The Bannerman Castle Trust Inc. presents
“The Anastasia File”
By Royce Ryton
Theater Event on Bannerman Island
Examines the Compelling Imperial Romanov Family Mystery
Was she, or was she not the Grand Duchess Anastasia?
September 8th & 9th 2023
The Bannerman Castle Trust proudly presents The Anastasia File by English playwright Royce Ryton, performed on the Bannerman Island Stage for two nights only, Friday and Saturday, September 8th & 9th. This riveting staged reading examines the strange case of the Russian Imperial Romanov family who were killed by revolutionaries on July 16-17, 1918. Nicholas ll of Russia, his wife Alexandra, their five children and several members of their staff all perished that night, or did they…
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This brilliantly executed drama presents the case for and against Mrs. Manahan, who claimed to be the sole Romonov family survivor, Grand Dutchess Anastasia, a.k.a. Princess Anastasia. This staged reading features actors Ron Morehead, Brian C. Petti, Audrey Rapoport and Emily Clare Zempel and is directed by Ron Morehead and Assistant Director, Neil Caplan. Using only four actors to play Mrs. Manahan, a police inspector (who later plays his own son) and an additional actor and actress who play thirty parts between them - this play is a flurry of action! With DNA evidence still inconclusive, audiences are spellbound by this compelling play with a final surprising twist.
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Anastasia (left) and Anna Manahan in her later years. | |
A A compelling evening of mystery and intrigue –
This show should not be missed by serious theater goers, history buffs and anyone looking for a thought-provoking night of exciting drama with a first-rate cast! Event includes sunset tour cruise to and from Bannerman Island from Beacon, NY dock.
For tickets for The Anastasia File please visit www.bannermancastle.org. For more detailed information, please contact Executive Director, Neil Caplan directly at 845-831-6346 or neilcaplan@aol.com. Thank you!
WHO'S WHO IN THE ANASTASIA FILE
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Neil Jacob Caplan (Producer/Assistant Director) is the Executive Director and Founder of The Bannerman Castle Trust, Inc. Neil graduated from University of Maryland with a BA in Theater and further studied voice at The Peabody Institute in Baltimore. He has worked in all aspects of theatre as an actor, singer, director and designer. Neil was the Prop Master at Olympia Dukakis’ The Whole Theater Co. and at Crossroads Theatre Co. He directed, designed and produced Jeffrey Hatcher’s Scotland Road on Bannerman Island last summer. He also directed and designed Stephen King’s Misery at the Cunneen Hackett Cultural Center in Poughkeepsie, NY and in Texas, directed 1776 Irwin Shaw’s Bury the Dead and Noon by Terrance McNally. Neil was the associate producer and set designer for the Off-Broadway production of Royce Ryton’s, I Am Who I Am (The Anastasia File) and also directed 1776 on Bannerman Island with Broadway actors Craig Schulman and Kelly Ellenwood.
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Neil explains the history of the Anastasia File stating “In 1982 my friend, Director Jaemes Esterly discovered British playwright, Royce Ryton’s brilliant play about a woman who claimed to be the Grand Dutchess Anastasia. Together with the help of my dear friend, Diana Kain, who convinced her father to give her money to produce the show. I would assist with production and set design. James put together an outstanding cast and show titled I Am Who I Am and it opened Off-Broadway at the Perry Street Theater in New York City. The play would later be renamed The Anastasia File. The show is dedicated to Diana Kain Sipes, Jaemes Esterly and Emanual Kane.
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Ron Morehead AEA (Director/Actor) was last seen in Jeffrey Hatcher’s Scotland Road presented on Bannerman Island last Summer. Ron has worked with some of Broadway’s most esteemed composers including Marvin Hamlisch, Steven Schwartz (Godspell), David Shire (Baby, Closer Than Ever) and Jason Robert Brown (Parade, The Last 5 Years). He has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Radio City Music Hall, at the White House and at many other venues in roles that include James Vane in Dorian Grey, John Wilkes Booth in Assassins, Pippin in Pippin, Judas in Godspell, the Major General in Pirates of Penzance, Ladislav Sipos in She Loves Me, the Bellboy in Lend Me a Tenor, and many others. For Television, Ron has played Detective Patterson on I, Witness (A.B.C./ I.D.) and has made multiple appearances on Investigation Discovery’s A Crime to Remember, now streaming on Hulu. Ron can also be heard on the World Premiere recording of Vernon Duke’s Sadie Thompson (Original Cast Records) and on Obie Winner Ken Jones’ Lifelines.
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Brian C. Petti (Inspector) An award-winning playwright and actor, Brian’s work has been produced internationally by such companies as Ten Grand Productions, Theatre of NOTE and 5th Wall Productions. His play Next Year in Jerusalem was the winner of the Humboldt State University National Play Contest in California. The Measure of Man and On the Expectation of White Christmases were published by JAC Publishing and Promotions and Banshee was published by Next Stage Press. Echoes of Ireland was recently produced in County Cork, Ireland by the Skibbereen Theatre Society and published through Eldridge Plays and Musicals. Ten Seconds was produced by Motivational Theatre as winner of the Carlton E. Spitzer Excellence in Playwrighting Award and The Love Song of Sidney J. Stein was part of the NYC Fresh Fruit Festival and was the winner of Las Vegas Little Theatre New Works Competition. Most recently, Banshee was produced by Theatre of NOTE in Hollywood, CA and Like Drowning was produced by 5th Wall Productions in Charleston, SC. His play Heroines had its world premiere at Cornerstone Theatre Arts in Goshen, NY.
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Audrey Rapoport AEA (Actress) Born and raised in Ulster County, NY, Audrey now splits her time between NYC and her childhood home. She has performed with The Groundlings, Acme Comedy Theatre, and at the Montreal Just for Laughs Festival, Woodstock Comedy Festival, and Austin’s Big Stinkin’ Festival and has performed her own material in numerous shows - including her critically-acclaimed one-person show I Am Rapoport and most recently, STARF*CKERS with James Judd (NPR’s Snap Judgement). Theatre credits include Hay Fever, Good People, Kimberly Akimbo, Sight Unseen; and They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? TV and film credits include Bull, According to Jim, Cheers, Days of Our Lives, Another World, Bob (as in Newhart), The Accidental Tourist, and the Bigsley Project. Audrey is the recipient of the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Natalie Schaefer Award and several Drama-Logue and LA Weekly Drama Awards. She currently teaches acting, writing, and improvisation at the School for Visual Arts, Marymount Manhattan College, and Improvolution NYC.
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Emily Clare Zempel AEA (Anna Manahan) hails from Wisconsin but has called New York home for the past 17 years. Emily was also seen in last year’s production of Scotland Road on Bannerman Island, where she played Dr, Halbrecht. Emily recently debuted her original solo theatre piece A Hero’s Journey, which explored grief through clown, puppetry, mime, and physical theatre. Other acting credits include: Iphigenia at Aulis (La MaMa ETC/Untitled Theatre Company #61), Julius Caesar (Bushwick Shakespeare), Hamlet (Baltimore Shakespeare Festival), Wittenberg (Rep Stage), Love’s Labour’s Lost (Milwaukee Shakespeare, and Much Ado About Nothing (Roosevelt Shakespeare). Emily holds her MFA from Brooklyn College and is a current doctoral researcher at the Shakespeare Institute. Emily has taught several university-level performance courses, including Voice and Speech, Movement, Viewpoints, and Acting.
* Actors appear courtesy of Actor's Equity Association
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Liz Powers (Stage Manager) -- New Paltz. She teaches music and drama at The Mount Academy in Esopus. Among her professional credits, Liz has stage-managed classic theatre productions, written and directed historical reenactments, and she has also been a dramaturg, costume tech, and scenic designer.
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Bill Diamond ( Tech Director) -- is an American puppeteer, puppet fabricator, and producer. He worked for Jim Henson at his New York office, and has won three Emmy Awards for his work on the YES Network. In 2019, Diamond's company, Bill Diamond Productions, was one of the Telly Award's Silver Winners for the Entertainment General-Online category. The company received the award for their production, Gorgo's Christmas Carol narrated by Vincent Price.
- Emma Nicoletti ( Sound engineer)
A compelling evening of mystery and intrigue – this show should not be missed by serious theater goers, history buffs and anyone looking for a thought-provoking night of exciting drama with a first-rate cast! Event includes sunset tour cruise to and from Bannerman Island from Beacon, NY dock.
For tickets for The Anastasia File please visit:
www.bannermancastle.org.
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For more detailed information, please contact Executive Director, Neil Caplan directly at 845-831-6346 or neilcaplan@aol.com. Thank you!
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