Joan Kane directed an Equity Showcase Code production of Diva Therapy by John Mark Lucas
presented by Theater for the New City and produced by Ego Actus
with performances November 7 to November 24, 2024
Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8:00pm, Sundays at 3:00pm
at Theater for the New City 155 First Avenue, NYC 10002
reviews
“Diva Therapy is very funny, this is one “therapy” session you won’t want to miss! No matter how outrageous the comedy can be, there are some very serious, provocative messages underneath, with a seemingly innumerable amount of insight about being an artist and about the history of drag culture in general.”
Jed Ryan in Lavender After Dark, November 13, 2024
“This was hysterical from the first sequined outfit to the last feather. The cast was wonderful.”
HAPPY FACE PLUS! Eve Hennemsn in HI Drama, November 19, 2024
description
Las Vegas is tough. Staying a legend in this town can be a drag. Five men in group therapy think their best days are over. But, this being Vegas, the five happen to be Cher, Diana Ross, Bette Midler, Barbra Streisand, and Liza Minnelli impersonators. Of course!
cast
The show features Tim Dietrich, Martin Revere*, Tony Triano*, Terry Lee King, Jim Fitzpatrick*, Kevin Fletcher, and Clara Francesca*.
*Equity Member appearing with permission of Actors’ Equity Association without benefit of an Equity contract in this Off-Off Broadway production.
crew
- director Joan Kane†
- casting by Robin Carus Casting
- set design & projections by Evan Frank
- costume design by Billy Little
- light design by Bruce A! Kraemer
- sound designer Roy Chang
- make-up design by Izzy Kitch
- stage manager Mathew Seepersad
- assistant stage manager J.J. Seidel
- public relations by Andrea Alton, AltonPRandProduction@gmail.com
†member of Society of Directors and Choreographers
scenic design by Evan Frank
biographies
Tim Dietrich (The Doctor) graduated with a BFA in Acting from The University of Evansville Indiana and went on to study under Bill Esper in the Masters program at Rutgers University, Mason Gross. Since then, he has performed at numerous regional theaters as well as The Public Theater, Cherry Lane Theater, TOSOS, Ego Actus, and SLANT. Recently, Tim shot a pilot Loopers with Deli Fresh Media, and can be seen as a guest star in the second season of Dekkoo/Amazon Prime’s Danny Will Die Alone. He will also be featured in a lead role in an upcoming feature length film to be shot in Georgia in the fall. Many thanks to Joan and Bruce for this opportunity and my partner Edgar for always being my reader and collapsing my self-tape back drop which I still can’t figure out how to do.
Martin Revere* (Liza Minnelli/Carloz) (he, him, universal) is blessed to live an actor’s life. He has appeared in Oliver, The Me Nobody Knows, A Thousand Clowns, The Impossible Years, Lovers, Gingerbread Players And Jack, Arsenic and Old Lace, Peter Pan, Richard The 3rd, and A Midsummer Nights Dream for Stag And Lion. He attended NYU School of The Arts and holds a PHD in Theatre. Martin especially thanks Claire Tyers and Joshua Koehn of Stag and Lion, and John Seidl and Beverly Johnson for supporting my talent. He is always seeking projects. MartinRevereActor@gmail.com
Tony Triano* (Bette Midler/Norman) is excited to be a part of Diva Therapy. Off-Broadway, he has appeared in The Man Who Came To Dinner, The Fantasticks, Twelfth Night, and Dinner With The Boys. Nationally, Tony has been seen as Horace Vandergelder in Hello, Dolly! starring Sally Struthers, Albin/Zaza in La Cage Aux Folles, Cap’n Andy in Showboat, and many others. On film, he plays the befuddled mayor in Love In Kilnerry, streaming on Prime and Apple.
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Jim Fitzpatrick* (Cher/Marty) has been a working actor for over 50 years. Awards: Best Actor Amsterdam World International Film Festival in Who Wants to Live with Barney Johnson, Anyway. He in appeared in Wetlands starring Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, with Bruce Dern in Northern Borders, Michael Kelly in All Square as well as roles in Confessions of a Shopaholic, Stardust Memories, Ragtime, and No Letting Go. He has starred in many commercials and on Ed and Law and Order, both on NBC. The first National tour, State Fair, Off Broadway, Silent Laughter, Anyone Can Whistle and Cinderella the Brit Panto; Regional work includes The Crucible, Showboat as Captain Andy, twice, T-Bone’N’Weasel, The Boys Next Door, Twelfth Night as Malvolio and Catch-22. Jim is married to dietitian and media influencer, Marty Davey, and is father to actor and sound producer, Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick. When not on stage Fitz can be found kayaking the Hudson.
Terry Lee King (Diana Ross/Leonard) is also known as The Legendary Amaz’n Grace, crowned Legendary in 2011 as a tribute to the Iconic Drag Queens of Paterson New Jersey fondly remembered as Ms Chappell, Ms Ardis, Ms Parker and Ms Paris, Terry has been performing since the age of five. As a triple threat he has been dancing, singing and acting as well as directing his own award winning entertainment troupe for many years. It is Jewel’s Earthbound Angels, named in honor of his late other Jewel Leonda Lopez King-Black. He is a resident artist of Theater For The New City NYC since 1989, always featured in The Summer Street Theater Tour as well as Choreographing the opening PreShow dance segments each year. Terry is also a longtime entertainer with The Imperial Court of New York’s group, titled Hearts and Voices. Terry is also a veteran, serving in the United States Army starting in 1980 and receiving an Honorable Discharge in 1986. He always dedicates his appearances to his late mother, his mentor, Crystal Field and other inspirational women in his life who are no longer with us.
Kevin Fletcher* (Barbra Streisand/Sheldon) is a long time resident of Hell’s Kitchen. In his youth, he attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He then was Producer/Director/Actor for The Gingerbread Players & Jack which was the originator of the AEA Theater for Young Audiences contract. They regularly played sold out houses such as Papermill, The Grand Opera and Northshore Music Theater. Shows included Beauty and the Beast, The Wizard of Oz and Pecos Bill and the Secret of Invisibility. All shows were fully booked musicals with live music. He loved offering AEA contracts to the next generation of talent. He went on to work on Nurse Jackie for all seven seasons. Today, he is delighted to be a part of Diva Therapy. Kevin is a proud member of AEA and SAG-AFTRA.
Clara Francesca* (Judy Garland) is hot off sold-out shows at 59E59 and an Edinburgh Fringe Tour. She is a proud alumnus of Anne Bogart’s SITI Company’s Inaugural Conservatory, with work ranging from traditional acting to poetic immersive avant-garde. Theatrical works include: Making Marx in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Metamorphosis for KafkaTech), 43 Stages of Grief at The Tank, Macbeth, Hamlet, Three Sisters at The Brick Theater, Skin of Our Teeth, Wind In The Willows at Live Arts The Phoenix Theatre , MarsBand. In NYC’s Hayden Planetarium, The Well at La Mama, and Speaking Dante: The Divine Comedy in 24 hours for Firenze Cinema la Compagnia . Clara’s selected television credits include: FBI opposite Jeremy Sisto, and New Amsterdam opposite Ryan Eggold. Film credits include supporting roles playing Lance Henriksen’s daughter in Reklaw, as well as co-starring in award-winning Johnny Ghost. Clara won Best Actress at the Arts Centre Fairfax Stage for self-devised piece Susan Who? and received the Dame Joan Sutherland Fund for excellence in Theatre. www.ClaraFrancesca.com
John Mark Lucas (playwright) from Guilford College in Greensboro, NC, and a Masters in painting from New York University, in NYC and Venice, Italy. John says, “Diva Therapy is a love letter to gay icons, wrapped around the realities of aging in a world where experience, history and old-school drag are thrown to the curb.” John’s dry, wicked humor has seen him through dry, wicked times, and he’s put it all in Diva Therapy, his first play. John lives and works in New York City.
Joan Kane† (director) is the founding Artistic Director of Ego Actus Theater Company. Off Broadway, she directed Sycorax at HERE, Play Nice! at 59e59 theaters, and I Know What Boys Want at Theatre Row. She directed Six Characters in Search of an Author in Oslo, Norway and Kafka’s Belinda in Prague. Joan was awarded Best Director in the United Solo Festival where she has directed six pieces. She was named to the Indie Theatre Hall of Fame by nytheatre.com. She has also directed plays and readings at the Lark, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Urban Stages, Workshop Theater, Nylon Fusion, Abingdon Theatre, Oberon Theatre, the Samuel French Short Play Festival, T. Schreiber Studio and many others. Joan is an alumni of the LaMama directing and playwriting symposiums in Umbria, Italy. She is a member of the Playwright/Director unit at Actor’s Studio, the League of Professional Theatre Women, the Dramatists Guild, and the Society of Stage Directors & Choreographers.
Robin Carus (casting director) Select Regional & Off-Broadway: Pay the Writer for Signature Theatre, This is Not a Time for Peace on Theatre Row, Two Jews, Talking starring Josh Mostel and Richard Masur at Theatre at St. Clement’s, The Remarkable Mister Holmes for North Coast Rep. Select Film: Urban Ed, The Thursday Night Club, Green Flake. Webby, Hermes, Davey and Telly Award winner for Project Sing Out! For almost 10 years Robin 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. Casting Society of America.
Evan Frank (set and projection designer) is thrilled to be returning to Theater for the New City after recently designing Aftershocks. He got his start in Chicago where he designed for Black Ensemble Theater, Strawdog Theatre Company, Bohemian Theatre Ensemble and Refuge Theatre Project where he was a company member. Recent work includes the Michigan Shakespeare Festival’s 2022 and 2023 seasons (Wilde Award for Macbeth in ‘23), Romeo and Juliet at the Oak Park Festival Theatre and Pride House with TOSOS where he is the resident scenic designer. Upcoming work includes Street Theaterwith TOSOS. MFA, CMU EFrankDesign.com
Billy Little (costume design) is the Resident Costume Designer for Theatre for the New City, NYC since 2022. Born in NYC. Graduated H.S. of Art & Design, in 1977. Studied at F.I.T., Billy is an actor, professional male/female Impersonator & drag performer for over 40 years. also production manager at Backstage Magazine, 1995-1998. Fiirst. Black Ms. Fire Island Elite 2019 & 2020. First. Black member of The Imperial Court of NY (ICNY) for over 30 years. Performances can be seen on YouTube: BillyLittleStripsAsPrince. FaceBook: @BillyLittle. Email: BLNYC@earthlink.net
Bruce A! Kraemer (producer and lighting designer) has done lighting design atssheer Soho Rep, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Ensemble Studio Theatre, 59e59 Theaters, the NYC Fringe, Theatre Row, the Snarks 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, six Tony Awards, 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.
Roy Chang (sound designer) has done many of shows at Theater for the New City, the Swedish Marionette Cottage, Abrons Arts Center and others.
Mathew Seepersad (stage manager) is also an actor. He has been with Theater for the New City for over three years now and has worked on many different shows. Matthew is a York College graduate and acquired a Bachelor’s degree with a major in Speech Communication and Theater Arts and a minor in Communication Technology, he wants to pursue a career in voice acting, as well as video production and editing. Instagram: soundboard3000 Please see MatthewSeepersad.com
Andrea Alton/Alton PR (press representative) is thrilled to be working with Ego Actus! Alton PR was formed in 2011 and provides press services for off and off-off Broadway Theatre, comedy, and theatre/arts festivals with an emphasis on new works. Past clients include the off-Broadway productions Love Quirks for AMT Theater, and Anne Being Frank, Doris Day: My Secret Love, Sex Work/Sex Play all with Emerging Artists Theatre. Andrea has worked on productions with La MaMa, SoHo Playhouse, Peculiar Works Project, Spark Theatre Festival NYC, Rising Sun Performance Company, Retro Productions, among others. www.AltonPRandProduction.com
additional crew for Diva Therapy
- box office manager Bill Bradford
- house manager Dan Kelley
- electricians Roy Chang & Bob Homeyer
- scenic crew Sasha Denham
- audition readers Jenny Anne Hochberg & Rebecca Lynn Goldfarb
Costume sketches by Billy Little
Actors’ Equity Association (AEA), founded in 1913, represents more than 50,000 actors and. stage managers in the United States. Equity seeks. To advance, promote and foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of our society. Equity negotiates wages and working conditions, providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. AEA is a member of the AFL-CIO, and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. The Equity emblem is our mark of excellence. www.ActorsEquity.com
SDC is the theatrical union that unites, empowers, and protects professional stage directors and choreographers throughout the United States. Our mission is to foster a national community of professional stage directors and choreographers by protecting the rights, health and livelihoods of all our Members; negotiating and enforcing employment agreements across a range of jurisdictions; facilitating the exchange of ideas, information and opportunities; and educating current and future generations about the critical role of directors and choreographers in leading the field.
special thanks
The producers of Diva Therapy wish to offer Special Thanks to Cre8tive NYC, AMDA Studios and Prince Lumber for ther contributions to our show.
A Brief History of Theater for the New City
Crystal Field and others founded Theater for the New City in 1971 to form a theater of for poetic work that would also encompass a community ideal. The impulse to form a company coincided with the availability of a space at the Westbeth Artists Community in the West Village. The name Theater for the New City was inspired by a speech in which then Mayor John V. Lindsay envisioned a New City for all.
TNC’s initial two seasons included plays by Richard Foreman, Charles Ludlam, Miguel Piñero and Jean-Claude van Itallie. Theater for the New City also began its Annual Summer Street Theater, and founded the Village Halloween Parade with puppeteer Ralph Lee. The Parade won an Obie Award under TNC administration. TNC also inaugurated its Village Halloween Costume Ball, which it still holds to this day. TNC cemented its reputation for being the most avant of avant-garde theater, offering radical political plays, experimental poetic works, dance theater, musical theater and even film. Mabou Mines found a home at Theater for the New City as did playwrights such as Romulus Linney, Harvey Fierstein, H. M. Koutoukas, Arthur Sainer, Howard Zinn, and Maria Irene Fornes. A musical adaptation of Antoine de Saint Exupéry’s The Little Prince in 1973 featured a young Tim Robbins in the title role. The 1976 play Dinosaur Door by Barbara Garson featured a young Vin Diesel.
Notable productions in the late 1970s and 1980s included Buried Child by Sam Shepard in 1978. That TNC production of moved off-Broadway to the Theatre de Lys and in 1979, and became the first off-off-Broadway play to win the Pulitzer Prize. TNC also presented the American premiere of two of Heiner Muller’s plays, Hamletmachine in 1984 and Quartett in 1985.
TNC continues to produce 30-40 new plays per year, along with its Annual Summer Street Theater, the Annual Village Halloween Costume Ball and the Lower East Side Festival of the Arts.
Through its Resident Theater Program, TNC produces 20-30 new American plays per year, providing a forum for both new and mid-career writers to experiment with their work and develop as artists. For newer writers, TNC offers an Emerging Theater Program that commissions and produces 10 plays by fledgling writers each year. The newest division of the Resident Theater Program, New City, New Blood, is a reading series for worthy plays in earlier stages of development.
