About the play
    “Thirty Minutes or Less” is about a Chinese food delivery boy (who’s not even Chinese) who stumbles upon a murder scene. What seems like a drama is in reality a comedy that takes some jabs at society, all the while bringing it all home with the true meaning of what it is to be a “label.” Audiences should expect the unexpected, especially in the second act, where shirtless cops, flamboyant press agents, and a detective obsessed with chicken wings come into play.
    What one would expect to be a whodunit turns into a social commentary not only about how we perceive race, but also the labels that are both imposed on us by others and the ones we impose on ourselves. “Thirty Minutes or Less” is an escape from the typical play, taking on an original concept and presenting the audience ideas that perhaps hadn’t occurred to them before. What would your Chinese food delivery guy do if he discovered your murder scene?

A few words from playwright Jonathan G Galvez:
    Looking at Hollywood and Broadway, the Asian presence has been limited to stereotypes and kung-fu. As an Asian-American, I wanted to present a piece that went against the stereotype, that fought it almost. I wanted to create a role and a play where race is a factor, but only one of a dozen that come into play should this situation happen in real life. There are archetypes, there are stereotypes, there are restrictions and labels we impose upon our perception of others, and this is a piece that, I feel, tries to take those down just a little bit in a real world setting.
    I came to Wagner College as a Theatre Education major (no longer offered) because I heard the college had a great theater program — and also because it wasn't too far from home (I was a commuter from New Jersey my first year). When I came to audition, I saw how beautiful the campus was — and I was hooked.
    I had been writing plays on and off in high school, but I started writing more and more when I got to Wagner, especially after taking a course in playwrighting with Kevin Kane.  I didn't know anything about theory or form, really; I just created pieces based on what I had seen and experienced myself.  Sophomore year was the first time I got to see a piece I wrote performed onstage, in Wagner's Playwrights Festival.  The festival was created by classmate Corrine Wahlberg to give more opportunities for people to perform, direct, and have their pieces staged for an audience.  My piece, “For Judy,” was one of the four one-acts selected for the festival. Directed by Ashley Willisch, it featured Tauny Ventura, David Rahner, Garth Sullivan, Kayla King and Liz Wentworth.
    During my time at Wagner College, I wrote and directed my own pieces for a directing class taught by the late Christopher Catt.  After graduating from Wagner, I was selected as one of the local playwrights for Sundog Theatre’s “Scenes from the Staten Island Ferry” in 2006; I was picked again for the 2008 program, which turned into a national competition.  My Manhattan debut came in the 2007 Riant Theatre’s Strawberry One-Act Festival 2007 with “How to Introduce Your Girlfriend to Your Parents,” which featured fellow Wagnerians Ken Kasch ’07, Alan Pagano ’06, Alison Walminski ’07 and Katie Weigl ’09.  In the city, I discovered that Carlo Riveccio ’04 was hosting the Shortened Attention Span One-Act Festival; I have had three pieces performed in three of his festivals. 
    My first full-length play, “Crossing Lights,” was produced in Manhattan Repertory Theatre’s Amazing Play Festival in 2008.  “Crossing Lights” was directed by Josh Key-Maginnis ’06 and featured Alan Pagano ’06, Liz Wentworth ’06, and Katie Flannery ’07.
    “Crossing Lights” and “Thirty Minutes or Less” (at the New York International Fringe Festival) are two parts of “The Bridge Series,” a 10-play sequence I have been working on for the past two years. The plays in “The Bridge Series” are independent dramas that share character and plot connections.  The foundation of the series is “A Hand Across the Bridge,” a yet-to-be-produced play about nine college kids and their transition into the real world.  The rest of the series follows each student through that transition as they carry with them what they learned from the first piece.  Each story is intertwined with the others, yet we don’t need to see or know about the other stories to appreciate any one of them on their own.  For example, in “Crossing Lights” we see someone having a phone conversation; in another play, we hear the other end of the conversation.  In “Thirty Minutes or Less,” the plot line deals with a Chinese-food delivery boy discovering a murder; in another play, we actually get to see the events that happen before the murder occurs.  It sounds complicated, I know, but each play is designed to be its own entity and stand as just one piece of an entire interconnected universe that I, as the writer, am creating.

TEAM
Jonathan G Galvez (Playwright/Producer)
Jonathan is a New Jersey resident currently pursing his MFA in Playwrighting at Hollins University. He received his BA in Theatre & Speech from Wagner College. His most recent production was “Crossing Lights” at the Manhattan Repertory Theater. <http://www.offoffonline.com/listings_archive.php?id=8143>  His pieces have also been presented in the Strawberry One-Act Festival, Sundog Theatre’s “Scenes from the Staten Island Ferry” and the Shortened Attention Span One-Act Festival. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild.

Eliana Meira Rantz (Director)
Eliana just graduated New York University’s Educational Theatre and English Education program. She has performed in and worked on over thirty shows starting at age four. Some of her most esteemed accomplishments include directing Turbulent Tibet at The Provincetown Playhouse, The Diary of Anne Frank at Cabaret Theatre and The Laramie Project at George Street Playhouse. In addition, Eliana has written, directed, and choreographed shows for children with special needs.

Claudia Stuart (Associate Producer)
Claudia is a second year graduate student at Brooklyn College pursuing her MFA in Performing Arts Management. She received her BA in 2006 from Fordham University. Past productions include Push Productions’ Saving the Greeks and Marat/Sade (ASM) and Rising Sun Productions’ The Frogs (SM). This is her second year with FringeNYC and she is thrilled to be back!

Jonathan Deutsch (Stage Manager)
Jonathan is a high school English teacher by day, and an “all-around-theatre-guy” by night. Jonathan has directed several plays, including “The Reduced Shakespeare Company’s The Complete History of America (Abridged)” and Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot,” has written several others, and has stage managed many more. His most illustrious credit is working as an Assistant Lighting Technician at the original production of “The Fantasticks” at the Sullivan Street Playhouse. He holds B.A.s in Theatre Education and English and a masters’ degree in English Education.

ACTORS
Michael R. Rosete (Dale Washington)
Nominated as Best Actor in “Proper Education” (Strawberry One-Act Festival). Other credits include showcases at the Ensemble Studio Theatre and La MaMa E.T.C. Lead actor in the short film “Missy,” which premiered at the Los Angeles Asian-Pacific Film Festival in May. Studied at the HB Studio (N.Y.) with Austin Pendleton, Michael Howard, and the Joanne Baron/D.W. Brown Studio (L.A.). A big “thank you” to Jon Galvez and the rest of the cast and crew for their racism, ignorance, and manipulation. Member of AEA.

Rebecca DeOrnelas (Karla Andrade)
A native New Yorker and an alumna of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Rebecca’s most notable stage roles include Corinna Stroller in “The House of Blue Leaves,” Meredith in “Five Women Wearing the Same Dress,” and Nuna in “Necessary Targets.” Most recently, she played a lead role in “Sex and Justice,” a featurette film that she also co-produced.

Tony Castellanos (Tino Bami)
Tony Castellanos, a native of Phoenix, Arizona, now resides in Sunnyside, Queens. Tony holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Arizona, Tucson. Theatre Credits: National Tour, “Jesus Christ Superstar.” Regional: “Christmas Carol,” “Hello Again,” “Man of La Mancha,” “Children of Eden,” “Love! Valour! Compassion!” Tony is very happy to be part of the “Thirty Minutes or Less” familia!

Ken Schwarz (Detective Richards)
Ken has recently been seen in the world premieres of Charles Mee’s “Fire Island” at Three-Legged Dog Theatre, Edward Musto’s one man play “Shutterbug” at New Media Rep, and “The Star” at Princeton Rep. Other NY credits include appearances at Pulse Ensemble Theatre, the Producers Club, Norman Mailer’s “The Deer Park” at Nuyorican Poets Café, Analog Friend at FringeNYC, as John McGurk in “McGurk’s Suicide Hall,” and “My Mother Told Me I Was Different” (Talkin’ Broadway Award Winner) at Abingdon Theater. Television: “Law & Order: SVU,” “Guiding Light,” “One Life To Live,” “Try My Life” and “The Railroad Killer.” Feature Films: “Hell’s Half-Acre,” “Atlantic City Serenade,” “Jersey Justice” and the upcoming “Hungry Years.” Ken has studied at NYU, T. Schreiber Studio, H-B Studios and American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Web site at www.kenschwarz.com.

John Scamardella (Officer Maw)
John is an actor from Staten Island who has not yet summoned enough courage to move. However, every June, onlookers watch to see if John sees his own shadow. If he does, he takes the ferry over in mid-August and does a play. If not, Americans can expect two more weeks of spring. John has done lots of shows on Staten Island, including: “A Christmas Carol,” “Wait Until Dark,” “Urinetown,” “Bye Bye Birdie,” “Sugar Babies,” “Waiting For Godot,” “Play It Again, Sam” and “The Fantasticks.” John would like to thank his wife Sarah for her support and their beautiful daughter Anna.