THE AUTHORS

J. Michael Newlight

Frank Tabbita

In the '80s, Michael established the Gallery Theatre, where he first collaborated with Frank Tabbita. At the Gallery, Michael produced everything from Waiting For Godot to Oliver, including several of his original plays: Drax (updated Dracula legend), The Farm (a '70s musical), Imagination (traveling children's show) and The Last Hours of Harry Crosby (as co-writer).

In the '90s, he and Delight Green established the Greenlight Studio as a workshop for creative projects, which is where the original workshop production of TESLA took place in November, 2001.

Writing as Myron Night, Michael is the author of several novels, including Habits and Twist, published by Greenlight Books.

Frank's stage credits include leading roles in A Streetcar Named Desire... Dracula... When Ya Comin' Back Red Ryder?... Waiting for Godot... The Man of La Mancha... Grease and The Sound of Music, among other roles in both dramatic and musical productions. Frank is also a singer, instrumentalist and songwriter.

On film, Frank has played a gang leader in With These Hands; Debra Winger's date in Paper Man, a short film made from a Tom Robbins script; and a role in The Happiest Moment of My Life: Take Two, directed by Thomas Phillips.

Frank's most recent leading film role is Gerard in Beat Angel.

History

Michael and Frank first collaborated on their 1981 production of Waiting For Godot. Since that time, they have worked together on a number of original projects, including Drax, a modern re-shaping of the vampire mythos written and produced by Michael for the stage, in which Frank carried the lead, and wrote and performed the music. In the recent film Beat Angel, Frank is featured as co-writer, co-producer and one of the leading actors, while Michael participated as associate producer.

The TESLA project developed out of their twenty-year artistic relationship, and their mutual interest in the unique, extraordinary life of Nikola Tesla. The one-man play was first performed at the Greenlight Studio in November, 2001, and is now available as a touring production.