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Jeff Bergquist is pleased and proud to have been invited to perform
several roles in Keith Bilderbeck's
original musicals, including Kosschay in Kosschay the Deathless, the Grey Wolf in
The Firebird, the Alligator (and Zombies) in The Fountain of Youth, and Odysseus in
The Odyssey, all available on CD from
www.babayaga.com.
In his youth, Jeff was lucky enough to have landed leading
acting roles in LORT repertory theaters across the country,
including Denver Center Theatre, the Guthrie Theatre, and
Mark Taper Forum. Afer a romp as Sir Toby Belch in Shakespeare's
Twelfth Night at the Will Geer
Theatricum Botanicum, Jeff
returned to play Kurt Muller in Lillian Hellman's Watch on the Rhine
and Mr. Snobson in Fashion, or Life in New York by Anna Cora Mowatt.
He has also devoted himself to such
independent films as Daybreak, written and directed
by Mike Kacey; Paul Bojack's Glass Necktie; Jon
Stevens' award-winning Irish Whiskey; Ben Vaughn
and Dan Marcus's Rambler '65; writer/director John Norvet's feature
film debut, The Missing Link; and Dan MacCannell's Henry X.
Jeff also co-wrote and acted in Phyllis Elliott's half-hour TV pilot,
Aria 51 (yes, it's a pun). Jeff (bass) and Phyllis (soprano)
have been appearing together in operas produced
with full orchestra by
Casa Italiana Opera Company.
He has portrayed the King of ancient Egypt in Verdi's Aida, the ghost of Charles V,
Holy Roman Emperor, in Don Carlo, Dr. Grenvil in multiple productions of La Traviata, Silvano in
Un Ballo in Maschera, Marullo in Rigoletto, and Simone in Gianni Schicchi. He is the
creator and executive producer of the 2005 New Playwrights Foundation's feature-length documentary movie,
"Volunteers
for Verdi", about the Company's production of Don Carlo.
Playwright-in-residence for Cebu Performing Arts Foundation
since 1990, Jeff completed a musical
version of the O. Henry short story, "Gift of the Magi" (with lyrics and music written
by Dan Marcus) which is performed
every Christmas at Crispin Ramos' Garden Theater in Cebu, the
Philippines.
His current "day job" is grinding out feature film scripts
as a salaried co-writer.
Published and produced playwright, prize-winning poet,
lyricist, librettist, and short story author; novelist;
multi-optioned screenwriter; producer of theater, video,
micro-budget features and short films, Mr. Bergquist
has served as Artistic Director of New Playwrights Foundation
since 1985. He may be reached by e-mail
at
dialogue@newplaywrights.org.
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