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Click on a head below to learn more about your favorite actor.
ALLEN BORETZ (Co-Author), following a career as a businessman, contributed
lyrics to the musicals, Garrick Gaieties, Sweet and Low, and Night Cruise. Plays he
co-wrote include The School Teacher, Off to Buffalo, Sing for Your Supper, Ring
Around Elizabeth, and The Hard Way. He wrote Room Service with_John Murray_in
1937. It ran on Broadway for more than 500 performances. The following year, the
Marx Brothers starred in the film version of the play. He also co-authored numerous
films in the 30’s and 40’s, including Up in Arms and Copacabana. He was among
those blacklisted in Hollywood during the early 1950’s, and for a short time he lived
in Spain. He died in 1986. His Estate is administered by his widow, Dorothy Ames.
JOHN MURRAY (Co-Author) contributed songs and sketches for Ziegfeld Follies,
American, and Earl Carroll Vanities as well as Sing for Your Supper, Straw Hat
Review, Alive and Kicking, and Sticks and Bones. In 1979, Murray authored the
play, The Monkey Walk, which was produced in England and Australia. Murray also
penned the lyrics for such songs as If I Love Again and Two Loves Have I. He died
at the age of 78 in 1984.
DAN WACKERMAN (Director). Dan is the artistic director of The Peccadillo
Theater Company. Last year he directed a revival of Dorothy Parker & Arnaud
d’Usseau’s The Ladies of the Corridor at the 13th Street Theatre and Elmer Rice’s
Counsellor-at-Law at Theatre at Saint Clement's (Obie Award for Outstanding
Direction, Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Revival, Outer Critics Circle nomi-
nation for Outstanding Direction & Revival). His staging of the original musical The
Talk of the Town, by Ginny Redington & Tom Dawes, was produced at Bank Street
Theatre before transferring to the Oak Room of the Algonquin Hotel where it ran for
over a year. Other directing credits for Peccadillo include: S.N. Behrman’s Jane;
John Colton’s The Shanghai Gesture; John O’Hara’s Veronique; Eugene O’Neill’s All
God’s Chillun Got Wings, Desire Under the Elms, and Strange Interlude; Dawn
Powell’s Jig Saw; Kaufman & Connelly’s Beggar On Horseback; S.J. Perelman’s
The Beauty Part; Philip Barry’s In A Garden; Sidney Howard’s The Silver Cord; and
three short plays by William Inge collectively titled Tiny Closets. Dan also directed
the New York City premieres of The Loophole by James Kahn as well as Four Cops
by Richard Vetere.
CHRIS JONES (Scenic Design). Mr. Jones has been involved in hundreds of proj-
ects, ranging from live theatrical events to permanent themed environments. Before
starting his own design company, Chris worked for several years as a staff designer
at Hotopp Associates Ltd. in New York City. During this time he was fortunate
enough to work on a multitude of productions at famous venues such as Radio City
Music Hall, Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. Recent Production Design/Art
Direction: Believe – The New Shamu Show (All Seaworld Adventure Parks), Spirit –
The 7th Fire (National Tour); “Ultimate Holiday Wishlist” (Cartoon Network);
“Inside Stuff” (NBA/ABC Television) and “The 2002 Salt Lake Paralympics
Opening Ceremonies” (ABC Television). Recent Scenic Design: Counsellor-at-Law
and The Ladies of the Corridor (Peccadillo), Grand Hotel (CAP 21), “Ed” (NBC
Television), The Gospel at Colonus (St. Louis Black Rep), and Man of La Mancha
(Black Hills Playhouse). Recent Corporate Environment Design: The NFL
Experience at Superbowl XL (for AOL); The “Smashzone” at The 2005 US Tennis
Open (for AOL) and the AOL Retail Store in Manhattan. Chris is currently develop-
ing environmental designs for The Coca-Cola Company that will be installed at mul-
tiple theme parks across the country.
GAIL COOPER-HECHT (Costume Design). Gail has designed costumes for over
300 productions for Broadway, Off-Broadway, Regional Theater, National and
International Tours, Television (PBS, HBO, Showtime, CBS, and A&E) and
Industrial shows. It has been her privilege to collaborate with many renowned pro-
ducers, actors and directors. Stars who have worn her designs include: Helen Hayes,
Maurice Evans, Eartha Kitt, Lee Grant, Jerry Orbach, Melba Moore, Robert
Guillaume, Sherman Hemsley, Carol Channing, Tammy Grimes, Tony Randall, Jack
Klugman, Renee Taylor, Nanette Fabray, Louis Jourdan, Robert Goulet and
Geraldine Page (including the dress she wore when she received her Academy
Award, which was actually her 3rd Act costume for The Circle which she was cur-
rently performing in New York). A graduate of Boston University School of the Arts,
Gail teaches Costume Design at Marymount Manhattan College, is a board member
of The League of Professional Theatre Women and is a member of United Scenic
Artists Local 829.
JEFFREY E. SALZBERG (Lighting Design). Jeffrey has been lighting theatre,
ballet, and modern dance troupes for over 30 years, and is thinking of making a
career out of it. He has lit several new ballets featuring former New York City Ballet
principal dancer Peter Boal, the lighting for one of which, according to Jennifer
Dunning in the NY Times, was “ingeniously atmospheric.” He has also lit such con-
temporary plays as Margaret Edson’s Wit and A. R. Gurney’s Far East. His other
recent credits include Swan Lake, Spinning Into Butter, and Full Bloom. Mr.
Salzberg has also served as a design consultant for several theatres and has participat-
ed in the arts funding process as a grantwriter, a panelist, and a board member of a
municipal funding agency. His web page can be seen at http://www.jeffsalzberg.com.
Mr. Salzberg’s friends are still hoping that some day he’ll get a real job.
WILLIAM M. PETERSON (Dramaturge) is Professor Emeritus of English at
Southampton College of Long Island University, where he taught dramatic literature
and theater history. His degrees are from Brown University, Oxford, and the
University of Bristol. He has written on Restoration comedy, nineteenth century
melodrama, and modern drama.
MICHAEL JOSEPH ORMOND (Stage Manager). Michael’s background includes
both stage managing and directing. His emphasis in directing has focused on the
works of Eugene O’Neill. Michael recently directed Savage Light which is currently
running at the Dorothy Strelsin theatre. Other credits include, Gene & Aggie (World
Premiere 2003), Beyond The Horizon, Anna Christie, ‘Ile, Ah Wilderness, As Is,
Mornings At Seven, The Glass Menagerie, Cex and The Sity-The Parody, Chosen-The
Musical (World Premiere-Suzanne McCoy), The Hobbit and others. His acting cred-
its include, A Little Night Music (Henrik), The Glass Menagerie (Gentlemen Caller),
Little Shop of Horrors (Seymour) as well as A Chorus Line, Tenderloin, Mousetrap,
Kismet, NYSTI’s A Tale of Cinderella, Silver Skates and Treasure Island. Michael
would like very much thank Vikki and Suzanne whose friendships are priceless to
him, and to his mother Susan and father Theodore who gave him the gift of passion
for the theatre.
LIZA BARON (Assistant Stage Manager). Originally from Los Angeles, Liza
earned her B.F.A. in Drama from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts (CAP 21). Acting
credits include: The Goddess Wheel (by Galt MacDermot), Periwinkle Nat'l Theatre
(NYC tour), and American Family Theatre (Nat'l tour). She is delighted to be a part
of this wonderful production and thanks the entire cast, crew, and production team for
their kindness and dedication. "Heaps of love to Ma, Pa, Al, Pix, Gramz, Dani, Wen,
Shmen, Lay, and Jaim!"
KAT MARTIN (Assistant to the Costume Designer/Wardrobe). Kat designs and con-
structs costumes for theater and dance. Her NY theatrical credits include Graceland
and Raisins Not Virgins at The WorkShop Theater, Manhattan Children’s Theater,
Synapse Productions and Columbia University. She has created costumes for chore-
ographers Noémie Lafrance, Julia Jonas, Andrew Dinwiddie and David Neumann.
She is also the resident costume designer for Friends Seminary School.
OLSON ROHDES (General Manager). Olson was the General Manager of
Peccadillo's production of The Talk of the Town in the Oak Room of the Algonquin
Hotel, completed the Commercial Theater Institute's program Producing for the
Commercial Theater and also serves as Development Director and as an Advisory
Board Member of The Peccadillo Theater Company.
THE PECCADILLO THEATER COMPANY (Producer) is in its second decade
of producing forgotten American classics—“forgotten” in the sense that most of the
work we do has seldom, if ever, been revived in New York City, and “classic” in the
sense of enduring theatrical value. Beginning with Eugene O’Neill (generally consid-
ered the starting point of modern American theater), Peccadillo concentrates on the
era of the well-made play, a period of sparkling wit and sophistication in comedy as
well as deepening realism in the drama. It encompasses such diverse and, sad to say,
little-known American playwrights as Sidney Howard, Philip Barry, William Inge,
Dawn Powell, and many, many more. Unfortunately, the economics of commercial
theater have consigned some of our best plays to the oblivion of the library shelf. The mission of The Peccadillo Theater Company is to restore these buried gems to their
rightful owner—you, the American theatergoer. In 2005, Peccadillo produced Elmer
Rice’s Counsellor-at-Law starring John Rubinstein, and Dorothy Parker and Arnaud
d’Usseau’s The Ladies of the Corridor. Counsellor-at-Law won an Obie Award for
Direction, Lortel Awards for Outstanding Revival and Outstanding Actor and was
nominated for three Outer Critics Circle Awards (Outstanding Direction, Revival and
Actor). Peccadillo’s production of the Algonquin Round Table musical, The Talk of
the Town, by Ginny Redington and Tom Dawes, played in the Oak Room of the
Algonquin Hotel for over a year.
JONATHAN REINIS (Producer). New York Broadway Productions: Kiki and
Herb: Alive On Broadway (2006), Dame Edna (Tony award, 2000), Russell
Simmons’s Def Poetry Jam (Tony Award, 2003), Bill Maher: Victory Begins at
Home (Tony nomination, 2003) and It Ain’t Nothin’But the Blues (Tony nomination,
1999); Off-Broadway: Marga Gomez’s Los Big Names, Josh Kornbluth’s Love &
Taxes, Shay Duffin as Brendan Behan. San Francisco/Bay Area and touring produc-
tions include: Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues; Josh Kornbluth’s Ben Franklin:
Unplugged.; Sam Shepard’s The Late Henry Moss; Dame Edna, Ennio, His Way;
Sandra Bernhardt; Steve Martin’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile (national tour); John
Leguizamo’s premiere of Freak; Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde;
and Forever Tango (national tour). Mr. Reinis built and operated Theatre on the
Square in downtown San Francisco for more than twenty years (1981-2002). The
theatre opened with the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play Talley’s Folly.
Other San Francisco productions include: Jeffrey; Irving Berlin in Revue; Bubbe
Meises; The Piano Lesson (national tour); The Kathy and Mo Show; Shirley
Valentine; Love Letters; Mass Appeal; Nehemiah Persoff as Sholem Aleichem; Biloxi
Blues; I’m Not Rappaport; Curse of the Werewolf; and Phantom of the Opera by Ken
Hill. He also presented Mikhail Baryshnikov’s White Oak Dance Project in Northern
California, the premier production of Smuin Ballets/SF Dances with Songs, the
Kirov Ballet’s original Nutcracker, Ballet Folklorico de Mexico de Amalia
Hernandez, Stomp, Riverdance—The Show, Guys and Dolls (national tour), Fame:
The Musical, and Dirty Blonde (national tour). Mr. Reinis is a member of the League
of American Theatres and Producers and ATPAM.
THE STORYLINE PROJECT LLC (Producer). R.K. Greene, R. Paul Hamilton,
Rebecca Pratt and Patrick Turner founded The StoryLine Project in 2001 with the
mission to uncover new plays of merit and develop them for commercial production.
To do so, the company developed a detailed analytical approach for selecting uncom-
mon stories by accomplished playwrights deserving audience exposure. It is making
its commercial theater debut with Room Service. Current projects in development
include new plays Dearest Cousin and The Other Side of Newark (both by play-
wright Enid Rudd), Ruben Sierra's When the Blues Chase Up a Rabbit, Crazy
Money (Ostrovsky’s adaptation of Taming of the Shrew in a new translation by
Stephen Mulrine), plus new works by Joshua James and Rich Orloff, among others.
www.storylineproject.com.
PRODUCTION CONSULTANTS, INC. (Associate Producer). Production
Consultants, Inc. was formed in 2003 by Steve Marquard for the purposes of produc-
ing and consulting in theatre and real estate. Steve began his career in theatre man-
agement in 1982 with Theatre Now, later moving to the Nederlander Organization
and The Niko Theatrical Companies. While at Nederlander, he rebuilt and restored
the Palace Theatre which began his expansion into real estate development and con-
struction management. He is currently a senior project manager for The Bauhaus
Construction Corporation in New York. A graduate of the Commercial Theatre
Institute (CTI), Steve is excited about working with fellow CTI alums Kevin
Kennedy, Olson Rohdes, Tim Hurley and R.K Greene on Room Service. He and R.K.
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Greene are also co-producing a new play, The Other Side of Newark, which they hope
to bring to off-Broadway in the fall of 2007.
THE SOHO PLAYHOUSE. Under the new management of Darren Lee Cole and
Faith A. Mulvihill, the newly renovated SoHo Playhouse continues to serve the
downtown theater community as an historic 199 seat Off Broadway venue. The
Huron Club below is an intimate 55 seat cabaret and bar steeped in the history of Old
New York. The SoHo Playhouse stands on land that was once Richmond Hill, a colo-
nial mansion that served as headquarters for General George Washington and later
home to Aaron Burr. Purchased from Burr in 1817, the land was then developed into
federalist-style row houses by fur magnate John Jacob Astor. This building, at 15 Van
Dam Street, was designated at the Huron Club, a popular meeting house and night
club for the Democratic Party. The turn of the century brought the Tammany Hall
machine to the Huron Club. Prominent regulars included “Battery” Dan Finn and the
infamous Jimmy “Beau James” Walker, known as "The night Mayor" due to his
predilection for jazz clubs and chorus girls.
The main floor was transformed into a theater in the 1920’s, and in the 60's oper-
ated as the Village South, home to Playwrights Unit Workshop under the direction of
Edward Albee. It was on this stage that Mr. Albee produced many first works of
Terrance McNally, John Guare, Lanford Wilson, Sam Shephard, AR Gurney and
Leroi Jones.
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