Phoenix Festival DIGITAL Playbill 2024 (2) - Flipbook - Page 19
WHO’S WHO: THE ARTISTS
AYUN HALLIDAY (The Nurse)
Ayun Halliday is the Chief Primatologist - and sole employee - of the
long running, hand illustrated zine, The East Village Inky and author
of nine books, including No Touch Monkey! And Other Travel Lessons Learned Too Late and Creative, Not Famous: The Small Potato
Manifesto. Her plays include NURSE, Fawnbook, Zamboni Godot and
The Mermaid's Legs, in addition to the hundreds of short plays she
wrote and performed in as a member of the NeoFuturists in the '80s and '90s. She and her
husband, Greg Kotis, are the co-founders of Theater of the Apes, under whose auspices
Ayun hosts the book-based variety show Necromancers of the Public Domain and improvises bluegrass musicals with The Wayfaring Strangers. www.AyunHalliday.com
SPENCER KAYDEN (Director)
Spencer Kayden originated the role of Little Sally in Urinetown: the Musical (Tony, Drama
Desk, Lortel nominations; Outer Critics Circle, Theatre World award winner). She also appeared on Broadway in Don't Dress for Dinner (Tony nomination, Outer Critics Circle award
winner.) Along with the inimitable Ayun Halliday, Spencer was an ensemble member of the
NeoFuturists, writing and performing 30 plays in 60 minutes in Too Much Light Makes the
Baby Go Blind.
THEATER OF THE APES (producer)
Theater of the Apes is an East Harlem-based company dedicated
to presenting original, affordable, comic work better heeled producers daren’t touch. Founded in the late 90s by Greg Kotis and Ayun
Halliday, the Apes managed just one credit the original New York
International Fringe Festival production of Urinetown: The Musical –
prior to disappearing from view until 2017 due to the exigencies of
parenthood. Past productions include Lunchtime (Kotis), Zamboni Godot (Halliday), The
Truth About Santa (Kotis), I Am Nobody (Kotis), NURSE! Halliday, Theater of the Apes’
Sub-Adult Division’s production of Animal Farm (Sir Peter Hall), the monthly book-based
variety series, Necromancers of the Public Domain, and The Wayfaring Strangers’ improvised bluegrass musicals.
