A Light in Dark Places: Texas
Photo Credit: Brittany Lashinski
Janielle Kastner, Playwright
Janielle Kastner is a playwright and actress based in Dallas, TX. Believing art-making to be an efficient means of changing the world, she considers herself an artist + activist, or “artivist” with particular interest in gauging the success of a community by the stories and experiences of its young women. Recent projects include the world-premiere of OPHELIA UNDERWATER, PROJECT: GIRL a trans-media installation, and the solo piece GIRL:andotherbeautifulworksoffiction. Janielle is a founding member of the arts incubation group The Tribe, and an inaugural member of the Dallas Playwrights’ Workshop at Dallas Theatre Center. Favorite stage credits include "Decline of Ballooning" with The In Laws, "The Firestorm" at Kitchen Dog Theatre, "A Midsummer Nights' Dream" with Shakespeare in the Bar, and "Uncle Vanya" with Dallas Actors' Lab. Janielle received her BFA from SMU Meadows School of the Arts.
Stephen Brodie, Dad
Born and raised in Dallas, TX, Stephen Brodie is an actor, a writer, and a filmmaker. As an actor, he has appeared in numerous films and television shows and has been fortunate enough to work with many talented people. He was even once beaten up by Gary Coleman. As a filmmaker, he has written, directed, and produced a number of short films, with budgets ranging from none to modestly inconsiderable.
Emily P. Faith, Director
Emily Faith is an actor, director & educator, currently pursuing her M.A. in Drama Therapy at Lesley University. After receiving her B.F.A in Acting from Lipscomb University in Nashville, TN, Emily performed in touring and regional companies throughout the United States including: Watertower Theatre, Arkansas Repertory Theater, Central SquareTheatre, and Actors Bridge Ensemble. When not performing, Emily serves as a teaching artist for companies such as Dallas Children's Theater, Dallas Theater Center, Watertower Theatre and A&T Performing Arts Center. She is also the Co- Founder and Artistic Director of one of Dallas' newest all female operated theatre companies, Lily & Joan Theatre Company
Jad Saxton, Daughter
Jad is very honored to take part in A Light in Dark Places. She is a voice, stage and film actor from Dallas, TX; as well as a full-time ADR Director for Funimation. Jad loves cats, Harry Potter, all things Fall, The Beatles, Oprah, Deepak, Julia Cameron, Elizabeth Gilbert, the cosmos, podcasts, tarot, TV, Malbec, tacos, coffee, and most of all - her mom, bae and bestie. Big love & thanks to everyone involved in this project!
Jo-Jo Steine, Cat
Jo-Jo Steine is a DFW-based actor, though in the last couple years she has performed in two national tours and with the Camden Shakespeare Festival in Camden, Maine. Recent local credits include Reykjavik at Kitchen Dog Theater and The Father at Stage West. Up next, Jo-Jo will be at Dallas Theater Center, singing, dancing, and playing the viola in A Christmas Carol. Visit www.jo-josteine.com for updates!
Jamale Abou Hamad
Photo Credit: Brittany Lashinski
Franky D. Gonzalez, Playwright
Franky D. Gonzalez is a playwright of Colombian descent living in Dallas, TX originally from Queens, NY. He holds a BA in Theatre from the University of North Texas and has had productions and readings with several theatre companies and colleges in the Dallas-Ft. Worth metroplex since 2011. He is also the Dramatists Guild Dallas-Fort Worth Regional Representative and has been a proud member of the Guild since 2016.
Nationally his work has been featured with The Great Plains Theatre Conference, Repertorio Español, The Mid-America Theatre Conference, The Midwest Dramatists Conference, Focal Theatre Lab/reACT Gallery, A Light in Dark Places, Jenny Magazine, PEN America's Inaugural Writer's Resist, and the One-Minute Play Festival. His play Even Flowers Bloom in Hell, Sometimes was a winning script selected for reading as part of the Nuestras Voces National Playwriting Competition, for development in the PlayLab Series of the Great Plains Theatre Conference, a finalist for San Diego REP Latinx New Play Festival, and a semi-finalist for the Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference.
Ryan Maffei, Man
Ryan Maffei is a local actor, critic, musician and model. In the mid-2000s he performed at Collin College in such productions as The Exonerated, The Rocky Horror Puppet Show and Columbinus. Since returning to Collin to play Eddie in A View from the Bridge in 2014, he has featured on Dallas stages occasionally – in Hearts Like Fists (as Peter) for Outcry, The Submission (as Danny) for Proper Hijinx, Picasso at the Lapin Agile (as Schmendimann) for L.I.P. Service, and The Dining Room (as nine people) for Resolute. He also writes sporadically for the Column. He is grateful to Chris, Isabelle, Franky and Kelly for their amazing work, and for the opportunity to help A Light in Dark Places spread its noble and necessary message.
Chris Millar, Director
Chris studied acting under Rick Podell, Chick Vennera, and Milton Katselas at the Beverly Hills Playhouse, and improv at Improv Olympic West (IO West) in Hollywood. He has acted, directed, or produced a variety of theater in Los Angeles and is a long-time member of Sacred Fools Theater Co. In addition to stage work, Chris also has written and directed short films, one of which progressed to final jury in USA Film Festival’s National Short Film competition.
Isabelle Culpepper, Vagabond
ISABELLE CULPEPPER (VAGABOND/ I’ll Tell You at Sunrise) is super excited to be part of this project. Just like so many others, she has been close to people affected by this disease, and hopes that projects like these can help educate those who don’t know much about it, and hopefully help those suffering or, at least help them feel heard. Isabelle enjoys being on stage as much as she can, previous roles include Gabriella/BOEING BOEING! and Anabelle Fuller/GEORGE WASHINGTON SLEPT HERE (MainStage Irving Las Colinas), Madge/THE GAMES AFOOT (Richardson Theatre Center), Jayne Mansfield/DEAD WAIT (Churchmouse Productions), Deb/SECRETS OF MY PRISON HOUSE (Theatre on the Edge), and Harley/ACCOMPLICE (Plano Community Theatre). Offstage she is art director & graphic designer at JPT Graphics, a mother, Zumba instructor, and Yoga & Pilates enthusiast. She would like to thank her family for their neverending support, especially her super talented husband, her loving daughter, and her super caring mother & grandma.
Photo Credit: Brittany Lashinski
Jamale Abou Hamad
Timothy McNeil, Playwright
Timothy McNeil is a writer, director and actor. Tim recently directed his first feature film Anything, starring John Carroll Lynch, Matt Bomer, and Maura Tierney, currently available on-demand. He has had over 30 of his plays produced , including the play version of Anything (Best Production of 2008 by LADCC), Machu Picchu, Tx., Supernova, Los Muertos, Crane, Ms., and Margaret, among others. Tim is also an actor and has done over 50 film and television shows including Forrest Gump, Contact, Starship Troopers, Seinfeld, and others, and over 75 plays. Tim is also a proud member of The Lab Theater and The Elephant Theater Company. He has been on the faculty of the Stella Adler Academy of Acting Los Angeles since 1999.
Amanda Brown, Director
Amanda Brown is an actor and director in DFW and is thrilled to be a part the first ever ALIDP in Texas! Previous directing credits include "Why Can't I?" as part of Little Gems at Collin College as well as co-directing "Les Miserables" at Collin College. She has assistant directed "Dog Sees God" at UNT's Drama Lab and "The Yellow Boat" at Resolute Theater Project. On stage credits include Bird Girl/Mrs. Mayor in "Seussical" at Dallas Children's Theater, Fruma Sarah in "Fiddler on the Roof" at Garland Summer Musicals and Mrs. Lovett in "Sweeny Todd" at Collin College. She would like to thank her boyfriend PJ for always supporting her and her amazing cast who has put so much heart and hard work into the performance.
Hannay Rocchio Thomson, Lisa
Hannah Rocchio Thomson (Lisa), a recent UNT grad with a B.A in Theatre Performance, is very excited to make her debut outside of school productions with a project that has such an enormous impact on the community. Her favorite theatre credits include: Dog Sees God (UNT), HAIR (UNT), and The Man Who Came to Dinner (UTA). She would like to thank her family and Frankie for always supporting her both in theatre and in life. Good show!
Heather Inez Willingham, Ellen
Heather Inez Willingham started her long standing love affair with theater back in 1981 when she was cast in her first production, "The Jungle Book". Since that time, she has gone on to perform in over 40 productions, from school theatre, to community theatre, a national tour, a stint on the Disney Magic cruise ship, and professional theatre. She earned her BFA in Theatre with an acting concentration from The College of Santa Fe, and is a student of the Michael Chekhov Technique. Some of her favorite roles include Grace in Pterodactyls, MJ in Inspecting Carol, Mona in Dames at Sea, Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Grace in Honk!, and Chrissy in Dancing at Lughnasa. Heather is in the middle of her 14th year as a theatre teacher and is currently the Theatre Director at Liberty High School in Frisco ISD. She would like to send out a great deal of love to her amazing husband and daughter for their never ending support as she has made this incredible journey back to the stage.
Photo Credit: Brittany Lashinski
C. Ryan Glenn, Director
C. Ryan Glenn is a local actor, designer, writer, and now director honored to get to work with this important project. A 2010 graduate of Southern Methodist University's Theatre Department, Ryan's most recent credits include acting in shows with the likes of Shakespeare in the Bar, Shakespeare in the Park, and Ochre House. If directing Sinatra has taught him anything, it's to know that the beauty and choice of each day is a gift not to be taken for granted.
Marisa Duran, Alexus
Marisa is thrilled to be part of the DFW premiere of ALIDP! Some of her favorite roles include Catherine Morland in Northanger Abbey (Stolen Shakespeare Guild), Katie Bell Jackson in Talking Pictures (Mainstage Irving-Las Colinas), and Mary Warren in The Crucible (McKinney Repertory Theatre). When she's not onstage, she can be found voicing various anime characters at Funimation, playing videogames, or drinking coffee. www.marisa-duran.com "Keep your face always toward the sunshine and the shadows will fall behind you." -Walt Whitman
Grady Smithey III, Arnold
Grady has been performing for most of his life, mostly to the south of Dallas. He recently appeared in Resolute Theatre Project's To Carol, With Love and LIP Service's Marat/Sade.
Eric Berg, Caleb
Eric is a Dallas-based actor, director, and playwright. Acting credits include: Boy in US/THEM (Echo Theatre), Eugene in Brighton Beach Memoirs (Theatre Arlington), and Capt. Parker in Split Second (Jubilee Theatre). Eric received his BFA from Southern Methodist University where additional acting credits include: Tartuffe (Damis), A Bright New Boise (Alex), Twelfth Night (Sebastian), Mary Stuart (Lord Burleigh), Counting the Ways (He), St. Joan of the Stockyards (The Kid), Circle Mirror Transformation (Schultz), and Macbeth (Donalbain). As a director, his work includes Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl and STELLA by Neil Bartlett (SMU), along with staged-readings of new works for IMPRINT Theatreworks and SMU. Eric has served as assistant director at Dallas Theatre Center, Kitchen Dog Theatre, Stage West, and Jubilee Theatre. There have been two staged-readings of his plays: Alliance (SMU) and Live Stream (Theatre Too). Eric is a proud producing partner with Echo Theatre. A special thanks to Ryan and the ALDP crew!
Meagan Harris, Vida
Meagan Harris is a theatre and film actor, director and producer based Dallas, Texas. She earned her BFA in Acting and BA in Art History in 2018 from Southern Methodist University. She is proud to be represented by the Mary Collins Agency for film and television. She works as the Programs and Marketing Associate and Associate Producer at Shakespeare Dallas. She is so honored to be involved with A Light in Dark Places for her second year in a row: especially amongst her fellow SMU Mustangs!
Jamale Abou Hamad
Photo Credit: Brittany Lashinski
Emily Hageman, Writer
Emily Hageman, theatre and music educator and playwright, was born in California, raised in Colorado, and now lives in Iowa. Emily's one acts, short plays, and monologues have primarily been performed in Northwest Iowa, but have been performed in California, Florida, Kansas, Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, Washington, and the UK. Her plays have been featured in Heartland Theatre's Ten Minute Play Festival, Spokane Stage Left's Playwrights Playground, Theatre Lawrence's Short Play Festival, the Stillwater Short Play Festival, the UK Gi60 Festival, Heartland Theatre's New Plays from the Heartland Competition, Theatre Evolve's New Works Festival, the Midwest Dramatists Convention, and A Light in Dark Places. Emily's one acts geared towards high schoolers are also being performed throughout the nation during the 2018-2019 school year. Emily's new theatrical pieces are being constantly workshopped by the magnificent high school and middle school actors at Siouxland Christian School.
Emily's passion in life is writing plays for young (and young at heart) actors and actresses. She enjoys challenging them, making them think deeply, and tell stories with truth and beauty. She is a great giver of high-fives, an excellent avoider of hugs, and the loudest laugher that you will ever encounter.
Roy Scott, Jake
Kayla Peña, Director
Kayla is pleased to have the opportunity to be working with the amazing cast and crew of A Light in Dark Places. Kayla has been a supporter of AFSP for the last 11 years, and is grateful to be continuing that meaningful support through her passion in theater.
Favorite previous credits include: stage managing for Oral Fixation: An Obsession with True Life Tales, Assistant Master Electrician for Shakespeare Dallas' 48th season, light board operator for Repertory Company Theatre's Young Frankenstein the Musical, live sound engineer for Firehouse Theatre's Little Mermaid Jr, and with ALIDP's The Orchid Kayla will be making her professional directorial debut.
When not at the theater, Kayla is... Kayla is never not working in the theater.
Earlier this year Kayla had the pleasure of teaching lighting at The Black Academy of Arts and Letters Summer Youth Arts Institute, and is excited to have been invited back for next summer.
"This is for Sarah Tierney, for Julie Geoghegan, for my dad, for me. We don't have to walk alone. Stay strong, stay awesome."
Jake Montgomery, Ryan
Jake Montgomery (RYAN) is thrilled to be involved in A Light in Dark Places. He most recently performed as Sam in Shakespeare In Love with Shakespeare Dallas, Alan in Equus with Lakeside, and Otto in Spring Awakening with SMU. He earned his B.F.A. in Theatre from Southern Methodist University. This summer, he taught at the Summer Theatre & Cultural Enrichment Camp with Bishop Arts Theatre Center.
IG: jakewmontgomery