ARTISTIC ASSOCIATES

We're thrilled about having one of our own Ensemble Members join us on the Artistic Associate team!!!

Mark von Sternberg

is a Brooklyn-based playwright, screenwriter and director whose stage plays have received numerous productions across New York City. Credits include The Zen Cynic, which premiered at Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts (wrote and directed); Rats! at the DUMBO Art Festival (2000); Lost in Buenos Aires produced by The Queens Players at The Secret Theatre (2011) and The Pump (a staged reading at Theater for the New City). Mark served as a script reader for Manhattan Theatre Club during their 2005-2006 seasons, and since 2007, he has been an ensemble member of Barefoot Theatre Company, a multi-cultural troupe that has theater residencies in New York and LA. In 2008, Mark wrote and directed the coming-of-age romance, Love Simple, which received tremendous feedback on the 2009-2010 festival circuit and was hailed by Variety as an “engaging neighborhood pic... with genuine flair and wit.” The film co-stared internationally acclaimed playwright Israel Horovitz in a rare acting performance and was released on iTunes in the spring of 2010 and distributed by Synergetic in November. Being one of the first films to portray a main character who suffers from lupus, Love Simple has partnered with the international Lupus Research Institute and other local lupus organizations to help raise funds and awareness for the disease. In addition to Love Simple, Mark has written six screenplays, ranging from slap-stick comedy to psychological thriller, some of which are currently in various stages of review at production houses on the West Coast. Mark is a graduate of Brooklyn College with a B.F.A. in Acting (2000). He and his wife, Denise, own two cats and are the proud parents of their three-year old son, Dylan.

Statement

"I am honored to be joining the Barefoot Theatre Company as an Artistic Associate. Having worked with Barefoot since its inception back in 1999, it has been a thrill to watch the company grow in scope, size and creatively with each production and season. Theatre is a tough business, and year after year, the entire Barefoot family has been tenacious in showing up with engaging and quality theatre. It is exciting to have the opportunity to contribute to the company in a more intimate capacity."