EastLine Theatre presents
The Tragedy of
King Lear
by William Shakespeare,
adapted by Paul DeFilippo
&
Emma
by Kate Hamill,
Based on the novel by Jane Austen
Performed in Repertory
Summer 2025
Long Island Tour
Part of EastLine’s
Theatre for All Initiative
King Lear runs 1h50m with no intermission.
Emma runs 2h20m with one intermission.
Please be aware King Lear includes discussion and depiction of death and other violence.
Lear Amy Benjamin
Goneril Stephanie Moreno
Regan Michelle Osojnak
Cordelia Deanna Ibrahim
Oswald Genevieve K. Henderson
Kent Tom Ciorciari
Albany / Cornwall’s Servant Kuan Hao Huang
Cornwall / Albany’s Servant / Albany’s 2nd Servant / Albany’s 3rd Servant John Brautigam
Emma Woodhouse Michelle Osojnak
George Knightley John Brautigam
Harriet Smith Deanna Ibrahim
Mr. Elton / Frank Churchill / Robert Martin Kuan Hao Huang
Mr. Woodhouse / Mr. Weston Tom Ciorciari
Mrs. Weston / Mrs. Bates Genevieve K. Henderson
Jane Fairfax / Mrs. Elton / occasionally Mrs. Bates Stephanie Moreno
Miss Bates Amy Benjamin
King Lear, Adaptation & Direction Paul DeFilippo
Emma, Direction Nicole Savin
Original Music John Brautigam
Fight Choreography Giovanni Marine
Costume Design Lyn Adler & Wendy Grimm
Production Assistant Michelle Savin
Technical Director Remi Watts
Lear, the king Amy Benjamin
Goneril Stephanie Moreno
Regan Michelle Osojnak
Cordelia Deanna Ibrahim
Oswald Genevieve K. Henderson
Kent Tom Ciorciari
Albany / Cornwall’s Servant Kuan Hao Huang
Cornwall / Albany’s Servant / Albany’s 2nd Servant / Albany’s 3rd Servant John Brautigam
Emma Woodhouse Michelle Osojnak
George Knightley John Brautigam
Harriet Smith Deanna Ibrahim
Mr. Elton / Frank Churchill / Robert Martin Kuan Hao Huang
Mr. Woodhouse / Mr. Weston Tom Ciorciari
Mrs. Weston / Mrs. Bates Genevieve K. Henderson
Jane Fairfax / Mrs. Elton / occasionally Mrs. Bates Stephanie Moreno
Miss Bates Amy Benjamin
King Lear, Adaptation & Direction Paul DeFilippo
Emma, Direction Nicole Savin
Original Music John Brautigam
Fight Choreography Giovanni Marine
Costume Design Lyn Adler & Wendy Grimm
Production Assistant Michelle Savin
Technical Director Remi Watts
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This performance is taking place on unceded Native land. Long Island has been and still is 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 history and culture on Long Island at On This Site.
EastLine Theatre
Nicole Savin,
Artistic Director
Paul DeFilippo,
Associate Artistic Director
The EastLine Theatre Board of Directors is: Larry Meneses (President), Nicholas Ciuffo (Vice President), Matt Rosenberg (Treasurer), and Nicole Savin (Secretary)
The EastLine Theatre Creative Associates are: Anik Alam, Anna Stacy, Aly Kantor, Anjor Khadilkar, Anthony Noto, David Bullen, Deanna Ibrahim, Jill Linden, John Brautigam, Julianna Frasca, Lynn Adler, Matt Rosenberg, Melanie Lipton, Michelle Osojnak, Nicole Savin, Paul DeFilippo, Sheilah Barksdale, and Remi Watts.
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Your donations keep our programming free and low-cost, while maintaining the level of quality, innovation, and experimentation we strive to make our hallmark. Every dime is spent on artist pay, production supplies, and theatrical magic.
EastLine Theatre is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Our programming is made possible through your donations. All donations are tax-deductible.
Thank you always for your kindness and generosity.
Amy Benjamin, John Brautigam,
Tom Ciorciari, Genevieve K. Henderson
Kuan Hao Huang, Deanna Ibrahim,
Stephanie Moreno, Michelle Osojnak
Amy Benjamin (she/her) A lifelong lover of all things Shakespeare, Amy taught high school English in Westchester County for 30+ years. She now provides professional development for teachers throughout Long Island. Amy received formal training in Shakespearean performance with the Bedlam Theatre in NYC and with Debbie Starker at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Stony Brook. She is making her acting debut with these performances.
John Brautigam (he/him) is a composer/lyricist (and sometimes actor) based in New York City. He is a graduate of Berklee College of Music with an MA in Musical Theater Writing. Recent acting work includes EastLine’s Little Women, Hamlet, The Care and Feeding of Restless Spirits, and These Gilded Souls. Recent writing work includes The Understudy, The Story of the Bagel, MIDAS, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and Prospero (LIVE!); a musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest. More info at jbrautigam.com
Tom Ciorciari (he/him) is thrilled to (finally!) be making his Eastline Summer Shakespeare/Austen debut, with friends both old and new. He has performed extensively in regional theater. Recent productions include An Enemy Of The People, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, King Lear, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, Tartuffe, Orphans, Much Ado About Nothing, God Of Carnage, The Laramie Project, Anna In The Tropics (also dir.), Richard III, The Guys (also dir.), Indecent, Doubt, and God Of Vengeance. Thank you to Nicole and Paul for helming this ship and having me along for the ride. Big love to Lyn and our gang o’ kitties.
Genevieve K. Henderson (she/her) is an NYC-based actor and dramaturg. Previous credits include Complete Works Abridged (American Shakespeare Center), Machinal (EastLine), Treasure Island (Endstation Theatre Company) Knight of the Burning Pestle, The Beau Defeated, and The Spanish Tragedy (Meadowlark Shakespeare Players). She holds a BA in Theatre from Barnard College, Columbia University and an MFA in Shakespeare and Performance from Mary Baldwin University. She is the resident dramaturg of Snowdance Corp, New York’s lo-fi theatre company.
Kuan Hao Huang (he/him) it’s ya boi Kuan, enjoy the show!
Deanna Ibrahim (she/her) is excited to be a part of EastLine’s summer rep productions! She has most recently played Catherine in These Gilded Souls, Jane in Pride and Prejudice, and she choreographed EastLine’s production of Dance Nation. She recently received her doctorate in Applied Psychology from New York University, and holds her BA in Theater and Psychology from Muhlenberg College. Deanna would like to give a big thank you to the EastLine team for giving her a good excuse to use her theater degree this summer!
Stephanie Moreno (she/her) is a Brazilian-American actress and comedian based in NY. She is excited to be working with EastLine Theatre again after joining them in their production of Machinal as Young Woman last fall for Hispanic Heritage Month. Experienced in stand up, improv, and devising, she has collaborated in countless new works presented at the Theater for The New City, The Tank, The Player’s Theatre, and more, as well as classics at regional and educational theaters. Stephanie hopes to continue to have the opportunity to bolster new voices in theater and in life. www.stephaniejmoreno.com
Michelle Osojnak (she/her) is a teacher by day, actor by evening and weekend. This is Michelle’s fourth EastLine Summer Theatre endeavor with past credits including Rosencrantz in Hamlet, Mistress Page in The Merry Wives of Windsor, and the Duke in The Two Gentlemen of Verona. You may have seen Michelle most recently as Pesha in EastLine’s Yentl. Other credits include roles as Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, Gloria/Nan in Gloria, and Elizabeth Proctor in The Crucible. She loves this company dearly, extending all her thanks to Nicole and Paul for continuing to have faith in her. Thanks for running lines with me, Stevie!
Amy Benjamin (she/her) A lifelong lover of all things Shakespeare, Amy taught high school English in Westchester County for 30+ years. She now provides professional development for teachers throughout Long Island. Amy received formal training in Shakespearean performance with the Bedlam Theatre in NYC and with Debbie Starker at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Stony Brook. She is making her acting debut with these performances.
John Brautigam (he/him) is a composer/lyricist (and sometimes actor) based in New York City. He is a graduate of Berklee College of Music with an MA in Musical Theater Writing. Recent acting work includes EastLine’s Little Women, Hamlet, The Care and Feeding of Restless Spirits, and These Gilded Souls. Recent writing work includes The Understudy, The Story of the Bagel, MIDAS, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and Prospero (LIVE!); a musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest. More info at jbrautigam.com
Tom Ciorciari (he/him) is thrilled to (finally!) be making his Eastline Summer Shakespeare/Austen debut, with friends both old and new. He has performed extensively in regional theater. Recent productions include An Enemy Of The People, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, King Lear, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, Tartuffe, Orphans, Much Ado About Nothing, God Of Carnage, The Laramie Project, Anna In The Tropics (also dir.), Richard III, The Guys (also dir.), Indecent, Doubt, and God Of Vengeance. Thank you to Nicole and Paul for helming this ship and having me along for the ride. Big love to Lyn and our gang o’ kitties.
Genevieve K. Henderson (she/her) is an NYC-based actor and dramaturg. Previous credits include Complete Works Abridged (American Shakespeare Center), Machinal (EastLine), Treasure Island (Endstation Theatre Company) Knight of the Burning Pestle, The Beau Defeated, and The Spanish Tragedy (Meadowlark Shakespeare Players). She holds a BA in Theatre from Barnard College, Columbia University and an MFA in Shakespeare and Performance from Mary Baldwin University. She is the resident dramaturg of Snowdance Corp, New York’s lo-fi theatre company.
Kuan Hao Huang (he/him) it’s ya boi Kuan, enjoy the show!
Deanna Ibrahim (she/her) is excited to be a part of EastLine’s summer rep productions! She has most recently played Catherine in These Gilded Souls, Jane in Pride and Prejudice, and she choreographed EastLine’s production of Dance Nation. She recently received her doctorate in Applied Psychology from New York University, and holds her BA in Theater and Psychology from Muhlenberg College. Deanna would like to give a big thank you to the EastLine team for giving her a good excuse to use her theater degree this summer!
Stephanie Moreno (she/her) is a Brazilian-American actress and comedian based in NY. She is excited to be working with EastLine Theatre again after joining them in their production of Machinal as Young Woman last fall for Hispanic Heritage Month. Experienced in stand up, improv, and devising, she has collaborated in countless new works presented at the Theater for The New City, The Tank, The Player’s Theatre, and more, as well as classics at regional and educational theaters. Stephanie hopes to continue to have the opportunity to bolster new voices in theater and in life. www.stephaniejmoreno.com
Michelle Osojnak (she/her) is a teacher by day, actor by evening and weekend. This is Michelle’s fourth EastLine Summer Theatre endeavor with past credits including Rosencrantz in Hamlet, Mistress Page in The Merry Wives of Windsor, and the Duke in The Two Gentlemen of Verona. You may have seen Michelle most recently as Pesha in EastLine’s Yentl. Other credits include roles as Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, Gloria/Nan in Gloria, and Elizabeth Proctor in The Crucible. She loves this company dearly, extending all her thanks to Nicole and Paul for continuing to have faith in her. Thanks for running lines with me, Stevie!
Lynn Adler (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.
John Brautigam (he/him) is a composer/lyricist (and sometimes actor) based in New York City. He is a graduate of Berklee College of Music with an MA in Musical Theater Writing. Recent acting work includes EastLine’s Little Women, Hamlet, The Care and Feeding of Restless Spirits, and These Gilded Souls. Recent writing work includes The Understudy, The Story of the Bagel, MIDAS, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and Prospero (LIVE!); a musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest. More info at jbrautigam.com
Paul DeFilippo (he/him) is a director, actor, writer, and occasional sound designer from Queens. King Lear is the fifth show he has directed for EastLine Theatre. Previous credits include last year’s Summer Shakespeare production of Hamlet and mainstage productions of Machinal, Dance Nation, and An Enemy of the People, which he also adapted. Paul wrote and directed a full-length sci-fi comedy film, Policy, for EastLine’s Muse Anthology project. As an actor, he most recently played Laurie in EastLine’s production of Little Women.
Giovanni Marine (he/him) is a Dominican-American actor/director born and raised on Long Island. He has studied at the Lee Strasberg Institute for Theatre and Film in NYC where he was certified for hand to hand and sword combat. He has been fortunate enough to direct, fight choreograph and perform at 54Below and various projects throughout the tri-state area. He would like to give thanks to Paul and EastLine for the opportunity and hope you all break legs!
Nicole Savin (she/her) is excited to once again be directing the work of one of America’s most popular playwrights, Kate Hamill. EastLine directing credits include: Yentl, Trouble in Mind, God of Vengeance, Men on Boats, The Truth, Treasure Island, and Pride & Prejudice. She holds a BA (Hons) from Royal Holloway, University of London in Drama and Theatre Studies. She is an Associate Director with Theatre of the Gentle Furies, and on the literary team at The Playwrights Realm. She is proud to serve her hometown on the Babylon Citizens Council on the Arts Advisory Committee. With gratitude to Paul, John, Lyn, Wendy, Michelle, and this fabulous double duty cast for going far above and beyond.
Lynn Adler (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.
John Brautigam (he/him) is a composer/lyricist (and sometimes actor) based in New York City. He is a graduate of Berklee College of Music with an MA in Musical Theater Writing. Recent acting work includes EastLine’s Little Women, Hamlet, The Care and Feeding of Restless Spirits, and These Gilded Souls. Recent writing work includes The Understudy, The Story of the Bagel, MIDAS, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and Prospero (LIVE!); a musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest. More info at jbrautigam.com
Paul DeFilippo (he/him) is a director, actor, writer, and occasional sound designer from Queens. King Lear is the fifth show he has directed for EastLine Theatre. Previous credits include last year’s Summer Shakespeare production of Hamlet and mainstage productions of Machinal, Dance Nation, and An Enemy of the People, which he also adapted. Paul wrote and directed a full-length sci-fi comedy film, Policy, for EastLine’s Muse Anthology project. As an actor, he most recently played Laurie in EastLine’s production of Little Women.
Giovanni Marine (he/him) is a Dominican-American actor/director born and raised on Long Island. He has studied at the Lee Strasberg Institute for Theatre and Film in NYC where he was certified for hand to hand and sword combat. He has been fortunate enough to direct, fight choreograph and perform at 54Below and various projects throughout the tri-state area. He would like to give thanks to Paul and EastLine for the opportunity and hope you all break legs!
Nicole Savin (she/her) is excited to once again be directing the work of one of America’s most popular playwrights, Kate Hamill. EastLine directing credits include: Yentl, Trouble in Mind, God of Vengeance, Men on Boats, The Truth, Treasure Island, and Pride & Prejudice. She holds a BA (Hons) from Royal Holloway, University of London in Drama and Theatre Studies. She is an Associate Director with Theatre of the Gentle Furies, and on the literary team at The Playwrights Realm. She is proud to serve her hometown on the Babylon Citizens Council on the Arts Advisory Committee. With gratitude to Paul, John, Lyn, Wendy, Michelle, and this fabulous double duty cast for going far above and beyond.
Coming in September to Lindenhurst
Tickets are now available.
Two families, old immigrants from Italy and new immigrants from Puerto Rico, share a yard in rural Long Island in 1960 — the year of Kennedy, Hurricane Donna, and Roberto Clemente — a yard separated by culture, language, history, and an old apple tree. Is friendship possible in this world? And what hand will fate play when the deadly hurricane rages through the land? Join us in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.
The Hours Are Feminine will be performed at the BACCA Arts Center,
149 North Wellwood Avenue, Lindenhurst, NY, September 20th – October 5th.
This work is supported by Long Island Grants for the Arts through funds provided by the office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and administered by The Huntington Arts Council.
EMMA is presented through special arrangement with
TRW PLAYS 1180 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 640, New York, NY 10036. www.trwplays.com
Originally commissioned and produced by Guthrie Theater, Joesph Haj, Director
“One of the boldest, bravest theatre companies on Long Island,” according to Fire Island News, the nonprofit EastLine Theatre 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 Nicholas Savin, Caitlin Dunham, Melanie Lipton, Morgan Moffitt,
Sweetwater, and all of our community partners across Long Island.
This December
Tickets are now available.
A shocking assassination in the heart of London. In a bizarre mix of high-stakes global politics and radioactive villainy, a man pays with his life. At this time of global crises and a looming new Cold War, this thriller sends us careening through the shadowy world of international espionage from Moscow to Mayfair. From the Emmy-winning writer of Succession.