Happy Days
*indicates member of AEA
† indicates member of BNW Rep
CAST & CREATIVE TEAM
Jade King Carroll (Director) Jade King Carroll a distinguished director specializing in new play development, and the Producing Artistic Director of Chautauqua Theater Company.
Carroll has directed over 60 classical and contemporary productions nationwide at renowned venues including Shakespeare Theatre Company in D.C., Lincoln Center Institute, New York Theatre Workshop, McCarter Theatre Center, Atlantic Theatre, Alley Theatre, Hartford Stage, and Roundhouse. Most recently, she directed Chisa Hutchinson’s Amerikin at Primary Stages. Notable credits include Proof of Love, Detroit ’67, Having Our Say, Red Velvet, and multiple productions of August Wilson’s work—she is one of the few directors to have worked on every play in Wilson’s Century Cycle.
As a director of audio plays, you can find her work with Audible, Marvel, and Broadway Podcast Network. As an educator Jade has taught, guest lectured and directed at Juilliard, Rutgers, NYU, Princeton, and many more. She has an award from the August Wilson Estate as well as from her alma mater, SUNY New Paltz.
As CTC’s Producing Artistic Director, Carroll is in the midst of her third season of programming innovative new works, including the world premieres of tiny father by Mike Lew (a co-production with Barrington Stage Company) and commissioned pieces, The Light and The Dark (the Life and Times of Artemisia Gentileschi) by Kate Hamill (co-produced with off-Broadway’s Primary Stages in NYC) and the world premiere of The Witnesses by C.A. Johnson. She has also developed works by playwrights Sofya Levitsky-Weitz, Chisa Hutchinson, Harrison David Rivers, Anna Ziegler, C.A. Johnson, Sharyn Rothstein, Hilary Bettis, Vichet Chum, and James Anthony Tyler.
Under her leadership, CTC has secured two NYSCA grants and partnered with the Telsey Office for casting and the Drama League to expand its directing fellows’ program. Current commissions include new works by Sharyn Rothstein, Zora Howard, and CTC’s first musical, with a dynamic creative team featuring music and lyrics by Christopher Jackson, book by Candrice Jones and Kwame Alexander, and additional lyrics by Jones. Carroll will direct the production with Tony Award-winner Thomas Kail joining as creative consultant.
Carroll and CTC have successfully raised $11.5 million for the new Roe Green Theater Center, which will house CTC offices, rehearsal spaces, a new prop shop, dressing rooms, a green room, and a black box theater complete with a lobby and ADR bar.
Photo by: Justin Ellington
Claire Beckman † (Winnie) Claire is the producing artistic director of BNW which she co-founded in 2003; Acting and directing highlights include: A Moon For The Misbegotten (Director), The Hook adapted from Arthur Miller's screenplay by Ron Hutchinson (Director), A View From The Bridge (Beatrice), Shakespeare on Stratford (Co-Director), A Muslim in the Midst (Director), The Plantation (Directed and Adapted from The Cherry Orchard), Picasso’s Masterpiece (Director), Street Scene (Director, named #22 of 25 Best Stage shows of 2013 by L Magazine), The Long Christmas Dinner (Director), The Merry Wives of Windsor ~Terrace (Mrs. Ford), The American Clock (Rose), The Crucible (Director, NY Magazine Critic’s Pick), The Tempest (Director, Brooklyn Borough President Proclamation) Fahrenheit 451 (Mildred), Crossing Brooklyn Ferry (Adaptor/Director), The Great White Hope (Ellie), To Kill a Mockingbird (Jean Louise/Director, Brooklyn Borough President Citation.) Off Broadway credits include The Torchbearers at Drama Dept., Snakebit for Naked Angels, the title role in Bella Belle of Byelorussia directed by Christopher Ashley at the WPA and Kevin Kline’s Hamlet at The Public. Regional credits include Mother in The Pianist adapted for the stage and directed by Emily Mann for George Street Playhouse, and leading roles at Actor’s Theatre of Louisville, Asolo Theatre, Philadelphia Drama Guild, Capital Rep, GeVa, Syracuse Stage, The Pittsburgh Public Theatre, and various Shakespeare Festivals including Lady Macbeth at Shakespeare on the Sound. Films include: “The Tollbooth,” the award winning “The Wormhole,” “Revolution #9,” “Pollock,” “Fallout,” “The Door in the Floor” with Jeff Bridges and Kim Basinger and “The Thing About My Folks” with Peter Falk and Paul Reiser. Crystal Prism Award Best Actress: “Better Than Escape” (“Bolje od Bekstva” Serbia/Montenegro.) Best Producer nomination at NYC’s Visionfest for “The West Begins on Fifth Avenue.” TV: “Law & Order,” “Law & Order CI,” “All My Children,” “As the World Turns.”
John Edmond Morgan* † ( Willie ) John is a co-founder of BNW and Associate Artistic Director. Brave New World credits include: “The House of Atreus,” “Shakespeare on Stratford,” “The Hook,” “The Plantation,” “NUN$” “Moby Dick, Rehearsed,” (director) “Street Scene,” “The Merry Wives of Windsor Terrace” (director) “The Crucible,” “The Tempest,” “Fahrenheit 451,” “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry,” The Great White Hope,” “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “The Importance of Being Earnest” New York stage includes:“The Last Empress” at Lincoln Center, “Love’s Labour’s Lost” at The Samuel Beckett Theatre, “Sure Thing” at Soho Rep, the title role in “Zastrozzi” and “The Rover” at The Basic Theater, and “How I Learned to Drive” as a guest artist at Brooklyn College. Regional credits include “Sideman” at Florida Rep, “Candida” at Pennsylvania Stage, “Master Harold and the Boys” for Portland Rep, “Romeo and Juliet” at the Virginia Shakespeare Festival and “Hamlet” as a guest artist at Northern Michigan University. Television appearances include “All My Children” and “As the World Turns.” John has performed in and choreographed fights for numerous Shakespeare Festivals and independent films. Also for The Basic Theatre he directed “Downtown” at The Samuel Beckett, and he has directed for The Neighborhood Theatre for kids in Brooklyn. Teaching credits include NYU, Webster University, Northern Michigan University, SUNY Rockland, Brooklyn College, and The Brooklyn School For Music and Theater for 15 years.
Brittany Vasta (Scenic Design) is a Brooklyn based scenic designer for live performance. Recent work includes Julia May Jonas’s A WOMAN AMONG WOMEN (Bushwick Starr/LCT3), EXECUTION OF JUSTICE, written & directed by Emily Mann (Chautauqua Theatre), the NY Off Broadway premier of Kate Hamill’s play THE LIGHT AND THE DARK (Primary Stages). Previous collaborations include work at Signature Theatre, WP Theatre, Mint Theatre, The Bushwick Starr, JACK, Theatre Row, The Duke, The Juilliard School, Berkeley Rep, Syracuse Stage, Portland Center Stage, Kansas City Rep, New York City Center, among others. Drama Desk Nomination for world premier of Dave Malloy’s OCTET. MFA, NYU. USA 829 member. brittanyvasta.com
Martina Nevermann † (Costume Design) Martina joined Brave New World in 2011 as their in-house CostumeDesigner. She has been on the board since 2012 and took on the role as board chair in 2015. Martina’s costumes background is varied form theatre in Germany, commercials and independent movies in LA, to dance theatre in SF. These days Martina owns Pilates on Cortelyou in BNW’s neighborhood of Ditmas Park, Brooklyn. BNW allows her to stay connected with her creative side and to bring a few great productions every year of VERY affordable, smart and relevant theatre to EVERYONE in Brooklyn.
Yiyuan Li (Lighting Design) is a Chinese lighting designer currently based in New York City. Selected Credits: Blue Window (USC School of Dramatic Arts); The Master And Margarita (Colgate University); The Last Days Of Judas Iscariot (NJIT); Deep Blue Sound (USC School of Dramatic Arts); Garside's Career (Mint Theatre Company); Cymbeline (NAATCO, Classic Stage Company); The Heart Sellers (Cape Rep Theatre); Richard II (Mark O'Donnell Theatre); Red Maple (Curtain Call Theatre); Love's Labour's Lost (Carroll Park); The Moors (NYU, Theatre C); Dancing at Lughnasa (Lenfest Center for the Arts); Story of A Bird (Shanghai Changjiang Black Box Theatre); Second Av Dance Company resident lighting designer (2022-2023). Education: MFA, Design for Stage and Film, NYU Tisch. Outside of design, she enjoys walking on the street with her camera to observe and capture stories.
Jane Shaw (Sound Design)Off-Broadway: Henry IV, Prosperous Fools (Theatre for a New Audience), Archduke, The Wanderers (Roundabout), I Was Most Alive With You, Men on Boats (Playwrights Horizons), The Fears (at Signature), Actually (MTC), and thirty shows with the Mint including Zack. Regional: Productions including Amadeus(Pasadena Playhouse), Billie Jean (Chicago Shakespeare), A Doll's House (The Guthrie), Winter's Tale (Idaho Shakespeare), and Leopoldstadt (Huntington, Writer's Theatre, and Shakespeare Theatre Companies). She has also designed at Cleveland Play House, the Alley, Hartford Stage, Gulfshore Playhouse, Asolo Rep, Long Wharf, and The Old Globe. Recognition: Drama Desk, Connecticut Critics Circle, Henry Award, Bessie Award, Premios ACE 2012, NEA/TCG Career Development Grant, Meet the Composer Grant, and nominations for a Jeff and several Lortel Awards. Education: Harvard University, Yale School of Drama.https://www.janeshaw.com/
PRODUCTION TEAM
Vaishanavi Raul (Production Stage Manager) is a NYC-based stage manager who manages the stage like she gets paid for it (she does, occasionally). Her recent credits include Romeo and Juliet (Powerhouse Theater), When the Smoke Clears (The Flea), and Time Share (Off-Broadway, 14Y). She would like to thank her family, mentors, and girlfriend, Gosia, for their unyielding love and support.
Dale Denman (Front of House) is an actor, photographer, and writer located in Harlem. As House Manager, she is thrilled to welcome you to the theatre and to ensure that your experience today is as enjoyable as possible. She would like to give a thanks to Claire and everyone at Brave New World for the opportunity to help bring this production of Happy Days to life!
Celeste Muñiz* †(Producing Associate) Celeste is an actress/writer born and raised in the Bronx. She has a B.A. in Theater from Fordham University at Lincoln Center. Celeste has performed with many theater companies in NYC including Brave New World Repertory, Puerto Rican Traveling Theater and The Civilians. Recent film credits include: Poorly Executed (Gorilla Ocho Productions), …But A Dream (Mwhaha Laugh Productions). BNW credits: Street Scene, The Hook, Brave New Works: Daughters of the Sexual Revolution. She has performed her original work at Bowery Poetry Club, Harlem Arts Festival, and Salon BKLYN. Celeste is interested in creating work that sheds light on unity despite our perceived individuality. celestemuniz.com