In the heart of the Great Northern Catskills a place called Casa Susanna once existed as a refuge for the exploration of identity. Harvey Fierstein brings his wit and wisdom to the story in the Tony-nominated Casa Valentina.
Casa Valentina premiered on Broadway in 2014, and received four Tony Award nominations. Set in a private hotel in the resort area of the Catskill Mountains in the early 1960s, the play is based on a real-life Casa in Jewett, NY, where heterosexual men would unwind in the countryside by cross-dressing in a safe space. An exploration of what it means to search for one's identity amongst like-minded people, Casa Valentina brings to vivid life the photos in Michel Hurst's and Robert Swope's Casa Susanna.
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TIMOTHY DUNN is a NYC-based actor, director, and creative-type, who wholeheartedly believes in the magical and transformative powers of storytelling, laughter, kindness, compassion, connection and creativity! Though his theatrical career began with his star turn as The Littlest Angel in his Kindergarten class play, Tim began his professional acting career as a teenager at the St. Louis MUNY, before earning a Bachelor of Sciences in Theatre from Northwestern University and moving to NYC to live the dream. Timothy's career has brought him around the world, from the New York stages of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, where he was a performer and director for over a decade, to roles on big, small and tiny screens, and, just this past summer, his Catskills theatrical debut in The Onteora Club Theatre's production of "The Drowsy Chaperone." He is delighted to explore Harvey Fierstein's "Casa Valentina" with audiences up in Hunter, which he also calls home, alongside his fiancee, Gary, and their nutty dog, Tiny Taco Party. www.timothydunncreative.com
Meet the Cast:
Jessica Gibbons (Rita) is excited to connect with MATH and the opportunity to work on a smorgasbord of savory roles. Some past favorites include: Domina in Forum, Titania in Midsummer Night’s Dream, Arsione in School for Lies, Myra in Hay Fever, Rosie in Bye Bye Birdie, Maria in Lend Me a Tenor and most recently, the Chaperone, in The Drowsy Chaperone. Off stage Jessica is an award-winning batik artist, floral designer, and writer of historical romances (w/a Jess Russell). Her book, Mad for the Marquess, was a finalist in the Romance Writers of America prestigious RITA Awards. She is currently working on, the next book in the series. Huge thanks to Linda, Tim, Patricia, and Amy!
Maclain Maier (Jonathan/Miranda) Maclain Maier is an actor and writer from South Orange, New Jersey. He graduated from Pratt Institute with a BA in Creative Writing. His short stories have appeared in Ubiquitous Magazine and Z Publishing’s Best Emerging Writers Series. He busks on the streets of New York City as half of the clown duo Cridgerdodger. He is also a member of the Happenstancery Improv troupe, Siren Theatre, and Arm-of-the-Sea Theater.
Chris Cade (Albert/Bessie) has been a performer and director since his undergraduate years at the University of Maryland. He recently retired as resident director of the Onteora Theater, and is a founding member of the Maude Adams Theater Hub.
After studying theater at Georgetown, Brian Flynn (George/Valentina) took method acting very seriously and immersed himself in one role for fifteen years: a professional business person. In the mid 2000s, however, he broadened his repertoire and took on new roles. Since then, he has done 20+ shows in the Catskills and Hudson Valley with a focus on comedies and musicals. His specialty is bringing comedy and show tunes to his business person role on a day to day basis. All the world has, in fact, become a stage for him.
Marc Wolf (Isadore/Charlotte) is Executive Director at Mountain Top Arboretum in Tannersville. Before moving to the Catskills, he worked as a writer and performer in theater, film and television in New York City and across the country. He has won Obie and Helen Hayes Awards, among others, and is the recipient of two grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. Marc is over the moonabout working with MATH for the first time.
Gary Falk (Michael/Gloria) lives in Willow, acts in plays and acts up in general. He made his stand up comedy debut in 2022 in Kingston NY and made his film debut recently as well. The rough cut of the movie Eagle County will be available on YouTube sometime soon. This is his first time in drag. On stage, that is. He's married, has pets, and gets along with most of his neighbors.
Timothy Dunn is a NYC-based actor, director, and creative-type, who wholeheartedly believes in the magical and transformative powers of storytelling, laughter, kindness, compassion, connection and creativity! Though his theatrical career began with his star turn as The Littlest Angel in his Kindergarten class play, Tim began his professional acting career as a teenager at the St. Louis MUNY, before earning a Bachelor of Sciences in Theatre from Northwestern University and moving to NYC to live the dream. Timothy's career has brought him around the world, from the New York stages of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, where he was a performer and director for over a decade, to roles on big, small and tiny screens, and, just this past summer, his Catskills theatrical debut in The Onteora Club Theatre's production of The Drowsy Chaperone. He is delighted to explore Harvey Fierstein's Casa Valentina with audiences up in Hunter, which he also calls home, alongside his fiancee, Gary, and their nutty dog, Tiny Taco Party.
Mike McDonald (The Judge/Amy). Mike has appeared in many shows in the Greene County area. This summer/fall year he appeared as Dr. Scott in The Rocky Horror Show and Feldzieg in The Drowsy Chaperone. He spent the last eight years working with the Onteora Theatre Company. In 2019 he appeared as J. B. Biggley in How To Succeed In Business…; he also appeared as Teddy Brewster in Arsenic and Old Lace; Gomez Addams in The Addams Family; Tito Merelli in Lend Me A Tenor; and, Hysterium in A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum. Mike also worked with the Greene Room Players. You may have seen him as Moonface in Anything Goes, Pseudolous in Forum, Bert Healy in Annie, and Applegate in Damn Yankees. Mike is an ordained deacon at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Coxsackie. He lives in Durham with his wife Dorothy.
Molly Gaebe is a comedian and co-founder of Rubbish Comedy, a comedy training school and performance collective in NYC. She performs regularly in Ten Bones Theater Company's 'Entirely From Memory' improvised movie series at Littlefield in Brooklyn. Molly is a writer and performer at Abortion Access Front, a reproductive rights organization that supports clinics and uses comedy to expose anti-choice extremists. She lives in Big Indian with her wife and their stuffed animal pig named Piggy Gazebo.
