Art & History Museums Maitland, in conjunction with actors from Central Florida Community Arts, is excited to present a virtual reading of A Darkened Room, a play penned by Jules André Smith.
André Smith’s reputation as an artist and architect is well established, but what’s less known is his work as a writer. A&H has several manuscripts penned by André Smith in its archives, eight of which are plays. Most are undated, but they all appear to have been written during the 1920’s when Smith lived in Stony Creek, Connecticut and worked on set design for the Parish Players, Stony Creek’s local theater group.
A&H recently collaborated with actors from Central Florida Community Arts to conduct a virtual reading of one of Smith’s plays from this period. Katie Dumoulin directed the reading, which was recorded on Zoom. Katie has been directing for three years, having made her debut at Osceola Arts with One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. “With any new format there are always challenges,” Katie said, when asked about directing in a Covid-world. “With this one a lot of the challenge was learning how to get the actors to connect without actually being together. So much of acting is connection and that is so hard when your partner is a computer screen. I hope that we have succeeded with this piece but I know it will be something that all theatre artists will work through as we continue through this pandemic.”
A&H sends a big thank you to Central Florida Community Arts, and the cast and crew that brought Smith’s words to life. We hope that you enjoy this unique presentation of one of Smith’s lesser known works!
Cast
Katy Polimeno – Jane
John Ciccone – John West
Jonny Corzo – Dave
Mary Beth Finley – Aunt Tilly
Andrew Tripp – Bart
Wendy Starkand – Hilda
Kira Mioskie – Narrator
Katie Dumoulin – Director/Narrator
Video Editor
Eric Desnoyers
Cast Bios
Katy Polimeno: Katy Polimeno graduated from Rollins College with a theatre degree and has enjoyed performing locally since. Most recently could be seen at Melon Patch Theatre and Osceola Center of the Arts. Favorite roles include Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Regan in King Lear, Gloria in Boeing Boeing, and Theodora in Haunting of Hill House.
John Ciccone: John is thrilled to be cast as John West in his first virtual production. He is grateful to Katie and the Maitland Art Museum for allowing him to be part in the production of Andre Smith’s The Darkened Room and looks forward to having the opportunity to work again with Katie and the Museum.
Jonny Corzo: Jonny Corzo is excited to bring the character of Davey to life for an audience to see. He is a Florida native who graduated from New World School of the Arts in Miami. He has performed all throughout south and central Florida. He hopes you enjoy this unique piece of theatre.
Mary Beth Finley: Mary Beth is a native Philadelphian who’s lived & worked in central Florida since 1999. She’s worked with several community theatre groups over the past 20 years. Most recently seen on stage with Horizon West Theatre Company as Mrs. Paroo in The Music Man in October 2019, Mary Beth also currently serves on their board. She is an actor and director and has done many behind the scenes jobs as well. She is also an acting/audition coach & specializes in accent and dialect training. Reach out to her at mbfinley17@gmail.com for more information. “
Andrew Tripp: Originally from Tennessee, Andrew graduated with a BA in Theatre from Florida State University. Other acting credits include productions with Osceola Arts such as Iago in Othello and Billy Bibbit in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
Wendy Starkand: Wendy is so grateful to share this story in this very special way during an incredibly stressful time. You might remember Wendy from some of her performances in the area; The Old Lady in Violet-The Musical at The Garden Theatre, Jeanette Burmeister in Full Monty at The Abbey (Florida Theatrical Association), Madeline Tru in The Wild Party at Theater West End or Mama Rose in Gypsy, at Osceola Arts! Other favorites include Mazeppa in Gypsy, Sally Bowles in Cabaret, and Maribel in the sultry Off-Broadway production of Born To Rumba.
Kira Mioskie: Kira has been a performer in the Orlando area for over 10 years. She is currently a performer with Universal Studios, and started her career in college attending Full Sail University studying film, and fell in love with acting. At Seaworld she had the privilege to perform in puppetry and dance, and loves to train performers in animation, telling stories through movement.
Katie Dumoulin: Katie has been directing for about 3 years. She started as an assistant director and made her solo directing debut at Osceola Arts with One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.