Monday, February 23 at 7pm
GRAND TIME
by Ernest Thompson
Monday, February 23 at 7pm
GRAND TIME
Written by Ernest Thompson
A.R.T. NY, 520 8th Ave. (Between 36th/37th St.)
Third Floor, NYC 10018, Monday at 7PM
RSVP@GroundUPproductions.org
On the 42nd anniversary of the death of their grandfather, an unexpected reunion takes place between two not-young cousins. When each was a boy of 12, Grand, as they called him, took first the older one and then the younger on a world cruise, hence the title of the play. Turns out it wasn’t such a grand time after all and has left both men affected for life.
Ernest Thompson/Playwright/Tav: Ernest's work has won an Academy Award, two Golden Globes, Writers Guild and Broadway Drama Guild Awards and been nominated for a Tony, an Emmy and a British Academy Award. His plays have been seen in theatres around the world, his most enduring, On Golden Pond, translated into 30 languages and presented in more than 40 countries. Current projects include an On Golden Pond Broadway revival, directed by and starring the author, true also of his new one-man play, Archie Parish’s Parting Words, now on tour in the Northeast, the short film The Constituent, and the long-awaited sequel, Home On Golden Pond. His novel Out Clause arrives on May 5, 2026. With his writer wife Kerrin Thompson, he established Rescind Recidivism, a prison writing program giving inmates a chance to feel creative as well as human, capable and worthy.
Learn more at www.ErnestThompson.us.
Martha Burns/El: Martha has been an ensemble member and leading actor of Canadian theatre, tv and film for forty years. She is the recipient of two Gemini awards for the series, Slings and Arrows, two Genie supporting actor awards for the films Long Days Journey Into Night and Love and Savagery and two Dora Mavor Moore Awards for the plays Trafford Tanzi and The Miracle Worker. Martha is a co founder of Masterclass Theatre, Soulpepper Theatre, The Toronto Arts for Youth award and Got Your Back. For Soulpepper Theatre she created the Youth Mentorship and Soulpepper in the Schools programs. From 2010 - 2018, Martha taught first year acting at the National Theatre School of Canada. Martha most recently acted, with her husband Paul Gross, in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf at Canadian Stage. In 2024, she founded The Practice Room TO which provides affordable space for artists to train and develop work.
Gordon Clapp/Wes: Gordon recently starred in Ernest Thompson’s short film THE CONSTITUENT. He grew up in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. He graduated from Williams College and wandered the continent for 40 years enjoying an extensive career in theatre, film and television. Theatre highlights include 5 seasons with Canada’s National Arts Centre Theatre Company, Broadway roles including GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS, for which he received a Tony Nomination and Theatre World Award, and TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. Film highlights include RETURN OF THE SECAUCUS 7, EIGHT MEN OUT, MATEWAN and FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS. But it was his 12-year Emmy-winning stint as Detective Greg Medavoy on ABC’S NYPD BLUE that gave him household recognition. He also recurred on CHICAGO FIRE and DAMAGES. Since settling back in New England in 2014 he continues to “bard around” in his favorite role, Robert Frost, in ROBERT FROST: THIS VERSE BUSINESS.
Kodi Lynn Milburn/Stage Manager
Dubbed as the "Swiss Army Knife of Theater," Kodi embodies a fusion of creativity and activism. As a mixed indigenous neurodivergent queer, Kodi’s artistry resonates with a commitment to justice, harmony with nature, amplifying lost voices, and reflecting contemporary issues, echoing the ethos of the Jester's Privilege. Kodi’s work has been described as “inspired” (Alix Cohen, Women Around Town), “amazing” (Travelanche), “sound designer, Kodi Lynn Milburn deserve(s) much credit for the show’s aesthetic” (David Shengold, Opera News), “lush compositions and evocative soundscapes…a fantastic collaborator: creative, proactive, generous, organized, versatile, and indispensable” (Nathan Davis, Drama Desk Nominated Sound Designer) Cross-discipline credits include: Sylvia Milo’s The Other Mozart (Hong Kong, Edinburgh Fringe, NYC, U.S. Tour, Canadian Tour), Treaty (The Foundry), Funny Guy (59e59, London, Edinburgh Fringe), Talking With Angels (TheaterLab), Faust (Baruch Performing Arts), Salome (Irondale Theater), Orgy & Bess (Judson Church), AMP (HERE), Tussaud/Antoinette (IRT), Good Samaritans (The Tank), Big Wave (TaDa!, The Tank), Enjoy your Meal (Edinburgh Fringe), Tiffany Caputo (Edinburgh Fringe), Anime-Zing Gameshow! (Edinburgh Fringe), Empty NeXt (TheaterLab), Vice & Virtue (NYTF), My Onliness (The New Ohio), Chess (American Theater for Actors), Uta Hagen Centennial Salon (Lincoln Center), Heart Strings (Atlantic Theater Co), 7 Magdalenes (Baryshnikov Arts Center, TheaterLab, HERE), Sparkle Spa (BMI), Ewalt & Walker (54 Below), Bananas (The Rat), Mary & Max (Bobby Cronin & Crystal Skillman), Voyage en Chanson (National Sawdust), L’autre Mozart (Fringe North, Halifax Fringe), Rhinoceros (Atlantic Acting School) and more. Kodi is a New York Foundation for the Arts Music Fellow. Kodi has an album available on all streaming platforms under Kodi the Composer called "Sound the Alarm"!
Josh Evans/Producer/Stage Directions:
Favorite credits include - Chris in Ground UP's new education outreach program TREATY, currenlty touring, Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap (The Barnstormers Theatre), Post Concussive Syndrome (Abingdon Theatre), Rubber Ducks and Sunsets (Ground UP Productions), Marielle Heller’s Can You Ever Forgive Me? (Fox Searchlight Pictures), “Gotham” (Fox), “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Amazon Video), “FBI” (CBS, Dick Wolf), “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” (Netflix), “The Blacklist” (NBC). He is a graduate of UNC Chapel Hill and Michael Howard Studios, and a company member of Ground UP Productions. The work is dedicated to his parents and his wife. joshlevans.com
Jordan Ahnquist/Producer: NYC credits include Shear Madness, When Pigs Fly, and Battles of Richmond Hill. Regionally Jordan has worked with Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Milwaukee Rep, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Florida Studio Theatre, The Barnstormers Theatre, Lyric Stage, Speakeasy Stage, Central Square Theatre and The Gamm among others. Film/tv credits include Ella McCay (2025), and Gilded Lillies. Jordan holds a BA in theatre from Muhlenberg College. Jordan currently serves as Artistic Director of The Barnstormers Theatre in Tamworth, NH. barnstormerstheatre.org
