Synopsis
Caroline and Barb, two older actresses and rivals, unexpectedly bump into each other at the Drama Book Shop after many years, both preparing for an upcoming audition. Barb’s niece, Amanda, a film student, is also there to shoot a school project with Barb, and Caroline quickly inserts herself into the situation. When the rivals meet again at the audition, humiliation and mayhem ensue, binding them together to join forces and create their own work, often with hilarious results. As the episodes progress, the two women decide to write and produce a documentary film with the help of Amanda and her film professor, Anne. However, since Barb and Caroline’s relationship is fraught with unresolved history and personality clashes, Amanda and Anne take charge to finish the script. Barb and Caroline then begin to navigate the landmines of meeting producers and selling the script, all while gradually resolving some of their personal issues. The season concludes with finding the right producer and forging ahead with the project.
Trailer: NOW YOU SEE US (Source film on which Irrelevant is based)
Key Personnel
Romina Schwedler (Director) was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she began her artistic career as a classical dancer. At age 15, she moved to NYC to study at The School of American Ballet and later at The Juilliard School and the William Esper Studio for music and acting respectively. Romina made her directorial debut with the commercial How a Man Gets Ready, which she also wrote, produced, and starred in. Still based in NYC, she has continued to produce, write, and direct many short films, including the psychodrama The Visit, starring Oscar® Nominee, June Squibb (Nebraska, Thelma). Awards include Best Director, Best Short Film, and Best Overall Festival Film. Now You See Us followed and received 24 awards/nominations including Best Short Film, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Her experimental micro-short, Ǝvolution, is currently enjoying a successful festival run. Projects in development include a female-driven dramedy feature in association with award-winning writer/producer, James V. Hart (Bram Stoker’s Dracula), and two-time Emmy®-winning director/producer, Scott Winant (Breaking Bad). NYWIFT
Susan Jane McDonald (Writer/Actor/Producer) hails from the small, but great state of New Jersey. She traveled west, earning a BA in Drama at the University of Southern California, and then completed the program at The Neighborhood Playhouse, studying acting with the great Sanford Meisner. Susan recently performed the role of Bee in Folded at The Tank Theatre in New York City. Favorite theater roles include Charlotte in Moon Over Buffalo, Berthe in Boeing Boeing, Lee in Marvin’s Room, and Tatiana in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She has acted in several award-winning short films, working with directors from as far away as Lebanon and Cuba, and played the role of Fifi in the television series, Crazytown. Susan is the recipient of multiple acting and writing awards. Her play, The Ladies, a hilarious farce, won best play at the New Short Play Festival in NYC. Her screenplay for the short film based on her play, Family Day, won multiple awards on the festival circuit. She is thrilled to be writing her first series, Irrelevant, inspired by the awarding-winning film, Now You See Us. Her favorite role of all time is Mom to daughter, Leah. AEA/SAG-AFTRA
Barbara Miluski (Actor/Producer) is a native of Chicago and a graduate of the Second City Workshop. Her NYC theater credits include The Vagina Monologues, A Month in the Country, Lady Windermere’s Fan, and Tartuffe. Barbara is best known for her TV guest star and co-star roles on Elementary, Show Me a Hero, and Betty and recurring roles on Girls, Law & Order: SVU and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel among others. Selected short films include featured roles in What’s Eating Dad?, Sure Fire, and Rivka. Barbara is the producer and co-star of the award-winning short film, Now You See Us, which is based on her own play, Boom. Now You See Us earned her a Best Actress Award on the festival circuit. Barbara can currently be seen performing in and around NYC with her improv teams, Easily Annoyed and the People’s Improv Theatre (PIT) Ensemble Team. AEA/SAG-AFTRA
Caroline Ryburn (Actor/Producer) is originally from East Tennessee, where she began studying dance and music from the age of four. She followed her passion to NYC, graduating from The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA). Selected NYC theater includes featured roles in the Tony Award-nominated Largely New York w/Bill Irwin, Letter to the World, The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Miser, The Crucible, The Glass Menagerie, and Brave New World Rep’s recently acclaimed American premiere of Arthur Miller’s, The Hook. On screen, Caroline can be seen in the mini-series sitcom, Life Sucks, web series, Lords of the Bowery, comedy short, Now You See Us, dramatic short, Finding Jane, psycho-thriller feature film, Mouse, and multiverse comedy, 4th Dementia w/Caroline Aaron. As a theater producer, Caroline has focused on illuminating women’s issues in The Voice of Emily Dickinson, Dorothy Parker: No Song of An Ingenue, feminist short story adaptation of The Yellow Wallpaper, and War of the Roses, the story of the final battle of the ratification of the 19th Amendment. AEA/SAG-AFTRA/NYWIFT
