The Final Say
a reading of a play by
Meryl Cohn
Directed by Jess Wilson
Dramaturge: Len Berkman
Naomi might finally get her play about her grandmother's Holocaust heroism produced - if only a bombastic musical with an eerily similar story line weren't just about to open. Convinced that her work has been stolen, Naomi seeks the help and friendship of her late grandmother's closest confidant, as she navigates a highly complicated road toward the truth. As Naomi decides how far to go to protect her story, she discovers that a spunky production assistant, Martha, may be the key to untangling this mess .... and her own heart.
Cast:
Naomi – Missy Potash
Phil – Spencer Keasey
Martha – Rebecca Medeiros Terkelsen
Hannah – Karen McPherson
Martin – John Hanright
Music:
Music by Billy Hough and Susan Goldberg
Reading Schedule:
Sat., Oct. 7 at 7pm
WOMR •494 Commercial St, Provincetown, MA 02657Sun., Oct. 8 at 4pm
WOMR •494 Commercial St, Provincetown, MA 02657
Tickets:
$20 General admission
$10 Students (with valid ID)
$10 for Card to Culture members (with valid ID)
$40 Festival Pass - one pass to gain entry for all readings and events.
Important Note:
After purchasing a Festival Pass on a particular show page, pass holders will not need to visit the ticketing pages for the other plays they may wish to attend. Just show up at the door before the event. We will reserve enough chairs to accommodate people with passes.)Tickets may be purchased online or at the door.
About the Workshop…
The O’Neill Festival of New Works offers a rare opportunity for dramatists to work with dramaturges in preparation for each festival’s staged readings. In this case the dramaturge is Len Berkman. Len has taught playwriting, theater history and the dramatic literature of various nations and cultures since 1969. He has received Distinguished Teacher (1992), Sherrerd Prize (2011) and Charis Medal awards.
Playwright’s Goals for the Workshop…
From Meryl Cohn:
For the workshop, my goals are to assess this new revision of "The Final Say" and see how it's working. I need to make decisions about the cast size and strike the right balance between comedy and tragedy. How well does the end of the play relate to the beginning? How are the main plot and subplots working together? If the play is essentially about stories and to whom they belong, how well is the play exploring the richness of this topic? It will help to hear and incorporate an overall audience reaction, to feel their response to the pacing, and to find where the play holds and where it loses their attention. I expect the audience to participate fully as an audience would to any production.
About the Workshop Participants…
John Hanright
John Hanright (Martin) is honored to be a part of the O’Neill Festival of New Works in this brand new work! In addition to acting, John is a playwright, an ESL teacher, and a published poet. His play, The Finishing Touch, premiered last month at the Academy of Performing Arts (APA). Recent credits: Robin Hood (APA), Dracula,and Murder on the Orient Express (Chatham Drama Guild). John wishes to thank WOMR, the Festival organizers, Meryl Cohn, Jess Wilson, and as always, his family and friends for all their support.
Karen McPherson
When Karen McPherson (Hannah) washed ashore in Chatham in 1996, she had no clue about the rich, amazing theatre community on Cape Cod. Since being here, she has worked at many of the Cape theatres: Provincetown Playhouse, Cape Rep, Chatham Drama Guild, HJT, Eventide Theatre, Academy of Performing Arts, Cape Cod Community College, Cotuit Center for the Arts, and Barnstable Comedy Club. Some of her favorites: The Dresser, Gin Game, Driving Miss Daisy, Lost in Yonkers, Jesus Christ Superstar, Moby Dick the Musical, Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens, Cabaret, The Importance of Being Earnest, Guys and Dolls, Hello Dolly, Eleemosynary – and the list goes on. Karen received a BFA from Boston University School of Fine and Applied Arts in 1968, and spent/spends much of her free time working to make Civil Rights of all races/genders real.
Missy Potash
Missy Potash (Naomi) is excited for this amazing opportunity to portray Naomi in The Final Say, and to meet and work with such a talented cast. Most recently seen in APA's productions of A Streetcar Named Desire, as Blanche DuBois, Sarah in Company & Wendy in The Finishing Touch, Missy studied at American Academy of Dramatic Arts, in LA and has numerous credits and awards in both theater and film. Some of her favorite roles, not including Blanche DuBois, have been Meg (Crimes of the Heart), Sally Bowles (Cabaret), Connie (Crazy Eights), Echo (Eleemosynary) and Corey Bratter (Barefoot in the Park). Off the stage, she is a stay-at-home mom with 3 adorable little boys, who very much keep her on her toes. She would like to send her love and thanks to her husband and children for their unending support.
Rebecca Medeiros Terkelsen
Rebecca Medeiros Terkelsen (Martha) has been involved in theater on Cape Cod for over 20 years. Recent roles include Nikki in Sweet Charity at CCFtA, Sister Robert Anne in Nunsense, also at CCFtA, Belinda in Noises off at CCCC. When not on stage, Rebecca owns a Pilates Reformer studio in Yarmouth Port and is the Group Ex Director at Mid-Cape Athletic Club. She spends most days instructing classes in person and online, ballroom dancing, and walking her beloved chiweenie, Jedi. Rebecca would like to thank Jess and Meryl for the opportunity to participate in her first production post-pandemic and she hopes the audience enjoys being back in the theater as much as she is.
Spencer Keasey
Ever since his 7th grade performance as General Bullmoose in Lil Abner, Spencer Keasey (Phil) has sought out an audience. Graduating with a minor in theater from the University of Pittsburgh and initially performing in local theater groups, his focus shifted to other arts in his 20’s: singing jazz and painting. His 15-year hiatus from acting ended with an acclaimed and award winning adult film career which then landed him off-Broadway where he headlined Naked Boys Singing at the New World’s Stages. Shortly thereafter, in 2008 as a new Provincetown resident, he was cast by David Drake in Two Boys on a Cold Winter's Night, a show that went on to play at the Dublin Gay and Lesbian Theater Festival to much acclaim. Spencer went on to play lead roles in Tony Jackman’s production of Edward II and Margret Van Sant’s production of Venus in Fur at the Provincetown Theater.
Tammie Glass
Tammie Glass (Narrator) got her start in drama in a third grade Christmas play in which she played the bit part of Caroler. She would not return to the stage for three more decades until she enter the drama world as the producer/director/sound tech for a crew of middle schoolers. This is her first experience in adult theatre.
Crew Bios in Alphabetical Order (by first name)
Jess Wilson
Jess Wilson (director) is a consultant, trainer, and speaker with extensive experience as an actor, tech, designer, producer, playwright, dramaturg, teaching artist, and director, and is the Artistic & Managing Director of the WatermelonAlligator Theatre Company and co-Founding Director of Danu Pictures film company. An experienced actor-combatant, they also work as an Intimacy Director, Fight Captain, and Safety Coordinator for stage and film. Recent directorial credits include The Way It Is, Seminar and Fat Pig (all with WATC/CCftA), Fiveplay (CCCC), Leading Ladies (Nemasket River Productions), Much Ado About Nothing (Midsummer Shakespeare), and the short films Broken and Conscience (Danu Pictures). When not in rehearsal, Jess spends much of their time working to dismantle inequities in the performing arts, healthcare, and the world. They are profoundly grateful for the support and collaboration provided by the New England theatre and film communities, and for the talent shown by these incredible actors. Carpe Scaenum!
Len Berkman
Len Berkman (dramaturg) is the Anne Hesseltine Hoyt Professor of Theater at Smith College, where he has taught script writing, North American and European drama, and has run Smith's MFA Playwriting Program for 54-plus years As new play development dramaturg, he has assisted more than 600 plays/productions in the U.S., Canada and abroad, e.g., at Sundance, South Coast Rep, Mark Taper Forum, Epic Theatre Ensemble, WordBRIDGE, U. Iowa, People's Light, and New York Stage & Film. Among Len's own 40+ plays are: Quits, Adultery Without Touch; Excuse Me For Even Daring To Open My Mouth; Til The Beatles Reunite; Voila! Rape In Technicolor; Oh, The Undoing; I Won't Go See A Play Called 'A Parent's Worst Nightmare'; and These Are Not My Breasts. His essays and short-stories appear in such journals as: Modern Drama, Mass Review, Prairie Schooner, HowlRound, Caffe Cino, and Parnassus, as well as in The Suzan-Lori Parks Casebook, Marie-Irene Fornes: Conducting a Life, American Jewish Women Writers, and Upstaging Big Daddy. Holding Yale MFA & DFA degrees, Len has received Fulbright Grants to teach and develop plays in Germany. His most recent play, We Three > Wir Drei, was translated into German by Yannik Raiss. His performance story, Cordelia Lear, appears in the June '22 issue of Mass Review and was directed as a film by Chester Theater's James Barry, starring Hero Marguerite.
Meryl Cohn
MERYL COHN (playwright) is a playwright, essayist, humor writer, and story teller. Her playwriting awards include The ATHE Jane Chambers Playwriting Award, Massachusetts Cultural Council finalist, O’Neill National Playwrights Conference semifinalist (twice), The Eventide Arts Theater Award, and Curve Magazine's Lesbian Theater Award. Reasons to Live was named a Favorite Play by The Cape Cod Times. Seven of Meryl’s full-length plays have been commissioned and produced by The Provincetown Theater. Her work has also been produced at W.H.A.T, the Skylight Theater, The Open Fist, TOSOS, The New York International Fringe Festival (extended in the Encore Series), The Soho Playhouse, The Cherry Pit, and Smith College, among others. Play publications include The Siegels of Montauk (in Lesbian and Queer Plays of the Jane Chambers Prize) and her monologue from And Sophie Comes Too was published in Best Women’s Stage Plays and Monologues, Smith & Kraus. She is also the author of the humor book Do What I Say: Ms. Behavior’s Guide to Gay and Lesbian Etiquette. She earned an MFA in Dramatic Writing at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Meryl founded the ongoing Northampton Playwrights Lab in 2006 and is a proud member of the Helltown Players, The Wild Geese, and the Dramatists Guild.