CAROL LARATONDA (Producing Artistic Director) Born and raised in Altoona, Pennsylvania, Carol Laratonda received her BA in Theatre from Bloomsburg University. Following a stage management internship with the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble, she moved to Philadelphia to direct Speech Acts for Theatre Catalyst and WAIT! for The Eternal Spiral Project. She then completed a directing and dramaturgy internship with Portland Stage Company, where she assistant directed A Christmas Carol and Dinner With Friends. Since returning to Philadelphia, Carol has directed for a number of local companies including Secret Room Theatre (In Arabia, We’d All Be Kings), Plays & Players (The Shape of Things, Exit Corpse, and Concrete Dinosaur) and with LaSalle University (Into the Woods and Guys & Dolls). She has assistant directed with InterAct Theatre, the Wilma Theater , and Theatre Exile, among others. Carol attended the Lincoln Center Director’s Lab in 2008; and traveled to Italy for the 9th Annual La MaMa Umbria International Symposium for Directors. A teaching artist and acting coach, she has taught classes for the Wilma Theater’s Studio School and Wilmagination program. She is also the Artistic Director of The Student View and New Plays in Bloom, projects which will develop five new, student-written plays at Bloomsburg University. As a founding member and the Artistic Director of Simpatico, Carol has also directed Simpatico’s productions of Stop Kiss, Angels Fall, Getting Out and Long Day’s Journey Into Night.…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
JENNIFER PRATT (Managing Director) A native of Arlington, Virginia, Jennifer Pratt received her BA in Theatre and History from The College of William and Mary. Directing credits include Picasso at the Lapin Agile, Clue the Musical and Pillow Talk. She assistant directed Copenhagen for the Virginia Shakespeare Festival and directed The Authorities for The New York International Fringe Festival. She was awarded a grant to conduct a study of Japanese theatre in Tokyo and Kyoto and her paper, “Censorship of the Arts in Occupied Japan”, was published in Monitor: Journal of International Studies. She has also been a teaching artist and curriculum developer for InterAct Story Theatre’s Creative Kids After School Program. Jennifer later served as a directing and dramaturgy intern for Portland Stage Company where she assistant directed A Christmas Carol, The Foreigner and Wet, or Isabella the Pirate Queen Enters the Horse Latitudes. Since moving to Philadelphia she has directed Vietnam 101: The War on Campus, The Why and This is Our Youth for Simpatico. She has also sound designed The Pros from Dover’s production of The Distance from Here, Theatre District for The Philadelphia Gay and Lesbian Theatre Festival and Stop Kiss, Angels Fall and Long Day’s Journey into Night for Simpatico. She is currently pursuing her Master’s Degree in Arts Adminsitration from Drexel University, where she also sits on the Board of the Arts Administration Graduate Association. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
ANGELA S. ZUCK (Production Manager) is a founding member of Simpatico Theatre Project. She attended theUniversity of Michigan, studying Theatre and Dramatic Writing. In fall 2010, Angela will be continuing her education as she pursues her MBA.
ALLEN RADWAY (Artistic Associate) has worked as an actor, designer, and educator in the Philadelphia theatre community for over a decade. He holds a BFA in Acting from the University of the Arts, and has studied abroad in Oxford. During his time at UArts he co-founded the Yellowdog Theatre, one of the first small theatre companies to emerge in the Philadelphia theatrical renaissance of the nineteen-nineties. He served as artistic director of Yellowdog until the company’s dissolution in 2000. As an actor Allen has appeared in over thirty-five productions, including Simpatico’s highly acclaimed production of Long Day’s Journey Into Night. He will next appear as Prince Hal in Lantern Theater’s production of Henry IV, Part I. Allen is a firm believer in Simpatico’s mission statement, and encourages anyone, everyone, to become a believer as well…by supporting and participating in our exciting fifth season in Philadelphia.
