Meet the Cast & Team for: The Caucasian Chalk Circle
Jessie Austrian
Jessie Austrian is a theater-maker, educator, activist and parent. She is one of Fiasco Theater’s Co-Artistic Directors and founders. For Fiasco: Imogen, Cymbeline, Baker’s Wife, Into the Woods, Escalus/Marianna, Measure for Measure, Julia/co-director, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Balene/co-director, Imaginary Invalid, Olivia, Twelfth Night, Mary, Merrily We Roll Along; Broadway: The Importance of Being Earnest, Lend Me a Tenor; Off-Broadway: The Marriage of Bette and Boo; Regional: The Guthrie, Actors Theater of Louisville, Cleveland Playhouse, Trinity Repertory Company, Virginia Stage Company, Folger Theater, McCarter Theater, Old Globe. As a director: NYU and Playmaker’s Rep. TV/Film: Mistress America, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Made in Jersey. Adjunct faculty at NYU Gallatin School. Favorite roles: partner to Noah and mom to Asher and Tabitha.
Noah Brody
Noah Brody is an actor, director, teacher and writer. He is a founder co-artistic director of Fiasco Theater. And he spends lots of time with Excel spreadsheets. Directing for Fiasco: Merrily We Roll Along and co-director of The Imaginary Invalid, Twelfth Night, Into the Woods, Measure for Measureand Cymbeline. Acting for Fiasco: The Imaginary Invalid, Mr. Diafoirus; Twelfth Night, Orsino; Two Gentlemen of Verona, Proteus; Into the Woods, Cinderella’s Prince/Wolf/ Lucinda; Cymbeline, Posthumous. Broadway: nope. Off-Broadway: As You Like It, Classic Stage Company. Regional: Bay Street Theater, Old Globe, Folger Theater, McCarter Theater, Trinity Repertory Company. As a director: Actors Theater of Louisville, Wolfe Street Playhouse and the national tour of Fiasco’s Into the Woods. TV/Film: You know those credits that are so old you stop wanting to list them? That’s about the size of it. Nothing in life brings as much joy as being married to Jessie and being dad to Asher and Tabitha.
Tina Chilip
Off-Broadway: Mothers (Playwrights Realm); Fiasco’s Twelfth Night (Classic Stage Company); Golden Child (Signature Theater); House Rules, Flipzoids (Ma-Yi); A Dream Play (NAATCO). Regional: Old Globe, Huntington, Guthrie, Hudson Valley Shakespeare, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Portland Center Stage, Berkeley Rep, Cincinnati Playhouse, Syracuse Stage, Trinity Rep, and others. TV: guest appearances in L&O: SVU, FBI: Most Wanted, Elementary; recurring roles in Marvel's Jessica Jones and It’s Bruno (both NETFLIX); The Good Fight, Elementary, Deception, Madam Secretary, Royal Pains. Training: MFA, Brown/Trinity Rep. Member, The Actors Center.
Paul L. Coffey
Paul L. Coffey is an actor, musician and Fiasco Company Member. For Fiasco: Pisano/Philario//Guiderius/Caius Lucius, Cymbeline, Malvolio, Twelfth Night, Angelo/Elbow, Measure for Measure, Speed/Thurio, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Mysterious Man, Into the Woods, Thomas Diafoirus/Beralde/Bonnefoi, The Imaginary Invalid, Joe Josephson, Merrily We Roll Along. Off-Broadway: The Taming of the Shrew. Regional: The Old Globe, McCarter Theater, Folger Theater, Actors Theatre of Louisville, PIg Iron Theatre Co., Berkshire Theatre Group, Vineyard Playhouse, Company of Fools, The Theater at Monmouth, Peterborough Players. TV/Film: Blue Bloods, Late Night, The Jew of Malta. Paul is husband to frequent Fiasco collaborator Liz Hayes and father to Sean Frank Coffey who made his Broadway debut at six months old in The Ferryman.
Devin E. Haqq
Devin E. Haqq is a Brooklyn based theatre artist, arts educator, and award-winning filmmaker. He has performed both Off-Broadway and regionally and his films have screened at numerous film festivals around the world. Regional Theatre: Fiasco Theater's Measure for Measure at Actor’s Theatre of Louisville, As You Like It at Arden Theatre Company. Off-Broadway: The Winning Side (World Premiere), Richard III and Macbeth at Epic Theatre Ensemble; Knives in Hens at 59E59 Theaters (NYT Critic's Pick); Much Ado About Nothing at NYSX; All God's Chillun' Got Wings at JACK. Directing Credits: Shakespeare: Call & Response at The Public Theatre (assistant director), Pass Over at Luna Stage Company, The Mark (Best Narrative Feature 2021 Atlanta Shortsfest, Nominated for Best Horror at 2020 LA Shorts International Film Festival), Ambition’s Debt (Best Narrative Feature at 2017 American Black Film Festival),The Assassin. Additional Credits: M.F.A. from University of Alabama. Haqq is a recipient of the Paul Robeson Award-Honorable Mention at the 2018 Newark Black Film Festival. He was nominated for Best Director at the 2017 American Black Film Festival and the 2018 Winter Film Awards.
Maria Mukuka
Maria Mukuka: NY Theater: Richard II (Public Theater & WNYC), Race Free (4th St. Theatre; United Solo Theatre Festival), Dramatic Circle (La MaMa), Seagulls (Brooklyn College), I Will Be Gone (Brooklyn College), Uncle Vanya (Brooklyn College), A Map of Virtue (Irondale Theater). International Theater: Chief Jones (Zambia), Swaggering Braggadocio (Zambia).
Jane Pfitsch
Jane Pfitsch is honored to be a part of Fiasco returning to live performance after this devastating year. Broadway: Dear Evan Hansen, Angels in America (2018 Revival), Cabaret (2014 Revival), Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Roundabout), Company (2007 Revival). National Tour: Dear Evan Hansen. She has worked extensively off-Broadway and at regional theaters around the country. Awards: Helen Hayes Nomination, Best Supporting Actress; IRNE Nomination, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. Brown/Trinity MFA Program.
Ben Steinfeld
Ben Steinfeld is an actor, director, teacher, writer, and musician. He is one of Fiasco Theater’s Co-Artistic Directors and founders. For Fiasco: Iachimo/Arviragus/Co-director, Cymbeline; Baker/Co-director, Into the Woods; Lucio/Froth/Co-director, Measure for Measure; Co-director, Two Gentlemen of Verona; Composer and Music Director, Imaginary Invalid: Feste/Co-director, Twelfth Night; Frank, Merrily We Roll Along. Broadway: Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Cyrano de Bergerac. Off-Broadway: One Thousand Nights and One Day, Bloody Bloody... Regional: Westport, Williamstown, Trinity Rep, McCarter, Old Globe, CTG. As a director: Into the Woods national tour, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Folger Theatre. TV/Film: Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight, The Deuce, The Good Wife, Law & Order: Crimimal Intent. Adjunct professor and Artistic Associate at NYU's Gallatin School (recipient of the Excellence in Teaching Award). Ben lives near a lovely canal in New Jersey with his wife, Kate, and son, Leo.
Paco Tolson
Paco Tolson: Off-Broadway: Vietgone (MTC, Lortel nom.), Twelfth Night (Fiasco/CSC), The Unwritten Song (EST), Slavery (Clubbed Thumb), The Children of Vonderly and Rescue Me (Ma-Yi Theater), Soul Samurai (Ma-Yi/Vampire Cowboys). Regional: Measure for Measure (Fiasco/Actors Theatre of Louisville), The Winter’s Tale and Vietgone (OSF), Peter and the Starcatcher, Vietgone, and Poor Yella Rednecks (South Coast Rep). Film/TV: “Billions,” “Prodigal Son,” “Madam Secretary,” “The Good Fight,” “Happy!,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” “The Code,” “Search Party,” and 7 Day Gig. Paco is a member of Ensemble Studio Theatre. Upcoming: to the yellow house (La Jolla Playhouse) @pacotolson
Emily Young
Emily Young is an actor, musician, writer, director and educator. She is one of Fiasco Theater’s original company members. For Fiasco:Queen/Belaria, Cymbeline, Little Red Riding Hood/Rapunzel, Into the Woods, Isabella/Mistress Overdone, Measure for Measure, Sylvia/Lucetta, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Toinette, Imaginary Invalid, Viola, Twelfth Night, Gussie, Merrily We Roll Along; Broadway: Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson; Off-Broadway: The Servant of Two Masters, Romeo and Juliet, Colorado Regional: Trinity Repertory Company, Folger Theater, McCarter Theater, Old Globe, North Carolina Shakespeare Festival, Illinois Shakespeare Festival. As a director: Ohio Northern University. As a writer/actor/producer: The Porch Song Project. As a musician: lead singer of the band, Sweet Nothing. TV/Film: Living With Yourself, The Knick, God of Love.
Stage Manager: Chandalae Nyswonger
Broadway: Anastasia. Off-Broadway: Merrily We Roll Along (Roundabout), Twelfth Night (Classic Stage Company) Jesus Hopped the “A” Train (Signature Theatre), Somebody’s Daughter (Second Stage). Regional: Cry It Out, Hamlet, Reverberations, Rear Window (Hartford Stage); Private Lives (Dorset Theatre Festival); Hair, At Home at the Zoo, The Mystery of Irma Vep, Oklahoma! (Berkshire Theatre Group); A Civil War Christmas, Wild With Happy, dance of the holy ghosts (Center Stage).
Assistant Stage Manager: Kelly Hardy
COVID Compliance Officer: Gabriel Neumann
Gabriel Neumann is an actor and producer based in NYC. A Stella Adler Alumnus, he has worked in several Theater, Film and TV productions in the U.S. and in Brazil, where he is originally from. His commitment to a life and career in the arts has made him choose this country as home and given him the opportunity to collaborate with outstanding talent in the acting world. Gabriel can be reached on Instagram: @ogabrielneumann
Graphic Design: Jules Talbot
Special Thanks: Ensemble Studio Theatre; The Tank NYC
The Actors and Stage Managers in this production are members of Actors' Equity Association, the union of professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.