NEWLY ARRIVED IMMIGRANTS OFFER HUMOROUS,
TOUCHING PERSPECTIVE OF AMERICA IN
THE HEART SELLERS AT NORTH COAST REPERTORY THEATRE
Written by Lloyd Suh
A San Diego Premiere Directed by Kat Yen
January 8 – February 2, 2025

Solana Beach, Calif. – THE HEART SELLERS is making its San Diego debut at North Coast Rep. Playwright Lloyd Suh creates a captivating portrayal of intelligent, curious and creative women navigating the challenges of a new country. A reflection on the Asian immigrant experience, the play explores complex, emotionally charged themes withing the human condition. Relationships, desires, and the intricacies of the heart are scrutinized with a blend of drama and humor that keeps audiences engaged. With strong character development and sharp dialogue, this appealing play invites compassion and insight into their unique experiences. Reserve your tickets now for this often hilarious, thought-provoking play.

Kat Yen directs Jin Park and Marielle Young* in THE HEART SELLERS. Kailey Agpaoa is the understudy. The Design Team includes Marty Burnett (Scenic Designer), Matthew Novotny (Lighting Designer), Grace Wong (Costume Designer), Daniella Hart Uptownworks (Sound Designer), Audrey Casteris (Props) and Peter Herman (Hair & Wigs). Matthew Bantock* is the Stage Manager and Victoria Hua is the Production Assistant.

*The actor or stage manager appears through the courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association.

THE HEART SELLERS previews begin on Wednesday, Jan. 8. Opening Night is set for Saturday, Jan. 11, at 8 pm. The play runs Wednesday, Jan. 8, to Sunday, Feb. 2, with performances on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7 pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 pm and Sundays at 7 pm. Added matinee performances at 2pm on Friday, Jan. 10, and Wednesday, Jan. 29. A talkback session with the director and cast is scheduled for Jan. 17.

BIOS:

LLOYD SUH (Playwright) is the author of The Chinese Lady, Charles Francis Chan Jr.'s Exotic Oriental Murder Mystery, American Hwangap, The Wong Kids in the Secret of the Space Chupacabra Go!, Jesus in India, and others, produced with Ma-Yi, Magic Theatre, EST, NAATCO, PlayCo, Denver Center, Milwaukee Rep, ArtsEmerson, Children's Theatre Co, and more, including internationally at the Cultural Center of the Philippines and with PCPA in Seoul, Korea. He has received support from the NEA Arena Stage New Play Development program, Mellon Foundation, NYFA, NYSCA, Jerome, TCG, Dramatists Guild, and residencies including NYS&F and Ojai. He is an alum of Youngblood and the Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab, and was a recipient of a 2016 Helen Merrill Award and the 2019 Herb Alpert Award in the Arts. From 2005-2010 he served as Artistic Director of Second Generation and Co-Director of the Ma-Yi Writers Lab, and has served since 2011 as the Director of Artistic Programs at The Lark, and since 2015 as a member of the Dramatists Guild Council.

KAT YEN (Director) is a Taiwanese-American theater director, born and raised in NYC. Recent productions include Pipe Dream by Rodgers and Hammerstein at Berkshire Theatre Group, Heart Strings by Lee Cataluna at Atlantic Theater for Kids, and Happy Life by Kathy Ng at Walker Space/ The Hearth. Recent associate directing credits include Redwood written and directed by Tina Landau and conceived with Idina Menzel, The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical by Joe Iconis and directed by Christopher Ashley, and The Comeuppance by Branden Jacobs- Jenkins and directed by Eric Ting. Upcoming productions include The Weather Busters of Beachcastle by Christin Eve Cato at La Jolla Playhouse: POP TOUR and All The Men Who’ve Frightened Me by Noah Diaz at La Jolla Playhouse. Kat is the inaugural Directing Fellow at La Jolla Playhouse, a former Resident Director at The Flea Theater, a Van Lier Directing Fellow at Second Stage Theater and the co-founder and former Artistic Director of Spookfish Theatre Company. MFA in Directing: Yale School of Drama. www.katyen.com

JIN PARK (Jane) (she/her) is grateful to make her North Coast Rep debut. Other Regional credits include: Aubergine (Theatreworks Colorado Springs). Chicago credits include: In Quietness (A Red Orchid Theatre), Dory Fantasmagory (Young People’s Theatre of Chicago), Among The Dead (Jackalope Theatre), First Love Is The Revolution, Red Rex (Steep Theatre); Spirits To Enforce (The Passage Theatre); You For Me For You (Sideshow Theatre); Don’t Look Back/Must Look Back (Pivot Arts); and Really Really (Interrobang Theatre). TV/Film credits include: “Chicago PD” (NBC), “Waiting For The Light To Change,” and “Sun King.”

MARIELLE YOUNG* (Luna) (she/her) is a Filipina-American actor from Queens. She has worked at theaters all over the U.S. including Portland Center Stage, Pittsburgh Public Theater, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, The Acting Company, Chester Theatre Company, Capital Repertory Theatre, Kitchen Theatre Company, and more. She has developed new work with or been part of world premieres by Lauren Yee, Kate Hamill, Will Arbery, Lauren Gunderson, Nightdrive, Clubbed Thumb, Ensemble Studio Theater, Ars Nova, and more. TV includes “Blue Bloods”

(CBS), “Major Crimes” (TNT), “The Blacklist” (NBC), “The Equalizer” (CBS), and “Bonding” (Netflix). SUNY Purchase and Fiorello H. LaGuardia Performing Arts High School alum. She teaches acting and Shakespeare in NYC. This one’s for mom. marielleyoung.org

MATTHEW BANTOCK* (Stage Manager) North Coast Rep debut! Regional Credits: The Rocky Horror Show, tick, tick... BOOM!, Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet of 1812; Cabaret, La Cage aux Folles, Marie and Rosetta, Spamalot, A Little Night Music, A Christmas Carol (Cygnet Theatre); Babbitt, Is It Thursday Yet?, The Outsiders, As You Like It, WOW Festival (2019-2024), Bhangin’ It, Hoopla!, Escape To Margaritaville, #SuperShinySara, Miss You Like Hell, Tiger Style! (La Jolla Playhouse); Knots (The Old Globe); Young Frankenstein, Miracle On 34th Street (‘17, ‘16), Pump Up the Volume (SDMT); An Octoroon (The Wilma); Estuary: an artist/mother story (Kimmel Center). Graduate of the University of the Arts. theaterworkersforaceasefire.com

KAILEY AGPAOA (Understudy — Luna) (she/they) is a multi-hyphenate theatre-maker based out of San Diego! She is a Miranda Family Fellow. Kailey is passionate about telling important stories, being a proud representative of the LGBTQ+ and global majority communities in her work, accessibility and EDIB, collective liberation, and all around, spreading joy and truth through creation. She has done work at various theatres around San Diego (including La Jolla Playhouse, Moxie Theatre, New Village Arts, Blindspot Collective, Bocón Arts, and Coronado Playhouse) and is represented by Shamon Freitas Model and Talent Agency. Her most recent role was Lucy Cratchit u/s in Your Local Theater Presents: A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, Again at La Jolla Playhouse. She’d love to send love to her family and friends, and gratitude to Kat and David for having her for this incredible show!

JEE KANG (Understudy — Jane) is thrilled to be a part of The Heart Sellers at the North Coast Repertory Theatre. Her recent credits include Barry, Dave, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and Seal Team. Jee is Meisner-trained and fluent in Korean with a background in biology, data analysis, and marketing. When not on set or on stage, Jee enjoys going to the movies with a bucket of popcorn and a soft drink, writing novels and screenplays, cross-stitching, and playing with her three adorable dogs: Merry, Rocket, and Skipper.

NORTH COAST REPERTORY REPRISES MUSIC-LADEN FAVORITE,
2 PIANOS 4 HANDS FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Starring Richard Todd Adams & Matthew McGloin
By Ted Dykstra & Richard Greenblatt
Performances Beginning Friday, December 12, 2024
Running Through Sunday, December 29, 2024
Directed by Tom Frey

Solana Beach, Calif. – By popular demand, North Coast Repertory Theatre is bringing back the joyful family pleasing 2 PIANOS 4 HANDS to brighten the holiday season. Get ready for an interlude of riotous laughter as Richard Todd Adams and Matthew McGloin take us on a musical comedic journey about their would-be careers as concert pianists. The talented duo trade stories about piano lessons, pushy parents and eccentric teachers while playing everything from Bach to Billy Joel. This entertaining, crowd-pleasing show not only hits all the right notes, it tickles the ivories and your funny bone. Tickets will be flying out the door, so reserve yours early to avoid disappointment.

Tom Frey directs Richard Todd Adams* and Matthew McGloin.* The design team includes Marty Burnett (Resident Scenic Designer) and Matthew Novotny (Light Design), and Ian Scot (Projection Design). Vernon Willet* is the Production Stage Manager.

*The actor or stage manager appears through the courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association.

2 PIANOS 4 HANDS performances begin Friday, Dec. 12, at 7:30 pm. Final performance is Sunday, December 29, 2024, at 2 pm. The show runs Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2pm. Added Monday matinee on December 23 and Wednesday, December 27 at 2pm. There is no evening performances Dec. 24, & Dec 25 2024. Tickets are $64 plus service fee. Call 858-481-1055, or visit www.northcoastrep.org to purchase tickets.

BIOS:

TED DYKSTRA (Co-Creator / Original Co-Director) started playing piano at age six, and peaked at age twelve, when he had a particularly memorable string of firsts competing in the Edmonton Kiwanis Music Festival. His acting career began at a young age in St Albert, Alberta, playing the 2nd Bird in Once Upon a Clothesline, but his breakout role was Bilbo Baggins in his school’s grade 8 production of The Hobbit. Since then, he has gone on to play leading roles on every major stage in Canada, often combining his musical skills in such roles as: Mozart in Amadeus; Cale Blackwell, a character based on Jerry Lee Lewis, in Fire (seven Canadian theatres); Shostakovitch in Master Class (Manitoba Theatre Centre); Glenn Gould in An Evening with Glenn Gould (National Arts Centre); Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Crow’s Theatre); and Cousin Kevin in The Who’s Tommy (Mirvish Productions); and school children around the world know him as Bach in the film Bach’s Fight for Freedom. He also wrote and composed the acclaimed musical Evangeline, which was produced at The Charlottetown Festival and The Citadel Theatre in Edmonton. Other favorite acting roles include the title role in Hamlet (Theatre Calgary); For Soulpepper Theatre: Teach in American Buffalo, Daffyd Llewelyn in A Chorus of Disapproval and Yuri in his own adaptation of Tolstoy's The Kreutzer Sonata; for Stratford: title role in Entertaining Mr. Sloane, Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Ariel in The Tempest; as well as three seasons of leading roles for The Shaw Festival. Most recently Ted portrayed Scrooge in The Citadel Theatre's landmark new production of A Christmas Carol, a role he originated and has played for three seasons in a row. In 2000, he turned his attention to directing, and since has directed many award-winning shows in Toronto and across the country. He has also directed 2P4H across America and in Australia and Hong Kong. In 2014, Ted and his wife Diana Bentley founded The Coal Mine Theatre in Toronto's East End, and it has become the most successful indie theatre in the country, garnering its artists a staggering 29 Dora nominations in 6 seasons. He regularly directs and acts there. He has appeared in dozens of films and TV shows and most recently was a regular on Season 6 of “The Expanse.” He is also the voice of Dad Tiger on “Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood.” He is also a Founding Member of Soulpepper Theatre and in the award department he has received 6 Doras (acting, musical direction, producing), a Gemini (acting), a Sterling (musical direction), a Merritt (directing) and a Chalmers (writing). He is the proud father of Theo, Rosie and Henry. He loves playing and watching tennis. Oh, and Go Oilers!

RICHARD GREENBLATT (Co-Creator /Original Co-Director) is an actor, director, writer, and musician who has been a professional theatre artist for the last 49 years. He was born in Montréal and studied piano for 10 years with the late Professor Dorothy Morton of the McGill Conservatory of Music. He studied theatre at Dawson College before pursuing his acting training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, England. Upon graduating, he worked at Leeds Playhouse for a season, returning to Canada in 1975. Since then, he has performed in theatres in Toronto, across Canada, and abroad, playing such diverse roles as Henry David Thoreau, Spinoza, and Sam Goldwyn, as well as in feature films, television and radio.  Other favorite roles include: The Fool in King Lear, Creon in Antigone, The Concierge in The Gladstone Variations, Galbraith in Essay, Cadman in I Call Myself Princess, and touring to Galway, Ireland, as The Father in Enda Walsh’s Bedbound. He has directed well over 130 productions for theatres across the country - the vast majority being original and/or Canadian works – including: plays by George F. Walker, Judith Thompson, Jason Sherman, Adam Pettle, Diane Flacks, Shirley Cheechoo, Michael Healey, Julie Tepperman, and Rob Fothergill, amongst numerous others. Classical works he has directed include plays by Shakespeare, Chekhov, Shaw, Brecht and Shepard, amongst many others. As a writer, he wrote or co-wrote: Soft Pedaling, 2 Pianos 4 Hands, Sibs, The Theory of Relatives, i.d., Letters from Lehrer, Care, and Athabasca. 2 Pianos 4 Hands has played on five continents and in over 150 cities since it opened at the Tarragon Theatre in April 1996. Greenblatt himself has performed the play with co-creator Ted Dykstra over 1,000 times across Canada, and in New York City, Washington D.C., London, U.K., and Tokyo.  A mentor and teacher to young talent, he has taught acting, directing and play creation at most of the theatre training institutions in Canada, including Toronto Metropolitan University, University of Alberta, George Brown College, Humber College, and the National Theatre School of Canada. He has also directed the premieres of numerous groundbreaking and award-winning plays for young audiences, including Seesaw; Mirror Game; Misha; Danny, King of the Basement; Wrecked; The Incredible Speediness of Jamie Cavanaugh and Kindness. Since the Covid Pandemic, he has “pivoted” to being an author. In 2021, his book Text and Context, The Operative Word was published by J.G. Shillingford Press, and his memoir, “Two of the Best in the Neighborhood, An Anecdotal History of 2 Pianos 4 Hands,” has just been released, and is on sale at J Gordon Shillingford Publishing! His third writing/performing collaboration with Diane Flacks, “Pals,” will be presented at the Winnipeg Jewish Theatre in the fall of 2023. Oh, and he’s writing his first novel. He has received numerous nominations for his work and has won seven Doras and two Chalmers Awards. He lives in Toronto with partner Tanya Greve and their daughter, Amelia, and is the proud father of Natasha, Will, and the dearly missed Luke Greenblatt.

TOM FREY (Director) is the new artistic director of the Peterborough Players in Peterborough, New Hampshire, as well as the US resident director of 2 Pianos 4 Hands. He has directed over 20 productions of 2P4H at theatres around the country, including: Portland Stage, The Cape Playhouse, Stages Repertory Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Pittsburgh City Theatre, the Rubicon, and many others. In addition to directing the show, he has performed the show over 600 times in the United States and Canada. He has played both roles, but spent most of his time playing the role of Ted. During the pandemic, he helmed the critically successful 2021 outdoor summer season for the Peterborough Players, including an acclaimed production of Our Town, performed onsite in downtown Peterborough, widely believed to be a heavy inspiration for Thornton Wilder's "Grover's Corners." Also at the Players, he directed Cabaret, Circle Mirror Transformation, A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline, Always...Patsy Cline, the U.S. premiere of Kristen DaSilva's Where You Are, and others, in addition to spending the better part of 12 years as a member of the Players' Acting Company. As an actor, he has performed in venues across the country, with some favorites including Daniel Beaty’s Breath and Imagination from early development workshops to Hartford Stage, Pittsburgh City Theatre, and Cleveland Playhouse; Dirty Blonde at the Cleveland Playhouse and Pittsburgh Public Theatre; Souvenir at Seven Angels Theatre; Evelyn Oakleigh in Anything Goes at Milwaukee Skylight Opera Theatre; Mack Sennet in Mack and Mabel and Wilson Mizner in the American Regional Premier of Sondheim’s Road Show at Stages Repertory Theatre, Houston. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and a fairly recent resident of Peterborough, NH. Love to Bridget.

RICHARD TODD ADAMS* (Ted) was last seen on Broadway in the 2016 revival of Cats, where he was the standby for Old Deuteronomy and Gus/ Bustopher Jones. Richard is one of a handful of actors around the world to have portrayed both The Phantom and Raoul in Phantom of The Opera, and Jean Valjean and Javert in Les Miserables. He made his Broadway debut in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Woman In White and a year later appeared in Boublil and Schoenberg’s The Pirate Queen. Richard made his professional debut in Phantom of The Opera as Raoul, performing with the national tour as well as the Los Angeles production. Ten years later, he returned to the tour to play The Phantom. In 2008, he won the Jeff Award for his portrayal of Javert in Chicago’s Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre production of Les Miserables. He toured the country from 2011-2013 with the 25th anniversary national tour of Les Miserables. Off-Broadway, he appeared in the 2000 revival of Berlin to Broadway with Kurt Weill, the 2003 Second Stage production of Michael John LaChiusa’s Little Fish, and the 2003 Studio 54 production of David Friedman’s Listen To My Heart. Regionally, he has starred in Jekyll and Hyde, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Ragtime, Showboat, 1776, Man Of La Mancha, and Billy Bishop Goes To War. He has appeared across the United States and Canada as both Ted and Richard in 2 Pianos, 4 Hands. Richard received his Bachelor of Music from Trinity University in San Antonio, TX, and his Masters in Music from The Juilliard School. Richard has sung with symphonies in Cleveland, Naples, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Ottawa, Edmonton, Vancouver, and Raleigh. He currently resides in South Orange, NJ with his wife, native San Diegan Maria Eberline, their 16-year- old son, native San Diegan Nate, and beloved non-native San Diegan Beagle, Sherlock. For more, please visit www.richardtoddadams.com.

MATTHEW MCGLOIN* (Richard) is honored to team up again with Jefferson & Tom, having previously collaborated with them on 2 Pianos 4 Hands at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, the Peterborough Players, and the Mayfield Theatre. NY/Off-Broadway: The Hello Girls (Prospect Theater Company/59E59, OCR), Bastard Jones (The Cell), Casablanca Box (HERE Arts), Xanadu (Piper Theatre), workshops/readings with Tectonic Theater Project, Abingdon Theatre Company, Dixon Place, The Lark.  Regional: Cabaret (Peterborough Players), The Play That Goes Wrong (Repertory Theatre St. Louis), Murder for Two (Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre), Beautiful Star (Triad Stage), The Lieutenant of Inishmore (Signature Theatre), Misalliance, Cinderella (Olney Theatre Center), As You Like It (Folger Theatre), History on Foot (Ford’s Theatre), various shows at The Kennedy Center and Virginia Shakespeare Festival. Training:  BFA Acting, UMBC.  www.matthewmcgloin.com // @jackie_of_all_traits.This one’s for Mimi, Ruth, and Helen.

VERNON WILLET* (Production Stage Manager) is returning to NCRT after having helmed two world premieres: The Angel Next Door by Paul Slade Smith and one of the most successful productions to date, Murder on the Links, written and directed by Steven Dietz. Vernon’s work encompasses many of the Southern California theatres: the Laguna Playhouse, McCoy/Rigby Entertainment, Musical Theatre West, 3D Theatricals, the Rubicon Theatre, San Diego Musical Theatre, Theatre Aspen, Maltz Jupiter Theatre and a myriad of others. He shares his life with director/choreographer/champion ballroom dancer Cate Caplin. Actors’ Equity Association member since 1983.