Ensemble
Matt Connolly (Centipede) graduated from NYU - Tisch School of the Arts. He studied movement, voice, acting and writing at the Experimental Theater Wing and Stella Adler Studio of Acting. He recently appeared in James Franco’s Collage choreographed by Chloe Kernaghan, as well as Te Ilum’s productions of at Sixes & Sevens and The Infernal Machine. Matt creates dance videos. Please visit http://mypersonalwork.tumblr.com
Helen Gutowski (Earthworm) is an upcoming junior in the Experimental Theatre Wing of Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, and a graduate of Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. At NYU, she has been in two ETW Mainstage productions this season: Wilde Thing directed by Tina Sheppard and Daniel Goldenstein directed by Richard Foreman. After performing the flowery words of the greats such as Chekov, Shakespeare, and O’Neill from within the proscenium, Helen is delighted to both reinvent her working relationship with this timeless tale for children of all ages, and to appear in her first site specific production! Yay! A post-post-modern artist of many mediums, Helen would like to sincerely thank everyone who has ever existed, especially the ones she’s met, and most especially the ones that she loves and love her, for just being and influencing her and the world. She is so grateful and inspired.
Amanda Hunt (Ladybug) is simply ecstatic to be working on James with this nifty cast! She is an undergraduate student at NYU Tisch School of the Arts pursuing a BFA in Theater. Amanda has studied with the Atlantic Theater Company and will be studying with the Headlong Performance Institute in Philadelphia this fall. Her favorite number is 8 and she is a Virgo.
Caitlin McInerney (Spider) is originally from Connecticut but currently calls Alphabet City, Manhattan home. An actor, artist and creator Caitlin recently received a BFA in acting from Tisch School of the Arts. At Tisch, Caitlin studied at the Experimental Theater Wing. She also studied at the International Theater Workshop in Amsterdam, and also partook in a master class with Gabriel Byrne in NYC. Caitlin’s NYC credits include: The Blind Trip directed by Ana Margineanu, I Don’t Want to Hurt Your Feelings part of the Planet Connections Festival, Plunge a self created one woman show and Dance Dance Revolutiondirected by Alex Timbers. She will next be seen in if and only if’s production of James as Miss Spider.
Caitlin Michener (Co-Artistic Director) is a graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts where she studied at the Experimental Theater Wing. Credits include The Blind Trip dir. by Ana Margineau, Sister Sylvester’s Play America and The Screens, at the Riverside Church and Salem Art Works, Desire Caught by the Tail dir. by Tom O’Neill and Oliver! dir. by Lear deBessonet. Original work includes Untitled (can i keep it) and Untitled (lay down your head), performed in UnderExposed at Dixon Place, and my heart gets used to the idea of beating, produced by TSOA. She’s incredibly excited to be joined by such an amazing group of artists as if and only if gets started.
Nicole Pursell (Co-Artistic Director) graduated from NYU’s Experimental Theatre Wing in December of 2009. She also had the opportunity to study at Amsterdam’s International Theater Workshop with an incredible group of artists. Originally from Ohio, she now resides in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Credits include Moments (Dir. Moisés Kaufman), Oliver! (Dir. Lear deBessonet / Mus. Dir. Todd Almond), Help Us Go Away (Dir. Stephen Wisker), and Trojan Women (Dir. Kevin Kuhlke). She has also been fortunate enough to be involved in many original pieces and world premiers such as A Joyous Shot at How Things Ought to Be (Dir. Darius Homayoun), I Don’t Want to Hurt Your Feelings (Dir. Emma Koenig), The Cat’s Pajamas (Dir. Haley Osment), A Hunter Goes Hunting (Dir. Mieke Duffly), and my heart gets used to the idea of beating (Dir. Caitlin Michener). Film credits include Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist and Vampire Weekend’s “Oxford Comma” music video. Here we go if and only if.
Hudson Rhotenberry (James) left his hometown of Midland, TX in 2008 to attend the Tisch School of the Arts Experimental Theater wing. Since then he has been seen in Matt Connolly’s Independent Project Death House, the ETW mainstages Two Great Oceans and Walk Across America for Mother Earth and most recently Kelsey Larsen’s Independent Project Accidental. In his spare time, he enjoys parks, museums, and geocaching.
Alex Thrailkill (Grasshopper) originally from San Francisco, CA, is currently studying at the Experimental Theatre Wing at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. He recently appeared in Gina Stevensen’s The Time Crawlers Save The World, Howard Barker’s The Possibilities (dir. Tim Carroll) Jeanna Phillips‘ How to Climb a Tree (Or Die Trying), The Collectin’s Monologues of Sam Alper, Jason Yamas’ Spicy Apple Lighter Talk, and a few student films that he would be really embarrassed if you knew about. For music, photography, and more, visit alextkill.com.
Support Staff
Alex Johnson is taller than he used to be and older than he used to be. He is a graduate of the Experimental Theater Wing at NYU where he learned to actually pay attention to and appreciate stuff like being taller and being older. He has played Bigfoot while wearing a unitard, he has sung in an adaptation of Ovid’s Metamorphoses done entirely in the dark, and he can solve a Rubik’s cube in a minute and a half, on a good day. He has directed pieces at NYU, as well as at a number of high schools in his native Massachusetts. He has also written a few plays, a memoir, and at one time maintained a pretty embarrassing livejournal. He loves America very much. He is currently an Americorps Urban Education Fellow working at the MATCH Charter Public High School, where he offers remedial tutorial support to students with learning/behavioral/emotional disabilities. He also teaches a gym class, with a whistle and kickball and everything. iff Collective makes him excited about the future, because in the future, they will make you excited about the present.
Keenan Jolliff is headed into his Junior year at the Experimental Theater Wing (NYU, Tisch School of the Arts). He is thrilled to be a member of this ensemble, all of whom he looks up to and has the greatest admiration for. His most treasured shows thus far include Amadeus (NYU) and Fighter (NYU) both of which were entirely student created and driven. He enjoys the ensemble nature of theater and cannot wait to explore within his newest frame - if and only if.
Patty King (Musical Director) was born on the banks of the Mississippi and stowed away to New York on a steamboat when she was 18. She got involved with a speakeasy in Harlem and spent a few years on the run from the fuzz, after which she found her way to ETW to begin her creative life. She is a Capricorn. Patty is an NYU grad, a singer who writes and can be seen in an opera at Dixon Place in June.
Nick Lehane’s (Puppet Consultant) recent New York theatre credits include These Seven Sicknesses / Dido,Queen of Carthage dir. Ed Sylvanus Izkandar (Exit, Pursued by a Bear), Tales of Brave Ulysses dir. Jeremy Ungar (at Ars Nova), Sister Sylvester’s Play America (NYTW’s 4th St. Theatre) / The Screens (Riverside Theatre), You May Be Splendid Now (The Shelby Company), and Avatar Agency dir. Marianne Weems (Momenta Art). Regional credits include When the Rain Stops Falling / Hapgood (Quantum Theatre), Stroke (Bricolage Theatre), and The Cryptogram (City Theatre). Film credits include Warrior dir. Gavin O’Connor (Lionsgate Films), An Omlette for Claire dir. Jeremy Ungar, and The Director dir. Brad Grimm. Puppeteer credits include LEM Project, dir. Tom Lee and Matt Acheson (Bulgaria), The Tall Tales of Enoch / Home is Where the Art Is (Arts for All Inc.), and MOЖNO(CMU’s Playground). Nick has studied at the Moscow Art Theatre School and the Rhodopi International Theatre Laboratory. He holds a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama.
Constantine Lignos is currently a double major in NYU Tisch’s Experimental Theatre Wing and the Rita and Burton Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing. He has also studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and the International Theatre Workshop in Amsterdam. He is a Greek-American actor, singer, and writer. Most recently, he appeared in Daniel Goldenstein, written and directed by Richard Foreman. He is currently working on his adaptation of Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra for iff.
