sparring partner

SPARRING PARTNER

2022

Directed by J.J. KANDEL

Written by NEIL LABUTE

With CECILY STRONG and KEILYN DURREL JONES

World Premiere | June 8, 2022 (Tribeca Festival)

Running Time: 19 Minutes (Color)

Filmed on location in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, New York

When a long flirtation between two co-workers comes to a head durning a revealing lunch break in the park, who gets to walk away with their head held high?

Neil LaBute began working in film in 1997 with his feature debut, In the Company of Men, which made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival.The film went on to win the Filmmaker Trophy as well as the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best First Feature. In addition to Sundance, it screened at the Cannes, Edinburgh, New Directors/New Films, London and Deauville Film Festivals and won two Independent Spirit Awards.

Following In the Company of Men, LaBute established himself as a playwright and film & television writer/director.  Among his films are Your Friends and Neighbors, Nurse Betty, The Shape of Things, Lakeview Terrace, Some Velvet Morning, Dirty Weekend and the upcoming Out Of The Blue.  In television, he has created two series for DirecTV, ten x ten (a collection of filmed monologues) and Billy & Billie (a half-hour comedy starring Adam Brody). LaBute also served as showrunner on the series Van Helsing, which ran for five seasons on SYFY.

Cecily Strong is an actress and comedian best known as a standout cast member on Saturday Night Live, where she is currently in her 10th season.  Strong received back-to-back Emmy Award nominations in 2020 and 2021 for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on “SNL.” She has entertained viewers with her standout Weekend Update character Cathy Anne, Michael Che’s wacky chain-smoking neighbor who offers her opinions on current events. Her recurring character Gemma, a British “singer” with various boyfriends, also quickly became a fan favorite. She has earned rave reviews for her notable Judge Jeanine Pirro, Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Melania Trump impressions. Strong has co-hosted Weekend Update alongside both Seth Meyers and Colin Jost.

Strong recently starred on Apple TV+’s 2021 hit musical series, Schmigadoon!, on which she also serves as a producer. Her memoir, This Will All Be Over Soon, was released in 2021. Strong recently made her New York stage debut at the Shed in The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe.

In Chicago, Strong improvised regularly at iO and served as an understudy for the Second City Main Stage and E.T.C. shows. She performed as a member of the Second City national touring company and has also appeared at the Chicago SketchFest, Chicago Just for Laughs, the New York Sketch Fest and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. 

Strong has appeared in films The Female Brain and Paul Feig’s reboot of Ghostbusters, as well as Melissa McCarthy’s The Boss, The Bronze and The Meddler. Additionally, Strong headlined the 2015 White House Correspondents’ Dinner. 

Strong was raised in Oak Park, Ill., and has a BFA in theater from the California Institute of the Arts.

TV credits include; High Maintenance (HBO), Succession(HBO),Chicago Fire (NBC), Blue Bloods (CBS), The Affair (Showtime), Jessica Jones (Netflix), The Path (Hulu), Elementary (CBS), Time After Time (ABC), Shades of Blue (NBC), Deception (ABC), The I-Land (Netflix). THEATRE; NYC; Troilus and Cressida (Shakespeare in the Park), Lone Star Spirits (Crowded Outlet), Sparring Partner (Summer Shorts 2018). Regional; The Lion in Winter (Two River Theatre), Love in the Wars (Bard Summerscape), Yellowman (Henley Street Theatre Co.), Las Meninas (RepStage), A Midsummer Night's Dream (HCC Arts Collective), Fences (Laurel Mill Playhouse). MFA; NYU Grad Acting.