CAST

REBECCA WOOD as #1

Rebecca Wood is a British - American actress. She has studied extensively at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, MN Academy in London and the University of Chichester. Previous Credits include Enemy of the People (Howard Davies) Raving Reason (Ioanna Katsarou) and Medea(Tiffani Swalley) Her last short film Threnody (Purple Duck) is currently premiering at Shnit Film Festival in San Jose. @rebeccahaley05

GORAN SCOTT as #2

Goran , a versatile NYC-based actor/dancer/singer/painter/director with extensive experience in Europe and New York. As a multifaceted creator, Goran integrates his background as an actor, dancer, singer, painter and director through life experience in the present moment. His work thus far, both in the field of culture has won him awards such as “Schubert Foundation Full-Bright Schoolarship”, “The most successful cultural individual”, “Best Comedy Actor” by The National Theatre Festival in Bosnia and Herzegovina, to mention a few. Goran Popovich leaves an indelible mark, inviting viewers to contemplate the impact of genuine, unfiltered expression.
Goran's artistic philosophy centers on the belief that art transcends all human experiences.
He is currently represented by: Stefanie Field from Stefanie Field Talent and Entertainment, Reinhard Talent Agency, Mainline Models and Talent Agency. His previous theatre work includes: Charon in Infernal the Musical, Danny Brown in Storme, Her Father in Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl, Brought Up by kenneth Keng, Time's up by Kenneth Keng to mention a few.

GENEVIEVE DANIELS as #3

Genevieve Ngosa Daniels is excited to be a part of the cast of I Want A Country at the Hellenic Cultural Center. She is a NYC based artist with Caribbean roots. Being introduced to dancing, gymnastics and acting from an early age; Genevieve continued her acting path in adulthood which led her to The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York where she honed her skills as an actress. Additionally, she is a proud alumna of the Black Arts Initiative which she completed this summer at the Billie Holiday Theatre in Brooklyn, New York. Recent credits include: Emilia in A B-Story at The Actors Studio Playwright/Directors Workshop, Celeste in Meeting Ivan at New World Stages, Mother in A Diseased Feeling at Theatre Row for the Downtown Urban Arts Festival. When she is not performing, you can find her in a book shop or at a cafe bar- two of her favorite places. She enjoys peaceful moments of laughter with friends, watching the sunset and cooking.

RODOLFO ORNELAS as #4

Rodolfo has been led by a very Mexican sensibility since he was a child. At only 15, he became a pupil of actor Mario Iván Martínez (Like Water for Chocolate), opening his heart to acting as a way of discovering and enjoying life. His work can be seen in the one-man show version of "Romeo and Juliet" streaming on Teatrix.com, for which he earned the "Best Monologue on Streaming Award", granted by the Mexican Association of Theater Journalists (APT). He recently participated in Academy Award nominated Rodrigo Prieto's directorial debut Pedro Páramo for Netflix. Other credits include Pentheus in Bakkhai, Jamie in Anatomy of a Suicide (AADA NYC), Lance in The Altruists (The Other Space Theatre LA), and recently the one-person show “What’s Up, Don Quixote?”, which premiered in August at The Morgan Wixson Theatre, in Los Angeles. A graduate from The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, from which he received the prestigious Charles Jehlinger Award for acting, Rodolfo expresses gratitude to his family and friends.

XRYSI SIL as #5

Xrysi is an actor, producer, and director from Athens, Greece. She is a founder and co-Artistic Director of the award-winning, female led theatre company, TeamTheatre. She has starred in dozens of productions in Greece and in New York and has collaborated with important organizations such as the Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre, the National Theatre of Greece, the Stella Adler Studio of the Arts, Laguardia Performing Arts Center, Theatre East, The Flea Theatre, Cyprus New York Productions, Theatro Poreia, Theatro Akadimos, and of course Eclipses Group Theatre NY to name a few. She is a graduate of the 3-year Professional Conservatory at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting, a proud member of the Stella Adler Alumni Council and Co-Chair of the International and Domestic Relations Committee. Xrysi is beyond grateful that the initial crazy idea of bringing I Want A Country to life is becoming a reality!

THEA GLORIA as #6

Thea is an artist from Manila, Philippines. She is currently a teaching artist in several New York city schools as well as a resident artist for Spellbound Theatre and Hedgepig Ensemble Theatre. She has performed for La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, Rattlestick Playwrights, The Flea Theater, and many more. She has performed in various theater companies back home as well such as Repertory Philippines, PETA (Philippine Educational Theater Association), and CCP (Cultural Center of the Philippines) to name a few. She also earned BroadwayWorld’s Best Featured Actress for her performance with Repertory Philippines. She is often seen in Bryant Park where she practices her juggling and flow arts.

*****All monologues in the show were written by the performers*****

PROGRAM

CREATIVE TEAM

PLAYWRIGHT: ANDREAS FLOURAKIS

Andreas Flourakis is a playwright. He has written more than thirty works for theater, which have been translated into many languages, including English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Chinese, German, Turkish, Romanian, Polish, Albanian, Hindi, and Finnish. His plays have been staged both in Greece and internationally at theaters such as the National Theater of Greece (Athens), the Royal Court Theatre (London), the Art Theatre Karolos Koun (Athens), the National Theater of Spain (Madrid), Lincoln Center Theater (New York), Gate Theatre (London), West Yorkshire Playhouse (Leeds), Stegi, Onassis Cultural Centre (Athens), Tristan Bates Theatre (London), Epi Kolono (Athens), the National Theater of Albania (Tirana), Beep (Athens), the Theatre of the South (Athens), and Maison d'Europe et d'Orient (Paris). His plays have also been performed at various festivals, including HotINK (New York), Helsinki Festival (Helsinki), Gi60 (New York), Oyun Yaz Festival (Istanbul), International Monodrama Festival (Pafos, Cyprus), the Cultural Olympiad (Athens), and the Comparative Drama Conference (Los Angeles). Among his awards is an honorable mention in the one-act play contest of the Art Theatre Karolos Koun (2003), selection by the Janus Project for New Plays and New Playwriting Across Europe (2006), second prize in the one-act play contest organized by the Municipal and Regional Theatre of Rhodes (2008), third prize in the International Monodrama contest of the UNESCO International Theatre Institute (2006-2008), selection by the award-winning biennial playwriting Eurodram contest (2014), a Writer-in-Residence Award at the Royal Court International Residency (United Kingdom), and a Fulbright Artists Award (United States). In 2024, a commemorative volume dedicated to his work was published by Mandragoras Editions, titled Mapping a World in Transformation – 44 Texts on the Writing of Andreas Flourakis.

TRANSLATOR: ELENI DRIVAS

Eleni Drivas is a New York based historian, translator, writer, editor and theater producer. She
holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Hunter College, CUNY, and a Master of Arts
and Ph.D. in History from St. John’s University. Eleni has been employed as a historical
consultant in cinema and theater and is most noted for her consultation on the award-winning
documentary Beneath the Olive Tree and the play Granada by the Greek playwright Yannis
Kalavrianos. Her translation of I Want a Country by Andreas Flourakis was published in 2019 by
Laertes Press. Eleni is currently working on an anthology dedicated to Flourakis’ plays to be
published by Laertes Press as part of the Egret Playwrights Series. Additionally, she translated
Chilean playwright Guillermo Calderon’s Villa, from Spanish into Greek, which was produced in
Athens in 2021. Eleni is a member of numerous professional associations, including the American Historical
Association and the American Literary Translation Association, and has been an active member
in the Greek-American community.

DIRECTOR: IOANNA KATSAROU

Ioanna Katsarou is the co-artistic director of the Eclipses Group Theater NY (EGTNY) and a founding member of the former Aktis Aeliou Art Theater, which was honored by the Greek Critics Association as “The Best Regional Theater in Greece” in 2006. She is a member of the Lincoln Center Directors’ Lab (2017) and has collaborated as a director with The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) since 2020. Recent directorial credits include: AntiGonick and Winter’s Tale at AADA (2024), Bakkhai at the Company of AADA (2023), Emilia at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (2023), Raving Reason at the LPAC (EGTNY production, Flushing Town Hall grant award, 2022), Shelter In Love at the La Guardia Performing Arts Center Double Grant Award by QCA, 2022 (EGTNY) production. Hercules: In Search of a Hero at Abrons Arts Center and LaGuardia Performing Arts Center (EGTNY production, double grant award by the QCA, 2018-2019), and Farewell at the Solo Festival (“Best Poetic Show” Award, 2018). Some of her leading roles include Clytemnestra at the Classic Stage Company (off-Broadway), Cassandra at the Ellen Stewart stage of La MaMa, Queen Atossa at La MaMa, Goddess Demetra at the Cell Theater, Phaedra at the European Delphi Festival for Ancient Greek Drama.

COMPOSER & SOUND DESIGNER: PETER DOUSKALIS

Peter Douskalis is a musician, orchestrator, composer, and educator. He is the cofounder, Project and Music Director of Sounds of Cyprus. He currently is also one of the guitar chairs at the Broadway musical Water For Elephants. He was also recently a substitute musician for the shows The Lion King and Hamilton. He has recently performed with the New York Philharmonic and Josh Groban. He has also performed with the Broadway Inspirational Voices. He is a participating musician on the Grammy nominated ‘Caroline, or Change’ New Broadway cast album (2022).

MUSIC DIRECTOR & PIANO: DEMETRI BONAROS

Demetri Bonaros (AEA) is an actor, singer, writer, translator, director and composer with a keen interest in the classical, the musical and the whimsical. He is co-artistic director of Eclipses Group Theater NY and previously co-founded the Hipgnosis Theatre Co. Selected theatre credits: The Government Inspector, Hercules: In Search of a Hero, Agamemnon, Raving Reason, Shelter in Love, The Princess Goes to War, Marriage à la Russe!, and We Can’t Pay, We Won’t Pay (Eclipses); Measure for Measure, The Winter’s Tale, The Taming of the Shrew and the NY Innovative Theater Awards-nominated, best production, The Caucasian Chalk Circle (Hipgnosis Theatre Co., as actor/producer/composer); Barefoot in the Park (Two River Theatre); Burt Dow, Deep Water Man (Stonington Opera House); and the operas Dinner and Delusion (Center for Contemporary Opera) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Orvieto, Italy). Studies/training: theatre, mathematics (Swarthmore College, Villanova University), classical piano and voice, Commedia dell’Arte and Lecoq. www.DemetriBonaros.com

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: ADAM MARTIN

Adam Martin is a NYC based director, acting coach, and script editor. He is currently editing and
directing a solo show for Duccio Baldasseroni that will tour Europe in 2025. Select directing:
Half Empty; Half Full by Kiana Wu at The Hudson Guild Theatre and Manhattan Repertory
Theatre; Paul Downs Colaizzo’s Really Really at IATI Theater with Wrong House Productions;
and Sam Shepherd’s Fool for Love at Stella Adler Studio. Select assistant directing: Macbeth at
the Stella Adler Studio; Almost, Maine by John Cariani at the GCC; and Express by Mack Velle,
which won the one-act summer play festival at Manhattan Repertory Theatre. Adam has studied
directing under Austin Pendleton at HB Studio; apprenticed Sam Schacht the former dean of the
Actors Studio; and has studied with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. He holds his B.A. in
Theatre Arts from CSUSB and is a graduate of the Three Year Professional Conservatory at the
Stella Adler Studio of Acting.

LIGHTING DESIGNER: WILLEM HINTERNHOFF

Willem Hinternhoff (Lighting Designer, he/him) is a New York based freelance lighting designer for the stage. His experiences encompass a wide range of performance genres. Beyond that he has worked in various roles from lead designer to assistant. He has worked with such organizations as The Juilliard School, Dartboard Productions, Columbia University, AMT Theater, The Talking Band, and Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theater. Recently, you may have seen his work on Threepenny Opera (CU) , DAVID: A New Musical (AMT Theater) , or It’s Not What It Looks Like (Soho Playhouse). He thanks you for joining us, and hopes you enjoy the show! Willemhinternhoff.com

STAGE MANAGER: VASILIKI IOANNOU

Vasiliki is a dedicated stage manager with extensive experience across diverse theatrical productions. She graduated with honors from the BMCC Theater Program and received a Stage Management Award at the CUNY Theater Festival for the play Let Me Go by Mary Ann Ceron. She has worked on many independent productions in Queens and Manhattan, most recently with the Diplodocus production of Theater Will Not Prepare You for Death, presented at the La MaMa Experimental Theater Club. Additionally, she has been collaborating with GenY Productions to bring Greek plays to American audiences. Since 2023, she has been stage managing for the Company and Graduate Series productions at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, including Bakkhai, Hearts Like Planets, Passage, The Wolves, Smash, Animal Farm, and Antigonik. She has been working with Eclipse Group Theater NY since 2019 and is very excited to be part of the I Want A Country family!

MOVEMENT ADVISOR: ELENA ZUCKER

Elena Zucker is a playwright, screenwriter, theater director and movement specialist. Her own productions have played in NYC, regionally and internationally. She is a graduate of the Ecole Jacques Lecoq in Paris and has her MFA in Dramatic Writing from NYU. She has taught Lecoq-inspired movement, playwriting and acting at schools and universities around NYC for the last twenty years. These schools include Barnard College/Columbia University, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Movement Theater Studio, NYC, and the Stella Adler Studio of Acting, among others. She is an independent writing consultant for dramatic writers and a movement coach for theater groups. Her page-generating workshop for actors and playwrights, Writing from the Body, is offered several times a year: writingftbody@gmail.com.

STAGE COMBAT: MELANIE LIEBETRAU

Melanie (she/her) is a fight choreographer, stage combat instructor, intimacy director, and occasional actor. She has taught and/or choreographed at the Stella Adler Studio, the Lee Strasberg Institute, Columbia University, and more. Some of her recent theatrical credits include: Much Ado About Nothing, Buzzer, and In The Bronx Brown Girls Can See Stars Too. She proudly holds the rank of advanced actor combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors, a group with whom she has trained with for nearly a decade. Proud member of AEA. @melanieliebetrau

SET CONSTRUCTION: GORAN POPOVICH

GRAPHIC DESIGNER/ POSTER: DIMITRIS TIMPILIS

VIDEO TRAILER: POLIVIOS SEDARIS

PRE-SHOW MUSIC: DEMETRI BONAROS

PRODUCTION

-Eclipses Group Theater NY-

Eclipses Group Theater New York is a 501c(3) Nonprofit Theater Company that serves as a cultural bridge between Greece and the USA, promoting all forms of Greek drama, music, dance, poetry and literature. We focus on an explorative approach of the Greek and World Classic and Modern Plays, presenting them to an American and International audience.

Our goal is to produce theatrical, musical and dance performances, music events, poetry readings, as well as educational programs, workshops, lectures in collaboration with universities, schools, institutions, foundations and the business sector engaging communities throughout the USA and internationally through festivals.

Our objective is to collaborate with Greek artists around the world as well as artists of other ethnicities and cultures, developing an intercultural artistic dialogue of global interest.

-TeamTheatre-

TeamTheatre is a female led multicultural company founded in 2018 by a group of Stella Adler Alumni fostering and creating art for New York City and places around the globe.

In an world where more and more people from different places, languages, and cultures will have to interact and live next to eachother due to social, political, and the evergrowing climate changes, we believe in developing productions that explore what it truly means to honor inclusivity, multiculturalism, communcation, empathy, and the journey of continuous personal and collective growth.

We provide a home where artists and audiences from every background can connect and embrace our commonly shared humanity. We act as a resource for underrepresented, immigrant artists, and the societies around them.

Executive Producers

Demetri Bonaros, Dorothea Gloria, Ioanna Katsarou, Chrysi Sylaidi

MORE INFO

I Want A Country has received the Queens Community Arts Grant from Flushing Town Hall. Queens Community Arts Grant is supported by the New York State Council on the Arts, Statewide Community Regrants Program (formerly the Decentralization program) with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.

The names of the children heard in the play were taken by sources with names of refugee children and people who drowned while crossing boarders, several newspapers, and a list of 34,361 documented deaths by United Against Refugee Deaths.

Pre-show music be Demetri Bonaros
***Trigger Warning: Please be advised that the show will be dealing with topics of violence, politics, nationalities, religion, etc. Our production will have siren sounds, distortion sounds, stage violence, nationalist and religious fanaticism.

SOURCE