PEP Productions

Paul Ellis - Jenn Circosta - Holly Gorman - Kate Andrews - Brian Nieves - Tristan Bissell - Emily Gorman

Paul Ellis - Writer, Director, Producer

Paul Ellis has worked in show business for over 35 years. Trained as a theatre director with Lee Strassberg, Jullian Beck, and Richard Schechner, he has directed more than seventy plays. He studied playwriting with Jean-Claude Van Ittalie at Princeton University. As a producer he is responsible for producing festivals, concerts and major events and is a long time advocate for community based arts.

As the Director of Art and Cultural Development for the Township of Montclair he originated Monday Night Music at the public library, presented Moonlight Nights at the High School Amphitheater, and began ArtsWork the summer arts employment program. Mr. Ellis was the Executive Director of First Night Montclair for 15 years and produced the Montclair Jazz Festival reviving a long standing tradition in Montclair.

In 2006 he produced America for Sale, a one act play festival in Newburgh, NY, which led to his experimenting in Radio Theater. Last season Ellis began The Air Pirates Radio Theater at the Lycian Centre with a series of four plays, each written by him. In their first season, the Air Pirates were voted the Best Local Troupe by the Times Herald Record Readers’ Poll. This season they return with five plays continuing the stories of Herb Marks and Tica Maroo and adding the new Legend of Los Tres Balceneros. He presently is the co-host of The Culture Connection with John Moultrie on WTBQ AM and this fall will be producing Music from the Valley, live concerts broadcast on radio featuring musicians from the Hudson Valley.

Jenn Circosta - Herb Marks, voices

Jenn Circosta is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Jennifer has studied classical texts at Vassar College while performing Shakespeare in the Power House Program. She has played Emily Dickinson in the one person show, The Belle of Amherst. She was last seen playing Catherine in the play, Proof, working alongside Peter Miner- - Emmy winning director of ABC’s, One Life to Live. Jenn has directed several works including, the Variations on the Death of Trotsky by David Ives, and Cecily by Gillian Plowman. She joined the Air Pirates last season immediately making Herb Marks her trade mark role. This season she will reprise the role and also play the Kid in Los Tres Balceneros and assorted extras.

Holly Gorman - Tica Maroo (Space Cadet), voices

As a recent theater graduate of Binghamton University, Holly Gorman is thrilled and thankful to work with such talented people right from the start. Holly studied abroad at The Total Art of Chinese Theater, where she appeared in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Beyond Therapy. Holly also performed in the University main stage productions of Tongue of a Bird and as Catherine in Proof. Air Pirates Radio Theater is a unique experience she’ll never forget; the next best thing to Flying by Foy. In her second season as an Air Pirate Holly will be playing Tica Maroo in Space Cadet, Suki Wong in Herb Marks and All Fortunes are not Found in Cookies and assorted extras.

Kate Andrews - musical scores, music & voices

Orange County native Kate Andrews has been playing piano since she sneaked into grandma's parlor as a toddler. She is the organist/pianist for New Prospect Reformed Church in Pine Bush, also performing at local open mics. She discovered radio in college, and spent two decades in broadcasting as an air personality, copywriter, and office manager. To satisfy her radio addiction, Kate joined the Air Pirates last season and has come to be a force to reckon with. She composes the theme music, arranges the odd songs used during the shows, helps write the commercials and plays several roles in each show including LaTriné Porcelana, and Desembolio in the Herb Marks and Art by the Numbers, Rita, Conchita, and Delta in Los Tres Balceneros.

Brian Nieves - MA-XL-S (Max), Tex Matrix, voices

A huge fan of the childhood game "pretend", Brian Nieves has been pretending to be different characters for several years. Brian climbed aboard the Air Pirates ship in the winter of 2007 for their production of A Christmas Carol taking on five roles including Bob Cratchet, Young Scrooge and the Gentleman. Other roles include; Gary Gilberger in Enjoying Your Fame, Bernardo in West Side Story, Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire and Meschak in Tale of The Silver Guardians. Brian can be seen performing daily as The Monkey in Dance For Your Peanuts! Brian is remembered as the Air Pirate that fights with himself when playing the roles of MAX- LS and Tex Matrix in Space Cadet. He is also Smokestack El Ropo in the Heb Marks plays and any number of others. This season he will originate the character Sunny in Los Tres Balceneros.

Tristan Bissell - Announcer, Detective Sawyer, AAsAAd, voices

Musical front man, studio recording and performance artist, musical theatre actor and vocalist, guitarist, bassist, keyboardist, drummer, didgeridoo player, songwriter, and teacher, Tristan Bissell has spent his life with sound and performance. Tristan's focus has always been on the healing elements of sound and music. Having traveled the country in study of the arts, last season Tristan’s travels brought him to The Air Pirates Radio Theater where he played Detective Sawyer in the Herb Marks plays and Aassaad the alien communications officer in Space Cadet. This season he continues in those roles and will add the character of Ringo in Los Tres Balceneros to the list that includes a series of extras. Tristan also performs songs and music for the plays as well as rounding out the characters in our commercials.

Emily Gorman - Cue Card Girl

This is Emily Gorman's second season as the Cue Card Girl for the Air Pirates. Emily graduates from Monroe-Woodbury High School in June. She also finishes at the Career & Technical Education Center in Goshen, taking Early Childhood and Development. Emily plans to go to SUNY Orange in the Fall. She signed up for the Chester Summer theater program with Paul Ellis and is so happy to be in the acting world.

The Air Pirates Radio Theater is funded in part by a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts’ Decentralized Program administered by Arts in Orange, Orange Arts/Orange County Tourism and the Orange County Legislature.