EastLine Theatre
presents
Men on Boats
by Jaclyn Backhaus November 11 - 20, 2022 Fellowship Hall Babylon, NY
Men on Boats runs 1h40m with no intermission. Please be aware this performance includes moments of peril and discussion of death; a gunshot sound effect is used.
Major John Wesley Powell Lynda Gaug
William Dunn Rosemary Kurtz
John Colton Sumner Julia Navarro
O.G. Howland / Johnson Kendra Perry
Seneca Howland / Just Jim Megan Laguna
Frank Goodman / Mr. Asa Lucia Geng
William Robert Hawkins Julianna Frasca
Andrew Hall Bailey C Elis
George Young Bradley Meghan Fawcett
Walter Henry “Old Shady” Powell Abeda Alam
Direction Nicole Savin
Lighting Design Danny Higgins
Costume Design Lynn Adler-Ciorciari
Assistant Costumer Wendy Pollak Grimm
Poster Design Anna Stacy
Technical Operation Matt Rosenberg
Major John Wesley Powell Lynda Gaug
William Dunn Rosemary Kurtz
John Colton Sumner Julia Navarro
O.G. Howland / Johnson Kendra Perry
Seneca Howland / Just Jim Megan Laguna
Frank Goodman / Mr. Asa Lucia Geng
William Robert Hawkins Julianna Frasca
Andrew Hall Bailey C Elis
George Young Bradley Meghan Fawcett
Walter Henry “Old Shady” Powell Abeda Alam
Direction Nicole Savin
Lighting Design Danny Higgins
Costume Design Lynn Adler-Ciorciari
Assistant Costumer Wendy Pollak Grimm
Poster Design Anna Stacy
Technical Operation Matt Rosenberg
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This performance is taking place on unceded Native land. Long Island has been and is still home to Indigenous communities including the Lenape, the Shinnecock, the Unkechaug, the Montauketts, and the Matinecock, amongst others. You can find out more about Native American culture on Long Island at On This Site.
The men of Men on Boats travel through the traditional, unceded territory of the Zuni, Navajo, Apache, Yavapai, Hualapai, Havasupai, Southern Paiute, and Hopi tribes. You can find out more about Indigenous communities at the Grand Canyon via the National Park Service.
EastLine Theatre
Danny Higgins & Nicole Savin,
Co-Artistic Directors
Morgan Moffitt & Paul DeFilippo,
Associate Artistic Directors
EastLine Theatre is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Our programming is made possible through your donations. Donations can be made fee-free via Facebook or with a small fee via BookTix. All donations are tax-deductible.
The EastLine Theatre Board of Directors is: Larry Meneses, Lynda Gaug, Matt Rosenberg, Nicole Savin, Danny Higgins, and Steven Prendergast
The EastLine Theatre Creative Associates are: Anna Stacy, Aly Kantor, Anthony Noto, Bryan Bowie, David Bullen, Deanna Ibrahim, Jess Reed, Joe Boccia Jr., John Brautigam, Julianna Frasca, Lynn Ciorciari, Matt Rosenberg, Melanie Lipton, Morgan Moffitt, Nicole Savin, Paul DeFilippo, Sheilah Barksdale, and Remi Watts.
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Abeda Alam, Bailey C Elis, Meghan Fawcett, Julianna Frasca, Lynda Gaug, Lucia Geng, Rosemary Kurtz, Megan Laguna, Julia Navarro, Kendra Perry
Abeda Alam (they/them) is a trans-masculine performer based in Queens. They are an engineer by profession yet slowly found their way into theater for the first time post-pandemic. Previously, they premiered as the Porter at South Shore Theatre Experience. They are thrilled and grateful to be joining a fantastic cast at EastLine.
Bailey C Elis (they/he/fae) makes their return to EastLine after appearing in Romeo and Juliet (Benvolio). Other theatre credits include Spring Awakening (Ensemble, Hanschen u/s), Girl: A Gender Expression (various), and Merchant of Venice (Lorenzo). He has appeared in several cabarets, most notably Seth Bisen-Hersh’s showcase, and GeekLifeRules’ Cosplay Cabaret.
Meghan Fawcett (she/her) is thrilled to be making her debut at EastLine in this incredible play. Some of her favorite acting credits are Launce in Two Gentlemen of Verona, Midnight in Eclipse and Clown in The Winter’s Tale. She holds a BA in Theatre (Acting) from Brooklyn College. She would like to thank her fabulous cast and her trusty director, Nicole, for going on this expedition with her. Special thanks to her friends, family and dog for always believing in her. Oars up, oars out!Â
Julianna Frasca (she/they) is thrilled for the opportunity to perform on the other side of the stage with EastLine Theatre as a man on a boat! Before the pandemic, she had performed with Zenith Players in New Jersey as Isidora in their production of Zorro! and as Mrs. Roeder in Radium Girls. Other recent credits include New York Renn Faire (Performer), Canned Laughter (Stage Manager/Downtown Urban Arts Festival), and Malefactions (Assistant Stage Manager/Cradle Theatre Company). Julianna would like to thank her wonderful mother-in-law, Dina, for letting her borrow her car every night for rehearsal.
Lynda Gaug (she/her) is thrilled and humbled to play John Wesley Powell in this production. Other EastLine productions include Pride and Prejudice (Mr. Bennet/Charlotte Lucas), Romeo and Juliet (Friar Lawrence), Amadeus (Baron Van Swieten), and Midsummer Night’s Dream (Oberon). Favorite roles include On Golden Pond (Ethel), California Suite (Diana), Noises Off (Dottie), Cabaret (Fraulein Schneider) and Crucible (Rebecca Nurse). Many thanks to Nicole, Danny, Matt, Lynn, this wonderful cast, Paul, and the lovely people of First Presbyterian of Babylon for their love and support.
Lucia Geng (she/her) was born in New Jersey, grew up on Long Island, and worked as a dramaturgy intern at Court Theatre, the professional theatre at the University of Chicago, from where she graduated. This is Lucia’s first show with EastLine, and she is thrilled to be back on stage for the first time in nearly four years.
Rosemary Kurtz (she/her) has performed all over Long Island, Queens and off-Broadway. Roe appeared with Ed Asner in God Help Us locally. She has done voiceover, print and film work. Some favorite credits are Sr. Aloysius in Doubt, Annie Sullivan in The Miracle Worker, Golde in Fiddler…, Dora in Equus, Queen Elizabeth in Richard III, Fraulein Schneider in Cabaret, Amy in Company, Doris in Same Time Next Year, Christina in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, and Amanda in The Glass Menagerie. Many thanks to Nicole, Danny and Matt, and break-a-leg to this wonderful cast.
Megan Laguna (she/her) is excited to be working with EastLine Theatre again! Megan’s credits include Bird Girl, Seussical (Sunrise Theatre Co.), Alais, Lion in Winter (MCTC), and Urania in Deterministic Chaos, an installment in EastLine’s devised project Muse Anthology. Megan would like to thank her family and friends for their support and her fellow boatmates and crew for their hard work and dedication.
Julia Navarro (she/her) recently made her EastLine debut as Conchita in Anna in the Tropics. Julia is originally from Alicante, Spain and lives in New York. She studied acting and musical theatre in both Spain and London, where she lived for 2 years. In 2019 she attended the Evening Conservatory at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting. She also holds a BA in English Studies and Master’s Degrees in Education and Teaching. Julia is very excited and grateful for the opportunity to work with EastLine Theatre again.
Kendra Perry (she/her) is so excited to be a part of this production after appearing as Julia in EastLine’s summer tour of The Two Gentlemen of Verona. She is a recent graduate of Long Island University where she majored in musical theatre. Some of her past credits include Mariana in Measure for Measure, Cinderella in Into the Woods, and Cathy in The Last Five Years. She can’t wait to set sail with this wonderful cast!
Abeda Alam (they/them) is a trans-masculine performer based in Queens. They are an engineer by profession yet slowly found their way into theater for the first time post-pandemic. Previously, they premiered as the Porter at South Shore Theatre Experience. They are thrilled and grateful to be joining a fantastic cast at EastLine.
Bailey C Elis (they/he/fae) makes their return to EastLine after appearing in Romeo and Juliet (Benvolio). Other theatre credits include Spring Awakening (Ensemble, Hanschen u/s), Girl: A Gender Expression (various), and Merchant of Venice (Lorenzo). He has appeared in several cabarets, most notably Seth Bisen-Hersh’s showcase, and GeekLifeRules’ Cosplay Cabaret.
Meghan Fawcett (she/her) is thrilled to be making her debut at EastLine in this incredible play. Some of her favorite acting credits are Launce in Two Gentlemen of Verona, Midnight in Eclipse and Clown in The Winter’s Tale. She holds a BA in Theatre (Acting) from Brooklyn College. She would like to thank her fabulous cast and her trusty director, Nicole, for going on this expedition with her. Special thanks to her friends, family and dog for always believing in her. Oars up, oars out!Â
Julianna Frasca (she/they) is thrilled for the opportunity to perform on the other side of the stage with EastLine Theatre as a man on a boat! Before the pandemic, she had performed with Zenith Players in New Jersey as Isidora in their production of Zorro! and as Mrs. Roeder in Radium Girls. Other recent credits include New York Renn Faire (Performer), Canned Laughter (Stage Manager/Downtown Urban Arts Festival), and Malefactions (Assistant Stage Manager/Cradle Theatre Company). Julianna would like to thank her wonderful mother-in-law, Dina, for letting her borrow her car every night for rehearsal.
Lynda Gaug (she/her) is thrilled and humbled to play John Wesley Powell in this production. Other EastLine productions include Pride and Prejudice (Mr. Bennet/Charlotte Lucas), Romeo and Juliet (Friar Lawrence), Amadeus (Baron Van Swieten), and Midsummer Night’s Dream (Oberon). Favorite roles include On Golden Pond (Ethel), California Suite (Diana), Noises Off (Dottie), Cabaret (Fraulein Schneider) and Crucible (Rebecca Nurse). Many thanks to Nicole, Danny, Matt, Lynn, this wonderful cast, Paul, and the lovely people of First Presbyterian of Babylon for their love and support.
Lucia Geng (she/her) was born in New Jersey, grew up on Long Island, and worked as a dramaturgy intern at Court Theatre, the professional theatre at the University of Chicago, from where she graduated. This is Lucia’s first show with EastLine, and she is thrilled to be back on stage for the first time in nearly four years.
Rosemary Kurtz (she/her) has performed all over Long Island, Queens and off-Broadway. Roe appeared with Ed Asner in God Help Us locally. She has done voiceover, print and film work. Some favorite credits are Sr. Aloysius in Doubt, Annie Sullivan in The Miracle Worker, Golde in Fiddler…, Dora in Equus, Queen Elizabeth in Richard III, Fraulein Schneider in Cabaret, Amy in Company, Doris in Same Time Next Year, Christina in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, and Amanda in The Glass Menagerie. Many thanks to Nicole, Danny, and Matt, and break-a-leg to this wonderful cast.
Megan Laguna (she/her) is excited to be working with EastLine Theatre again! Megan’s credits include Bird Girl, Seussical (Sunrise Theatre Co.), Alais, Lion in Winter (MCTC), and Urania in Deterministic Chaos, an installment in EastLine’s devised project Muse Anthology. Megan would like to thank her family and friends for their support and her fellow boatmates and crew for their hard work and dedication.
Julia Navarro (she/her) recently made her EastLine debut as Conchita in Anna in the Tropics. Julia is originally from Alicante, Spain and lives in New York. She studied acting and musical theatre in both Spain and London, where she lived for 2 years. In 2019 she attended the Evening Conservatory at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting. She also holds a BA in English Studies and Master’s Degrees in Education and Teaching. Julia is very excited and grateful for the opportunity to work with EastLine Theatre again.
Kendra Perry (she/her) is so excited to be a part of this production after appearing as Julia in EastLine’s summer tour of The Two Gentlemen of Verona. She is a recent graduate of Long Island University where she majored in musical theatre. Some of her past credits include Mariana in Measure for Measure, Cinderella in Into the Woods, and Cathy in The Last Five Years. She can’t wait to set sail with this wonderful cast!
This December, a world premiere adaptation of The Great Gatsby by Long Island playwright Aly Kantor. Tickets available now!
Lynn Ciorciari (she/her) being a fashion-plate punk rocker in the early 80s was only possible on a teenager’s budget by learning how to sew. Thus began a lifelong passion for all things fabric, thread, needles and pins. Costuming actors from NYC to Idaho to Atlanta and now, at EastLine, is a privilege. Big thanks to an ultra-creative mom who handed over the keys to her trusty Singer way back when.
Danny Higgins (he/they) has been making theatre with EastLine since 2011. He is a producer, director, writer, actor, and lighting designer. Some of his favorite credits include Indecent, Amadeus, Buried Child, Antigone, Richard III, Incident at Vichy, Gross Indecency, and the original musical Prospero (Live!) for which he also wrote the book. He studies Technical Theatre at NCC. Focused exclusively on working in intimate spaces, his work is usually defined by his innovative use of lighting, sound, and textiles. He enjoys theatre that is thought-provoking and challenges convention. He lives in Malverne with his cat, Delilah.
Matt Rosenberg (he/him) has been with EastLine since 2015, where he has served as Stage Manager, Director, and Actor. In his more than one decade in Long Island Theatre, he has stage managed almost 100 productions. Favorite EastLine credits include Equus, Gross Indecency, and Indecent.
Nicole Savin (she/her) is a Long Island-based theatre-maker. She holds a BA (Hons) from Royal Holloway, University of London in Drama and Theatre Studies. She has been an EastLine contributor since 2016 and has directed or co-directed productions including God of Vengeance, The Truth, Pride & Prejudice, An Oresteia, and Treasure Island as well as appearing in productions at EastLine and across Long Island. Favourite EastLine acting credits include Indecent, The Glass Menagerie, Equus, the vibrator play, and An Ideal Husband. Nicole is an Associate Director with By Jove Theatre Company, a London-based company. She is also on the literary team at The Playwrights Realm and on the Babylon Citizens Council on the Arts Advisory Board. With love to this most exuberant of casts and with deepest gratitude to Paul & Lynda Gaug.
Lynn Ciorciari (she/her) being a fashion-plate punk rocker in the early 80s was only possible on a teenager’s budget by learning how to sew. Thus began a lifelong passion for all things fabric, thread, needles and pins. Costuming actors from NYC to Idaho to Atlanta and now, at EastLine, is a privilege. Big thanks to an ultra-creative mom who handed over the keys to her trusty Singer way back when.
Danny Higgins (he/they) has been making theatre with EastLine since 2011. He is a producer, director, writer, actor, and lighting designer. Some of his favorite credits include Indecent, Amadeus, Buried Child, Antigone, Richard III, Incident at Vichy, Gross Indecency, and the original musical Prospero (Live!) for which he also wrote the book. He studies Technical Theatre at NCC. Focused exclusively on working in intimate spaces, his work is usually defined by his innovative use of lighting, sound, and textiles. He enjoys theatre that is thought-provoking and challenges convention. He lives in Malverne with his cat, Delilah.
Matt Rosenberg (he/him) has been with EastLine since 2015, where he has served as Stage Manager, Director, and Actor. In his more than one decade in Long Island Theatre, he has stage managed almost 100 productions. Favorite EastLine credits include Equus, Gross Indecency, and Indecent.
Nicole Savin (she/her) is a Long Island-based theatre-maker. She holds a BA (Hons) from Royal Holloway, University of London in Drama and Theatre Studies. She has been an EastLine contributor since 2016 and has directed or co-directed productions of God of Vengeance, The Truth, Pride & Prejudice, An Oresteia, and Treasure Island as well as appearing in productions at EastLine and across Long Island. Favourite EastLine acting credits include Indecent, The Glass Menagerie, Equus, the vibrator play, and An Ideal Husband. Nicole is an Associate Director with By Jove Theatre Company, a London-based company. She is also on the literary team at The Playwrights Realm and on the Babylon Citizens Council on the Arts Advisory Board. With love to this most exuberant of casts and with deepest gratitude to Paul & Lynda Gaug.
Men on Boats is presented by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing, LLC, servicing the Dramatists Play Service collection. www.dramatists.com Playwrights Horizons, Inc. and Clubbed Thumb produced Men on Boats in New York City, 2016 Initially developed and produced by Clubbed Thumb in 2015.
EastLine Theatre is a nonprofit theatre company that BroadwayWorld calls ‘Long Island’s best kept secret’. EastLine aims to create theatre in unlikely spaces while re-examining the canon, exploring modern plays, and bringing original works to the attention of the community. EastLine is committed to creating opportunities for women, people of color, and LGBTQIA+ people.
EastLine Theatre is a proud member of the Huntington Arts Council and the Alliance of Resident Theatres / New York.
With thanks to
Anthony Noto, Rebecca Vogel, Paul DeFilippo, Nick & Maureen Savin, Michelle Savin & Caitlin Dunham, Stephen Burdman and New York Classical Theatre, Assemblywoman Kimberly Jean-Pierre and her staff, Fabric Wholesale Direct, Colleen Brady, Pat Vultaggio, Paul & Lynda Gaug, and the staff at First Presbyterian
Tickets are now available for our tenth anniversary production, Tony Kushner’s masterwork, Angels in America.