CREATIVE TEAM
Bruce Katzman
Director / ExecutiveProducer
Bruce Katzman has been an actor in the American theatre for fifty years. A student of Stella Adler for five years, he later attended the Yale School of Drama, where he earned his MFA in Acting (’88). Bruce has taught workshops on Chekhov’s plays in Oxford, England, in Denmark and in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In the US, he taught at Circle Rep Theatre School, the Stella Adler Conservatory (NYC), The Actors Center (Founding Faculty), and he has been a visiting professor or guest lecturer at the Yale School of Drama, Princeton University, Williams College and the University of Scranton. Currently he teaches at the Art of Acting Studio in LA (Stella Adler-NY affiliate). Directing credits include UNCLE VANYA and KING LEAR at the MET Theatre in Los Angeles, as well as THE CHERRY ORCHARD, WILD HONEY, ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST, CLOUD 9 and A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM for the Stella Adler Academy in Hollywood. As an actor, Broadway credits include the 1998 Tony Award-winning revival of CABARET and the premiere season of Tony Randall’s National Actors Theatre; NY Shakespeare Festival productions of RICHARD III (w/ Denzel Washington) and OTHELLO (w/ Raul Julia and Christopher Walken). Off-Broadway: SYLVIA (w/ Sarah Jessica Parker) for the Manhattan Theatre Club. Los Angeles credits include the Mark Taper Forum, Pasadena Playhouse, Deaf West Theatre, The Odyssey, The Road, The Zephyr Theatre, and many others. Over 60 IMDb credits in Film and TV. During the Covid shut-down, Bruce hosted a series of Webinars entitled, Secrets of Chekhov, which is the basis of his book of the same name, due to be published in 2026. www.secretsofchekhov.com
James Tupper
ExecutiveProducer
James appeared as Nathan in HBO’s award winning Big Little Lies, as the lead in FX series Aftermath, As Fenton Hardy in the Hardy Boys on Hulu, Dr Perkins on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy, as David Clark in Revenge, as Joseph Cotton in Richard Linklater’s ‘Me and Orson Welles’, The Requin movie opposite Alicia Silverstone, in Mr Poppers Penguins with Jim Carey, as Jack Slattery in Men in Trees, among many others. James trained in the theatre in New York with Bill Esper and Maggie Flanagan doing around 50 plays before driving a pickup truck to Hollywood. Recently appeared on FBI on CBS and in Irrational on NBC.
Nicole Ohara
Producer
Nicole is a Hapa* actor, writer, and producer. She is a graduate of the Stella Adler Art of Acting Studio MFA Program and her recent credits include: Small and Mighty on Disney+, Snowdrop on Disney+, Elise Rudy- Found Family (Paris Film Festival Best LGBTQ). As a producer she has experience both in film and the stage: Ashes (Hai Iro No Yuki); Orion and the Dark (Netflix); Gummy Worm (Best Comedy Nominee, Encore Producers' Award Winner). She is on a mission to build a body of work that takes people on a journey of self-discovery and awareness. We all hurt, we all love, we all laugh, we all cry. By exploring the humanity in all of us, she hopes to create art that brings us one step closer to healing. *Hapa is a word used to describe mixed-race people — primarily, though not exclusively, those who are half-white and half-Asian. @nicoleoharamedia
Carolyn Crotty
Producer
Carolyn studied directing with Travis Preston & playwriting with Peter Parnell at Playwrights Horizons in NYC. She studied acting with William Esper in NYC. Carolyn worked as a literary assistant with the Mark Taper Forum in their New Works Festival. She has been teaching and directing young actors for 24 years while on the faculty at The Young Actor’s Studio in NOHO where she directed over 50 productions. Presently, Carolyn is a substitute Acting & Humanities teacher at Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences in Santa Monica. She taught acting & creative writing to gifted kids at the Summer Institute for the Gifted at UCLA for nine years. In 2018, Carolyn directed for the yearly festival “A light in Dark Places,” which raises awareness for suicide prevention at The Stella Adler in Hollywood.She is a proud graduate of UCLA with a degree in Women’s Studies and English. www.carolyncrotty.com
W. Alejandro Melendez
Lighting Designer
W. Alejandro Melendez is an LA-based Latiné lighting designer working in theatre, opera. Recent credits include a disability-affirmative production of A Midsummer Night's Dreamfor Phamaly Theatre Company at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts and the world premiere of Stockade for Local Theatre Company .
Alejandro was recognized as an Emerging Creative at USITT 2024 and holds an MFA in Experience Design & Production from CalArts.
To connect with Alejandro and see more of his work find him on Instagram @wamelendez.
Eva Zapata
Costume Designer
Eva Zapata is a Los Angeles-based designer, scholar, and storyteller who combines unconventional forms, materials, and technology with traditional crafting techniques to create costumes that bring characters to life in unexpected and thought-provoking ways. With over 15 years of experience, she has collaborated on projects like Amazon Prime's Myth of Tesla and Born to Cruise, Snapchat's Cheerleader lens, Team Downey’s Runaway, along with many other cutting-edge, visually peculiar theatrical, film, dance, and multimedia projects around Southern California.
Clare Marie Nemanich
Sound Designer
Clare Marie is a theater sound designer, experimental artist, and performer who has worked in Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, and Paris. Their sonic explorations leave no stone unturned–objects, instruments, pet chickens that play instruments (and sure, leaves and stones) all have a place in their electroacoustic palette.
They believe: You can make something out of anything; The definitions of music and composition are vast; The world of self expression is much too big to let tradition limit your curiosities. You’ll find them hanging around after your show, waiting to ask their favorite question: How did you do that?! " | planetclareproductions.com
Dana Schwartz
Props Designer
Dana Schwartz is a Los Angeles Theater multi-hyphenate. As a prop designer she has worked on many productions including shows with Moving Arts, Chalk Rep and EST. She is thrilled to be part of this production.
John Levey
Additional Casting
John Frank Levey is a four-time Emmy Award-winning casting director. He has cast such iconic television shows as China Beach, ER, The West Wing and Shameless, as well as dozens of other television series, miniseries, TV movies, digital series, video games and feature films. Levey is also a five-time winner of the Casting Society of America's Artios Award and the recipient of its prestigious Hoyt Bowers Award, given for excellence in casting and outstanding contributions to the casting profession. Right for the Role is his first book.After decades at Warner Bros, Levey became Vice President of Casting for John Wells Productions before launching his own casting company. Throughout his career, he has been a proud collaborator with many great writers, actors, producers and directors-he is most gratified for the friendships he's forged and the talent he has helped foster. Personally, Levey is most proud of his children, Oliver Leo and Joanna Claire.
Carlo Maghirang
Scenic Designer
Carlo Maghirang (he/they) is a Los Angeles-based installation artist, scenographer, and experimental space designer, originally from San Pedro, Laguna, Philippines. Specializing in sculptural and architectural interventions that bridge the gap between art object and environment, his body of work often deals in immersive experiences and performative spaces. Previous credits in live performance include 'APOLAKI - Opera of the Scorched Earth' (Micaela Tobin, LACE), 'Sweet Land' (Yuval Sharon, Industry LA), and 'Fore!' (Aleshea Harris, La Comedie de St. Etienne, FR) with recognitions from publications such as LA Times, LiveDesign, and Vogue.
Most recently, his solo sculptural installation, 'MA-NA-NANG-GAL' debuted at the Lincoln Center, NY, for the Social Sculpture Project in March 2024, and was featured by Vogue Philippines. Upcoming: 'ANITO' - commissioned by Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibits for LA State Historic Park, opening August 2025.