The brilliant jazz musician, Michael Wolff, is an award-winning, internationally acclaimed pianist, composer, bandleader, and now, author. In a long-running musical career, he’s been the musical director for the great Grammy-winning jazz singer, Nancy Wilson, and the award-winning The Arsenio Hall Show. He’s also been a member of Impure Thoughts, Wolff & Clark Expedition, and a co-star with his sons, Nat and Alex, on the series The Naked Brothers Band. Michael’s life story is detailed in his memoir, On That Note, released in 2022. I’ve read On That Note and can tell you Michael writes powerfully and movingly about his time in the jazz world, and his many challenging experiences he’s had while winding his way toward success in both music and life.Michael made his recording debut with Cal Tjader in the mid 1970’s and has since gone on to play and record with some of the greatest jazz musicians in the world, including legends like: Flora Purim and her husband Airto Moreira; Cannonball Adderly; Sonny Rollins, and The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, among many others.He's performed with, and conducted over, 25 symphony orchestras, including those in: Dallas, Fort Worth, Berlin, Atlanta, Memphis and Pittsburgh.Michael’s performed at Carnegie Hall, The Royal Albert Hall, Birdland, Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society, Snug Harbor and Mezzrow, among hundreds of others in the U.S. and around the world.He’s released 21 recordings to critical and popular acclaim. Aside from performing with drummer Mike Clark in Wolff & Clark Expedition, he’s also part of a trio featuring Ben Allison on bass and Alan Mednard on drums. Michael also records and performs in conjunction with jazz radio station WBGO at the Yamaha Piano Salon in New York City.Michael’s a recipient of the BMI Music Award, the winner of the Gold Disc Award in Japan, and the recipient of the Hamptons International Film Festival’s award for best film score for the film, The Tic Code, starring his wife, Polly Draper, Carol Kane, Tony Shalhoub, Gregory Hines and Camryn Manheim. Michael has also composed the scores to other film and TV projects, including The Naked Brothers Band. He also wrote the score for Polly Draper’s 2018 film, Stella’s Last Weekend.

The legendary, highly influential Rock ‘n Roll superstar, Suzi Quatro. Suzi made her stage debut playing bongos in her father’s jazz band, the Art Quatro Trio. At 14, she co-founded the all-girl band, The Pleasure Seekers, with her elder sister, Patti, playing a bass guitar that was as tall as she was. Suzi quickly became the band’s lead singer and front person. They successfully toured for 7 years before changing their name to Cradle. The group was then seen by the successful music producer, Mickie Most. He offered Suzi a solo contract, which eventually led her to working with the hit-making songwriters Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, resulting in her first huge hit, Can the Can, which went to number one in Great Britain, Europe, Japan and Australia, and sold 2.5 million copies worldwide.Suzi has sold over 55 million records. Among her numerous worldwide hits are: 48 Crash, Devil Gate Drive, The Wild One, She’s In Love With You, If You Can’t Give Me Love, and Stumblin In, a duet with Chris Norman.From 1977-79 Suzi played Leather Tuscadero opposite Henry Winkler and Ron Howard in the hit TV Series, Happy Days.  Other TV appearances include: Minder, Dempsey and Makepeace, Absolutely Fabulous, and Midsomer Murders.Among Suzi’s many other creative endeavors: she made her critically acclaimed West End debut in 1986 playing Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun. She wrote music and lyrics with Shirlie Roden for the Tallulah Bankhead musical, Talullah Who?, in which Suzi starred.  She’s even had her own radio shows on BBC Radio 2 since 1999. Her bestselling autobiography, Unzipped, released in 2007, was turned into Suzi’s one woman show which premiered at London’s Hippodrome.In 2016, Suzi released a book of poetry called Through My Eyes. In 2022, she released a second volume of poetry entitled, Through My Heart, Steve highly recommends. Through My Heart is powerfully personal, moving, intense, and quite deep. Suzi writes with passion and conviction, very much from her heart.Her first novel, The Hurricane, was released in 2017, and she’s already at work on the sequel.            Suzi continues to tour and release new albums, including 2019’s No Control, a collaboration with her son, Richard Tuckey, who co-wrote most of the tracks and played guitar. On her latest album, Uncovered, released on Sun Records, Suzi covers 6 classic soul, rock, and pop songs. The excellent documentary, Suzi Q, was released in 2019. Because of the attention it’s received, she’s now signed to do a movie of her life. Suzi remains a major creative force to be reckoned with. Her famous quote says it all, “I will retire when I go on stage, shake my ass, and there is silence.”In 2016, Suzi received an Honorary Doctor of Music Degree from Cambridge University, making her officially Dr. Quatro.

Holly and Kelvin Reed are an up-and-coming musical theatre writing team who also happen to be married to one another. Their most recent effort, True North: A Magical New Holiday Musical, is slated to open in Orlando, Florida for the holiday season in 2022. Holly writes book, lyrics, and music along with Kelvin, who is a composer.Aside from True North, Holly and Kelvin contributed music and lyrics for That’s What Friends Do for Girlhood, The Musical, and for the grade school musical, Camp McAuliffe.Holly is an award-winning designer and the Owner and Creative Director of Reed Creative Group. She’s also the CEO of the popular MusicalWriters.com. She’s a member of ASCAP and the Dramatists Guild.Kelvin has served as a Music Pastor for over 25 years. He’s a choral director, pianist, composer and arranger and has produced several choral recording projects. His choirs have performed all over the United States, including in New Orleans with Lenny Kravitz. He’s also been music director and keyboardist for numerous high school and community theatre productions. Holly also happens to have designed the StoryBeat website, which she also manages.

Writer-director-producer, Amanda Raymond, is a New York transplant living in Los Angeles. Amanda wrote, produced, and directed the feature films, You Are My Home with Alyssa Milano, which can currently be found on Netflix, and My Favorite Girlfriend, that Saban Films released in the summer of 2022 for a limited theatrical run. Amanda also wrote, directed, and produced the award-winning short film noir thriller From Emily, that was on the reduced list for Oscar consideration in 2020. Amanda’s first novel, Son of Sherlock, was published in 2017. She’s currently at work on the sequel to it.

Writer-director, Charlie Peters, was raised in New York City before spending his high school years at Stonyhurst College in Lancashire, England, where he was classmates with the director Charles Sturridge and actor Edward Duke.  Charlie then studied theater at the University of Connecticut and subsequently received a Schubert Fellowship to do graduate work in playwriting at Carnegie Mellon University here in Pittsburgh.  While at CMU, his plays were acted by fellow students including Holly Hunter and Cherry Jones.  After graduating, he returned to New York to work as a playwright. His plays have been produced at La Mama Experimental Theatre Club, Primary Stages, Playwrights Horizons, The Actors Theater of Louisville and The Edinburgh Festival.  In 1978, Charlie was brought to Los Angeles by Columbia Pictures as part of a program looking for new writers, a program that turned out to be little more than a publicity stunt to distract from the bad PR Columbia had received as a result of its head, David Begelman, embezzling money from various actors.  Charlie’s first produced movie, Paternity, is based on a play he’d written while at CMU. It starred Burt Reynolds and was directed by David Steinberg.  He’s had a dozen other movies pr oduced including Blame It On Rio directed by Stanley Donen, Kiss Me Goodbye directed by Robert Mulligan, and Her Alibi, directed by Bruce Beresford. He’s also directed two of his own: Passed Away with Bob Hoskins, Maureen Stapleton and Frances McDormand and Music From Another Room with Jude Law and Brenda Blethyn. Charlie has doctored over forty other produced movies and many more unproduced ones.  Renee Zellweger won The Golden Bear Award at The Berlin Film Festival for the 2010 movie, My One and Only, that Charlie wrote. Hs most recent film was 5 Flights Up based on the novel by Jill Ciment, which starred no less than Morgan Freeman and Diane Keaton.  

Justin Fenton was a reporter for the Baltimore Sun for 17 years. A graduate of the University of Maryland College Park, Justin worked as a reporter and editor for the student newspaper, The Diamondback, and then started at The Sun as an intern. In 2010, Justin’s reporting led to an overhaul in how Baltimore police officers investigate sexual assaults. He was part of the Pulitzer Prize finalist staff recognized for their coverage of the Baltimore riots that followed the death of Freddie Gray. He was also one of the lead reporters who reported on Baltimore’s Gun Trace Task Force Scandal. Justin subsequently wrote a book depicting the entire case called We Own This City, which was later produced by HBO into a mini-series of the same name. Justin himself appears in two episodes of We Own This City, playing a press conference reporter. Along with several state awards, Justin is also a two-time finalist for the national Livingston Award for Young Journalists. The Maryland Daily Record, the local legal and business newspaper, named Justin as an "Influential Marylander".

Candi Milo is the busiest actress in voiceovers today. Among her numerous accomplishments, she was honored to take the mantle of the voice of Granny in all Warner Brothers Animation projects after the passing of the legendary voice talent, June Foray. For example, you heard Candi as Granny in Space Jam 2: A New Legacy with LeBron James, and also in various Looney Tunes cartoons.  She’s well-known for voicing Dexter in Dexter’s Laboratory, The Flea in Mucha Lucha, Coco and Cheese in Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, and literally thousands of other well-known characters. She may well be the voice of your childhood. She also happens to be an Annie Award nominee. Not only has Candi performed voiceover work in countless film and TV projects, you may have seen in her any number of on-camera commercials. On stage, she starred with Jennifer Holliday in the first touring production of Dreamgirls, directed by none other than the renowned, Michael Bennett.             Candi has published a dark comedy memoir, Surviving the Odd, which offers a glimpse into her wildly inappropriate childhood as seen through the eyes of a 7-year-old who unravels the story of how her once prominent-but-now-fading comedian/singer father, Tony, left show business in 1968 to open one of the first board and care homes in California – Milo Arms – to care for and shelter developmentally disabled and emotionally disturbed adults. I’ve read Surviving the Odd, and I can tell you it’s a beautifully written, intense and harrowing tale, but told with incredible heart and a lot of funny stuff, too. We’ll be hearing more about Surviving the Odd shortly. Candi has performed as a singer, stand-up comic, and starred in her one-person nightclub show across the country. She also gives inspirational talks about her unusual childhood and how it informed her life as an actor, mother, and passionate advocate for people dealing with mental illness and homelessness. Much like her father, Candi also gives voice to the homeless because too many people pretend not to see them on the street.For the record, Candi has lent her extraordinary voice talent to a few scripts that Steve has written – including playing Zadavia in the Warner Bros. cartoon, Loonatics Unleashed.

The brilliant actress, Kandis Chappell, has appeared on Broadway in Stephen Sondheim's Getting Away with Murder and Neil Simon's Rumors, and in many of the most prestigious regional theaters across the country.She is an Associate Artist of the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, where she has appeared in more than 30 productions.She’s also worked extensively at South Coast Repertory Theatre in Costa Mesa, California.Kandis has 3 San Diego Theatre Critics Circle awards, and is a 4-time winner of the best performance award from the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle. 

Denise Gossett has been an actress in television and feature films for over 20 years. Denise can be seen in the feature films I Saw the Light, starring Tom Hiddleston, Get the Gringo, starring Mel Gibson, and the Morris Chestnut feature, When the Bough Breaks. Most recently, Denise worked on the romance feature, Gabriel’s Rapture, the thriller, 9 Windows, and a Hallmark movie, Baked with a Kiss.In addition to her acting career, in 2001, Denise founded the extremely popular Shriekfest Film Festival in Los Angeles.  Shriekfest is now in its 22nd year. For the record, a movie that Steve directed and co-produced, Lucky, won the awards for Best Feature and Fan Favorite at the 2003 edition of Shriekfest. 

Naomi Beaty is a screenwriting teacher and consultant who works with writers, producers, and directors at all levels to develop their film and TV projects. Naomi has read thousands of scripts and worked with hundreds of writers, first in development at Madonna and Guy Oseary’s Maverick Films, and currently through group workshops and one-on-one coaching. She also worked alongside Blake Snyder on his book, "Save the Cat Goes to the Movies." And most recently, Naomi has published two books of her own, "The Screenplay Outline Workbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Brainstorm Ideas, Structure Your Story, and Prepare to Write Your Best Screenplay," and "Logline Shortcuts: Unlock Your Story and Pitch Your Screenplay in One Simple Sentence."

Joel Drucker writes literary non-fiction and journalism.  He jokes that he’s “too sensitive to be a hard-boiled journalist – not sensitive enough to be a suicidal poet.”  Joel’s work has appeared in a variety of print and broadcast outlets, ranging from HBO, CBS and Tennis Channel to Racquet Magazine, Cigar Aficionado, and the New York Times.  He’s the author of two books – Jimmy Connors Saved My Life and Don’t Bet on It.  He’s also worked as story editor-researcher on four documentaries.  Tennis is the topic Joel writes about most, in large part a lens through which he sees the world.  Joel is one of the world’s most prominent tennis writers, having authored stories on dozens of notable players and events.  He’s also the historian-at-large for the International Tennis Hall of Fame and one of the co-hosts on a podcast titled “Three – A Show About Federer, Nadal and Djokovic.”  Joel graduated with high honors from UC Berkeley, earning a degree in history – a discipline that greatly informs his work as a writer.    So, for all those reasons and many more, it’s my distinct privilege to welcome the author and journalist, Joel Drucker, to StoryBeat today.  Joel, welcome to the show. 

Cara Friez is an experienced video producer, editor, and educator. She’s currently the Director of Education for the EdTech company, EditMentor, which teaches the art of video storytelling and the technical skills of video creation within a self-paced, interactive curriculum through a cutting-edge web-based platform.Before working for EditMentor, Cara taught editing in Point Park University’s Cinema Arts department, where she held the roles of Assistant Professor, head of the editing concentration, and ultimately Department Chair.  For the record, Cara and I are longtime friends having worked together for many years in the Cinema Department.Cara’s production credits include working with VEX Robotics, WPXI-TV, Discovery Channel, National Geographic, and CBS’s As the World Turns.She’s served on the boards of The Steeltown Entertainment Project, Women in Film and Media Pittsburgh, and was a section manager for SMPTE Pittsburgh. She’s also an Adobe Premiere Pro Certified Expert and an Avid Media Composer Certified User. 

Actor and Director, Apollo Dukakis, is a member and longtime resident artist of the Pasadena, CA based theater company, A Noise Within.  As a professional actor for over fifty years, Apollo has worked off-Broadway and in many prestigious regional theatres across the country, including: The American Conservatory Theatre of San Francisco, The Pasadena Playhouse, The Mark Taper Forum, The Actors’ Theater of Louisville, The Trinity Repertory Theater of Rhode Island, and many others. Along with his sister, the late Olympia Dukakis, he co-founded the Tony nominated Whole Theatre Company of Montclair, New Jersey, where he was Associate Artistic Director, actor, director, and teacher for fifteen years. In Los Angeles, Apollo was a company member of the acclaimed Antaeus Theatre Company. He’s the recipient of the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award, the Dramalogue Critics Award, and the Ovation Award. His film work includes: American Heart with Jeff Bridges and The Last Action Hero with Arnold Schwarzenegger. TV appearances include: Seinfeld, ER, Beauty and the Beast, Doogie Howser, L.A. Law,  and many others. Apollo recently won the Best Actor In a Short Film Award from the London Greek Film Festival for the film Mr. Segur.

Dobie Maxwell has made a successful living in standup comedy since 1985. Starting in 1990, he’s had several stints in morning radio. Dobie has appeared numerous times on national and regional television. And from 1995 to 2020, Dobie taught his "Maxwell Method of Standup Comedy" at Zanies Comedy Clubs in Chicago to more than 3000 students. Dobie’s a published author of a true crime story about his life called "Monkey in the Middle.'' And he currently co-hosts a critically acclaimed podcast about all things diabetes called "Just My Type." Originally from Milwaukee, Dobie currently makes his home in Bristol, Wisconsin, where he continues to tweak and improve his craft for a post pandemic new normal.

Scott McGee is a Senior Director of Original Programming at Turner Classic Movies.  He’s also a programmer for the TCM Classic Film Festival and the TCM Cruise. Scott frequently presents at TCM events and other film festivals.Recently, Scott authored one of the most enjoyable books about the movies that I’ve ever had the pleasure to read. It’s called, Danger on the Silver Screen: 50 Films Celebrating Cinema’s Greatest Stunts. If you like behind-the-scenes stories of how movies are made, and especially about spectacular stunts and the extraordinary people who pull them off, then I cannot recommend Danger on the Silver Screen enough.

Comedy writer and novelist, John Vorhaus, is best known for his comedy-writing classic, “The Comic Toolbox: How to be Funny Even if You’re Not.” His writing credits include dozens of teleplays and screenplays, plus seven novels and numerous books on comedy, writing, creativity and poker. John has taught and trained writers in 37 countries on five continents, and created TV shows of his own in Nicaragua, Romania and elsewhere. His latest book, “the little book of STANDUP,” explores his late-blooming interest in standup comedy. John’s a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University and a member of the Writers Guild of America. 

Entertainment attorney, Robert M. (“Bobby”) Schwartz ,is a partner in Quinn Emanuel’s Los Angeles office and co-chair of the Media & Entertainment Industry Practice. Over the last 30 years, Bobby has become a nationally recognized leader in large-stakes and often precedent-setting cases, particularly in the entertainment and media fields. He’s represented every major motion picture studio and broadcast network, as well as film production companies, pay TV services, video game developers, record companies, recording artists, producers, writers, directors, and actors. Bobby has had extensive experience and success in copyright, trademark, unfair competition, royalties and participations, First Amendment, defamation, employment, and complex business disputes. He has handled more than 100 class action cases around the country. He’s also handled substantial disputes for companies well outside the media industry.

Alan K. Rode is a noted biographer and film scholar. He is the executive producer and host of the long-running Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival. Alan is also the co-programmer and co-host of the Noir City Hollywood and Chicago film festivals. He’s a charter director and treasurer of the Film Noir Foundation, which is dedicated to resurrecting lost films from the classic noir era.  He’s also a frequent presenter at the TCM Classic Film Festival and other events.Alan’s book, Michael Curtiz: A Life in Film, was published in 2017 to rave reviews.  In April 2018, Alan co-hosted an in-depth Michael Curtiz spotlight series on Turner Classic Movies with TCM host Ben Mankiewicz. He also authored Charles McGraw: Film Noir Tough Guy. And he’s published essays and profiles for a variety of publications including his blog, One Way Street. Alan writes and narrates track commentaries while producing and appearing in documentaries on numerous Blu ray releases of classic films, including the Michael Curtiz documentary featurette on The Mystery of the Wax Museum and Doctor X. He has co-produced such Film Noir Foundation film restorations to Blu-ray as Too Late for Tears, Trapped, Los Tallos Amargos, and Repeat Performance, which includes a documentary feature on the history of Eagle Lion Films that he wrote and narrated.  Scheduled for 2022 is Flicker Alley’s release of The Guilty and High Tide.Alan’s latest book about the classic noir western Blood on the Moon will be published in 2022. And he’s currently writing a biography of actress Lizabeth Scott. Be sure to check out Alan’s numerous discussions with Hollywood artists and scholars on his website, alankrode.com. 

This is a StoryBeat Encore episode!You’re likely already a fan of the actor and bestselling author, Cary Elwes, who you surely know from his many starring roles in memorable, popular films, including: The Princess Bride, Lady Jane, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Saw, Kiss The Girls, The Cradle Will Rock, Justice League, and the Billionaire Boys Club among dozens of others. Cary recently starred alongside Michael Sheen and Natalie Emmanuel in The Last Train to Christmas. He’s slated to star alongside Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible 7 for director Christopher McQuarrie. And he’s starring opposite Jason Statham in Guy Ritchie’s next film, Five Eyes. Other recent films include the Netflix feature A Castle for Christmas, as well as the The Unholy, which was produced by Sam Raimi, and the indie film, Best Sellers, opposite Michael Caine.You also know Cary from his numerous appearances on such popular TV shows including: Psych, Stranger Things, Family Guy, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and The Art of More. He also produced and wrote Elvis & Nixon, which starred Kevin Spacey and Michael Shannon. Cary’s first memoir, As Your Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride, became a New York Times Bestseller. It’s an incredibly fun read! 

Karen Leigh Hopkins became a writer, director, and producer because she repeatedly got cut out of films like The Breakfast Club and Three Amigos, and didn’t want to go back to Sandusky, Ohio, and work on a factory line like her mother. With twenty-one bucks to her name, out of desperation, she wrote a screenplay in 12 days and sold it “overnight” which launched her writing career. Karen’s writing credits include Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael, Stepmom, Because I Said So, and Miss Meadows, which she also directed. Karen also wrote and directed A Woman’s a Helluva Thing. She received an Emmy nomination for Showtime’s What Girls Learn, and she won the Humanitas Award for ABC Family’s Searching For David’s Heart. She also sold and produced a branded series for the Web with Sony/Crackle. Karen co-wrote a series of films with Eleanor Coppola called Love is Love is Love, and she was a writer-associate producer on the Apple series Little Voice.Recently, she sold a series called Aqua Tofana to Netflix, for which she is writing the pilot. She’s also writing a feature called Twisted Sister for Sony. And she wrote a horror film, Lil Holly O, that she hopes to direct. Beyond film and TV, Karen’s also working on a book of short stories that cover subjects very meaningful to her like the 99c store, her dog, the miserable state of politics, evil people that get away with evil things, the theater of sex, and more.

Author and educator, Stephen Galloway, joined Chapman University in 2020 as the Twyla Reed Martin Dean of Film and Media Arts at Dodge College.  He’s best known for his role as executive editor and producer at The Hollywood Reporter, where he served for almost 30 years. Stephen created and produced series such as “The Hollywood Masters“ and “Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter.” Over the past decade, Stephen has worked to bring in and support diversity in the entertainment industry. Through a partnership between The Hollywood Reporter and Big Brothers-Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles, he created the award-winning Women in Entertainment Mentorship Program, pairing high school juniors from South Central L.A. with top-level women in film and TV. More than 250 teenagers from disadvantaged backgrounds have participated and gone on to college.Stephen spearheaded The Hollywood Reporter’s new Empowerment in Entertainment event. Oprah Winfrey and Stephen joined forces to launch` a leadership program for young men and women of color called the Young Executives Fellowship.  As an author, in 2017, Stephen published the book Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing and the Making of a Hollywood Groundbreaker. In March of 2022, he published to wide critical acclaim Truly, Madly: Vivien Leigh, Laurence Olivier, and the Romance of the Century.  I’ve read Truly, Madly and can highly recommend it to you as a beautifully written, in-depth story of one of the most passionate, intense, and difficult show business relationships ever.

Actor-singer-dancer-educator, Billy Hartung, has over 1000 performances on the Broadway stage to his credit. Billy’s been featured in three Broadway shows, Side Show, Footloose, and Minnelli on Minnelli. He can also be seen singing and dancing in the Academy Award winning movie musical “Chicago.” You can hear Billy singing on the original soundtrack recordings of all four of the aforementioned shows.He was invited to perform in the 75th Annual Academy Awards. He also performed in the 25th Anniversary of the Kennedy Center Honors, in featured tributes to Chita Rivera & Elizabeth Taylor. A Pittsburgh native, Billy has performed with the Pittsburgh CLO, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, City Theater, The Pittsburgh Playhouse, The Pittsburgh Symphony and Front Porch Theatricals, where he was last seen in the local premiere of the musical, Big Fish, playing the lead role of patriarch, Edward Bloom, a role that made him runner-up for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Performer of the Year.Billy is currently the Executive Director of the Center for Theater Arts, which offers an award-winning professional curriculum of more than 80 classes in the performing arts, including singing, dancing, acting and more. 

Adryan Russ writes music and lyrics for theater, film, television and recordings. Her off-Broadway musical Inside Out, co-written with playwright Doug Haverty, played The Cherry Lane Theater in New York, and has been produced in many theaters across the U.S., in Europe, and for three years in Belgrade, Serbia. Also co-written with Doug Haverty, the musicals Love Again, and iGhost, which is a modern telling of “The Canterville Ghost,” were produced in Los Angeles. Her CD “Everyone Has A Story” showcases cabaret and theater songs. The CD, “Changing My Tune,” features jazz-based new standards co-written with Joel Evans.  One appears in the film Doubt, others in Netflix’s Holidate and Disney+’s WandaVision, and yet another was selected by the Australian Discovery Orchestra for Broadway Records’ CD 16 Stories: New American Musicals. Legendary songstress Sue Raney recorded Adryan’s song “Late In Life,” co-written with Shelly Markham. Barry White recorded Adryan’s “The Better Love Is, The Worse It Is When It’s Over.” And the song “Fire In Me” is performed by emerging artist Luara. A longtime member of ASCAP, The Dramatists Guild, and the Recording Academy, Adryan has served on the board of the Society of Composers & Lyricists. Please stick around after the show to enjoy two great songs, “Top of the World,” co-written with Joel Evans, and sung by Adam James, and “Matters of the Heart,” co-written with Doug Haverty and sung by Tami Tappan Damiano.

Brian Drusky has been a concert and events promoter for more than two decades here in his native Pittsburgh. Brian founded Drusky Entertainment more than ten years ago after many years working with well-known concert promoter DiCesare-Engler Productions, which was one of the region’s top-grossing concert producers, a space in the local entertainment spectrum that Brian now occupies.            Drusky Entertainment currently presents hundreds of live concerts and events every year throughout the Western Pennsylvania region.            One of Brian’s greatest achievements is in helping to bring a wide variety of events and acts to the revered Music Hall of the Carnegie Library of Homestead, ranging from Patti Smith to Frank Caliendo, to Cary Elwes and even William Shatner, the latter two of which I know a little, since I was privileged to moderate the Question and Answer sessions for both events. 

Andy Marx is an award-winning photographer, writer, and musician, whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Entertainment Weekly, Premiere, Movieline, and Cigar Aficionado, among others. His photography has been exhibited throughout the world, including in the U.S., Europe, and Israel.In 2020, Andy's first novel, “Royalties,” was published to enthusiastic reviews. The multi-generational, historical romance is based on the lives of his paternal grandfather, the legendary comedian, Groucho Marx, and his maternal grandfather, the renowned songwriter, Gus Kahn, whose hits include "It Had to Be You," "Makin' Whoopee," and "Dream a Little Dream."Andy has produced special programming for Sirius/XM’s “Siriusly Sinatra” channel. And he’s currently recording an album of many of his grandfather’s most famous songs. The first single, “Ukulele Lady,” was recently released.Andy co-founded the popular comedy website, Hollywood & Swine, known for its lampooning of Hollywood. Entertainment Weekly referred to it as "The Onion of the entertainment industry.” He currently serves as an advisor to Paradox, a technology company dedicated to streamlining the dealmaking process for everyone from writers to distributors. 

The prolific playwright and screenwriter, Myla Lichtman Fields, received training at The Juilliard School of Drama and a Ph.D. in Communications-Drama with a minor in film from the University of Southern California.  As a staff writer at Universal Studios, she penned episodic TV shows, Movies of the Week, and an NBC special.  Myla’s play, Felix & Fanny, will be presented in November, 2022, at the Barbican Centre's Milton Court Theatre in London featuring The Carducci String Quartet.   California Artists Radio Theatre recorded Felix & Fanny with Michael York and Samantha Eggar, airing it on NPR and Sirius XM radio.  Felix & Fanny is the first of Myla’s 4 Musicmakers Plays.  California Artists Radio Theatre also recorded Brigid of Kildare, featuring Samantha Eggar, Monte Markham, and a star-studded cast.  Olympia Dukakis read the lead role of Sara in Myla’s play, Learning to Dance in the Rain in New York City. It was also a semi-finalist in the Ashland New Play Festival and a Finalist in the IATI Theatre Award Contest.Myla’s plays, The Stone of Kilhara and The Peacemakers were read at San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre.  The Peacemakers won 2nd place in the Stage & Screen contest and was workshopped at The O’Neill Playwriting Conference Center in CT.Sixteen of Myla’s plays are available through Lulu.com.

Ed Driscoll is an Emmy Award-winning comedian, writer and producer who’s worked with some of the biggest stars in the entertainment industry including Billy Crystal, Morgan Freeman, Joan Rivers, Michael Bublé, Justin Timberlake and Dennis Miller – just to name a few! From variety shows to sitcoms to movies to live theater, Ed has been a performer, writer, and producer at the highest levels of his field for over 25 years.            Ed’s written for shows including: The Academy Awards (for which he received an Emmy nomination), Comic Relief, Stand Up To Cancer, ESPN’s ESPY Awards, Whose Line Is It Anyway, Dennis Miller Live (for which he won both an Emmy and Writers Guild Award), Sabrina The Teenage Witch, Melissa & Joey, The Showbiz Show with David Spade, I Kid with Brad Garrett, Michael Buble’s Christmas in New York, The Drew Carey Show, Ultimate Beastmaster, Still Laugh-In, and The Final Table. Ed has also written stage material for big acts like Robin Williams, Bob Newhart, Howie Mandel and Louie Anderson. 

Lighting Designer, Paula Dinkel, fell in love with stage lighting in junior high school.  Her dance and music training were a perfect lead-in to a life in entertainment lighting design.  Growing up in a military family prepared her for frequent travel and overseas relocations.She earned her BA, MA and MFA from Cal State University Fullerton in both lighting and scene design. While a student, she worked as an assistant technical director, and became a founding member of the Cabaret Dinner Theater in Fullerton CA.  Paula taught part time at Golden West College, Cal State San Bernardino, and full time for a year at USC in Los Angeles. In 1980, Paula was recruited by WED Enterprises (now Walt Disney Imagineering) and began her 38+ year career in theme park lighting design.  Her most notable design projects include numerous shops, restaurants, and landscapes at Disneyland. She was the lead lighting designer for DisneyQuest at Walt Disney World and Chicago, and for Club Disney and Disney Studios Paris. Her favorite project is the Rock’n Roller Coaster Avec Aerosmith at Disney Studios Paris.Her continuing role as an educator includes working with stage lighting and controls manufacturer ETC on their student sponsorship and mentoring program.Now retired from Disney, she consults on theme park projects, including on site lighting direction for the Motiongate Theme Park in Dubai.Paula is also one of the contributing authors of the book “Women of Walt Disney Imagineering: 12 Women Reflect on Their Trailblazing Theme Park Careers.” 

Marcus Stevens is a New York based writer, actor and director. He wrote the book and lyrics for the award winning musical, Mythic, along with composer Oran Eldor.  Mythic was a winner of the NAMT Festival and subsequently had successful productions in both London and Montreal. The London production of Mythic also gave birth to an Original Cast Album, produced by Broadway Records. Marcus’s professional writing career began by winning the Richard Rodgers Award for Red, which he wrote with composer Bree Lowdermilk. His show Yo, Vikings! with composer Sam Willmott, was featured in the HBO Documentary, Song of Parkland, and has been produced all over North America. Marcus and composer, David Dabbon, were commissioned by the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera to write the original musical, Game On, which was produced during the CLO’s 2019 season. Marcus has developed, directed and contributed material to Theaterworks USA’s Dragons Love Tacos and Other Stories, which enjoyed a two-year U.S. tour. His family musical Wake Up, Daisy! with Composer Sam Willmott, will be produced at the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theater in Central Park in the Spring of 2022.  Marcus directed Tony Nominee Josh Young in his concert, Josh Young Sings Andrew Lloyd Webber, which has been performed across the United States. Marcus’s acting credits include the off-broadway productions of Forbidden Broadway: Alive and Kicking! and Forbidden Broadway Comes Out Swinging! He’s featured on both original cast recordings. He also played the D’Ysquith Family in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder at the Florida Rep. Company, and God in An Act of God at the Pittsburgh Public Theater. 

The writer, Jon Krampner, is a native of Brooklyn. He spent the Carter administration getting fired from small newspapers, then moved in 1980 to Los Angeles, where he taught English as a Second Language for 27 years in the adult division of the Los Angeles Unified School District. This provided him with the economic basis to produce his critically acclaimed but non-bestselling books, The Man in the Shadows: Fred Coe and the Golden Age of Television, Female Brando: The Legend of Kim Stanley, and Creamy and Crunchy: An Informal History of Peanut Butter, the All-American Food. His next book, Ernest Lehman: The Sweet Smell of Success, will be published by the University Press of Kentucky in fall of 2022. 

The brilliant, multi-talented Frank Ferrante, has enjoyed a 35-year career in the theater as an actor, director and producer.At age 23, he debuted Off-Broadway in the title role in Groucho: A Life in Revue written by Arthur Marx, son of the legendary comedian Groucho Marx. For that role, Frank won New York’s Theatre World Award and a New York Outer Critics Circle nomination. He revived the role in London’s West End, where he was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for ‘Comedy Performance of the Year.’ Since then, he’s reprised the role more than 3,000 times in over 500 cities throughout the world primarily in his touring solo show An Evening With Groucho, which was filmed at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and re-titled Frank Ferrante’s Groucho for broadcast on PBS.The Chicago Tribune named Frank a 2019 top ten theater performer for his work as comic host, The Caesar, in the cirque spectacular, Teatro ZinZanni – a role he’s played for 20 years. At Philadelphia’s Walnut Street Theatre, he directed and played the lead role of Pseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, which the Wall Street Journal called one of the country’s top 10 performances of 2017.In 1995, he directed and developed the world premiere of the Pulitzer Prize finalist Old Wicked Songs.On television, he played a speaking mime on Rob Corddry’s Emmy Award-winning comedy, Childrens Hospital, and his voice can be heard on the animated series SpongeBob SquarePants and Garfield. In October 2021, Frank received a 'star' on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars for his contributions to theater.

The extraordinary movie and TV producer, Chris Moore, has returned to StoryBeat for the third time. You know Chris’s work from such memorable and popular movies like Good Will Hunting, the American Pie movies, Promised Land, The Adjustment Bureau, Manchester by the Sea, and such TV series as Project Greenlight and The Chair.On today’s StoryBeat, which was recorded in February of 2022, we’ll continue to explore what’s happening in Hollywood during the time of Covid. Chris is on the forefront of motion picture production, and we’re truly fortunate to gain his great insight into the ever shifting landscape of today’s entertainment industry.

Douglas Levine is a composer, pianist, music director and educator based right here in Pittsburgh. He’s the composer/co-lyricist of the new musical Claws Out!, which was  filmed and premiered online in 2020 by City Theatre. He’s also the composer/lyricist of Jazz Time!, a new musical filmed and streamed online in 2021 by The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Arts Education Dept. Douglas’s original scores have been premiered by such companies as: Pittsburgh Public Theater, Microscopic Opera Company, The Warhol, The Playhouse REP, Conservatory and Junior Companies, Attack Theatre, Pennsylvania Dance Theatre, Pittsburgh Classical Theatre, Dreams of Hope, Gateway to the Arts, Renaissance City Women’s Choir, Pittsburgh Musical Theater, Opera Theatre  of Pittsburgh and WQED FM. Please be sure to stick around at the end of the show, because Doug has given us a great treat. We’ll hear three of his songs, The Mother Age, Not That Kind of Lawyer, and Zoey and Jake. 

The noted screenwriter and teacher, Scott Myers, has written over thirty movie and TV projects at almost every major Hollywood studio and broadcast network. Scott’s screenwriting credits include K-9, Alaska, and Trojan War. Since 2008, Scott has hosted GoIntoTheStory.com, the official screenwriting blog of the Black List, which was named the Best of the Best Scriptwriting Website by Writer’s Digest Magazine. He’s also the author of the book, The Protagonist’s Journey: An Introduction to Character-Driven Screenwriting and Storytelling.  Available April 2022.Scott is currently an assistant professor of screenwriting at DePaul University.

Charles Rosenay has been in the entertainment business for over four decades as an actor, promoter, music aficionado, entertainer, MC, DJ, humorist, and author.Most recently, he released the highly acclaimed book, Monsters, Celebrities, Actors, Athletes, and Rock Stars: The Book of Top 10 Horror Lists, which contains 100 top ten lists from pop-culture notables. Charles even include Steve Cuden’s Top 10 Horror list in his truly wonderful book.  Since 1978, Charles has produced Beatles Conventions and Festivals, and since 1983 he’s been the organizer and host of the “Magical History Tour” which brings Beatles fans to Liverpool and London. For over 20 years, Charles published and edited one of the world’s most famous Beatles/Sixties magazines, “Good Day Sunshine.” Charles has also promoted Monkees conventions since the early 80s. As an MC, Charles has shared the stage with countless entertainment figures, including Charles Grodin, Geraldo Rivera, and the late Danny Aiello. Charles was an on-air host on the QVC/Home Shopping Network. He’s also a professional comedic auctioneer, and has developed the horror host persona of “Cryptmaster Chucky” for Scared Stiff TV.Additionally, Charles is an accomplished actor with credits on over 40 films, TV shows, and commercials. He has appeared in Flight of the Conchords, All Screwed Up, The Truth About Lies, Kvetch, The Sadist, and the webisode series Winners. He was most recently featured in the thriller, Night at The Eagle Inn. Charles also leads Dracula Tours in Transylvania and GHOSTours in England.

The brilliant, Emmy Award-winning composers that comprise Dynamic Music Partners, Michael McCuistion, Lolita Ritmanis and Kristopher Carter, constantly push the envelope of innovative collaboration in TV series, films, video games and live performance events. Emmys, Annies and an Academy Award have graced productions containing their music since the beginning of their careers. From New York’s Lincoln Center to The Hollywood Bowl and beyond, their live concert music has received critical acclaim. Stars of stage and screen, including Mark Hamill and Neil Patrick Harris, have performed songs written by this dynamic trio. From “Batman: The Animated Series” to “Young Justice,” “Marvel’s Avengers Assemble” and “Teen Titans,” they create signature musical worlds that iconically represent each.

The extraordinarily multi-talented Corky Hale is widely considered to be the most accomplished jazz harpist in the world—as well she’s an exceptional pianist and singer. Corky has performed at the White House with Tony Bennett, soloed with Barbra Streisand at the Hollywood Bowl and Central Park, with Bjork on her MTV special, and with George Michael at Royal Albert Hall.  And she’s played and/or recorded with no less than Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Nat King Cole, June Christy, Anita O’Day, Roberta Flack, Melissa Manchester, Judy Collins, Mel Torme, Chet Baker, Joe Williams, Benny Carter, and numerous others.            Corky made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2007, as a pianist, with the New York Pops Orchestra and was among the stars at the 2011 Mary Lou Williams Festival at the Kennedy Center.Corky is the only woman to have played for Billie Holiday and she performs an annual Billie Holiday Birthday Concert at the Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood.            For more about Corky, please be sure to check out the book, “Corky Hale Uncorked: A Life of Music, Marriage, and Making a Difference.” Of note, Corky’s been married for 50+ years to the legendary composer Mike Stoller, who, along with his writing partner, Jerry Lieber, created some of greatest, most popular song hits in music history.

Robert Miller is a musician who followed his youthful dream later in life and became a Rock Star when he was in his 60s, an age when most people are planning their retirement. He’s living proof that you’re never too old, and it’s never too late, to follow your dream.In just 5+ years Robert and his band, Project Grand Slam, have released 10 celebrated albums, including a Billboard #1, have had over 4 million video views, over 1 million Spotify streams, and gained more than 50,000 Facebook fans. He’s played festivals and concerts around the world and opened for Edgar Winter, Blues Traveler, Boney James, Mindi Abair, and an after-show for YES.In March 2021 Robert started the Follow Your Dream Podcast to inspire and motivate others to pursue and succeed at their dream – whatever it may be. Robert’s initial podcast guests have included “Cousin Brucie” Morrow, America’s most famous radio personality; Anton Fig, drummer on The David Letterman Show; Mort Crim, longtime Detroit television anchor; Robert Funaro, star of The Sopranos; Steve Katz of Blood Sweat & Tears; and I’m pleased to say I’ve managed to sneak on as a guest, too.  Robert wrote the Follow Your Dream Handbook to accompany the podcast. The handbook is part memoir, telling his unique and compelling story, and part how-to, explaining his DREAM theory - the exact steps that he followed and that readers can follow in order to pursue and succeed at their dream.  

The brilliant actor, singer, and director, Robert Cuccioli, is renowned for his critically acclaimed, Tony-nominated dual performance as the good Dr. Henry Jekyll and his sinister alter ego, Mr. Edward Hyde, in Jekyll & Hyde, The Musical. Prior to his sensational run in Jekyll & Hyde on Broadway, Robert dazzled audiences across America in the show’s pre-Broadway, first national tour. Both the tour and Broadway featured Linda Eder and Christiane Noll. For Broadway, Robert received Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and FANY Awards for Outstanding Actor in a Musical. For the record: April 28, 2022, marks the 25th Anniversary of Jekyll & Hyde, The Musical opening at Broadway's Plymouth Theater (now called the Schoenfeld Theater).Robert’s other Broadway appearances include playing Javert in Les Miserables, and his high-flying performance in another dual role, Dr. Norman Osborn aka The Green Goblin in the rock musical Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark. Robert’s first big break was playing Lancelot opposite the legendary Richard Harris’s King Arthur in the U.S. and Canadian tours of Camelot. He’s also performed in Kander and Ebb’s, And The World Goes ‘Round, Off-Broadway as Nathan in The Rothschilds, and years later as Mayer Rothschild in Rothschild and Sons, which was also staged in London’s off-West End.Robert’s undertaken challenging roles at numerous theaters all over the U.S., appearing in Maury Yeston’s and Arthur Kopit’s Phantom of the Opera, leading roles in numerous productions of Shakespeare plays, and in classic plays and musicals like Amadeus, 1776, Guys and Dolls, South Pacific, The Sound Of Music, Funny Girl, Oklahoma!, The Man of La Mancha, Jesus Christ Superstar and many more. He’s created roles in new musicals and plays, including, White Guy on The Bus, A Moon To Dance By (with Jane Alexander), and Bikeman: A 9/11 Play, among others.TV credits include: The Sinner, Elementary, White Collar, Baywatch, Sliders, recurring roles on All My Children, One Life To Live, Loving and The Guiding Light. Also, you can see Robert in such movies as: The Stranger, The Rest of Us, Impossible Monsters, Columbus on Trial, and Woody Allen's Celebrity. As a director Robert has staged Jekyll & Hyde at Houston’s Theatre Under The Stars, the Westchester Broadway Theatre, North Shore Music Theatre, and here in Pittsburgh at the CLO. He’s also directed productions of The Glass Menagerie and The Merchant of Venice at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. Robert has sung at a host of venues around the U.S., and his exceptional voice can be heard on the original Broadway cast recording of Jekyll & Hyde, and on the cast recordings of Rothschild and Sons, And The World Goes ‘Round, The Maury Yeston Songbook, and Jacques Brel Is Alive And Well And Living In Paris. And please be sure to check out Robert’s debut solo album, The Look Of Love.             Please note: our humble apologies for technical audio issues mid-show that were beyond our control. Despite the less than ideal sound quality, Robert gives us the gift of his great experience and deep wisdom 

You’re likely already a fan of the actor and bestselling author, Cary Elwes, who you surely know from his many starring roles in memorable, popular films, including: The Princess Bride, Lady Jane, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Saw, Kiss The Girls, The Cradle Will Rock, Justice League, and the Billionaire Boys Club among dozens of others. Currently, Cary is a co-lead alongside Michael Sheen and Natalie Emmanuel in The Last Train to Christmas. He’s slated to star alongside Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible 7 and 8 for director Christopher McQuarrie. He’s starring opposite Jason Statham in Guy Ritchie’s next film, Five Eyes. He recently wrapped the Netflix feature A Castle for Christmas, as well as the The Unholy, which was produced by Sam Raimi, and the indie film Best Sellers opposite Michael Caine.You also know Cary from his numerous appearances on such popular TV shows including: Psych, Stranger Things, Family Guy, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and The Art of More. He also produced and wrote Elvis & Nixon, which starred Kevin Spacey and Michael Shannon.  Cary’s first memoir, As Your Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride, became a New York Times Bestseller. If you haven’t had the opportunity to read this outstanding book, please get yourself a copy.  It’s an incredibly fun read! 

Melody Thomas Scott is best known for her Emmy-nominated work in the iconic role of Nikki Reed, aka Nikki Newman, a character she’s played for forty years and counting on America’s number-one daytime television drama The Young and the Restless. She’s also appeared in feature films with the likes of Clint Eastwood and John Wayne, and worked with esteemed directors like Alfred Hitchcock, Don Siegel and Brian De Palma. Her new memoir “Always Young and Restless,” from Diversion Books, and written with one of OUR favorite StoryBeat guests, Dana L. Davis, is now widely available at fine booksellers everywhere. I’ve had the opportunity to read “Always Young and Restless,”  and I can tell you it’s wonderfully heartfelt and thoroughly entertaining. I highly recommend it.Melody is also known for her charitable efforts with the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Television Cares and the Save the Earth Foundation. She lives with her husband, Producer Edward Scott, and beloved rescue terrier, Reilly, in Beverly Hills, California 

The extraordinary actor-producer-writer and director, Bryan Cranston, is an Academy Award nominee, and the winner of the Emmy®, Golden Globe, SAG, Tony® and Olivier Awards.Bryan is best known for his portrayal of Walter White on AMC’s Breaking Bad and as Hal in Fox’s Malcolm in the Middle. In 2021, he was seen starring in the Showtime limited series, Your Honor, which he also executive produces.Recently, Bryan was in El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, also on the big screen starring opposite Kevin Hart and Nicole Kidman in The Upside, and streaming on Disney+ in The One and Only Ivan. Bryan made his Broadway debut as President Lyndon B. Johnson in All TheWay, winning the Tony Award for his efforts. He went on to produce the film adaption of the play through his production company, Moonshot Entertainment. And in 2019 he finished a Broadway run of Network based on the iconic film written by Paddy Chayefsky, for which he won his second Tony Award.Moonshot Entertainment has also developed three television series for Amazon including Sneaky Pete, The Dangerous Book for Boys, and Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams, and also the animated series SuperMansion for Sony Crackle.Aside from his acting career, Bryan is the New York Times bestselling authorof his terrific autobiography, A Life In Parts, in which he revisits the many parts he’s played on and off camera. Ultimately his memoir is illuminating about the transformative power of hard work. Bryan proudly released an artisanal Mezcal, “Dos Hombres” with his longtime friend and occasional “cooking” partner, Aaron Paul.In 2016, StoryBeat host, Steve Cuden, had the great privilege of interviewing Bryan live on stage at Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 

StoryBeat is delighted to offer up this encore episode of the great actor-director Michael Dorn, who is best known for his longtime popular portrayal of Klingon Starfleet officer Lieutenant (later Lt. Commander) Worf in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Michael has appeared more times as a regular cast member than any other Star Trek actor in the franchise's nearly 55-year history, spanning some 272 TV episodes and 5 feature films. He also appeared as Worf's ancestor, Colonel Worf, in the film Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. 

Theatrical producer, talent manager, and press agent, Alan Eichler, has represented or produced numerous stage productions, including: The Dirtiest Show in Town, Women Behind Bars, The Neon Woman, Timbuktu, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, and Dreamgirls.

The brilliant jazz guitarist, Adam Hawley, has had nine #1 hits. In 2015, Adam signed with Kalimba Music, which was founded by Maurice White of Earth, Wind, & Fire. His first offering on the Kalimba label featured Brian Culbertson, Gerald Albright, Euge Groove, Eric Darius and Michael Lington. And in 2016, Adam was named both Smooth Jazz News and JazzTrax Debut Artist of the Year.

Gary Flannery is a professional dancer, choreographer and director who’s toured the world as Shirley MacLaine’s performance partner. He’s been a Principal Dancer in Hollywood movies and on many TV Shows. He became Bob Fosse’s protégé after receiving scholarships in ballet at Juilliard and in George Balanchine’s School of American Ballet. Gary subsequently became Fosse’s lead dancer on Broadway in Pippin and Dancin’, and was Principal Dancer in Fosse’s brilliant movie, All That Jazz! 

Peter Jurasik has made hundreds of appearances on TV, playing a wide variety of characters in both comedies and dramas. Peter’s been a regular cast member in three television series and a recurring character on another seven series. However, audiences seem to remember him best for his regular performances on Hill Street Blues as Sid, their resident snitch, and later as alien ambassador, Londo Mollari on Babylon 5.  

Shannon Bradley-Colleary is a novelist and screenwriter who wrote the screenplay for the film To The Stars, which screened in the U.S. Dramatic Features category at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. Kim Yutani, the festival’s Director of Programming said: “To The Stars tells a timeless, beautiful story of young women at a critical point in their lives.” 

Producer, director, and actor, Adam Weinstock, is the co-owner of Red Spear, LLC and President of Creative Concept Productions.  He’s also Chairman of the Board of Emerging Artists Theatre.