Broken Arts Entertainment Divine Books
I wrote Divine Books shortly after the COVID-19 Pandemic created a lockdown during the spring of 2020. Megan Tripaldi put out a call for who needed prompts and I asked for some. Her prompts were three actors (one off-stage), oven mitt, and tongs. it’s amazing where the mind goes once given seemingly random items to write from. For me, everything seemed to stream together seamlessly. I created Lawrence first, then D.O.U.G. and finally I needed someone for the audience to root for and that’s when Carrie was created. The setting, a bookstore. I’ve always loved a local bookstore environment and culture, where everyone knows everyone and it’s no different for Carrie and Lawrence. Despite their age difference, there’s clearly an affinity for each other.
In true, Joe Swenson form, there’s a massive twist that you might see coming if you are really paying attention. But for the most part, it’s hidden cleverly in the foreshadowing of the writing. I don’t want to ruin it for you, but it’s agonizing.
Zara Boss returns to Broken Arts Entertainment as Carrie (Quarantine 2038 and reprising her role in the upcoming Quarantine 2038: Three Months In) and she once again takes the character and commits to every aspect of how that character speaks through her. Hal Cohen makes his debut with Broken Arts Entertainment, but is familiar with Joe Swenson’s writing as he played Douglas in the staged version of “Eleven Days” for PortFringe 2019, written by Joe. Hal does a great job of capturing Lawrence’s playfulness, anxiety, and ultimately the relationship that he has with Carrie and D.O.U.G. Michael Best makes his Broken Arts Entertainment debut in this short film.
Michael and Joe were co-founders of Yikes!Monsters a multi-media traveling performance troupe from 2008-2011. They played opposite of each other in Hillary Foote’s “Red State/Blue State,” which was a sitcom of sorts that poked fun at the stereotypes of politics. Michael has also been in films such as Shooter Magruder and on the hit Maine based horror series Damnationland. Stanley Kimball is absolutely the glue of our projects and he once again nails my vision of what the show should look like and finds another gear with it in stretching into special effects. The final piece of the puzzle was found listening to Michael Beling live on Facebook in July 2020. I heard the smoothness of his jazz and immediately thought, I need that to fill the atmosphere and ambiance of Divine Books. While this was filmed 100% on Zoom, it is definitely within the realm of possibility to hope to film this in reality as I think it has a good story with some interesting characters.
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Cast and Production Team
Zara Boss
as Carrie Trodder
Zara Boss has been performing in community and professional theatre in and around Maine for over 7 years, having found a love for all things acting, singing, and dance at a very young age. She just completed an online Musical Theatre Acting Intensive (MTAI) with Boston Conservatory at Berklee and got to sing in a masterclass with Broadway’s Laura Benanti. Zara studied voice with the amazing Gloria Bonnin for 7 years and currently takes private voice lessons with Jane Clukey. She also studies ballet with Elizabeth Drucker at The Ballet School. When she’s not performing, Zara enjoys drawing, embroidering, vegan baking, reading, writing songs, and playing her guitar.
In addition to the roles of Carrie in Divine Books, she also stars in Broken Arts Entertainment short film series Quarantine 2038 as Mo-Mo Montgomery and co-wrote the lyrics and composed the song “Home” which is featured in Quarantine 2038: Three Months In.
Hal Cohen
as Lawrence Stephens
Hal Cohen is an actor, writer, physician, mostly physician right now, who is extremely grateful to Joe for this opportunity to play and create with him and this talented cast. We are living in extremely interesting times and in times like these it takes people who are innovative and have the will to find a way. That is Joe. As an aside, I recently heard Zara sing and she has a stunning voice. Truly! Go out of your way to hear her please. And finally, Michael’s voice in this production is wonderfully creepy. Truly! That said, it was such a pleasure making a little art with friends, both new and old.
Hal Cohen has written three full length plays- Leonora Rabinowitz I Love You, Intervention, and Harry Jameson – as well as many one act plays, two of which have been performed off off Broadway. He has been acting in Maine for the past nine years as well, with many production companies, playing roles as diverse as Prospero to an alpha male fisherman to a mysterious rabbi to hit man with a heart. He’s even acted in two off off broadway short plays.
Michael Best
as D.O.U.G.
Michael Best has performed many times on stage, in coffee houses, on screen, and the list goes on and on. A huge fan of Dungeons and Dragons, he is a gamer at heart and as such the role of D.O.U.G., the gamemaster was near and dear to his heart. One of the co-founders of Yikes!Monsters, there really isn’t a genre that Michael isn’t comfortable with, other than it’s been a while since the last time he needed to create a character that didn’t have any levels, hit points, or special skills associated with it. Although D.O.U.G. definitely has some special skills associated with him. Michael’s favorite roles are father to his daughters and husband to his wife.
Stanley Kimball
Video and Sound Editing, Special Effects
Stanley is a local to Maine film and theater actor, editor of Playground Rules and Quarantine 2038, and is currently working on a script which he hopes to produce into his first film. Stanley’s script “Opinionated” is currently being cast and should start filming in the fall of 2020. Stanley has also jumped into marketing, teaser creation, as well as trailers for the shows. In addition to editing, Stanley also plays Dag Willikins in the Quarantine 2038 series.
Broken Arts Entertainment is extremely happy that Stanley is part of the team and continues to contribute so much to each of the projects we have.
Michael Beling
Composer
Pianist, organist and Bates College faculty member Michael Beling performs regularly with some of the preeminent jazz musicians in Northern New England. He has performed at numerous venues including Portland’s Merrill Auditorium, the State Theatre, and Port City Music Hall. As a bandleader and composer, his ensembles include Bedlam & Eunoia and MBG. Michael maintains a busy online teaching studio.
Broken Arts Entertainment is grateful for Michael contributing the songs “Linus and Lucid” as well as “Blood Moon.”
Barry Saunders is featured played the Soprano Saxophone on “Linus and Lucid.”
Joe Swenson
Writer, Director, and Producer
Creative outlets have been a staple of Joe’s life forever. Author of the wildly popular young adult fiction novel, Letter #3 and the upcoming sequel The Key, writing is just one of his outlets. Actor, director, screen writer, and playwright are a few more. The goal is always to entertain, be thought provoking, and potentially inspire in whatever creative outlet that is being pursued.
While Broken Arts has been around since 2014, we really started to take off in 2020 with the pandemic forcing arts to be found in unique ways. Playground Rules was born out of this. None of this could be accomplished without the support of my loving and talented family first and creative and talented friends