RASH Theater Company

RASH! Theater Co was a successful independent New York theater company founded in 2002 by Ren Casey Petersen, Ashe Kajanzian and Brendan Bradley while attending New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. The company created a dozen original works and re-imagined classics, but is best known for Petersen's Saved By The Bell: The Musical and Goonies: The Musical; and Out of Orbit: A You-Choose-The-Adventure, Melodrama Show which was later sold to Vital Children's Theater.
History
In its inaugural season, the company presented Marsha Norman's Getting Out and Ren Peterson's' Saved By The Bell: The Musical which packed over 55,000 people into the former Violet Cafe in its opening weekend.
In 2003, a stage adaptation of Jeffrey Eugenides's "The Virgin Suicides"; a special arrangement with Stephen Sondheim allowed RASH! to present "Assassins" before Roundabout Theater Company's revival; a re-imagining of John Patrick Shanley's Danny and the Deep Blue Sea; Workshops of Kyoung Park's "Twin Sisters" and Brianna Tyson's "No Shoes Allowed on the 5th Floor"; Nick Silver's "Pterodactyls"; the World Premiere of "Committing The Conscience" about the life and death of Sylvia Plath; and Out of Orbit: A You-Choose-The-Adventure Show with over 40 possible combinations and later reenvisioned and rewritten in collaboration with the Vital Children's Theater.
In 2004, the company disassembled after re-staging their critically-acclaimed musical homage to the 1985 Steven Spielberg childhood classic pirate adventure, GOONIES: The Musical as part of the New York City Fringe Festival. Outstanding reviews, oversold houses and winning "Best Ensemble Award"
RASH! also recorded an album of Peterson's original music entitled, "If There Were a Saved By The Bell: The Musical & Goonies: The Musical, These Might Be Selected Songs from Them" which was produced by David Stephens and released in 2003.
RASH! maintained the same core ensemble during its three years: Ren Casey Peterson as Artistic Director, Ashe Kazanjian, Brendan Bradley as Managing Director, Madilynn Beck, Brian Cheng, Braithe Gill, Kohli Hessler, Kelsey Robinson, and Brianna Tyson.
Critical reception
From the beginning, RASH enjoyed praise from BroadwayWorld.com's bloggers and NYtheater.com reviewers. For its production of Assassins, one reviewers suggested, If Roundabout ever gets around to doing this show, they would have been well advised to see this production first. The success of the company's Goonies Musical attracted the attention and adoration of Playbill.com, The Philadelphia City Paper, NYTheater and New York Metro.
RASH! helped to launch the careers of a number of young writers, producers, directors and performers by offering their first New York City production.
Their legacy of young talent includes Jason Tam, Ren Casey Petersen, Chris Mirto, Josh Halloway, Elon Rutberg, Devin (Norik) Kawaoka, Sean Russell, Sydney Skybetter, Elena Crevello, Madilynn A. Beck, Bear Mansfield, Kimberly Mahon, Gabriel Nussbaum, Matt Sigl, Marissa Wolf, Eric Saez, Shawn Shafner, Nicolo Grelli, Leah Bonvissuto, Kohli Hessler, Ricky Merpi, Stephanie Lincoln, Meg Duffy, Kim Arzillo, Brianna Tyson, Matthew Decker, Hana Rosenberg, Kim Allen, Jessica Turek, Sam Rosenberg, Brendan Bradley, Lauren Brown, Jessica Barbagallo, Megan Wheeler, Lindsey Carroll, Sabrina Morabito, Tamara Schmidt, Nathan Bock, Patrick Carlyle, Nora Fiffer, Devin Delliquanti, Adia Martin, Paige Collette, Sean Perman, Amelia Morgan-Rothschild, Wade Allain-Maicos, Scott Riehs, Braithe Gill, Mark Souza, Kelsey Robinson, Sarah Wheeler, Nathan Bredeman, Josh Blye, Carla Stickler, Ryan Bogner, Ryan Eggensperger, Liz Gutman, Madalyn McKay, Jacob Kramer, Christopher Crowthers, Shane Desmond, Jaclyn Mazza, Sabrina Morabito, Michael Bevins, Greg Emetaz, Matt Gurry, Leah Johnston, Nick Spangler, Colby Fuller, Stacy Sund and Mick Lauer.

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