Unsettling "Blood Orange" Comes to RCI New York
- RCI USA
- 23 hours ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 4 hours ago
A Haunting Tale of Grief, Faith, and Girlhood
About The Event
After a successful run at A.R.T/New York's Jeffrey and Paula Gural Theatre in September, we are excited to present “Blood Orange”, a dark play written by Abigail Duclos and produced by Romanian-American producer and actress Maria Müller, in the theatrical space of the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York on December 10. The story follows Faye, a teenage girl grappling with her father’s violent death, who feels abandoned by both God and her mother. In her desperate search for meaning, turns to a nightmarish roadkill creature for salvation—one marked by prayer, blood, and the fragile spark of first love. Directed by Vernice Miller, with choreography by Amelia Rose Estrada, “Blood Orange” brings together a remarkable cast—Luísa Galatti, Ana Moioli, Maria Müller, Giorgia Valenti, and Doreen Oliver—to embody a story that confronts grief, belief, and the haunting complexities of girlhood. The production is supported by the Romanian Cultural Institute.
Creative Team:
Written by Abigail Duclos
Directed by Vernice Miller
Associate Directed and Choreographed by Amelia Estrada
Scenic and Props Designed by Ningning Yang
Costumes Designed by Whitney Fabre
Lighting Designed by Hayley Garcia Parnell
Sound Designed by Laura Pereira
Fight and Intimacy Direction by Leana Gardella
Production:
Produced by Et Alia Theater
Production Managed by Covi Loveridge Brannan
Stage Managed by Isabel Criado
Box Office Managed by Covi Loveridge Brannan
Deck Managed by Thais Fernandes
Meet the Actors & the Creative Team
Maria Müller (Georgia, Faye)
Maria Müller is a Romanian-born actress, writer, and producer for both theater and film, currently based in New York. She is the founder, Executive Director, and Co-Artistic Director of Et Alia, a theater company for international women. Her recent roles include the plays ExtraO1dinary Aliens! (Exit I-485), written by Carolina Do and directed by Vas Eli, Until Dark, written and directed by Federica Borlenghi (for which she was nominated for a BroadwayWorld Award for Best Actress), and the feature films No Tomorrow, written and directed by Martin Drop (Manhattan Film Festival, Queens World Film Festival), and Jet Lag in Summer, written and directed by Kunao Yan. She has received multiple grants, including from the Brooklyn Arts Council, and has won awards such as Best Actress and Best Dramatic Short Film for various film projects. Maria has also worked as a host and speaker at events like East European Comic Con, the National Women's Theatre Festival, and more. Her work has been featured in both national and international publications (Splash Magazines, The National Herald, Radio România Cultural), as well as in a book where she was interviewed alongside Nadine Labaki. She holds a BFA from NYU Tisch.
Ana Moioli (Eden)
Ana Moioli is a Brazilian actress and theater/film creator based in New York. She is the co-founder and Artistic Director of Et Alia Theater and holds a Bachelor's degree from NYU Tisch Drama. Before moving to New York, she studied acting in Brazil and Russia. Her recent roles include appearances in the TV series Law & Order (NBC) and CherryBomb (Amazon Prime), the short films I Am Love (Raindance) and Laundromat (Keep or Destroy Productions), the leading role in the Off-Broadway premiere of the Brazilian classic Wedding Dress by Nelson Rodrigues, as well as past Et Alia productions such as Until Dark (Out of the Box Theatrics), Saudades (JACK), and Stella, Come Home (HERE, The Brick). Beyond acting, Ana has also written, produced, and directed for both theater and film.
Luísa Galatti (Faye)
Luísa Galatti is a Brazilian actress and theater/film producer. She produced and performed in plays such as Stop Kiss by Diana Son and Until Dark by Federica Borlenghi. On TV, she guest-starred and served as assistant director for CherryBomb. She wrote, produced, and starred in the award-winning film 'Til Morning. Her most recent festival circuit included the short films Who Were You in New York by Stella Rea and I’m Not Asleep by Lufe Berto. Luísa worked on the production teams for immersive experiences like Life&Trust and Masquerade. She trained at the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute and holds a Theater degree from Celia Helena. Recently, she completed a production fellowship at CIPA.
Giorgia Valenti (Georgia)
Giorgia Valenti is an award-winning Italian actress and Drama Desk-nominated producer. She produced and starred in Odd Man Out, an immersive Off-Broadway play from Argentina’s Teatro Ciego, which won an Off-Broadway Alliance Award and was also staged at the Los Angeles Theater Center. Recently, she developed plays at venues like The New Jersey Theater Center, La MaMa, and The Civilians. Her notable screen credits include FBI (CBS), Sinful Attraction (GalaTea TV), and CherryBomb (Amazon Prime). With her international women-led company Et Alia Theater, Giorgia has performed and produced at venues like The Flea, A.R.T/New York, HERE, The Brick, Rattlestick, Theaterlab, and more. She also co-produced the Italy on Screen Today Film Festival in New York, premiering Italy’s Oscar submissions for three consecutive years. Giorgia holds a BFA in Acting and Dance from NYU.
Doreen Oliver (Mariah)
Doreen Oliver is a writer, actress, and speaker whose work reveals the beauty, pain, and unpredictability of life, often through the lens of parenting. Her acclaimed one-woman show about raising a child with autism, EVERYTHING IS FINE UNTIL IT'S NOT, debuted at FringeNYC, breaking the 20-year record for fastest ticket sales in the festival's history. The following fall, it premiered Off-Broadway at the United Solo Festival, where it won the Audience Award. Doreen’s essays on autism, racism, and the chaos and contradictions of motherhood have been published in The New York Times, Washington Post Sunday Magazine, Audible, The Kenyon Review, The Root, and more. A former producer and Head of Development at Lee Daniels Entertainment, Doreen helped bring to screen independent films like the Oscar-winning Precious (Mo’Nique), Shadowboxer (Helen Mirren), and The Woodsman (Kevin Bacon). She is a graduate of Yale University, the Atlantic Acting School Conservatory, and the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Vernice Miller (Director)
Vernice Miller is an Afro-Caribbean theater artist, born in Jamaica and rooted in New York City, whose cross-border work is driven by a steadfast belief in art as a common language of transformation and hope. WAM Theatre: Debut production director for Keen Teens, the educational branch of the Obie and Drama Desk-winning Keen Company, offering NYC high school students the opportunity to collaborate with professional playwrights, directors, and designers in world premiere Off-Broadway productions. She is the co-founder and Artistic Director of A Laboratory for Actor Training Experimental Theatre Company in NYC. Vernice designs and teaches intensive actor training courses inspired by Grotowski and Barba, using movement and vocal work to strengthen presence and unlock the performer’s physical and imaginative expression. Her directing credits include Joe’s Pub @ The Public Theatre (NYC), Folger Shakespeare Theatre (Washington, DC), HartBeat Ensemble (Hartford, CT), Market Theater Laboratory (Johannesburg, South Africa), Ukrainka Dramatic Theatre (Lviv, Ukraine), Glej Theatre (Ljubljana, Slovenia), Warsztaty Teatralne (Opole, Poland), Edinburgh Fringe Festival (Scotland), and Skolen Teater, Dans og Musik (Silkeborg, Denmark).
Amelia Estrada (Assistant Director and Choreographer)
Amelia Estrada is a Latinx performance creator and scholar. She is passionate about creating work that addresses diaspora, gender, and intergenerational ancestral relationality. Her recent projects include: Don’t Eat the Mangos at The Huntington (assistant director), Sanctuary City at Tufts University (director), Spanky – A Choreoplay (director/choreographer), Love is Love is Love at The Kennedy Center (co-choreographed with Gabriel Mata), and PAPAYA at Rockwell (co-choreographed with Elle Jansen). Other directing/choreographing credits include Twelfth Night (Tufts), Sweeney Todd (Moonbox Productions – associate choreographer), and more. Some of her favorite projects are A Dance For You, For Me with Eventual Dance Company at Jacob's Pillow, CarmXn with Hogfish, Romeo and Juliet with Brian Sanders and The Philadelphia Orchestra, and Dancing Dead with Brian Sanders’ JUNK. Amelia is also a PhD candidate in Theatre, Dance & Performance Studies, researching dance in and from the Dominican Republic. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Swarthmore College and holds a Master’s degree from Tufts University in Theatre & Performance Studies.
