Brian Richardson* trained with Trinidad Tent Theatre and came to New York in 1989. Favorite roles he has played in New York are: Macbeth (Macbeth), Puck (A Midsummer Nights’ Dream), Prospero (The Tempest) and Wong (The Good Woman of Setzuan). He has originated roles in many new plays, and currently tours his one man show W.E.B. DU BOIS: A MAN FOR ALL TIMES, about the noted Civil Rights leader.  He is Company Manager of Pulse Ensemble Theatre. Thanks to all at Metropolitan Playhouse for the warm welcome. AEA




Michael Durkin* Metropolitan Playhouse: A Twice Told Romance (Hawthornucopia), An Inconvenient River (Mark Twain), Missouri Legend (Hosea Hickey), Shaw's The Devil's Disciple (Anthony Anderson), Metamora (Wolfe), The City (George Rand Sr.), The Purloined Detective (Doctor Watson). Gallery Players: Shepard's A Lie of the Mind (Baylor), Connor McPherson's The Weir (Finbar), The Fantasticks (Hucklebee) and Durang's The Marriage of Bette and Boo (Paul). He is a founding member of the improvisational theatre company Freestyle Repertory Theatre and has performed off Broadway and throughout the United States, Canada and Europe.



Jeanmarie Esposito* Regional credits include: Sabrina in Sabrina Fair, Libby in I Ought to Be in Pictures, Nikki Crandall in The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, Kathy Selden in Singin' in the Rain, Gloria in Damn Yankees, Peggy Sawyer in 42nd Street, Ruby in Dames at Sea, Esther in Meet Me in St. Louis, Consuelo in West Side Story, Tess in Crazy for You. TV: Forensic Files. MFA: University of Mississippi. Proud AEA member.




David Patrick Ford* (Ensemble) New York:  Sessions (Dylan) Peter Jay Sharp, The Pioneer (Man #4) Metropolitan Playhouse. Tours:  The Full Monty (Keno, Ethan U/S), Footloose (Lyle, Chuck U/S)  Regional:  The Full Monty (Teddy, Jerry U/S) Westchester Broadway; Aida (Radames) & The Who's Tommy (Tommy) Playhouse on the Square; West Side Story (Riff, Action) Human Race & MUNY St. Louis; Pump Boys… (Jackson) PA Center Stage; Into the Woods (Jack) Pitts. CLO & Sacramento LOA.  BFA from CMU.  Love to Peggy and Terry.  Film/TV credits and more at:  www.DavidPatrickFord.com.




Sam Gordon* Off-Broadway: The Grille Room at Cherry Lane Theatre, Abundance at The Working Theater, and The Challenge at Urban Stages.  Other New York theatre: Poet & Bird (Around The Block).  Regional: The Unmentionables (Yale Rep), Grover (Alabama Shakespeare Festival), Mirrors Remembered (New York Stage & Film), The Taming of the Shrew (Syracuse Stage).  Film and TV: Sugar Hill, "Third Watch," "New York Undercover," Education: Syracuse University Department of Drama.  Year One of The Empire marks his Metropolitan Playhouse debut.




Michael Hardart* returns to Metropolitan Playhouse, having most recently performed in A Twice Told Romance, as part of Hawthornucopia.  Also at Metropolitan: The Pioneer, André, The Octoroon, The Devil's Disciple, Metamora, The City, East Village Chronicles, Vol. 1.  He has also appeared in New York in Eleanor Rigby is Waiting (New York Fringe Festival);  The Baby Is Blue (Incumbo Theatre Company for the Midtown International Theatre Festival); Four Dogs and a Bone (Michael Howard Studios); The Doctor of Rome (Revolving Shakespeare Company); and Hurlyburly (Willie Bobo Productions).  Regionally he's appeared at The Public Theater of Lewiston, ME in A Month of Sundays; the Bristol Riverside Theatre in Moon Over Buffalo and The Iowa Touring Theatre Company in The Rainmaker. For even more info, visit michaelhardart.com.



Gregory Jones* New York: The Tempest, Cloud Nine (Third Eye Rep), Galileo Was a Leo?* (E.S.T.), Red State/Blue State* (HERE), Tobacco Road (29th Street Rep), Runner Stumbles (West End Theatre), Rock Out* (NY Fringe Festival).  Regional: Danny and the Deep Blue Sea (Vineyard Playhouse), Moon Over Buffalo (Hilton Head Playhouse). Film: Max Goodman's Last Film (NY Film Festival, BBC Film Festival, Montreal Film Festival).  Acting teacher: Wynn Handman.  BFA: Tisch.  Men with Clubs, written by Greg, to world premiere in St. Louis next month.




Mikel Sarah Lambert* received a Drama Desk nomination for her portrayal of Mrs. Gascoyne in D. H. Lawrence's "The Daughter In Law" at The Mint. Some others in New York:  Cyrano be Bergerac , Private Battles,  Wit, Rutherford & Son , Richard III.  As a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company: Hamlet  (with Ben Kingsley as Hamlet), Henry IV Part I & II, Henry V , The Merry Wives of Windsor and Man Is Man (Brecht).  Ms. Lambert worked 12 years in Great Britain, in the West End, regional theatres and extensively for BBC-TV.  She is a graduate of Harvard University and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.  She dedicates all performances to her sons, Patrick and Tim.



Olivia Lawrence* is delighted to be making her Metropolitan Theatre Debut in Year One of the Empire.  Her experience in the theatre spans three decades and includes Broadway, Off-Broadway, regional theatre, film and television.  She recently returned to New York after playing Ana in Sarah Ruhl's The Clean House at the Mixed Blood Theatre in Minneapolis, MN, the Kitchen Theatre in Ithaca, NY and at TheatreWorks in Palo Alto, CA.





J.M. McDonough* Marty was last seen here in Metropolitan's Twainathon.  He works on stage, television, and film in and around New York and the region, and is the voice of a variety of ads, animations and online video games.  More information and demo reel at:http://web.mac.com/martymcd46/Acting/Home.html




John Tobias*  is delighted to be reunited with Metropolitan Playhouse, where he was seen as Nathan in last season's Denial. JT has appeared in major modern and classical roles at New York's Circle-in-the-Square Theatre, plus regionals such as Studio Arena Theatre and Barter Theatre and TV's  Channel 13. Additionally, JT is the author of plays that have been performed at major theatres in 14 countries to date, a highly praised history book, The Adventure of America with an introduction by the late Eleanor Roosevelt, and the title poem, “Reflections on a Gift of Watermelon Pickle...” of a Scott Foresman textbook anthology of modern verse.




Alex Roe (Director) Artistic Director of Metropolitan since 2001, his productions have included Margaret Fleming, Denial, The Octoroon, Haunted, The Scarecrow, Children’s Crusader, Metamora, Arden of Faversham, Pick Up Ax, Fashion, Bacchus, Dom Juan, and Salem (published in 2006 by New York Theatre Experience.)  As an actor, he has appeared here as Jesse James and Richard Dudgeon. Alex is a member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers.

Livia Hill (Stage Manager) Livia recenly worked with the Metropolitan on Hawthornucopia. Her background is a diverse one, including 20 years of performing in  classical and contemporary repertoire dance. She is a graduate from the College of Santa Fe with a BA in Theater and Political Science and holds a Master's in Arts Administration from University of New Orleans. Miss Hill's stage management credits include The Fela Kuti Workshop with Bill T. Jones, Manhattan Children's Theatre production of "Go Dog, Go!" the Workshop Theatre Company's staged reading of "Pillar of Salt,"  The Clinton Global Initiative, Bash for New York's Bravest, Career Transition for Dancers & WNYC Radio.

Megan Ann Richardson (Costume Design) Is a graduate of SUNY New Paltz and San Diego State University with BFA and MFA degrees in costume design. This is her first design at Metropolitan Playhouse and she is very pleased to be a part of this fine production. She would like to thank her husband Travis and her parents for their constant love, support and encouragement.

Tony Galaska (Lighting Design) is excited to be working with Metropolitan Playhouse.  He received his masters degree from Purdue University in 2006 and joined the faculty as Visiting Instructor of Theatre Design and Technology  (Lighting Design).  Some of Tony's design credits at Purdue include Living Out, The Winter's Tale, The Importance of Being Earnest, Buried Child, and Marisol, for which his lighting design was selected for the American College Theatre Festival Barbizon Region 3 National Design Award.  He has also designed The Taming of the Shrew for The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey and The Cherry Orchard for New Perspectives Theatre Company.

Ryan Homsey (Sound Design) This is Ryan's first production with Metropolitan Playhouse.  He holds a B.M. from Purchase College where he currently teaches studio composition. NYC Sound Design: The Play About the Naked Guy (Emerging Artists Theatre). Commissions have come from the Minnesota Ballet and American National Ballet. He has served as music director for productions of Kiss Me Kate, Peter Pan, and Annie, Jr. Ryan was honored by the State University of New York with the 2007 Patricia Kerr Ross Award for the Arts.