Wallis Knot Theatre
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ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Eileen is a director and graphic artist who has also worked as a professional actress Off-Broadway, at the Meadow Brook and Birmingham Theatres in Detroit, the Royal George in Chicago, the Walnut Street Theatre and the Painted Bride Art Center in Philadelphia. Her most bizarre role, was understudying Charles Busch as the leading lady in Little Me, and her most favorite memory was assisting Betty Comden and Adolf Green on their revival of A Doll’s Life at the York Theatre. Eileen has directed and designed all of Wallis Knot's theatre productions (Seeing Andre Gide, The Dracula Journals, Dance With Me Harker, CSI/Hamlet, Late to the Republique, Between Two Worlds) and has curated and choreographed for their two spring dance concerts (Wet Shakespeare, Paper). Outside of Wallis Knot, she created the movement for the Irish Repertory Theatre's production of Beowulf; was commissioned by the University of Vermont to co-author with Mark Alan Gordon an adaptation of Aristophanes’ The Birds and Don Marquis’ Archy and Mehitabel; directed and designed Macbeth and The Duchess of Malfi for NYCDA; and has created costumes for Roschman Dance, the Wilma Theater and the Caravan Children’s Theater in Philadelphia. Eileen holds an M.F.A. in Acting from the University of Minnesota, and a B.A. in Theatre and Dance from DeSales University, and currently teaches at the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts. In addition to theater, Eileen has had a career as a graphic artist and fine arts painter, with clients such as Theatre Communication Group/American Theatre magazine and New Plays, Inc. She was commissioned to paint a cow for New York Cow Parade 2000, and her cow was displayed in Rockefeller Plaza. She has had art exhibits in Philadelphia, New York City, and Brooklyn. Musically, thanks to the very talented Rob Arthur, she has created a music cd of originals and covers which were featured in Wallis Knot's productions of Seeing Andre Gide and The Dracula Journals/Dance With Me, Harker.
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR/CHOREOGRAPHER
Sean is a graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. Sean began his dance training at age 11. Since then he has studied Ballet at the Joel Hall Dance Center of Chicago and Modern Technique at various studios across New York City and Chicago. He has also studied under Master Teacher for New York University's Graduate Dance Program, Deborah Damast. Upon graduation, he performed with Damast and Dancers in the retrospect CityLife presented at the Alvin Ailey Theater.
Following that he spent 6 months at an apprentice to AMEBA Acrobatic and Aerial Dance where he fell deeply and madly in love with the trapeze. Sean was the resident choreographer for theHammerTheaterCollective and was the founding artistic director of hammerDANCE. He is currently the Artistic Director/Founder of Roschman Dance (www.roschmandance.com). Most noteably, Sean’s choreography has been seen as part of Cirque du Soleil’s Times Square Anniversary happening which was televised globally.
Sean has appeared as the Uber Angel of Death in Wallis Knot's adaptation of Hamlet entitled the next to the last hamlet on the left, and he recently appeared in and choreographed for WK's Between Two Worlds at HERE. Sean has choreographed new works for all of Wallis Knot’s spring dance concerts. He has collaborated with Eileen Connolly to create several dance pieces for theater productions, including Macbeth and The Duchess of Malfi.
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DIRECTOR/FILM DIVISION
Andy appeared in Macbeth (Macbeth), I Am A Camera (Fritz), Pullman Car Hiawatha (the Porter), and Duchess of Malfi (Ferdinand) while at NYCDA. For Wallis Knot, he workshopped the role of the WWII pilot defending his life and love in Between Two Worlds and returned to play the role at HERE in SoHo. His Spanish version of a Federico Garcia Lorca poem is featured on Wallis Knot's spoken word CD. He has danced and choreographed for both Wallis Knot dance concerts, danced with Roschman Dance and at NYC's Judson Church, for the MTV Music Awards and the Latin Grammys.
Andhy is in charge of spearheading the Wallis Knot Film Division. Wallis Knot incorporates elements of film into their theater productions and now strives to explore the medium of film by adding elements of theatre. The experiment begins this summer with an original script that strives to blend traditional film with elements of the stage.
As an actor, his film work includes For Love or Country: The Life of Arturo Sandoval with Andy Garcia, Cuban Blood with Harvey Keitel & Iben Hjejle, and 11 years on Univision's Sabado Gigante.
LIGHTING DESIGNER
Jamien has beautifully lit Wallis Knot's shows since the beginning, including: The Dracula Journals at American Theatre of Actors, and Between Two Worlds at both the Hudson Guild and HERE Arts Center in SoHo. She has also lit other shows for Eileen, including: Macbeth at the Hudson Guild and The Duchess of Malfi at the Connelly Theatre in NYC. She currently lives in Burlington, Vermont and works at Vermont Stage Company. Jamien is a graduate of the University of Vermont and has worked at Lincoln Center in New York City, as well as on Broadway for The Gazillion Bubble Show. In addition to lighting design, she is an expert technical director and terrific stage manager. Added to this list of talents...Jamien is also a theatre director and has directed several shows for children.
BOARD/DESIGNER
Mike is an architect and watercolor painter, who has exhibited at the Salmagundi Club on 5th Avenue, and at Brooklyn Waterfront Arts Coalition. His work can be seen at ConnollyWatercolor.com. Michael has worked as an architect at the NYC firm of Holzman Moss Bottino, where his design projects included the public library in Columbia, Missouri, and the Globe-News Center for the Performing Artsin Amarillo, Texas. He also worked on NYC historic landmark restorations like Radio City Music Hall, New Victory Theater, and The New Amsterdam Theater. Michael is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame. He has been a visiting design critic at Syracuse University's graduate architecture program, and has taught a design workshop for both graduate and undergraduate students at City College of New York. In addition, Michael designs sets for his sister Eileen, most noteably the Macbeth's bathroom. He and Silvia Saponaro run a design and architecture company called CoSa Design.
BOARD/DESIGNER
Silvia is handmade in Italy, and is an architect who prefers giving her time to the art of ceramics and other handcrafted items she sells through Sillyhilli at ETSY.com. Silvia studied architecture in Venice and went on to receive her M.A. in Architecture at The Bauhaus University in Weimar, Germany, where she also studied Drawing and Painting. She has numerous ideas about fashion projects which she does not finish. This is true. Although she was recently seen dashing about town in a stylish skirt of her own design featuring appliqued butterflies. She has also studied the art of knitting at FIT. As a performance artist, Silvia appeared in the German film Die Kure as a Romanian nurse in an insane asylum. Continuing with this theme, she appeared onstage in Wallis Knot's The Dracula Journals as the saucy and serene Italian Nun, Sister Addolarata Crocifissa, and reprised the role at the New York Fringe Festival. Silvia is proud to announce she can express herself in five languages.
the ensemble - current contributors
Sarah is an actress, director, artist and opera writer from Sydney, Australia. Wallis Knot is extremely thankful to Sarah for her generous offer to travel to America for our production of Between Two Worlds at HERE in NYC, where she stole the show as the Districty Attorney in heaven.
Sarah wrote the libretto for The Cockatoos and directed the premiere production in Australia in December 2010. Her handmade fabric cards are sold through her online store Brown & Sticky, and you can follow Sarah on Twitter!
Annalisa is a graduate of the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts. She appeared as the tragic, singing and dancing Ophelia in Wallis Knot's adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet . She was also featured in a modern dance / samba-infused performance piece in the 2008 spring dance concert WET: Shakespeare as well as the 2009 spring dance concert PAPER where she revived her role as Ophelia in a dance version of the classic play. Annie can be heard playing the role of Gwen on the Wallis Knot spoken word CD performance of Between Two Worlds, and she starred in the role at HERE in May 2011.
Annalisa appears in the 2010 Sundance Film Festival's Best Next Picture The Locksmith directed by Brad Barnes, which earned her a page on imdb.com. She appeared as Priscilla in Oh My! The Musical at IRT and is also a member of the Cry Havoc company.
Dannie is a recent graduate of the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts where she appeared in Macbeth (Witch), I Am A Camera (Sally Bowles), and The Duchess of Malfi (Narrator). For Wallis Knot, she brought her unique combination of comic timing, tender "watching" and exquisite dancing to the role of Angel Penelope in the premiere of Between Two Worlds. Dannie was also featured in both Wallis Knot dance concerts, and is currently a company member of Roschman Dance.
Joe is a New Dramatists alum, Edgar Award winner and active member of the Mystery Writers of America. He recently had two plays published by Samuel French -- Panic and Smoke and Mirrors (with cover design by Eileen); and he is also publised by PlayScripts Inc. and appears in a number of anthologies. Joe is responsible for finding the wonderful theatrical plays used in Wallis Knot's "Closed Out of Town" series, and, strictly on the QT, keep it under your hat buster, Joe is currently working on two Ellery Queen projects. Joe appeared in Wallis Knot's Between Two Worlds as Angel Mueller -- his successful portrayal of this baggy pants comic is due in part to the fact that he’s been imitating Groucho since he was 6 years old. His film credits include: Gacy, Monster Man, Ax, and I Can't Sleep -- proving that he's as good a monster as he is an angel. Joe is not only a playwright and actor, but writes fiction and nonfiction. His articles can be found in magazines such as Crimespree.
Aedin is an Irish born actress, currently based in New York City. She is the founder of Falling Angel Theater (www.fallenangeltheatre.org). She joins Wallis Knot for a workshop of Oliver Twist and she has contributed a performance of James Joyce's Ulysses to Wallis Knot's upcoming spoken word CD.
Some of Aedin’s NY theatre credits include: Talent with Fallen Angel Theatre Company, Hobsons Choice with Atlantic Theatre, Madame Killer with Clubbed Thumb Theatre Company and MacBeth with Gorilla Repertory Theatre. Her work with the Irish Repertory Theatre includes: Shadow of a Gunman, Playboy of the Western World, Eclipsed, Juno & the Paycock, Same Old Moo, and Pigtown. Her work with the Irish Arts Center includes: Bar & Ger and Celtic Tiger Me Arse. Regional theatre includes Under Milk Wood at the Hartford Stage Theatre directed by Mark Lamos.
Aedin has worked extensively with the BBC, ITV (UK) & Channel Four (UK). Other TV Work in Great Britain and New York includes: Ballykissangel (Recurring), The Moth, The Bill & Vanity Fair, Law and Order (Criminal Intent).
Aedin's film credits include: Nora (playing James Joyce’s sister, also starring Ewan McGregor), Far & Away (directed by Ron Howard, also starring Tom Cruise), The Captives, Agnes Brown (directed by Angelica Houston) and Diary of a Madman.
Sophia is a recent graduate of NYCDA where she worked with Eileen Connolly on The Duchess of Malfi in the title role of the Duchess, where her stunning emotional combat dance with her brother, Ferdinand (played by Wallis Knot's Andhy Mendez), culminated in a dead body dance that was heartbreaking. (See our video webpage for links to our YouTube videos.)
Since graduation last spring, Sophia has kept busy with photo shoots, commercials and a made for tv movie. She joined Wallis Knot for their spring 2011 production of Between Two Worlds at HERE in SoHo as an understudy for the leading lady, and as a beautiful dancing angel; and, she is currently working on Wallis Knot's short film BLUR -- a series of short movie trailers, the first installment of which is due out any day now.
Wallis looks forward to many more shows with this lovely new actress!
For Wallis Knot, Connie appeared as Gertrude in Hamlet, and Dr. Rose Bennet in Between Two Worlds, as well as choreographing for the annual spring dance concert. For NYCDA, she appeared as Sally Bowles mother in the NYCDA's production of I Am A Camera at the Hudson Guild Theater in NYC.
