REBEL GENIUS
Book, Music and Lyrics by Matthew Puckett
Directed by Noah Himmelstein
REBEL GENIUS crashes physics and love into one another as Albert Einstein and Mileva Maric fall madly in love, risking everything to find a perfect theory of the universe. The show is a contemporary exploration into the heart of a genius torn between ambition and love.
Matthew Puckett
(Book/Music/Lyrics)
Matthew Puckett is an award winning composer, songwriter and playwright. Originally from New York City, Matthew currently lives in Los Angeles. He won a Peabody Award for his songs/score for the ABC Series HOPKINS. Matthew’s new musical REBEL GENIUS was a finalist for the Richard Rodgers Award and the Jonathan Larson Grant. Matthew is the recipient of a New Musical Theater Works commission from IAMA Theater. His musical, “Andy, Keith and Jean-Michel” was selected for the Barn On Fire Summer Residency, NYC 2024. He is currently developing a musical TV series for Warner Brothers/Brownstone Entertainment.
Noah Himmelstein
(Director)
Most recent work includes his acclaimed age-blind version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Baltimore’s Everyman Theatre, spring 2024); Michael John LaChiusa and Ellen Fitzhugh’s Los Otros (A.R.T./NY); Deborah Zoe Laufer’s Rooted (world premiere, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park); Karen Hartman's The Lucky Star (The Director’s Co, 59e59); Andrew Lippa's I Am Harvey Milk (Lincoln Center, Strathmore, San Francisco, LA, Denver, Princeton); Chelsea Marcantel’s Everything is Wonderful (Philadelphia Theatre Co.); Jonathan Tolins’s The Forgotten Woman (world premiere, Bay Street Theatre); Heather McDonald’s An Almost Holy Picture, Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth , Los Otros and Karen Hartman’s The Book of Joseph (Everyman Theatre); Bleeding Love (Fredericia Theatre, Denmark). Asst Director: LCT, Second Stage, City Center Encores! 2023 & 2024 Dramatists Guild Foundation Galas (Ziegfeld Ballroom); NY Philharmonic, Lincoln Center American Songbook, Carnegie Hall. Associate Artistic Director: Everyman. Noah is a graduate of Emerson College. noahhimmelstein.com
Nicholas James Connell
(Musical Director)
NICHOLAS JAMES CONNELL is an award-winning singer/songwriter, music director, producer, and arranger with a B.M. in Songwriting from Berklee College of Music. He is Co-author & Arranger/Orchestrator of the current off-broadway hit TITANIQUE which won the 2023 Lucille Lortel, Dorian, Off-Broadway Alliance, & Las Culturistas Awards for Outstanding Musical. He also vocal produced & sang backup on Brian Justin Crum’s “Show Me Love” which reached #2 on the Billboard Dance Chart in 2017. Nicholas can be seen playing piano on ENCORE! (Disney+), at Duplex & Sid Gold's in nyc, and on his Youtube Channel which has garnered 18,300+ subscribers and 12.4 million views. @nicholasconnell
Leslie Sears *
(PSM)
Off Broadway: Sons of the Prophet (Roundabout). Regional theater credits include work at Barrington Stage Company, Chester Theater Company, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Huntington Theater Company, Barnstormers, New Rep, Gloucester Stage, Poets’ Theatre, and the Old Globe. Opera and Symphony credits includes Washington National Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Tanglewood Music Festival, Utah Opera, Inland Northwest Opera, Concert Theater Works, Jacksonville Symphony, Boston Lyric Opera and Boston Early Music Festival. Ms. Sears is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association and a core member of FairWage.
Emily Esposito
(Eliza)
Emily Esposito (Elza) is thrilled to have the opportunity to work on Rebel Genius here at Forestburgh Playhouse. Huge thank you to Anthony for the opportunity to work with such great people! Favorite credits include Something Rotten (Bea), A Bronx Tale (Rosina), Fame the Musical (Ms. Bell), On Your Feet, In The Heights. @EmilyEsposito__
Bryan George Rowell
(Conrad / Others)
Bryan is very excited to be spending the week at the Forestburgh Playhouse for the In The Works-In The Woods Festival! Bryan is originally from Boston, but has spent the last 8 years living in Brooklyn, NY. Credits: Blippi (North American Tour), Addy & Uno (Off-Broadway), Hair (Pentangle Arts). Training: CAP21 Conservatory, New York Film Academy, The Barrow Group. Rep: Avalon Artists Group. @bryangeorgerowell
Sabrina Fosse
(Lenard / Prof.)
Sabrina is thrilled to be here for her second ITW-ITW festival! She is an actor and singer based in NYC who especially enjoys new work. Favorite development credits include Daniel Green and Deborah Zoe Laufer’s By Any Other Name (Juliet) here at Forestburgh, The Shoebox (Lauren) with SheNYC, the world premiere of Kate Tarker’s Laura and the Sea (Laura), and The Hello Girls (Suzanne) workshop with Prospect Theater Co. Sabrina is a graduate of the BFA program at Syracuse University where she worked on such projects as A Little Night Music (Desirée) and First Lady Suite (Mary). She is also a voiceover artist, and has voiced spots for Amazon, Zelle, NPR, Tribeca Festival, Netflix, Morgan Stanley, Verizon, and more. sabrinafosse.com // @sabrinafosse
Nathan Salstone *
(Albert Einstein)
Nathan Salstone has been seen on Broadway in Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2023 Revival, Cast Album), Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (OBC) and on the 1st National Tour of Hadestown. Regionally: Titanic (NY City Center Encores), and world premiere plays, What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank (The Old Globe), and Frank Galati, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty’s, Knoxville (Asolo Rep, Cast Recording). A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama. @nathan_salstone
Rachel Gold *
(Mileva)
Rachel Gold is thrilled to be joining the ITW festival for the first time this year! Rachel made her Broadway debut with The Phantom of the Opera where she played Christine Daae. Other credits include Scarlett O’Hara on the international tour of Gone With The Wind (original cast), Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof at Broadway at Music Circus, Ariel in The Little Mermaid at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Sophie/First Soprano in Master Class at Arizona Theatre Company, Louise in Gypsy, and many others. When she's not in a show she teaches voice online. She graduated with a BFA in musical theatre from the University of Michigan.
Kyle Scatliffe *
(Besso)
Kyle Scatliffe is a graduate of AMDA. Broadway: Hamilton, The Color Purple, Les Miz. West End: The Scottsboro Boys (Olivier Award nomination). Off Broad: As You Like It, Encores Big River. Reg:Ragtime(ZACH Theatre), Oklahoma! (5th Avenue Theatre). TV credits include; CBS’s "Bull," NBC’s "Chicago P.D.," and Marley in "A Christmas Carol: The Concert" (Baltimore Symphony Orchestra/PBS).
Robert Anthony Jones *
(Max Planck / Others)
Robert Anthony Jones is thrilled to be returning to Forestburgh after an amazing summer here playing Barry in The Prom. He was seen last year as Miss Trunchbull in Matilda and Uncle Fester in Addams Family. He just finished up a run as Barry at Short North Stage. Broadway Credits include The Phantom of the Opera (North American Tour), Finding Neverland (Lunt-Fontaine Theatre-Final Broadway Company), 101 Dalmatians (Madison Square Garden). Off-Broadway: Arhens and Flarhety’s Lucky Stiff (AMT Theatre), Bunnicula (Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording-Daryl Roth Theatre). Regional: Damn Yankees (Arvada Theatre), Something Rotten (Pioneer Theatre Co.), La Cage Aux Folles (Virginia Musical Theatre). You can also catch RAJ co-starring as Fred, the drag queen bouncer, in the feature film Queen of Knives, playing now in select theaters, and available on Amazon Prime and AppleTV. www.robertanthonyjones.com Insta: justcallmeraj
Richard Brundage
(Hermann / Father)
Richard is delighted to make his Forestburgh Playhouse debut. Favorite NYC theatre roles: Astrov in “Uncle Vanya” (Boomerang Theatre Co.), Nick in “Sight Unseen” (New Light Theater Project), Malvolio in “Twelfth Night” and Falstaff in “Henry IV Parts 1-2” (Twenty Feet Productions), Horatio in “Hamlet” (York Shakespeare Co.). Regional and tours: Odysseus &al in “Ancient Greeks / Modern Lives” (Aquila Theatre Co.), Owen in “The Foreigner” (New Harmony, IN), Dray in “The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek” (Playhouse on Park, CT), Ken in “Rumors” (Broward Stage Door, FL), de Rougemont in “Shipwrecked” (Winnipesaukee Playhouse, NH). Also a busy film actor, Richard has played leading roles in several feature films, including “Creative Nonfiction” (dir. Lena Dunham), “You Are Alone” and “Fourhand.” He recently appeared in the highly acclaimed “Shiva Baby” (with Rachel Sennott), and won Best Supporting Actor at the Milan International Filmmaker Festival for his performance in “Flesh Is Heir To.”
Kyle Hendricks
(Marcel / Eduard / Others)
Kyle Hendricks could not be more excited to be in the Catskills a part of Rebel Genius! He recently graduated from the University of Miami with a BFA in Musical Theater and minor in Sports Medicine. This summer he had the privilege of dancing it up in Grease with Centenary Stage Company where he understudied Doody and Eugene! Some of his favorite credits include Urinetown (Bobby), The Three Musketeers (King Louis XIIV) and the world premiere of The Night Governess (Ned). Being a tennis fanatic, his dream role is to be in a staged musical version of the movie Challengers. He’d like to thank his family and friends (especially Megan!!) for all of their constant support. IG: @kyle.hendricks
Max Boone
(Weber / Salesperson)
“Max Boone (He/him/his) is an actor and theatre multi hyphenate based in NYC. He is absolutely ecstatic to be at the Forestburgh Playhouse, after admiring their work from afar for years. Previous credits include: Shrek at Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre, Beauty and the Beast and The Adventures of Robin Hood at Summer Theatre of New Canaan, The Prom at the Palace Theatre, The Wizard of Oz at the Broadway Palm/Prather Productions, and the inaugural national tour of Dot, Dot, Dot for TheatreWorksUSA. Shoutout to his family, friends and amazing support system. Huge thanks to the entire In the Works-In the Woods team and also everyone at the Forestburgh Playhouse for putting on this stellar festival! Enjoy the show!”
* Member of Actors Equity Association