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Interview: Silbermann Heads To The Derby!

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AS THE WORLD TURNS fan favorite Jake Silbermann (Noah) has a lot invested in the new Off-Broadway play Derby Day, which opens this week at the Clurman Theatre. His new theater company, The Camisade Theatre, is presenting the dark comedy as their first production! “We’re flying by the seat of our pants,” Silbermann tells Soaps In Depth. “I’m producing this as well as acting in it, and forming a theater company in the process. It’s been a little difficult.”

Set in a luxury box at the Oaklawn Racetrack in Hot Springs, Ark., Derby Day tells the story of the Ballard brothers, and how a day of drinking at the racetrack and revealing family secrets might just tear them apart forever. “They are “celebrating” the death of their abusive father, whose presence is looming throughout the entire show,” explains Silbermann, who plays ex-con Johnny. “He’s had such an impact on these three mens’ lives, and we see this cycle of violence and how it goes from generation to generation.”

The dark comedy does have a bright spot, however. “These three guys are just trying to do well with their lives. They hate themselves, they love each other, they hate each other. They’ve got a lot of history that they’re not really equipped to deal with,” he continues. “There are moments in the play that have me cracking up. A drama really becomes a dark comedy when it has a certain amount of laughs, and we cover that. It’s a really funny, but sad, play.”

While Silbermann knows what to do on the stage, the behind-the-scenes work was a new animal for the actor. “Malcolm Madera is another actor in the play who is co-producing this as well. We were naïve enough to think it would be an easy thing,” he says with a chuckle. “We worked on a play together last year and became good friends. He knows the writer, Samuel Brett Williams, and we approached him to commission something for us. We were describing what we wanted, and he said, ‘I actually have something written that seems right up your alley.’ As soon as I finished reading it, I said ‘We are going to do this play.'” The three men went on to found the Camisade Theatre Company.

Derby Day begins previews on Wednesday, November 30, and officially opens on Friday, December 1. The show will run through Saturday, December 17. For the full performance schedule or to purchase tickets, visit www.Telecharge.com. For more information on the play and Camisade Theatre Company, visit www.CamisadeTheatre.com.

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