Steven Drukman, playwright

Steven Drukman holds a Ph.D. from New York University where he is an Associate Arts Professor. His play ANOTHER FINE MESS, which was workshopped at JAW 2002 and premiered at Portland Center Stage the next season and was nominated for the 2003 Pulitzer Prize in Drama. His newest play IN THIS CORNER, commissioned by the Old Globe in San Diego and premiered in January 2008. His other scripts include, GOING NATIVE, FLATTERY WILL GET YOU, COLLATERAL DAMAGE, SNOWMAIDEN and TRUTH AND BEAUTY.

He is a recipient of an Alfred P. Sloan Award and the Paul Green Foundation Award. As a critic and journalist, his writing has been featured in The New York Times, The International Herald Tribune, The Village Voice, The Nation and many magazines. He is a former Associate Editor of American Theatre magazine.

The play THE BULLET ROUND explores the ways in which violence passes between six unrelated characters over a six-day period. At first glance the story seems to be about a white rapper, his violently racist and homophobic lyrics and his rise to the top. However, we soon learn that people are not always whom they seem to be and despite one's good intentions, they may be unknowingly supporting aggressive or violent behavior. Mirroring the style La Ronde by Arthur Schnitzler, THE BULLET ROUND comes full circle and the violence returns to those responsible. THE BULLET ROUND scrutinizes the morals, racism, and class ideology of today and challenges the audience to examine their own passivity.

The Bullet Round was commissioned by South Coast Repertory Theater and has been workshopped at Playwrights Horizons and New York Theater Workshop.

Megan Kate Ward, director

Megan has a BS (honors) in Theatre, with an emphasis in directing from Goldsmiths College, University of London and was the Artistic/Literary Assistant at Portland Center Stage from August 2006-March 2009, where she was one of the festival producers for JAW; a playwrights festival. She was the assistant director on THE THUGS by Adam Bock and THE PILLOWMAN by Martin McDonagh for PCS.

She also founded, produced, and directed PCS's monthly reading series Now Hear This.

Her most recent project was DUTCHMAN by LeRoi Jones, which she directed and produced. She directed KRISHNA'S FOLLY, a new work by Eugenia Woods for the Fertile Ground Festival and was the dramaturg for the American Premiere of HOW TO DISAPPEAR COMPLETELY AND NEVER BE FOUND by Finn Kennedy at Portland Center Stage.

Megan recently received a Regional Arts and Culture Council Project Grant to produce and direct the world premiere of THE BULLET ROUND by Steven Drukman in Portland. The show will open in August 2009.

 

Anthony Casanova (Arthur)

Born in Detroit, Anthony Casanova has been a resident of Portland for 10 yrs, claiming "there's no place in like it in this country!". He graduated from Portland State University with a degree in Global Marketing, but always knew deep down that it was boring! Portland helped him discover and develop a passion for acting and art! His last role was as Tom Robbins in To Kill a Mockingbird. Anthony is very excited to he a part of this production!

 

Kurt Conroyd (Waiter/Listener)

Kurt has performed locally with Artists Repertory Theatre, Hand2Mouth, Insight Out, Portland Center Stage, Literary Arts and Oregon Children's Theatre. Other credits include: Tommy in Pterodactyls (Theatre Vertigo), and Nicky in Bell, Book and Candle (Lakewood) and most recently in Miracle Theatre's production of El Grito Del Bronx. A graduate of Willamette University, he also studied corporal theatre in Paris at Studio Magenia under Ella Jaroszewicz. He is so grateful to be working with such a wonderful and talented group of people.

 

Paul Glazier (Kevin)

Paul Glazier feels very lucky to be in the world premiere production of The Bullet Round. He can be found around Portland doing whatever he can to stay busy: sketch comedy, web series, play readings and development, waiting tables, acting on stage, and screen. He is buoyed up by the support of his family, wife Erin and daughter Sylvia, as well as his irreplaceable arsenal of talented comrades. Paul's life is marked by an abundance of luck and good fortune.

 

Chris Murray (Joey)

Chris is a huge fan of Megan Ward and Steve Drukman. He is a member of Super Project Lab Improv. Chris recently closed A Skull in Connemara at Third Rail Rep, Other Portland credits include; Sometimes A Great Notion, Visions and Voices (2004-2008), BFE, Bullrusher, The Thugs, A Story About A Girl, Bruise Easy and Enchantment (JAW) at Portland Center Stage. Mr. Marmalade and Take Me Out (Drammy, Best Supporting Actor) at Artist's Rep, Six Degrees of Separation and The Sisters Rosensweig at Profile Theatre, The Receptionist at CoHo Theatre, and A Midsummer Night's Dream at Lakewood Theatre. He will be performing in the
title role of Hamlet next season at CoHo Productions. Films include Decrypter, Loser's Lounge, Harvest of Fear, The Lie Detector, Uncle Sam's House and Leave Today Gone Tonight and he was called a heathen by Bill O'Reilly on The O'Reilly Factor.

 

Gary Norman (Professor)

Gary Norman is thrilled to be a part of the world premiere production of The Bullet Round. He was most recently seen on this stage in Theatre Vertigo's production of Freak Show by Carson Kreitzer. A long time member of Vertigo he has appeared in their productions The Long Christmas Ride Home, Romance, A Bright Room Called Day, Like I Say, and The Flu Season to mention a few. Outside of Vertigo Gary was seen in The Receptionist (CoHo Productions), Mimesophobia (Sand and Glass Productions), Chicago (Broadway Rose) The Vespiary (Stark Raving Theater) among many others. This Winter Gary will again work with Chris Murray in Hamlet at CoHo Productions directed by Kristan Seemel.

 

Dainichia Noreault (Jeanette)

Dainichia is happy to return to Portland theatre after taking a year off to have her son, Julian. She has been seen at Profile Theatre in Uncommon Women & Old Money, at ART in Assassins & Owen Meaney, and is a graduate of Pacific Conservatory of Performing Arts, where she was seen in As You Like It & Picasso at the Lapin Agile among many others. Other favorites include Midsummer Night's Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, and Crimes of the Heart.