By Brian Parks
Directed by Margarett Perry and Natalie Tell
With Matthew Boston, Mark Boyett, Brian Dykstra, and Kate Siahaan-Rigg
It’s a Grave Business. Infamy, riches, and the darkest secrets of the city collide in this fast-paced comedy by two-time Fringe First winner Brian Parks. A clandestine cabal of misfits attempt their ultimate heist. Will these agents of the night seize the coveted prize – or bury themselves? A hilarious world premiere directed by Margarett Perry and Natalie Tell.
Part of 59E59 Theaters' East to Edinburgh 2024
Twilight Theatre Company was founded by Sturgis Warner in 1998 committed to the development of new work. Some highlights include Ted LoRusso's Prelude to the First Day, Suite for Four Actors and Percussionist, Brian Dykstra’s A Play on Words (59E59) and Palestine by Najla Saïd which had a sold-out 9 week Off-Broadway run. Now under the artistic leadership of Margarett Perry, Twilight continues its mission to support new work through readings, workshops, and productions. Last season, Twilight produced two new plays to at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Assembly Rooms — the world premiere of Shortlist by Brian Parks (in collaboration with Flying Bridge Theatre in Wales) and the UK premiere of John Jiler’s The Rosenberg/Strange Fruit Project which will have its New York Off Broadway premiere this summer. This season, Twilight is working with UK artists to bring their work to the US and is producing Watson: The Final Problem and Appraisal at 59E59 Theaters’ Brits Off Broadway Festival as well as bringing two world premiere’s to Edinburgh – Plotters by Brian Parks and Polishing Shakespeare by Brian Dykstra. Twilight’s mission is to develop, workshop, and produce new work and to tell stories that deepen our awareness, encourage compassion, and ignite conversation. www.twilighttheatrecompany.org
Brian Parks (Playwright) is an American playwright whose work has been produced in the US, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. His play Americana Absurdum won the Best Writing Award at the New York International Fringe Festival, and went on to win a Fringe First award at the 2000 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It was one of the first plays staged at London’s Menier Chocolate Factory theater. His other produced plays include Shortlist, The House, Enterprise, The Professor, The Golfer, Goner, The Invitation, Imperial Fizz, American Poodle (Splayfoot), Suspicious Package, and Out of the Way. Enterprise won a Fringe First Award at the 2017 Edinburgh Festival Fringe and is published by Broadway Play Publishing, New York City. Imperial Fizz and The House are published by Josef Weinberger, Ltd., London. The Invitation is published in the collection Plays and Playwrights 2010.
Margarett Perry (Co-director) is an award-winning director of new plays. She has directed and developed new work Off Broadway and in regional theatres across the country as well as in Scotland and London. Her previous 59E59 productions include: Brian Dykstra’s Clean Alternatives (Fringe First Award/Edinburgh), A Play on Words and Education (also by Brian Dykstra), and Body Politic by Richard Abrons & Margarett Perry as well as the East to Edinburgh shows: Shortlist, The Golfer, Clean Alternatives, and No Parole. Margarett directed the world premiere of John Jiler’s The Rosenberg/Strange Fruit Project at New Jersey Repertory Company last spring that went on to perform at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh. Other recent world premieres include: the critically-acclaimed world premieres of Born in East Berlin by Rogelio Martinez and Seared by Theresa Rebeck both at San Francisco Playhouse, The House by Brian Parks (US, London & Scotland), and Banned from Baseball by Patricia O’Hara (Human Race). Margarett was the resident director at The Kitchen Theatre in Ithaca where she has directed over 25 productions including The Thanksgiving Play, Sunset Baby, The Motherfucker with the Hat, Paloma, and world premieres by Brian Parks (The House), Rob Ackerman (Call Me Waldo), Rachel Axler (Archeology), and Brian Dykstra (The Two of You, Strangerhorse). Other recent favorites include: Shrek the Musical (Connecticut Rep), Used to Was/Maybe Did (Center Theatre Group), The Revolutionists (Human Race), and A Doll’s House, Part 2 (Hudson Stage). Margarett was an artistic fellow with the Lark for years and considered it her theatrical home base. www.margarettperry.com
Natalie Tell (Co-director) In the last two years Natalie was the associate director of The Golfer and Shortlist by Brian Parks (59E59 East to Edinburgh & Assembly Rooms at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe) for Twilight Theatre Company. This year she is an associate on both The Rosenberg/Strange Fruit Project by John Jiler and Polishing Shakespeare by Brian Dykstra, and co-directing Plotters by Brian Parks with Margarett Perry (all with Twilight Theatre Company). She is studying directing at the University of Michigan where she directed Horse Girls by Jenny Rachel Weiner and was the assistant director on The Heart of Robin Hood and Clean House by Sarah Ruhl. She would like to thank her support system’s mom and dad, Margarett, and her friends for their guidance and helping her pursue her passion.
Alāna Rader (Assistant Director) is a Brooklyn-based theatre maker/poet. Past credits: On the Sidelines, State of Dis’Union, Asleep at the Wheel, Down the Rabbithole: Into Other Realms (Writer/Director), The Crucible (Co-Director), Something Wicked This Way Comes (Director) Our Town (Co-Director). As a Playwright, she is a two-time Princess Grace Award Semi-Finalist, a Red Bull Theater Short Play Finalist and has been short listed for The Alpine Fellowship. Her plays have also been read by The Barrow Group’s First Fridays Reading Series and PRWF. She is a company member with New Circle Theatre, and Associate Artistic Director of Play Readings with Friends in NYC. Let’s connect & collaborate! www.alanarader.com
Mark Boyett (Actor) is excited to be heading back at Edinburgh, having performed with Brian Dykstra several years ago in Clean Alternatives (Fringe First Award) directed by Margarett Perry. Previous shows at 59E59 include A Play On Words with Brian Dykstra directed by Margarett Perry, Clean Alternatives, and A Woman. Other New York credits: Old Wicked Songs (Promenade Theater), Martin Luther On Trial (Pearl Theater). Regional credits include: Shrek (Connecticut Rep) also directed by Margarett Perry; Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Arms And The Man, The Mystery of Irma Vep (Triad Stage); Dracula (Pioneer Theater Co.), Love Song (Cincinnati Playhouse), Chesapeake (The Kitchen Theater); A Dybbuk, Galileo (The Denver Center); and working with Christopher Hampton on his world premiere of Appomattox at The Guthrie Theater. TV/Film: The Gilded Age (HBO Max), The Tender Bar (Amazon original, directed by George Clooney), Jigsaw (Netflix), Blue Bloods (CBS), Law & Order SVU (NBC), Little America (Apple TV). Mark is an Audie Award-winning narrator of audiobooks with over 300 titles at Audible.com and a graduate of the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University.
Matthew Boston (Actor) is thrilled to be going back at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for the fourth time, having performed Brian Park’s Enterprise (Fringe First), The Golfer, and last season’s critically acclaimed Shortlist. Plotters marks his sixth collaboration with Brian Parks and his 14th collaboration with director Margarett Perry. New York and US regional credits include leading roles at such theatres as Old Globe, Folger Shakespeare Theatre, South Coast Repertory, Yale Rep, Hartford Stage, A.C.T, Berkeley Rep, Intiman Theatre, Huntington Theatre Company, Trinity Rep, Hartford TheaterWorks, Mosaic Theatre Company of DC, Repertory Theater of St Louis, Portland Center Stage, George Street Playhouse, Centerstage, Dallas Theater Center, A Contemporary Theatre (ACT), Two River Theater Company, Cleveland Playhouse, Great Lakes Theatre Festival, The Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Human Race Theatre Company, Northern Stage Company, The Kitchen Theatre, 59E59, SoHo Rep, Working Theatre, as well as many others. His film and television credits include City on a Hill, For Life, Elementary, The Blacklist, Mysteries of Laura, Blue Bloods, Law & Order, The Kitchen, In the Family, Out and About, Ghost Ship, Beat, Camp Wilderness, One Life to Live, and All My Children.
Brian Dykstra (Actor) is an actor, writer and HBO Def Poet. His plays have been presented and produced Off Broadway, in the UK, and in regional theaters across the USA. His play Clean Alternatives received its world premiere Off Broadway at 59E59 Theaters and went on to be awarded a Fringe First at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It has also seen productions at the Kitchen Theatre Company in Ithaca, NY and Yellow Taxi Productions (winning the New Hampshire Theatre Award for Best Original Production). Brian has become a regular at the Kitchen Theatre, with productions of his plays The Two of You, Strangerhorse, The Jesus Factor, A Play on Words, Ho!, Brian Dykstra Selling Out and most recently an encore production of Clean Alternatives. His play Hiding Behind Comets received its world premiere at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park during its 2004 Tony Award-winning season and was awarded the National Theatre Conference Playwright Award. His first solo show, Cornered & Alone, received an extended Off Broadway run and was hailed by critics, but landed him on several watch-lists including the NRA and Rush Limbaugh. He’s currently working on a play about how white men screw up everything called Art Thieves, another play about how social media screws up relationships with a working title of Body & Pole, and two musicals, one based on The Learned Ladies with composer Ray Leslee and Crazy, Make Crazy with songwriter/composer Terry Delsing. Thanks to The Drilling Company for getting this started and to the Resident Acting Company for producing the script in hand performance that led to this production. www.briandykstra.net
Kate Siahaan-Rigg (Actor) is an award-winning artist & activist. Upon graduation from the Juilliard School of Drama, she immediately hit the New York comedy clubs, poetry spaces, and downtown haunts for multi-hyphenate performers with restless hearts. She writes, performs, and produces work for television, film, stage, and dive bars around the world. She is one of only two winners of the Juilliard Interarts Award given to artists who crossed disciplines to create work across the school's divisions. Notable theater world premieres: Wilder Rediscovered (Actors Theater Louisville), Most Fabulous Story Ever Told (New York Theater Workshop), Cygnus (Women’s Project), Three Kinds of Exile (Atlantic), BFE (Playwrights Horizons), The World of Extreme Happiness (Manhattan Theater Club), Collective Rage (Wooly Mammoth), A Thousand Splendid Suns (ACT). Solo shows: Birth of a nASIAN (CTGLA, La Mama ETC/Comedy Central Theater/The Smithsonian Institute), Americasiana (MACLA/Dixon Place/The Smithsonian Institute), Happy Lucky Golden Tofu Panda Dragon Good Time Fun Fun Show (La Mama ETC/Edinburgh Fringe/indie film), Zombie Asian Moms (La Mama ETC). TV: New Amsterdam, Tales of The City, The Path, Law and Order SVU, Law and Order, Family Guy, The Dr. Phil Show (3 seasons). Film: Mile 22, Race Is the Place, That's What She Said, I see you and you see me, Family Guy Movie. Stand-up comic and rapper in stadiums and dive bars around the world. Training: Juilliard. www.katerigg.com IG @kateriggnyc