Artist Bios:
Ameneh Bordi (Director) is a recent graduate from Columbia University’s undergraduate program, where she studied economics-philosophy and Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures. During her time there, she produced or directed 10 shows, including two student-written musicals, an adaptation of 10 classic fairytales weaved into a theatrical piece, and The Who’s Tommy. She also worked on the technical side as an audio technician at the student center and theater, as a technical director on several shows, and as the production assistant at the New York Philharmonic for three consecutive summers. She is currently working at Arena Stage in Washington, DC in the casting department, and intends to continue pursuing a career in theater as a director.
Evan Sanderson (Sanyasi) graduated from Boston University with a BFA in Theatre Arts. He has performed in numerous shows at BU’s School of Theatre, as well as acting at the Boston Playwright’s Theater, and as a part of the performance ensemble at the Maryland Renaissance Festival. His play Fallujah is currently in production as a nominee for the American College Theatre Festival and is slated to be performed in New York at the InCite Arts Festival. This fall, he performed as Mark Antony in Shakespeare Now’s production of Julius Caesar and will be a part of Whistler in the Dark’s performance of The Europeans, opening February 10th. He is originally from Columbia, Maryland.
Keith Adams (Composer and guitarist) graduated Magna Cum Laude from McDaniel College in Spring 2010, earning a B.A. in Music Theory and Composition with a double-minor in Writing and Jazz Studies. He served as the President of the Music Honor Society (Beta Alpha Chi), received the Class of 1938 Award for Excellence in Music, and earned the Kennedy Center Certificate of Merit in Composition for scoring the school's production of Lorca's tragedy, Blood Wedding. He continues to serve the arts throughout Maryland as a guitarist, composer, teacher, and writer. Keith is currently crafting new compositions for the screen and stage, including a score for the upcoming Burmese feature film, The Rose, while also writing and performing original music with his brother Greg in their local indie-rock band Turtle Buddy, their experimental pop-group SteamGah, and their progressive Jazz Quartet: firetruck."
Monica Flanagan (Vasanti) recently graduated with a BFA in Theaters Arts from Boston University. She is thrilled to be performing in her first NYC production with such a talented group of artists. Her recent credits include Satan in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (BU), Natasha in Three Sisters (Calderwood Pavillion), and Women with the Furs in Marisol (Calderwood Pavillion).
Giselle Gastell (Storyteller) is a Columbia University graduate who double majored in Hispanic Studies and Art History. Recent credits include Kate in Kate Me Kate (Lee Strasberg Theatre), Cindy in the original bilingual comedy, You are Going Out con 3 Mujeres (Maribel Gonzalez Productions) and a cast member in the reading of Temple of the Souls. She is currently busy writing and recording songs with several upcoming performances.
Yonatan Gebeyehu (Storyteller) recently graduated from Columbia University in May, with a BA in English and Comparative Literature. His recent credits include Tig in Balm in Gilead (Juilliard), Baptista in The Taming of the Shrew (CU), and Travis in 116th Annual Varsity Show (CU)
Marion Le Coguic (Storyteller) is also a fresh graduate from Boston University's School of Theatre. She would like to dedicate this performance to her family who alas cannot be here to see her; the message will get to them via the ether. Previous credits include: Penny in Fallujah (Kennedy Center), Olga in Three Sisters (Calderwood Pavillion), Kate in Old Times (BU), Hamlet in HAMLT (BU) as part of her senior thesis, for which she also adapted and directed Charles Mee's Agamemnon 2.0, titling it AGMMNN 2.wtvr (BU).
Tobin Mitnick (Storyteller) is a 2010 graduate of Columbia University, where he majored in Theatre Arts. He spent his summer in Texas as a company member of the Texas Shakespeare Festival. In the coming years, he hopes to attend graduate school for acting and to explore the realms of film, television, and comedy. Favorite past roles include: Carter in the 114th Annual Varsity Show (CU), Michael in Barnard College's Unveiling, and a member of the improvisational comedy group, Fruit Paunch!
Jeremy Goren (Storyteller) is a performer and managing director of Terra Incognita Theater, as well as assistant to Artistic Director Polina Klimovitskaya. He began training with Ms. Klimovitskaya in 2004 and joined Terra Incognita the following year. He assisted Ms. Klimovitskaya in her workshop at the Zero Budget Festival in Wroclaw, Poland, in 2009 and participated in the development and performance of Terra's A Taste of Honey (Manhattan Theatre Source, 2006), Pebble-and-Cart Cycle, Parts I-III (Dixon Place – 2008 and 2009 – and the 2009 Capital Fringe Festival in Washington, DC), and Moving Landscape public-space performance series (2011), which he also produced. Additionally in 2011, he co-led a workshop at Robert Wilson’s Watermill Center for the Lincoln Center Directors Lab and created and directed original musical plays with children as a head teacher at Kids Creative Summer Camp. He has appeared in many NYC and regional theatre venues, including Ontological-Hysteric Incubator’s Short Form, Dixon Place HOT Festival, The Cherry Lane Theatre, Mark Morris Dance Center, Rorschach Theatre and The Folger Shakespeare Theater, as well as films that screened at Festival de Cannes, Palm Beach International Film Festival, ACE Film Festival, Anthology Film Archives, Staten Island Film Festival, and Project Twenty1 Film Festival. Jeremy has published writing in English and Spanish, primarily about film, theater and immigration. www.terraincognitatheater.org
Giselle Gastell (Storyteller) is a Columbia University graduate who double majored in Hispanic Studies and Art History. Recent credits include Kate in Kate Me Kate (Lee Strasberg Theatre), Cindy in the original bilingual comedy, You are Going Out con 3 Mujeres (Maribel Gonzalez Productions) and a cast member in the reading of Temple of the Souls. She is currently busy writing and recording songs with several upcoming performances.
Yonatan Gebeyehu (Storyteller) recently graduated from Columbia University in May, with a BA in English and Comparative Literature. His recent credits include Tig in Balm in Gilead (Juilliard), Baptista in The Taming of the Shrew (CU), and Travis in 116th Annual Varsity Show (CU)
Marion Le Coguic (Storyteller) is also a fresh graduate from Boston University's School of Theatre. She would like to dedicate this performance to her family who alas cannot be here to see her; the message will get to them via the ether. Previous credits include: Penny in Fallujah (Kennedy Center), Olga in Three Sisters (Calderwood Pavillion), Kate in Old Times (BU), Hamlet in HAMLT (BU) as part of her senior thesis, for which she also adapted and directed Charles Mee's Agamemnon 2.0, titling it AGMMNN 2.wtvr (BU).
Tobin Mitnick (Storyteller) is a 2010 graduate of Columbia University, where he majored in Theatre Arts. He spent his summer in Texas as a company member of the Texas Shakespeare Festival. In the coming years, he hopes to attend graduate school for acting and to explore the realms of film, television, and comedy. Favorite past roles include: Carter in the 114th Annual Varsity Show (CU), Michael in Barnard College's Unveiling, and a member of the improvisational comedy group, Fruit Paunch!
Jeremy Goren (Storyteller) is a performer and managing director of Terra Incognita Theater, as well as assistant to Artistic Director Polina Klimovitskaya. He began training with Ms. Klimovitskaya in 2004 and joined Terra Incognita the following year. He assisted Ms. Klimovitskaya in her workshop at the Zero Budget Festival in Wroclaw, Poland, in 2009 and participated in the development and performance of Terra's A Taste of Honey (Manhattan Theatre Source, 2006), Pebble-and-Cart Cycle, Parts I-III (Dixon Place – 2008 and 2009 – and the 2009 Capital Fringe Festival in Washington, DC), and Moving Landscape public-space performance series (2011), which he also produced. Additionally in 2011, he co-led a workshop at Robert Wilson’s Watermill Center for the Lincoln Center Directors Lab and created and directed original musical plays with children as a head teacher at Kids Creative Summer Camp. He has appeared in many NYC and regional theatre venues, including Ontological-Hysteric Incubator’s Short Form, Dixon Place HOT Festival, The Cherry Lane Theatre, Mark Morris Dance Center, Rorschach Theatre and The Folger Shakespeare Theater, as well as films that screened at Festival de Cannes, Palm Beach International Film Festival, ACE Film Festival, Anthology Film Archives, Staten Island Film Festival, and Project Twenty1 Film Festival. Jeremy has published writing in English and Spanish, primarily about film, theater and immigration. www.terraincognitatheater.org
Donna Stout (Stage Manager) received her BFA in dramaturgy from the University of Oklahoma. She has served as production dramaturg for more than two dozen shows in Oklahoma, New York, Maryland and DC, as well as for the National Players Tour 62. She is also a produced playwright, a published writer, a director, and a stage manager. When she isn't in rehearsal or a show, she enjoys reading, exploring the city, jigsaw puzzles, and spending time with her Phi Sigma Pi Brothers. But usually she's in rehearsal.
Heather Sparling (Lighting Designer) currently lives in Brooklyn. Recent New York credits include:"Two Gentlemen of Verona" (directors Jeff Golde/Jay Painter); "Kings" (director Jim Milton); "The Interminable Suicide of Gregory Church" (director Daniel Kitson). Other recent credits include: "Opera Idol" (Cincinnati Opera); "Cosi Fan Tutti" (Opera Institute of Boston). You can also find Heather at St. Ann's Warehouse, where she is the ATD. She'd like to thank Evan and Ameneh for giving her the chance to point lights at them!
Renana Fox (costume designer) is thrilled to be part of such an awesome artistic team. Currently working as the Artistic Directing apprentice at Imagination Stage, Renana is a recent graduate of the University of Pittsburgh majoring in Theatre Arts and Psychology. She is simultaneously costume designing a children's production of THE SWORD IN THE STONE and learning the joys of multitasking, hot glue guns, and papier-mâché. You can see Renana performing in the Fringe show LOVE ME! WHY EVERYBODY HATES ACTORS and directing the upcoming staged reading of WHO IS RODNEY JENKINS at Imagination Stage. Love and thanks to her family, her design partner Jenn, to Ameneh for this awesome opportunity, and to Mr. Yogato's frozen yogurt. All of them really are that good.
Jennafer Crammer (Costume Designer) is very happy to be working on this project with such a talented group of people. Jennafer is currently working as a costume technician at Imagination Stage, having just finished patterning and building for WIND IN THE WILLOWS. She attended the University of Minnesota where she earned her BS in Clothing Design and hopes to go on to Graduate School to obtain her Masters in costume design and production.She wants to thank Renana, her design partner, and Ameneh for seeking her involvement on this exciting endeavor.
Stephanie P. Freed (Lighting Designer) is excited to be back in DC after spending the last 7 weeks as the Apprentice Lighting Coordinator of the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC. In addition to being a DC based freelance lighting designer, Stephanie is also the Associate Producer of Forum Theatre, developing a series of additional programming with the company. Check out her recent and upcoming work on www.stephaniepfreed.com
Jennafer Crammer (Costume Designer) is very happy to be working on this project with such a talented group of people. Jennafer is currently working as a costume technician at Imagination Stage, having just finished patterning and building for WIND IN THE WILLOWS. She attended the University of Minnesota where she earned her BS in Clothing Design and hopes to go on to Graduate School to obtain her Masters in costume design and production.She wants to thank Renana, her design partner, and Ameneh for seeking her involvement on this exciting endeavor.
Stephanie P. Freed (Lighting Designer) is excited to be back in DC after spending the last 7 weeks as the Apprentice Lighting Coordinator of the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC. In addition to being a DC based freelance lighting designer, Stephanie is also the Associate Producer of Forum Theatre, developing a series of additional programming with the company. Check out her recent and upcoming work on www.stephaniepfreed.com
Aaron Malkin (Dramaturg) is currently working at Arena Stage after a summer working as the Artistic/Casting intern at Signature Theatre in Arlington. Originally from upstate New York, Aaron is a recent graduate of Brown University with a degree in American History. At Brown, he worked as a stage manager, production manager, lighting designer, dramaturg, and director. Aaron also served as a Co-Chair of the Brownbrokers Board, which develops and produces student-written musicals, and Chair of the student-run Musical Forum Board.
