Crimes of the Heart Cast

Amanda Rose Benjamin (Babe) is thrilled to be back with Ghostlight Players after appearing as Frances in Five Women Wearing The Same Dress, and Kitty/Standby for Lydia in Pride and Prejudice. Favorite roles include Abigail in The Crucible, Ophelia in Hamlet, Laura in The Glass Menagerie, Bianca in The Taming of the Shrew, Logainne in Spelling Bee, and Amy in Company. You can catch her “dying” on the weekends as cast member of New York City Dinner Detective Theatre in Manhattan. Amanda holds a Bachelors in Theatre from Hunter College and a Masters in Fashion Merchandising and Retail Management from LIM College. On the daily, she combines her passion for art, fashion, and athletics through her job as a Product Life Cycle Coach for Nike. Special thanks to Mimi, Tony, Louisa, Charlie, Gary, and everyone at Ghostlight for another wonderful experience and her fantastic cast mates, especially her onstage family—sisters, Meredith and Victoria, and cousin, Nora—for truly making her feel at home on stage and beyond. Amanda Rose dedicate’s this performance to her Grandma Lillian—who is loved and fondly remembered as Babe.

Victoria is beyond delighted to be performing as a character so like herself (sans the smoking). She is a veteran of Ghostlight Players as this will be Victoria’s 6th production that she has worked on! Performance-wise with Ghostlight, you may have seen her as Luisa in The Fantasticks, Amelia in Pride and Prejudice and a Featured Singer in “A Very Ghostlight Christmas.” She also has worked on Hair and Makeup for both 1776 and Man Who Came to Dinner! Most recently, Victoria Stage Managed Uncle Vanya with SIST. As you can see, Victoria is no stranger to all aspects of theatre. Some of her most cherished roles include, Ophelia in Hamlet, Vanda in Venus in Fur, Luisa in The Fantasticks and of course the lead hobo named Sophie in Annie. Next up, she will be playing Nerissa in The Merchant of Venice in July with SIST! She is graduating Friday, May 20th from Wagner College with her degree in Arts Administration. So be sure to congratulate her when you see her. Currently, she is working in Casting at Manhattan Theatre Club and waitressing at Killmeyer’s Bavarian Inn on the weekend. (Not these two weekends though as she will be on stage.) “Many thanks and love to Mimi for passing the torch to me to play such an amazing role that she once played and for directing with so much passion and care. Moreover, thank you to my entire Crimes Cast as well as Tony, Louisa, Charles, Gary, and the rest of the Ghostlight Gang. You all are the best people to be around, and I couldn’t thank you enough for the support. Lastly, I’d love to thank my love, Dylan for helping me drill lines in between working long shifts with the MTA, my sweet Frankie who would join me in rehearsals and be the most supportive son and my real-life sister, Alexandra, for preparing me my entire life for a role so woven into sisterhood. I love you all.

Robert is a Meisner trained actor, having studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre. Robert is excited to be working on this show and collaborating with Ghostlight for the very first time. Other past credits include: A Man for All Seasons, The Crucible, Hamlet, Ghosts and The Glass Menagerie. In addition to his acting, Robert is also a screenwriter and playwright, having recently completed his first play, which he hopes to bring to the stage in the not-too-distant future. Robert would like to thank his family and friends for their continued support, his director, Mimi and the entire cast and crew of Crimes of the Heart for the rewarding experience and for allowing him to be involved in such a fun play.

Nora Shvartsberg is a model/dancer, curly hair and cat enthusiast. She is elated to be playing Chick Boyle in Ghostlights Production of Crimes of the Heart as this is her first big non ensemble acting debut. Shoutout to my background actors and dancers who have the courage to one day go bigger! This is Nora’s second show with GhostLight: Mary Bennett in Pride & Prejudice, and dancer/ensemble in Mamma Mia with In the Wings. She holds a Masters Degree from Hofstra University. MUCH GRATITUDE to my supportive cast to guide and support me through this very new acting journey. Thank you to Mimi, Louisa & Tony for trusting me with this eccentric role.

Meredith Sladek is excited to perform the role of Lenny in Crimes of the Heart. Recent roles include Aimee Blake in The Humans with Sea View Playwright's Theatre, Chorus Leader in Antigone with Staten Island Shakespearean Theatre Company, and Harriet Stanley in The Man Who Came to Dinner with Ghostlight Players. She holds BA degrees in Theatre and English from Truman State University. Meredith would like to thank Mimi, Tony, Louisa, and the Ghostlight team for this opportunity, as well as her talented castmates for the laughs and great times. Enjoy the show!

Frank is ecstatic to appear in his fourth Ghostlight production and is proud to share the stage with the delightful cast and crew. Previous roles include Jason in Sweat, Richard in The Humans, Charles Thomson in 1776, and Paul in Barefoot In The Park. Previous roles do NOT include Sam in I Am Sam, which is probably for the best. He would like to thank Mom, Dad, Mimi, Tony, Gary, Charlie, and the rest of you are alright too.