A new play based on the characters from Tiffany Esteb’s, Diner, produced by Standing People Together.
A post-performance talkback will be facilitated by Angela D’Aiuto, Catskill Regional Coordinator, Rural & Migrant Ministry.
Tickets are $30 ($25 if purchased in advance).
DVAA members receive a 20% discount – become a member today!
CAST
Nick Lopez hails from Albuquerque New Mexico where Breaking Bad comes from, and he wants you to know that everything in that show is all true. He received his BA in theater from the University of New Mexico and later his MFA in performance from West Virginia University. Past roles include Edmund from King Lear, Leontes from A Winter’s Tale. Other roles include Picasso from Picasso at The Lapin Agile and Bick from Assassins. He has also worked with Up with People, acted in Standing People Together’s, On Belonging, project, and just finished the summer season with Catskill Public Theater acting and directing in Renegade and Woodstock Ripples. When Nick isn’t acting, he teaches and directs theater for the New York prison system. He sends his love to Jessie and Zia and hopes you enjoy the show.
Erinn Gilmore made her first stage appearance as Daniela in Lin-Miranda’s In the Heights musical in the Seelig Theatre at SUNY Sullivan. Born in New York, she made her way to California where she debuted in her first short film, Unborn. Since then, she has also played Olivia in Shakespeare’s The Twelfth Night. She has performed in three ten-minute plays at the Rivoli Theater earning her three Meritorious Awards in Acting by TANYS. She starred as Beverly in the playful comedy, Fairview, and played multiple roles in Standing People Together’s 2024 multi-play project, On Belonging. As an extrovert, Erinn loves to travel, meet new people, and explore nature while living life to the fullest. Erinn also has an artist’s eye and designed her own clothing brand, GIFTD Apparel.
Cass Collins has a BFA in Acting from Emerson College. She was a founding member of The Open Door Theater of Boston and performed as Pozzo in their production of Waiting for Godot. She has performed locally with NACL as Queen Cumulous in The Weather Project; with Sullivan County Dramatic Workshop as Martha; in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (for which she won an Excellence in Acting award from the Theater Association of New York State). She played the Maid in Sam Shepard’s Red Cross in New York City, directed by Larry Loonin. She has done lots of experimental theater (at LaMama), straight theater, some TV, a music video and stand-up comedy. Cass starred in Standing People Together’s 2023 production, Half Life, and in their recent multi-play project, On Belonging, at the Tusten Theater in 2024. She performed with Catskill Public Theater’s traveling production of Woodstock Ripples at various venues during the summer of 2025.
Samantha Mehlman left the stage behind 20 years ago to pursue a career in the medical field. From oncology nursing in NYC, to psychiatry for foster children across the five boroughs, to trauma therapy in private practice centered around identity and trauma, her life somehow led her back to her theater kid roots when she and her wife bought a house in Roscoe that happened to be on a block full of lesbian thespians. Her friend took a chance and cast her as the role of Marie in the original production of Lucy Joseph at Farm Arts Collective, and she’s been following the opportunity to perform ever since. Big thanks to Caroline, Eric and the very experienced cast for letting me tag along to tell this story!
DIRECTORS
Caroline Baillie is an educator, theatre director, and author. She launched her UK based theatre company, Critical Stage, in London 1998. In the subsequent years she produced and directed more than 25 shows and multiple workshops and training programs across England, Australia, and Canada before arriving in Hankins, NY in 2017, when she and Eric launched Standing People Together. Her productions have always focused on raising awareness of social issues including homelessness, domestic abuse, mental health, teenage pregnancy, and at-risk youth.
Eric Feinblatt is an educator, photographer, and film maker with a background in Theatre for Development and Augusto Boal’s, Theatre of the Oppressed. Caroline and Eric met at the launch of his show about HIV Aids in Lesotho Africa, and the rest, as they say, is history. Their previous co-directing collaborations were the 2023 play, Half Life, at the Hurleyville Performing Arts Centre and the 2024 multi-play project, On Belonging, performed at the Tusten Theatre in Narrowsburg.
MUSICIANS
Poison Love Band presents a dynamic blend of acoustic new-Americana featuring lead fiddle, guitar, percussion, and original songwriting. Our unique sound is shaped by influences from the Wild West, Brooklyn, and the Catskills, combining 1960-70s Country, Rock, and Folk with a rural Upper Delaware River Valley twist. We bring to the stage rich harmonies, infectious rhythms and heartfelt storytelling. The band is committed to community building through the shared experience of live performance.
Dan Brinkerhoff: Lead fiddle/banjo/lead vocalist
Dan’s unique style reflects the adventurous essence of his Western roots, and his music is a combination of various musical traditions and cultural influences. With his high-pitched vocals, he has been likened to the legendary Neil Young.
Joanne Brinkerhoff: Songwriter, rhythm guitar, harmony singer
Joanne draws inspiration from the diverse music scene of her Brooklyn birthplace as well as the iconic Woodstock-era music of the Catskills where she spent her summers and resided throughout her adult years. Her songwriting weaves all these elements together to create a unique musical style.
DRAMATURG
Tiffany Esteb is an actress-writer who has participated in many black box theater productions in NYC as well as indie films. She studied with actor/director, Austin Pendleton, and at the LAByrinth Theater in NYC and, in London, with the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. Tiffany has a master’s degree in international relations/human rights from Columbia University and works on political campaigns, and for not-for-profit organizations.
