Tom Rowan's cautionary tale about two college students stranded in a blizzard with a mysterious hitchhiker premieres.
September 4 - 13 at Theater for the New City
The Dream Up Festival in association Theater for the New City (Crystal Field, Artistic Director) presents the World Premiere of THE EDGE MOTEL by Tom Rowan. Tickets are $18, avaliable at www.DreamUpFestival.org. Theater For The New City is located at 155 1st Ave, New York, NY 10003
On a road trip through Colorado, a closeted frat bro and his ex-girlfriend pick up a charming, mysterious hitchhiker. When a blizzard forces them to stop at THE EDGE MOTEL, a troubling secret about the hitchhiker comes to light and sets the stage for a tense night of political debate, private intimacies, and surprising revelations.
THE EDGE MOTEL is directed by Ron Lasko and stars Beckett Fleet, Hannah Heil & Max Andrae. The production team includes Jake Lemmenes (lighting design), Robert Kent (props), Joyce Hahn (costumes), Graydon Gund (sound) and Jack Underwood (stage manager). It is produced by Marty Goldin @ TBD Capital, LLC and Spin Cycle.
THE CAST:
Max Andrae is an actor and graduate of the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City.
Beckett Fleet is thrilled to be making his New York City stage debut! Originally from Colorado, he recently graduated from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. He is grateful to be part of this production and excited to share the stage with such a wonderful cast and creative team.
Hannah Heil (she/her) is honored to be bringing this new play to life on stage. She hails from the mountains of Colorado and studied musical theatre at NYU Steinhardt. NYC credits include Mary/Opera Singer in Natasha…Great Comet of 1812, a swing in Lippa’s The Wild Party, Assassins, and Damnation! The Musical!, which Hannah co-created at NYU. Other favorite credits include Suzy in The Marvelous Wonderettes, Ensemble/US Elizabeth in Young Frankenstein, and Connie in The Effect. Endless thanks to our small and mighty team, and thank YOU for seeing our show! XOXO hannahheil.com / @hannah_heil
THE PRODUCTION TEAM:
Graydon Gund (Sound Designer) Intimate Apparel, Black Box New Play Festival (Gallery Players), Shirley Valentine (Katonah Classic Stage), Observant, Anne Being Frank, Doris Day..., (EAT), Mere Waters (SheNYC), Goddess of the Hunt (Fresh Fruit Fest), A Nantucket Christmas Carol (White Heron Theatre). Upcoming: directing Tom Rowan's Burning Leaves for TOSOS.
Ron Lasko is the co-founder of Spin Cycle, a PR, marketing and event production company. He has served as publicist for artists and venues including BAM's Next Wave Festival, Serious Fun! at Lincoln Center, New York International Fringe Festival, Anne Bogart, Richard Foreman, Philip Glass, Spalding Gray, John Leguizamo, Eric Bogosian, Martha Graham Dance, Bedlam, the cell, Third Rail Projects, The Flea, Karen Finley, Bated Breath, Ars Nova, The Civilians, Elevator Repair Service, Tribeca Performing Arts Center, Baruch Performing Arts Center, and countless performances by the stars of RuPaul’s Drag Race (including Courtney Act, Latrice Royale, Alaska, Trixie Mattel and BenDeLaCreme). As a theater critic, his reviews have appeared in Next, HX and Broadway.com. His NYC directing credits include the long running-immersive hits Bleach, A Gaga Guide to the Lower East Side, and A Eulogy For Roman. His producing credits include Jinkx Monsoon's The Vaudevillians, Jackie Hoffman in Fruma-Sarah, Joan Rivers Live, The Donkey Show, Kiki & Herb: Have Another, and Celebrity Autobiography.
Jacob P.S. Lemmenes (Lighting Designer)is an Actor, Stage Manager and Lighting Designer located in NYC. In 2019 as the Lighting Designer & Production Stage Manager for the Off-Broadway/US premiere of Bleach, he was the first to use nothing but Hue lights and the corresponding app in helping to create and run this immersive production’s world. Most recently he was the Technical Director for Bated Breath Theatre’s Dirty Books. Other Off-Broadway credits: The Housewives of Secaucus: What a Drag! (LD), Crisis Actor (LD), Going Down Swingin’ (SM), The Robin Byrd Show Live (SM), The Facts of Life: The Lost Episode (SM), Restricted (SM) & Joan Rivers’ NYC comedy show (Asst. House Manager). International: Aftershocks (LD & PSM) with NASDA in Christchurch, NZ. BFAs in International Theatre Production and Musical Theatre Performance from Ohio Northern University. JacobPSLemmenes.com
Tom Rowan is the author of Dismantling Prospero, a hit of last year's Dream Up Festival. His other produced plays include GLAAD Media Award nominee Kiss and Cry, David's Play, and The Second Tosca (all published by Next Stage Press), Faye Drummond, and The Blue Djinn. Tom’s libretto for Martin Hennessy’s opera The Young King was heard in concert at the University of Maryland. His books A Chorus Line FAQ and Rent FAQ were published by Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. Tom has worked as a literary manager, casting director, acting teacher, and bookseller, and has directed over seventy-five plays and musicals. He was a Drama League Directing Fellow, is a member of The Ensemble Studio Theatre, and holds an MFA from the University of Washington. www.TomRowan.net
Jack Underwood (he/him) is a New York-based director, stage manager and 2025 graduate of the New School’s Dramatic Arts BFA Program. Stage management and production credits include Wayne’s Gun; Our Price to Pay; Baby Boy; Before the Flood, The Passion of Miss de Marco, Unemployed Stenographer, These Shining Lives, and I Am the Wolf. You can follow Jack’s artistic journey at: https://www.jackroseunderwood.com