The Maltese Babka

WCT 2017 Play Reading Series - Spring:

The Maltese Babka

Written By CJ Ehrlich
Directed By Christopher Arena

Featured the Ensemble of WCT actors:
Susan Bond, Ben Ehrlich, Eileen Elliott, Violet Gautreau, Taku Hirai,
Maiysha Jones, Joe Albert Lima, Thomas Lloyd, Pat O’Neill,
and Marci Stearns.

When a femme fatale hires Jake Pantograph, private eye, to find her missing sister Mimi, his investigation leads him into a twisty maze of other mysteries wrapped in danger.

How far will a socialite go to break up her son's engagement? Who's blackmailing the billionaire? What happened at the scanties-party on the yacht? Will the will be read on time? How many sides are there in a love triangle? Can Jake make it through this tangle of suspects, seductions, red herrings, and off-kilter theories, to punish at least one bad guy? There won't be any black-and-white answers in this homage to the shapely characters, snappy innuendo, and sultry settings of film noir.

This production has been made possible in part by the generosity of

The Playwright:
CJ Ehrlich
C.J. EHRLICH's award-winning plays have enjoyed dozens of productions, in 31 US states and on five continents, as far as Seoul, Korea and Wogonga, Australia. Full-length comedies:The Maltese Babka (WCT, NY); The Cupcake Conspiracy: “Terrorism is Easy. Marriage is Complicated” (w/Philip J. Kaplan: Rover Dramawerks, TX, Florentine Players, NE, Readers Theatre, WA; APAC, HI; finalist Charles Getchell Award, Mountain Playhouse International Comedy competition);Zane to Gate 69 (Overtime Theatre, TX); This Time We'll Make It Work (WCT; Rising Sun Performance Company, NYC; 4C Theatre, MA).

C.J.'s plays are published in The Best American Short Plays of 2014-15 (Applause/Hal Leonard); five of the last six Smith & Kraus’ annual Best Ten-Minute Plays anthologies; by Heuer; and Rutledge.

Some favorite collaborators: Samuel French OOB Fest, NYC; Boston Theatre Marathon; Little Fish, LA; Grin Theatre, Liverpool; Little Black Dress INK (national tour), Fury Theatre, Chicago ("Reasons We Drink" bad play fest), The Navigators (feminist science fiction theatre), and many more.

A proud member of the Dramatists Guild of America and the Westchester Collaborative Theatre, C.J. lists among her greatest achievements teaching her sons the fine art of the spit take.
Web: CJ-Ehrlich.com.

The Director: Christopher Arena
Began his directing career in high school where he directed The Fantasticks. Forty-four years later, he has well over one hundred productions under his belt ranging from musical and legitimate theatre, to opera, mime and ballet.

Chris spent the majority of his early career training and performing as a Mime. He studied extensively with Rasa Allen (HB Studios), and Richard Morse, (The Richard Morse Mime Theatre), as well as several members of Mummenschantz. He performed street mime in New York City, years before it became politically incorrect to do so, and has taught the craft in various theaters and colleges.

After many years of working in the silent art, Chris developed an overwhelming urge to speak. Apart from a handful of stage roles, he’s been directing ever since. His credits include work in various venues in Manhattan as well as many local theaters, including: Center Stage Playhouse, The Acting Company of Greenwich, ACT, Fort Hill Players, and many more. In the early 2000’s he founded and ran, The Moonlight Theatre. There, he produced, designed and directed many rarely performed plays including, the Westchester County premiers of, As Bee’s in Honey Drownand an acclaimed production of, Quills.

Chris now devotes the majority of his creative time writing. Three of his plays, The Exorstentialist, Happy Anniversary, and Rubicon Crossed, have been produced locally. He’s also in the process of writing a romance novel and a series of essays.

The Cast

Tom Lloyd
Tom Lloyd has been acting with community theaters off and on since 1976, when he first joined ACT's Sweet Charity. Among his favorite parts are Billy Bibbit in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Tom in That Championship Season, Ensign Pulver in Mr. Roberts, to name a few. He was in Falling Rock Zone, an improv group, and has appeared in several original musicals and plays. Tom is grateful to be accepted into WCT and to work on original material with the talented writers, actors and directors that make WCT an exciting place to be!!!

Eileen Elliott
is happy to be joining the ranks of the Westchester Collaborative Theater as Tripsy Contrast in The Maltese Babka. Eileen has appeared in The American Theater of Actors' production of The Seagull, in The Heights Players' productions of Women Behind Bars and Dividing The Estate, and with the Oxford Shakespeare Company in Richard III, Othello, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and As You Like It. She would like to thank Christopher Arena, Karina Ramsey, and C.J. Ehrlich for casting her and her fellow actors for making its such a great experience.

Marci Stearns
Marci Stearns is pleased to be making her WCT debut. A graduate of The American Academy of Dramatic Arts(NYC), her favorite roles have included: Miriam Goldman, in Beau Jest (Curtain Call), Maria, in Lend Me a Tenor (Armonk Players and Fort Hill), Golde, in Fiddler on the Roof and The Wicked Witch, in the Wizard of Oz (Bedford Community Theater). Marci has created the madcap orthodox Jewish character, Marci McCormivitz for video entertainment. A former litigation attorney, Marci is a resident of Bedford where she performs her all-time, favorite role of Momma to Emma and Benjamin.

Ben Ehrlich
Ben Ehrlich is thrilled to be playing the role of Annex in The Maltese Babka. Previous roles include Provoloney in Greeley High School's production of Psycho Beach Party, and Ar in the Dewey Decimal Festival's production of Fully Vetted. Ben is a former member and president of the Greeley Puritans improv troupe, and he is currently studying Visual/Media Arts at Emerson College in Boston, MA.

Pat O'Neill
Pat O'Neill is a man on a mission. He just doesn't know what it is yet. At some point he wandered into an audition, they cast him, and he simply never left. At a further point he started scribbling his thoughts down on paper, and people seemed to like it, so he continued to do that. He was last seen as the innkeeper in Lot's Wife (Albi Gorn). He would like to thank the cast and crew for their great work, CJ and Chris for the opportunity and his family & friends for their love and support.

Susan Bond
Susan Bond is a passionate Italian American born actor. She is excited to be a member of WCT and to be performing in this great new space with a very talented cast. Thanks to CJ for the wonderfully humorous script and Chris for his unfailing direction. Susan is a current Howard Meyer Acting and former HB Studio student. Most recently she has danced to the tune of Neil Simon as the enigmatic Cookie in Rumors and the tittering Brit Gwendolyn in Odd Couple ( YCP). Favorite musical theatre roles include Rose in Gypsy and Reno in Anything Goes. Susan loves to cook, read and build sand castles.

Maiysha Jones
Maiysha is THRILLED to be working with WCT again. She has been performing at various theaters in New York and Connecticut. She was last seen as Charlotte in The Underground Railroad at Shades Repertory Theatre. Other recent shows include Sister Act (Michelle), Dreamgirls (Michelle), and The Vagina Monologues
(I Call you Body). Some of her other performances have been A Time to Kill (Gwen Hailey), A Short Walk into a Sunshine (Peaches), and Intimate Apparel (Mayme). She is also grateful to be working with this talented cast. She is thankful for every opportunity that she has to perform.

Taku Hirai
Taku is excited to return to WCT and to debut at the new black box theater.
His theatre credits includes Hitoshi in The Crossing at WCT, Dr. Douce in The Mummy and the Boddhisatva at Cherry Lane Theatre, Samurai in The End of an Era at Theater for the New City. He is also a member of SAG/AFTRA and has worked on short films and TV commercials. Taku wants to thank Renee & Lanna for their love and support.

Violet Gautreau
Violet Gautreau is very excited to be in her first show with WCT. She is a junior at Horace Greeley High School, where she’s a member of the HGHS Theatre Repertory Company. Previous credits include the Witch (Into the Woods), Glory (Almost, Maine), Woman 2 (Samuel Beckett’s Play), Leigh Fondakowski (The Laramie Project), and Witch 2 (Macbeth). In addition to acting, she also writes short plays and is a producer for Springfest, the student-written play festival at her school.

Michael N. Ferrara
Stage Manager
Michael is excited to be working with W.C.T. for the first time and delighted to be reunited with his friend, director Chris Arena. In the 25 years since Michael first stage managed for Chris, he has gone on to direct such classics as "True West" and "The Zoo Story" among others for Greenville Community Theater, written "Ray's Date" ,"Metamorphosis" and "Find a Penny", three award winning one act plays for the Theater Association of New York, and just finished writing a piece about healthcare, euthanasia, guardian angels and a bottle of Pepsi.