Diamond in the Rough by Lane Richins
Diamond in the Rough is a comedy about a comedy based on a comedy, flush with 70's TV nostalgia and meta-takes on TV in the 90's. Through four characters - a comic and former child star, his sister/manager who lives in Rudolph Valentino's mansion, a famous actor past his prime, and a faded director of old Hollywood glamour - we discover the power of television, and the people who make it. A surreal comedy of nostalgia, family, and ratings.
Made possible by SLAC's Making Space for Artists Program.
CAST:
CREATIVE TEAM BIOS:
LANE RICHINS (PLAYWRIGHT)
Lane Richins is a playwright based out of Moscow, ID, though he worked in SLC as an actor and director for a quarter-century previous. Plays written include Diamond in the Rough, Topiary Wars, Seasons in the Sun, Millville, Misfits, and Near Mint, which received it's world premiere at Pygmalion Theatre Company in 2023. Lane is finishing his MFA in Theatre Arts from the University of Idaho in May, and he currently heads the theatre program at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, ID.
CAST BIOS:
NATALIE KEEZER (FIONA)
Natalie Keezer is a performer with an MA in Theatre from Idaho State University. She has performed with several Utah-based companies including Good Company Theatre, Pygmalion Productions, Salt Lake Acting Company, and is a member of the Actor’s Equity Association. Now based in Los Angeles, she works at Center Theatre Group in Membership Engagement, performs improv with her team, studies at Upright Citizens Brigade, and helps create films with other artists. She can be seen hiking Fryman Canyon or waiting in line at her local Trader Joe’s. She’s thrilled to be back at SLAC for this reading and is incredibly grateful to Lane Richins for the opportunity.
JAY PERRY (SAM)
Jay is an award winning actor who’s been performing in Salt Lake theatre for many years, as well as in regional productions coast to coast and off-Broadway. He’s originated dozens of roles in world-and regional-premieres for Salt Lake Acting Company, Plan-B Theatre Company, and Pygmalion Theatre Company. Jay has also performed at Pioneer Theatre Company, The Grand Theatre, Salt Lake Shakespeare and The Utah Symphony. His voice has been featured by Ballet West, Squatters, Hertz, The Utah Arts Festival, Chair Entertainment (Xbox Live), Reading Horizons, KUER’s Radio West, and many others. Jay’s passion for creating new opportunities for artists in the community led him to his current work as Theater Manager for Alliance Theater at Trolley Square, and as Festival Director for the Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival. When he’s not on a theatre stage or working behind the scenes, you can catch Jay performing locally with his family band, The Vitals.
THOMAS COWAN (PRESTON)
Tom is back at Salt Lake Acting Company for a play reading for only the second time. The first reading was so long ago he’s forgotten the name of the show. Regardless, he is excited to be working with Lane’s new script, Diamond in the Rough. In addition, he gets to work with a talented cast to include his wife Teri. He recently performed at the Grand Theater in Arsenic and Old Lace and is currently in rehearsal for 12 Angry Men at the Hale Centre Theatre.
TERI COWAN (MARGOT)
Teri is always happy to come back to Salt Lake Acting Company. Over the years she has performed here in such productions as Too Much Memory, The Memory of Water, Freedomland, How I Learned to Drive, and Nunsense, to name a few. She also loves working on new scripts and has enjoyed developing characters as they find their way to the stage, so she is especially happy to be included in Lane’s new play. She has also performed at Plan-B Theatre, Hale Centre Theatre, PYGmalion, The Grand, and Pioneer Theatre’s Play by Play Festival. Having just retired from the Davis Arts Council, she is keeping busy with film and commercial gigs as well.
DAISY BLAKE PERRY (READER)
Daisy Blake Perry grew up in Bath, England, is a journalist, actor and PR person, and moved to Utah at the end of 2001. After eight joyous years of working at Salt Lake Acting Company, Daisy returned to the journalism world as arts writer for "IN This Week," a weekly entertainment publication from "The Salt Lake Tribune." She worked there until 2012. Daisy then spent 10 years working at Gephardt Daily, specializing in arts writing, and now has her own PR company, Valentine PR, proudly representing small Utah theatres, as well as arts organizations and events including the Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival.
As an actress, her plays include Polish Joke, Hold Please and Big Love with SLAC, Near Mint, Mountain Meadows, Wait!, The Women of Lockerbie, Stop Kiss, Living Out, and Popcorn with Pygmalion Productions, Talking Wales I and II with Utah Contemporary Theatre and Kate in The Taming of the Shrew with Salt Lake Shakespeare. She's appeared in a few SLAMs for Plan-B Theatre, and lots of readings for the companies above. She's also done some fun film and voiceover work. Daisy has a theatre, film and television degree from Bristol University in England. She is also a former derby girl; her derby name is Babe Rainbow and her number is 3.
