The Brothers

PAUL MAGID (Dmitri , Director, Producer)

Co-founded the Flying Karamazov Brothers in 1973. Mr. Magid has created and written many shows for the Flying Karamazov Brothers. He also writes plays. His plays include The Three Moscowteers (1984, Goodman Theatre), L'Histoire du Soldat (1986, Brooklyn Academy of Music), Le Petomane (1992, La Jolla Playhouse, ACT-Seattle), The Brothers Karamazov (1993, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Arena Stage), Room Service (1997, Mark Taper Forum, ACT-Seattle), L'Universe (2000 ACT-Seattle, Berkeley Repertory Theatre), Life: A Guide for the Perplexed (2004 ACT-Seattle, A.R.T.), Don Quijote (2007 San Diego Repertory Theatre), Flings & Eros (2009, Merrimack Repertory Theatre). He has been directing and creating shows in Europe including Osare (2006), Mutamenti (2007) Quemar (2008). He also directed a series of outdoor theatre spectacles (for over 350,000 viewers) in Puglia including the Spanish group La Fura dels Baus (2008). He mostly recently created and directed Sogni Segni for the Pergine International Arts Festival (2009). He loves and thanks his family, the whole mishpocheh, especially his two daughters.

 

STEPHEN O'BENT (Zossima, Music Director)

Owes his very existence to the Flying Karamazov Brothers, whose antics provided the entertainment for his parents' first date in 1982. Years later, he saw the Ks at the impressionable age of 13 and immediately set about trying to emulate them in every way. The facial hair results were disappointing, but the obsessive, social-life-crippling juggling seems to have paid off, landing him his dream job in 2008. A recent graduate of Occidental College (Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Et Cetera Ad Nauseam), Stephen now pretends to be a grown-up in New York City, where he enjoys any combination of rooftops, music-making, Thai food, Scattergories and interesting people. He thanks his family for their infinite support. And in the end, the love you take is equal the love you make. www.PepperJillandJack.com

 

MARK ETTINGER (Alexei, Original Music, Music Director, Sound Designer)

Comprehensivist, composer, conductor, and multi-instrumentalist, Mark's played piano with Bo Diddley, sung with The Bobs, conducted the Cincinnati Orchestra at Carnegie Hall and taught at the Mannes College of Music. He has released two albums of original songs, In This World and Songbirds of Tralfamador, and is at work on a third. His chamber opera The Triangle, based on texts by W.B. Yeats, was produced in 2005, and his score to Coming, Aphrodite (2009, La MaMa) was nominated for an IT award. He has been the music director for the Flying Karamazov Brothers since 1999 and has written music for seven of their shows. He continues to search inside and out for songs of enlightenment and hopes to get a little further down the path before the lights go out. He thanks his teachers for so much. He loves his family toasters mice elm leaves loons cathedrals words roses friends walking sunrise the dhamma and his family. www.markettinger.org

 

RODERICK KIMBALL (Pavel)

Eight of the following nine facts about Roderick Kimball are true: 1. Seven of the following eight facts about Roderick Kimball are true: 2. Roderick Kimball sent a Big Mac on a cab ride through the Portuguese countryside. 3. Roderick Kimball sang "Godless America" on stage at Carnegie Hall. 4. Roderick Kimball made bottled water come out Rosie O'Donnell's nose. 5. Roderick Kimball is his own eleventh cousin, once-removed. 6. Roderick Kimball climbed Mount Fuji wearing only a tri-cornered hat. 7. Reality TV and $100,000 got Roderick Kimball half a house in Florida. 8. Roderick's band, The Maestrosities, is The Coolest Band Ever. 9. Roderick Kimball informed Frank Perdue that there are chickens that lay green eggs. www.rodkimball.com

 

ANDY SAPORA (Nikita)

He's happy to be back for another go-round as Nikita. His other job is to make a ruckus on the pediatric floors of area hospitals through Big Apple Circus Clown Care. Andy teaches clown, improv, theatre, juggling and acrobatics to children and adults of all levels, privately and through Circus Warehouse, Big Apple Circus, Cirque du Soleil and Bindlestiff Cirkus. Andy's band, The Maestrosities, really is The Coolest Band Ever. He loves and thanks his wife, Elena. www.andysapora.com

 

STEVEN HORSTMANN (Vanka)

Steven grew up somewhere in the Midwest, though no one is exactly sure where. During much of the year he can be found working in the theatres of Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he remains insistent that sub-zero temperatures do, in fact, build character. Steven is thrilled to be here in New York City as a Flying Karamazov Brother, and would like to thank the many more people than he has space for here that were instrumental in supporting him in this incredible opportunity.

 

HARRY "Boom Boom Sweets" LEVINE (Kuzma)

He believes that laughter may be the only medicine that everyone can afford. After years of analysis, his theory on comedy can be summed up as follows: Quantity. In 1984, he founded Citizens Band which performs satirical and political music throughout the land. A short-lived job in an apple orchard blossomed into a fascination with juggling. This led to joining the Mud Bay Jugglers in 1995 and performing with the trio at theatres and festivals throughout North America. He can sometimes be spotted boom-booming on the stand-up bass with the Tune Stranglers who joyously play hot old-timey jazz from the '20s and '30s. Harry lives in Seattle where he adores his partner, Anne.

 

AMIEL MARTIN (Mitka)

Amiel learned to enjoy juggling and performing as a young age from his dad who founded the Mud Bay Jugglers. As a member of the Juggling Jollies he has performed throughout Europe and Mexico. He has a B.A. in Music from Fairhaven College and currently works at Carnes Media in Bellingham, WA as a web developer. He enjoys juggling most when learning complex passing patterns. When he's not juggling, he can be found sailing the Salish Seas with his better half and their border collie.

 

 

OTHER PAST BROTHERS

Dreagn Foltz, Ryan Dekoe, Matthew Duncan, Andrew Cormier, Randy Nelson, Tim Furst, Sam Williams, Howard Patterson, Michael Preston, Nick Flint.