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synopsis
A Category-3 hurricane is heading toward the Pelican Bay Bed and Breakfast, but the real storm is brewing inside. With a shelter-in-place order in effect, people-pleasing Frank must navigate a guest who doesn’t want to be bothered, a father who’s lost the will to live, and his love-struck son determined to get Frank back with his ex-wife.
Shelter in Place is a family comedy about starting over, accepting your family, and finding your way to happiness… even when there’s nowhere else to go.
schedule
January 8-25, 2026 Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:00 pm, Sundays at 3:00 pm
location
The Sgouros theater, 115 MacDougal St, NYC 10012. Two flights of stairs up, no elevator.
The creative process begins! Director Joan Kane, sound designer Ian Whrle, and voice-over actor Rebecca Lovett record the voice of the Radio Weather Announcer at Ego Actus Studios
cast
David Cagan (Frank Bennett) is excited to be part of this wonderful production and would like to thank the entire Shelter in Place team for their hard work and dedication. David recently played multiple roles in the NYC stage premier of Rebellion with his wife, Michelle. He also recently appeared in the play, October 7, and in the stage reading of the play, It’s Always Raining in Brooklyn, with his son, Ben, accompanying the performers on saxophone. A life long New Yorker, David can be frequently seen sheltering in place at various NYC theaters and in TV and film. David studies with Peter Jenson at T. Schreiber Studios and with Howard Meyer, both in Manhattan.
Martin Revere (George Bennett) (he/him, proud septuagenarian) has been riding the winds of a full-time actor’s life since 1964, and what a journey it’s been! Over the years, he’s graced the stage in Oliver!, The Me Nobody Knows, A Thousand Clowns, The Impossible Years, and Lovers, and spent a lively decade as a lead with the ensemble company The Gingerbread Players and Jack. Recent seasons have found him in Stag & Lion’s Arsenic and Old Lace and Richard III, and at Theater for the New City in Diva Therapy, where he stole hearts, and a few boas, as Carloz with a Z, a geriatric Liza Minnelli impersonator under the inspired direction of Joan Kane. Martin holds a Ph.D. in Theater from NYU’s School of the Arts. He extends heartfelt thanks to Claire Tyers of Stag & Lion, John Seidl, and Beverly Johnson for their unwavering faith in his craft. This season, Martin returns to the stage in a brand-new work set amid a hurricane, proving that after six decades in the business, he’s still more than ready to weather any storm: MartinRevereActor@gmail.com
Alyssa Simon (Heidi Murphy) is thrilled to be working with Ego Actus again. Thank you, Joan, Bruce, and Robin, for the opportunity. She has worked Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway with many companies, such as Untitled Theatre Co. #61, Gemini CollisionWorks, Metropolitan Playhouse, Morningside Theatre Co. and The Brick. She is also the voice of Lt. Frall in the chart-topping sci-fi comedy podcast Life With Althaar.
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Jared Ritter (Sam Bennett) is thrilled to be making his Ego Actus debut with the team of Shelter in Place. Recent credits include Sundays at TheaterLab, The Three Musketeers at Theatre 121, and [title of show] for PrideArts. He is a BFA graduate of the Dobbins Conservatory and a certified stage combatant with Dueling Arts International. Jared thinks you’re very cool for seeing the show and gives his love to the friends and family who have given their support and care to the craziest year of his life. Please see www.JaredRitterActor.com and @thatoneguyjared
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Haley Watkins (Mildred Bennett) is known for her television roles on Nurse Jackie and Girls5Eva. She started her stage career at 16 and was on the board of directors of Spotlight Theatre by 18. Haley won the Best Supporting Actress City Pulse Award for her role as Gillian in Ravenscroft in Lansing, Michigan. She studied at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, then was cast in the inaugural season of the Chenango River Theatre in upstate NY. Haley loves storytelling and is overjoyed to be back on stage! She is also a boxing referee and judge. Instagram: @haleyzale
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Rebecca Lovett (Radio Weather Announcer) recently appeared as Maria in a social media ad campaign for NYC’s Sofia Wine Bar. She won Best Supporting Actress at the 2024 Fire Island Film Festival for her work in the short film, Always. Favorite roles include Maggie in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Ariel in The Tempest, and Dorothy’s mom, Maud, opposite Jeffrey Combs in the film The Witches of Oz. Rebecca is the Director of Operations and Development at the Episcopal Actors’ Guild, providing emergency financial assistance and career support to actors in need, and the Managing Director of women’s theatre company Nora’s Playhouse. www.rebeccalovett.com
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production team
Henry Feldman (playwright) Mr. Feldman’s original theatrical interest was acting, he found he enjoyed the challenge of writing comedic plays for small casts and small stages. Shelter in Place is his response to the constant repetition of that phrase during the plethora of Gulf Coast hurricanes that were part of his 40 years in Houston. Henry wishes to thank his wife, Nadine, who, as a writer, enjoys their time together discussing imaginary characters; his father, who provided so much material for this play; and his mom, who put up with his father and set a bar so low that even becoming a playwright made her proud.
Joan Kane SDC (director) is the founding Artistic Director of Ego Actus. She performed her one-woman play, Almost 13 in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, getting a five-star review. Joan has directed Sycorax at HERE, Play Nice! at 59e59 theaters, I Know What Boys Want at Theatre Row, Six Characters in Search of an Author in Oslo, Norway and Kafka’s Belinda in Prague. She also directed both Safe and what do you mean at 59e59 theaters and in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, getting four-star reviews for each. Joan was awarded Best Director in the 2016 United Solo Festival. She was named one of the 2011 People of the Year in honor of her contributions to the New York theatre scene and inducted into the Indie Theatre Hall of Fame by nytheatre.com. Joan has also directed plays and readings at the Lark, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Urban Stages, Workshop Theater, the Samuel French Short Play Festival, the Actors Studio, the Broadway Bound festival, and many others. She graduated from the High School of Performing Arts, studied acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse, and has an MFA in Directing from The New School and an MS in Museum Education from Bank Street College. Joan is a member of the playwright/directors unit of the Actors Studio, the Episcopal Actors Guild, the League of Independent Theatre, the Dramatists Guild, New York Women In Film and Television, and the Society of Stage Directors & Choreographers.
Robin Carus CSA (casting director) Select Regional & Off-Broadway: Songs of Light & Joy for Provincetown Playhouse, Beau for Theatre 154, Ceremonies in Dark Old Men for Theatre at St. Clement’s, Pay the Writer for Signature Theatre, and The Remarkable Mister Holmes forNorth Coast Rep. Select Film: Elijah Able, Urban Ed, Green Flake. Webby, Hermes, Davey, and Telly Award winner for Project Sing Out! For almost 10 years, she was the Casting Director for TheatreworksUSA, where she cast over 200 national tours and countless works in development, as well as their Off-Broadway series at the Lucille Lortel Theatre, including the revival of Seussical. This is her 4th Ego Actus production. Casting Society of America.
Evan Frank (set designer) (he/him) is an award-winning scenic and video designer. In a decade-long career, he’s designed over a hundred shows, including forty world premieres. This is his third show with Ego Actus after Meltdown and Diva Therapy. Recent scenic designs include A Christmas Carol at the Wick Theatre and a new immersive piece, The Haven. Recent video designs include According to Howard at The York Theatre Company and How to Put on a Sock in LaJolla Playhouse’s WOW festival. Upcoming work includes Antigone in Analysis at LaMama and Children of Eden at the Ocala Civic Theater. MFA, CMU EFrankDesign.com
Cat Fisher (costume designer) has designed costumes for nearly 200 shows for theater, dance, film, and television. is a member of the Lincoln Center Director’s Lab, a New York State Council for the Arts award recipient, and has been recognized with several costume awards. Her work has been seen at Theater for the New City many times; at 59e59th; the NYC Fringe & International Festivals; She has IMDb credits for both acting and design, and is a founding member of Honest Accomplice Theatre. So happy to be working with Joan & Bruce, for the gazillionth time! Always a pleasure!
Bruce A! Kraemer (lighting designer) is the producer of all Ego Actus shows. He has done lighting design for Roundabout Theatre and Soho Rep and has designed shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Ensemble Studio Theatre, 59e59 Theaters, HERE, the NYC Fringe, Theatre Row, and many others. Bruce also does TV and event lighting, audio, technical direction, stage management, production intercom, and RF coordination. He has done one or another of those for the Summer and Winter Olympics, the Paralympics, the World Cup, two Papal visits, three Superbowls, the Commonwealth Games, the Goodwill Games, six Tony Awards, the Grammys, three Video Music Awards, the WNBA All Star Game, the NBA All Star game, the NBA Draft, four NFL Drafts, the MLB Draft, ten Christmas Tree Lightings at Rockefeller Center, on Broadway, off Broadway, off off Broadway, for dance, fashion shows, art installations and hundreds of corporate events.
Ian Wehrle (sound designer) is a composer and collaborator for various music direction and sound design for theater. Recent credits include: The Hiphop Nutcracker, The Screwtape Letters and Titanic at Surflight Theater; Sunday in the Park with George for Axelrod; The Buddy Holly Story tour, Monica Piper’s Not That Jewish at New World Stages, A Room Of My Own and Hellman V. McCarthy for Abingdon Theatre Co. et al. at Columbia Stages & NYFA; Credits at Food Network, FOX, MTV, and PBS. www.soundaffectsdesign.com
Lytza Colon (prop designer) Lytza Colon was born and raised in the South Bronx and is a passionate multi-talented visual artist, youth advocate, community leader and activist. She was introduced to the live theatre in 2008 and got hooked. In that same year, she was invited by Crystal Field, Executive Director of Theater for the New City, to do their award-winning Street Theater Summer Program as special props master. Lytza’s work has been featured in many theaters throughout New York City and the New York City Fringe Festival, including the\ Ego Actus production of Meltdown by Toby Armour, directed by Joan Kane.
Dana Vincent-Robbins (stage manager) is excited to return to Ego Actus for whom she was stage manager for One Woman in the United Solo Theatre Festival and Time Stands Still at Theater for the New City. She has been a stage manager in NYC and Orlando for many years. Dana was also the house manager at the Davenport Theatre. Some of her favorite shows include Me The People, Cabaret, Bent, Into the Woods, Jesus Hopped the A Train, and The Samuel Beckett Festival. She would like to thank her parents for believing in her and Max for being there always and forever.
Max Kilsheimer (assistant stage manager) is excited to be working with Ego Actus again. They have been doing theater in some shape or form since a very young age and is amazed that they can do theater in NYC. Max worked on Ego Actus productions Time Stands Still and Rememberance, both at Theater for the New City. They have also done lighting electrics for industrial events for Caffeine Media. Much love to my mother, who introduced them to the love of theatre and encouraged them to move to NYC. It wouldn’t be possible to live here and do this without the love and support of my wife, Dana.
Andrea Alton/Alton PR (press representative) is thrilled to be working with Ego Actus again. She previously worked on their productions of Diva Therapy, Meltdown, and Time Stands Still. Alton PR was formed in 2011 and provides press services for off and off-off Broadway Theatre, and theatre/arts festivals with an emphasis on new works. Past clients include the off-Broadway productions The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance at The Gene Frankel Theatre, Love Quirks for AMT, and Anne Being Frank, Doris Day: My Secret Love, Sex Work/Sex Play all with Emerging Artists Theatre. www.AltonPRandProduction.com
Shelter in Place auditioned at Cre8tive, 134 West 29th St
Audio recording done at the Ego Actus Studios.
We will rehearse at Houghton Hall, 22 East 30th St
and perform at the Sgouros Theater, 115 MacDougal St
The Sgouros Theater before the magic begins