MAKE HER HAPPEN
By L.E. McCullough
Directed by Van Dirk Fisher
By L.E. McCullough
Directed by Van Dirk Fisher
Time: Not
too long ago.
Place: A
standard down-at-heels roadside diner on a backwater American highway.
Characters in order of appearance:
Waitress………………Gloria Bangiola
Customer……………..Ejyp Johnson
Customer……………..Ejyp Johnson
Who’s Who….
Gloria Bangiola (Waitress)
has performed in many arenas from opera to Shakespeare and enjoys the
opportunity to stretch her skills and expand her creative horizons. Gloria
graduated from The Conservatory of Music at Brooklyn College (MM ’18) where she
debuted the role of President Winter Green in Brooklyn Baby, a political satire based on Gershwin’s review, Let ‘Em Eat Cake. Following this
engagement, Gloria performed the role of Mina in InterACT Theater’s production
of Dracula, and the role of Gwen in
Bara Swain’s new play Planned Obsolescence
as part of The Gallery Player’s Black Box New Play Festival this January.
Most recently, Gloria took on her first Shakespeare production, performing as
Portia, Octavius, and the Soothsayer in Julius Caesar. Gloria’s classical work spans from the
Baroque to the current day. Gloria has performed such roles as Second Woman in Dido and Aeneas with the Indiana
University Summer Festival Chorus; Adina in L’Elisir
d’Amore, performed in Ischia, Italy; and Papagena in Die Zauberflöte at Indiana University ballet and opera theater.
Recently, Gloria has stepped into the realm of contemporary opera as Lena in
the NYC premiere of Svadba, by Ana
Sokoloviç. In addition to her
theatrical work, Gloria has written, produced, and performed two full-length
albums, Past the Willow and the Well and
Fool’s Gold, both available on
Spotify and iTunes. When she’s not
performing, Gloria is the artistic director of The Washington Heights Choir
School, where she works to bring the joy of performing to her students through
choral singing. Gloria has worked as a teacher both privately and as part of
the New York City Department of Education through the nonprofit: Education
Through Music since moving to the city. Most Notably, Gloria worked as the
Associate Conductor of the West choir of In the Name of the Earth by
John Luther Adams, a work commissioned by Lincoln Center as part of the 2018
Mostly Mozart Festival.
Ejyp Johnson (Customer) is a native of NYC. This Show Time at the Apollo
winner with the deep rich voice has appeared on the Steve Harvey Talk
Show and has sung with the Philly Pops Orchestra under the conduction of
Benjamin Wright. Ejyp is an actor you
may have seen the Netflix or in the movie See You Yesterday, produced by
Spike Lee or Like Father. Ejyp has also had co-star roles in FBI, The Blacklist, Blue
Bloods, Unforgettable, What WE Doin The Shadows on FX. He has modeled
for New York Fashion Week, and has appeared in ad’s and magazines all over the
world. He released a single called Happily Ever… available on most streaming
services. Visit www.ejyp.com
Van
Dirk Fisher (Director) is
the founder and artistic director of the Riant Theatre and the producer of the
Strawberry One-Act Festival. He graduated
from the School of Performing Arts, which the television show FAME was
based on. He received his B.F.A. from
SUNY at Purchase, where he was in the professional acting program. As an actor, Fisher has appeared in several plays, commercials,
voiceovers and soap operas. He founded the
Black Experimental Theatre while attending SUNY at Purchase to provide an
opportunity for plays to be presented that focused on the African
American. In 1991 BET became the Riant
Theatre as it opened its doors in Tribeca and the focus expanded to celebrate
our cultural diversity. He has directed and written several musicals
including: Rock-A My Soul, No Name In
The Street – The Biblical Story of Job, Somebody’s Calling My Name; Sweet Blessings; Tracks; Loving That Man Of
Mine and Revelations. His dramas, which are inspired by real life
news stories, include: A Sin Between Friends; The Banjo Lesson;
Mixed Blessings; Hotel Paradise
and The Atlanta Affair. His
play Code of Silence has been compared to works by John Grisham and
was pitched as a television series. He has published 8 Anthologies of THE BEST PLAYS FROM THE STRAWBERRY ONE-ACT FESTIVAL and his
novel, Loving You, is sold on Amazon and Barnes & Noble
websites as well as the Riant's website click here. For his accomplishments with the Riant Theatre, he earned the
prestigious 2009 AUDELCO Special Achievement Award.
L.E. McCullough
(Playwright) is a musician/composer and author of fiction,
non-fiction, poetry, plays and film scripts.
His first New York production was 1995’s Blues for Miss Buttercup (Urban Stages) based on legendary blues
pianist Leroy Carr; he has since written and published 188 historical plays for
Smith & Kraus, EduPress, Indiana Historical Society, National Constitution
Center and the book for a new musical, Orphan
Train, with lyricist Michael Barry Greer and composer Doug Katsaros.
The Best Play From The Strawberry
One-Act Festival
At the Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Peter Norton Symphony Space
2537 Broadway at 95th Street, NYC
Performances:
Fri, February 7th at 7:30pm Buy Now
At the Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Peter Norton Symphony Space
2537 Broadway at 95th Street, NYC
Performances:
Fri, February 7th at 7:30pm Buy Now
Tickets:
$40 General Admission; $35 for Senior Citizens and Students with I.D.
Tickets: www.SymphonySpace.org
Box Office: 212-864-5400
Tickets: www.SymphonySpace.org
Box Office: 212-864-5400
Gala Reception on Sunday, February
9th CAFE VICTORIA
70 West 107th Street, NYC at Columbus Avenue.
Time: 4:00pm - 6:30pm
Tickets: $85
70 West 107th Street, NYC at Columbus Avenue.
Time: 4:00pm - 6:30pm
Tickets: $85
