Damon Bonetti - AEA 

THE PAC
 

Established in the fall of 2008, Philadelphia Artists’ Collective Co-founders Damon Bonetti and Dan Hodge are committed to promoting rarely performed classical plays through productions, workshops and readings in the greater Philadelphia area.  Through fostering relationships with artists from various disciplines, The PAC seeks to encourage the development of a common vocabulary and to promote arts awareness in the community and ultimately nationwide. 
 
History:

November of 2008:  The PAC held its inaugural reading of John Webster’s The Duchess of Malfi in residence at the Art Alliance of Philadelphia.  The cast featured co-founder Damon Bonetti, as well as Barrymore Award winners Charlotte Northeast and Brian McCann. 

June 2009: Presented Sophocles’ Oedipus the King in conjunction with Broad Street Ministry (BSM).  The cast was headed by Luigi Sotille as the King and featured Judith Lightfoot Clark as Jocasta, Damon Bonetti as Creon, and Nancy Boykin as the blind Teiresias.

December 2009: Read Henrik Ibsen's An Enemy of the People as part of an Ibsen panel held by Drexel University to celebrate the work of noted visual artist Mel Leipzig.  The stellar cast included Barrymore winner Greg Wood as the embattled Dr. Stockman, Broadway veteran Chris Coucill as his brother the Mayor in addition to Philadelphia favorites Cheryl Williams and Barrymore winners Lenny Haas and Charlotte Northeast.

March 2010:  With our first guest director, the McCarter Theatre Company’s Associate Producer Adam Immerwahr and hosted by the National Constitution Center, we presented Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida with recent Broadway star Evan Jonigkeit as Troilus and a cast of some of Philadelphia’s brightest lights.



September 2010:  Another of our signature readings, Calderon’s classic from the Spanish Golden Age, Life Is A Dream as part of the nationally recognized Philadelphia Fringe Festival.  This one night Event at BSM featured live music from internationally recognized  Piffaro, The Renassiance Band and food provided by Restaurant Associates.  It was directed by Fulbiright Scholar Felipe Vergara and featured exciting new-comer Sean Lally and Philly favorites Matthew Pfeiffer, Genevieve Perrier and Luigi Sottile. 

September 23rd to October 9th 2010: Our first full production, John Webster’s The Duchess of Malfi at BSM.  In light of its great success as our first reading, Dan Hodge directed a company featuring many of the original key performers, including Charlotte Northeast as the Duchess and Brian McCann and Damon Bonetti as her sinister and vengeful brothers.  The project included live music and tied in with an associate visual artist, PAFA graduate Martin Campos, in keeping with our mission of interdisciplinary artistic involvement.  The show earned stellar reviews from The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia City Paper and others.

                                         . . . Our first full production!

December 2010:  We presented a New two-man adaptation of Charles Dickens’ holiday classic, A Christmas Carol.  Adapted and directed by Damon Bonetti from Dickens own one-man stage version, it featured Broadway vetern Chris Coucill as the Narrator and Philadelphia actor/musician John Greenbaum as The Musician.  It was presented at Auburn Road Vineyard in Pilesgrove, NJ and at BSM with half of proceeds going to Philabundance.

April 2011: The PAC partnered with Egopo Classic Theater to present Peter Shaffer’s contemporary classic Equus as part of Egopo’s Salon Series at L’Etage.  This production directed by Egopo’s Brenna Geffers  featured PAC founder Damon Bonetti and associate Charlotte Northeast as well as PAC regular Sean Lally. 

 
May 2011: Presented G.B. Shaw’s funny and scathing Mrs. Warren’s Profession at BSM.  Directed by PAC associate Charlotte Northeast and featuring Judith Lightfoot Clark as Mrs. Warren and PAC associate Krista Apple as her daughter Vivie.

In the Works:

September 2011:  The PAC returns to the Philadelphia Fringe Festival with Euripides Iphigenia at Aulis.  This outdoor site-specific event will be directed by Theatre Exile and Egopo Director Brenna Geffers and feature live music.

December 2011:  Return engagements for A Christmas Carol.

Plays being considered for 2011/2012 reading series:

Philip Massinger’s The Roman Actor

Christopher Marlowe’s Edward II

Ben Jonson’s The Alchemists

March/April 2012:  The PAC present their first full-length production since The Duchess of Malfi, Pierre de Marivaux’s hilarious and bittersweet Changes of Heart (The Double Inconstancy) at BSM.  Featuring a fantastic group of actors and live music.



The PAC is a Non-Profit company through Fractured Atlas.
Contact us at philadelphiaartistscollective@gmail.com
Check out our Facebook page.
More info at www.philartistcollective.weebly.com 

 The Duchess of Malfi

Oedipus the King

 An Enemy of the People

Troilus & Cressida

Life is a Dream

A Christmas Carol

Equus