PMA Associate Professor Beth F. Milles recently directed a staged reading of End of the Century, a new play by Cornell alum Lee Rosenthal ’87. The reading took place on Saturday, May 30, at Theatre 68 in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, and featured a cast that included Wendie Malick (Hot in Cleveland, Shrinking, Just Shoot Me), Rory O’Malley (Hamilton, Book of Mormon), Isabella Gomez (One Day at a Time, Shrinking), and Tyler Tomas Perez (Abbott Elementary) among others.
An English major at Cornell, Lee Rosenthal ’87 was active in the theater department and co-founded Whistling Shrimp, the University’s oldest long-form improvisational comedy troupe. Following graduation, Rosenthal built a distinguished career in the entertainment industry, eventually becoming President of Worldwide Physical Production for Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Studios, where he has led production management for decades. In 2024, he returned to campus to celebrate the 40th anniversary reunion of Whistling Shrimp, reflecting on the troupe’s enduring legacy and impact.
“I am thrilled and honored to be collaborating with Lee on his wonderful new play with such an amazing cast,” said Milles. “It was such a joy to have a moment to collaborate and work through this fun, touching, brave, audacious piece together. The cast was sublime, and the artistic support team as well. It was a phenomenal experience and an incredible event.”
Rosenthal reflected on the collaboration and the impact of the reading, noting the vital role Milles played in shaping the performance:
“My later-in-life career turn has resulted in a contest-winning full-length play, End of the Century, that the amazingly creative Beth Milles helped realize in a reading here in North Hollywood,” he said. “Beth’s professorial compassion coupled with her brilliant eye brought the play alive in ways I could only imagine.”
Set in 1993, just before the widespread emergence of the internet, End of the Century explores a pivotal cultural moment “right before technology caused a tectonic shift in how we live, work, shop, date, and dream.” Balancing humor with emotional depth, the play examines human connection against the backdrop of a rapidly changing world.
“The result was unabashedly funny and romantic,” Rosenthal added. “Thanks to Beth’s instincts, the play’s poignancy sneaks up between laughs as the characters struggle with self-worth amid a world-changing health crisis, an impending tech revolution, and the ‘greed is good’ ethos of the time.”
The reading drew strong support from Cornell’s alumni community in Los Angeles, including screenwriter Christopher Rossi ’86, actor Bob Clendenin ’86, screenwriter and Loyola Marymount MFA student Davis Ouriel ’25, producer Jennifer Weinbaum Ray ’04, and professor and acting teacher Hugh O’Gorman ’87. USC MFA student Tess Lovell ’25 also joined the production team as an artistic associate and understudied (on the fly- to notable distinction) one of the performers during rehearsals.
Following its successful Los Angeles debut, End of the Century will be featured in The Road Theatre Company’s Summer Playwrights Festival 17 this July. Selected from approximately 700 submissions, the play will be presented alongside works by established playwrights.
“I couldn’t feel more grateful and honored,” Rosenthal said. “I’m excited for further collaborations with Beth. We want audiences to laugh, fall in love with the characters, and enjoy a little Nirvana music in the process.”
Read more: https://roadtheatre.org/event/summer-playwrights-festival-17/
