Arsenic & Old Lace

Antaeus Black Box

Written by: Joseph Kesselring
Directed by: John DeMita

Drama critic Mortimer Brewster appears to lead a normal, happy life, until he discovers that his aunts have a deadly secret buried in the basement: a dozen older gentlemen. Hilarity and madness ensue as he tries to wrangle his crazy aunts along with his brothers— Theodore, who believes he is Theodore Roosevelt; and maniacal, murderous Jonathan.

Cast

Julia Fletcher*

Abby Brewster
Julia Fletcher has been a theater professional for more than 35 years, working in new play development, as an adapter of the works of Shakespeare, as a director, an Equity stage manager, and a master teacher. She trained and worked as an actor with the American Conservatory Theatre, and has performed with the Old Globe, the Intiman, San Jose Rep, ACT/Seattle, Antaeus, P.C.P.A., and the Pittsburgh Public Theatre, among others. She was also the Founding Artistic Director of the Pacific Resident Theatre in Los Angeles.
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Nicholas D’Agosto

Mortimer Brewster
Antaeus Theatre: The Liar, You Can’t Take It With You; Kirk Douglas Theatre: Quack (world premiere). 
TV credits: Criminal Minds: Evolution (seasons 16 & 17); Trial & Error (series lead); GOTHAM (series regular); Masters Of Sex (series regular); The Office; Heroes; Grace & Frankie; Grey’s Anatomy; Six Feet Under and more. 
Film credits: Fired Up!; Final Destination 5; Rocket Science; Election; From Prada To Nada; Dirty Girl and more.

Nicholas is also a Unitarian Universalist seminarian in pursuit of his Masters of Divinity degree and eventual ministerial ordination. He is currently the Intern Minister at Throop UU Church in Pasadena, CA. His podcast God & Other Delicacies (G.O.D.) begins with the question, “How and when were you introduced to the idea of God in your life?” and follows the guest’s journey from there. 

It is available on all platforms and has numerous Antaeus stalwarts and other entertainment professionals as guests.

A long-time LA resident that was born in Omaha, Nebraska, Nicholas lives in North Hollywood with his wife, son and dog. nicholasdagosto.com
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Steve Hofvendahl*

Officer O’Hara
At ANTAEUS: The Hothouse, Peace in Our Time, The Crucible, As You Like It, Macbeth. Other Los Angeles Theater: The Engine Of Our Ruin, The Shoplifters (Victory Theatre), Baby Doll (The Fountain), The Magic Bullet Theory (Sacred Fools), Caribou Crossing, Memory of Water, The Great Great Grandson of Jedediah Kohler (Circle West), Heralds (Theater Tribe), The Andersonville Trial (All Saints in Pasadena), Briar Patch (Ventura Court Theatre), Breast Men (M.E.T. One Act Festival). Steve started in New York in 1980, where he appeared on Broadway, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway. He has appeared in some TV shows, a few movies and several TV commercials. He is an expert in Southern Californian edible landscaping and pomology.
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Lily Knight

Martha Brewster
Lily Knight has appeared in feature films (among them, the upcoming Sky, The Artist, Touch, Changeling, The Secretary, Dahmer, AI), on over 50 television shows (most recently, a recurring role on American CrimeGrey’s Anatomy, Castle, American Horror Story, True Blood, Rizzoli & Isles, and Medium, to name a few) and on Broadway (Agnes of God, As Is, The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940) and off Broadway (The Holy Terror, The Early Girl, The Fiery Furnace, among many others) and regionally, at Arena Stage, ATL, Boston Shakespeare Company, Baltimore’s Center Stage, Berkshire and Williamstown Theatre Festivals, and more. Most recently, she performed onstage in A Delicate Balance at the Odyssey, as well as The Crucible, Peace in Our Time, and The Autumn Garden at Antaeus, where she is a company member. Lily tours with Ensemble Galilei in First Person: Seeing AmericaUniverse of Dreams, and Anna’s Garden and is currently cocreating EG’s next show: Galileo and the Lost Marbles. Her next play is Adam Boch’s A Small Fire at the Echo TheatreNext film, The Role Model.
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Don R. McManus*

Jonathan Brewster
Feature credits include: The Starling, Vice, Under the Silver Lake, Grand Piano, Grandma, The Maze Runner, Lucky Bastard, For A Good Time Call, Magnolia, The Shawshank Redemption, Under the Tuscan Sun, National Treasure, Hannibal, Air Force One. TV credits include: Sorry For Your Loss, Mom, Justified, 24, Northern Exposure, NCIS, Private Practice, Rescue Me, Parks and Recreation, Boston Legal, Grey's Anatomy, Dexter, Seinfeld, Frasier, The Closer, CSI, Mad About You. Stage credits include: New York Public Theater, Manhattan Theater Club, San Francisco's ACT, The Old Globe Theater, the Matrix Theater, ANTAEUS. A graduate of Yale University.
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William L. Warren

Rev. Dr. Harper/Lieutenant Roony
At ANTAEUS: The Little Foxes. Other Theaters: Towne Street Theatre productions at Stella Adler Theatre; 2018 Ten Minute Play Festival, In Response 1, In Response 2; The Fertile River (Baylor University Theatre and also Acme Theatre); Periphery (The Hudson Theatre); LYMAN The Musical (El Portal Theatre). As a professional vocalist has performed in various musical productions, toured Canada as a vocalist with the Platters and performed as a backup vocalist with recording artist Billy Davis and Marilyn McCoo of The Fifth Dimensions, Stephanie Mills, Deniece Williams and Phillip Bailey of Earth Wind and Fire.
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JD Cullum*

Dr. Einstein
At ANTAEUS: The Cripple of Inishmaan, As You Like It, Hedda Gabler, Cloud 9. Other Theater: Mark Taper Forum, South Coast Repertory, Geffen Playhouse, Kirk Douglas Theatre, Pasadena Playhouse. Recent appearances include Tolstoy in Suffolk (Studio C Artists), For Piano and Harpo (Garry Marshall Theater), All the Way (South Coast Repertory). TV: The Orville, Aquarius, Bones.
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Wesley Mann

Teddy Brewster

Michael Hoag

Officer Klein

Other

AT ANTAEUS: Various readings including: Fallibility, Arsenic and Old Lace, The Sinner from Toledo. Other Theater: The Woman Who Went to Space As A Man (Son of Semele), Romeo & Juliet (Tim Venable), Come Back, Little Sheba (A Noise Within), Much Ado About Nothing (Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum), A Bright Room Called Day (Coeurage Theatre). He is a co-founder of CoLaboratory, acting in and producing Narcissus & Echo, Wolf,  & Sand Moon. He is also the creator/producer of Shakes on the Rocks, a Shakespearean cabaret. He is a proud AEA member. He received his B.A. in Theater Arts at UC Santa Cruz. You can follow him @thereeljferrero. www.james-ferrero.com
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Production Team

John DeMita

Director
At ANTAEUS: The Little Foxes, As You Like It, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Picnic, King Lear. Other Theater: Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Intiman Theatre, Pasadena Playhouse, Williamstown Theatre Festival, the Hollywood Bowl, American Conservatory Theatre. Directing (over 40 productions): Andak Theatre Company, Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center, El Camino Center for the Performing Arts. FILM/TV credits include: Resident Evil: Vendetta, JAG (4 seasons), series regular on Comedy Central’s The Clinic. Voice Acting: Cars 3, Ninjago, Star Trek: Discovery, Dumbo, among hundreds of others. John is currently a voice director and dubbing supervisor at Netflix, and a professor at USC School of Dramatic Arts.

Joseph Kesselring

Writer
*member, Actor’s Equity Association, the union of professional Actors and Stage Managers in the U.S. This production is presented under the auspices of the Actors’ Equity Los Angeles Membership Company Rule