5 Minutes to Midnight
WRITTEN By Susannah Nolan
DIRECTED BY Aimee Todoroff
Synopsis
How close to the abyss would you go to save another person? New mother Becky is awakened close to midnight by Justine, an alcoholic who is on the brink of self-destruction. To reach Justine, Becky must open her own padlocked past and finds the imps inside are harder than she thought to get back in.
Bios
Susannah Nolan (PLAYWRIGHT) Susannah Nolan is a playwright and screenwriter. Plays include: JANE TAKES IT IN, THE TRUTH ABOUT LOVE, NO TIME TO CHANGE CLOTHES, THE MAN WITH DAVID’S FACE, FED UP TO HERE and DON’T PICK UP (Published by Smith & Kraus - American Globe Short Play Festival - Best Play Award). She took a long hiatus away from playwriting to write, direct and produce screenplays, one of which was an adaptation of DON’T PICK UP. FIVE MINUTES to MIDNIGHT represents the process in reverse, as it is a reimagining of her screenplay HOW DO YOU TYPE A BROKEN HEART but using the unique vernacular of the stage to turn this story into a visceral present tense experience. She is the co-founder and Artistic Director of Present Tense Productions and the PTP Dramatic Writing Workshop.
Aimee Todoroff (DIRECTOR) A seasoned director with a signature style creating intimate and muscular scenes within heightened realities. Living in NYC with her partner, actor and playwright Chris Harcum, Aimee is interested in exploring the dialog between performer and audience, and between theater and community. Indie Theater productions include the Brecht in the Park series, Echoes in the Garden, Trifles (American Bard), Richard II (Boomerang) and the Award Winning A Transcriber's Tale and American Gun Show, both presented at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Regional/International credits include Hedda Gabler (Gilbert Theater) and Pussycat in Memory of Darkness (ProEnglish Theater, Kyiv Ukraine). Off-Broadway, Assistant Director at Classic Stage Company. Aimeetodoroff.org
Mel House (BECKY) Mel House is a Bronx-based Emmy and Telly Award–winning actress, writer, and filmmaker with over twenty years of experience creating socially resonant theatre, film, and television. Her theatre credits include Off-Broadway productions at Playwrights Horizons, Manhattan Theatre Works, and 59E59, as well as regional work at Detroit Public Theatre, Syracuse Stage, and international tours to Shakespeare's Globe, Edinburgh, Prague, Belgrade, Dublin, and Rome. On screen, she is the writer, showrunner, and star of HOT ANGRY MOM, a feminist punk-rock comedy that screened at twenty-six festivals worldwide and earned over twenty-three awards, including a New York Emmy. Mel is a proud resident member of the Actors Center Company, AEA, SAG-AFTRA, National Academy of Arts & Sciences, and New York Women in Film & Television.
Tasha Milkman (JUSTINE) - New York: Richard II (Boomerang), The Sweet Spot (American Bard, 59E59), Sincerity Forever (The Flea), At First Sight (Broken Box Mime Theater, IT Award for Outstanding Ensemble). International: Henry IV Part I (Shakespeare’s Globe), Double Take (BKBX/Dutch Kills/Edinburgh & Adelaide Fringe). Regional: Two Noble Kinsmen (Philadelphia Shakespeare), Frankenstein (BKBX/Kennesaw). Film & TV: Best Medicine (Fox), The Woods Are Real (Amazon Prime Video). MFA: Rutgers. www.tashamilkman.com
Joshua Gutierres (RICK) Joshua is a native New Yorker who got his BFA in theatre out of state. Once he graduated and moved back home, he jumped into taking classes and workshops, as well as auditioning as much as he could. He's found work in short films, wants to do more television, and recent New York City theatre appearances include Coriolanus with Hudson Classical Theater Company, Fun and Games with Theater for the New City, and A Tale of Two Spectators with Hostos Community College. He's also excited that he's started his journey into the world of voiceover. A first-time cat dad, Joshua wants to thank all the sleepy parents out there for taking care of their babies, regardless of species, and hopes those struggling with addiction will find the will and endurance to stay strong on their journey.
Mae the Magnificent
Written and directed by Margo Hammond
SYNOPSIS
A retired lady wrestler and a mild-mannered accountant meet at the dentist.
Bios
Margo Hammond (Playwright/Director)
Margo’s plays have been presented in London, Milan, NYC, Colorado Springs, San Diego, Abingdon, Va and at various other theatres across the U.S. Many are published in Smith & Kraus and Applause Books. Margo is a 1st Prize recipient of the Jerry Kaufman Award for Excellence in Playwriting. She’s a member of Dramatist Guild, Actors Studio PDU, ARTC, LPTW, AEA, SAG/AFTRA www.margohammond.com
Jackie Maruschak (role of Mae Young)
Jackie started acting as a kid in her cousin's back yard in PA and hasn't stopped since, only now she's a member of AEA/SAG-AFTRA. One of her favorite memories is watching WWWF Championship Wrestling on TV with her great grandmother who got a kick out of Chief Jay Strongbow and the Grand Wizard. This is for Great Grandma Clare - the Magnificent. www.jackiemaruschak.com
Joseph Franchini (role of Fred Turner)
Joseph is a New York based actor. Most recent appearances include the American premiere of The Land of Swollen Faces by Paolo Bignami at The Tank, Cherry Jam (an adaptation of The Cherry Orchard), and Zamboni by Sean-Patrick O’Brien at SoHo Playhouse. He received a Drama Desk nomination for his work in The Navigator by Eddie Antar. www.josephfranchini.com
Ruby Hankey (Sound and Poster Design)
Ruby Hankey Productions www.rubyhankey.com
Moonsteak
By Adam Elliott
SYNOPSIS
On the eve of a comedian's most important performance, his younger brother offers some notes on the material. What begins as a debate over a single line soon becomes a battle over family, fame, legacy, and mankind itself.
Bios
Adam Elliott (Director/Playwright) is an award-winning filmmaker, actor, writer, and lifelong New Yorker. His documentary work has screened around the US and internationally, including the Tribeca Festival and Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia, where his directorial debut, David Again, received a Special Jury Mention. His newest short documentary, A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching, premieres this summer as part of Rooftop Films' New York Non-Fiction program. Moonsteak marks his return to the theatre after earning a BFA in Acting from Marymount Manhattan College in 2008. The diploma is framed on his wall next to his equally valuable rent-stabilized apartment lease.
Danny Keenan (Neil) Recent film: Deadbeat,Walkby, Swimming Naked. Recent theatre: Night of the Living Dead: The Musical at Lincoln Center. He is also the Co-Founder and a Lead Personal Trainer of Method Fitness NYC. Training: University of North Carolina School of the Arts BFA. @danny.keenan @methodfitnessnyc
Reuben Barsky (Dean)Reuben is an actor, writer, musician, and jeweler. When not running around the diamond district, Reuben can be found at The Actors Studio, where he is a Studio Finalist and member of the Playwrights/Directors Workshop. He spends most of his time in the theater, greasy-spoon diners with friends, or at home playing the piano. He has four unreleased records and two feral cats. Most recent TV credits: Blue Bloods, FBI: Most Wanted; Theatre: Toby Belch in Twelfth night; Zev in Escalation Time. His feature film, The Life of Peter Gottlieb, is available on Tubi & Apple TV.
Rena Carter (Producer) wrote, produced, and starred in her indie pilot Paramour No More, which screened at SeriesFest and received the Content Creator Award from Women in Film & Television. Most recently, she line produced the short film #StopAsianKate, which will have its world premiere at Sony Pictures Studios this July. As an actor, she has appeared in television, including The Rookie, as well as independent films and regional theatre. After performing in Cry It Out at Little Fish Theatre in Redondo Beach, California, she rediscovered her love for intimate theatre and the unique connection it creates between artists and audiences.
The Anti-Mary’s Map to Motherhood: Part I
By Dana Mazzenga-Greto
SYNOPSIS
Motherhood is a trip! For some, it’s an odyssey of epic proportions to even get started. In this solo show, a kaleidoscope of characters careens between the sacred and the absurd as one woman retraces the near impossible decisions and choices she made along her way.
Bios
Dana Mazzenga Greto (PLAYWRIGHT & ACTOR) is an AEA, NYC-made, Brooklyn-based and Philly-burbs-bred actor and writer. Favorite roles have included MaryJane in Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train, Ginger in Rosemary with Ginger and Dolores in Blind Date. This is Dana’s NYC playwriting debut! She enjoyed acting in The Chain’s Summer Festival last year in Pink Dress and, most recently, Dana played muckraker Nellie Bly in Speranza Theatre Company's latest production of In Her Footsteps. Favorite new work development spaces - in addition to The Chain! - have included Lyle Kessler’s Masterclass and The Actors Studio PDU. When not acting and writing, Dana is teaching, wife-ing and - not to give anything away, but - mothering two gorgeous girls. www.danamazzenga.com
Mary Powelson (DIRECTOR) recently appeared in Lyle Kessler’s Shitkickers (Ruby) in the Chain Theatre’s Winter 2026 Festival. NYC stage roles: Doug DeVita’s Goddess of the Hunt (Diana); Corliss Parker’s Palindromes (Katy) at EAT; Michael Fishman’s When the Bird is Done (Martha). Directing credits include A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo & Juliet, Twelfth Night, Hairspray, Beauty & the Beast, plus numerous new play workshops and readings. Member, New Ambassadors Theatre Company; Board Member, Greenwood Lake Theater; B.A./M.A. San Francisco State. SAG-AFTRA; Dramatists Guild. Mary is a passionate steward for the Theatre and its impactful place in all communities.marypowelsonsf.com; newplayexchange.
Oriana Ng (DIRECTOR) Oriana Ng is a French-Singaporean writer-director. A graduate of NYU’s MFA Film program (2024), her passion for working with actors led her to theatre. Her recent 2025 credits include directing the short plays The Cocktail Bench (Fresh Fruit Festival), Sugar Daddy (Schreiber Shorts), and her playwriting debut, Eclipse (Chain One-Act Summer Festival).
Shows in this block include Equity Members appearing with permission of Actor’s Equity Association without benefit of an Equity contract in this off-off Broadway production.