The Saints of Festus - Coming to FringeNYC August 11 - 27, 2006!

Written and Performed by Scott Hess

Directed by David Drake

SCOTT HESS
ACTOR / WRITER

Scott Hess (also known as Skot) won a 1999 Jury Award for Excellence in Solo Performance for his first solo show, “BJ: The Trail of a Transgender Country Singing Star!”. Under the direction of David Drake, and following a critically acclaimed FringeNYC run, the show was produced in both New York City and Provincetown.

Sharing a stage and a dressing room with comedian Margaret Cho in Provincetown lead to Cho’s calling Hess  “Hilarious. I couldn’t stop laughing what with all these amazing characters flying outta his ass!”

Hess’s subsequent solo shows, “Talent” and “Daddy’s Boy” (also directed by Drake) won critical acclaim and were invited to participate in several New York City theatre festivals.

As an actor, The New York Times noted Hess’ “Feisty Innocence reminiscent of (Tony Winner) Robert Morse in “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” while Backstage Magazine called Hess a “tornado of creativity…a tour de force” and Gay City News termed his work “Comedic gold!” 

As a writer, Hess is an award-winning journalist. He had his first screenplay optioned by Filmingk last year (a horror film set in Coney Island) and his second screenplay, a thriller, is in the hands of his agent. Hess thanks his friends and family, especially his sister Amy Marge for all her support, and most importantly, his partner Ruben for making life a delight.

DAVID DRAKE
DIRECTOR

David Drake (Director) Last summer David directed Edmund White’s "Terre Haute" at the 2005 Sundance Theater Lab. As the Obie Award-winning playwright/performer of "The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me" and "Son of Drakula," David has gone on to develop and direct several acclaimed solo works by other playwright/performers in New York, including Eric Bernat’s "Starstruck" at Rattlestick Theater, Anne Bobby’s "That Woman: Rebecca West Remembers" at Manhattan Theater Source and both Skot Hess’ "Daddy’s Boy" at the Marquis and "BJ: Trail of a Trans-gendered Country Singing Star!" at the 1999 NYC International Fringe Festival, where it won a Jury Prize for 'Outstanding Solo Performance.' In addition to directing Hess’ "The Saints of Festus" for the 2006 NYC Fringe this summer, David will direct the former NYC Fringe hit "Jesus & Mandy" at Theater for the New City, as well as "The Taylor Mac Show" for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the revival of "2 Boys in a Bed on a Cold Winter’s Night" starring Paul Lekakis for the Island Repertory Theater Company on Fire Island. As an actor, David recently completed principal photography for Roland Tec’s upcoming feature film "The Red State Project." And as a writer, this fall David will workshop his new play "My Messy Bedroom," based on the confessions of Ryan Idol.

DEBBIE SCHWARTZ
PERFORMANCE ARTIST

Debby Schwartz (Lace) began her career in NYC with the experimental/performance art group The Summit Ensemble in NYC under Don Howell, and performed in a production under Don Howell and Albert Tavares (casting director, "Little Shop of Horrors"). She went on to front and write much of the material for the all-female band The Aquanettas, who signed with Nettwerk/IRS in 1989, and released a full length LP and several EPs in the US and the UK, with IRS, Caroline and Rockville Records. She was signed to Joan Osborne’s label Womanly Hips (under Mercury Records) in 1997, and in 1998 released her first solo effort "Wrongs of Passage" accompanied by members of Blondie and The Smithereens, and with contributions from Tony Visconti (producer David Bowie, Marc Bolan), Joan Osborne, Jane Scarpantoni (Beck, The Indigo Girls) and Lorenza Ponce (Sheryl Crow). Debby has performed with Loser’s Lounge since 1993, at such venues as Fez, The West Beth Theater, Mass MoCA (in highlights from Jesus Christ SuperStar) Joe’s Pub, and most recently in the Tribute to Burt Bacharach at Lincoln Center, as part of their American Song Book Series. She also co-wrote the music for The Adventures of Caveman Robot which ran at the Brick Theater in spring 2006. She is also writing music/sound for another Fringe Fest piece, “Some Kind of Pink Breakfast”, by Chris Harcum. She currently plays bass with ReShuffle, The Lightening Kites, and sings/plays bass with P.G. Six.

EDWARD TERHUNE
STAGE MANAGER

Edward Terhune (Stage Manager) has stage managed a number of productions in NY and NJ. Favorites include "Gypsy" and "Deathtrap" (Montclair State University), "Three Viewings" and "Brutality of Fact" (12 Miles West Theatre Co.) and the recent "Whatever Happened To Mommie Dearest?" (Big Apple Roundup).

GARTH REESE
LIGHTING DESIGN

Garth Reese’s (Lighting Design) lighting career over the past 25 years has ranged from theater to rigging and running follow spots for concerts ranging from Van Halen to Tina Turner to Disney on Ice to special event lighting for fundraisers and fashion shows, but his passion always beings him back to being part of the creative team in theatrical lighting. In New York, he has done lighting for a half dozen Off-Off Broadway shows for John Glines, including Men of Manhattan, Thora’s Day, and Butterflies and Tigers where he received favorable reviews from CurtainUp and OOBR, and for several community group events. His most recent design was for Jesus and Mandy at Theater for the New City which also received positive comments by OffOffOnline. He is pleased to be both working with David Drake again and to be working on his first project at the Flea and for The New York International Fringe Festival.

CP ROTH
SOUND DESIGN

C.P. Roth (Sound Design) is a professional musician/composer/producer living the Lower East Side. He’s played a variety of instruments with any artists including Ozzy Osbourne, Suzanna Vega, Edgar Winter, Rick Derringer, and New Kids on the Block. C.P. has also played with lots of local artists including Lenny Kaye, “Beat Poet” John Giorno, The Sic F*cks, and his brother Adam Roth’s man incarnations. As a founding member of Cincinnati’s Blessid Union of Souls, C.P> co-produced all the bands’ recordings from 1995-2002 that yielded 10 Top 30 singles including ‘I Believe” (#1) and “She Likes Me For Me” (#7). Currently C.P. works with his brother scoring music for film and TV. Credits include Shorties Watchin’ Shorties (Comedy Central), TV Lands Top 10 (TV Land) and various specials with Denis Leary, whom he also plays live with.

ROBIN CARRIGAN
CHOREOGRAPHY

Robin Carrigan (Choreographer) Robin Carrigan received a BFA in dance from NYU Tisch School of the Arts and studied improvisation at Upright Citizens Brigade.  She co-wrote and choreographed "Jesus and Mandy" at Theater for the New City, "Blood Orgy of the Carnival Queens!" at the Hamlet of Bank Street Theater and "Girls Town" at The Actor's Playhouse.  Choreographic work includes the feature film "trick," "1966" at The El Flamingo, "Chorus Girls on Mars!" at the Sanford Meisner Theatre, Atlantic City revues, an HBO short film, and rock videos. She's choreographed and taught dance in New York public and private schools and choreographed and performed as "Nan" in her cabaret dance group "Nan and Her Boys". 

RUBEN RIVERA
COSTUMES

Ruben Rivera (Costumes) Ruben is a talented and fabulously creative addition to Scotts team. From the sketch pad to the sewing room, Ruben adds flair, fun and realism to Scott's aray of characters.

SHOWTIMES

SUN 8/13 @ 6:45pm – WED 8/16 @ 4pm – FRI 8/18 @ 9pm – SAT 8/19 @ NOON – WED 8/23 @ 7pm