Barefoot In The Park
Written by Neil Simon
Directed by Louis Palermo

"A bubbling, rib-tickling comedy"  -The New York Times

RUN: July 9 - August 8, 2004
 
SYNOPSIS: The wedding, the honeymoon... and what happens after!
After a six-day honeymoon, a spanking new lawyer who has just won his first case (6 cents in damages), and his young bride move into the new, high-rent apartment that she has chosen for them. But the difficulty is, in order to enjoy the chrming character of this apartment, one has to climb six wheezing flights. And the apartment is absolutely bare of furniture, the paint job came out all wrong, the skylight leaks snow, there isn't room for a double bed and an outlandish gourmet who lives in a loft on the roof uses it and the window ledge as the only access to his padlocked premisis. The situation is enough to break the heart and bust the lungs of any stylish young lawyer and indeed it does, on the night he flatly refuses to join his wife in a barefoot walk through the snow in the park. She kicks him out, but he comes back - not for reconciliation, but bcause he figures that since he's paying the rent she should be the one to go.

CAST (in order of appearance):

	Peter A. Stark as "The Telephone Man" Peter was Sir Toby Belch in NENA production's recent Twelfth Night. On stage his roles included Mel Cooley in Tomfoolery; Arnold in The Boys Next Door; Jellaby in Arcadia; Ross/Hecate/Caithness in Macbeth; Jack Point in Yeomen of the Guard; Sir Joseph Porter in H.M.S. Pinafore; the Learned Judge in Trial By Jury; Mike in Lovers and Other Strangers; Major General Stanley in The Pirates of Penzance; Ribaud in The New Moon; and Prisoner/Expressman/Radio Tech/Delivery Man/Detective in The Man Who Came To Dinner. Off-stage, Peter's credits include director of business development for an internet search engine; teacher; principal; and (for 8 years) director of an outreach program for Jewish children in the USSR and its successor states. His scholarly interests include Hebrew Bible; ancient Semitic languages, and medieval Sephardic poetry.
	Tim Kelsey as "Paul" Tim has appeared in many community theatre productions throughout the area including: Frankie & Johnnie, Laughter on the 23rd Floor, Web of Murder, Lovers and Other Strangers, Men Are Dogs and It Had To Be You. He's pleased to be back at the Center Playhouse – in his hometown. Tim extends his gratitude to Bob and Louie for their guidance and direction. He especially thanks Dina, Bernadette and Peter for their patience, understanding and willingness to help him get Paul up six flights of stairs to the stage (yes-I counted the stoop). Tim is a lawyer in Freehold and, as far as he knows, he does NOT have a case in court in the morning.
	Bernadette Gill as "The Mother" Bernadette is honored to be back for her second appearance at Center Players. Last fall, she played Truvy Jones in Steel Magnolias. In the early '80s, Bernadette was an active member of Spring Lake Community Theater appearing in productions of You Can't Take It With You and Philadelphia Here I Come. She took a break from acting to pursue degrees at night including an MBA from Rutgers and advancing her career at NJ Transit where she is Dirctor of Property Management. In the summer of 2002, Bernadette found her way back on stage as the female lead in Jackson's 2002 Summer Theater Production of Far Out in Jackson and found "the bug" had bitten again. Now that her son has successfully migrated out of her home in Jackson, Bernadette can follow her acting love to her heart's content. Many thanks to Mom, up above, who sent her to acting school when she was 13 to learn to walk and talk like a lady. "How'm I doin' now, Maw?" Bernadette is thrilled to act in Barefoot with such a tremendously talented, experienced cast and thanks them for their patience with her. One giant thank you to Director Lou Palermo for his wonderful guidance and the opportunity to work with him again in a Center Players production.
	Dina Marino as "Corie" Dina Marino is a Staten Island, New York native and currently lives in Howell, NJ. Her credits include: Theater, Film, Commercials, Television, Soap Operas, music videos, and modeling. She has appeared in Community and Summer Stock Theater playing such roles as, Deirdre Mc Davey in I Hate Hamlet, Kate Clinton in Never Too Late and Jane Worthington in Out of Order, just to name a few, some of which she worked opposite world famous actors such as Chet Carlin (Lonesome Dove) and Christopher Durham (Ryan's Hope). She has modeled for J.Crew, played a celebrity in the movie In and Out and starred as Shannon Doyle in the off-Broadway true story The Shannon Doyle Incident where she was privileged to be directed under the playwright himself (John Morrison). Dina is a graduate of Monmouth University with a degree in Communications and twice formerly Vice President of the Honorary Dramatics Fraternity, Alpha Psi Omega (APO). She has trained locally and in New York. She is also a singer, dancer and writer and hopes to obtain a masters degree in Theology in the near future. She is currently employed with Ocean Place Resort and Spa, Long Branch, where she is a licensed skin care specialist.
	Louis Palermo as "Victor Velasco" / Director This is Louis's debut with Center Players, both has an actor and director, however, he has been involved in theater for the better part of 30 years. In his first role for South Street Players, at that time located in St. Rose of Lima's gymnasium, Lou played the part of a German mayor in the play Never Too Late, in 1983.   Lou is a member of South Street Players' Board of Directors, and has been involved in numerous productions, as performer, director, producer, stage manager, etc. In 1985, at the Clarksburg Inn, in Millstone township, he played the role of Victor Velasco for the first time. His wish to bring the play to Freehold is now being fulfilled, thanks to the Center Players' Board of Directors.   My many thanks to Roz Karlan for a superb job as a first-time Producer. I told you it would be fun (so I lied). You are dedicated and driven and a pleasure to work with. To Bernice Garfield–Szita, my thanks for the support and for finding the hard-to-come-by props. To my family, thank you for putting up with my passions, and for your support and love. To my friend Jim Dyne, thank you for designing and building a magnificent set. You always come through and never cease to amaze me. To Eddie Zyjewski, thanks for designing the lights for the set and for helping us in the Control Room. To the cast – a dedicated group of people and hard workers – you have all been a delight to work with.   Last, but certainly not least, to Bob Lamb, my Stage Manager and much, much more – you gave me my first role, in 1983, and many more after that. You trusted me in directing, producing, and getting involved in every aspect of theater. Your cooperation is priceless.
	Dave Harris as "The Delivery Man" Dave Harris is happy to be making his Center Players debut. He has made frequent appearances with Over The Rainbow Productions (where he is a member of the board of directors) including Cheaper by the Dozen, What the Butler Saw, She Loves Me, Arsenic and Old Lace, Dracula, and most recently, Send Me No Flowers. Other favorite roles have been in The Diary of Anne Frank, Private Lives, Death of a Salesman, Funny Girl, and The Cemetery Club. His favorite, and longest running (34 years), role is husband to his very patient wife Mary.
	Anthony Cipriano as "The Delivery Man" Anthony Cipriano appears by special arrangement with.......... with, umm .......... oh yeah, with Anthony Cipriano. Thanks for the gig, Lou.
	Bob Szita as "The Delivery Man" This marks Bob's premiere appearance on stage. As Co-Director of Contemporary Counseling Center of Marlboro and a Certified Psycho-dramatist, Bob uses role playing to assist people in coping with life's transitions. Bob is often seen working off-stage and is Chair of Center Players' House Committee.