JAMIE DONNELLY - Robin
You know Jamie Donnelly from her double-wide smile and champagne personality. A veteran actress of stage, television, and movies, Jamie is a bonafide cult figure for not one but two major 20th century cultural events: The original "Rocky Horror Show", both at the Roxy in Los Angeles and on Broadway with Tim Curry, in which she coined the roles of Trixie and Magenta, and "Grease" on Broadway and in the movie with John and Olivia in which she played Jan, the "brusha brusha" Pink Lady.
ERIK BJARNAR - Ralph
Erik Bjarnar has been performing in film and theater for 30 years, from Shakespeare, to modern plays, to independent films. His favorite roles include Verges in Much Ado About Nothing, Paul Koenig in Cathy Lee Crane’s critically acclaimed indie film The Manhattan Front, and Ben in Daniel Masciari’s award-winning short film Crawling to Paradise.
MISTY MONROE - Cynthia
Misty Monroe is a California native. She earned a BA in Theatre from San Diego State University and was an elementary school teacher for 10 years. While she was teaching, she attended The Groundlings School and performed in their Sunday Company for 18 months. Misty has recently appeared on the T.V. shows “Speechless”, “Bosch”, and “Baskets”. Recently she won a Hollywood Fringe Diversity Award. When Misty is not performing she enjoys singing karaoke with her husband, puzzles, and listening to podcasts. She is very grateful that coloring pages for adults are totally a thing now.
ELIZA VANCORT - Elaine
Eliza has built her career on nurturing artists and developing the arts in Upstate New York. Almost twenty years ago Eliza founded The Actor’s Workshop of Ithaca (AWI), which today is Central New York’s preeminent Comprehensive Meisner Technique Studio. AWI students have gone on to national and international acclaim in film and onstage, in front of and behind the camera. Eliza is also a bi-coastal theatrical consultant and international communication coach through her business VanCort Consulting, most recently growing the forward-facing artistic component of the Hope and Optimism project from a small grant to a nationally acclaimed playwriting competition with rolling premieres in Central New York and Los Angeles. When not running her two businesses, Eliza acts, directs, writes, and works as a casting director, most recently casting Cathy Lee Crane's feature, The Manhattan Front. She also serves on several boards in Upstate New York, including Performing Arts For Social Change. Eliza is thrilled to be working on Stationed at Home, a project dedicated to establish quality filmmaking in Central New York. Eliza is a Cookhouse Fellow at Cornell University.
SCOTT A. WILLIAMS - RADIO DJ
After graduating SUNY Cortland, and many years studying acting, writing and bartending in NYC and Los Angeles, Scott A. Williams, a Yonkers, NY native scored his first writing assignment in 1995 and has been deeply blessed ever since. Writing feature scripts for Ron Howard, Kevin Costner and Ray Liotta ultimately led him to television. David Milch hired Scott to write an episode of “NYPD Blue”, which earned him a place on the staff of “Brooklyn South” in 1997. Since then, he’s written and produced many shows, including “Third Watch”, “Crossing Jordan”, “Bones” and “Castle”. For the last ten seasons, he’s served as a writer and Executive Producer on CBS’ top-rated show “NCIS.”
Aside from the entertainment business, Scott is also co-founder of “Shane’s Inspiration” www.shanesinspiration.org, a Los Angeles based non-profit organization dedicated to developing inclusive playgrounds around the world and providing education programs teaching tolerance and inclusion. Scott and his wife Catherine founded Shane’s Inspiration in memory of their son Shane, who passed away in 1997 from Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Today, Shane’s Inspiration has opened 72 inclusive playgrounds throughout the United States and in Canada, Mexico, Ecuador, Israel, and Russia with over 55 more in development. Scott also recently joined the advisory board of weSPARK, a non-profit cancer support center. www.wespark.org Scott lives in the Studio City area with Catherine, their daughter Grace and three dogs.
DARRYLE JOHNSON - Harry
Upon graduating from Oberlin’s African-American Studies program with a concentration in theater, Darryle went on to complete a comprehensive two year Meisner Technique program in Eliza VanCort's studio at The Actor's Workshop of Ithaca, and later was a guest lecturer.
Darryle has worked as an actor for the last fifteen years in both theater and film. His favorite roles were co-starring with Avery Brooks in Death of a Salesman, Chuck in Mitzi's Abortion, and George H. Barrow in the critically acclaimed indie film The Manhattan Front.
Darryle integrates his love of the arts and desire for social change by offering customized DIEB and communication experiences which transform and inspire. His interdisciplinary academic and creative background, coupled with his lived experience as the first generation in his family to attend college, bring great value to any organization looking to optimize performance, enhance collaboration, and encourage innovation.
JEFF DUMONT - Jack
Jeff DuMont is an actor and voice actor based in Denver, Colorado. A New York native, Jeff has been in the voice industry for years and enhanced his toolset by studying the Meisner Technique at The Actor's Workshop of Ithaca. He's worked closely with Tumblerock Media over the last few years, helping guide multiple films to festival exhibitions and wins. Jeff is represented by Big Fish Talent Agency and Mitchell & Associates Talent, acting in television commercials and films.
PETER FOSTER MORRIS - George
Peter Foster Morris is a Los Angeles based actor raised in Ithaca, New York. Peter found his passion for performing while studying at The Actor’s Workshop of Ithaca’s Sanford Meisner Technique Program under the instruction of Eliza VanCort and has been collaborating with artists in the AWI community ever since on both stage and screen. Peter has also studied at Manhattan’s Upright Citizens Brigade and is a proud alumnus of Ithaca College. See some of his latest work here.
ALEK OSINSKI - Joe, the Cop
Alek is Meisner Trainer who never grew out of playing make believe, enjoying acting and singing throughout his youth. While attending Cornell University, he joined the Army to serve his country. After being honorably discharged he decided to dedicate his life to helping people who hurt, becoming a physical therapist. After spending a bit too much time in the “real world,” he returned to his love of make believe after finding The Actor’s Workshop of Ithaca (AWI), Central New York’s premiere Meisner Technique Training Studio. Since then Alek has been acting throughout Central New York and serving in leadership positions at AWI. He recently co-founded a new production company, House of Ithaqua. Some notable roles include leads in the PBS film “No Fare” and in the groundbreaking theatre piece “Mitzi’s Abortion”. Oh, and also, he sings! In his spare time he advocated for conscience casting in his local school district.
DREA BERG - Holly
Drea Berg is an actor based in Colorado. She was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, where she started performing when she was a kid at a local theatre house. After spending many years overseas in the pursuit of experiencing new ways of living in the world, Andrea settled in Los Angeles where she studied for two years at the Stella Adler Academy of Acting. Afterwards she moved to Auckland, New Zealand where she was cast as Charlotto Ivanaskova in Chekhov’s, The Cherry Orchard. She filmed a documentary in Kenya for her friend’s project at Johns Hopkins University about water conditions affecting school attendance for children outside of Nairobi, Kenya. After returning to her native Baltimore, she produced and co-starred in a short film entitled, Convergence. Andrea was cast in the Baltimore features Ladder 49, Salt, Something the Lord Made( Alan Rickman/ Mos Def), and co-starred in the independent short film, Night Cry. Currently, she is a member of AEC Studios, and trains in The Chubbuck Technique. Most recently she Executive Produced the horror short, She Walks The Woods.
MARISSA ACCORDINO - Heather
Marissa Accordino (she/her/hers) is an actress, singer, writer and producer based in The Greater New York area. Born and raised in Massapequa Park, New York, she found her passion for performing at the young age of seven while attending the USDAN Center for Creative and Performing Arts in Wheatley Heights, New York. Now that she has graduated from both The Actor’s Workshop of Ithaca (AWI) Sanford Meisner Technique Training Program and Ithaca College with a Bachelor of Science in Integrated Marketing Communications, Marissa continues to exercise her two areas of expertise in all of her artistic endeavors. Production, marketing and teaching credits include: Connectivity Associate & House Manager for Kitchen Theatre Company, Production Manager and Teaching Assistant for AWI, Assistant Company Manager and Marketing Director for Hope on Stage at The Hangar Theatre, Marketing Consultant for Ithaca Fringe, along with various freelance film production projects. Acting and voiceover credits include Vanya, Sonia Masha and Spike (Homecoming Players at the Kitchen Theatre Company), Seasonal Story Jam & Hootenanny (Hangar Theatre), feature film, The Manhattan Front, and short film, The End of A Thing. See her professional demo reel. Equally as important, Marissa LOVES Hershey chocolate bars. A lot.
HUGO MANTELLATO
Hugo Mantellato is a professional actor currently based in São Paulo, Brazil. During his time in the states, he graduated from Ithaca College's Park School in film, and The Actor’s Workshop of Ithaca's Meisner Technique program. In Brazil, Hugo collaborates with AP43, a research and production group that uses actors to develop cinematic narratives. Hugo studied comedic improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade in NYC, and currently studies clowning under the master Bete Dorgam. Hugo has studied Capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian cultural expression and martial art based on movement, rhythm, theater and dance. Hugo is represented by Nossa Senhora do Casting, a premiere casting agency in São Paulo.
KIEREN MUNSON-BURKE - Marlene
Kieren Munson-Burke is a performer born and raised in Ithaca, New York. She is one of the youngest students to have graduated from The Actor’s Workshop of Ithaca’s Comprehensive Sanford Meisner Technique Program. In addition, she is currently attending Hampshire College in Massachusetts with an undeclared major focusing in oppression studies. She has been recently seen performing a series of one-acts plays on the collegiate stage at Cornell University and has been fortunate enough to be featured in various short films. She looks forward to her feature film debut working alongside award winning filmmaker, Daniel Masciari. In addition, Kieren has a great passion for family, fashion and social justice.