Coco & Gigi, featuring Mindy Leanse as Cosima!

Mindy Leanse came to New York two years ago from El Paso, Texas to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She graduated from AADA a few weeks ago and is ecstatic to be working on such a wonderful show. So many thanks to the amazing people who put this show together!

Coco & Gigi, featuring Maria Schirmer as Gigi (part 1)

Maria studied theatre at Marymount Manhattan College, from which she graduated with honors. She has also studied at the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin, Ireland, the Neighborhood Playhouse and The Michael Howard Studios in NYC. She also continues her education in creative writing at The New School. Since graduating, Maria has become actively involved in creative and administrative duties with Stone Soup Theatre Arts (www.stonesoupkitchen.org), performing in seven shows, co-authoring two and assisting with development, outreach and educational programming. She is also a member of the Literary Wing at the Lark Play Development Center. An avid traveler and yoga student, Maria recently returned from five months backpacking in southern India and studying yoga at The Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute in Mysore, India.

Coco & Gigi featuring Maria Niora as Gigi

Maria was born and raised in Athens, Greece. She is a graduate of the Athens University with a BA in sociology. A passionate actress since the age of fourteen, moved to New York to study Acting in the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, where she graduated from last spring. She made her NYC stage debut at the Looking Glass Theatre with Cosima and Gigi and now she is thrilled to be cast again as Gigi, this time being part of the inspiring team of the LightFinder Productions. Recently, she appeared in PBS production of The Bacchae. Acting credits include Nora in Doll’s House, Carol in Lady from Dubuque and Cleo in Girl’s Guide To Chaos.

Isabella Russell-Ides, the writer

Isabella Russell-Ides, attended Blessed Sacrament Catholic School on Hollywood Boulevard and grew up under the eponymous sign. Her father ran searchlights for the openings of Hollywood premiers back in the glory days of Grauman’s Chinese. She has been leaning towards the light for decades and now Lightfinder has searched her out.

Winner of the 2008 DFW Critics forum for Best New Play [Coco & Gigi], Isabella is thrilled that Lightfinder selected Coco & Gigi as it’s start up production. Rumor has it that the NYC theatrical rebirth will take place in a basement in the East Village. This auspicious entrance soon to be followed by a Lightfinder remount of Isabella’s hit Leonard’s Car [when the rainbow is NOT enuf].

In 2008 Isabella’s plays saw productions all across the USA, from NYC across the great divide to LA. Her plays have garnered Leon Rabin Awards, The Column Awards, BEST Of FEST accolades as well as rave write-ups. Her play-crafting characterized as “genius” by Taitte, “brilliant” by Bonafield; her dialogue tagged as “crisp, clever and ballsy” by the Dallas Observer, “gorgeous” by Playwrights Playground and “more significant than any work I’ve seen by Dallas writer” in nine years of attending local premieres, Mark Lowry noted in the Star-Telegram.

COCO & GIGI - The auditions

The theater is booked! Now we need the ACTORS!!!

We're casting the upcoming production of COCO & GIGI, an original play written by Isabella Russell-Ides in homage to Beckett’s Waiting for Godot.

Rehearsals begin April 27^th 2009.

Shows are on May 26^th and May 27^th 2009, UNDER St. Marks, NYC.

Seeking: 3 Actors

Cosmo, male, any age, any ethnicity Gigi, female, any age, any ethnicity Cosima, female, 20s, any ethnicity

Also, seeking: Assistant Director

Auditions will be held by appointment only April 15^th and 16^th in NYC.

To schedule an appointment, please email pictures and résumés to:

lightfinderprod@gmail.com

Or send them to:

LIGHT FINDER PRODUCTIONS

502 Amsterdam Avenue, #22 New York, NY 10024.

ASSISTANT DIRECTORS!!! Send your résumé by email or mail as well.

Thank You!

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Light Finder Productions has found light!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS: Light Finder Productions has found light!

Light Finder Productions is bringing you its first staged play, COCO & GIGI, written by Isabella Russell-Ides, on MAY 26th and MAY 27th at 7 PM, UNDER St Marks.

Coco & Gigi is a wonderful play, filled with creativity and gutsiness. And I'm not the only one saying it!

"Ms. Russell-Ides has written a charming homage to Waiting for Godot, with a soupcon of I Love Lucy added to the mix. The dialogue vies with Samuel Beckett's own in its metaphysical obsessions, but the Dallas playwright incorporates a more realistic back story for each version than Mr. Beckett ever bothered with. Both pairs of actors contribute brilliant – and quite different – interpretations to this very amusing conceit." By LAWSON TAITTE / The Dallas Morning News

COCO & GIGI

Written by Isabella Russell-Ides

May 26th at 7pm

May 27th at 7pm

UNDER St Marks

94 St Marks Place, between 1st Ave and Avenue A

Light Finder Productions bring you its blog

Find Da Lite or Find a lite? Whichever way you want to put it...

This blog has been created so you can get a close look at our process: from auditioning the actors to the opening night.