"Dana Mazzenga has been in my Master Class for a number of years now. Her talent is outstanding. Not only with contemporary characters but also historical and Shakespearean roles. She has an amazingly wide range. I cast her in the first staged reading of my new play “A Golden City.” I also recommended her for roles in the Actors Studio Playwright/Directors Unit. There she acted in an original play, “An Honest Woman” by Gina Ferranti.
Dana is a huge talent just waiting to burst forth."
~Lyle Kessler, *Orphans, Perp/ Head of the Actors Studio PDU*
Dana is a huge talent just waiting to burst forth."
~Lyle Kessler, *Orphans, Perp/ Head of the Actors Studio PDU*
"I must relate the context of my testimony. I first saw Dana’s work on
Zoom of Lyle Kessler’s acting class. Over a period of months I saw Dana
perform several scenes from different plays. Dana showed range, and
was clearly a stand-out. I was working on a 2-character play about
Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner. I gave the first scene to Mike Keller,
also in Lyle Kessler’s class, and I asked Mike to show the scene to Dana.
In my experience, most actors lack the flexibility to handle new material.
Dana wasn’t thrown by the topsy-turvy script changes overnight
because she has a strength of character and a creative spirit of her own.
She innately understands. She’s a thinking actor.
Dana can be ferocious on the boards, but does so with grace, humor, and
charm. She didn’t shrink from the magnitude of a larger-than-life
character; she rose to it. She made Ava’s character equal to Frank’s.
She pushed my words to their limits, and even made some of my crappy
lines work. She made me see where the words were too much or not
enough and thereby taught me where the script’s deficiencies were. It
was a glorious collaboration because Dana is a total pro who, as they
say, brings a lot to the party. She is a grounded woman who knows a bit
about people, life, marriage, and young children. And she so admirably
keeps it all in perfect balance."
Zoom of Lyle Kessler’s acting class. Over a period of months I saw Dana
perform several scenes from different plays. Dana showed range, and
was clearly a stand-out. I was working on a 2-character play about
Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner. I gave the first scene to Mike Keller,
also in Lyle Kessler’s class, and I asked Mike to show the scene to Dana.
In my experience, most actors lack the flexibility to handle new material.
Dana wasn’t thrown by the topsy-turvy script changes overnight
because she has a strength of character and a creative spirit of her own.
She innately understands. She’s a thinking actor.
Dana can be ferocious on the boards, but does so with grace, humor, and
charm. She didn’t shrink from the magnitude of a larger-than-life
character; she rose to it. She made Ava’s character equal to Frank’s.
She pushed my words to their limits, and even made some of my crappy
lines work. She made me see where the words were too much or not
enough and thereby taught me where the script’s deficiencies were. It
was a glorious collaboration because Dana is a total pro who, as they
say, brings a lot to the party. She is a grounded woman who knows a bit
about people, life, marriage, and young children. And she so admirably
keeps it all in perfect balance."
~William Mastrosimone *The Woolgatherer, Extremities*