Saving Throw Versus Love

Joe Aiello* (Bill)

Joe was last seen in the Theatre Unplugged productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream (Oberon) and The Rimers of Eldritch (Skelly) for MTB Studios here in New York City. Last fall, he directed Sorta Love Songs: The Songs of Burkell & Loesel at Birdland. Joe was resident actor and director at Michigan's Barn Theatre for 27 seasons. There he appeared in over 150 productions including The Producers (Max), Fiddler on the Roof (Tevye), M. Butterfly (Gallimard), La Cage Aux Folles (Albin/ZaZa), The Odd Couple (Oscar), Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Valmont) and half the town in both Greater Tuna and A Tuna Christmas. Directing credits include She Loves Me (with Marin Mazzie), Sweeney Todd (with Tom Wopat) and Lost in Yonkers (with Kim Zimmer).

Kerry Flanagan* (Carol)

Kerry Flanagan received her BA from Fordham University and her MFA from New School University (Actors Studio Drama School). She has appeared in many CRY HAVOC productions, including The Median Line and Romeo & Juliet. Other New York productions include the rock musical Jessie, several installments ofThe Chris Betz Show, Al Takes a Bride, Jesus Christ Superstar, and It's Karate, Kid! - The Musical (winner of NYIT award for best new musical), among others. She has also appeared in several readings of new musicals in development with Hell's Kitchen Musicals. She is a background vocalist for The Eden White Band, with whom she performed at Lilith Fair. Kerry is a member of Actors Equity, a lifetime member of The Actors Studio, and a Resident Artist and Artistic Associate of The CRY HAVOC Company.

Matt Hammond  (Gary)

Matthew received his BA from Oakland University in Rochester Michigan and his MFA from the Actors Studio Drama School. His stage credits include One for the Road, Wild Honey, The Seagull, Children of a Lesser God, Artist Descending a Staircase, Hell of a Mess, Our Town, and Two Noble Kinsmen including others. His film credits include Waiting for the Blackout, Magda, 15 Waffles, It’s all relative, and Breaking Apart among others.

Rob Marnell*  (Sam)

Rob Marnell is delighted to be a part of this project!  Originally from Kingston, NY, he grew up in North Carolina and holds a B.F.A. in music theatre from Elon University.  NYC: The Dirty Hippie Jam Band Project, Love Sucks (NYMF), The Water Coolers (National Industrial Comedy), & Tinyard Hill.  Favorite Regional Roles: Fabrizio (The Light in the Piazza), Orin/ Dentist (Little Shop), George (Sunday in the Park With George).  Aside from singing about his feelings, you can find Rob playing the drums for numerous NYC bands and doing improv comedy at UCB.

Dan McCabe*  (Kenny)

Theatre:  Len, Asleep in Vinyl (2nd Stage), Tea and Sympathy (Keen Co.) Pen (Playwright's Horizon) The Dear Boy (2nd Stage) Trust (Play. Co), DOnnie Darko (A.R.T) The Lieutenant of Inishmore (St. Louis Rep), Millicent Scowlworthy (SPF)

Film/TV:  War Eagle Arkansas, The Namesake, The Cake Eaters, "Law and Order"  "Nurse Jackie" 

Michael "Tuba" McKinsey* (Mark)

Tuba loves Role Playing.  As an actor--that’s how he pays his bills!  Though not a Dungeon and Dragons guy himself, he still spends plenty of time in Fantasy Land following his beloved Seattle Mariners.  Fantasy Baseball is serious business!  Most recently seen at the Arden Theater in Philly, Tuba barked his way across the stage as the Boatman in Sunday in the Park with George.  National: Cameron Mackintosh’s Oliver!  NYC:  La Tourista, The Screams of Kitty Genovese, Angels, The Dirty Hippie Jam Band Project, many others.  Favorite Regionals include:  Ford’s Theatre (Helen Hayes Nomination for The Civil War), Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Papermill Playhouse, Perseverance Theater, Gateway Playhouse, Majestic Theater.  Tuba has also created roles in new shows for Tony Winner’s Lucy Simon, Urinetown’s Hollmann and Kotis, and this past winter with legendary comedian Jerry Lewis and Marvin Hamlisch on a new musical version of The Nutty Professor.  Thanks to Dann and Larry, KK, Craig, and the NY Fam.  Much love to Ma, Pa, Sis, and the boys!  Game on. 

Tia Speros*  (Phyllis) 

Off-Broadway: Tin Pan Alley Rag, Roundabout Theatre Company, The Taffetas (original cast album), The Cocoanuts;  Regional: Caroline, or Change (Rose) The Studio Theatre, DC, Guys and Dolls (Adelaide) at the Long Wharf Theatre and Maltz Jupiter Theatre.; Footloose (Ethel) Sacramento Music Circus;  George M! (Agnes) Goodspeed; Company (Amy) Huntington Theater Co, Missouri Rep. Theatre; The Wizard of Oz (Wicked Witch), On the Town (Hildy) North Shore Music Theater, Lucky Stiff (Helen Hayes nom.) and Marry Me A Little at the Olney Theater Harvey (Myrtle Mae) Cincinnati Playhouse, among others.  Film and TV: Believe (Independent Short), Out of the Box (The Disney Channel).

*courtesy of Actors' Equity

 Larry Brenner (Playwright)

Larry Brenner is proud to have        Saving Throw Versus Love in production at this year's Fringe Festival. In 2004,The King and the Condemned was published as part of the Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Festival Play Series (29th Series) and has had several productions across the country. Other honors include winning the 2001 Nantucket Short Play Festival (The Coffin), the 1999 Maxim Mazumdar New Play Competition (A Prometheus Rebound), participating in the 2006 New York Fringe Festival (Godversations), and the 2010 Greensboro Fringe Festival (The Box).

 Dann Fink  (Director)

 A finalist for the SDC Ockrent Fellowship, and the Coward Fellowship for Comedic Direction, Dann Fink, recently directed the New York premiere of Paul Lucas’ The Dice House, the world premiere of Infernal by MT Cozzola (La Mama’s New Voices), Natalie Wilson’s All in the Shuffle and A-One and a Two, Off-Off Broadway.  He most recently was the associate on Harbor Lights Theatre’s Stephen Schwartz: Making Music, and he co-created and directed Songs My Father Loved by John Leone.   Dann won the Shotgun Theatre Best in Fest award for the recession themed comedy, Number 16?, and Bryan Batt’s one-man show Live at the Met!, (Bistro Award), led to his work on the New York and National Tour of Dixie’s Tupperware Party. Dann wrote and directed The Ameri-Cans! and  Tony & Tia’s Pilgrim-a-Palooza for Comedy Central (Gold Muse Award).  Regional credits include being the Artistic Director of North Shore Music Theatre’s Summer Stages ’08; and he has proudly assisted both Rob Ashford and Kathleen Marshall.   Selected film and television ADR Direction includes Martin Scorcese’s Boardwalk Empire, Nurse Jackie, Salt, MacGruber, Rachel Getting Married, Ice Age and Sex and the City, the series.  He is a member of the Lincoln Center Directors Lab and Directors Lab West, a member of The Groundlings, founding member of LA Theatresports and a veteran of Broadway and regional theatres throughout the country.  Future projects include the planned Off-Broadway production of The Dice House, Bryan Batt’s one-man show Batt on a Hot Tin Roof and Harbor Lights’ Back to Bacharach.

Scott DelaCruz (Production Stage Manager)

Stephen Dobay (Set Designer)

Julia Fishenfeld  (Assistant Stage Manager)

Tia Mapes (Authorized Company Representative)

Joe Skowronski (Lights)

Nicky Smith (Costumes)

Emma Wilk (Sound Designer)

Emma Wilk is a freelance sound designer and technician.  She has done sound design at the Williamstown Theater Festival and at several theaters in New York City.  She has worked as a sound technician for the past 3 years, most often at The Public.  She also does freelance DVD design and authoring, as well as projections design.  This is her first time designing for NYC Fringe, and she is excited to be a part of it!