An evening of one-acts served in three delightfully intriguing courses…
Performance Dates: 26, 27, 28 April & 3, 4, 5 May
Friday and Saturday shows (April 26, 27 and May 3,4) at 19:30
Sunday shows (April 28 and May 5) at 18:30
Tickets available here.
I. Where’s The Dog by Stephen Baluzy
A dog on the loose reveals a couple’s clash of values.
Director: Anna Amell
Anna Amell comes from a lovely wine region near Barcelona. She was involved in several theatre productions in Catalan and Spanish before moving to Germany in 2013. Since then, as a theater junkie, she has kept herself involved in theater activities in Frankfurt and Wiesbaden. Among other productions, she could be seen on stage as Lena in Onkel Wanja, directed by Yusuf Kilic at the Interkulturelle Bühne (IKB), as Valdez in The Unseen, directed by Keith D. Greenleaf at the Wiesbaden Performance Arts Center (WPAC), and as director and producer for Spanish speaking theatre groups in the region. After volunteering backstage in some FEST productions, she now makes her debut as the director of an English language play with Where’s the Dog.
Assistant Director: Cornelia Groeger
Cornelia Groeger was born and raised in Kuwait with a bilingual fluency in English and German. She is a seasoned actress, lover of the performing arts and rediscovered her passion when she moved to New York in 2013. Recent stage credits include Ranyevskaya in FEST’s The Cherry Orchard, directed by Jim Phetterplace Jr., Rose in Knowing Cairo, directed by Keith Greenleaf at the Wiesbaden Performance Arts Center (WPAC), Flora in FEST’s A Slight Ache, directed by Daniel Toyne, Lisa in Adrift, directed by Michael Edan at The NuBox in New York City and Cleopatra and Queen Elizabeth in A Night at the Bard at The Players Club, New York City. Cornelia was last seen in the award-winning short film To The Ones Left, as Margaret. She trains under Matthew Corozine (MCS, New York City) and Giles Foreman (GFCA, United Kingdom). Love and thanks to all who support the theatre and film world.
Producer: Hazem Elessawy
Hazem is also acting in Old Saybrook – see below for his full bio.
Cast:
Johanna Engelbrecht
Johanna comes from South Africa and has been living in Germany for eight years. She has been a member of the Schauspielgruppe des Anglistischen Seminar e.V for just as long and it’s been her greatest joy. She has been involved in a number of productions ranging from the UNESCO Short Play festivals to full-length productions, the most recent being Suddenly Last Summer, where she had the honour of playing Mrs Venable. Outside of theatre, she is a big reader, avid writer, and lives through music. This is her first production with FEST and she is really excited to be involved.
Sripad Kulkarni
Sripad is passionate about learning the craft of acting; he sees acting as an opportunity to live many lives. He embarked on his acting journey with FEST in the beginning of 2023 by participating in almost all acting workshops. He also had the opportunity to perform on the Kulturhaus stage in the short plays A Fat Pig and A Time for Farewells at the conclusion of a Performance Workshop in the summer of 2023. In addition to theatre, Sripad is enthusiastic about cinematography and editing. He also discovered a liking for writing scripts for short movies. Professionally, he has been a software engineer in the aerospace domain for the past 16 years.
II. Trifles by Susan Glaspell
A farmer has been murdered and his wife arrested. As the sheriff and other men concentrate on the actual scene of the crime, the sheriff’s wife and a female neighbour make their own very “trifling” discoveries…
Director: Mike Riepl
The latest productions Mike has been a part of include appearing in his own plays Dinner for Five for the Wiesbaden Performing Arts Center (WPAC) and The Scheme, which was also the FEST entry for the 2022 Festival of European Anglophone Theatrical Societies (FEATS). Mike was also Vice-Chairman of FEST for 4 years running.
There are always firsts in theatre: despite many years of acting, writing for the stage and directing, Trifles will be the first time Mike has directed a play written by someone other than himself. Not only is the play a wonderful early feminist piece, it is especially pleasing to be directing a vibrant cast of young international actors: all six of us come from different nations, a tremendous testimony to the abundant cultural richness of FEST.
Producer: Emma Merritt
This is Emma’s third production with FEST and her first time producing. Her theatrical journey began with school plays as child in the U.S. and continued through adolescence to the amateur theater scene in Shanghai, China, where she performed in various dramatic and musical productions. She has greatly appreciated the opportunity to support this talented cast and crew and hopes that you will enjoy the fruits of their labors!
Cast:
Ornela Giolla as Mrs. Peters
Ornela was born in Albania and grew up in Greece. Since 2015, she has been living in Germany and working in the fashion industry as a Visual Merchandiser. As a film and theatre enthusiast, she has always dreamt of acting one day. After attending her first FEST Workshop, she fell in love with the vast world of theatre! Joining the FEST family as a member has become the biggest cornerstone of her acting journey. She has been part of two FEST productions: Death of a Salesman and The Cherry Orchard.
Sarah Macey as Mrs. Hale
Sarah is a Frankfurt native whose passion for anglophone theater started with the English Theatre Frankfurt’s Drama Club production of Romeo and Juliet in 2008. She then joined Goethe University’s Chaincourt Company, where she played Jenny in Neil LaBute’s The Shape of Things and Catherine Sloper in The Heiress, based on Henry James’ novel Washington Square. Further credits include The Last of Mrs. Cheyney and Machinal. Having taken part in staged readings at the Theatre Language Studio in Frankafurt (Translations by Brian Friel) and FEST (Love, Loss, and What I Wore), Sarah is happy to be back at FEST with her first performance since the pandemic.
Balázs Rápoti-Fekete as Sheriff Peters
Balázs gained his first experiences on stage when playing the piano, singing in a choir and performing choreographed dances, but he is new to the world of theatre performance. Trifles is his first play with FEST. He auditioned to fulfill his curiosity, learn about performing skills and gain confidence on stage. He hopes more roles and plays will follow on the long road ahead.
Victor Weidle as County Attorney Henderson
Victor, born in 1993 in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova, is a theatre enthusiast and photographer based in Frankfurt, Germany. Prior to moving to Frankfurt, he was part of the English-speaking drama group called the Red Brick Company in Kassel, where he supported many productions both on and off stage. Some of his highlights include performing in the musical The Producers by Mel Brooks and playing the lead role in The Lover by Harold Pinter. Victor is looking forward to performing Trifles on stage with this great cast and hopes that you will enjoy the show!
Mehmet Oğuz Akgeyik as Lewis Hale
Oğuz grew up in Istanbul, Turkey. During his childhood, he participated in numerous school plays, always loving his time on stage. Later on, he took a break from theatre to focus on his academic path. After coming to Frankfurt, he decided to explore opportunities to get back on stage and was able to reignite his passion in this form of art by joining FEST and the cast of The Cherry Orchard. After that delightful learning experience, he is now looking forward to taking on a new role in Trifles.
III. Old Saybrook by Woody Allen
When a couple interrupts a barbeque party, they spark an old-fashioned sex farce that is full of verve and cunning. A secret diary exposing extra-marital relations is found and, just as everything begins to unravel, Max shows up to bring a dangerous twist.
Director: Jeff Book
Jeff is an American actor, living in Germany for more than 25 years. Jeff has worked professionally over the last several years in film, TV, commercials and modeling projects and completed stage and film actor training in London at Rose Bruford College, Drama Studio London, Actor’s Studio at Pinewood Studios, City Academy London and International School of Screen Acting. After more than 20 years as a business executive, Jeff transitioned from part-time to full-time professional actor status in 2021 and is represented by Crawford Talents in Berlin. He has been performing on stage with FEST since 2007, with leading roles in of Death of A Salesman, Doubt: A Parable, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Broadway Bound, Our Country’s Good and many more. He also has several credits as a Director with FEST, including such works as Hitchcock’s Dial M for Murder, Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None and several more.
Assistant Director: Aleksandra Galaganova
Aleksandra joined FEST several months ago and immediately dove deep into the backstage world. After supporting several plays as a make-up artist, Aleksandra is trying her hand at directing, and Old Saybrook is her debut as an Assistant Director. Aleksandra has performing experience in high school and continues to have an incredible passion for theater.
Producer: Julie Ng
Julie is excited to be a first-time producer for FEST. She started her FEST journey as Cassandra in her first ever role in Theatre for FEST’s Vanya, Sonia, Masha and Spike in 2023, and was Costume Manager in The Cherry Orchard in 2024. Born in Manila, Philippines, she moved to the US to get her MBA, where she also met her husband. She then moved to London where she worked in corporate and moved in 2011 to Frankfurt with her husband, kids, and dogs. Julie presently works in Accounting and Special Projects for Source for Alpha AG, a wealth management firm and is also the Editor of the British Club magazine.
Cast:
Philip Carr as David
Philip will appear on stage for the Frankfurt and Antwerp performances of Old Saybrook, directed by Jeff Book. He has previously performed in productions of The Wizard of Oz (version of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC)), The Imaginary Invalid (Molière), Ubu Roi (Jarry) and The Birthday Party (Pinter), among others, in theatre companies in the United Kingdom.
Hazem Elessawy as Hal
Hazem comes from the land of the pharaohs. He doesn’t take his camel to work, though, nor does he live in a pyramid. He discovered the world of theatre in his junior year at the American University in Cairo and has appeared in several plays since then. He was also a member of the “Khoyout” playback theatre group in Cairo for two years. He appeared on FEST’s stage multiple times: as God in Rich Orloff’s Can This Marriage Be Saved, Fred Narracott in Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, Happy Loman in Death of a Salesman, and the Stationmaster in The Cherry Orchard. Hazem is a full-time cinephile, booklover and wannabe writer. And, in his free time, he “engineers” his way out of embarrassing situations.
Terry Fernbach as Norman
A newcomer to FEST, Terry moved to Germany in 2011 after having lived in the Upper South and the Midwest in the United States. Old Saybrook is Terry’s return to the theatre after a decades long hiatus to pursue a career negotiating minutiae in contracts. Before the hiatus, Terry had attended Ohio University’s B.F.A. Theater Performance program, performed in theatrical productions by The Sunset Players and The Footlighters theater groups in the greater Cincinnati area, and appeared in television public service advertisements. After a long break from theatrical productions, Terry is glad to have started acting again with FEST and to be a part of the ensemble representing FEST at the Festival of European Anglophone Theatrical Societies (FEATS) 2024.
Hannah Kirkpatrick as Sandy
Born in England with a Scottish-German heritage, Hannah grew up near Mainz and has lived in Frankfurt since 2021. Just shortly after moving here, she found out about FEST. Her plan to one day return to her love for performing has been long overdue since high school. Having been with FEST for just a short time, Hannah is delighted to already have had the chance to perform in Death of a Salesman last winter and the opportunity to work on her acting skills during several workshops. As Hannah loves comedy in all shapes and sizes, she is now thrilled to be part of the Old Saybrook crew and to also experience this year’s Festival of European Anglophone Theatrical Societies (FEATS).
Aditya Singh as Max
Aditya, a vibrant nerd originally from India, migrated to Germany in 2015. His passion for the limelight ignited at the tender age of 10. Throughout his academic journey, he performed in numerous productions, from comedy plays to at least one musical and some electrifying dance ensembles. Upon settling in the Frankfurt region in 2022, Aditya delved into improvisational acting, honing his skills through immersive workshops in Karlsruhe and Amsterdam. In 2023, fate led him to FEST, where he enthusiastically volunteered backstage (lights and sound). Fast forward to 2024, Aditya embarked on a journey of self-discovery, embracing courses and workshops with his characteristic enthusiasm. This is his debut performance with FEST, a beginning of the odyssey that awaits him on the stage.
Alice Thomas as Sheila
Alice is originally from the Rhine-Main region. She has always had a keen interest in theatre and drama, and started out early with school plays, reaching dramatic heights with the role of Dracula’s mother in the musical Dracula Spectacula and later performing in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. After that, however, life and the desire to discover the world got in the way. After more than 15 years abroad, Alice returned to Germany in 2017 and has since rediscovered her love for theatre by supporting recent FEST productions backstage. She is excited to be back on stage after a long hiatus and is loving every minute of it!
Ružica Vrbat as Jenny
Ružica was eight when she first felt a spark while performing arts dancing on stage in her hometown’s cultural centre in Croatia. Shortly after, she also joined the local youth theatre, where her on-stage career as an actress continued until her relocation to Germany in 2017. Since then, she has been soaking up the local theatre scene, continuing dance classes, and participating in Frankfurt’s improvisational theatre workshops. While she has been involved backstage during previous FEST productions, portraying Jenny in Old Saybrook will be her FEST debut and her return to the spotlight after a long break from stage.
For all plays:
Stage Manager: Izzy Krier
Light and Sound: Anne Flaherty
Costumes: Julie Regenbogen
Props Managers: Gulmira Jumayeva and Xenia Kraft
Stage Hand: Belinda Bell
Make-Up: Jeanique Rahmlow
Special thanks to our sponsor, Source For Alpha AG.
