A Bench at the Edge

Drew Stutz

Man One
New York: Sing Us Out: Making Spirits Bright, 54 Below. Elsewhere: Nick, Gudlung; Schroeder, You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown; George Lucas, A NEWith HOPEith; Leaf Coneybear, The 25th Annual… Spelling Bee; Sampson, Romeo And Juliet; Swing, Puppetry; Mewoth, Catch ‘Em: The Pokémon Parody Musical; Gomez Addams, The Addams Family; Mulch/Wendell Sneed, ’Twas The Night Before Christmas; Charlie Brown, You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown; Purser, Anything Goes; Joel, Boxed In. “I don’t want my life to imitate art. I want my life to BE art.” - Carrie Fisher.

Luke Rentschler

Man Two
Luke attends the University of Northwestern - St. Paul where he studies History, Theatre, and Biblical Studies. He has appeared in many productions across the Twin Cities. Notable roles include Gleb in Anastasia, The Beast in Beauty and the Beast, and Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar. On top of school, Luke stays busy by working for Hennepin Arts, The Minnesota Twins, and the Minnesota Historical Society.

Samantha Odens

Director/Producer
Samantha is a Minneapolis-based artist. She graduated from the University of Nebraska — Lincoln with a BA in Theatre Leadership & Management. Director: A Thousand Thousand with Angels Theatre Company; Winter Games with the University of Nebraska — Lincoln; Billboard, A Night of Scenes with UNL’s Theatrix; Press Start! With Theatre Arts Academy; (Assistant Director) The Flick with the Nebraska Repertory Theatre; Peter Pan with CYT Sacramento. Producer: Billboard, Crimes of the Heart, I and You, Night of Scenes with UNL’s Theatrix. Other notable achievements include ASPIRE Arts Leadership National Fellowship — Alternate and an Invited Scenes Nomination for Billboard at the American College Theatre Festival, 2025; Admin Arts Cohort Member, Virginia Theatre Festival 2026.

Luigi Jannuzzi

Playwright
Luigi Jannuzzi is an award-winning playwright of one-act theater pieces, as well as full-length plays, who combines romantic/absurdist comedy with serious themes of love, truth and the need to rise above it all. His one-act plays, such as A Bench at the Edge and The Barbarians Are Coming, are winners of the Samuel French Off Off Broadway Play Festival, provide staple fare for college and community productions, and have received critical acclaim from major publications in the US and abroad. Additional one-act plays from Mr. Jannuzzi include The Appointment and With or Without You. His full-length plays include Night of the Foolish Moon and For the Love of Juliet!. His themed collections include You Make My Frame Shake!, All the King’s Women and Exhibit This!, The Museum Comedies. Mr. Jannuzzi is a member of the Dramatists Guild, Metropolitan Theatre Company, Waterfront Ensemble of Hoboken and The Forge. His playwriting has won many awards, among them: Goshen College Playwriting Peace Prizes (1986, 2016); New Jersey State Council of the Arts Fellowship (1987); National Endowment for the Humanities Grants with University of Vermont (1995), Columbia University (1998), and Rutgers University (2001); Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation grants (1995, 2001); Best One-Act in Ireland Designation (1999); Best One-Act in Scotland and the United Kingdom Designation (2001); Walt Whitman Cultural Arts Center Grant (2001), a Perry Award (2006); a James Madison residency grant at Princeton University (2007-09); and the 2017 NYU-Pirandello Society of America play award. His plays are published by Samuel French. Mr. Jannuzzi holds a BA in Philosophy and Theology from Salem University in West Virginia and an MA in Ethics from the University of Notre Dame.