CAST

TRACIE THOMS

TRACIE THOMS (Gwen) has had wide-ranging success in film, television and theatre throughout her career. Most recently, she appeared as a series regular opposite Octavia Spencer and Aaron Paul in the Apple TV+ series Truth Be Told. She has a recurring role on FOX’s 9-1-1 and could be seen previously on Lifetime/Hulu’s unReal and the Netflix series Love. Tracie was a series regular on the long-running CBS series Cold Case, and has had numerous guest appearances on both network and cable shows including, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Grey’s Anatomy, The Good Doctor, Veep, Person of Interest, Suits, and the Good Wife. She’s also appeared in modern classic films like the Devil Wear’s Prada, Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof, and Rian Johnson’s Looper. Her distinguished career extends to the theatre as well, where she starred in Lydia Diamond and Alicia Keys’ Stick Fly, and critically acclaimed off-Broadway projects such as The Exonerated and David Auburn’s world premiere of Lost Lake. Tracie realized a long-held dream when she starred as ‘Joanne’ in the final weeks of the historic 12 year run of the Broadway musical, Rent, after playing the same key role in Sony’s film adaptation. She is a graduate of the renowned Julliard School and Howard University. Twitter: @traciethoms

STEVE HARPER

STEVE HARPER (Peter) Television work includes Law & Order: SVU, The Arsenio Hall Show, 90210, Homicide: Life On the Street, All My Children, and Monsters. For two years he was the co-host of the Baltimore kids show The Fox-45 Clubhouse (host, writer, producer) for which he won the Millenium Telly Award. Film work includes the comedy feature Broadway’s Finest, Dark September Rain and the Oscar nominated animated film Chico and Rita. Theatre work includes Drop The Mic: A Monologue Jam for Collaborative Artist’s Bloc at L.A.’s Thymele Arts Theatre and multiple appearances at The American Repertory Theatre and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. Steve has worked at The Guthrie Theater, The Kennedy Center, Theater for the New City, The York Theater Company, The L.A. Theatre Center, The Williamstown Theatre Festival and The Contemporary American Theatre Festival. Steve won a 2016 Best Actor award at L.A.’s Genre Celebration Festival for his work in SEND ME. Twitter@harpercreates

GABRIELLE CARTERIS

GABRIELLE CARTERIS (Katherine) current serves as the President of SAG-AFTRA and is well known for playing Andrea Zuckerman for five seasons on the hit FOX show Beverly Hills, 90210, and its 2019 spin-off series BH90210. She’s appeared in numerous television roles such as NCIS, Code Black, Longmire, the Middle, Criminal Minds, Crossing Jordan, Nip/Tuck, JAG, Touched by an Angel, NYPD Blue, and Another World. She also been a host and Executive Producer on Face the Hate, Lifestories, and her own talk-show: Gabrielle. Her film credits include Brian De Palma’s Raising Cain, the upcoming drama How to Deter a Robber, Christmas in L.A., The Man with The Child in His Eyes, Print, Plot 7, Lover’s Revenge, Dimples, Combustion, and Trappe, among others. Gabrielle’s theatre credits include appearances at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Conference, The George Street Playhouse, The Fulton Opera House and L.A. Theatre Works. Twitter:  @TheGabrielle_C

JERRIKA HINTON

JERRIKA HINTON (Heather) is best known for her performance as the whip-smart Dr. Stephanie Edwards on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy, and can be seen today in a lead role in the Amazon series Hunters, alongside Al Pacino. She also has a recurring role in M. Night Shymalan’s Apple TV+ series, Servant, and could be seen previously on Alan Ball’s HBO series, Here and Now. She landed her first professional role at age 11, which launched an impressive career in the arts as an actor, writer, producer and director. Jerrika attended Southern Methodist University (SMU) where she studied directing and playwriting. She directed three productions, produced four experimental efforts, founded a small theatre company, wrote five shows, earning SMU’s Rosenfield Award for Playwriting, by the time she graduated. After college, Jerrika traveled the US performing both classical and original works – including, Viola in Twelfth Night (Utah Shakespeare Festival) and the political satire she co-penned, Dreaming America (Echo Theatre). Throughout her career, Hinton has maintained a commitment to fostering new work and community service, teaching at numerous theaters, serving at the East LA Classic Theatre, and collaborating with New WORLD Theater’s Project 2050 program, a revolutionary multicultural and multidisciplinary youth arts program. Twitter: @hellojerrika

JASIKA NICOLE

JASIKA NICOLE (Lila) currently stars as Carly Lever, the head of pathology on ABC’s, The Good Doctor. She is well known for her role main role on the hit JJ Abrams sci-fi series Fringe on Fox, and could be seen previously on WGN America’s Underground and ABC’s Scandal as Kim, Huck’s wife. Jasika made her feature film debut in the ballroom-dancing movie Take the Lead with Antonio Banderas, and also starred in She’s Out of My League alongside Jay Baruchel and Alice Eve. Originally from Birmingham, Alabama, Jasika attended Catawba College, a small private school in North Carolina, studying theater, voice and dance, before moving to New York City. There, she starred in numerous stage productions, most notably in the off-Broadway 60’s musical “Café A Go Go” and the world premiere of “Believe In Me…A Bigfoot Musical” at the NYC Fringe Festival. In addition to performing, Nicole is an accomplished author and illustrator. Her comics High Yella Magic and Closetalkers, can be found on her website, as well as the Scholastic book, edited by Sarah Moon, entitled “The Letter Q: Queer Writers’ Notes To Their Younger Selves.” www.jasikanicole.com Twitter: @TheJasikaNicole

TOM DeTRINIS

TOM DeTRINIS (Trevor), originally from Long Island, came to Los Angeles by way of Buffalo, and is no stranger to the stage – on and off. From producing, directing and/or performing to working in television, film and on the web, he has enjoyed being stupid and making others laugh at his own expense. Favorite credits include, THEATRE: Found (Iama Theatre Company), Die, Mommie, Die! (CTG/Celebration), The SantaLand Diaries (Virginia Stage Company 2018, 2019), 30 Minute Musicals (All 16+ of them), Bright Colors and Bold Patterns (NYC, SoHo Playhouse); TV: 90210, Switched at Birth, Greek, Community; FILM: Squirrel (New Hampshire Film Festival Best Narrative Feature), 12 Hour Shift, Wedding Dance, Adjust-a-Dream; WEB: Finding the Asshole Series (co-creator/producer/actor – Official Selection of Slamdance 2019), Edgar Allen Poe’s Murder Mystery Party, Fig and Ford, Send Me. More at www.30mm.co and www.detrinis.com.Twitter: @teedetee

MOE IRVIN 

MOE IRVIN (Phillip) is a Southern California native fast becoming a name to watch.  He is a lifetime member of the Actors Studio and a founding member of the Whitmore Eclectic Theatre Group. His television credits include guest starring roles on NCIS, Chicago Fire, Criminal Minds, CSI:NY, The Event, and he most recognized for his role as Nurse Tyler on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy for seven seasons. Currently, he has a recurring role in the FX series, Snowfall. He can also be seen in supporting roles in the feature films Mischief Night and Dutch Book. He has worked in over 40 national and regional commercials including spokesperson roles for ESPN and FRAWG WIRELESS. His theatre credits include lead roles as “Satan” in Last days of Judas Iscariot, “Rooftop” in Our Lady of 121st Street, and Ralph D. in the ACTORS STUDIO production of “Motherfucker with the Hat.” He is currently in pre-production on a new short film, Mad Chicken. Previously he wrote/directed Stanford & Son, the second project under his production company, Underbelly Filmworks. His first project was the award-winning horror faux trailer, Wacko Jacko, available on Youtube. Twitter: @moeirvin

TUCKER SMALLWOOD

TUCKER SMALLWOOD (Michael) the eldest son of an educator and diplomat, was a NBC television director before being drafted into the US Army in 1967. He was commissioned as an Infantry Officer and served as an OCS Tactical Officer at Fort Benning, before undergoing Vietnamese language training and jump school. He later commanded a Mobile Advisory Team during the Vietnam War. After recovering from his combat wounds, Smallwood moved to New York to study acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse. He is the author and the Audio Book narrator of Return to Eden, an anthology of 33 essays describing his experiences as an Army advisor in Vietnam, his life as an actor thereafter and his return to Vietnam in 2004. A life-long musician, Smallwood performed all vocals on the delta blues album “Incarnation: “The Robert Johnson Project”. Over the years, Tucker has appeared in numerous television shows including classics like NBC’s Seinfeld, NBC’s Friends, FOX’s Malcolm in the Middle, CBS’s Murphy Brown, as well as Comedy Central’s Workaholics, ABC’s Modern Family, and NBC’s reboot of Will & Grace. He’s also appeared in films such as Pixels, Evan Almighty, among many others.

NELSAN ELLIS

NELSAN ELLIS (Benjamin) was an award-winning film and television actor and playwright, perhaps best known as Lafayette Reynolds on HBO’s True Blood. Nelsan was born on November 30, 1977, in Harvey, Illinois, the son of Jackie Ellis and Tommie Lee Thompson. Following his parents’ divorce, Ellis and his mother moved to Alabama. He moved back to Illinois as a teenager, and graduated from Thornridge High School in Dolton, Illinois, in 1997. Ellis attended Juilliard and, while there, wrote a semi-autobiographical play titled Ugly that was performed at the school and later won the Lincoln Center’s Martin E. Segal Award. Ellis won a 2008 Satellite Award from the International Press Academy for best supporting actor in a television series for his role as Lafayette Reynolds in HBO’s True Blood. He won the “Brink of Fame: Actor” award at the 2009 NewNowNext Awards. Other television roles included appearances on: Elementary, Without a Trace, and Veronica Mars. Film roles included: Lee Daniel’s The Butler, The Soloist, The Help, Roxanne Roxanne, and Secretariat. Tragically, Ellis died at the age of 39 on July 8, 2017, in Los Angeles, California, after complications from heart failure.

AHMED BEST

AHMED BEST (Dexter) began his career in the arts at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City. He was a founding member of the Hip Hop jazz group The Jazzhole. He moved on to star in the Broadway musical Stomp and would later tour both nationally and internationally with the company. Ahmed is best known for the role of Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars Episode One, The Phantom Menace. He would later appear in all three of the Star Wars prequels, and reprise the voice of the role in the beloved Star Wars the Clone Wars series, and Robot Chicken, which earned him the ANNIE award winner Best Actor in a Animated Series. He has appeared in numerous feature films including Mother and Child (Director: Rodrigo Garcia), FDR American Bad ASS (Director Garrett Brawith), Poolboy (Director Garrett Brawith) and Some Guy Who Kills People (Director: Jack Perez). Ahmed has also produced and executive produced projects, including The DL Chronicles, which earned the GLAAD award for Best Anthology series in 2008, and directed the web-series The Bandwagon and This Can’t Be My Life. Twitter: @ahmedbest

CARLEASE BURKE

CARLEASE BURKE (Grace) is a high octane performer who never seems to run out of gas. Over the years, Carlease had appeared in countless films and television shows, including CBS’s Broke, CBS’s Young Sheldon, NBC’s This is Us, ABC’s Mixed-ish, Bravo’s Dirty John, FX’s Dave, Showtime’s Shameless, and was a series regular on the NBC Comedy Crowded.  She can be most recently be seen in the films Child’s Play and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. Under the hood of her production company, Bits N Pieces Productions, Ms. Burke hosted and produced, Laugh-A-Latte, a monthly stand-up comedy show. Her reality solo show, FIFTY! It Doesn’t Look This Good on Everybody was the winner of the Actors Repertory’s 2nd Annual Solo Show Festival.  Carlease’s exhilarating and confident performance of The Nurse in Boston Court’s Romeo & Juliet earned her a nomination for Best Supporting Actress by the NAACP. Other notable credits include The Young and the Restless, Hot in Cleveland, Raising Hope, Hawthorne, Flash Forward, Heroes, Southland, NCIS, Grey’s Anatomy, Bones, The Riches, Desperate Housewives, Malcolm in the Middle, Without a Trace, Monk, How I Met Your Mother and Switched at Birth. Twitter: @carleaseburke

LIZ FEMI

LIZ FEMI (Mirembe) appeared in the final season of Parks and Recreation and was featured in Judd Apatow’s Netflix series, Love. She is set to appear in Ryan Murphy’s upcoming One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest-based Netflix series Ratched, alongside Sarah Paulson, Sharon Stone, and Judy Davis. Born in the UK, raised in Nigeria and the U.S., and having lived on several continents, Liz ‘s international background enhances both her acting and writing. Liz is the writer/creator of the award-winning Take Me To The Poorhouse —a comedy about a middle class Nigerian third grader who dreams of becoming poor in order to win the love of a poor classmate, which earned a NAACP Award nomination for Best One Person Show, Duende Distinction nomination, Best of the Hollywood Fringe 2013 & Best International Show at the Hollywood Fringe 2013. The Los Angeles Examiner called her  “…a masterful storyteller with biting humor…[an] incredible tour de force”. Her work has also garnered the Helen Hayes Award for Best Ensemble (Eclipsed). Liz holds an Masters in Education from the UR International Theatre Program and an MFA in Acting from Harvard University. Twitter: @LizFemi

ANGELA BULLOCK

ANGELA BULLOCK (Ramona) received a 2014 NAACP Theater Award Nomination for Best Female Lead in a local Los Angeles area play. Born in Harlem, New York, to Paul Bullock, a city bus driver and passionate reader, and Lenora Pittman Bullock, a hospital worker with a stunningly beautiful singing voice, Angela fostered a love at a young age. She would go on to attend the LaGuardia High School of Music & Art, and later receive a BA in Music and Liberal Arts from Hunter College before attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.Over the years, Angela has made guest appearances on CBS’s NCIS: Los Angeles, Showtime’s Shameless, and TNT’s Rizzoli & Isles, among others.Twitter: @OKAngelaBullock

SEAN SIMBRO

SEAN SIMBRO (Don) has appeared in numerous film and television projects over the years including ABC’s Castle and CBS’s NCIS: Los Angeles, and a lead role in Sam Peach’s Love Back. He can also be seen the music video for Coldplay’s hit single, “Magic,” and Aloe Blacc’s “Vigil.” Sean is an accomplished theater actor as well, appearing in Supermoon for the IAMA Theater Company, and Crime and Punishment at the Moscow Art Theatre. Sean has an MFA in Acting from Harvard University.

MICHELLE DUNKER

MICHELLE DUNKER (Kylie) is an actor and producer from Danville, California. Michelle is best known for her recurring role on the FX series The Booth at the End, as well as guest appearances on FX’s Sons of Anarchy, Amazon’s Sneaky Pete, and FX’s Justified. In recent years, she has shifted into producing, working as an Associate Producer on the Epix series, Get Shorty, starring Chris O’Dowd and Ray Romano. Twitter:  @michelleldunker

BRANDEE STEGER

BRANDEE STEGER (Serita) is an actor, journalist and screenwriter from Upland, California. She first performed with her husband and producing partner, Michael Steger, in a seventh-grade production of Pyramis and Thisbe. After coincidentally both attending Cal Poly Pomona, they later co-produced and directed Brandee Built on Crazee, a one-woman show which ran for eight weeks to sold-out audiences at the Stella Adler Theatre in Hollywood. Together they’ve produced and co-directed The Wrights, a short film starring Ted Danson, which won best acting at the Culver City film festival, and Not So Union, a comedy web series starring Bayne Gibby (Lady Bird). She is currently working on her independent film, White Like Me. In her training as a young figure skater, Brandee shared the ice with champions like Michelle Kwan, Surya Bonaly, and Sasha Cohen. After realizing she wasn’t going to be an Olympic contender, she pivoted to stage performing, working with acclaimed directors like Howard Storm and Wilson Milam. She’s also starred in the indie film Misfits and made guest appearances on shows like This is Us and I’m Dying Up Here. Brandee has trained with Warner Loughlin and Martin Landau, and is a Lifetime Member of the Actors Studio. Twitter: @BrandeeSteger

TRACIE THOMS

TRACIE THOMS (Gwen) has had wide-ranging success in film, television and theatre throughout her career. Most recently, she appeared as a series regular opposite Octavia Spencer and Aaron Paul in the Apple TV+ series Truth Be Told. She has a recurring role on FOX’s 9-1-1 and could be seen previously on Lifetime/Hulu’s unReal and the Netflix series Love. Tracie was a series regular on the long-running CBS series Cold Case, and has had numerous guest appearances on both network and cable shows including, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Grey’s Anatomy, The Good Doctor, Veep, Person of Interest, Suits, and the Good Wife. She’s also appeared in modern classic films like the Devil Wear’s Prada, Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof, and Rian Johnson’s Looper. Her distinguished career extends to the theatre as well, where she starred in Lydia Diamond and Alicia Keys’ Stick Fly, and critically acclaimed off-Broadway projects such as The Exonerated and David Auburn’s world premiere of Lost Lake. Tracie realized a long-held dream when she starred as ‘Joanne’ in the final weeks of the historic 12 year run of the Broadway musical, Rent, after playing the same key role in Sony’s film adaptation. She is a graduate of the renowned Julliard School and Howard University. Twitter: @traciethoms

STEVE HARPER

STEVE HARPER (Peter) Television work includes Law & Order: SVU, The Arsenio Hall Show, 90210, Homicide: Life On the Street, All My Children, and Monsters. For two years he was the co-host of the Baltimore kids show The Fox-45 Clubhouse (host, writer, producer) for which he won the Millenium Telly Award. Film work includes the comedy feature Broadway’s Finest, Dark September Rain and the Oscar nominated animated film Chico and Rita. Theatre work includes Drop The Mic: A Monologue Jam for Collaborative Artist’s Bloc at L.A.’s Thymele Arts Theatre and multiple appearances at The American Repertory Theatre and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. Steve has worked at The Guthrie Theater, The Kennedy Center, Theater for the New City, The York Theater Company, The L.A. Theatre Center, The Williamstown Theatre Festival and The Contemporary American Theatre Festival. Steve won a 2016 Best Actor award at L.A.’s Genre Celebration Festival for his work in SEND ME. Twitter@harpercreates

GABRIELLE CARTERIS

GABRIELLE CARTERIS (Katherine) current serves as the President of SAG-AFTRA and is well known for playing Andrea Zuckerman for five seasons on the hit FOX show Beverly Hills, 90210, and its 2019 spin-off series BH90210. She’s appeared in numerous television roles such as NCIS, Code Black, Longmire, the Middle, Criminal Minds, Crossing Jordan, Nip/Tuck, JAG, Touched by an Angel, NYPD Blue, and Another World. She also been a host and Executive Producer on Face the Hate, Lifestories, and her own talk-show: Gabrielle. Her film credits include Brian De Palma’s Raising Cain, the upcoming drama How to Deter a Robber, Christmas in L.A., The Man with The Child in His Eyes, Print, Plot 7, Lover’s Revenge, Dimples, Combustion, and Trappe, among others. Gabrielle’s theatre credits include appearances at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Conference, The George Street Playhouse, The Fulton Opera House and L.A. Theatre Works. Twitter:  @TheGabrielle_C

JERRIKA HINTON

JERRIKA HINTON (Heather) is best known for her performance as the whip-smart Dr. Stephanie Edwards on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy, and can be seen today in a lead role in the Amazon series Hunters, alongside Al Pacino. She also has a recurring role in M. Night Shymalan’s Apple TV+ series, Servant, and could be seen previously on Alan Ball’s HBO series, Here and Now. She landed her first professional role at age 11, which launched an impressive career in the arts as an actor, writer, producer and director. Jerrika attended Southern Methodist University (SMU) where she studied directing and playwriting. She directed three productions, produced four experimental efforts, founded a small theatre company, wrote five shows, earning SMU’s Rosenfield Award for Playwriting, by the time she graduated. After college, Jerrika traveled the US performing both classical and original works – including, Viola in Twelfth Night (Utah Shakespeare Festival) and the political satire she co-penned, Dreaming America (Echo Theatre). Throughout her career, Hinton has maintained a commitment to fostering new work and community service, teaching at numerous theaters, serving at the East LA Classic Theatre, and collaborating with New WORLD Theater’s Project 2050 program, a revolutionary multicultural and multidisciplinary youth arts program. Twitter: @hellojerrika

JASIKA NICOLE

JASIKA NICOLE (Lila) currently stars as Carly Lever, the head of pathology on ABC’s, The Good Doctor. She is well known for her role main role on the hit JJ Abrams sci-fi series Fringe on Fox, and could be seen previously on WGN America’s Underground and ABC’s Scandal as Kim, Huck’s wife. Jasika made her feature film debut in the ballroom-dancing movie Take the Lead with Antonio Banderas, and also starred in She’s Out of My League alongside Jay Baruchel and Alice Eve. Originally from Birmingham, Alabama, Jasika attended Catawba College, a small private school in North Carolina, studying theater, voice and dance, before moving to New York City. There, she starred in numerous stage productions, most notably in the off-Broadway 60’s musical “Café A Go Go” and the world premiere of “Believe In Me…A Bigfoot Musical” at the NYC Fringe Festival. In addition to performing, Nicole is an accomplished author and illustrator. Her comics High Yella Magic and Closetalkers, can be found on her website, as well as the Scholastic book, edited by Sarah Moon, entitled “The Letter Q: Queer Writers’ Notes To Their Younger Selves.” www.jasikanicole.com Twitter: @TheJasikaNicole

TOM DeTRINIS

TOM DeTRINIS (Trevor), originally from Long Island, came to Los Angeles by way of Buffalo, and is no stranger to the stage – on and off. From producing, directing and/or performing to working in television, film and on the web, he has enjoyed being stupid and making others laugh at his own expense. Favorite credits include, THEATRE: Found (Iama Theatre Company), Die, Mommie, Die! (CTG/Celebration), The SantaLand Diaries (Virginia Stage Company 2018, 2019), 30 Minute Musicals (All 16+ of them), Bright Colors and Bold Patterns (NYC, SoHo Playhouse); TV: 90210, Switched at Birth, Greek, Community; FILM: Squirrel (New Hampshire Film Festival Best Narrative Feature), 12 Hour Shift, Wedding Dance, Adjust-a-Dream; WEB: Finding the Asshole Series (co-creator/producer/actor – Official Selection of Slamdance 2019), Edgar Allen Poe’s Murder Mystery Party, Fig and Ford, Send Me. More at www.30mm.co and www.detrinis.com.Twitter: @teedetee

MOE IRVIN 

MOE IRVIN (Phillip) is a Southern California native fast becoming a name to watch.  He is a lifetime member of the Actors Studio and a founding member of the Whitmore Eclectic Theatre Group. His television credits include guest starring roles on NCIS, Chicago Fire, Criminal Minds, CSI:NY, The Event, and he most recognized for his role as Nurse Tyler on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy for seven seasons. Currently, he has a recurring role in the FX series, Snowfall. He can also be seen in supporting roles in the feature films Mischief Night and Dutch Book. He has worked in over 40 national and regional commercials including spokesperson roles for ESPN and FRAWG WIRELESS. His theatre credits include lead roles as “Satan” in Last days of Judas Iscariot, “Rooftop” in Our Lady of 121st Street, and Ralph D. in the ACTORS STUDIO production of “Motherfucker with the Hat.” He is currently in pre-production on a new short film, Mad Chicken. Previously he wrote/directed Stanford & Son, the second project under his production company, Underbelly Filmworks. His first project was the award-winning horror faux trailer, Wacko Jacko, available on Youtube. Twitter: @moeirvin

TUCKER SMALLWOOD

TUCKER SMALLWOOD (Michael) the eldest son of an educator and diplomat, was a NBC television director before being drafted into the US Army in 1967. He was commissioned as an Infantry Officer and served as an OCS Tactical Officer at Fort Benning, before undergoing Vietnamese language training and jump school. He later commanded a Mobile Advisory Team during the Vietnam War. After recovering from his combat wounds, Smallwood moved to New York to study acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse. He is the author and the Audio Book narrator of Return to Eden, an anthology of 33 essays describing his experiences as an Army advisor in Vietnam, his life as an actor thereafter and his return to Vietnam in 2004. A life-long musician, Smallwood performed all vocals on the delta blues album “Incarnation: “The Robert Johnson Project”. Over the years, Tucker has appeared in numerous television shows including classics like NBC’s Seinfeld, NBC’s Friends, FOX’s Malcolm in the Middle, CBS’s Murphy Brown, as well as Comedy Central’s Workaholics, ABC’s Modern Family, and NBC’s reboot of Will & Grace. He’s also appeared in films such as Pixels, Evan Almighty, among many others.

NELSAN ELLIS

NELSAN ELLIS (Benjamin) was an award-winning film and television actor and playwright, perhaps best known as Lafayette Reynolds on HBO’s True Blood. Nelsan was born on November 30, 1977, in Harvey, Illinois, the son of Jackie Ellis and Tommie Lee Thompson. Following his parents’ divorce, Ellis and his mother moved to Alabama. He moved back to Illinois as a teenager, and graduated from Thornridge High School in Dolton, Illinois, in 1997. Ellis attended Juilliard and, while there, wrote a semi-autobiographical play titled Ugly that was performed at the school and later won the Lincoln Center’s Martin E. Segal Award. Ellis won a 2008 Satellite Award from the International Press Academy for best supporting actor in a television series for his role as Lafayette Reynolds in HBO’s True Blood. He won the “Brink of Fame: Actor” award at the 2009 NewNowNext Awards. Other television roles included appearances on: Elementary, Without a Trace, and Veronica Mars. Film roles included: Lee Daniel’s The Butler, The Soloist, The Help, Roxanne Roxanne, and Secretariat. Tragically, Ellis died at the age of 39 on July 8, 2017, in Los Angeles, California, after complications from heart failure.

AHMED BEST

AHMED BEST (Dexter) began his career in the arts at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City. He was a founding member of the Hip Hop jazz group The Jazzhole. He moved on to star in the Broadway musical Stomp and would later tour both nationally and internationally with the company. Ahmed is best known for the role of Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars Episode One, The Phantom Menace. He would later appear in all three of the Star Wars prequels, and reprise the voice of the role in the beloved Star Wars the Clone Wars series, and Robot Chicken, which earned him the ANNIE award winner Best Actor in a Animated Series. He has appeared in numerous feature films including Mother and Child (Director: Rodrigo Garcia), FDR American Bad ASS (Director Garrett Brawith), Poolboy (Director Garrett Brawith) and Some Guy Who Kills People (Director: Jack Perez). Ahmed has also produced and executive produced projects, including The DL Chronicles, which earned the GLAAD award for Best Anthology series in 2008, and directed the web-series The Bandwagon and This Can’t Be My Life. Twitter: @ahmedbest

CARLEASE BURKE

CARLEASE BURKE (Grace) is a high octane performer who never seems to run out of gas. Over the years, Carlease had appeared in countless films and television shows, including CBS’s Broke, CBS’s Young Sheldon, NBC’s This is Us, ABC’s Mixed-ish, Bravo’s Dirty John, FX’s Dave, Showtime’s Shameless, and was a series regular on the NBC Comedy Crowded.  She can be most recently be seen in the films Child’s Play and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. Under the hood of her production company, Bits N Pieces Productions, Ms. Burke hosted and produced, Laugh-A-Latte, a monthly stand-up comedy show. Her reality solo show, FIFTY! It Doesn’t Look This Good on Everybody was the winner of the Actors Repertory’s 2nd Annual Solo Show Festival.  Carlease’s exhilarating and confident performance of The Nurse in Boston Court’s Romeo & Juliet earned her a nomination for Best Supporting Actress by the NAACP. Other notable credits include The Young and the Restless, Hot in Cleveland, Raising Hope, Hawthorne, Flash Forward, Heroes, Southland, NCIS, Grey’s Anatomy, Bones, The Riches, Desperate Housewives, Malcolm in the Middle, Without a Trace, Monk, How I Met Your Mother and Switched at Birth. Twitter: @carleaseburke

LIZ FEMI

LIZ FEMI (Mirembe) appeared in the final season of Parks and Recreation and was featured in Judd Apatow’s Netflix series, Love. She is set to appear in Ryan Murphy’s upcoming One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest-based Netflix series Ratched, alongside Sarah Paulson, Sharon Stone, and Judy Davis. Born in the UK, raised in Nigeria and the U.S., and having lived on several continents, Liz ‘s international background enhances both her acting and writing. Liz is the writer/creator of the award-winning Take Me To The Poorhouse —a comedy about a middle class Nigerian third grader who dreams of becoming poor in order to win the love of a poor classmate, which earned a NAACP Award nomination for Best One Person Show, Duende Distinction nomination, Best of the Hollywood Fringe 2013 & Best International Show at the Hollywood Fringe 2013. The Los Angeles Examiner called her  “…a masterful storyteller with biting humor…[an] incredible tour de force”. Her work has also garnered the Helen Hayes Award for Best Ensemble (Eclipsed). Liz holds an Masters in Education from the UR International Theatre Program and an MFA in Acting from Harvard University. Twitter: @LizFemi

ANGELA BULLOCK

ANGELA BULLOCK (Ramona) received a 2014 NAACP Theater Award Nomination for Best Female Lead in a local Los Angeles area play. Born in Harlem, New York, to Paul Bullock, a city bus driver and passionate reader, and Lenora Pittman Bullock, a hospital worker with a stunningly beautiful singing voice, Angela fostered a love at a young age. She would go on to attend the LaGuardia High School of Music & Art, and later receive a BA in Music and Liberal Arts from Hunter College before attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.Over the years, Angela has made guest appearances on CBS’s NCIS: Los Angeles, Showtime’s Shameless, and TNT’s Rizzoli & Isles, among others.Twitter: @OKAngelaBullock

SEAN SIMBRO

SEAN SIMBRO (Don) has appeared in numerous film and television projects over the years including ABC’s Castle and CBS’s NCIS: Los Angeles, and a lead role in Sam Peach’s Love Back. He can also be seen the music video for Coldplay’s hit single, “Magic,” and Aloe Blacc’s “Vigil.” Sean is an accomplished theater actor as well, appearing in Supermoon for the IAMA Theater Company, and Crime and Punishment at the Moscow Art Theatre. Sean has an MFA in Acting from Harvard University.

MICHELLE DUNKER

MICHELLE DUNKER (Kylie) is an actor and producer from Danville, California. Michelle is best known for her recurring role on the FX series The Booth at the End, as well as guest appearances on FX’s Sons of Anarchy, Amazon’s Sneaky Pete, and FX’s Justified. In recent years, she has shifted into producing, working as an Associate Producer on the Epix series, Get Shorty, starring Chris O’Dowd and Ray Romano. Twitter:  @michelleldunker

BRANDEE STEGER

BRANDEE STEGER (Serita) is an actor, journalist and screenwriter from Upland, California. She first performed with her husband and producing partner, Michael Steger, in a seventh-grade production of Pyramis and Thisbe. After coincidentally both attending Cal Poly Pomona, they later co-produced and directed Brandee Built on Crazee, a one-woman show which ran for eight weeks to sold-out audiences at the Stella Adler Theatre in Hollywood. Together they’ve produced and co-directed The Wrights, a short film starring Ted Danson, which won best acting at the Culver City film festival, and Not So Union, a comedy web series starring Bayne Gibby (Lady Bird). She is currently working on her independent film, White Like Me. In her training as a young figure skater, Brandee shared the ice with champions like Michelle Kwan, Surya Bonaly, and Sasha Cohen. After realizing she wasn’t going to be an Olympic contender, she pivoted to stage performing, working with acclaimed directors like Howard Storm and Wilson Milam. She’s also starred in the indie film Misfits and made guest appearances on shows like This is Us and I’m Dying Up Here. Brandee has trained with Warner Loughlin and Martin Landau, and is a Lifetime Member of the Actors Studio. Twitter: @BrandeeSteger
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