firstflight2018
- Jun 27, 2022
- 8 min read

VALLEY FORGE Bios

Updated: Jul 19, 2022

MARY PHILIPSE & GEORGE WASHINGTON

from Valley Forge

BIO PHOTOS BELOW

MAXWELL ANDERSON (Playwright 1888 - 1959) His plays include White Desert (1923), What Price Glory? (1924), First Flight (1925), Elizabeth the Queen (1930), Both Your Houses (1933), Mary of Scotland (1933), Valley Forge (1934), Winterset (1935), High Tor (1937), Knickerbocker Holiday (1938), Key Largo (1939); The Eve of St. Mark (1942), Truckline Café (1945), Joan of Lorraine (1946), Anne of the Thousand Days (1947), Lost in the Stars (1949), The Masque of Queens (1954), The Bad Seed (1954), Richard and Anne (1955) and The Golden Six (1961). Anderson also worked on numerous screenplays, including All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), for which he received an Academy Award nomination, Washington Merry-Go-Round (1932), Rain (1932), Death Takes a Holiday (1934), and So Red the Rose (1935). Plays of his that were turned into movies were Mary of Scotland (1936), Saturday's Children, which was filmed three times (once as Maybe It's Love), Winterset (1936), Elizabeth the Queen, which became The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939), The Eve of St. Mark (1944), Knickerbocker Holiday (1944). Key Largo (1948), Joan of Lorraine, which became Joan of Arc (1948), The Bad See d (1956), The Devil's Hornpipe, which became Never Steal Anything Small (1959), and Anne of the Thousand Days (1969). What Price Glory? was made into a silent film in 1926 and was remade by John Ford in 1952. He published two books of poetry, "You Who Have Dreams" in 1925, and "Notes on a Dream," published posthumously in 1972. Anderson published two books of poetry, "You Who Have Dreams" in 1925, and "Notes on a Dream," published posthumously in 1972. Anderson also published two collections of essays, "The Essence of Tragedy and Other Footnotes and Papers" (1939) and "Off Broadway Essays About the Theatre" (1947). His plays Both Your Houses won the Pulitzer Prize and Winterset, and High Tor won the Drama Critics Circle Award for 1935 & 1937.

STELLA BERRETTINI (Nick & Brigadier) is a 19-year-old actor located in Bergen County, who has previously appeared in numerous BergenStages productions such as Picnic and Fahrenheit 451. Acting has always been her passion and she recently graduated from Bergen Community College with a degree in Theatre. She is delighted to be returning to the stage with the cast and crew of Valley Forge.

GABRIELLA CORNIERIS (Understudy) is excited to make her debut for the First Flight Theatre Company as Understudy. Her previous roles included Johnson in Really Really, Zerbinette in Scapin, and Playwright in Flop Cop. Gabriella would like to thank the director, producer, cast, and crew for their joint efforts on such a great show as well as her friends and family for their unconditional love and support.

CHRISTOPHER DAVIS (Teague, General Varnum, Folsom, Player 2) moved to the Hoboken area from Chicago this year and is overjoyed to make his First Flight and local theatre debut in Valley Forge by Maxwell Anderson. He has been an actor/improviser with the Murder Mystery Company for a decade and met the love of his life while professionally Christmas Caroling three years ago.

KAREN ETEROVICH* (Auntie, Mary Philipse, Cutting & Artistic Associate of FFTC) (AEA, SAG-AFTRA, Dramatists Guild) with First Flight: A Vampire Kiss in the Plague of 1666 and The Witlings during the pandemic. A Christmas Carol: Dickens by Candlelight, Valley Forge, Elizabeth the Queen, Masque of Queens and Eve of St. Mark. New York City Credits: Hudson Warehouse: Lady Catherine de Bourgh in Pride & Prejudice, Gertrude in Hamlet, Queen Anne in The Three Musketeers, Miss Prism in The Importance of Being Earnest. National & international tours as Aphra Behn in Love Arm’d, including the Bedlam Theatre, Edinburgh, Scotland and the Mission Theatre, Bath, UK. Karen plays Jane Austen in her solo play, Cheer from Chawton, which has toured coast to coast from Stockton, CA to NYC to the Mission Theatre in Bath and was performed in Bath at the Mission again for the 2019 Jane Austen Festival. Thank you to John Maguire, both Alices, Frank Farrell and Richard Width. In memory of David Green.

LUCAS GOMES (Stage Manager) is excited to be working with First Flight Theater! They graduated from Columbia University with a degree in political science, but an unofficial minor in Theatre. Selected credits include: The Insects (Under Saint Marks), People on Earth (Columbia School of the Arts), The Hungry Woman (Columbia University). Thank you to God, and to my family, who both give me strength and courage.

FRANK FARRELL (Director and Artistic Director of FFTC) was an actor in Chicago for 40 years receiving three Joseph Jefferson acting nominations and recently returned to NYC where he was born. While in Chicago he directed and produced plays for the Free Shakespeare Theatre Company, Temporary Theatre, Shakespeare’s Herd, Steppenwolf Theater, Raven Theatre, Equity Library Theater, the North Lakeside Players and Theatre-Hikes. For Citadel Theatre in Lake Forest, IL he directed outdoor productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It, Spoon River Anthology, Romeo and Juliet and Scapin. Frank formed six theater companies along the way including Theatre-Hikes in Chicago and, in Grand Haven, Michigan, the Pigeon Creek Shakespeare Company. In NYC he wrote, directed and produced Forgotten Soldiers From Our Forgotten War for the First Flight Theatre Company, the seventh theatre group he has formed. For FFTC he also coordinated several stage readings of Maxwell Anderson’s plays in New York City and Chicago. His films The Songs of the Pogo and The Leaves Were Falling are currently being seen at film festivals all over the world. His next film Salvador written by Rick Young and featuring FFTC actors will join the film festival circuit in August. Since 2015 he has published seven books including Forgotten Soldiers From Our Forgotten War, all available at Amazon.com.

ANNA HAMILTON-SCOTT (Alcock, Player 3 & General Stirling) Anna is a British actress recently based in New York. She’s enjoyed performing in London, off West End in productions of La Ronde and Dark of the Moon, and in the Hamburg’s English Theatre production of Doubt. She’s excited to have her American debut in Valley Forge with the First Flight Theatre Company and chuckles at the irony of being cast as Patriots!

BRANDON JONES* (Jock, Major Andre & Lt. Tench) is thrilled to be working with First Flight on this production. Recent credits include War Words (NY Rep), ReEntry (Actors Theatre of Louisville), The Mountaintop (Capital Rep), Yuri and Malcolm X (LA Writers Center), Meet you at the Galaxy Diner (New Light Theater Company), Amen Corner (Classic Stage Company), and an upcoming production of Twelfth Night (KC Rep).

JENNIFER KIM (Neil, Lady 2 & Rafe) is an actress and writer. She grew up in California and is currently based in New York. Happily, she has worked with the First Flight Theatre before, as Peaseblossom/Faerie in Midsummer Night's Dream. Other recent roles include two roles in Thornton Wilder's short plays (Linda in Love and How to Cure It and Diana in Cement Hands) and Juliet in the comedy, How to Survive a Shakespeare Play. In March of 2023, her play, The Mystery of the Mosaic Bridge, will be performed at the Players' Theatre.

ZANDER KIRBY (Mason, General Howe & General Conway) A classically trained Master's graduate of LAMDA, Zander is an actor and award-winning filmmaker originally from Oregon. After studying across the U.S. and in the U.K., Zander landed in New York and is the founder of Menaced Minds Productions and a member of the Ducdame Ensemble theatre company. Find out more at zanderkirby.com.

AUBREY LEIGH KIRK (Tavis, Lady 1 & Lafayette) is honored to be a part of her first show with First Flight. As a recent graduate of Manhattan School of Music, she is excited to bring this enriching material to life. By getting to work with such an experienced cast of talented actors and a creative team committed to the authenticity of the play, Aubrey couldn’t be more over the moon.

AMAL KHATEEB (Costume Dresser/Stagehand) studied Psychology at Bergen Community College before transferring to Montclair University where she will be studying Sociology and Fashion Design. She is currently pursuing a career in costume and set design for theater and film, and is excited to be working with First Flight Theatre.

DANA REEDY (Violinist) has studied violin since the age of 10, beginning violin studies with Isabel Wegmann of Paterson, NJ. Dana attended the Manhattan school of Music Preparatory Division for 2 years. She went on to study at Manhattan School of Music for a year and a half with Stanley Bednar and Arianne Bronn.

BARON MAXIMUS TATER SIRBARKSALOT SHIELDS WIDTH aka “Max” (the dog) is proud to be making his stage debut with First Flight Theatre Company’s production of Valley Forge playing the transformational role of ‘Sir Howe’s Dog.’ He’d like to thank his two Dad’s for their support and the wet food, his brother Prince Magic Skeeter Sirsniffsalot Shields Width for always sharing the bed after taxing rehearsals and the audience for their attendance and adoration.

RICHARD WIDTH* (George Washington, Captain & Player 1 & Artistic Associate of FFTC) performed or directed over 70 mainstage, young company, residency and staged reading productions with Orlando Shakespeare Theater (OST) including Andrew Rally in I Hate Hamlet, Valere in Tartuffe, Marc Antony in Julius Caesar, Orlando in As You Like It and Phileas Fogg in the Southeast premier of Around the World in 80 Days. He directed the critically acclaimed mainstage productions of The Winter’s Tale, Measure for Measure, Othello and 2010 production of Hamlet glowingly reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, the company’s first national review. He adapted Verne’s Journey to the Centre of the Earth, Forster’s Maurice and Poe’s Pit and the Pendulum for the stage as a part of OST's new play development program. As a member of Orlando Theatre Project (OTP) he performed Jason Posner in Wit and George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life, directed the Central Florida premier of Blackbird and played Mitch Albom in the Southeastern premiere of Tuesdays with Morrie. A professional performer since the age of six, he has worked in numerous regional theaters, appeared nationally as a day player on Guiding Light, All My Children, One Life to Live, and Vin Diesel’s directorial debut film Multi Facial. Most recently, he appeared as Henry II in The Lion in Winter with Shakespeare on the Fly, with First Flight Theater Company as Sverre in Maxwell Anderson’s White Desert, in multiple AK Films web series including Catitude, The Gym, Cosplay, The VonDo Angency, as Samuel Pepys in the award winning ‘zoomie’ film A Vampire Kiss in the Plague of 1666 and as Dad in the independent short Framed. He directed, taught, and choreographed combat in the Central Florida area for 14 years for such institutions as Rollins College, Seminole State College and the University of Central Florida, is a former board member of The Garden Theatre, the founding Education Director for the Orlando Shakespeare Theater, a full-time Fine Arts faculty member at Trinity Preparatory School, has taught with Special Studies branch of Chautauqua Institute, presented workshops for the NJ Juvenile Detention Association on the use of Shakespeare with incarcerated youth to address trauma and holds a BFA in Theater (cum laude) from Boston University. Currently, he is a First Flight Theatre board member facilitating the company’s return to live theater and works full time as a Hospice RN in the northern NJ area.

TIMOTHY WILLIAMS (Spad &Harvie) grew up splitting time between Wyckoff and Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ before attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He is thrilled to be involved in this production of Valley Forge, and to be able to perform in such a familiar setting.

*Appearing through an Agreement between this theatre, First Flight Theatre Company and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

ACTORS’ EQUITY ASSOCIATION, founded in 1913, represents more than 51,000 professional Actors and Stage Managers nationwide. Equity seeks to foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of society and advances the careers of its members by negotiating wages, improving working conditions and providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. Actors' Equity is a member of the AFL-CIO and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions.

BIO PHOTOS