Sewing The Dream
“Golden Age Meets Elements of Torch”
The life of Annie Moran, a newly arrived Irish immigrant in 1800s NYC intertwines with that of scandal-ridden inventor Isaac Merritt Singer. Overcoming all odds and challenging accepted conventions of women’s place in society, Annie Moran and Isaac Singer forever change the world for women.
Book & Lyrics by JUDITH ESTRINE
Music by DAVID KURKOWSKI
Direction by ZILLAH GLORY LANGSJOEN
Music Direction by BEN KILEY
Choreography by TATYANA KOT
SEWING THE DREAM PERFORMANCES
FRIDAY, APRIL 29 8:00 PM
SATURDAY, APRIL 30 3:00 PM
SUNDAY, MAY 1 3:00 PM
WEDNESDAY, MAY 4 8:00 PM
SUNDAY, MAY 8 (Mother’s Day) 7:00 PM
Theatre Four
410 W 42nd St, New York, NY 10036
Click for Directions
PRICE $49
+$2.50 Restoration Fee
A Message From Judith
I’m a playwright and author, born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. I wrote the book and lyrics for Sewing the Dream after years surreptitiously honing my skills as a playwright while raising a daughter and working full time as an editor.
Why I wrote Sewing The Dream
My parents were survivors of Nazi Germany. They came to New York and built a life that was predicated by day on the deafening clatter of commercial factory sewing machines. Evenings, my dad moonlighted on a Singer 201 that sat resplendent in our living room. It sang as I drifted off to sleep or watched Walter Cronkite on our black and white Zenith television or memorized for class Victorian-era poems I barely understood:
This is the forest primeval/ the murmuring pines and the hemlock/
Bearded in moss and in garments green/ indistinct in the twilight
The sounds of the softly whirring Singer sewing machine brought me the comfort of knowing that, despite challenges and setbacks, we would always have a roof over our heads and food on the table. We would be safe. All would be well.
This piece unfolded as I was writing it. I didn’t intend to write a story about the emancipation of poor immigrant women from a certain kind of long hours and hard labor. Instead, I had been fascinated by the real life story of Isaac Merritt Singer. I wanted to know more about the world in which he lived, and at each new discovery, thought “Wow.”
THE CHARACTERS
With parts doubling, SEWING THE DREAM can be performed with a cast of eight.
[ ANNIE MORAN ] Female identifying. 18+ years old. Our hero, an optimistic, bright-eyed Irish immigrant girl who overcomes all obstacles, fresh off the boat. Soprano. Range: A4-F5 (Bb6 in chorus). Lead.
[ ISAAC MERRITT SINGER ] Male identifying. 30’s-early 40’s. A hunky, bombastic showboat actor turned brilliant inventor. A womanizing ringmaster. Baritenor. Range: A3-G4. Lead.
[ EDWARD CLARK ] Male identifying. 40’s-50’s. The epitome of upper class privilege, a respected lawyer turned businessman who sees financial success in the new technology of the Industrial Revolution. A Puritan. Baritenor. Range: Bf3 – F4. Supporting.
[ CAROLINE CLARK ] Female identifying. 40’s –50’s. The perfect upper class woman of the time. However, insecure, unfulfilled, and underneath it all, angry with her lot. Ruthless when needed. Proud. Mezzo. Range: C4-F5. Supporting.
[ GEORGE SIEBER ] Male identifying. 50s-60’s. A craftsman-machinist. Not a business man; he ends up cheated out of his share of millions. Bass-Baritone. Range: D3-C4. Supporting.
[ NELLE MORAN ] An offer has been made. Female identifying. 20’s-30’s. A beautiful good girl “gone bad.” Annie’s big sister, and an Irish immigrant surviving as a high-level prostitute. Mezzo. Range: A4-Eb5. Supporting.
[ GRETA SCHMIDT ] Female identifying. 30’s-60’s. A rough-hewn German immigrant cook who ends up being protective of Annie. Alto. G3-Eb5. Supporting.
[ MALE ENSEMBLE ] 30 to 50 years old, all ethnicities male. Casting one male identifying ensemble member to play various chorus roles and understudy selected roles. Baritenor.
[ FEMALE ENSEMBLE ] 25 to 30 years old, all ethnicities female. Casting one female identifying ensemble member to play various chorus roles and understudy selected roles. Soprano with belt.
Additional characters: CORN GIRL, BOSS LOADER, MISS SALLY, WIDOW, THE PHANTOM, MAIDS, DOCKWORKERS
Who’s Who In the Inaugural Cast
AUBREY MATALON* (Annie Moran) is a member of Actors Equity Association. Her most recent credit was Crissy in Asolo Repertory Theatre's production of Hair. In the fall of 2021, Aubrey was the assistant director for A Commercial Jingle for Regina Comet Off-Broadway. | IG: @aubreymatalon
NATE MYERS (Isaac Merritt Singer) is excited to be joining the company of Sewing the Dream. He is a New York based actor and musician. Thanks especially to my friends and family for their seemingly endless love and support! | nate-myers.com | IG: @toenateo
CATHARINE ARIALE (Caroline Edwards, U/S Annie / Caroline / Nelle) is thrilled to be making her Theatre Row debut in "Sewing The Dream". Catherine was most recently seen at the Triad Theatre performing in new folk musical "The Waiting". She would like to thank her family and Austin for their support and always being willing to run lines. Huge thanks to Ben Kiley and Zillah Glory for this experience.| Insta: @catherineariale
TJ BOLDEN* (Edward Clark) is thrilled to join the cast of Sewing The Dream! He was last seen at WDW in Finding Nemo the Musical, inspiring young audiences to “Swim together” as Gill. TJ is grateful to be back on stage and giving voice to stories that need to be told. Favorite credits include: Caiaphas -Jesus Christ Superstar, Tom - Murder Ballad, and the Voice of Audrey II - Little Shop of Horrors. | tjbolden.com | IG: @tjboldenofficial
PILAR ADARA* (Greta Schmidt / The Widow) is a vivacious NYC-based Actor/Producer/Writer working in TV and Film. Pilar grew up in Atlanta, Georgia with a deep love for the arts, and after studying and honing her craft as a performer in Georgia, Florida, and Germany, moved to New York City to pursue her career in musical theatre. During the Covid lockdown in 2020, she fell in love with screenwriting and began to fuse her love of politics and art. Using the power of storytelling, she hopes to create art that will challenge societal norms and work to break the gatekeeping cycle of who is in front of or behind the camera. Pilar has been staffed to write on three political ads and a digital series. Pilar is also a proud recipient of NALIP’s Emerging Content Creators Scholarship. Her first short, BOLIE, won 6 Festival awards including Best First Time Director and continues its festival run. Her digital series, Go Fetch Club, made its debut at New York International Film Festival and won the award for Best Original Story as well as Honorable Mention for Best Indie Short. Her current documentary, "Transcendence," is currently showing through April at Performance Space New York in NYC. | IG @Pilar_Adar
KEVIN D. O’NEIL (George Sieber) This is Kevin's first on-stage production since coming home from a 13-month contract in Osaka, Japan, where he was performing as a wizard at the Harry Potter World at the Universal Theme Park. After more than two years away, he is very happy and feels quite fortunate to be a part of this burgeoning new production. Special thanks to Zillah and Judith for trusting in my ability.
STEPHANIE WEYMAN* (Nelle Moran / Corn Girl) holds a BFA in Theatre from NYU Tisch School of The Arts and has studied with Wynn Handman and The People’s Improv Theatre NYC (PIT). She was a member and principal performer in Remote Control Productions, directed by Micheal Laub and co-produced by The Hebbel Theatre Berlin, performing extensively throughout Europe. She also performed with Mac Theatre Belfast and The Belfast Opera House. Her NYC credits include The Classic Stage Company, The Barrow Group, The Players Club, and Cherry Lane Theatre. Stephanie has worked with Prism Stage Company (and playwright Judith Estrine) since 2016. Film credits include productions by Lions Gate Pictures, Focus Features, and Cannes indies. When not performing, Stephanie brings yoga, mindfulness, sound vibration and botanical elixirs to companies, private clients, universities, and studios. She is represented by A3 Artists and KMR Artists Agency,and is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA and the Actors Equity Association. | stephanieweyman.com
TATYANA KOT (Annie Moran onstage, Choreographer, Voice of Phantom) was born in the Soviet Union, trained and performed with a ballet company, earned an MA in History & Archaeology, and has worked with people with disabilities for 15 years in Kentucky and NYC. She is a breast cancer survivor and advocate. RECOGNITION: Best Actress winner at Planet Connections Theater Festivity, Midtown International Theater Festival and First Prize at Secondo Theater Festival (Zurich, Switzerland). She has been a company member of Blessed Unrest: Touch (2021), The Snow Queen (2017), Doruntine (Zurich-2016, NYC -2015), Bodies: Anatomies of Being (2015 & 2016), Christmas Carol (2013), Euridyce's Dream (2013). She was also a company member of Nylon Fusion Theater Company: Candlelight (2021), Tales with Teeth ( 2019), The Chaplin Plays (2016-2019), Snowfall in Berlin (2014), Marina/Mata Hari (2013), and the dance company NISHIKAWA Collective 2011-2021. A virtual reality (VR) immersive documentary about her life with cancer NORMAL DAY was internationally released in 2018. | actresstatyanakot.com
JOSEPH BOWEN* (Boss Loader / Butler / US Edward Clark, George Sieber) Joe’s New York credits include Measure for Measure with Hamlet Isn’t Dead, As You Like It with the Mechanicals, Harold and Rodney Play Chess at the Cherry Lane, and All for Joe at the Duke on 42nd Street. His Chicago and regional credits include Leaving Iowa at the Royal George Theater, Sunday in the Park with George at Ravinia Festival, Richard II and Cyrano de Bergerac at PlayMakers Repertory Co., She Stoops to Conquer, Amadeus, The Crucible, and Pride and Prejudice at New Harmony Theatre. Film credits include Sonnet 88 (NYSX’s Sonnet Project), Ten, Gless, and Freudian Slip. | josephbowen.biz | FB: joe.bowen11
CHANGES*** APRIL 29, APRIL 30, MAY 1st
SEWING THE DREAM was set to open Tuesday April 26th, but an 11th-hour positive COVID test required immediate changes to the show structure in order to move forward.
The show went on thanks to choreographer Tatyana Kot (see above) who acted and danced “Annie” to life onstage, and actress-singer Kerry Conte*, who lent her remarkable voice from stage left while also performing the title role in FINDING MADAME CURIE in this same festival! We cannot thank Tatyana, Kerry and FMC’s team enough for the generous sharing of talent and time to keep our production running!
KERRY CONTE* (voicing Annie Moran) is also Marie Curie in Finding Madame Curie. National Tour: Betty in White Christmas, Winifred, u/s Mary in Mary Poppins, Pre-Broadway: Roman Holiday, Off-Broadway: Hey, Look Me Over!, Lady, Be Good! (Encores!), The Streets of New York (Irish Rep), York, 92nd St Y. Regional: Eliza in My Fair Lady, Mary in Mary Poppins (Theatre by the Sea/North Shore), Irene in Hello, Dolly!, Julie in Carousel, Sarah in Guys and Dolls (MT Wichita/ Symphony), Muny, New London Barn. Kerry’s recording of “Tennessee Waltz” is now available for digital download. www.kerryconte.com
