she studied acting at the Strasberg Institute and Stonestreet Studios.  Previous roles include Theresa in Boy Gets Girl, Marta in Sondheim's Company, Cassie in Neil Simon's Rumors, and Fastrada in Pippin.  She has performed in several musical revues as a soloist, including the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS benefit ACTZ at NYU, and has also been featured as a special victim on "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit."  Thanks to Melanie and Emilie for the opportunity, to Mom, Dad, Yia-Yia, and Aunt Rae-Ann for their constant love and support (and genes), and to her wonderful friends.

Mariya King, Sylvie

Originally from Kiev, Ukraine, Mariya King moved to New Jersey at the age of six. A graduate of The American Musical and Dramatics Academy of Manhattan, she has been a student of the arts all her life. Soon after graduating AMDA, she helped to start the Haberdasher Theatre Company and participated in two of their original productions. Her stage works include; This Property is Condemned, Tom's Dilemma, and Forest Song. Her recent film works are Under the Covers of Night, 20 Coins, and Three Stories in a City. She would like to thank her fiancé, Michael, for his constant love and encouragement, her dog, Lola, for her never ending energy, and her friends and Mother for always giving her the courage to succeed in her life.

Anaïs Koivisto, Dédée

Anaïs Koivisto's recent New York credits include Edward II (Isabella), Cloud 9 (Ellen/Mrs. Saunders/Victoria) and The False Servant (Chevalier). Regional Credits include Long Day's Journey Into Night (Gloucester Stage Company), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Olney Shakespeare Tour), and GUT Symmetries (The Huntington Light Lab). Boston University credits include: The King Stag (Deramo), The Revenger's Tragedy (Duchess), Two Gentlewomen of Verona (Proteus), and Edmond (The Wife). LAMDA credits: Anthony and Cleopatra (Cleopatra), The Man of Mode (Harriet).

Kasey W. Lockwood, Lina

Kasey is enthusiastic to again be involved in theatre with a conscience.  Her commitment to working on projects that solicit heightened social awareness is central to her existence as an actor.  She has recently acted in A Man Without A Country, a documentary film highlighting excerpts of Kurt Vonnegut's works, and played Ariel/Miriam in Count Down, an Off World Theatre production in participation with The Artists Collective for Social Change.  She reprised that role when the play moved from the Puffin Cultural Forum to the Bank Street Theatre.  If you know of further endeavors into which she might be interested, please contact her.  Thank you for your support of progress.  "Peace starts not with governments or countries—it starts with individuals."  -Prem Rawat

Laura Luciano, Madeline

Laura is excited to be a part of another Red Fern Theatre production, this time on stage instead of backstage!  For the last year and a half Laura has acted as stage manager for the Red Fern Theatre Company.  Other credits include: Polaroid Stories (director/SUNY New Paltz), Striking Chords (playwright/Creative Place Theatre), Dust (production assistant/Soho Think Tank), Henry Kissinger (stage manager/NY Fringe Festival), Kate Smith: The Original American Idol (stage manager/dir. Vincent Scarza) and Tumor Humor: He's Malignant, She's Benign (stage manager/NY Fringe Festival).  Laura received a BA in both performance and design technology from SUNY New Paltz.

Sierra Marcks, Hortense

Sierra is honored to be working with Red Fern Theatre Company for the first time.  In such a hectic city it's nice to find a theatre company that is actually making a difference in the community.  Sierra's previous credits include: The Imaginary Invalid, Teaching (Artists of Tomorrow Festival), Trojan Women, Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale, and readings for Edge Theater Company, among others.  She is a graduate of Marymount Manhattan College.

Paige McDonnell, Elisabeth

Paige is thrilled to be working with The Red Fern Theatre Company.  Originally from Alabama, she now calls New York home and was last seen on the New York stage in Gregor Gibson's new musical workshop, Freedom.  Paige also spent the summer recording Oedipus: The Opera for Cottage Music Industries.  Favorite regional credits: The Full Monty, Company, Into the Woods, Laundry & Bourbon, Myths & Hymns, Little Shop of Horrors, and First Lady Suite.  Many thanks to Melanie, friends and family, the entire production team, and of course, the wonderful women of the cast!  www.paigemcdonnell.com

Emilie Elizabeth Miller, Gina

Emilie, along with being one of its co-founders, is also the Director of Philanthropic Development for the Red Fern Theatre Company.  She is formally trained as an actor and Red Fern is her first production endeavor.  Emilie has appeared in each of the Red Fern Theatre Company's past five shows.  Emilie is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and the British American Dramatic Academy.

Adair Moran*, Denise

Adair Moran is pleased to return to the New York stage after recently appearing in Personal Space Theatrics' A Christmas Carol. Favorite NYC credits include: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Narrow Journey Productions), Live Coverage (NY Fringe Fest) and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Inwood Shakespeare Festival). Regional/touring credits include: Anne in The Diary of Anne Frank (Cohoes Music Hall), Eva in Kindertransport (Quality Hill Playhouse) and Ramona in Ramona Quimby (Theatreworks/USA). Watch for Adair swing dancing in the Sam Mendes film Revolutionary Road (Dec. '08), and stunt-doubling a little boy in the Eddie Murphy film Starship Dave (May '08). Adair is married to actor Nicholas Moran, and she looks forward to spending the summer training as a stuntwoman at the United Stuntmen's Association school in Seattle. For more information please visit www.AdairMoran.com.

Dot Portella*, Francoise

Dot Portella earned her BFA from Marymount Manhattan College and her MA from New York University.  Some of her favorite theatre credits include: Paulina in The Winter's Tale Project (NYC Fringe Festival), Luce in Bryony Lavery's Red Sky, and Helen/Vinnie in The Donkey Show.  She has also been seen on Law & Order, One Life to Live, and Guiding Light.  Dot is a NYS certified Drama and English teacher.  She is excited to be making her debut with the Red Fern Theatre Company.  Visit dotportella.com for more information about Dot and her upcoming projects.

Kendall Rileigh*, Berthe

Kendall is delighted to be working with Red Fern on this important piece.  National Tours: Great Expectations; Charlotte’s Web.  NY: Spartacus; Julius Caesar; The Melting Pot; Twas the Night Before; The Revenants; The Tempest; The Last Cloud; et al.  Regional: Romeo & Juliet; A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Twelfth Night; The Seagull; The Cherry Orchard; The Miss Firecracker Contest; The Lonesome West; Sonnets for an Old Century; Antigone; et al.  Training: Duke University; Moscow Art Theatre; NY Circus Arts Academy.  Kendall also enjoys writing; four of her plays have been produced.  Affiliations: AEA, AFTRA. Thanks to Melanie and cast!

Emily Riordan, Régine
Emily is proud to be working with the Red Fern Theatre Company on such an amazing production.  Her most recent credits include Euridice in Hermaphroditism Through the Ages at Manhattan Theatre Source and Bravo Broadway (A Musical Revue) with Papermoon Players.  She would like to thank her family for their endless support in pursuing her dreams.

Jacquelyn Schultz, Marie

Jacquelyn Schultz is ready to combust with excitement. Not only is this her first time performing with this fabulous theater company, this is also her first time performing in the wonderful city of New York. She would like to thank her parents for their understanding and acceptance of her decision to pursue acting, her best friend and boyfriend Anthony for being her number one fan and finally all of her voice and acting teachers. 

Alicia St. Louis, Réine

Alicia received her BA in Theatre Arts/English from Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, CA before going on to the Stella Adler Conservatory here in New York. Some of her favorite roles in New York include Gail in Escape from Happiness and Carol in David Mamet’s Reunion. Alicia recently played Lesly in House of Yes with the Samsara Theatre Company. She is on the Board as well as an active member of the Samsara Theatre company. Alicia is thrilled to be working with the Red Fern Theatre Company on such a wonderful production!

Christine Wolff, Laure

Christine has been acting in New York for the last 4 years. She graduated from The William Esper Studio in 2005. She has been working and performing with two New York established and well known theatre companies; Voicetheatre and Larry Myers Repertoire Theatre Company. Apart from films and commercials in New York and Denmark, where she origins- her theatre credentials include her leading roles- most recently in The Waking, performed at the acclaimed Black Horse Theatre in Copenhagen and Skin at  Theatre GROB. It’s her first time joining The Red Fern Theatre Company.

Production Team Bios:

Meredith Crandell, Artist

Meredith is a 2005 graduate of New York's Pratt Institute. As an illustrator and graphic designer, her work deals with communication and the iconic nature of the human form. She especially enjoys working within the theater and music communities, where these themes are so beautifully explored. Thanks to the Red Fern Theater Company for the opportunity to make a statement.  http://meredith-crandell.com

Amanda Donelan, Make-Up Designer

Amanda is a graduate of Hofstra University with a B.F.A. Degree in Performance.  Most recently she can be seen with Chocolate Cake City, a sketch/multi genre comedy group, appearing at venues around New York City.  Amanda’s other New York Theatre credits include performing in Memorial Days:  Staged Reading, The Long Christmas Ride Home, Beautiful Noises, Coal’s of Fire, Everyman, and Happy Hour.  Amanda was also the props and makeup designer for Found A Peanut with the Red Fern Theatre Company.  She would like the thank Melanie for giving her the opportunity to be part of another production with The Red Fern and would also like to extend all of her love to her friends and family for all of their support.  

Jessica Greenberg, Lighting Designer

Jessica is so happy to continue working with Red Fern. New York lighting credits include: The Long Christmas Ride Home, Found A Peanut, Stars in a Dark Sky, The Exonerated (Red Fern Theatre), Ana 3/11, A River Apart (Century Productions NYC), Don't Go Home for the Holidays (Calamity Carolers), and DeCADence (Rising Sun Performance Company). Jessica is also the co-founder of The Co-op Theatre and recently produced their New York premiere of Ruby Red at Dixon Place.  Jessica received her BA from Hampshire College with a self-designed concentration in lighting, directing, and producing.
To learn more about her work, please visit www.jessicagreenberg.com

Summer Lee Jack, Costume Designer

Recent credits include:  The Wild Party at the Gallery Players, MACCABEAT! at the New York Musical Theater Festival, Kiss and Makeup and Horatio for the NY International Fringe Festival, You Can't Take It With You at T. Schrieber Studio, Measure for Measure with the  New Lions Theatre Company  and at the 52nd Street Project. 

Adrienne Kapalko, Set Designer

Who Will Carry the Word? is Adrienne's third time working with the Red Fern Theatre Company. Previous shows with RFTC include Found a Peanut and The Exonerated. Set Design credits include: The House of Yes (The Neighborhood Playhouse), The Marriage of Figaro (Purchase College), and Bat Boy: The Musical (St. John's University). Assistant design credits include:  Gypsy directed by Arthur Laurents (assistant designer/City Center), Almost Maine (assistant designer/The Daryl Roth), Tall Grass (assistant designer/The Beckett Theatre). Other credits include: The Marriage of Figaro (designer/Purchase Opera), All About Us (assistant designer/Westport Country Playhouse), 1776 (assistant designer/The Guthrie), Disney Live! Mickey's Magic Show (assistant designer/National Tour), Hairspray (assistant designer/Johannesburg, South Africa). Adrienne graduated with a BFA in scenic design from SUNY Purchase.

Kimberly J. Weston, Stage Manager

Kimberly is thrilled to be working with the Red Fern Theatre Company and such a wonderful cast of women!  She recently moved to New York after acting and signing across the country in the “Fantastic Mr. Fox!” a Sign Stage on Tour production.  Offstage, Kimberly stage managed productions at her alma mater, Case Western Reserve University.  Other crew experience includes spot op and wardrobe at the Cleveland Play House in Cleveland, OH, and scenic painting apprentice and sound board operator with the Contemporary Stage Company in Wilmington, DE.  Break legs and enjoy the show!

Melanie Moyer Williams, Director

Melanie, a graduate of Duke University, is also co-founder and Executive Artistic Director of the Red Fern Theatre Company.  Her credits for the company include The Exonerated, The Long Christmas Ride Home, Found a Peanut, Two Rooms, and Patient A.  Last year, she directed the initial reading of Stars in a Dark Sky by R.E. Vickers for Lime Rock Press, Inc which will have its final staged reading this May. For Woodframe Productions, Melanie directed Henry Kissinger by John Attanas in the NY Fringe Festival where they received rave reviews. Most recently, she directed a reading of his new play Memorial Days.  She has also directed A Tribute to Andrew Lloyd Webber with the Youth Symphony Orchestra of El Salvador in El Salvador with Wanderlust Theatre Company. She directed That is the Question in the Philadelphia Fringe Festival.  Other New York credits include Medea excerpts for CYPRECO and the New York Public Library; Five Women Wearing the Same Dress, When the World Was Green and Icarus’s Mother for the Michael Chekhov Theatre Company.   Melanie looks forward to working with Shirley Lauro on RFTC’s upcoming production of her play, A Piece of My Heart.