"TOP TEN RECOMMENDED! FUNNY AND COMPLETELY ABSORBING! Emerson Collins is not only absolutely charming, but he inhabits each character fully." - Stage Raw

"WOW! Emerson Collins delivers the solo performance of the year!" - Stage Scene LA

"Emerson Collins is an OUT-AND-OUT GENIUS! If you see anything in a theatre anytime soon you must make it this astonishing, beautiful, wonderful solo play with the absolutely incandescent Emerson Collins." - Noho Arts District

The 6th Act Presents 

Buyer & Cellar

By Jonathan Tolins 

Starring Emerson Collins

Directed by Larry Rabin

 Production Design by David Engel 

Original Off-Broadway Production produced by

Darren Bagert, Dan Shaheen and Ted Snowdon

World premiere produced by Rattlestick Playwrights Theater

(David Van Asselt, Artistic Director; Brian Long, Managing Director)

Cast/Production Team Bios 

Emerson Collins (Alex More) is a producer, director, writer and actor best known for four seasons as a series regular on BRAVO’s “The People’s Couch” and the live musical RENT on FOX as Steve, singing “Will I?” in the AIDS support group.  He produced and starred in Del Shores’ Sordid Lives sequel, A Very Sordid Wedding which opened in 60 cities nationwide in 2017.  He produced and starred in the film adaptation of Southern Baptist Sissies, which won 15 film festival awards including nine Audience Awards and one for Emerson as Best Actor in a Feature Film from the Red Dirt International Film Festival.  He produced Blues For Willadean, the film adaptation of the NAACP award-winning play The Trials and Tribulations of a Trailer Trash Housewife by Del Shores and starring Beth Grant, Dale Dickey and Octavia Spencer.

Emerson also produced the world premiere production of Del Shores’ play Yellow, winner of the LA Drama Critic’s Circle Award for Best Production, Sordid Lives: The Series for LOGO, and a national tour of Sordid Lives and Southern Baptist Sissies on stage. He directed and produced the DVD live tapings of Del Shores’ one man shows Del Shores: My Sordid Life, Del Shores: Sordid Confessions and Del Shores: Naked. Sordid. Reality.

Emerson won the Desert Theatre League Award for Best Actor in a Comedy for his performance in the Regional Theatre Premiere of Buyer & Cellar with Coyote Stageworks in Palm Springs and then reprised the role with the Laguna Playhouse. Emerson won the LA Robby Award for Best Actor for the world premiere off Jiggs Burgess’s The Red Suitcase and starred in the world premieres of Matthew Leavitt’s The Boomerang Effect and The $5 Shakespeare Company.

Emerson has raised over $700,000 through livestream fundraisers including as Executive Producer of the “Drag Isn’t Dangerous” Telethon. He produced and co-directed the 20th Anniversary of the Gertrude C. Ford Performing Arts Center hosted by Morgan Freeman, Debbie Allen and Christine Baranski. Emerson wrote for three years as a contributor to the Dallas Voice and hosted “The Del & Emerson Show” for three years, a comedy and news podcast on the week in LGBTQ issues as UBN Radio’s number one ranked live show and podcast. www.emersoncollins.com

Larry Raben (Director) is thrilled to once again take this journey with Emerson Collins into a storied basement in Malibu after first directing him in Buyer & Cellar at Coyote Stageworks (Desert Star Award-Best Direction) and Laguna Playhouse.  He just directed the world premiere of Tony winning playwright, Joe DiPietro’s newest play, An old Fashioned Family Murder at New Theatre starring Sally Struthers.  Previously he directed another world premiere of Joe’s Off-Broadway,  Falling For Eve (York Theatre). He received the LA Ovation Award for Best Direction of Singin’ in the Rain (Cabrillo Musical Theatre). Recent shows include: Beautiful, the Carole King musical, Clue, and  Murder on the Orient Express (Gateway Playhouse),  Tootsie(Ogunquit-IRNE nom Best Direction), School Of Rock (Tuacahn), Jersey Boys (Phoenix Theatre Company), Kinky Boots (Patchogue Theatre), Plaid Tidings (Walnut Street Theatre), Titanic, Newsies (Moonlight Amphitheatre), Catch Me if You Can, Sunset Blvd. (Musical Theatre West), Young Frankenstein (SDMT - Craig Noel nominee),Tru (Coyote StageWorks - Desert Star Award Best Direction), and 7 Brides For 7 Brothers (MTWichita) plus dozens of others. He is the artistic director of Welk Resort Theatre in San Diego and is the author of Ibby Makes A Wish.

David Engel (Production Design) A six-time LA Ovation Award winner, Mr. Engel has created projections for numerous theatrical productions countrywide, has directed multiple commercials and documentaries, and served as Film Sequence Director for two different MGM Musical celebrations at Carniegie Hall, and one honoring Judy Garland as well. In addition he created all the video content for Minnelli on Minnelli at the Palace Theatre on Broadway, as well as An Evening with Liza Minnelli with Michael Feinstein.  He directed The Busby Berkley Suite for John Williams and the Boston Pops, and for decades has created multiple suites for Michael Feinstein and the Pasadena Pops.  Mr. Engel also created the opening graphic fanfare that headed ever video release on MGM/UA Home Video, and produced and directed the documentary That's Entertainment III: Behind the Screen.