CAST+CREW
BEN EDLIN
Ben Edlin (Playwright/David Cohen) was trained at Dartmouth College and The Aquila Studio in Los Angeles. While at Dartmouth, Ben wrote and starred in his first film, THE UNION, which won the “Audience Award” at the Hoboken International Film Festival, as well as netting Ben the “Best New Voice Award” at the Long Beach International Film Festival. TV credits include a recurring role on the BAD BOYS spinoff series, L.A.’S FINEST, NBC’s CHICAGO MED, and DEPARTMENT OF ONE, opposite Ed Begley Jr. Ben has appeared in several short films, including TWO DAYS, DOWN & OUT, and the upcoming SCOTT, directed by George Sear. Other film credits include ANYWHERE WITH YOU, which premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival, and he can currently be seen in the lead role of MINDWASH for the Arcane Company, streaming now on Amazon. Ben can next be seen in the film RIDING SHOTGUN, currently wrapping up post-production. Theater credits include “Tigers Be Still,” for Laughing Wild Productions as well as “Cock,” at The Aquila Studio. Ben is a founding member of THE THREE WEEKS NOTICE COLLECTIVE, with whom he recently premiered his latest play, “Conversations in Exile,” an original adaptation of Chekhov’s “Three Sisters.”
DEBORAH AQUILA
Deborah Aquila (Story) After graduating from NYU's TISCH SCHOOL of the ARTS and THE STELLA ADLER CONSERVATORY, Deborah Aquila worked on the first two seasons of "MIAMI VICE,” Michael Mann's "MAN HUNTER," and "THE POPE OF GREENWICH VILLAGE,” as an associate. Her independent casting director career began with Steven Soderbergh's "SEX, LIES AND VIDEOTAPE" and Uli Edel's "THE LAST EXIT TO BROOKLYN," before moving to Los Angeles in 1993 to cast Frank Darabont's "THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION," In 1993, she was named Senior Vice-President of Features Casting for Paramount Pictures. During her nine-year tenure at the Studio, Deborah cast such notable films as "PRIMAL FEAR," "MISSION IMPOSSIBLE II," "DOUBLE JEOPARDY," "VARSITY BLUES," "THE BRADY BUNCH," "KISS THE GIRLS," "MOTHER,” and "WHAT WOMEN WANT.” In March 2020, Deborah returned to Paramount as EVP of PTVS Casting. As of 2023, Deborah oversees CBBS’ streaming content, in addition to PTVS. Most recent film credits: “CODA,” “CHERRY,” “THE TOMORROW WAR,” "LA LA LAND,” “WONDER,” “STRONGER,” “DEEP WATER HORIZON,” and “WOMAN IN GOLD.” Television credits include the critically acclaimed Showtime Series “DEXTER,” FX’s ”THE SHIELD,” and TNT’s “MOB CITY.” Aquila is a proud member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, BAFTA, and the Casting Society of America (CSA) and has been nominated 18 times for the Artios Award by the CSA, winning for the features Red, My Week with Marilyn, CODA and La La Land. Aquila was awarded the CSA’S Hoyt Bowers Award for Career Achievement in 2020. In 2021, the SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL honored “CODA” with the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast. Deborah has been a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 1994.
JESSICA AQUILA CYMERMAN
Jessica Aquila Cymerman (Director) is a film and theatre director, producer and writer from Los Angeles. She splits her time between California, Ireland and Canada. She is of Italian and Jewish descent, with EU, American and Canadian citizenship. Film credits include the shorts ONE MORE LINE, THE STAIRS, KING KILLER, THE MAD ONES, and THE DEN. THE DEN (2022) finished an extended festival run (Winner “Best Director” Vesuvius Int’l film festival; Official selection: Seattle Film Festival, Austin FF, Sarasota FF, Tall Grass FF, Albuquerque FF, and many more). THE STAIRS is nearing the end of its festival circuit: Winner "Humanitarian Award," "Best Child Actor," and "Best Costume Design" at the Idyllwild Film Festival, "Best Female Director" Stockholm Short Festival; Jury Award Nominee for Best Narrative Short at the Rome International FF; Official selection Dances with Films, Poppy Jasper Int. FF, Garden State FF, Irish Film Fest, SOHO International FF, Albuquerque FF, Mallorca Evolution FF, Queens World FF, and Manhattan FF. In 2017 she co-founded the Theatre company, Untold Wants in Dublin (now world-traveling), where she continues to direct and produce contemporary theatre. Theatre directing credits include Hedda Gabler (Hollywood Fringe), Julie: After Strindberg (North American premiere), The Pillowman, Gruesome Playground Injuries, Cock, The Human Ear (North American premiere), Reasons to be Pretty (all for Untold Wants Theatre, co-artistic director); The Gift, Strange Relations (staged readings, IAMA Theatre, LA), Ted and the Right to Die (RCS, Glasgow); Il Cambiale di Matrimonio (Raucous Rossini, Glasgow); The Seagull: AMusical Adaptation (co-writer, Original Production, RCS); Urinetown The Musical; Reefer Madness! The Musical and The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? (Sarah Lawrence). She holds a BA from Sarah Lawrence College, and an MA in Directing from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow, with training from Shakespeare's Globe, UK. jessicaaquilacymerman.com
BRIAN YEUN
Brian Yeun (Steven Choi) is an actor who hails from Michigan and is currently based in New York. He graduated from Stella Adler’s Acting Conservatory in 2023. His most recent projects include playing Bartleby in a short film adaptation of Herman Mellville’s short story, ‘Bartleby' as well as playing Job, the biblical character in a Salvation Army produced theater production called Book of Job in NY.
CORBIN REID
Corbin Reid (Catherine Shepard) starred in the Starz comedy series, “Run The World '', as Sondi Hill, which received 2 seasons. The first season aired in 2021 and was a critic darling (the series is 100% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes). Most recently, Corbin starred in the Lifetime thriller “She Went Missing”. She also recently guest starred on the 4th season of ABC's “The Rookie '' opposite Jenna Dewan. Previously, Corbin was a series regular on the CW series “Valor”, and a major recurring character on Season 3 of Shonda Rhimes' “How To Get Away With Murder”. Early in her career, Corbin starred in the Issa Rae pilot “Words With Girls” which had its world premiere at HBO and BET's Urbanworld Film Festival Film Festival. Her feature work includes 'Ashley' in the “Blair Witch” sequel for Lionsgate, as well as the independent feature “My Fiona”, written and directed by Kelly Walker, opposite Camille Guaty. She also directed, wrote, produced and starred in the short film “Blindsight” which premiered at Los Angeles Shorts International Film Festival in 2019. Her acting roots began in theatre receiving a BFA from the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor). Almost immediately after graduating, she moved to NYC and performed on Broadway in American Idiot, Sister Act, and Rent. In 2014, she starred in For The Record: Tarantino in West Hollywood and appeared in the tribe of Hair at the Hollywood Bowl.
CARLO MANCASOLA
Carlo Mancasola (James Cross) is currently based in Sherman Oaks Los Angeles. Carlo just wrapped a leading role in the Rosario Dawson produced feature film “Midnight”. He can also be seen in “Maya”, and “Spin The Bottle” set to release in 2024. Carlo has studied at The Aquila Studio in Los Angeles and The Meisner Technique Studio in San Francisco. Born and raised in remote Whiskeytown, Northern California of Italian heritage, and has dual citizenship within The European Union. He is also an exceptional athlete who competed collegiately at the NCAA Division 1 level in basketball.
Éanna O'Dowd
ÉANNA O'DOWD (PETER TODD) Born in Galway, Ireland. Éanna is an actor, acting coach, and co-founder of Untold Wants Theatre. His on-screen credits include: Cherry, LIMETOWN, The 100, Salvation, A Series of Unfortunate Events, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, The Exorcist, Stitches, and Black Ice. His theatre credits include: Hedda Gabler trans. Brian Friel, Gruesome Playground Injuries by Rajiv Joseph, The Human Ear by Alexandra Wood, Reasons to Be Pretty by Neil LaBute, all with Untold Wants Theatre, and national tours of Vernon God Little adapted by Tanya Rodner and The Dead School by Patrick MacCabe with Decadent Theatre. He holds an MA in Acting and performance, from The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
TESS HARRISON
Tess Harrison (Patricia Todd) is an actress, writer, and director. Originally from way upstate NY, (Ithaca) Tess studied theatre at The New School. She began working in the film industry in NY while still in school, before transitioning to write films for herself to act in. She wrote, directed and starred in her debut feature, This Is A Film About My Mother (2022). Premiering at Stony Brook, the film is currently available on Amazon and Vudu. The film was also featured on the site, Girls In Film. An exploration of sibling dynamics, the film also stars her real-life brother Will Harrison (Daisy Jones and the Six, The Great Unknown). The pair also co-starred in It’s Perfect Here, Tess’s award winning debut short film. Her other shorts, Take Me Out with the Stars, Things Break In, and DOG, have been programmed at over fifty festivals worldwide. Tess’s music videos have generated over 14 million views. She is currently writing a collection of nonfiction essays and two feature films. Il Y A Des Endroits Ou On Ne Reviens Pas, There are places we don’t go back to, a French language coming of age film, and The Spa Movie, a genre horror commentary on the holistic beauty industry and farmers market girlies. As an actress, Tess can be seen in the award winning feature, Are You Glad I'm Here from Lebanese-American filmmaker Noor Gharzeddine and a forthcoming national Chase Bank campaign. She currently lives in Echo Park, Los Angeles with a husband and dog. Tess is also a ceramic artist.
DEREK WEBSTER
Derek Webster (Professor William Seward) is a proud Calartian theatre program grad BFA 92. He was a member of and performed several plays with the Neurotic Young Urbanites for 12 years…basically until they weren’t young anymore. He’s been fortunate enough to work in film and television since graduating college. His secret ambition is to be a musician, so he started studying jazz guitar at 45…he wishes had started younger, much younger. He’s been blessed with many great acting teachers, one music teacher and one meditation teacher who basically, saved his bacon. So…thank you. Everyone thinks they went to school with him…maybe? Perhaps they’ve seen him in- “NCIS New Orleans” “Suit” “Ray Donovan” “Newsroom” “Star Trek: the next generation” “Star Trek-Picard” “Damages” “Boston Legal” “The Shield” “Sports Night” “Stargate” “Independence Day” and more recently, “911 Lone Star” and “Mayor of Kingstown” Finally, he wants to thank Deb A. for her teachings and for being the example a human being who very much lives in this wild world and doesn’t retreat from it.
DERRICK MCDANIEL
Derrick McDaniel (Lighting Designer) has been working in the live theater arena for about 30 years, both in Los Angeles and New York. From Romeo and Juliet to Guys and Dolls, Derrick has designed lighting for many plays, musicals and corporate and private events. A few of his lighting credits include Mercy Seat (2012 LA Weekly Awards Winner) at the Inside the Ford Theater, Seven Guitars at the A Noise Within Theatre – and many, many other productions. Recently, Derrick designed This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing at Pepperdine University. He has garnered many nominations and awards for his lighting work and most recently was nominated for two Lighting Designs at the 30th NAACP Theatre Awards. Derrick is the current Lighting Designer at Caltech Institute. He would like to thank the staff, crew and cast of this production for providing the opportunity to create. Luckily, the theater spirits have allowed us to create live theater, again. Derrick would also like to express his hope that everyone is staying safe in our troubling times!
Joseph ‘Sloe’ Slawinski
Joseph ‘Sloe’ Slawinski (Sound Designer) Sloe is a multi-award winning sound designer. He has designed a multitude of productions including God Looked Away with Judith Light and Al Pacino, Redemption of a Dogg with Snoop Dogg and TH IR DS, the wonderful production you are here to see. He would like to thank the incredible and amazing Gabrieal Griego for her continuous support during all of his creative endeavors. He is proud to be part of this great production.
Michelle Hanzelova-Bierbauer
Michelle Hanzelova-Bierbauer (Graphic and Projection Designer) is a visual creative designer. She's found success as a theatre poster designer, having designed hundreds of posters in mostly Los Angeles and New York City. In the last twenty years she has stage managed shows, designed projections for multiple theaters (Ovation Best Projections Design 2020 Nominee for Earthquakes in London, most recently Monsters of the American Cinema for Rogue Machine), produced plays, and spent many nights discussing art on the sidewalks of Los Angeles. She is currently the Marketing Director at "one of the most ambitious and accomplished theatre companies in Los Angeles" (Variety) Rogue Machine Theatre on Melrose Ave. Among other things she is also an Art Department Coordinator for the prolific designer Arae Webner which has allowed her to work with artists such as Usher, Lizzo, SZA, Imagine Dragons and others. The fun never ends in Hollywood. She likes dark dusty theaters, her wife, one of their two dogs, most of their seven cats and corn. www.michellehanzelova.com
Andrew Marsh
Andrew Marsh (Composer) is a Los Angeles-based composer and songwriter, formerly a composer at Hans Zimmer’s Bleeding Fingers Music, has a diverse portfolio. He has independently scored full-length films such as “This is Our Home” and “Gabe” (Amazon Prime) and created music for documentaries including Sundance’s “Voice Through the Storm” and Tribeca’s “Conducting a Revolution.” During his tenure at Bleeding Fingers, Andy contributed to high-profile projects like BBC’s “Around the World in 80 Days,” Netflix’s “Island of the Sea Wolves,” “MasterChef,” and “Alaskan Bush People.” His music was also featured in a MrBeast video with over 180 million views. In addition to his film and documentary work, Andy’s commercial projects and song placements have amassed nearly 60 million streams worldwide. With a proven track record and a dynamic approach to music composition, Andy continues to bring impactful and memorable music to new projects.
Emilyna Zoë Cullen
Emilyna Zoë Cullen (Costume Designer) is an award winning costume designer and fine artist. She primarily works in costumes for film and television and is excited to expand her skills as a costume designer on the stage with TH IR DS. Emilyna loves the collaborative process of working with the actors, director and writers to help bring each character to life through the visual medium of costume. Emilyna studied Fashion Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC. Prior to working as a costume designer she designed textiles for Ralph Lauren, Ben Sherman, J. Crew and Madewell. After beginning a successful career in fashion Emilyna took a leap of faith and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the film business. For the past 15 years she has worked in costumes as a costumer and costume designer on Indie films like Silent Life, The Stairs, Double Exposure and Clemency as well as on high profile projects like Wanda Vision, Quantum Leap and WestWorld. Emilyna is a great lover of the outdoors and feels most at home in nature or out on the water with her pup Little Star.
JACKIE RHOADS
Jackie Rhoads (Box-Office Manager) is an LA-based actor, singer, and producer. Originally from New York, she honed her craft at the Lee Strasberg’s Young Actors Program and the Stella Adler Studio of Acting. Jackie graduated summa cum laude from Vanderbilt University, where she wrote, produced, and starred in various short films, in addition to performing in and assistant directing theater projects. Upon moving to Los Angeles, Jackie joined Betty Mae Casting, assisting in numerous film and TV projects. She continues to study acting at The Aquila Studio and has studied at Nancy Banks Studio and in Larry Moss’ Master Class. In her free time, Jackie enjoys making YouTube videos and taking her chihuahua, Kiki, on sunset beach walks!
CONRAD TORRES
Conrad Torres (Social Media Manager) is a creative powerhouse. Known to many as RAD, he holds a degree in criminology and a passion for marketing. Over the past four years, he has dedicated himself to crafting engaging campaigns for a diverse range of brands. His journey from exploring the world of criminal justice to discovering his true calling in social media exemplifies his dynamic versatility. As a commercial model, RAD has made a significant impact in international campaigns across the UK, China, and Canada. His previous career as a photographer, with work featured in Just Jared Jr. and Glitter Magazine, adds an artistic edge to his marketing expertise. Outside the digital realm, RAD is a black belt in Krav Maga, a guitar enthusiast, and a proud Leo.
DOCUMENTARY CREW
jasmin kuhn
Jasmin Kuhn (Director of Photography) Based in Los Angeles, Austrian-born Jasmin Kuhn is an award-winning commercial Director/Cinematographer/Photographer with a portfolio that boasts international clients such as Avon, Dove, Olay, Head+Shoulders, Secret + L’oreal. In addition to working with these iconic brands, Jasmin has also worked with some recognizable faces, including Serena Williams, Camila Mendes, Jessie Reyez, and Alessandra Ambrosia. With over one hundred commercials under her belt, Jasmin has gained a reputation for a clean, cutting-edge beauty style that evokes her background in fine art, celebrity, and high-fashion photography. A graduate of the prestigious Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, Ms. Kuhn has had the opportunity to work on productions all over the globe. With a passion for travel — and a keen interest in exploring new cultures — she has directed beauty campaigns in many cities across the world, among them: Bangkok, Manila, Kyiv, Saigon, Beirut, and Toronto. Jasmin views her camera as an extension of herself, an innate part of her being, and she is always searching for the perfect image, no matter where her work takes her. Since her days at Art Center, she has pushed the aesthetic boundaries of movement, light, and color, which led her to develop a unique, vivid photographic style. Female beauty — paired with graphic texture design — has been the predominant driving force of her visual methodology, so it’s no surprise that a feature film she is currently developing explores a compelling and provocative female-centric issue. Whenever Jasmin is not shooting or chasing her toddler, you might catch her surfing a perfect wave at Point Dume in Malibu or cruising on her skateboard in Venice Beach. She is always seeking inspiration for her next project.
JAAN KRISTJAN UTNO
Jaan Kristjan Utno (2nd AC/DIT) Utno is a multidisciplinary filmmaker from Estonia, currently based in Los Angeles, CA. He is currently working full time as a Director, while engaging in interesting multimedia projects on the side, assisting production with his skills behind the camera, with lighting and with team management. He is inspired by the human condition and strives to collect experiences like some people collect Pokemon.
KRISTINE MCPHERSON
Kristine Mcpherson (Editor) has been working in Film and Television for over three decades. She started her career as an assistant editor and has assisted and cut for award nominated editors such as Andrew Weisblum, Mary Jo Markey and Elliot Graham. Her first short, "The Strangeness You Feel, with filmmaker Jackie Katzman, won Best Short Film at NewFilmmakers LA 2019 and in 2020 she received a Best Editor award at the Queen Palm Film Festival for the short Hot Cake. Her feature length comedy,Diamond In The Rough, directed by Jeannette Godoy was the platform debut for Creator+ and in 2023 she completed features What We Find On The Road, produced by Bill Haney and Tim Disney and The Present, with How To Be Single director Christian Ditter starring Greg Kinnear and Isla Fisher. Her latest film, You're Dating A Narcissist, a comedy starring Marisa Tomei and Sherry Cola, and is due out in 2025.