andrewsellon.com » Vermont Young Playwrights Festival

Vermont Stage Bids Fond Farewell to Artistic Director Mark Nash

Andrew Sellon — Tue, 17 May 2011 02:37:41 +0000

After a decade of serving the Burlington community with an endlessly varied and ambitious array of theatrical productions, Artistic Director Mark Nash has decided it’s time for him to move on and try something new. Mark has hired me for a number of productions over the last decade, so when he called to invite me back up to Vermont to participate in a one-night-only farewell gala performance in June, Tim and I rearranged a vacation to make sure we can be there. I first worked with Mark when he asked me to participate in Vermont Young Playwrights Festival (his predecessor, Blake Robison, invited me for my first festival, then Mark hired me for 10 more, making a total of 11 consecutive and wonderful years with that great program). In 2002, right after 9/11, Mark hired me to play Vladimir in what turned out to be a fantastic (and sold out) production of Waiting for Godot. Three years later, he invited me back to play Charlie in The Foreigner, which he directed, and which remains one of VSC’s biggest hits. Over the next couple of years, he asked me to participate in two seasons of their holiday offering Winter Tales, which he also directed. Then in 2007 he hired me for I Am My Own Wife, directed by the wonderful Sara Lampert Hoover, and later that year asked me back to play Wayne in the production of Inspecting Carol that he was directing. Most recently, he brought me back to play the Fool in King Lear, VSC’s first full-scale Shakespeare production, and he did a fantastic job yet again directing that challenging show. So a good part of my career over the last decade has taken place in Burlington, Vermont, and I’ve grown an enormous amount as an actor in an environment that always felt welcoming and full of positive creative energy. Mark Nash is the man who made it all possible.

I’m sorry to hear that Mark is leaving VSC, but I’m sure wherever he lands, whether it’s in the theatre or another line of work altogether, he will do creative and wonderful things. I count myself a very lucky person, and an extremely lucky actor, that Mark Nash came into my life. And I’m deeply honored that VSC is bringing me up to Burlington to help pay tribute to him. Hail, and Farewell, old friend! I will have more to say about Mark’s work at VSC in another blog post after the June performance.

May 2007

Andrew Sellon — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:23:08 +0000

I performed in my 11th consecutive season at the Vermont Young Playwrights Festival.

As always, the students scripts represented an amazing array of styles and topics, and my roles ranged from ultra-realism to far-out fantasy. Due to financial resource limitations at the theatre, this was my last season with the festival; it’s been a great 11-year run for me!

May 2006

Andrew Sellon — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:17:28 +0000

I performed in my 10th consecutive year at the Vermont Young Playwrights Festival.

This year’s roles included a film-noir detective, an arrogant Frenchman, an easy-going Death, and more.

May 2004

Andrew Sellon — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:08:36 +0000

MAY 2004: I performed in my 8th consecutive year at the Vermont Young Playwrights Festival.
This year’s roles included a singing pirate, a repentant murderer with short-term memory loss, a Dudley Do-Right policeman and a travel agent modeled on Bugs Bunny.

May 2003

Andrew Sellon — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:03:21 +0000

I appeared in my 7th consecutive year at the Vermont Young Playwrights Festival

I appeared in 5 winning scripts, as well as cold readings. My roles ranged from a sweet uncle who spoke only Polish to a singing bank robber to an orthodontist hooked on laughing gas. Who could ask for anything more? While there we also presented a private reading of my translation “The Sole Heir”, which was very well received.

I also performed in the Hunter College Playwriting Showcase. This program is taught by Tina Howe, who presided over the public presentation of the final selected scenes from new works.

May 2002

Andrew Sellon — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:01:18 +0000

I returned for my sixth straight year of performing in the wonderful Vermont Young Playwrights Program.

I took part in six staged readings plus cold readings over the course of the 2-day festival. Once again, a great program and a great experience for all involved.

May 2001

Andrew Sellon — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:56:58 +0000

I returned for my fifth consecutive year as a Performer for the Vermont Young Playwrights Festival in Burlington, VT

This extraordinary program is offered annually by Vermont Stage Company. Professional actors and directors present two solid days of performances and cold readings of short scripts written by Middle School and High School Students from Vermont. The quality of the writing is thrilling, as is the whole experience. This year, I performed in four short plays and more than 12 cold readings.