Meet the Cast & Team for: A Streetcar Named Desire
Jessie Austrian (Blanche)*
Jessie Austrian (she/her/hers) is a theater-maker, educator, activist and parent. She is one of Fiasco Theater’s Co-Artistic Directors and founders. For Fiasco: Imogen, Cymbeline, Baker’s Wife, Into the Woods, Escalus/Marianna, Measure for Measure, Julia/co-director, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Balene/co-director, Imaginary Invalid, Olivia, Twelfth Night, Mary, Merrily We Roll Along; Broadway: The Importance of Being Earnest, Lend Me a Tenor; Off-Broadway: The Marriage of Bette and Boo; Regional: The Guthrie, Actors Theater of Louisville, Cleveland Playhouse, Trinity Repertory Company, Virginia Stage Company, Folger Theater, McCarter Theater, Old Globe. As a director: NYU and Playmaker’s Rep. TV/Film: Mistress America, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Made in Jersey. Adjunct faculty at NYU Gallatin School. Favorite roles: partner to Noah and mom to Asher and Tabitha.
Noah Brody (Stanley)*
Noah Brody (he/him/his) is an actor, director, teacher and writer. He is a founder co-artistic director of Fiasco Theater. And he spends lots of time with Excel spreadsheets. Directing for Fiasco: Merrily We Roll Along and co-director of The Imaginary Invalid, Twelfth Night, Into the Woods, Measure for Measureand Cymbeline. Acting for Fiasco: The Imaginary Invalid, Mr. Diafoirus; Twelfth Night, Orsino; Two Gentlemen of Verona, Proteus; Into the Woods, Cinderella’s Prince/Wolf/ Lucinda; Cymbeline, Posthumous. Broadway: nope. Off-Broadway: As You Like It, Classic Stage Company. Regional: Bay Street Theater, Old Globe, Folger Theater, McCarter Theater, Trinity Repertory Company. As a director: Actors Theater of Louisville, Wolfe Street Playhouse and the national tour of Fiasco’s Into the Woods. TV/Film: You know those credits that are so old you stop wanting to list them? That’s about the size of it. Nothing in life brings as much joy as being married to Jessie and being dad to Asher and Tabitha.
Stephen Buescher (Director)
Stephen Buescher (he/him/his) is a Director, Choreographer, Actor and Teacher. Regional credits include the world premiere of Karen Zacarias’ The Copper Children (Oregon Shakespeare Festival) and Virtual Reality film Atomu (2020 Sundance Film Festival). He recently directed a staged reading of Homeridae, as part of the Black Voices Reading Series at San Diego Rep. He also workshopped Aleshea Harris’ new play Feast of Rabbits with Center Theater Group. He has choreographed numerous productions at the American Conservatory Theater including A Thousand Splendid Suns, Hamlet, Monstress, Orphan of Zhao, Let There be Love, Stuck Elevator, and Underneath the Lintel. Additional regional Choreography credits include The Imaginary Invalid (Fiasco/Old Globe), Blues for an Alabama Sky (Lorraine Hansberry Theater), Love’s Labour’s Lost (Shakespeare Santa Cruz), A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Private Lives (Long Wharf Theater), Stockholm (Triptych Theater), and A Christmas Carol (Trinity Repertory Theater). Stephen has directed numerous plays in the American Conservatory Theater’s Graduate Acting program including The House of Bernarda Alba (Moscow Art Theater), The Bacchae, Romeo and Juliet, Taming of the Shrew, Hotel Paradiso, Crazy for the Country, Galileo, Black Orpheus, and recently Man in Love in the Graduate program at UCSD. Stephen is a graduate of the Dell’ Arte International School of Physical Theater, Calarts, a TCG New Generations fellow and a member of SDC.
Tina Chilip (Stella)*
Tina Chilip (she/her) - Off-Broadway: Mothers (Playwrights Realm); Fiasco’s Twelfth Night (Classic Stage Company); Golden Child (Signature Theater); House Rules, Flipzoids (Ma-Yi); A Dream Play (NAATCO). Regional: Old Globe, Huntington, Guthrie, Hudson Valley Shakespeare, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Portland Center Stage, Berkeley Rep, Cincinnati Playhouse, Syracuse Stage, Trinity Rep, and others. TV: guest appearances in L&O: SVU, FBI: Most Wanted, Elementary; recurring roles in Marvel's Jessica Jones and It’s Bruno (both NETFLIX); The Good Fight, Elementary, Deception, Madam Secretary, Royal Pains. Training: MFA, Brown/Trinity Rep. Member, The Actors Center.
Paul L. Coffey (Mitch)*
Paul L. Coffey (he/him/his) is an actor, musician and Fiasco Company Member. For Fiasco: Pisano/Philario//Guiderius/Caius Lucius, Cymbeline, Malvolio, Twelfth Night, Angelo/Elbow, Measure for Measure, Speed/Thurio, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Mysterious Man, Into the Woods, Thomas Diafoirus/Beralde/Bonnefoi, The Imaginary Invalid, Joe Josephson, Merrily We Roll Along. Off-Broadway: The Taming of the Shrew. Regional: The Old Globe, McCarter Theater, Folger Theater, Actors Theatre of Louisville, PIg Iron Theatre Co., Berkshire Theatre Group, Vineyard Playhouse, Company of Fools, The Theater at Monmouth, Peterborough Players. TV/Film: Blue Bloods, Late Night, The Jew of Malta. Paul is husband to frequent Fiasco collaborator Liz Hayes and father to Sean Frank Coffey who made his Broadway debut at six months old in The Ferryman.
Jason Cohen (Pianist)
Jason Cohen (he/him/his) is an actor, multi-instrumentalist, music director, and writer. He co-created, produced, and stars in Great Balls of Fire (a theatrical concert about his time playing Jerry Lee Lewis in Million Dollar Quartet) which tours around the country. With Fiasco, Jason started as a student in their first six-week conservatory class. Since then, he played in Fiasco’s Songs of Resistance, and wrote music with Ben and Paul for a new piece with New Victory Theatre. Upcoming: The Doormen (co-composer, Theatre Latea), Buddy (musical director, Argyle Theatre). Jason lives in Manhattan and hotel rooms across the country. JasonCohenOnline.com
Devin E. Haqq (Steve)*
Devin E. Haqq (he/him/his) is a Brooklyn based theatre artist, arts educator, and award-winning filmmaker. He has performed both Off-Broadway and regionally and his films have screened at numerous film festivals around the world. Regional Theatre: Fiasco Theater's Measure for Measure at Actor’s Theatre of Louisville, As You Like It at Arden Theatre Company. Off-Broadway: The Winning Side (World Premiere), Richard III and Macbeth at Epic Theatre Ensemble; Knives in Hens at 59E59 Theaters (NYT Critic's Pick); Much Ado About Nothing at NYSX; All God's Chillun' Got Wings at JACK. Directing Credits: Shakespeare: Call & Response at The Public Theatre (assistant director), Pass Over at Luna Stage Company, The Mark (Best Narrative Feature 2021 Atlanta Shortsfest, Nominated for Best Horror at 2020 LA Shorts International Film Festival), Ambition’s Debt (Best Narrative Feature at 2017 American Black Film Festival),The Assassin. Additional Credits: M.F.A. from University of Alabama. Haqq is a recipient of the Paul Robeson Award-Honorable Mention at the 2018 Newark Black Film Festival. He was nominated for Best Director at the 2017 American Black Film Festival and the 2018 Winter Film Awards.
Adrianna Mitchell (Eunice)*
Adrianna Mitchell (she/her/hers) -Off-Broadway: What To Send Up When It Goes Down (Playwrights Horizon), runboyrun (NYTW). Regional: Romeo and Juliet, Taming of Shrew (Chautauqua Theater Company), Noises Off (Two River Theater), Hamlet, A Christmas Carol (American Conservatory Theater), Measure for Measure (Actor’s Shakespeare Project). Television: “Queens,” “Snowfall”, “Harlem’s Kitchen (Pilot),” ”The Blacklist", "Bull", "The Good Fight", "Lincoln Rhyme", "Little America." Education: American Conservatory Theater (MFA), Spelman College (BA), British American Drama Academy (London Theater Program).
Ben Steinfeld (Music/Ensemble)*
Ben Steinfeld (he/him/his) is an actor, director, teacher, writer, and musician. He is one of Fiasco Theater’s Co-Artistic Directors and founders. For Fiasco: Iachimo/Arviragus/Co-director, Cymbeline; Baker/Co-director, Into the Woods; Lucio/Froth/Co-director, Measure for Measure; Co-director, Two Gentlemen of Verona; Composer and Music Director, Imaginary Invalid: Feste/Co-director, Twelfth Night; Frank, Merrily We Roll Along. Broadway: Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Cyrano de Bergerac. Off-Broadway: One Thousand Nights and One Day, Bloody Bloody... Regional: Westport, Williamstown, Trinity Rep, McCarter, Old Globe, CTG. As a director: Into the Woods national tour, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Folger Theatre. TV/Film: Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight, The Deuce, The Good Wife, Law & Order: Crimimal Intent. Adjunct professor and Artistic Associate at NYU's Gallatin School (recipient of the Excellence in Teaching Award). Ben lives near a lovely canal in New Jersey with his wife, Kate, and son, Leo.
Paco Tolson (Pablo)*
Paco Tolson: Off-Broadway: Vietgone (MTC, Lortel nom.), Twelfth Night (Fiasco/CSC), The Unwritten Song (EST), Slavery (Clubbed Thumb), The Children of Vonderly and Rescue Me (Ma-Yi Theater), Soul Samurai (Ma-Yi/Vampire Cowboys). Regional: Measure for Measure (Fiasco/Actors Theatre of Louisville), The Winter’s Tale and Vietgone (OSF), Peter and the Starcatcher, Vietgone, and Poor Yella Rednecks (South Coast Rep). Film/TV: “Billions,” “Prodigal Son,” “Madam Secretary,” “The Good Fight,” “Happy!,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” “The Code,” “Search Party,” and 7 Day Gig. Paco is a member of Ensemble Studio Theatre. Upcoming: to the yellow house (La Jolla Playhouse) @pacotolson
Stage Manager: Anne McPherson*
Fiasco: Cymbeline, Measure for Measure. Broadway: My Fair Lady, Once on this Island, The Iceman Cometh, M. Butterfly, Holiday Inn, Chicago, The King and I, Wicked, Les Misérables, Pippin, Motown, Mary Poppins, The Phantom of the Opera, The Coast of Utopia, Doubt, Absurd Person Singular. Also: three National Tours, many Off-Broadway shows and special presentations. Head of Stage Management at Mason Gross School of the Arts (Rutgers University).
Assistant Stage Manager: Angela F. Kiessel*
Broadway: Frozen, Once on This Island, The Humans, Tuck Everlasting, Honeymoon in Vegas. Selected Off-Broadway: Joan of Arc: Into the Fire (The Public Theater), The Laramie Project Cycle (BAM), Carrie (MCC). University of Michigan '09. Love & thanks to Mike, Judy, Anne, Justin, Nancy, & my family.
Production Assistant: Gracie Belt
COVID Compliance Officer: Aubrey Elenz
*The Actors and Stage Managers employed in this production are members of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.