ACE is based on events that occurred in New York City in the late 1980s when the author was driving a cab.

The play was born as a two-character exchange in a scene study class with JoAnna Beckson. The idea for a full length show was inspired by the 2013 production of Big Dummy by Mary Dimino.

Between 2014 and 2016 the work was presented in evolving forms at Theaterlab in New York City. A 20-minute version, Boesky, was presented in 2014 and developed in Matt Hoverman’s Go-Solo program. During 2015 and 2016, precursors to ACE were presented in a series of readings and workshop shows developed with Christine Renee Miller and produced by Lanie Zipoy.

In early 2017 ACE was reworked and further developed with director Elizabeth Margid and dramaturg Jolene Noelle. ACE received a workshop production at the Annenberg Center in Philadelphia in August 4 – 12, 2017, then received its Off-Broadway premiere at The Marjorie S. Deane Theater (10 West 64th Street, NYC) October 1 – November 5, 2017.

Along the way, input, guidance and support were provided by Rick Rubens, Nancy Rubens, Sax Freymann, Stephen Rosenfield, Elana Langer, David Yazbek, Michael Slavens, Edward Davis, Tom Phillips, Harvey Sawikin, David Fuhrer, Nancy Marshall, Barry Cohen, Jolene Noelle, Adam Strauss. JoAnna Beckson, Bob Golden, Michael Davis. Orietta Crispino. Alison Forns. Doug Hirsch, Mira Velamiravic, Michael Sweeney, Jamie Cowperthwait, Deborah Fuhrman, Jane Valentine, Lousine Shamamian, Alex Mahgoub, Dianna Brown, JoAnna Beckson, Paul Indig, Tessa Kim, Randy Pearlstein, Gianmarco Soresi, Brian Loveman, Diego Medina, Mark Mitton, Mark Setteducati, William Kalush, Nora Prentice, Bruce Pross, Sunil and Millie Arora, Matthew Ballard, Max Darwin, Christine Cox, Brian Bon, Michael Codispoti, Ray Tee, Connor Whitley, Lanie Zipoy, Ali Farahnakian and Simple Studios.

Mysterious information requests that helped flesh out the piece were indulged with restrained curiosity by my sister Lynne and step-mom Kathy.

At every stage, the project was pushed along to (a no small point of) completion by the memory of my mom Ann and my dad Alan.