OHM PRODUCTIONS SHOWCASE
OHM Productions had a special, one-night only showcase of recent work on Sunday night, February 6th at The Tank, 312 West 36th Street in NYC. It was a HUGE success!
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This evening was a celebration of the birth of OHM Productions.
OHM Productions became a 501(c)3 Non-Profit Theater company in May, 2021, during the unprecedented and difficult early days of the Covid-19 pandemic.
I started OHM as a way to bring actors together, but more importantly, to explore the intersection of theater and mindfulness. I asked myself: How could mindfulness and yoga practices be incorporated during rehearsals and discussion around the text in a way that allowed deeper connection and vulnerability?
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ART BY SIMON ADAMS
I asked six very industrious and talented actors if they would like to explore text with me, in this way, and we began. We started meeting every Tuesday night on Zoom . I asked them to participate in breathing exercises, meditation, shaking and visualizations. Directing, I incorporated improvising text and implemented the character interview, powerful and irreplaceable tools I had learned from Terry Knickerbocker (William Esper Studio) and Wynn Handman. And with that, a theater company was born.
We chose Hurlyburly, by David Rabe, as our first play.
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Though we sadly could not see the Off-Broadway run to its completion as we had planned, since our rights were rescinded under contract, we were so pleased to share this one-night only special OHM Productions showcase on Sunday night, February 6th as a way to celebrate our cast, and the birth of OHM Productions and the people who have generously donated to OHM.
We plan on bringing a new fully-realized play to the stage in the near future (title to be determined). No donation amount is too small!
You can donate here: https://www.gofundme.com/manage/ohmproductions
With Gratitude,
Rachel Bennett, Founder, OHM Productions
MEET THE PRODUCER
OHM Productions is founded by Rachel Darden Bennett.
Rachel has performed excerpts of her solo show at Naked Angels, Arts on Site, PIT’s NYC Solocom, The Barrow Group, the Renegade Reading Series and at Oxford University. Her writing has been published in BUST Magazine, Role Reboot and The Rumpus. Rachel also owns Rachel Bennett Yoga. (https://www.rachelbennettyoga.com) Rachel is founder of The Nursing Home Card Project (https://caringbycard.com) for which she was awarded “New Yorker of the Week” by NY1 News.
MEET THE CAST
RICH ORLOW
Rich is an Emmy nominated and Golden Earphone Award winning actor and voice over artist. He’s appeared Off Broadway and regionally including; Joe Clay in Day of Wine and Roses, Mr. Lockhart in The Seafarer, Gus in The Dumb Waiter and many others. He currently tours the country performing a one-man interpretation of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 for The American Place Theatre’s Literature to Life program. Rich has also voiced countless commercials, narration, animation, video games and recorded books, and has served as a dialect coach for Off Broadway productions. He also appears in television and film, most recently on Law and Order.
PJ MARSHALL
PJ Marshall was recently seen in the NBC series, Chicago Med. Known for his versatility, forceful onscreen presence, and athleticism, Marshall began his career with guest roles on television, appearing on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Oz, and Law & Order: LA. He then began appearing in a variety of films, from Mississippi Grind (starring Ryan Reynolds), Catch .44 (starring Forest Whitaker), and Maggie (starring Arnold Schwarzenegger).
His numerous television credits include On Becoming A God in Central Florida, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Blacklist, Blue Bloods, Gotham, and Luke Cage, as well as in his recurring roles as the plantation overseer, Bill Meekes, on WGN's Underground and Detective Jack Colquitt on American Horror Story: Freak Show.
Off-Broadway, Marshall has performed in Reservoir Dogs, Getting Out, Trailerville, Sam Shepard's A Lie of the Mind and Fool for Love, for which he received a Garland Award nomination.
In 2017, Marshall received Best Actor awards at both the River Bend Film Festival and Williamsburg Independent Film Festival for his work in Sure-Fire. He can be seen starring in the upcoming films Unearth and To Hell and Gone.
Marshall grew up in Southern California and studied acting at the Wynn Handman Studio. Prior to becoming an actor, he was a professional dancer, martial artist, and competitive surfer. Marshall currently resides in New York City.
Zoe Wilson
Zoe Wilson is an actress, singer, songwriter living in Hell’s Kitchen, NYC. Select Off Broadway Credits include: The Opera is Always on the Table (Dir. Tina Satter/Hanna Lea Novak), Three Days to See with Transport Group (Dir. Jack Cummings III), Play Like A Winner @ Peter J Sharp as Jenna (Won 2017 NYMF Outstanding Individual Performance Award) ,The Pill @LaMaMa, Peter Pan in Concert @The Signature Theatre (Transport Group/Jack Cummings III), Eco Village @St. Clemens and Of The Sea @ Access Theatre. Select TV and Film Credits include: White Effie in Orange is the New Black, My Dinner With Schwartzey (debut won her a 2019 Indie Film Award and 2019 East Hampton Film Festival award for Best Actress), The Shallow End, Little Boy, & Moshulu Parkway. She just wrapped her first feature film Eco Village, attends CUNY Hunter College as an Muse Scholar, and, most recently, her play Two Truths and a Lie was a part of Hunter’s CoLab @ the Frederick Loewe Theater. She is represented by Lauren Singer Talent, PH Entertainment Group & Innovative Artists. Follow instagram@zoewilsonofficial
JOHN ADAMS
John Adams (member SAG/AFTRA) is a Boston native, graduate of the AADA NYC, and student of Wynn Handman.
TV credits include Jessica Jones, The Blacklist, Mr. Robot and the upcoming Inventing Anna. Theater credits include The Late Henry Moss, Much Ado About Nothing and Philip Barry’s Holiday.
He’s eternally grateful to the Harkness Center for Dance Injuries and The Actor’s Fund for their unrivaled kindness, care, and generosity.
ALI REZA FARAHNAKIAN
Ali Reza Farahnakian is an alumnus of The Improv Olympic, The Second City and Saturday Night Live. He has acted on The Steppenwolf mainstage, BAM and Playwrights Horizon. His teachers include Del Close, Mary Ann Thebus and Wynn Handman. He has been in numerous TV shows, commercials and Films. He was a founding member of UCB and The PIT. He lives in New York City with his family. Spread the Word! www.AliRezaFarahnakian.com
RACHEL DARDEN BENNETT
Rachel Bennett is an actor (AEA and SAG-AFTRA), author and dancer. TV credits include Mildred Pierce and Skinny Dip.
On Stage: Broken City Wall Street with Pop Up Theatricals, Oklahoma and Chicago and a Japan Tour of The Stephen Foster Musical.
Rachel has read excerpts from a larger body of work at Arts on Site, Naked Angels, NYC Solocom, at The PIT, The Barrow Group, the Renegade Reading Series and at Oxford University. Her writing has been published in BUST Magazine, Role Reboot and The Rumpus.
She studied with Wynn Handman, Lee Brock at the Barrow Group, Kathleen Turner, Terry Knickerbocker in the two-year William Esper Studio Improv with Zach Woods at UCB, playwriting with Deborah Margolin at The New Dramatists and professional ballet with Nancy Bielski. Most recently she studied acting and playwriting with John Patrick Shanley.
Rachel owns Rachel Bennett Yoga (www.rachelbennettyoga.com) and is the Founder of the Nursing Home Card Project (www.caringbycard.com) for which she was awarded "New Yorker of the Week" by NY1 News.
JEANINE BARTEL
Jeanine Bartel is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA & AEA, an acting coach, a producer, writer, & mom.
TV and web credits include Blue Bloods, FBI, Invasion, Blindspot, Chicago PD, The Blacklist, Bull, Law & Order: SVU, Nurse Jackie, Carrie Diaries, Manhattan Love Story, L&O; Criminal Intent, The Real Page Turner, Exit Zero, East, and the web-series she co-created with a few fab moms and talents, #Motherjudger.
On stage: Love’s Labour’s Lost, Macbeth, The Problem of Verisimilitude, Oh, My Goodness, Unmentionables, Muffin, Thank You For Letting Me Have Sex With You, to name a few. Prodigals’ Road and Robot are currently working the festival circuit! She is currently co-developing and producing the series, Pausers and coaches privately for auditions, on-camera technique and on-going study. Ramsey; The Vandy Case (feature) and Overdue (short) are in post. Up next, the series, 1000 Miles.
www.jeaninebartel.com @jeanine.bartel
