The First Miles G.

Spring has finally sprung, and so has Tray. After serving 15 years in prison, he has been released for good behavior — only to find that his Brooklyn neighborhood has been completely gentrified. White hipsters are running rampant, but worst of all, one of them has married Shay — the love of Tray's life.

From Oscar-winning creator and executive producer Jordan Peele: this is The Last O.G. And the television debut of Miles G.

The cast is led by Tracy Morgan, Tiffany Haddish, and Cedric the Entertainer (are you kidding me?) and the writing manages to straddle poignant social commentary with out-of-control comedy.

The Last O.G. premieres Tuesday 4/3 on TBS at 10:30pm EST. Miles will start showing up the following week, on Tuesday 4/10 at the same time.

Thanks for watching. #veryfunny

Austen Powers: International Man of Pemberley.

This holiday season, Miles is throwing on some high collars and falling clumsily into the iconic world of Jane Austen in Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis.

The romantic farce by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon is essentially elevated fan-fiction — serving as a sequel to Pride and Prejudice. It centers around Mary Bennet, the unmarried middle sister (oof), as she visits her sister Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy for the holidays. On her quest to avoid the boredom of socializing, she bumps into a surprise visitor — Lord Arthur De Bourgh.

The nephew of the late Lady Catherine, Arthur has just inherited her estate and is suddenly thrust into high society. He and Mary enter into a delightfully bizarre courtship, and it should surprise no one that this anxiety-ridden, socially awkward bookworm is who Miles is playing. Direction is by Austen-mega-fan Jenn Thompson, who directed Miles in Tribes at BSC.

Previews begin 11/29. Opening is 12/1. Closing is 12/24.

Show times and ticket prices can be found here. The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis (130 Edgar Rd., St. Louis, MO).

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Getting ANTsy about Russia.

We are living in a supremely bizarre time. Naturally, this calls for supremely bizarre theatre (art imitates life or something).

Miles is teaming back up with director Katie Lindsay (Harry and the Thief) at Ars Nova's ANT Fest 2017 to bring you Red Emma & The Mad Monk. Written by Alexis Roblan, this Russo-American cabaret follows anarchy's Emma Goldman and historic mythology's Rasputin on a journey to the past (tell me you get this reference) and back to the future, via Twitter.

As is his duty in 2017, Miles is playing a slew of problematic white men: Modest Stein (real anarchist), Henry Clay Frick (real capitalist), and Vladislav Surkov (real propagandist).

The show is Friday 6/16 at 7pm. Tickets are $15 here or $20 at the door. Ars Nova. (511 W. 54th St., NY, NY).

Do svidaniya bbs.

Speak for the trees.

A year and a half ago, Miles took off to the wilderness of rural Quebec to shoot the best screenplay he'd ever read (Best Feature Film Screenplay at The Amsterdam International Film Festival — he's not alone). This spring, Flora (written and directed by the amazing Sasha Louis Vukovic) will finally make its world premiere at the London International Science Fiction Film Festival (Sci-Fi London).

In the summer of 1929, an expedition of university botanists set off into the North American frontier, expecting to meet their beloved professor. When the students discover he is missing from the expedition camp, a hunt ensues — until they become the hunted. It is a nostalgic and terrifying man versus nature showdown with lots of vintage wear and a gramophone! Miles plays Rudyard Corey, the classic archetype of dandy/botanist. The life (and death?) of the party.

Enjoy the trailer below, and if you are in London, check out the world premiere 4/27-5/6. Festival information can be found here, and you can follow Flora here.

Another Trout, inspired by the Ocean.

Next week, Miles is back with dream team Ryan Trout (playwright) and Srda Vasiljevic (director) in La Mama's Experiments Play Reading Series. In its 17th year, the series presents in-development work to audiences for playwrights to hear their work aloud and receive constructive feedback. This year's theme is The Future on Stage, which brings us to Ryan's new play I'd Do Anything For You In The Dark (a Frank Ocean ref for anyone culturally beached).

We meet a broke and broken Francis recently after a move home to Iowa. He is wasted with his mother who tries but doesn't get it. They are waiting for his New York boyfriend to arrive from the airport. There is also a live-in android homemaker and it is Christmas Eve, so: a veritable recipe for poignant disaster. Miles is, of course, Francis.

The reading starts at 7pm on 12/19. Admission and wine are free, but reservations are recommended and can be made here. La Mama Galleria. (47 Great Jones St., 6th Floor, NY, NY). Talkback to follow.

A Midwinter Night's Wassail.

The time has come to celebrate the season. And to put that Chekhov training to work.

Join Miles at Smith Street Stage's Mid-Winter Wassail, where he will be featured in one of Chekhov's comedies (who knew?): The Bear (directed by Madeline Barasch). Reuniting with his partner in literal and proverbial crime, Natalie Walker, he will play the loyal servant to her weeping, woebegone widow. Their world and bodies are turned upside down when a brute (Jason Loughlin) shows up at the estate, insisting that the deceased husband owes him money. The pre-revolutionary Russian version of hilarity ensues.

Based in Brooklyn, Smith Street Stage is committed to telling classic stories in contemporary ways. The Mid-Winter Wassail (complete with three shorts, a band, open bar, and more) is not only fun, it is an important fundraiser for the company.

The event kicks off at 7pm on 12/17. Tickets can be purchased here. The Genius Space Event Space. (84 4th St., Brooklyn, NY).

Blessings.

Mama's goy.

The leaves are turning and so is Miles — with his first Equity contract for a non-Jewish role. He's crossed over!

Back at George Street Playhouse in Rob Urbinati's new play Mama's Boy, Miles is taking on a family that no demographic wants to claim — the Oswalds. Spanning from 1959 to 1964, Mama's Boy looks at the family life of Lee Harvey Oswald, before and after his assassination of JFK. Miles is playing mama's other boy — Robert Oswald, Lee's older brother who is alarmingly normal. But don't worry he goes through a lot.

Direction is by David Saint, marking his 20th anniversary as Artistic Director of GSP. Lee is played by Michael Goldsmith (Tales From Red Vienna), his wife Marina is played by Laurel Casillo (Act One), and the demon matriarch Marguerite Oswald is played by Betsy Aidem (All The Way).

Previews begin 10/18. Opening is 10/21. Closing is 11/6.

Show times and ticket prices can be found here. George Street Playhouse (9 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick, NJ).

A Tribe Called Mess.

Instead of sweating all day in Manhattan, Miles has opted to cry all day in Massachusetts! Making his Barrington Stage Company debut, he is finishing out the summer in Tribes by Nina Raine.

The 2012 Drama Desk Winner for Best Play, Tribes centers around a conventionally unconventional British family with three adult children — the youngest of whom, Billy, is deaf. Having been raised reading lips and speaking English, his world opens up and turns over when he meets a young woman who signs. Miles plays Daniel, Billy's older brother — protective, provocative, and manic depressive.

Direction is by Drama Desk nominee Jenn Thompson (Women Without MenAbundance). Billy is played by Joshua Castille, who recently played Ernst in Deaf West's Broadway revival of Spring Awakening.

Previews begin 8/18. Opening is 8/21. Closing is 9/3.

Show times and ticket prices can be found here. Boyd-Quinson Mainstage (30 Union St., Pittsfield, MA).

In the Birthshires.

This week, Miles is back in one of his favorite places, The Berkshires, working on Rich Orloff's Jennifer's Birth  the first play of the 2016 Staged Reading Series at Berkshire Playwrights Lab.

In anticipation of her mother's impending death, a middle-aged Jennifer (Gordana Rashovich) goes back to the circumstances surrounding her own birth in 1953. With amusement and horror she pieces together what molded her mother — from Jewish familial bickering to the emotional oppression of the era. Miles will be playing Lee — Jennifer's soon-to-be uncle, just returning from the Korean War with dreams of starting over in California. A mama's boy with a healthy dose of chutzpah.

Direction is by TV veteran Matthew Penn (Queen of the South, Royal Pains), one of the co-founders and artistic directors of BPL. 

The reading starts at 7:30pm on 7/13. Attendance is free, but reservations are recommended and can be made here. Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center. (14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, MA).

More information on the Berkshire Playwrights Lab can be found here.

It's all about empathy.

The weather has turned and summer is upon us. For some, this means short shorts, barbecues, and beach bumming; for others, cocaine, escort services, and contract killings.

On that note, Miles is happy to announce the release of The Strangest Night, a short film he shot last fall with writer/director Karl Fernandez (with whom he worked on Where I Want to Be). In the scene below, Miles taps into his Jersey roots and drops some major knowledge on his would-be killer:

To view The Strangest Night in its entirety, click here.

Happy hunting!

Freedom, cut me loose.

Just in time for the Treasury's announcement, Miles is thrilled to announce his next show: the New York premiere of Harry and the Thief.

In this action adventure blockbuster meets historical southern melodrama by the incredible Sigrid Gilmer, a modern day thief is coerced into time traveling to bring Harriet Tubman a bunch of guns. The results are out of control/this world/etc. Miles plays Orry Main Scarlet, the owner of the Scarlet Plantation (think Scarlett O'Hara meets Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds). Over the course of the show, Orry navigates changing times, time changes, and the politics of forbidden love.

This is the inaugural season of The Habitat — a new theatre company started by producer Caroline Gart and director Katie Lindsay (who is directing Harry). Miles has worked with these women before and is honored to be a part of this production.

Opening is 5/19. Closing is 6/4.

Show times and ticket prices can be found here. The Robert Moss Theater (440 Lafayette St., 3rd Floor, NY, NY).

Lab partners.

This Monday, Miles will be spending his day off ON at Soho Rep. in the first reading of the 2015/2016 Writer/Director Lab Series.

Where Have You Gone by Jacob Perkins (2015 Eugene O'Neill Finalist) is a madcap play about a Kid from the Deep South who moves to the City attempting to navigate the chasm between the two. There are home videos and birthday cakes for Jesus and laughter and tears and everything nice. Miles will be playing the Kid.

Direction is by powerhouse Jaki Bradley (2016 Drama League Artist-in-Residence), who recently directed Miles in Good Men Wanted.

The reading starts at 7pm on 4/18. Attendance is free, on a first come, first served basis. Doors open at 6:45pm. Soho Rep. (46 Walker St., NY, NY).

Past Lab writers include Amy Herzog, Jihae Park, and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. Past directors include Lila Neugebauer, Rachel Chavkin, and Evan Cabnet. More information on the Soho Rep. Writer/Director Lab can be found here.

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My name is what?/My name is who?

My Name is Asher Lev (sorry, Slim).

This spring, Miles returns to the motherland (Jersey) to play the title role in George Street Playhouse's production of My Name is Asher Lev. Adapted by Aaron Posner from the novel by Chaim Potok, it tells the story of a Hasidic Jewish boy turned artistic prodigy in post-WWII Brooklyn. Asher attempts to reconcile the irreconcilable in a classic culture clash of nature versus nurture. As a Jew (the G. is for Goodman), this piece is very close to Miles's heart — and he hopes to share it with yours.

Directed by Jim Jack, the show also features the incredible talents of Bob Ari (Frost/Nixon, Broadway) and Lena Kaminsky (Law and Order)

Previews begin 4/12. Opening is 4/15. And closing is 5/1.

Show times and ticket prices can be found here. George Street Playhouse (9 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick, NJ).

"Art is whether or not there is a scream in him wanting to get out in a special way."

 

 

 

Trying to be Civil.

2016 has started with a literal bang: Miles has joined the ranks of Good Men Wanted — a new play that gives voice to the untold stories of female soldiers in the Civil War.

The latest from playwright Kevin Armento (New York Times Critics' Pick — Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally), Good Men Wanted will be presented at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., in association with Naked Angels. This adrenaline-fueled show blends drama, dance, and pop music under the brilliant direction of Jaki Bradley (Drama League Artist-in-Residence) and with sick choreography by Ani Taj (The Dance Cartel).

The shows are Thursday 2/11 through Sunday 2/14. Times and tickets can be found here. Arena Stage (1101 6th St. SW, Washington, D.C.).

For all of you northerners — fear not: Good Men Wanted can be seen in NYC the following week.

The show is Wednesday 2/17 at 7:30pm. Tickets can be purchased here for $12 or at the door for $15. Dixon Place (161A Chrystie St., NY, NY).

Salute ya there, si se puede, etc.

That boy is a monster.

Last night, Frankenstein's Light won the Directors Guild of America Best Student Film Award in the Asian-American category. Directed by Saad Nawab and shot nearly a year ago, this was Miles's second of three thesis films that he has shot with Florida State University's MFA in Film program.

A fairytale tribute to monster movie culture, Frankenstein's Light stars Miles and Brynn Elders as a movie monster who clumsily steps out of the screen into the life of a girl who understands what it's like to feel out of place.

Enjoy the clip below, where Miles and his character collide in their love of popcorn. Also, congratulations to Saad Nawab. Look out for this one.

Holy cow!

Next week, Miles is back with UglyRhino Productions for his third TinyRhino! If you missed his last appearance in February, TinyRhino is a theatrical drinking game. Every month, six playwrights write brand new 10-minute plays, each including five dramatic elements. These elements might show up at any time, in any order, and with any frequency. And every time they do: you DRINK! This month's theme: Halloween.

Another third: Miles gets to work with the amazing Molly Beach Murphy again, on her timeless All Hallows Eve At the Amarillo Jehovah's Witness Weekly Grief Group In the Backroom of the Y Just Off the Feeder, directed by Nikki DiLoreto.

Miles will be in a cow costume. You're coming.

The show is Tuesday, October 27th, at 8pm. Littlefield (622 Degraw St., Brooklyn, NY).

Tickets are $10 and can be purchased here or at the door.

Sorry, Sam Smith.

Yes. It's true. Miles is great at a One Night Stand!

In case you missed the sold-out/standing-room-only performance at Dixon Place a few months ago (or couldn't get enough), When I Started Dating Men is back for a special fundraiser performance/party: When I Started Dating Men: One Night Stand.

This crew is headed for a full run at a theater near you, but they need your help! Come relish in misguided millennial mishap and bathe in the glory of Miles's gin-soaked club rat, Tyler. He is paired, as always, with Natalie Walker's Hell's Kitchen terror, Chelsea (#welcometonewyork).

Written by Ryan Trout and directed (again) by Srda Vasiljevic (Spring Awakening, Broadway), the party is next Saturday 10/24 at 8pm. 9 Lives (409 9th St., Brooklyn, NY). 

Tickets are $20, come with a free drink, and can be purchased here.


(MGJ/GJ) x 4000 =

4000 Miles at Capital Rep!

This fall, Miles will be making his debut at Albany's Capital Repertory Theatre, starring as Leo in Amy Herzog's 4000 Miles (...G. Jackson, get it?). An Obie Award winner and Pulitzer Prize finalist, 4000 Miles is a dramatic comedy about the (proverbial) collision of 21-year-old Leo with his 91-year-old Jewish grandmother, Vera, at the end of a troubled cross-country bike trip. New Age meets old age, loaded with ugly clash and unexpected comfort along the way.

Miles has the esteemed pleasure of playing opposite Eileen Schuyler as Vera, along with the incredible Cara O'Brien and Caitlin Cisco, directed by Stephen Nachamie.

Previews begin 9/25. Opening night is 9/29. Miles's birthday is 10/1. And closing is 10/18.

Show times and ticket prices can be found here. Capital Repertory Theatre (111 North Pearl St., Albany, NY).

Miles is now a proud member of Actors' Equity Association.



Strung out on another man.

California, we're coming home!

It's been 6 months since the NYC debut of Kati Schwartz's "The Coward". But unlike the South (too soon?), we knew it would rise again. This time, in Los Angeles, directed by the amazing Eric Hoff (Lincoln Center Theatre Directors Lab, "Hit the Wall" at Barrow Street and Steppenwolf Theaters).

While this is an entirely new draft, Miles is back as Christopher — a little harder to hate but still hard to love (art imitates life?). Come watch him torture himself and others on 8/17 at 8pm. Play Collaborative Arts Venue (1018 S. Santa Fe Ave., LA, CA).

This is an industry reading, but is open to the public. And admission is free. As in feel free to make a donation (#artistlyfe).