Season 2024 Acting Company

Deb is a writer, producer, actor, director, fundraiser, community builder, poet, storyteller (Your Stories Here), teacher, and coach. She is also a founding member of Branch Out Films. Deb just finished shooting the feature film, T, for which she both executive produced and played the role of Rebecca.  She has also produced the short film BOIFRIEND and has several short film projects (Pinsetter, In an Instant, One of Our Own Doc) and feature film projects (Beautiful Collaterals, untitled memoir based film, Be Truth) in development.  Deb is a founding member and an associate artist of Central Works Theater Company in Berkeley, Ca, where she currently serves as vice president on the board of directors. Other affiliations include The Remarkables, Sundance Collab, Notes on Your Notes, and Unmute. She has appeared in feature films including Finding Dory and Coco, as well as other voiceover work and roles on TV and in commercials throughout her 35+ year career. Deb’s passion and purpose is to center stories of otherness to assist us in recognizing we are one or we are done.

Michael is Associate Artistic Director of ATM. He is a Canadian actor and director. He earned a BFA in Dramatic Art at the University of Windsor in 1979. Michael went to work right away at the Moonlight Melodrama in Thunder Bay. His favorite roles include Captain Hook, Scar, Jafar, Ebenezer Scrooge – see a pattern here? He plays villains. He spent two years with Disney’s The Lion King playing Scar – the final year in the Toronto production and one year on the road with the American national tour. Since 2013, He has been the Managing Artistic Director of the LaSalle theatre and the charity SaveTheLaSalle in Kirkland Lake, Ontario. SaveTheLaSalle is a charity devoted to the complete restoration of the historic 1939 Streamline Moderne Art Deco LaSalle Theatre. Michael has directed and produced 10 seasons of Shakespeare in the park, 10 seasons of the annual Christmas production of Scrooge: a Christmas Carol. He has adapted A Christmas Carol many times for casts of two up to a company of 19. He has also adapted Dracula, The Wizard of Oz, The Haunting Of Hill House, and It’s A Wonderful Life. He recently did The Importance Of Being Earnest directing and playing Lady Bracknell, and adapted and directed Winnie the Pooh for the children’s company.

Mace currently leads the performance program at Mesa Community College. Originally from Montana, where he was the founding artistic director of Venture Theater, Mace has come to Phoenix most recently from Portland, OR, where he served as Artistic Director at Mt.nHood Community College. Favorite Directing credits include Bug (Randolph College), Our Country’s Good (Venture Theatre), and The Marriage of Bette and Boo (Clarence Brown).  Acting credits include Higgins in Pygmalion (Kentucky Rep), Shaw in Footloose (Spring Opera House), and Macbeth (Southwest Shakespeare).

Dylan got his big break as Richard Cameron in 1989’s Dead Poets Society. In addition to extensive work on stage, he has appeared in  feature films, including Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken, Jack Reacher, Flight, X2, The Way of the Gun, The Mule and Richard Jewell, and has worked alongside such cinematic luminaries as Denzel Washington, Clint Eastwood, Hugh Jackman, Benicio Del Toro, Brian Cox, Kathy Bates, James Caan, Alfre Woodard, and the late Robin Williams. His television acting credits include The X Files, Monk, House, Drop Dead Diva and many others. A member of the Writers Guild of America since 2005, he shares screenplay credit on2017’s The Mummy starring Tom Cruise, for whom he also worked as a production writer on Mission:Impossible —Rogue Nation and Mission: Impossible —Fallout. Dylan directed the full-length feature Wrestling Jerusalem in 2016, is the writer, director and star of the award-winning Web series The Steps, and his Chattanooga,Tennessee-based band Tropic Sol released in 2023 its first full-length album, Fire in the Empire, consisting of 12orginal songs that he wrote and on which he sings and plays guitar. 

 

Learn more: dylankussman.com.

Mathew grew up in a trailer house behind his mom and dad’s bar, restaurant, and eventual dinner theatre on the edge of a wheat field in Montana. He has performed professionally for over 30 years in WA, TX, VA, NM, ME, and especially AZ where he has long lived. This past year he has appeared as Niels Bohr in Copenhagen (Actors Studio 66, Albuquerque), several British villains in The Victorian Ladies’ Detective Collective (Public Theatre of Maine), Pompey, et al. in Antony & Cleopatra (Southwest Shakespeare), and the Telephone Man in Barefoot in the Park (ATC). Favorite recent roles: Gyp DeCarlo in Jersey Boys (TPTC), Stone in City of Angels  (Theaterworks), & Walt in A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney (iTheatre Collaborative). Other credits: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (MacMurphy), Ragtime (Father), The Music Man (Harold Hill), Romeo & Juliet (Capulet), & Big (MacMillan), Theaterworks; Comedy of Errors (E. Antipholus) & Shear Madness (Eddie) TPTC; Lobby Hero (Bill) & Blue/Orange (Bruce) ATP; The Price (Victor), The Chosen (Reuven), & The Old Man’s Friend (Bobby) AJTC; Spellbound: a Musical Adaptation of Cymbeline (Cloten) SSC; The Last Romance (Ralph) Stage Left; & Bill W. and Dr. Bob (Bill W.) Broadway Palm West.

Maren has loved acting, educating, dancing, directing, special-effecting and dramaturg-ing all over the country. She attended Southern Utah University, taught all kinds of performing arts in Arizona, and has been fortunate to have been knee deep in the arts for the past 30 years. She‘s a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association and Arizona’s Actor’s Equity Association’s Liaison Committee. Originally from New York, Phoenix is home with her husband and daughters.

Hira Ismail is a multi-hyphenate artist. As an actor, dancer, writer, and director, she just sincerely enjoys bringing stories to life. In college, she was a dedicated member of her Shakespeare Performance Troupe, and since then she has been devising and performing in theatre and film, as well as teaching. Hira spent a year in New York with SITI Company as an actor in their 1-Year Acting Conservatory, focusing on Viewpoints and the Suzuki Method. She also holds a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Nonprofit Leadership and Management.

Terri Gray is a Reno creative with more than 40 years of experience on multiple community stages. Her love of Shakespeare is what led her to a reading of When Churchyards Yawn, which then led to an audition and being cast as Gertrude for its stage production and audio broadcast. Other Shakespearean plays in which she has performed include Comedy of Errors, Henry V, Pericles, and Macbeth. Among her acting credits are A Facility for Living, Bull in a China Shop, Harvey, Santaland Diaries; Rapture, Blister, Burn; Buried Child; Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Ravenscroft, Nunsense, Nunsense II, Quilters, On the Verge, Crimes of the Heart (Reno Little Theater); Dancing at Lughnasa, Death of a Salesman, The Crucible, The Trial (Nevada Repertory Theatre); The Man Who Came to Dinner, When You Comin’ Back Red Ryder?, Mama Drama,Talk Radio, Early One Evening at the Rainbow Bar & Grille, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Voices (Gothic North Theater); Admissions, Hearts Like Fists (Restless Artists Theatre); and The Children’s Hour, The Women (Space Theatre). She also dabbled in directing, costuming and set design, but prefers to act.

Zeb studied Speech/Theatre at Southern University and worked and studied Educational Theatre with New York University’s Creative Arts Team as a Master Actor/Teacher for six years. While in New York, he performed in numerous productions at The Billie Holiday Theatre, The Negro Ensemble Company, The National Black Theatre, and Woodie King’s New Federal Theatre. He conducted violence prevention and arts in education workshops throughout NYC public schools with The Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, The Fresh Air Fund, and The Leadership Program Inc. He has worked with several New Orleans arts organizations including The NOLA Project, Southern Rep, Lepetit Theatre, Tennessee Williams Theatre Company, and Goat in the Road Productions. Currently, Zeb Works as an Arts Integration Specialist with KID smART and a drama consultant with Tulane Law Clinic.

Kirk is grateful for the opportunity to work with this talented company and  is honored to have been asked to return to the role of Claudius, which he first performed in the 2021 staged reading of When Churchyards Yawn in Reno.  Kirk is a CPA with Eide Bailly LLP, but when not doing taxes, he has appeared with Nevada Repertory Company, Western Nevada Musical Theatre Company, Sierra School of Performing Arts and (mostly) Reno Little Theater. He couldn’t do any of this without the love and support of Julie (jt).

Matt was told he was “a delight to have in class” on a grade school report card, and has been chasing that high ever since. He is a Scottie Award winning performer who recently worked alongside Jeanmarie in The Jewish Question, as Malvolio in Twelfth Night and Chuck in John Perovich’s Monster of Tempe Town Lake (both for Ronin Theatre Company), among many others. He is a Leo and currently single, shoot him a text for a mediocre time. — Ed. Note: Matt is a delight to have in the company. 

Amber Teen has had the tremendous blessing to be involved in the Reno Theater Community for the last 28 years. Some of her favorite rolls include, Mrs. White in Sandy Rustin’s Clue, Viola in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, Desdemona in Shakespeare’s Othello, Polly in Bertolt Brecht’s Three Penny Opera, Gypsy in Laurent, Styne, & Sondheim’s Gypsy, and Pamela in Alfred Hitchcock’s 39 Steps. When she’s not on stage, she plays a nurse in real life and spends her much-appreciated free time with her three, amazing kiddos and wonderful husband. Amber is thrilled and humbled to be joining Arizona Theatre Matters and this talented cast to bring you this marvelous moment in time.

Tom met Jeanmarie during her leadership of the Nevada Shakespeare Company, where he has since admired her artistry, creativity, and passion firsthand through her productions. He has graced the stage with NSC in productions including A Christmas Carol Revisited,” Julius Caesar, and a staged reading of The Table in Reno. With ATM, he appeared in a staged reading of When Churchyards Yawn and audio recordings of The Table and The Tempest. Discovering the stage in 1991, Tom has since performed in many theater productions across western Nevada, spanning genres from comedy and drama to musicals. He is also a radio host for KUNR Public Radio and KNCJ (Nevada Classical and Jazz) in Reno, and has announced Reno Aces baseball games. Tom’s talents extend beyond the stage and radio booth, gracing numerous local events. For several years, he has donned the kilt to emcee the annual Robert Burns Dinner in Reno, even delivering the “Address to a Haggis” in dialect. The holiday season sees Tom truly embody the spirit of Santa Claus, bringing joy to the V&T Polar Express, Train of Lights, Candy Cane Express, Sparks Hometowne Parade, the 2020 Lifetime Christmas movie Once Upon a Main Street, and numerous local fundraisers and private appearances. He has even earned the reputation of being “the real Santa Claus” by many.

Monroe Sheppard is pleased to be making his third appearance with ATM. His background includes summer repertoires of musicals, Shakespeare, and modern plays. Additionally, Monroe has featured in children’s theatre, dinner theatre, books on tape and other recorded media, has worked in radio, film, and, uniquely, has been a circus ringmaster. When not in performance mode, he enjoys travel, seeing new places, meeting new people and cultures.

Jen Gantwerker (she/her) is a theatre artist, educator, yoga teacher, and burrito enthusiast currently based in Arizona. By day, she brings drama and arts integration into local schools as the Education Program Manager at Childsplay Theatre. The rest of the time, she writes, directs, and performs in as many interesting projects as she can, from Shakespeare to sketch comedy. Recent roles include Helga in Kindertransport and Christmas Present in A Christmas Carol. She is also a co-creator of The Grand Adventures of the Tortellini Brothers, which won the Best Ensemble award at the 2024 Tucson Fringe Festival! Jen is the proud owner of a Very Good Dog, an impressive coffee mug collection, and degrees in Theatre and International Relations from the University of Southern California. In her free time (haha) she enjoys reading books, writing songs about how good her dog is, and doing puzzles.

Brian trained at Wake Forest University, Drama Studio London and RADA.He worked with Jeanmarie on Kindertransport in 2022 in Las Vegas, and he is delighted to help her bring this fantastic piece to life.

Samantha is Associate Artistic Director of ATM. She hails from Northern California, where she studied at The American Conservatory Theatre, The Academy of Media and Theatre Arts, and The American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She did educational children’s theatre for ten years touring schools in Northern California, Denver, Dallas, and Atlanta. She then wrote The Best Me which, before COVID, toured as part of Kaiser Permanente’s Educational Theatre Programs. Her play, Chicken Dance, was performed at The Edmonton Fringe Festival. She was a member of The Actor’s Ensemble of Berkeley, where she choreographed and played Velma Kelly in Chicago. She also appeared as Lorraine Sheldon in The Man Who Came to Dinner, Kitty Duvall in The Time of Your Life, and choreographed Kiss Me Kate. At The Masquer’s Playhouse, she choreographed New Girl in Town and Kismet. She was a founding member of Central Works in Berkeley, CA, where she was in Halcyon Days, Two Precious Maidens, Ridiculed, Golden Era, and wrote Roux. At Summer Palace in Pullman Washington, she played Truvy in Steel Magnolias, Flo in The Odd Couple, Bonnie in Anything Goes, and Rose in Bye Bye, Birdie. In Reno, Nevada, Samantha choreographed and appeared as Ariel in Nevada Shakespeare Company’s version of The Tempest,  interwoven with the soundtrack of HAIR. In 2019, Samantha appeared at the historic Spring Friends Meeting House in a series of performances of Heretic – the Mary Dyer Story. Samantha has been teaching theatre in New Orleans Public Schools since 2000. Trained in Arts Integration at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, she developed the elementary theatre program at Lusher Charter School where she taught elementary, middle, and high school students for 14 years. Currently an Arts Coach with KID smART, she develops and implements Arts Integration professional development, and has an Arts Literacy residency at Langston Hughes Academy. She is also a member of The Greater New Orleans Writing Project and has taught Creative Writing at Tulane’s Upward Bound program.

CJ would like to thank Jeanmarie and Arizona Theatre Matters for this wonderful opportunity. Born in New Jersey, raised in Arizona – CJ is a local theatre, television, voice-over, and film actor represented by the Leighton Agency. Visit his website: act.cjmascarelli.com.

Kaz spent over 40 years teaching theatre in Northern Nevada, Florida and California at private theaters but mainly at the high school level but also as an adjunct professor in college.  Additionally, she was very active in community and professional theatres in the capacity of artistic director, performer, director, designer, and stage manager. Her training includes extensive Shakespeare education, Comedia Del’ Arte mask making and performance, and movement including Ann Bogart’s SITI/ Suzuki studies, Alexander technique, Yoga certification, and Laban studies. Kaz is still involved in the Educational Theatre Association in Emeritus status and serves as a workshop artist, Master Educator for the online resource The Learning Center as well as an adjudicator for the mainstage of the International Thespian Society Festival. Currently “retired” and enjoying expat status in Costa Rica, Kaz trains and runs a 12-member improvisation troupe that performs bi-monthly.  She also participates in Plein Air oil painting activities worldwide and has gallery representation for her visual artworks at Galeria Pura Vida in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica. MA in Theatre with an emphasis in Directing from Roosevelt University in Chicago.

Debra has had the opportunity to be a part of two of Jeanmarie Simpson’s plays, Pineapple and Other Options and The Jewish Question. Both projects have been educational, insightful, challenging, and so enjoyable. In Pineapple, Debra plays Betsy, the wise, naturalistic, humorous and sensible 1800’s white woman who fought for education for all children, and she plays the Narrator in The Jewish Question.  Some of Debra’s previous acting credits include Potus Understudy (Stray Cat Theatre), Angels in America (Fountain Hills Theatre), Barbecue (Black Theatre Troupe), Tea for Three (Stage Left Theatre), A Doll’s House Part 2 (Stage Left Theatre), The Laramie Project (MET/VTL), The Last Romance (Stage Left Theatre), ‘Tis A Pity She’s a Whore (Space 55), Something Wicked (BLK BOX PHX), Medea (Now and Then Theatre), The Best Man (Compass Players), Whisper Sweetly (Brelby Theatre), Unnecessary Farce (Desert Foothills), John (Stray Cat – AriZoni winner ) Death Trap (MET), Crack Cocaine in Manifesto (OutLoud 2nd Annual LGBT New Plays), Poefest (A.C.T. Inc), Julius Caesar (Class 6 Theatre).

Julie has trained in voiceover with Lou Hunt and recorded several Shakespeare scripts and original works that aired on Sun Sounds of Arizona radio reading service, so getting back on the mic is a treat. She performed in several innovative virtual shows from 2020-2023, and she was thrilled to return to live stage work in B3 Theater’s First Festival of Feminist Theater in January. She’s acted, directed, written, and designed for productions in the Phoenix area since the 1970s. Julie holds a BA in Theatre from Arizona State University. Her most recent “day job” consisted of 14 years with Phoenix New Times, where she worked the copy desk, wrote blurbs about cultural and entertainment events, and reviewed plays. Have fun and be kind.

A resident of Tucson, Arizona, for the past 27 years, INA SHIVACK has appeared with many local theatre companies in a wide variety of dramatic, comedic, and musical roles – from Shakespeare to Neil Simon, from Rodgers & Hammerstein to Sondheim.  Some favorites: Sunday in the Park with George, The Producers, Much Ado about Nothing, the Prisoner of Second Avenue, and Light Up the Sky.  In her native New York, Ina was a member and soloist with the renowned New York Choral Society, singing in Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center and other major venues as well as on international tours. She has done back-up on recordings and in concert with opera stars including Luciano Pavorotti, and with folk and pop legends Peter, Paul & Mary, Pete Seeger, Harry Belafonte. Celine Dion and Aretha Franklin. Recently, Ina provided the voice of Grace in Arizona Theatre Matters’ The Jewish Question.  Linking this with her roles in Jewtopia, Twenty-Five Questions for a Jewish Mother, and her most recent appearance in the Tucson Fringe Festival performing in David Youngerman’s Why Don’t Jews Play Football might suggest that she has specific type, a supposition that is belied by her scheduled appearance in April, 2024, as an aging gay Irishman in the Old Pueblo Playwrights (Tucson) New Play Festival.

RC has done theatre everywhere except play a cat on Broadway.   Her roles include Angelo in, The Comedy of Errors, the Stage Manager in Six Characters in Search of an Author,  an 80 year old, sex-crazed, drug addict in A Bloody Mary Xmas, and Ben Affleck in Matt and Ben.  She has also written and starred in the smash hit play, Mom and Dad at the Lesbian Bar.  RC created the role of AJ in Pineapple and Other Options and is grateful to be working with Arizona Theatre Matters.