Torch Song
Arnold Beckoff is a drag queen in NYC. What does he want in life? Happiness! A husband, a child, and respect from his Jewish mother! Taking place in the 1970/80s, the award-winning comedy Torch Song Trilogy helped set the stage for the emergence of LGBTQIA+ rights and the fight for human dignity. Updated by the playwright in 2017, with tenderness and great humor, Torch Song reminds us how fragile those rights remain.
PARENTAL DISCRETION ADVISED: SEXUAL CONTENT
Neal Beckman (Arnold) is excited to return to Six Points Theater, having previously been in Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins. Most recently he was in Alice in Wonderland at Children's Theatre Company, Boy Wonder with History Theatre, Hamlet at the Guthrie Theater, and Kung Fu Zombie Saga with Theater Mu. He received his training from Fordham University and the Actor's Workout at the Guthrie Theater.
Steve Mallers (Ed) is grateful to be making his Six Points Theater and Minnesota debut. He previously called San Francisco home, where he worked with Boxcar Theatre, The Speakeasy; Left Coast Theatre Company, The Laramie Project and both the Short-Lived and San Francisco Olympians festivals. While there, he also served on the boards of site-integrated theater company We Players and the sketch comedy troupe Killing My Lobster. Steve's on-camera work spans local and national independent feature films, episodics, shorts, and commercials. When not acting, he enjoys exercising his imagination by playing with his two kids. Steve would not be here without the unwavering love and support of his wife and best friend, Laura.
Kendall Kent (Laurel) is happy to be making her debut with Six Points Theater. Previous credits include For the People at the Guthrie Theater, A Streetcar Named Desire at Yellow Tree Theatre, Hooded; Or Being Black for Dummies at Mixed Blood Theatre, among others. She received her BFA from the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater BFA Actor Training Program and studied in Oxford, England, with the British American Drama Academy last summer. Thank you for being here and enjoy the show!
J. Antonio Teodoro (Alan) is making his Six Points Theater debut, with previous Twin Cities appearances at Pantages World Theater, Hecuba, and Phoenix Theater, The Elephant. Prior to moving to the Twin Cities as a transfer student at the University of Minnesota, he also performed with Unity Theatre (Brenham, Texas), The Diary of Anne Frank, Pinocchio, Alice in Wonderland; Theatre Under the Stars (Memphis, Tenn.); This is Water Theatre (College Station, Texas), These Shining Lives, Of Serpents & Sea Spray; and Houston Grand Opera, The House Without a Christmas Tree.
Charlie Peterson (David) is thrilled to be returning to Six Points Theater for the second time after having been in TRAYF. He is a senior at Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists and has performed all around the Twin Cities with the help of his school. Throughout his education, he has had the opportunity to perform with Ten Thousand Things Theater, The Southern Theater, and The Crane Theater. Charlie will be attending the University of Minnesota next fall and plans to pursue a degree in Theater.
Nancy Marvy (Mrs. Beckoff) has appeared on many stages in the Twin Cities including Six Points Theater where she was in SHUL and the world premiere of We Are The Levinsons by SURVIVORS playwright Wendy Kout. Other local stages include Fringe Festival where she was Pearl in Pearl and Eugene, One Last Shtick, Guthrie Theater, Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, Illusion Theater, Fitzgerald Theater, Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, History Theatre and Mixed Blood Theatre. Film and television credits include Rosa Coletti in Happy Days and Mother in Untamed Heart.
Cast
Production Artists
Craig Johnson (Director) is a long time actor and director in the Twin Cities with over 250 production credits at many area theaters. At Six Points Theater he directed Uncle Philip's Coat, A Pickle, The Chanukah Guest, Mizlansky/Zalinsky or 'schmucks,' and Becoming Doctor Ruth, and acted in Jest a Second! He's worked at many other Twin Cities theaters including the Jungle Theater, Theater Latté Da, Park Square Theatre, and History Theatre. He teaches theater at the University of Minnesota. Recognition includes Ivey Awards for acting and directing, and Theater Artist of the Year from City Pages and Lavender.
Alex Church (Assistant Director & Dramaturg) is excited to be making his debut at Six Points Theater.
He's a performer, playwright, director, and dramaturg. Alex has worked on all sides of the stage with the Guthrie Theater, Children's Theatre Company, Full Circle Theater, Illusion Theater, Jackdonkey Productions, Minnesota Fringe Festival, and Eden Prairie Players. His projects have received grant funding from the Lake Region Arts Council, Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, and the University of Minnesota. Upcoming shows include his play Dutch: Made in America at the 2024 Minnesota Fringe Festival, and being the dramaturg for a new musical, The Garden, with Children’s Theatre Company.
Michael Hoover (Scenic Design) returns to Six Points Theater after designing Sisters in Law, Two Jews Walk Into A War...,The People's Violin, Promise of America, O my God!, Shul, Actually, The Last Schwartz, Natasha and the Coat, Collected Stories, We Are the Levinsons, The Whipping Man, Dai (enough), Bad Jews, and The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife, among others. Michael has designed for Guthrie Theater, Theater Latté Da, History Theatre, Torch Theatre, Girl Friday Productions, and Yellow Tree Theatre. Most recently, he was the Lead Scenic Artist at the Guthrie Theater.
Barb Portinga (Costume Design) is excited to be back at Six Points Theater, most recently having worked on Groupthink, Significant Other and many other Six Points Theater plays. Barb has been the costume designer for both Anoka-Ramsey Community College and Minneapolis Community and Technical College for more than two decades. She's also the proprietor for Portable Costumes.
Todd M. Reemtsma (Lighting Design) is delighted to return to Six Points Theater having previously worked on SURVIVORS, The Wanderers, Two Jews Walk Into A War... Chanukah in the Dark, The People's Violin, Operation: Immigration and Significant Other. He has designed lighting for American Repertory Theatre-Director’s Lab (Cambridge, Mass.), Gallery Players (Brooklyn, N.Y.), and Footsteps Theater Company (Chicago, Ill.), as well as St. Croix Festival Theatre (St. Croix Falls, Wis.), for Man of La Mancha, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Anita Kelling (Sound Design) returns to Six Points Theater where she last worked on SURVIVORS, TRAYF, Two Jews Walk Into A War…, all three plays for the New-Play Reading Festival: The Book of Vashti, Book of Hours and Groupthink, and Chanukah in the Dark. She has also designed for Park Square Theatre, Mixed Blood Theatre, Girl Friday Productions, Prime Productions, Theater Mu, Walking Shadow Theatre Company, Yellow Tree Theatre, Stage North Theatre Company, Freshwater Theatre, Theatre in the Round, 20% Theatre Company, The Chameleon Theatre Circle, Normandale Community College, and SteppingStone Theatre. Anita holds a BA in Theatre Arts from the University of Minnesota.
Bobbie Smith (Properties Design) is happy to be back at Six Points Theater having last designed for TRAYF. He has designed props for more than 21 shows at Theatre in the Round, most recently Mystery of Chimney Manor, and stage-managed three others. Locally, he has stage-managed for Gray Space Performance Company, and has designed props for Sidekick Theater, Walking Shadow, and Tedious Brief Productions. In Salt Lake City, Bobbie was resident stage manager for Children’s Theater at Promised Valley Playhouse. Bobbie has a degree in radio and TV broadcasting.
Elizabeth Desotelle (Intimacy Director) has been in the performing arts for over 30 years and is honored to be working with Six Points Theater. Intimacy Directors help actors, and all members of a production, advocate for equity, consent and safer boundaries in the workplace. Elizabeth has received the Consent Forward Artist Certification from Intimacy Directors & Coordinators (IDC) in New York City. Her credits include over 100 hours of combined studies and workshop classes at IDC and Theatrical Intimacy Education (TIE) in North Carolina. Recent credits: Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, (Jersey Boys and Beautiful - The Carole King Musical), History Theatre, (Diesel Heart and The Defeat of Jesse James).
Brady Whitcomb (Technical Director) is returning to Six Points Theater having worked on The Moneylender’s Daughter, after making his debut with Sisters in Law. Other theaters he's worked at include: Lakeshore Players Theatre, (La Cage aux Folles, Calendar Girls, Christmas Story, Singin' in the Rain); SOAR Regional Arts, (Grease, Clue, Addams Family, Mary Poppins JR., The Sound of Music, The Diary of Anne Frank); and Cross Community Players, (Footloose, Legally Blonde). Brady works as a set designer and technical/build director for multiple north west Twin Cities schools. He's from Andover, Minn., and in addition to being a scenic designer, he's also an artist of many mediums including photography, mixed media, and animation.
Miranda Shunkwiler (Stage Manager) returns to Six Points Theater after working on The Moneylender's Daughter, Sisters in Law, The Wanderers, TRAYF, Uncle Philip's Coat, Groupthink, the New-Play Reading Festival, Chanukah in the Dark, and The People's Violin. Born and raised in the Twin Cities, she has been blessed to be a part of the theater community, working with companies such as History Theatre, Theater Mu, New Native Theatre, Stages Theatre Company, Minneapolis Musical Theatre, Classical Actors Ensemble, and many more.
Becca Kravchenko (Assistant Stage Manager) is happy to be returning to Six Points Theater after working on SURVIVORS and Sisters In Law. She has previously spent many years in the Twin Cities theater community as an electrician and carpenter. Some of the companies she has worked with in the past include Park Square Theatre, Mixed Blood Theatre, and Chanhassen Dinner Theatres. She has a BA in Theatre Arts from Augsburg University.
Harvey Fierstein (Playwright) is the author of the Tony-winning hit, Kinky Boots, as well as Torch Song Trilogy (Tony, Drama Desk and Obie Awards), La Cage aux Folles (Tony and Drama Desk Awards), Newsies (Tony nominated), Casa Valentina (Tony nominated), A Catered Affair (12 Drama Desk nominations), Safe Sex (Ace Award), Legs Diamond, Spookhouse, Flatbush Tosca, Common Ground and more. He has recently rewritten The Wiz for live TV broadcast, and penned a revised book for Funny Girl. His political editorials have been published in the New York Times, TV Guide and the Huffington Post and broadcast on PBS's In the Life. His children's book, The Sissy Duckling (Humanitas Award), is now in its fifth printing. As an actor, Fierstein is known worldwide for his performances in films including Mrs. Doubtfire, Independence Day, and Bullets Over Broadway, on stage in Hairspray (Tony Award), Fiddler on the Roof, La Cage aux Folles, Torch Song Trilogy (Tony Award), and on TV shows such as Smash, How I Met Your Mother, The Good Wife, Cheers, (Emmy nomination), The Simpsons, Family Guy, and Nurse Jackie.