Mission Statement
Based in New York/New Jersey, Elixir Productions Theatre Company develops plays and performances about gender, sexuality, and the impact of sexual identity on society, human relationships, and the self. Made from equal parts tradition and experimentation, we aim to create uniquely queer experiences that explore subversive forms of desire.
Jody P. Person (Director)
Jody received his M.F.A. in Directing from Rutgers University Mason Gross School of the Arts. NY directing credits include: Writing Ground Zero (Dixon Place/The Raw Space), "Mixed Up Molly Eden" (Surf Reality), "The Lady of Larkspur Lotion" (Roger Hendrick Simon Studio), Bones and "The Existence of Being (or Am I Here?)" (TSI), and Radium (The Jewel Box Theatre). At Rutgers: for colored girls... by Ntozake Shange, Possible Worlds by John Mighton, Am I Blue by Beth Henley, Necropolis by Don Nigro, and In the Blood by Suzan-Lori Parks. Jody earned a B.A. in Drama and Dance from SUNY Purchase, where he received the Abbot Kaplan Award and Frank Wadsworth Drama Prize, and he also studied Southeast Asian Dance at the National Taiwan University of the Arts. He taught acting for youth at the Harlem Children's Zone (TRUCE).
Alex Defazio (Playwright)
Alex's NY productions include: To Be Loved (FringeNYC 2007 and chashama; developed at Luna Stage), Radium, and two one-act plays, "Mountainlight" and "Can I Touch You," at the inaugural Fall Collection/Crown Point Festival. Prior to appearing in The Fall Collection, "Mountainlight" was also selected for the annual festival of original one-acts at TADA! Youth Theater. Other NY productions: Writing Ground Zero (Dixon Place/The Raw Space), Christine (The Raw Space), and "Mixed Up Molly Eden" (Surf Reality). Alex's translation of Euripides' Medea has been taught at Lehigh University, and he was a semi-finalist for the One in Ten Screenplay Contest as well as a finalist for the Princess Grace Playwriting Award. He received a B.A. in English and Drama from SUNY Purchase and an M.F.A. in Playwriting from Columbia University.
Faye Rosenbaum (Producer)
In addition to her work with Elixir, Faye is the General Manager of the Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance. Her theatre management credits include: Assistant General Manager and Company Manager for CSC's 2006-2007 productions of Richard II and A Spanish Play; Line Producer for SPF's 2006 production of Gardening Leave; and Venue Director for FringeNYC 2006. As producer: Lamia's Dream by Bryan J. DiPietro (Adelaide International Fringe Festival, Australia) and Garroting by Ashlin Halfnight (The Bohican Theatre Company, Kraine Theatre). Prior to coming to New York, she performed in San Francisco as a hip hop dancer and consulted for Trajik Dancer Productions. She holds a B.A. in Politics from Pomona College and an M.F.A. in Theatre Management and Producing from Columbia University.
Bobby Abid
New York critics have been quick to notice Bobby's "devastating good looks" (NY Times), but he is equally recognized for his talent as an off off Broadway performer. NY credits include: Forbidden Fruit (Best Actor, NYC Fresh Fruit Festival), Metronome, Eating Jain, Murder Play, and Elixir Productions' Radium and To Be Loved (Version 1). Bobby was a Mr. India NY winner and a video jockey for the NY-based cable channel ITV. His television credits include All My Children and Sex and the City.
Michael Cortez
Michael is a native of Chicago, where he was active in theater, musicals, and film. Chicago credits include Tommy Djilas in The Music Man and Collaboraction Theater's Sketchbook Festival. New York: Franco in Goodnight Bobby. Goodnight John.; John Landis in Fifth of July; Robert Gilbey in Fanny's First Play; Charlie, the butler, in Trelawny of the Wells. Film: Lucky in Once Upon a Time in the Hood and Angel in On the Downlow (Winner: 2005 Best U.S.A. Narrative Award - NewFest - New York Gay & Lesbian Film Festival). Michael received a degree from The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, New York, and trained at ACTONE Studios in Chicago.
Josiah DeAndrea
Josiah holds a B.F.A. in Acting from Pace University. At Mercer County Community College, where he earned his associate's degree, he appeared as David in Love's Fire, Lamar in Godspell, Jesus in The Mysteries, and Andres in Woyzeck. Regionally, he performed in Nicky Silver's The Altruists to benefit the James Tolin Memorial Fund, an organization dedicated to HIV/AIDS awareness. Josiah also co-founded and hosted the Parental Advisory Comedy Show at The Kelsey Theatre on the MCCC campus.
Deena Jiles
Deena is a graduate of Rutgers University where she received a degree in Journalism and Theatre with high honors. A regular performer with Passage Theatre's State Street Project, Deena has appeared in several productions written and directed by David White, including If I Could in My Hood, Urban Central, and Fire Girls. Other theatre credits include To Be Loved (Dorian, NY International Fringe Festival), Hedda Gabler (Hedda), Iphiginia in Aulis (Clytmnestra), and Peer Gynt (Solveig). Deena currently works as an actor, a voice-over artist, a journalist, and an artist mentor/educator with Passage Theatre, Somar Production, Elixir Productions, and GET Set's after-school education program.
Jennifer Joyce
Jennifer has played many roles through the years, her favorite being Mom to her daughter, Ella. As co-owner of Video Imprint Productions LLC, she produces, shoots, and edits video. Jennifer holds a B.F.A. from Rutgers and has taught acting, movement, and video production.
Liam Joynt
Liam comes to Elixir already having a prolific career in NY and regional theatre. Off Broadway: Metamorphoses (u/s, dir. Mary Zimmerman). Regional credits include: Picasso at the Lapin Agile (Chautauqua), Twelfth Night (Saratoga Shakespeare Company), The Nerd (Majestic), and Eric Bogosian's Pounding Nails in the Floor with My Forehead. Improv: The Magnet, UCB, The PIT. TV: Law and Order, Guiding Light. Film: Violet of a Thousand Colors (Best Film, Bogota Film Festival Nomination). Liam received an M.F.A. in Acting from Rutgers University Mason Gross School of the Arts and trained at the Chautauqua Theater Conservatory.
Patrick Martin
Patrick made his stage debut as Louis in Angels in America, Part I at Mercer County Community College. On film, he appeared as the title character in Eli, which he also wrote and directed. Patrick earned his associate's degree from Mercer County Community College and will continue his studies in film and theatre at Farleigh Dickinson University this fall.
Michelle Wood
Michelle made her NYC debut with Elixir Productions in To Be Loved at FringeNYC 2007. Also in 2007, she appeared in "Torn" at chashama and in "Mother Nature," a performance art piece in Washington Square Park, both with Elixir's junior company, G-Flux Ensemble. Michelle graduated from SUNY Purchase with a B.A. in Drama Studies. Her favorite projects at Purchase include A Midsummer Night's Dream (Puck in 2008; Hermia in 2007), Blue in Beirut, The Actor's Nightmare, and Sarah Kane's Crave, which she directed. Her regional credits include: Nora in A Doll's House, Estelle in RESPECT (The State Street Project, Passage Theater), and numerous roles with Chimera Productions at the Princeton Arts Council.
Theresa A. Zicolello (Stage Manager)
Theresa holds a B.F.A. in Stage Management from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. Her Rutgers Theater Company credits include: Mud, Our Lady of 121st Street, Proof, Marshall's Law, Romeo & Juliet, and Blue/Orange. Professional credits include: Flight of the Iron Butterfly (George Street Playhouse) and SantaLand Diaries (Mile Square Theatre). She recently completed a production internship at Radio City Music Hall.
Robert A. Terrano (Lighting Design/Technical Director)
Robert started designing lights and sound in 1972 for a production of Man of La Mancha. Designs for the MCCC Theatre Program include: Woyzeck, Godspell, Working, Grapes of Wrath, Blinding Light, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, The Laramie Project, Love's Fire, The Glass Menagerie, and Of Mice and Men. Other shows include: To Be Loved (Version 2) for Elixir Productions, and Into the Woods, Once on This Island, Aladdin, and more than 55 other productions at various venues.