New York, New York, United States
I"m an independent theater artist who produces, directs and acts and who would like to resurrect the kind of power on stage and film that Elia Kazan, my mentor, was famous for ( he brought me into the Playwright Directing Unit of the Actor's Studio). While I have worked with some of our greatest writers such as Arthur Miller, Norman Mailer, Murray Schisgal and Mario Fratti ( 'The Academy' was my sixth production for him) - recent credits also include 'Obama in Naples' and 'My Wife in a Chador' by poet/journalist Claudio Angelini - that pushed buttons in the large audiences they brought in. I believe the most exciting work still exists in the Off Off Broadway arena despite the difficulties for artists trying to do work in expensive NYC. Dogmouth - available on vimeo and swept The Bergenfield Film Festival : Best Writer - John Steppling . Best Actor - Stephan Morrow. Best Producing - Rob Hunkele. Also won The Award of Merit : Feature Film in The Indie FEST Intnl Film Competition. Honorable Mention Award at The SaMo International Film Fest (Santa Monica ). Finow Film Festival : Best Ensemble Acting and Best Actor: Stephan Morrow. Best Supporting Actor : William B. Tate. Buffalo/Niagara Film Festival (2017): Best Adaptation of a Screenplay from a play- Stephan Morrow Official Selection : 1)The NYC Greek Film Festival. 2)New Filmmakers/New York WinterFest / 2015. 3)LES (Lower East Side ) Festival @ Theater for the New City. 4)Bergenfield Film Festival 5)Bollywood Film Fest 6) Hot Springs Horror Film Fest 7) Erie International Film Fest 9) Finow Film Fest, Germany 10) Blow Up Festival, Chicago 11)Buffalo/Niagara Falls Film Festival (2017) Contact : stephanmorrowatjunodotcom. thegreatamericanplayseriesatgmaildotcom My play 'The Assassination of J.Kaisaar and the Rise of Augustus (the Sopranos meet Mad Max) has drawn 2.4K views on you tube. Link: https://youtu.be/tKk1tqyrDeU My latest play 'Darkness After Night: Ukraine focuses on the inexcusable invasion of Ukraine by Putin. garnered terrific press and was chosen by Voice of America for a feature article. VoA Link: https://we.tl/t-XLFU0b9mBi While I was the caregiver for my stroke victim father out in Clifton N.J. on hikes I took I noticed some amazing tree roots that I eventually created sculptures from: https://youtu.be/dlSTNuqyHA4
Even though I am a Russophile and have worked on Bulgakov, Dostoevsky an Gogol, I was profoundly disturbed by the invasion of Ukraine and so I wrote, directed and acted 'Darkness After Night:Ukraine about a Russian commander who is so conflicted by Putin's invasion of Ukraine that he goes over to the Urkanian side is recaptured and slated for execution. It is a wish fulfillment fantasy for the Ukranian people since some of the events depicted in the play have not happened (the overthrow of Putin) and I use the device in Jacob's Ladder - everything is in flashback moments before the main character is executed. We performed the play at Theater for the New City for 9 performances and were given an encore performance to make it a round 10 perforamnces. We have been invited to restage it there in the near future. We also videotaped it and will be editing it next. After that I directed and acted the lead in 'Sometime Child' at Theater for the New City in NY My friend and colleague Ken Kelsch RIP shot the stage production it in an intense three day shoot and which won 'Best Narrative Feature' and Best Directing of Young People in The News Fest (True Stories) Film Festival. That project was followed by The Coming Storm - the script of which won 'Overall Winner (2024) News Fest Film Fesltival, Best Historical Drama in The Silicon Beach Film Festival and was an Official Selection of four other festivals. We have just finished editing it and are starting to submit it to film festivals.
The Assassination of J. Kaisaar and the Rise of Augustus - the Sopranos meet Mad Max (written and directed by Stephan Morrow) One hundred years after WWIII the gangsters have taken over. Based on Shakespeare's Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra. " Political assassination can have unintended consequences. " Ran for two short runs in 2019 at Theater for the New City. Link for a video of the production: https://youtu.be/tKk1tqyrDeU ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dogmouth has won 7 awards including: The Bergenfield Film Festival - Best Actor Award - Stephan Morrow. Best Writer - John Steppling. Best Production - Rob Hunkele. Nominations: Maverick Movie Awards - Best Feature. Best Ensemble Acting. Best Supporting Actor - Bill Tate. Buffalo/Niagara Falls Film Festival (2017) Best Adaptation of a Screenplay - Stephan Morrow "If you're looking for a film that's idiosyncratic, nihilistic, bursting with desperation, life and death, all made on a micro budget, head for Dogmouth from Stephan Morrow. He pulls out all the dramatic stops. The acting is terrific. It's tough, gritty and terrific." Penelope Karageorge The National Herald The National Herald Steppling and Morrow Shake Up Audiences with Dogmouth By Constantine Sirigos Morrow said ‘Dogmouth is controversial. Steppling is an equal opportunity offender, but I find his writing to be some of the best around. The program called Dogmouth - played by Morrow - ‘a bitter Vietnam vet and rail-riding renegade living his last days.’ But Dogmouth has charisma and has a young woman - played with excruciating ingenuousness by Alexandra Milne - who's carrying his baby. Morrow quoted Steppling: Art is not your friend.
Stephan Morrow was very honored to be asked to participate in a videotaping of a reading of the original best selling novel by Norman Mailer - 'Tough Guys Don't Dance' produced by The Norman Mailer Society and directed by Ken Vose : shot on Oct 1 and 2, 2015 and cast in the Lawrence Tierney role - Big Mac. In the original feature Stephan played biker/tattoo artist Stoodie. To utter such powerful language and moreover, to present the truths that life experience had shown Big Mac - was one of the sublime experiences of Mr.Morrow's career. Not to mention Big Mac's explanation of why 'Tough Guys Don't Dance'.
Reviewed in Theater Scene by Dierdre Donovan Mario Fratti’s One-acters: Wives and The Academy Directed by Stephan Morrow w/ Carlotta Brentan and Giulia Bisinella Fratti’s Wives is making its world premiere and his breakthrough The Academy returns to the boards with actor-director Stephen Morrow playing the Professor. Both plays explore the battle of the sexes and illustrate that women and men are seldom at peace with each other. The first offering is Wives—and I’m pleased to say that this playlet will charm anyone who drops by during its run. Under Stephan Morrow’s able direction, the play comes alive just fine. The second half of the double-bill is The Academy, the play that thrust Fratti squarely into the limelight. It harks back to the postwar malaise that infected Europe after World War II. But The Academy truly transcends its time period by speaking to the eternal -battle between the sexes. Set in 1950 Venice, it’s about a reactionary professor (Stephan Morrow) who has founded an “academy” to instruct young Italian men on the subtleties of seducing affluent American women. The suave Professor intensively schools his protégés in the fundamentals of American geography, history, and rhetoric, not to mention a mini-language lesson (translating Italian to English has never been executed with such split-second timing!) Yes, it’s all very amusing to watch. But one never forgets the high stakes for the young men and the political underpinnings here. This playlet is being mounted here with much clarity. The acting of the 8-member ensemble is sturdy. On a shoe-string budget, the creative team do an admirable job. And, oh yes. Morrow does double-duty here as director and actor. After helming so many Fratti productions in recent years, it’s a real treat to see him on the other side of the footlights as the Professor. And he doesn’t disappoint in this plum role.
Putting together a cast for both plays, working with the set designer, publicity agent, finding music for the program, overseeing costuming, putting together a show staff that included a videographer.