Russell Boast
Concept/Director/Producer
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Russell’s career in Film, Television and Stage started when, at the age of 11, he conceived, produced and directed the first South African stage version of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “The King and I”. He completed his BA with Honors in English and Communications at the University of South Africa, with a technical degree in Film and Television and went on to produce and direct numerous shows throughout Southern Africa. As a Casting Director he worked with producer Lloyd Phillips and director Martin Campbell on “Beyond Boarders” starring Angelina Jolie. Russell has worked in over 9 countries around the world alongside talents like director John Boorman, with whom he cast the Samuel L. Jackson/ Juliette Binoche film “In My Country”, and Eric Valli winner of an Academy Award for best foreign film “Himalaya”. He most recently cast John Gray’s “White Irish Drinkers”. In the seven years that Russell has been living in Los Angeles, he has been involved in the staging of over 28 theater productions. He is presently one of the most sought after acting coaches in LA. Russell currently works as a Casting Director alongside Rick Pagano (X-Men/ Alien/ Hotel Rwanda) and Debi Manwiller (“24”- The Series) for Pagano/ Manwiller Casting
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Toni Wells-Roth
Executive Producer
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Toni is the CEO and Founder of GIRLVISION—an independent Production Company. Past projects Toni has been involved with include: Hedda Gabler at the Odyssey theatre in 2008; Women With Dogs at the Lex in 2009 and the first GravityWorks show at Cinespace in 2010. Film work includes the indie films: Godzilla—Sony Pictures,1998); Live Nude Girls (1998) and The Preacher’s Wife from Walt Disney released in 1996. Television projects: Mad About You; Friends; Coach, and Hope and Gloria. Currently, Toni has numerous feature film and television projects in development. Toni has and always will work “with and for artists” in order to bring the very best in entertainment to the public. GravityWorks is her latest live entertainment endeavor.
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Danny Cistone
Director
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Film Direction: MONSTER HEROES (post production), WEST OF BROOKLYN. Stage Direction: GROOVALOO (Off-Broadway, The Falcon, El Portal), THE BIG FUNK (Theatre 68), WEST OF BROOKLYN (Theatre 68). Design: Film, TV and Theatre: two-time Ovation Award Nominee, LA Drama Critics Circle Nominee, NAACP Award Nominee. As an actor on Broadway: GYPSY, SHE LOVES ME, GREASE! and Jerome Robbins' autobiographical workshop THE POPPA PIECE playing the young Jerome Robbins. Nat'l Tours: LOST IN YONKERS, GYPSY and GREASE!. Film: AUSTIN POWERS III: GOLDMEMBER, DEUCES WILD, BABY LUV, WEST OF BROOKLYN, SHOCK TV, LIMBO LOUNGE, FRANKENHOOD. Danny co-wrote and starred in the film LUCKY, an HBO Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen selection, featuring his Sketch Comedy Group FOR THE KIDS, marking their second consecutive trip to the Festival. He is a founding member of the 68 cent crew theatre company, and also doubles as Art Director/Performance Artist for the band CARBON 9.
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LAURA KEARSEY Production Stage Manager
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A London, England native, Laura has several exciting film projects and industry meetings in production, including her own Webisode Aliens in Hollywood which she co-wrote. Her previous theater work includes Henceforward by Alan Ayckbourne, the international tour of Kensukes Kingdom Bsc, and Diary of a Catholic Schoolgirl Dropout at Whitmore-Lindley Theatre, Los Angeles. She has also guest starred on The Bill and Waterloo Road.
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Tad Coughenour
www.tadcoughenour.com
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Tad is a 4-year Lymphoma survivor & is filled with GRATITUDE! Tours include: Cabaret; productions with the Rachel Rosenthal Co. (94-2000); Perfect Day (Berlin-ARTS Int. Award); The View from Skyland Drive (Helms Bakery & Athenaeum, Chicago). His Los Angeles theater credits include: The Strip, He Pounces, The Skin of Our Teeth (La Weekly-“Best Revival 2003”) and OklahomO! Film/TV credits include: The Redwoods; Confessions of an Action Star; Bill Viola’s The Raft; Mind of Mencia and Head Cases (Fox).
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Paul Cuneo
www.MovementalLA.com |
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Paul grew up in Nebraska where as a kid he learned clowning and magic from Russ Hanson, the Midwest's Ronald McDonald. He performed his first magic show at 15 and never looked back. Look for Paul as a guest star on Disney's Imagination Movers this season, the Discovery Channel's Lost Tapes and the new feature from Jeremiah Sayys Of Silence. Paul is excited to be performing in his second season of GravityWorks, and this time as a married man! I love you, Michelle! |
| Ben Goldberg www.bengoldberg.com |
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Ben is thrilled to be a part of GravityWorks. Ben is a proud graduate of Carnegie Mellon University. TV and film credits include: NBC’s ER, Delayed, The Emperors Club, and the web series "SMBC." Some of Ben's favorite stage roles include Tick, Tick, ... Boom!, Three Sisters, and Romeo and Juliet. Ben has made numerous concert and cabaret appearances in the Los Angeles area. He will be performing his solo show, Looking Back, in October. Special thanks to my family for their incredible support and love. |
| Leslie Murphy |
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Leslie has been living and acting in Los Angeles since graduating from UC Berkley with a degree in Theater. She has studied with some really wonderful teachers, been cast in some pretty cool plays, and just had her first feature film, White Irish Drinkers premiere at The Toronto Film Festival! Thank you to the BEST FAMILY IN THE WORLD, to GravityWorks for encouraging the crazy people to come out, and to YOU for choosing to spend a Tuesday night hanging out with us. It’ll be fun, I promise! |
| Angela Pupello |
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Angela’s credits include Broadway: The Drowsy Chaperone (original cast and on Grammy-nominated recording), Grease! (Rizzo) and Saturday Night Fever. National Tours include: Les Mis (Eponine), Grease! (Rizzo), Starlight Express. Film/TV: Upcoming Monster Heroes, The Olivia Show, Pizza with Bullets, Parting Words, West of Brooklyn, Law and Order among others. Co-writer and star of Lucky, a U.S. Comedy Arts Festival Official Selection with Sketch Group For the Kids. Founding member of the 68 cent crew theatre co. She is most proud of her vaudevillian toddlers, Francesca and Mariella. |
Bernadette Anne Tyra
www.bernadettetyra.com |
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Bernadette Anne graduated with a BA in Theatre from USC where she performed in 15 productions and was a featured member of the USC Repertory Dance Company for which she choreographed more than 10 pieces. Recently, Bernadette choreographed and starred as Kate in Pirates of Penzance with Mysterium Theater. She was flown to Maryland—multiple times—to co-choreograph the show 13 and her own tribute dance to Michael Jackson’s Thriller for the Musical Theater Center. Special thanks to Russell and the GravityWorks gang for bringing Bernadette into the exciting world of comedy. |
| Adam Marcinowski |
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Adam currently resides in Los Angeles. He is a very sensitive, passionate, mindful and artistic man. Oh wait, this isn’t Strindberg? Ok! GravityWorks rocks and I am honored to part of such a wonderful show. |
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EVAN MCGEE (Head Writer) has written and appeared on stage at the Upright Citizens Brigade and Groundlings theaters in Los Angeles. Prior to realizing the Northeast has two seasons, frigid or muggy, he was a cast member at ImprovBoston and a writer/actor with the NXT at the Improv Asylum. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, he pretty much identifies with everything you hate: hiking, trees, gorp, and rain. He'd like to thank his fiancé for meeting him out East but growing up 10 minutes away in Seattle, thereby saving years of useless getting-to-know-each-other's-hometown.
JENI SUE BIRNBAUM started writing at age 4, when she would practice spelling on her parents’ walls. She later attended the University of Pennsylvania, where she received her BA in English and considers herself “proficient.” She’s a native of Washington D.C. and is a bar trivia enthusiast. If she weren’t a writer she would be an aspiring singer. Aspiring, because she’s a horrible singer. Like, really bad. Really. Bad.
KRIS SHARMA hails from sunny Tampa, Florida. Kris honed his comedy chops for four years in not-so-sunny Chicago before realizing he never wanted to see snow again. Since moving to Los Angeles, Kris has co-written the web series Acting School Academy, as well as the feature film Trade In. Kris is a graduate of the Sanford Meisner Center and is unusually gifted at Rock, Paper, Scissors.
ERIC TOMS At the age of twenty, Eric's sketch comedy troupe, SUTN was picked up by UPN. The next few years he performed stand up with some of his own comedy heroes—Kevin Pollak, Lewis Black, and Dana Carvey. Just three years after moving to Los Angeles Eric landed his own show, Reality Binge, shown on Fox Reality Channel. Eric both wrote and hosted the comedy clip show for the entire run of its twenty six episodes. |
| In alphabetical order… |
KRISTINA BROWN, wardrobe supervisor
SHANE CROWELL, marketing/ from of house manager
PAUL CUNEO, original music
KATY DORE, website design and maintenance
DANIEL HIRSCH, guest chaperone
CHRIS HORVATH, additional music
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