Bad Jazz

November 4–25, 2007
EnglandU.S. Premiere
Bad Jazz takes a comically scathing look at theatre artists pursuing a shared dream, as an actress takes a role that puts her sanity at risk, an actor struggles to remain true to his artistic ideals, and a director drives his company past the point of reason. When the lines between reality and performance begin to blur, relationships are tested and this group of desperate souls must ask themselves how far they’re prepared to go for art’s sake.
Meet the Artists
Bio coming soon

Trip Cullman (Director) Most recent credits include: The Rose Tattoo (Broadway, 2019), Choir Boy (Broadway, 2019) and Lobby Hero (Broadway, 2018). He previously directed Adam Bock's The Drunken City and Sarah Schulman's Manic Flight Reaction at Playwrights Horizons. Other New York credits include Adam Bock's Swimming in the Shallows, Leslye Headland's Bachelorette and Terrence McNally's Some Men (Second Stage); Lloyd Suh's American Hwangap, Robert Farquhar's Bad Jazz, Roland Schimmelpfennig's Arabian Night and Brooke Berman's Smashing (The Play Company); Gina Gionfriddo's US Drag (stageFARM); Bert V. Royal's Dog Sees God (The Century Center); Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa's Dark Matters (Rattlestick Theater); Jonathan Tolin's The Last Sunday in June (Century Center and Rattlestick Theater); Glen Berger's The Wooden Breeks (MCC Theater); Paul Weitz's Roulette (EST); Rinne Groff's Of a White Christmas (Clubbed Thumb); Gary Sunshine's Sweetness and Brooke Berman's Sam and Lucy (both at Summer Play Festival '04) and The Wau Wau Sisters (Ars Nova). Regional credits include the World Premiere of Lloyd Suh's American Hwangap (Magic Theatre), Six Degrees of Separation (Old Globe) the World Premiere of Richard Greenberg's The Injured Party at South Coast Rep, Keith Huff's A Steady Rain and The Petersons Project (both at New York Stage and Film), Lauren Weedman's Rash (The Empty Space, Seattle), John Guare's Six Degrees of Separation (The Old Globe, San Diego). Training: Yale School of Drama.

Rob Campbell (Actor) The Physicists with Roger Rees (Williamstown Theatre Festival).  Upcoming: premiere of Theresa Rebek’s Our House (Denver Theatre Center).  Broadway:  Translations, Ivanov.  Off-Broadway and regional credits include:  Small Tragedy (Obie Award, Lortel nomination), The Treatment, As You Like It, King Lear, Him, In The Blood, 365 Plays/365 Days (NYSF), The Illusion, Living Room In Africa, Hour of the Lynx, Mad Forest (Drama Desk nomination), The Beard of Avon, The Cocktail Hour, Aphrodisiac, Gone Home, The Seagull, Mojo, Wasp, Tough, Hamlet (title role), The Glass Menagerie, The Orphan of Zhao, Snow In June, Ark & The Covenant (London).  10 seasons with the O’Neill Playwrights Conference.  Film and TV:  “Unforgiven”, “The Crucible”, “Boys Don’t Cry”, “Hedwig & the Angry Inch”, “Ethan Frome”, “The Stars Fell On Henrietta”, “Hostile Waters”, “Liberty”, “Snow Days”, “Normandie”, “The Wonder Boys”, “Lone Justice”, “The Photographer”, “City of Ghosts”, “Dark Matter”, “Criminal Intent”, “Sex & the City”, “Law & Order”, “Hope & Faith”, “NY Undercover”, “Ned Blessing”, “Brotherhood.

Colby Chambers (Actor) Off-Broadway: Father's Day (59E59), Dog Sees God and Giovanni in Tis Pity She's a Whore. Regional credits include Mozart in Amadeus (Asolo Repertory), Skeet Miller in Floyd Collins (The Berkshire Theatre Festival), Beautiful Thing and Wit (Human Race) as well as Modern House (New York Theatre Workshop at Dartmouth) and The Paradise Project (The Sundance Theatre Lab). Juilliard: Andre in Three Sisters, Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro, Touchstone in As You Like It, The American Occupation, Macbeth, Richard III and the son in Six Characters in Search of an Author. Television: “Guiding Light”. Education: Juilliard, Oxford in England and The College-Conservatory of Music at The University of Cincinnati. Colby is an Arts awardee for the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts.

Darren Goldstein (Actor) New York: Gutenberg! The Musical (Actor's Playhouse), Mary Rose (Vineyard), Abigail's Party (The New Group, Lortel Nom. Best Featured Actor), Terrorism (The New Group/The Play Company), St. Crispin's Day (Rattlestick Theatre).     Regional: Shakespeare Theatre, Capital Rep. Theater. TV: "Damages", "Law and Order: Criminal Intent", "As the World Turns". MFA: NYU's Graduate Acting Program.

Marin Ireland (Actor) New York: Cyclone (Studio Dante – 2006 OBIE for Performance), The Ruby Sunrise (Public), Manuscript (Daryl Roth), Sabina (Primary Stages), Fighting Words (Underwood), Harlequin Studies (Signature), Savannah Bay (CSC), Where We're Born (Rattlestick), Nocturne, Far Away (both NYTW), Beebo Brinker Chronicles (4th St). Some regional: Mauritius (Huntington--2006 IRNE Award, Elliot Norton nom), Heartbreak House (Goodman), The Bells (McCarter), 4.48 Psychosis (Royal Court, American tour). “Law & Order” trifecta. Upcoming film: “Suburban Girl”, “Brief Interviews with Hideous Men”, “Loss of a Teardrop Diamond”, “Dancing with Shiva”, “The Understudy”, others. NYTW Usual Suspect.

Ryan O'Nan (Actor) Off-Broadway debut: Bad Jazz. New York credits include: Animals (written by and starred in) The 2007 NY Fringe Festival, Miss Julie, Tricks (Riant Theatre). Other credits include: Alan Strang in Equus, Torch in Beirut, Harry/Jerry in Cloud 9.  Ryan is the recipient of the  Grand Prize for best feature screenplay at the 2006 Expo 5 Screenwriting Conference for his work “Chu and Blossom”, as well as Best Actor for his role in the short film “You’ve Got Male” at the 2007 Asian American Film Festival.  Ryan received his B.F.A from Rutgers University. He would like to thank Estelle Lasher and Bonnie Bernstein for their amazing support.

Dane Laffrey (Set Designer, Costume Designer)

Ben Staton (Lighting Designer) New York: Die Mommie Die! (New World Stages), Walmartopia, The Musical; Spalding Gray: Stories Left To Tell (Minetta Lane), A Feminine Ending; Essential Self-Defense (Playwrights Horizons), In a Dark Dark House (MCC @ The Lortell), Sandra Bernhard: Everything Bad & Beautiful (The Daryl Roth), Play Yourself; Light Raise The Roof; Bexley, OH!; & Throw Pitchfork (NYTW), The Thugs (Soho Rep), The Triple Happiness & The Dear Boy (Second Stage), Orange Flower Water & Stone Cold Dead Serious (Edge Theater), Finer Noble Gases & American Sligo (Rattlestick Theater). Regional: Godspell (Paper Mill Playhouse), The Atheist; Persephone; & Love’s Labour’s Lost (Huntington Theatre), Altar Boyz (Chicago, St. Louis, Cincinnati) The Cook (Hartford Stage), The Crucible (Actors Theater of Louisville), Bus Stop & The Chekhov Cycle (Williamstown Theater Festival), Loot (Intiman), The Great Game (Duke Theater Previews).

Bart Fasbender (Sound Design) Recent/current designs: Slag Heap, Women on Fire and 2003 – 2005 Mentor Projects at Cherry Lane; Boozy at The Culture Project (previously at The Ohio); Reasons for Return at Symphony Space and Are We Here Yet at Tribeca PAC for MoCo; Barbara Bush Never Slept Here, Gheri Dosti and William Hoffman's Shoe Palace Murray at Bernie West Theatre for Circle East; Trust at The Kirk and Sakharam Binder at 59E59 for The Play Company; Legal Snarls, Mark Medoff's Same Life Over and Lakawana Rails Radio Plays for TNT in PA, Pen Pals, Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey's Woman of Independent Means and Joanna's Husband and David's Wife at PPT in VA.

Mr. Farquhar has a wonderful way of being droll and outrageous at the same time. Quite a ride.”
–The New York Times

a constant surprise…The play’s ingredients could make a cynical black comedy, but instead are whipped into a buoyant celebration.” –Variety

absolutely hilarious” –TheaterMania

Related Productions

Written by

Robert Farquhar

Directed by

Trip Cullman

Featuring

Rob Campbell Colby Chambers Darren Goldstein Marin Ireland Ryan O’Nan Susie Pourfar

Set and Costume Design

Dane Laffrey

Lighting Design

Ben Stanton

Sound Design

Bart Fasbender

Production Stage Manager

Marion Friedman

Production Manager

Neal Wilkinson

Venue

The Ohio Theatre 66 Wooster Street New York, NY