Photo Flash: Boomerang's MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

The Boomerang Theatre Company (Tim Errickson, Artistic Director; Sue Abbott, Managing Director) kicked off their 2011 season with an outdoor production of Shakespeare's Much Ado about Nothing, directed by Daniel Talbott and starring Sara Thigpen and Nate Miller. The production opened June 18th and played it's final performance on July 17th in Central Park. Check out www.boomerangtheatre.org for more information and upcoming shows.

When returning soldiers come home from war, the romantic battles begin! Beatrice loves and hates Benedick at the same time, returning his amour with each stinging put down and quip. Benedick loves the game when he's winning, and despises Beatrice when he's not. On the sundrenched hills of Italy, hearts are won, lost and won again all for the glory of true love...and who can get the last word in.

The cast for Much Ado about Nothing included Edward Carnevale, Colby Chambers, Jon Dykstra, John Egan, Alex Engquist, Brad Lewandowski, Sevrin Anne Mason, Nate Miller, Ralph Petrarca, Maria Peyramaure, Laura Ramadei, Erik Sherr, Sid Solomon, Mark Souza, Jelena Stupljanin, Sara Thigpen and Scott Witebsky. The creative team includes Carolyn Pallister (costumes), Carrie Brewer (fight direction), Becky Byers (choreography) and Jessica Pecharsky (production stage management).

Sara Thigpen has worked extensively with Boomerang Theatre Company, as both an actor and a director, for nearly a decade. She has appeared in their productions of Burning the Old Man (2005 NYIT Award for Outstanding Actress in a Featured Role), King Lear, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and directed their outdoor production of The Tempest last summer. Other New York acting credits include the world premieres of Last Call (Theater for the New City) and Marvelous Shrine (Three Crows Theater).

Nate Miller recently starred in Squealer at Theatre for the New City, directed by Daniel Talbott. Miller was also featured in Keep Your Baggage With You... for Lesser America Theatre Co. He is a recent graduate of Juilliard.

Daniel Talbott is the artistic director of Rising Phoenix Rep (recipient of the 2007 NYIT Caffe Cino Fellowship Award). Recent directing work includes the remount of The Umbrella Plays (the teacup company/The Tank following the original production in FringeNYC 2008 - Overall Excellence Award: Outstanding Play), Keep Your Baggage With You (at all times) (Theater for the New City), Afterclap by Daniel Reitz, Birthday and Nobody, both by Crystal Skillman (Rising Phoenix Rep). His play Slipping was produced at Rattlestick Theatre (named one of the top ten plays of 2009 by The Advocate), premiered in Chicago at The Side Project, and was part of the International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival. His play What Happened When was produced at HERE Arts Center. He received a 2007 New York Innovative Theatre Award for directing, a Drama-Logue Award, two Dean Goodman Choice Awards and a Judy Award for acting.

The Boomerang Theatre Company is an award-winning Off-Off-Broadway theatre company based in New York City. Boomerang annually produces a season composed of three programs: free outdoor Shakespeare productions in parks throughout NYC; an indoor repertory series of new, classic and neglected plays; and FIRST FLIGHT, a new play development festival of workshops and readings.
In the past twelve years, the Boomerang Theatre Company has produced 46 full productions, including seven world premieres, seven New York City premieres and reinvented producing in repertory for small theatres. In 2008, the company was the recipient of the Caffe Cino Fellowship from the New York Innovative Theatre Awards for consistent production of outstanding work. Boomerang has been awarded two New York Innovative Theatre Awards for Burning the Old Man by Kelly McAllister (out of six nominations), a 2002 OOBR Award for The Misanthrope by Moliere, and was selected as a September 2005 recipient of The STAR Initiative from WNYC radio. The company also presented the United States premiere of Irvine ("Trainspotting") Welsh's You'll Have Had Your Hole in the NYC International Fringe Festival. Two plays produced by Boomerang have been published in annual Plays and Playwrights anthologies.

Photo Credit: Addie Johnson-Talbott