By James Berg & Stan Zimmerman
A Note from the Director
Welcome everyone!
I knew I wanted to direct Silver Foxes before I had even finished the first page. It is rare to find a script that moves this fast while remaining so sharp and well-written.
At its heart, this is a story about the queer experience, tackling the history of the AIDS crisis, the fight for equality, and the hard-won right to marry the person you love.At a time when rights are going backwards, this show feels incredibly important.
Yet the play resonantes far beyond the LGBTQIA+ community. It digs into aging, the pain of feeling like an outsider, and the insecurities that haunt us all with a raw humanity that everyone can relate to. We all face our own struggles, and the search for connection and a chosen family is something we all understand.
I chose to direct Silver Foxes because it is funny, it is sad, and it forces you to think. I am proud to present it as part of World Pride 2026, and I hope it hits you the way it hit me.
Rae Gerritsen
The Playwrights
James Berg
Stan Zimmerman
James Berg & Stan Zimmerman, the playwrights of Silver Foxes, met at NYU, where Jim was a journalism major and Stan was in the Drama Undergrad/Circle in the Square program. After graduating, they came west to begin a long and successful career as the writing team - ZIMMERMAN & BERG. They’ve received two WGA nominations for best comedy writing. One for “Rose’s Mother” from Season 1 of The Golden Girls and the other for the infamous lesbian kiss episode of Roseanne. They also worked on the acclaimed 5th season of Gilmore Girls. They created and executive produced Rita Rocks, which ran for two seasons on Lifetime. In longform, they rewrote both “Brady Bunch” movies and the Peabody Award winning ABC movie of Annie. Jim and Stan made two webseries for telloFilms – Skirtchasers and secs & EXECS, with Mindy Sterling (who received an Emmy nomination for her role). They wrote the Lifetime movie, “Ladies of the 80’s Christmas”.
Their first play, Silver Foxes, World Premiered at Dallas’ Uptown Players in March ’23, directed by Emmy nominee Michael Urie. It has been performed at Evolution Theatre (Columbus, Ohio), Dormouse Theatre (Kalamazoo, MI), Ringwald Theatre (Detroit, MI), Giving Tree Theatre (Marion, Iowa) and Revolution Stage Company (Palm Springs, CA – directed by Zimmerman). Uptown Players commissioned Zimmerman/Berg to write a Silver Foxes 2, which will World Premiere in Dallas in August 2027, with Urie returning to direct. Zimmerman appears at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival in his suicide awareness play, Right before I go.
Meet The Cast
Ente Breed as Chuck
Since 2020, Ente has performed in several theatrical productions in Amsterdam and Copenhagen and has appeared in a few short movies. Ente has also been involved in directing, producing and set designing, and is part of the committee that runs InPlayers. He’s excited to be part of the amazing cast and crew that made the European premier of Silver Foxes happen.
Sean Olson-Roy as Benny
Originally from the US, Sean is an actor and singer now based in Amsterdam after retiring from corporate life in 2019. Since the move, he has kept busy on stage performing with InPlayers, Playhouse, Happily Ever After Productions (HEAP), and Downstage Left and singing at several Spotlight jazz and blues showcases. He is thrilled to be a part of the European premiere of Silver Foxes. This will be his 15th production in Amsterdam. When not on stage, Sean is a husband, a father to two now all-grown-up wonderful boys, a live-in servant to two chill-huahuas (find one on the cast photo), a volunteer, an avid traveler and postcard scribe. Fun fact: Sean attended the 1993 March on Washington with his partner, a veteran of the Navy, to protest Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and was married in a symbolic ceremony on the Mall.
George Hansel as Cecil
George, an expat from the U.S., has spent his life in one or another aspect of the theatre, from working with children, teens and amateurs to time spent in the professional world. He has produced, directed, performed, and worked as a lighting designer and technical director throughout a large number of diverse opportunities. That has seen him divide his time between being an artistic-director for three different theatre companies, directing everything from opera to children’s theater, and from musicals to film work. He’s grateful to the InPlayers for giving him the chance to “trod the boards” again first in The Crucible and now in Silver Foxes.
Aleksa Stamenkovic as The Twink,
Aleksa has had a passion for theatre and acting since a very young age. Growing up in Serbia and Australia made it possible for him to be involved in many different projects ranging from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Eugene Ionesco’s The Bald Prima Donna, to now portraying the role of The Twink. Aleksa has been in the arts for a long time, but has been dramatic since he was born. Throughout his life, theatre has played a prominent role and he is very excited and proud to be able to share this role with all of you.
Aleksa is performing on August 1, August 2 & August 7
Rodney Giano as The Twink
Rodney is an Amsterdam-based Dutch performer of Surinamese origin. He has worked in (musical) theatre and film. Past theatre credits include performing in QETC’s Smiley, Cabaret and La Cage Aux Folles; HEA’s Chicago, Heathers and Shrek; and Strike Me Pink Productions’ My Nights With Noah. And now… at the start (or decline..?) of the boy toy life cycle: the role of The Twink in Silver Foxes.
Rodney is performing on July 31, August 6 & August 8
Katya Petrova in multiple roles
Katya has been part of Amsterdam amateur theatre since 2018, both on and off stage. Her acting credits with InPlayers, Mike’s Badhuistheater, Downstage Left, and Playhouse Theater, include: Cabaret, Virtuous Burglar, Noir Suspicious, Wyrd Sisters, Allo Allo, Good Soldier Sveik, It's a Wonderful Life, Campfire play readings, Playground evenings, The Arsonists, Portuguese Kid and Odd Couple. Besides being on stage she enjoys occasional stage manager, production lead jobs and making fun content and theater posters. Katya is excited to explore the many characters she’s portraying in Silver Foxes and discover her new accents.
Katya is performing on August 1 & August 8
Maria Charles in multiple roles
Maria was bitten by the theatrical bug in Primary School when she portrayed Thisbe. And thus began an enduring love for the brilliant bard and treading the boards. Over the years she's portrayed many characters, with an ever increasing penchant for comic relief. From Mrs Swabb the housekeeper to Mrs Troggs the cleaning lady to Mrs Petter who runs a boarding house and Hayward the butler... The irony of an excess of roles as household staff is not lost on her mother!
Maria is performing on July 31, August 2, August 6 & August 7
with George Takei as the voice of Jerry
Our Crew
Rae Gerritsen – Director
Evonne Dunne – Lights & Sound Design
Lorence Yiyang Li – Lights & Sound Operation
Vivian van Oosten – Lights & Sound Operation
Willem Gerritsen – Stage Management
Christine Blakeley – Creative Consultant
Mike Schilder – Set Build
As with all InPlayers’ productions, this is a show produced and performed by amateur theatre enthusiasts.
The InPlayers are a passionate group of individuals from all over the world - a melting pot of creative minds. We vary in age, level of experience, mind-set and of course opinion. Add this to the dramatic and emotional theatre environment, and you get an explosive mix of free spirits, strong personalities, fierce ambitions, creative expression and powerful energy. We are proudly Amsterdam's oldest English language theatre group.
