Hollywood Fringe 2019 — World Premiere
Cast
James Everts
Allie Costa
Allie Costa always has energy to burn and a song to sing. Her theatre credits include Spring Awakening, Alien vs. Musical, Little Miss Scrooge, Hamlet, and Wake. Film/TV credits include 90210, You Me & Her, The Hopes,and What She Said. Allie is also a prolific playwright and screenwriter whose works have been produced internationally, including the critically-acclaimed Two Girls, Femme Noir, Phantom Pains, Mindstream, and Can You Keep a Secret? She’s also appeared in commercials, narrated audio books, and lent her voice to video games. Occasionally, she sleeps. www.alliecosta.com www.imdb.me/alliecosta
Jordan Mitchell-Love
Melvin Biteng
Melvin Biteng is an actor and singer-songwriter that came from the Philippines in 2011 to attend college at AMDA in both LA and NY. He graduated in 2014 with a BFA in Performing Arts and since then he’s worked on a multitude of projects. Some credits include: Princeton/Rod in Avenue Q, Ray Harimoto in Letters To Eve, Eddie in Mamma Mia!, Bun Foo in Thoroughly Modern Millieand more. He was also a top 10 male contestant in LA’s Next Great Stage Star 2015. He is excited to be working on another show once again with New Musicals Inc. You can find and listen to Melvin’s all-original music EP titled “Emoceans” on iTunes/Apple Music or Spotify. You could also catch him in cafés or bars around town, singing with his acoustic guitar. Shoutout to his Manager Debi and his Theatre Agent Jim with the Movement Team! You can follow Melvin on Instagram or Twitter @mbiteng. Thanks to God, Asia Ring, my family and my friends. #AncoraImparo
Andrew Landecker
Andrew Landecker is thrilled to be a part of The Bully Problem family! He recently performed in Chicago the Musical (Amos) at CPAEC. Andrew is a recent 2019 graduate of Calabasas High School’s Theater Arts, AME (Arts Media and Entertainment) and Comedy Sportz Improvisation Programs. Andrew is excited to continue his career in the arts. Thank you to The Bully Problem creative team for the opportunity to be a part of this fantastic new musical. Andrew would also like to thank his family, and friends for all their support. ENJOY THE SHOW!
Hallie Meyer
Josh Hillinger
Josh is thrilled to join the cast and crew of The Bully Problem, and to welcome you to our exciting new musical debut here at the Hollywood Fringe. This is Josh’s fourth Fringe, having previously appeared as Meowth in The Pokémusical (2013), Ivan in Giraffenstein (2014), and Sonny Schultz in Merely Players (2015), all directed by Joanna Syiek with Color and Light Theatre Ensemble. Other recent roles include Bill Slank in Peter and the Starcatcher (Domino One Productions), Costard in Love’s Labour’s Lost (Young Artists 4Ever), and as The Penguin in the Arkham Asylum maze (Warner Bros’ Horror Made Here). Josh received his BA in theatre from San Francisco State, performed in Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding and worked with SF Sketchfest and Point Break Live for two years before moving to LA. He grew up with Comedy Sportz, trained with Groundlings, UCB and Wet the Hippo. Josh joined Color and Light Theatre Ensemble in 2012, where other favorite roles include John Quincy Adams in Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson, and Dude 2 in Things to Ruin. Special thanks and shout-out to The Bully Problem family, Fringe staff and volunteers, fearless leader Joanna, friends old and new, blood relatives, and supporters of live theatre everywhere. See you at Fringe Central!
Socks Whitmore
Clint Blakely
Clint Blakely is an actor, musician, and educator. He is grateful to The Bully Problem folks for the opportunity to return to musical theatre after a brief hiatus, during which he finished up a music degree and performed in non-musical plays. Most recently, he has been seen on L.A. stages as the villainous Donovan Hickock in the absurdist western Lady Injustice and Perseus in Project Nongenue’s The Tragedy of Medusa. Regionally, he has performed leading roles at Theatricum Botanicum and Santa Cruz Shakespeare. Clint’s most prized possession is his tofu press. Lots of love to Mom, Dad, Grandma, and Aliana.
Frankie Zabilka
Frankie Zabilka received his BFA in Musical Theatre from Ball State University in 2018. Favorite theatre credits include Frank Abagnale Jr. in Catch Me If You Can, Albus Potter in 19 Years Later, Mark Cohen in Rent, Huck Finn in Big River, and Pinocchio in Shrek the Musical. In 2017, he won first place in Adam Sandler’s Sandy Wexler Contest and continues to perform comedy regularly at Flapper’s Comedy Club. He would like to thank Joanna, Mike, and the whole Bully Problem team for welcoming him into this cast. IG: @frankiezabilka
Jayna Sweet
Tianna Cohen
Adam Ballard
Adam is an actor living in Los Angeles. You may have seen him in many regional and national commercials including Men’s Warehouse, HBO, McDonalds, and IHOP. His recent Theatre credits include: La Jolla Playhouse: Accomplice; Theater Asylum’s Bard Fiction (Pulp Shakespeare), Color and Light Theatre Company: Merely Players. He will also be recurring in a web-series set to air later this year titled I Would Have Kissed You. When Adam is not performing, he is pursuing a BA in Philosophy, living with his lady friend, and dreaming of the day they get a cat together.
Malissa Marlowe
Malissa Marlow is so thrilled to be rejoining this wonderful production of The Bully Problem! A graduate of California Lutheran University with a BA in Musical Theatre, as well as an original SLAFPOCer, she is very excited and honored to continue to be apart of the growth of this amazing show. Many, many thanks to her family and friends who continue to love and support her throughout the realization of her dreams, and special thanks to Michael Shapiro, Joanna Syiek, and Jenn Dupre for allowing her to join the team! Some of her past credits include: Ginny Weasley/ McGonagall (19 Years Later), First Fairy (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Janet (The Drowsy Chaperone), Martha (Spring Awakening), Susan Snell (Carrie the Musical), Rosie (Cabaret).
Casey Hunter
Creative
Joanna Syiek
Elise Dewsberry
Elise Dewsberry, Artistic Director of New Musicals Inc., has been involved in the development of new works for over forty years: as an actor/singer, as a director, as a dramaturge, and as a writer. While living in Toronto, Elise served as the Assistant Artistic Director of the Muskoka Festival; the Co-Ordinator of the festival’s annual Musical Theatre Writer’s Colony, the Associate Dramaturge of the Canadian Stage Company; the Resident Dramaturge of the Smile Theatre Company; and was the co-founder of Toronto’s Script Lab. Elise spent many years touring Canada with Nine Months – a one-woman musical which she commissioned from writers Carl Ritchie and Stephen Woodjetts. Elise and Carl also co-wrote Any Body Home?, which was produced by the Cordova Bay Theatre in Victoria, British Columbia, and published by Dramatic Publishing. Elise joined ANMT as Associate Artistic Director in 2003; joined Founding Artistic Director John Sparks as Co-Artistic Director in 2010; and became Artistic Director of New Musicals Inc. in 2013. Elise has served as a member of the Selection Committee for the National Alliance of Musical Theatre’s annual Festival of New Works, and is currently a Los Angeles Ovation Award Voter. Elise is also the author and evaluator of the Book Lab and the Outlining Lab, offered online through www.writingmusicaltheatre.com. Elise is ecstatically married to cellist Stephen Green, and they are the proud parents of political organizer Rebecca Green.
Michael Gordon Shapiro
Michael Gordon Shapiro writes music for movies, games, the concert hall, and the stage. Occasionally he puts pen to paper as book writer and lyricist as well. Other theatrical projects include Super Sidekick: The Musical (co-written with Gregory Crafts, and published by Samuel French), Gideon and the Blundersnorp, and the short musical anthology A Feast of Snacks. His favorite robot is V.I.N.CENT from Disney’s The Black Hole.
Visit Michael online at www.mikemusic.com.
Jenn Dupre
Jenn Dupre is excited to be making not only her NMI debut, but her L.A. debut as well. PSM Credits include: Mamma Mia, How I Became a Pirate (Cape Rep Theatre); Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great (ArtsPower National Touring Theatre); Beauty and the Beast, The Jungle Book, James and the Giant Peach, Footloose (Encore at the Point); The Maids (California Institute of the Arts), The Madwoman of Chaillot (Break-A-Leg Productions). ASM Credits include: The Tuna Goddess (Cape Rep Theatre); Hedda Gabler (California Institute of the Arts).
Jennifer Linn
Jennifer Lin works as a music director, accompanist, and teacher throughout Southern California. She is the resident music director for Color and Light Theatre Ensemble. Recent productions include Matilda (5 Star Theatricals), XY (NAMT Festival of New Musicals), LIZZIE (Color and Light Theatre Ensemble), Priscilla: Queen of the Desert (Celebration Theatre – Ovation Nominee for Musical Direction), Hit the Wall (LA LGBT Center), A Little Night Music (Colony Theatre), and Promises, Promises (Musical Theatre Guild). Previous Hollywood Fringe Festival credits include The Spidey Project (Theatre Unleashed) and Color and Light’s productions of Merely Players, Giraffenstein, and The Pokémusical (HFF winner for Best Musical and Best of Fringe).
Mitchell Webb
Graydon Schlichter
Graydon Schlichter is an actor, sound designer, and voiceover artist living in Los Angeles. As a designer he has worked extensively with Theatre Unleashed and The Santa Monica Theatre, as well as with various production companies at prior Hollywood Fringe festivals and elsewhere. Already an audiobook narrator, Graydon started designing sound for productions he was performing in that otherwise lacked a dedicated designer. Now that he’s been well and truly bitten by the bug, he is always looking for the next opportunity to support great theatre with rich, evocative, and not-distracting sound. This summer Graydon can be seen starring as Goyle in Crabbe and Goyle Are Dead at Studio/Stage also part of the 2019 Hollywood Fringe Festival. Congratulations to Mike Shapiro for the journey this show has taken as well as thanks to him and everyone else for bringing me aboard!
Alen Yen
Mr. Alen Yen serves as President of Boston Operations and Creative Director of ifactory at RDW Group, Inc. Mr. Yen is an artist and designer trapped in a business-driven world. From an early age, he wanted nothing more than to successfully render spaceships, robots and comic book characters. Mr. Yen served for several years as a concept designer and consultant for the gaming and new media industry, contributing to projects for Blizzard Entertainment, Sierra Online and LEGO. He founded ToyboxDX.com, an online community celebrating antique japanese robots of the 70’s and 80’s that receives over a million visits a month. In 1993, he started his first consultancy servicing architects and designers with graphic and computer-aided design. In 1995, He received Master’s in Education from RISD. He received degrees in Industrial Design and Metalsmithing from the University of Michigan School of Art.
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