THE RISE OF MEDIOCRITY

By Larry Phillips

Directed by Jacob Titus


November 14th-24th, 2019

Thursday- Sunday @7pm

Sunday @2pm
The Chain Theater 
312 W 36th St 4th floor, New York, NY 10018



Sawyer Weston's debut novel was a smash hit! Rave reviews, millions in sales, and overnight notoriety. Her second novel had everyone calling her a "one-hit wonder". With her third about to be released, a casual evening with friends get turned on its ear when a young man from Sawyer's past arrives and starts asking questions.


With Erin Treadway*, Sam Tilles, Tiffany May McRae,

Erik Kochenberger & Larry Phillips

Scenic Design By Ryan Goff
Lighting Design By Annie Garrett-Larsen
Stage Manager Stephen Varnardo*
* Actor/Stage Manager appearing courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association.


CAST & CREW

Erin Treadway* (Sawyer)
Erin Treadway is a frequent collaborator with playwright/director Leegrid Stevens & their company Loading Dock. Recent roles with Loading Dock: Molly Jennis in Spaceman (Drama Desk Nomination for Outstanding Solo Performance), Clara in The Dudleys!(HERE), Julie in Ms. Julie, Asian Equities (The Dock at Loading Dock), Cleo in The Twelfth Labor (Gene Frankel Theatre). She is also a member of Workshop Theatre and Brave New World Rep. Other recent roles include Therese in The Hook (Brave New World) and Mayo Methot in Reid & Sara Farrington's Casablancabox (HERE). Exciting to be working Larry and team on Rise of Mediocrity again!          

Sam Tilles (Jamie)
Sam Tilles is an actor, playwright and sound designer from Seattle, Washington. Recent credits include Henry V (Quis Que Ya Productions), The Ferberizing of Coral (Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Festival), and Fire Dance (Loading Dock Theatre Company).  He is looking forward to the production of his first full-length play, Genesis, early next year.  

Tiffany May McRae (Elyse)
Tiffany is a Texas-bred Brooklynite.  She is a repeat offender (and huge fan) of Mr. Phillips’ work and is thrilled to have another crack at The Rise of Mediocrity!  Recent work: Plan G (NYIT Award nominee/Best Ensemble); The Weekend Will End (Theatre 54/Randomly Specific); Koalas Are Dicks (Theatre 80/Randomly Specific); FALLING (Connelly Theater/FringeNYC); G.I. Joe Jared (59E59th Theaters/Edinburgh Fringe Festival).  Training: NYU (BFA); William Esper Studio. You can keep tabs on her on @tmaymcrae.

Erik Kochenberger (Todd)
Erik earned his BFA from NYU’s Tisch School for the Performing Arts. He is classically trained and enjoys performing everything from Shakespeare to contemporary works on the stage or screen. Credits include: Macbeth (DCPA), Other Desert Cities (HPAC), The Dudleys: A Family Gameshow (HERE Arts Center). Film credits include Rosie (Wrote and Directed), Three Pregnant Men (3PM Productions), and Against the Night (Ball Four Productions).

Larry Phillips (Oliver/Playwright)
Larry has written and appeared in: The Weekend Will End, Koalas are Dicks, Arbuckle Syndrome, The Art of Acting: A Master Class with Fozzie Bear, Talent is Sexy, The Ladies of Glen Ross, Secondary Pitch, The Other Harvey, Must Win, Last Chance for Mama, Learning to Skip, Fistful of Cake Pocketful of Miracles. He was nominated for 3 2019 NY Innovative Theatre Awards; Best Solo Performance & Original Short Script (The Art of Acting), Best Ensemble (Plan G).  He has received awards for both acting and playwriting from the New York Theater Festival and Planet Connections Festivity. www.larryphillipsnyc.com

Jacob Titus, Director
Jacob’s work has been seen in NY at the Public in the 365 Plays/365 Days, HERE Arts Center, Ontological-Hysterics, among other theatres off-off Broadway, in Brooklyn, as well as LA and San Francisco. He directed Promise Tomorrow Today which won Best Play in the Downtown Urban Theater Festival at Theater for the New City. FALLING by Amy E. Witting at the 2012 NY Fringe Festival for which he received an Overall Excellence in Directing Award.  victor by Amy E. Witting which won best play in the Thespis Festival in NYC. Recently, he directed 
The Weekend Will End by Larry Phillips with Randomly Specific Theatre, Your Invisible Corset by Patricia Lynn with Hunger & Thirst Theatre and Spaceman by Leegrid Stevens with Loading Dock Theatre at The Wild Project.  Spaceman was nominated for two Drama Desk Awards.  Jacob has a Masters in Directing from Boston University. www.jacobtitusdirector.com

Ryan Goff, Scenic Designer
Ryan Goff is an NYC-based scenic designer specializing in plays and musicals. DESIGN: The Floorshow (Theatre 71), The Drinking Bird (The New Ohio), Talent is Sexy (Theatre 54), The Rats (Access Theatre), Spring Awakening (The Secret Theatre), A Midsummer Night's Dream (NY Shakespeare Exchange), The Archbishop’s Ceiling (Urban Stages), As You Like It, A Doll’s House, You Can’t Take It With You (Monomoy Theatre), Relentlessly Pleasant (Theatre 54), Lysistrata (3-Legged Dog), An Octoroon (Schaeberle Studio Theatre); ASSISTANT: Spring Awakening (Yale Dramatic Association), Christmas in Hell (York Theatre Company); EDUCATION: BFA Production & Design, Pace University. www.ryangoffdesign.com

Annie Garrett-Larsen, Lighting Designer
Annie is a New York based lighting designer. Select design credits include: The Seagull (Cleveland Play House), A Shared Evening of Dance (HERE Arts Center), Quilt: A Musical Celebration (Judson Memorial Church), virgin (Ars Nova), Assassins, And Then There Were None, & Spring Awakening (The Secret Theatre), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (New York Shakespeare Exchange), Cabaret (The Gallery Players), CRACKED (Theatre at 14th St. Y), Mamma Mia! and A Funny Thing Happened […] Forum (Stagedoor Manor), MAIDS and These Young Men and Women (Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts), Sexy Laundry (The Peterborough Players), Hi, Are You Single? (Cleveland Play House), and How to Eat the Thing that Eats You (Dixon Place). She holds a BA from Bard College. anniegarrett-larsen.com

Stephen Varnado*, Stage Manager

A New York based stage manager and is happy to be working once again with Randomly Specific Theatre. Off-Broadway: A Jewish Joke (assistant stage manager). Off-Off Broadway: Plan G, The Ladies of Glen Ross, Talent is Sexy. Regional: Fun Home, Cabaret, Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, It’s Only a Play, Mamma Mia. Stephen currently works for Blue Man Group at Astor Place Theatre in the props department.