A feature-length comedy about an unconventional family with a complicated history. They've got an explosive secret that’s about to blow up their last chance to be happy.
Jacqueline Stanzi is the matriarch of an eccentric family grappling with secrets, misunderstandings, and the challenges of Alzheimer's disease. As the eve of her daughter Franny's wedding to the deeply religious Matthew approaches, Jacqueline embarks on a mission to reveal a hidden truth, if only she could remember it. At the same time, Matthew harbors a secret of his own involving the peculiar religious cult that he is in. With Franny's unpredictable brother Alec, a hypnotist and con man, adding his unique brand of chaos to the mix, this roller coaster of emotions is a story of family, love, and the unexpected twists life throws our way.
This film, which is in the final stages of sound editing, showcases the Vivid Stage ensemble theatre company that's been around for 31 years. It's an adaptation of David Lee White's play, Blood: A Comedy, which the company produced ten years ago. Funded by a Kickstarter campaign and shot over eight days, A Relative Comedy is sharp, funny and a warm expression of the relationships that exist among the creators of the film.
Support
A successful Kickstarter campaign allowed us to complete principal photography and post-production.
Now, we are fundraising to submit the film to festivals and create a marketing campaign, and we need your help.
Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to the film through Vivid Stage. Any amount is welcome and moves the film that much closer to success!
To donate, click the link below and write "film" in the Notes section of the form.
Meet the Team
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Noreen Farley
NOREEN FARLEY has been a member of Vivid Stage’s acting ensemble since the 2006/2007 season, with their production of Pride’s Crossing. Since then she has done mainstage productions, improv, readings and holiday specials at Vivid Stage as the old broad. Noreen is a member of The Flip Side improv team. She has worked at several New Jersey venues over the years including Two River Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, Bickford Theatre and Theatre Project. Noreen most enjoys playing comedic roles such as her part in Blood...A Comedy which is now being made into a movie, newly titled Jacqueline Remembers All of This. Once upon a time she was a secondary teacher in California and Nevada and now she occasionally works as a substitute teacher in Clinton Township. Noreen has a cat. His name is Buddy and he just celebrated his 11th birthday in April 2024. He is much younger than her.
Dave Maulbeck
DAVE MAULBECK has been with Vivid Stage since 2003. He is an entertainment artist and member of the Screen Actors Guild. Dave has starred in several commercials, including the Super Bowl Ad - Groundhog Day, for truTV, and as the Polish Polisher for Burger King. With film, credits include the evil Dr. Wily in Megaman and the main character in Dracula Goes to Camp. In 2007 Dave co-founded Chicken Scoop Productions where he executive produced several spec pilots, music videos, and web series. He has been developing animation projects with BEHIND the BAG! Productions, where he is co-creator and illustrator of The Kinetix, a comic book series featuring high school superheroes whose powers derive from their respective disabilities. In 2023, Dave received the New Jersey Theatre Alliance’s Curtain Call Award of Excellence. At Vivid Stage, Dave is the Director of Improv and Host of The Flip Side Improv Shows, as well as the director of multimedia work, producing the company podcast, web series, and other video projects. He is the Executive Producer of 'Jacqueline Remembers All of This,' the company's first feature film. Dave lives in South Orange NJ with his wife Maribeth and their two kids. More about his work can be found at www.davemaulbeck.com.
Clark Carmichael
CLARK SCOTT CARMICHAEL is a Vivid company member, first seen in 2001 in Three Days of Rain. He directed The Other Place, String Around My Finger and Widow Kinskey for the company. Clark also enjoys contributing to The Flip Side and the cabaret series. Locally, he’s done over 20 productions at the Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey. He was a Jumper on Broadway in Tom Stoppard’s, Jumpers. Regional\off Broadway credits: Colorado Springs FAC, Rep St. Louis, Hartford TheatreWorks, The Acting Company, Red Bull Theater, Two River Theater, KC Rep, Irish Rep, New York Fringe Festival, Williamstown Theater Festival, Merry-Go-Round Playhouse, Dorset Theater Festival, Pennsylvania Center Stage, Great Lakes Theater Festival, Kentucky Shakespeare Festival, NJ Rep, Mill Mountain Theater, Hope Summer Rep, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, Shakespeare Theatre in Washington DC. Television credits: Senator Palmer in Special Ops: Lioness on Paramount+ starring Nicole Kidman, Pretty Little Liars, Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Politician, Living with Yourself, Little America, the Plot Against America, Pose, Blacklist, Connor Riley and Gotham, Forever, Dean Masters on House of Cards, Law & Order, Kidnapped, As The World Turns, Unforgettable, and Boardwalk Empire. Film credits: Detective Church in Invitation to Murder, Adopting Audrey, Inside Game, The Irishman, the God Committee, Ocean’s 8, The Kindergarten Teacher, Campbell Scott’s Hamlet, Sweet Lorraine and Hard Sell. Clark has been nominated for several Broadway World regional best actor awards and won for Virginia Stage Company in 2019. He holds an MFA from UMKC and a Bachelor of Science from Northwestern University. In his spare time, Clark enjoys wakeboarding, mountain biking and dancing in the kitchen while washing dishes. HTTP://CLARKCARMICHAEL.WIX.com/CLARKSCOTTCARMICHAEL
Emaline Williams
EMALINE WILLIAMS has been with Vivid Stage since 2021 or 2022 (Covid was a blur!). She was born and raised in Maineville, OH, a small town outside of Cincinnati. She started acting in elementary school and up through high school while balancing softball and lacrosse as well. In 2008, Emaline graduated with honors from Little Miami High and then was accepted into Ohio University's BFA Performance Program. There she studied various techniques such as Meisner, Linklater, Fitzmaurice, View Points, Michael and Anton Chekhov, Shakespeare, Long Form Improv, and is SAFD certified in unarmed combat. While at OU, Emaline did multiple main-stage and studio productions as well as MFA student films while weekly performing in an improv comedy group called Black Sheep Inc. After graduating Cum Laude from Ohio University with her Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts, Emaline interned at Monomoy Theatre in Cape Cod, MA. At Monomoy the company performs 8 shows in 10 weeks. Emaline is an adjunct professor of acting and she co-directs student shows at Centenary Stage Company. Emaline has professional experience in commercials, industrials, print modeling and hand modeling. She currently lives in New Jersey, just outside of NYC. More about her work can be found at www.emalinewilliams.com.
Daria M. Sullivan
DARIA M. SULLIVAN (she/her/hers) is a NJ/NYC based actor, director, teaching artist, writer, and virtual assistant. She initially joined Vivid Stage in 2017 as an Assistant to the Artistic Director Intern with the ambition to become a founding artistic director, and in 2020 she joined the resident acting ensemble. Daria received her Bachelor's in Theatre Arts and Communication from the University of Pittsburgh and in 2017 her university’s Theatre Arts Department honored her with the Helen Katz award, which recognizes a graduating senior with excellent contribution in the area of performance and demonstrated promise for the professional world. Daria is the Managing Associate/Virtual Assistant for Vivid Stage. She also runs Dreamweavers, Vivid Stage’s writing group for emerging playwrights. Daria is interested in new works that challenge thinking and pieces that align with Vivid's tagline ("humor and heart"). And she loves a good twist in a piece - you think things are one way...but they're not! Daria is also excited by works that get you to consider another way of seeing something...and let you come to your own conclusion. Daria has been performing since she was 6 and blessed to grow up in the Montclair school system where art was always accessible. She works for the state-wide arts service organization where she manages programs and services that benefit and uplift NJ theatres! Some fun facts: Daria’s birthday is on Halloween and she got married in Ghana, West Africa. You can find more information about Daria’s work at https://www.linkedin.com/in/daria-m-sullivan-965294113/
Roger Rathburn
Roger began his career in New York in the First National Tour of the musical "Mame." For the next 3 years, Roger worked as an actor/singer almost non-stop, and then was cast as the juvenile lead in the hit Broadway Musical "No, No, Nanette," winning a Theatre World Award. He also played the leading man in the Broadway Musical "5 O'Clock Girl." He has 17 Film, 16 TV, 21 Theatre credits, 5 performances on Conan O'Brien (Roger "shot" Conan. See "Conan Gets Shot" on YouTube) and the imprimatur of his career: He performed on the "Late Show with David Letterman" 22 times, almost always as Presidents and CEOs of major corporations. Roger was nominated (2022/23) "Outstanding Lead Actor" (Short Film) at 2 festivals, the Rome International Film Festival in Rome and the World Independent Cinema Festival in Edinburgh.
Cast:
Production:
Laura Ekstrand
Director, Producer
Laura Ekstrand is co-founder and artistic director of Vivid Stage, formerly Dreamcatcher Rep. She is an actor, director, playwright and teacher who has appeared on stages and screens for over 35 years. As a director, some projects include Soft Animals, Twirl, Dead and Buried, Every Brilliant Thing, The How and the Why, Next Fall, Distracted, The Pursuit Of Happiness, Melancholy Play, Pride’s Crossing, and many others. Laura has directed the dramatic podcasts The Weirdness and Young Ben Franklin for Gen Z Media, and the feature film A Relative Comedy. As an actor, Laura appeared at Vivid Stage in Gone Missing, 101 Humiliating Stories, Water in My Hands, Be Here Now, The Lucky Ones, What Stays; Sister Play; and Motherhood Out Loud, among many others, and is a member of the Flip Side improv comedy team. She has worked at many other New Jersey Theatres including the Bickford Theatre, Centenary Stage, Luna Stage, Passage Theater, Pushcart Players, The Theater Project, and 12 Miles West. In New York, Laura has appeared at Naked Angels, Ensemble Studio Theatre, and New Georges. Her film credits include American Zombieland, Split Ends, High Art, I Shot Andy Warhol. Laura’s television experience includes Hack, Sex And The City, Law & Order, and The Guiding Light. As a playwright, Laura’s plays have been produced at Vivid Stage, Speranza Theatre, Mile Square Theatre, NJ Rep, United Solofest NYC, University of Nevada, Northland Pioneer College, Bates College and Pharmacy Theatre. Laura is a private monologue coach and holds a BA from Yale University and an MFA from Sarah Lawrence College. Laura is the Chair of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance Board of Trustees and a member of AEA, SAG-AFTRA and the Dramatists Guild.
Danielle Pietrowski
Production Design
Bio to come .
Zachary Worden
Editor, Producer
Bio to come
David Lee White
Screenwriter
David Lee White is a playwright/performer/educator who has worked with multiple theatres in the NJ/NY/PA area. For fourteen years, David Lee White was the Associate Artistic Director at Passage Theatre. In 2016, David was commissioned by the New Jersey Performing Arts Center to create the play FIXED, based on interviews with people navigating bi-polar disorder. His play BLOOD: A COMEDY was seen at Passage Theatre (2009) and Vivid Stage (2012) and was the basis for the upcoming film A RELATIVE COMEDY, directed by Laura Ekstrand. Other plays include SLIPPERY AS SIN, WAYS TO BE HAPPY and TIME FREAKS. His solo show PANTHER HOLLOW has been performed at various venues throughout the country. David has created seven shows with composer/writer Kate Brennan – ALiEN8, CLEAN SLATE, ILLUMINATE, ANATOMY OF A FLOOD, BOOK OF WONDER (a novel and a musical), THE LIBRARY AT THE END OF THE WORLD and THE BLEEDING HEART ACADEMY FOR GIRLS PRESENTS. Together, they were finalists for the Jonathan Larson grant, and recipients of a MAP Fund Award. He was also given the Visionary Award by NAMI Mercer. His plays are published by Next Stage Press, YouthPLAYS, Bloomsbury Methuen, Smith & Kraus and Witherspoon Press. He recently discovered that he is a distant cousin of the Brothers Grimm.
Dave Maulbeck
Screenwriter, Producer
DAVE MAULBECK has been with Vivid Stage since 2003. He is an entertainment artist and member of the Screen Actors Guild. Dave has starred in several commercials, including the Super Bowl Ad - Groundhog Day, for truTV, and as the Polish Polisher for Burger King. With film, credits include the evil Dr. Wily in Megaman and the main character in Dracula Goes to Camp. In 2007 Dave co-founded Chicken Scoop Productions where he executive produced several spec pilots, music videos, and web series. He has been developing animation projects with BEHIND the BAG! Productions, where he is co-creator and illustrator of The Kinetix, a comic book series featuring high school superheroes whose powers derive from their respective disabilities. In 2023, Dave received the New Jersey Theatre Alliance’s Curtain Call Award of Excellence. At Vivid Stage, Dave is the Director of Improv and Host of The Flip Side Improv Shows, as well as the director of multimedia work, producing the company podcast, web series, and other video projects. He is the Executive Producer of 'Jacqueline Remembers All of This,' the company's first feature film. Dave lives in South Orange NJ with his wife Maribeth and their two kids. More about his work can be found at www.davemaulbeck.com.
Quennel Jones
Cinematographer
Explore ideas and concepts in the story-telling realm. Working as a cinematographer there a visual pursuit, that translate the script into visual meaning, hopefully to scare you, make you laugh or to even start a debate. Being a visual creative affords me that opportunity combined with collaboration, with other creatives and explore new ideas and concepts.
Dan Crisci
Original Score
Dan Crisci, pianist and composer has performed in the New York/New Jersey area since 1984. He has played with musicians such as vocalists Brynn Stanley and Bill Robinson, guitarist John Carlini, bassist Sue Williams, violinist Zach Brock, and with his wife Ginny Johnston (vocals, drums, clarinet). Dan was the pianist for the Vivid Stage cabaret series, bringing music to senior centers and libraries. Dan has released nine albums, six of which feature his original music, and he has been the accompanist for the Triad Arts Ensemble Choir for over 20 years. He has also played many events for the Discovery Orchestra, appearing in two episodes of their television show Fall in Love With Music, which debuted on Public Television in 2016. Dan has had his original recordings placed in TV shows such as The Company You Keep, Bosch: Legacy, Will Trent, Love Story Jr. and Caroly Bessette, Murdoch Mysteries, Hudson and Rex, Margot’s Got Money Troubles, and Vladimir. as well as in the movie A View of the World from Fifth Avenue. He wrote the score for the independent movie A Relative Comedy with the Vivid Stage Theatre.
Ryan Savini
Assistant Director, Producer
Bio to come
Maribeth Theroux
Screenwriter
Maribeth Theroux is a poet and comedian. In addition to being one of the co-writers of A Relative Comedy, she is also the founder of the SOMA Network, a northern NJ based arts organization devoted to uplifting artists across all disciplines. Maribeth has performed at Dixon Place, Theatre 80, and the New York City Poetry Festival. In 2012 she sat in the audience of a production of Blood: A Comedy by David Lee White and she did not anticipate that a decade later she'd be part of the creative team to adapt the play to film. (She continues to be thrilled.)
Nicole Callender, Jeff Ertz
Producers
Bio to come .
Photos
