(MONTCLAIR, NJ) -- Holmestead, a play with deep Montclair roots, has been nominated for three awards at the prestigious New York Theater Festival's Fall/Winterfest 2022, including the festival's top prize of "Best Production."

The play’s other nominations, for actors Bill Barry and Faith Blasi, are “Best Actor” and “Best Actress.” The third cast member is Xandt Wyntreez. All three actors live in Montclair.

A one-act play set in the 1880’s, Holmestead tells the story of a fictional meeting between two literary giants of the 19th century, Arthur Conan Doyle and Emily Dickinson. Beneath the façade of Victorian-era politeness, the two writers engage in a spirited debate about writing, fame, marriage, religion, and the mysterious disappearance of a boysenberry pie.

“It’s a clash of ideas, of ways of thinking about art and the world,” says Glen Ridge playwright James Broderick, a professor of English at New Jersey City University who wrote much of the play in the Trend Coffee & Tea House in Montclair. “Is it better to be driven by pure artistic impulse, or by the desire for commercial success and recognition?”

Broderick and director Bruce Benway, who lives in Montclair, originally wanted to make the play into a film, but were derailed by COVID. Looking for another venue, they entered the play in the New York Theater Festival, the largest theater festival in the U.S. with over 80 plays and musicals. Once it was accepted, they had two months to find a cast and conduct rehearsals.

Benway, who also produced the play, reached out to Barry and Blasi, whom he and his wife had seen perform in It’s Only a Play at the Studio Players in Upper Montclair. He then found Wyntreez, a brilliant comic actor, for the play’s supporting role. Rehearsals were held at the Unitarian Church in downtown Montclair through the month of October. 

“We were fortunate to find a great cast who loved the parts,” says Benway. “I felt we had something special from the first walk-through, and these nominations confirm that.”

The New York Theater Festival awards for Fall/Winterfest 2022 will be announced December 20th at the Latea Theater, 107 Suffolk Street, New York.

Cast Bios

Bill Barry (Arthur Conan Doyle) previously appeared as John Proctor in The Heights Players Production of The Crucible. Other roles include Lee in Jumbo Productions’ version of Sam Shepard's True West and Chuck (Outstanding Actor nominee, 2020 Perry Awards) in the Studio Playhouse original production of Complete Game. 

Faith Blasi (Emily Dickinson) performed as the effervescent socialite Julia in Studio Players’ It’s Only a Play and the Tin Man in their production of The Wizard of Oz. Presently pursuing a Masters of Theatre Education at NYU, Faith believes in the transcendent power of theatre, especially when a story stirs our humanity. 

Xandt Wyntreez (Rory Palmer) has appeared in A Christmas Carol and A XanXmas (author & star), as well as independent films. In 2022, he portrayed rapper/inciter “Tucker” in the musical drama Humanity Denied. A spoken word artist, he has appeared at The NY Poetry Festival; Xandt at The Ant (NJ), and is often heard in YouTube concerts.