Theater Work

The Devil's Disciple

The 39 Steps
Language of Angels
Marion Bridge
The Times
Hamlet
Nicholas Nickleby

 

In this section you will find some information on some of the theater work that Jennifer Ferrin has done in the past few years.

Click on the pictures to enlarge them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

View more photos of Jennifer in The 39 Steps

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo by Sue Coflin
McCafrey, Ferrin, Gibson
Language of Angels More>>>>

 

 
Summer Moon Rising - August 24, 2009

Broadway Stars Jennifer Ferrin, Andrew Samonsky and Chad Goodridge appeared in Summer Moon Rising Fundraiser.  Joining them were Emily Ackerman, Blaire Brooks, Andrea Caban, and David Lee Nelson as performers at Coyote Rep's Summer Moon Rising benefit on Monday, August 24 at New World Stages. Proceeds from the event will help the development of a new play about breast cancer survivor Anna Warren Schumacher.

This new project, currently in development, is a play about a young breast cancer survivor and the particular challenges she faces in light of her age, raising her young child, and the severity of this disease. This event  raised funds for Coyote REP to develop this piece and to raise awareness for the Young Survivors Coalition.

For more information, visit www.coyoterep.com or visit them on MySpace.

 

The Devil's Disciple  - May 19, 2008

The acclaimed Project Shaw series continues with a starry reading of The Devil's Disciple.

THE DEVIL'S DISCIPLE, written by George Bernard Shaw in 1896, is a thrilling comedy that employs the unlikely backdrop of the American Revolution. Some of Shaw's most iconographic characters fill out this story of revolt: of one country against another, as well as of the inexhaustible battle of the human spirit - how we choose to create and define ourselves in the face of societal expectations. In this play, we find ourselves in 1777 New Hampshire where Dick Dudgeon opens his heart to life. Along the way, everyone else goes through profound changes of discovery, hope and strength.

Mrs. Dudgeon — Ms. Mary Beth Peil
Christopher Dudgeon — Mr. Dan Truman
Essie — Ms. Emily  Young
Judith Anderson — Ms. Jennifer Ferrin
Rev. Anthony Anderson — Mr. Charles Edwards
Lawyer Hawkins — Mr. Howard Kissel
William Dudgeon — Mr. John Martello
Major Swindon — Mr. John Bolton
Richard Dudgeon — Mr. Euan Morton
The Sergeant — Mr. Larry Gleason
General Burgoyne — Mr. Edward Hibbert

Host: Howard Kissel

Produced and directed by David Staller.

Location:  The Players Club which is located in Manhattan at 16 Gramercy Park South.

 
The 39 Steps   Broadway - Cort Theatre (April 29 - October 26, 2008) - Roundabout Theatre (January 4, 2008 - March 29, 2008) -  Boston (Sept, 2007 - October, 2007)

Watch some terrific clips featuring Jennifer Ferrin and the cast ~HERE~

Check the The 39 Steps section for a lot more information, photos and videos.

Alfred Hitchcock's
The 39 Steps

Adapted by Patrick Barlow

Based on an original concept by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon

Based on the book by John Buchan
 

Synopsis:

The 39 Steps is billed as a hilarious whodunit, part espionage thriller and part slapstick comedy, adapted for the stage from the famous film and novel. Shots ring out across a crowded theatre and Richard Hannay is lured into a world of intrigue by a mysterious woman claiming to be a spy. When she winds up dead in his flat, he flees London with both the police and a secret organization - the 39 Steps - hot on his trail.

Image from The 39 Steps

The play was a runaway hit in London and the winner of the 2007 Olivier Award for Best New Comedy, this tongue-in-cheek thriller features four actors taking on more than 150 roles, and will feature original London star Charles Edwards (as Richard Hannay), Jennifer Ferrin (as Annabella, Pamela and Margaret) with Cliff Saunders and Arnie Burton as the clowns.

The work was first seen at London's Tricycle Theatre in 2006. A Huntington press release states, "After its American premiere at the Huntington, The 39 Steps will be produced on Broadway by Bob Boyett."

  Find out here...

 
Language of Angels   (March, 2006)

Playwright - Naomi Iizuka

Published by Playscripts, Inc.

Synopsis:

An eerie cycle of ghost stories, set in the cave country of North Carolina. After a young girl is lost in a cave on the edge of town, there is a Rashomon-like investigation of her disappearance and the fate of those who survive her.

Performances were held at the Clark Studio Theater which is part of the Lincoln Center Institute for the arts in education.  The theater accommodates an audience of up to 120 people.

Cast: David Spangler (Seth), Lois Gibson (Kendra), Karl Herlinger (JB), Jennifer Ferrin (Celie), Jerzy Gwiazdowski (Michael), Stacy Salvette (Allison), Sarah McCafrey (Danielle), Jeffrey Cusimano (Billy)

Crew: Director-Gaye Taylor Upchurch, Cinematography-Ian Bloom,  Lighting Design-John Burkland, Asst. Director-Ryan Good, Stage Manager-Devan Hibbard, Technical Supervisor-Brant Thomas Murray, Set Design-Evan O'Brient, Soundscape-Richard Upchurch

To learn more about the story behind Language of Angels, read the review  written by Lora for JenniferFerrin.net.

...The effortless way in which Ms. Ferrin illustrated Celie's character displayed her charismatic gift as an actress.  It reaffirmed her talent and dedication as well as the bravery in accepting roles that inspire her.  Review

 

Marion Bridge  (October, 2005)

Playwright - Daniel MacIvor

Publisher - Talonbooks

Synopsis:

In Marion Bridge, three women in their thirties come 'home' to Cape Breton to be with their dying mother. Each in her own way tries to deal with the painful loneliness the lives they have chosen for themselves have left them with-each is trying to reconcile what they have become with what they thought they wanted out of life and with what they thought their parents wanted for them. Nothing, of course, has turned out exactly the way anyone imagined it would.

Performances were held at the Urban Stages Theater in New York City.  Established in 1983. The mission of Urban Stages/PPP is to: 1) discover and nurture exceptional new plays from diverse cultural backgrounds that speak to the whole of our society; 2) present these plays free-of-charge in the New York City Public Library Systems; 3) introduce students in the public school to theatre arts by bringing teaching artists to the school system free of charge (4) produce new plays Off Broadway to launch these works to the theatrical community thus allowing them to address the multifaceted issues facing our contemporary world.
 

Pictured to the right are Christa Scott-Reed, Henny Russell, Susan Louis O'Connor.  Photo by Pavel Antonov

Cast: Susan Louise O'Conner (Louise), Christa Scott-Reed (Theresa), Henny Russell (Agnes), Jennifer Ferrin (voice), Victor Slezak (voice)
 

"... crisp direction, simple yet effective production values and credible performances by the cast succeed in creating a moving experience " CurtainUp

"Marion Bridge," which opened last night at Urban Stages, is an old-fashioned play written with great care. It is well served by the quiet, steady pacing of the director, Susan Fenichell. So are the actors..... N. Y. Times

Marion Bridge should be—if the there's any justice in TheatreLand—the play that makes stars out of Canadian playwright Daniel MacIvor and rising actress Susan Louise O'Connor. Beautifully directed by Susan Fenichell and splendidly mounted by Urban Stages, it's a terrifically entertaining and engaging work. I highly recommend it.   nytheatre.com

 

The Times  (July, 2005)

Playwright - Joe Keenan

Music by - Brad Ross

Synopsis:

"It's the story of a couple over a 17-year period, 1974-1991," Ross told Playbill.com. "It's about Ted and his relationship with his wife, Liz, and how it evolves — as seen through the pages, stories and characters in the New York Times. It's underlying idea is how the media infiltrates our lives — but it really packs an emotional punch."  More information on the story is available at Theatermania.com

The play was produced by the Sonnet Repertory Theater, Inc.   SRT was founded in September of 2002 by a handful of North Carolina School of the Arts, University of North Carolina alumni. Since it's inception, SRT has blossomed into a full-fledged, New York State supported, not-for-profit theater company, comprised of artists and creators from very diverse backgrounds. As the company evolves, at its core, Sonnet Rep remains supremely dedicated to classic theater and the pursuit of excellence on the stage.

Performances were held at the Blue Heron Arts Center.  The production was part of SRT’s Bard’s Backyard summer series which features stage reading workshops that allow the creators to work alongside theatre professionals as they continue to develop and explore their material. 

The Sonnet Rep cast included Jordan Leeds (I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change) as Ted and Lisa Brescia (Broadway and national tour of Aida) as Liz, Jennifer Ferrin (Jennifer Munson on "As the World Turns"),  Kevyn Morrow (West End's Ragtime), Anne L. Nathan (Broadway's Thoroughly Modern Millie and Chicago), Bill English (Broadway's recent Twentieth Century), Michael Arkin (Boys Gets Girl Off-Broadway) and Robyne Parrish.  More at Playbill.com

In addition to Brescia and Leeds, The Times boasts the luxury Broadway casting of Anne Nathan (Assassins, Thoroughly Modern Millie) who delivers Keenan’s one-liners like a young Thelma Ritter, Jennifer Ferrin (Emmy-nominee for As the World Turns) who lands the biggest laugh of the night with an inspired send-up of a fashion model, Robyne Parrish who does a great Meryl Streep impersonation and has an impressive soprano, Kevyn Morrow (Ragtime, Tambourines to Glory and a host of Broadway roles) who sings the lovely ballad "Time" at the end of the show, Bill English (Twentieth Century) who sensitively plays one of Ted’s students and Michael Arkin in a series of solid supporting turns. All in all, it’s an impressive company and Keenan and Ross must be thrilled to know that The Times will probably never be sung or performed so well again.  American Theater Web

 

Hamlet  (October, 2004)

Playwright - William Shakespeare

Synopsis:

Shakespeare wrote this play in 1600-1, based in itself on versions of the story written throughout the previous century, in particular that by Thomas Kyd. He used the Senecan Tragedy conventions of revenge, adultery, incest, murder, mutilation and general carnage and included features such as ghosts, insanity, suicide, a play-within-a play, all of which are to be found in Shakespeare’s play.

The play was produced by Working Mutt Productions.  Working Mutt uses new and established material to present events in and out of theaters, public spaces and found sites.  The production of Hamlet was done at the turn of the century Opera House in Bedford-Stuyvesant while the building was undergoing renovation.  The play was held in the basement, as above ground the building was being renovated into an apartment complex.  Instead of the traditional set changes, the audience moved from set to set.

The cast consisted of Lucas Hall (Hamlet), Jeff Burchfield (Polonius), Jennifer Ferrin (Ophelia), Robyne Parrish (Gertrude), Nick Jaeger (Horatio), Jerri Micelli (Laertes), John Halbach (Clown), Timothy Eulich (Rosencrantz/Fight Director), Caleb Orion (Guildenstern), and Nick Capodice (Osric/Core).

...As something of a traditionalist, this reviewer is loathe to say it, but this "Hamlet" was sorely in need of additional cutting. Shakespeare's plays are already long by modern standards and this one is his longest, but add to the running time the many moves of the audience from set to set, and by the end of the three-hour-long play, it's a tossup who is wearier, the audience or the actors.

With this said, if you're in good health and sure of step, don't let the length of this show dissuade you. "Hamlet" may never be presented by a more dedicated and talented group of young professionals.  The Brooklyn Papers

 

The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby  (April 24-26, 2003)

Author - Charles Dickens

Adapted for the stage by David Edgar

Music and Lyrics by Stephen Oliver

Synopsis:

Nicholas Nickleby is one of Dickens’ earliest works in the episodic and melodramatic style familiar from The Pickwick Papers, and was published serially 1838-9. It is the story of the Nicklebys (Nicholas, his mother and sister Kate) who have been left penniless by the death of Mr Nickleby. In their poverty and desperation they seek help from Nicholas’s uncle - the difficult and oppressive Ralph Nickleby who is a usurer. Nicholas immediately bothers his uncle due to his independent attitudes and is sent to Dotheboys Hall to teach. He witnesses the mistreatment of orphans there by Wackford Squeers. Disgusted by this and particularly the treatment of Smike, Nicholas thrashes the evil Squeers and escapes with the lad Smike who becomes his close comrade. Nicholas continues on his mission to end ill-treatment. He saves Kate from Sir Mulberry Hawk’s insults and makes a home for the family. Ralph gets his comeuppance eventually despite his continued evil and although Smike dies of consumption, there is a general sense of justice at the novel’s close.

Nicholas Nickleby was the featured performance in the spring of 2003 by the School of Drama at NCSA.  It involves two hundred and forty pages of text which translates into twelve hours of material. Twenty-four actors took on the roles of one hundred and fifty characters translating into approximately seven characters per actor.  Forty-one masks were used to help complete the transformation of the actors into various characters.  Twenty-one songs were included.  This huge undertaking was accomplished in just five months by Studio IV, the graduating class of 2003 from NCSA and won them major accolades for their work.  While 5 months may seem like a long time to some in completing the production, it should be noted that within that time period the class completed four other fully staged productions meanwhile preparing for the huge undertaking of the Royal Shakespeare Company's widely lauded production of "The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby."

..... "As I stood at the stage at our final performance, singing the last chorus of 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen' with the faces of the audience members, faculty and peers staring down at us, I couldn't help but realize that this was the best production I would ever be in.  Sure there may be higher budgets, turbans or floating staircases in my future, but never again will I be given the time to put so much of myself into on project." - Ryan Hill - more>>>>

(Return to Top)


Home | Bio l Info l Gallery l Mobile Casino l Filmography l Theater l Media l Contact l Message Board

Template design by RTB Wizards