Cold Turkey
PENELOPE DEEN (Shelby) is in the middle of her final year of college as a Women & Gender Studies/Theatre Double Major with a Dance Minor at Hunter College. She made her Off-Broadway debut, summer of 2019 as Eira in Oceanborn. Currently, she is an intern here at NPTC working as Project Coordinator for Theatre From the Streets. During the year she works as a Dance Teacher. She is also Co-President of the Baker Student Committee for her school's Theatre Department. Favorite roles include "Mother" in Ragtime, "Amneris" in Aida, and "Fiona" in Shrek. Special thanks to her family & friends, especially circle one.
MAIA KARO (Linda) is a Brooklyn-based actor who recently completed her MFA at Rutgers University. Past credits: Anarchy (NPTC, EMERGENCE Festival, dir. Maggie Monahan); Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play (dir. Kip Fagan); The Last Soap Star in the Last Blockbuster… (dir. Caitlin O’Connell); Imogen in Cymbeline (dir. Dara Malina); The Ringdove (Mettawee Theatre, adapted by Haruna Lee); Divorced – A Pandemic Play (by Gur Koren). Additional collaborations: Measure for Measure (Shakespeare’s Globe), Bride of the Gulf (Edinburgh Festival), Target Margin, HERE, 3LD, Dixon Place, Bushwick Starr, New Ohio, O’Neill Theater Center, Lark. Additional training: MXAT (Moscow), Yale University.
Brett & Ashley
BESS MILLER (Ashley) is thrilled to be a part of this incredible group and that we can all be together in a theatre again! NPTC credits include virtual productions of La Nécessité du Divorce (Eugénie), Slaves in Algiers (Olivia) and Gabriel (Faustina) with the On Her Shoulders series. Other recent credits include Ticket to Eternity (The Women) at Planet Connections, Richard III (Buckingham) at Dramatists United and Hamlet (Hamlet) at Hudson Theatre Works. Thank you to everyone who has made this such a fun experience AND to this incredible audience for coming out to support live theatre!
BEN VAN BERKUM (Brett) is an actor who lives in Brooklyn and has been missing theatre very much in these COVID years. He was most recently seen in Tomorrow We Love at Theater for the New City, and regularly in his work with Nylon Fusion Oe. He was also seen in the Netflix series Gypsy. @vbenb
The Empress of Jupiter
Running Out of Time
Foul Line
Frosting on Top
CRISTINA ANGELICA (Skylar) is a proud Miami native and first-generation Cuban/Puerto Rican American actress, singer, artist and collaborator. She is passionate about telling stories that are thought-provoking, empowering and socially conscious. She believes that through creativity and storytelling we can evolve consciousness, inspire connection and realize our true interconnectedness. Her happy place is the beach. Off-Broadway: Our Dear Dead Drug Lord (u/s Pipe, Zoom & Little Sis). TV: Gossip Girl (HBO Max), The Equalizer (CBS). www.cristinaangelicaofficial.com. Repped by Take 3 Talent
SABINA FRIEDMAN-SEITZ (Miranda) holds a BA from Wesleyan University and an MFA from the Actors Studio Drama School. Film and TV credits include The Florida Project, The Boy Downstairs, The Blacklist, and Facebook series Turnt. Recent releases include features Fingers, now on Shudder; 6:45, which was released by Regal Theaters across the country this past summer; and Lorelei, which played at Tribeca Film Festival 2021. Stage credits include the world premiere of "Of the woman...," written by Lily Houghton and directed by Kylie Brown.
KIRSTEN HARVEY (Carla) is a Brooklyn-based actor and theater artist. She has worked with artists such as Lee Sunday Evans, Jordan Fein, Lily Houghton, Kedian Keohan, and Waterwell Theater Company. She has performed with or shown work at Dixon Place, Bard Summerscape, Powerhouse Theater, and The Exponential Festival. She has participated in readings and workshops at Playwrights Horizons, SohoRep Writer/Director Lab, PlayCo, Ma-Yi Theater Company, the Women’s Project, and Abrons Arts Center. She is a recipient of the 2017 Don Parker award for Excellence in Theater Performance awarded by Bard College. www.kirstensharvey.com
IRINA KAPLAN (Cynthia) is delighted to join Now or Never with her team of brilliant empresses. Recently returned to NYC after wrapping Jules in New Jersey (Big Beach Productions), Irina is happy to be back at home in a live theatre. Favorite NY credits include Black Milk (Classic Stage Company) and Ax of Love (directed by Ernest Thompson). Say hi online @tangirina_k or at www.Irina-Kaplan.com
GENA BARDWELL (Gayle) has written for the Billy Holiday Theatre for “50in50: Love in the Time of Corona” and “Writing Ourselves Into Existence.” She performed and wrote for Hattitudes: Tribeca Performing Arts Center. Her play Inside Outside garnered finalist recognition from MultiStages. She’s performed Off Broadway in Our Place in Time andappeared in the film Gimme Shelter opposite James Earl Jones and Rosario Dawson. She was cast as Amanda in The Glass Menagerie, directed by Kevin Wilmont and played Sojourner Truth in A Woman Called Truth at the Coterie Theater; and Fannie Mae Dove in Flying West at The Unicorn Theater.
JOYIA D. BRADLEY (Simone) is thrilled to be a part of Running Out of Time. Being an actor, writer, director and producer has kept me busy, even during the pandemic and I feel blessed to continue doing what I love. Currently, two films are on the festival circuit, with a pilot being shopped to Amazon and Netflix. Theatre: Mirrors at NYTW Next Door, The Potemkin Play at HERE Arts, The Winter’s Tale adaptation by Katrina Hall. Film: Mirrors, Should I Stay or Should I Go, Pinky and Serena. Follow her on IG, Twitter @joyiadbradley or check out https://www.joyiadbradley.com
DERICK CROSS (Voice Artist) is a Queens-born, Brooklyn-based visual and vocal artist, poet, performer and arts educator. This “Vocal Beat Expressionist” uses “vocal acrobatics to create sonic collages of his poetry combining words, poetry, and beatboxing." He has performed nationally & internationally in such venues as Madison Square Garden and Lincoln Center, and served as a cultural HipHop Ambassador for The US State Department's Next Level program. "D. Cross" has been featured on MTV, The Electric Company, and Nickelodeon. His vocal talents have also been heard in the award-winning "Aflac Pigeon Rap”ad and 7–Up ‘s “10” campaign.
ANTWAIN N. LEWIS (David) is very excited to be a part of Running Out Of Time. His past credits include Their Eyes Were Watching God, That Book Ain 't Been Written, Lulu Dance, Was It Me and A Mouth Full Of Flies.
KAREEM O’NEILL (Percy) is on a mission to free his creative self-expression through the art of theatre. Kareem spent over 7 years in the entertainment industry as a production accountant. Continuing to follow his true self, he traded in his day job to pursue his dreams as an actor full-time. Kareem makes his acting debut in Running Out of Time. He also has a strong passion for songwriting and music recording.
BENJAMIN ROWE (Virgle) is a New York-born and bred actor, who, for the last two decades has, trod stages large and small in numerous productions. He was most recently part of BSOU Repertory Company's run of the award-winning play LEAVES. He also appears in the upcoming feature film Stash. Benjamin is honored to be part of this production alongside this talented, creative, and welcoming group of professionals. Benjamin would like to thank, as always, his wife Dawn and their children Julian, Da'Wren Jahanna, and Indirabelle. It is their sacrifice that makes his creative endeavors possible.
NZINGTHA SMITH (Jewel) is a native of Queens, New York and is so thrilled to grace the stage again as Jewel Branson. She has studied under the late Robert Patterson at the Robert Patterson Studio and has been in the theatre world for over a decade. In her work, her mission and goal is to bring what is human and honest to the stage. She thanks you, the audience, for your continued loyal support of art and artists alike!
EMMA SARAH DAVIS (Sam) is a New York- based actor who recently received her BFA in Acting from Emerson College. Recent credits include the principal role in Emerson Stage’s Everybody and her directorial debut with her own play, A Hanukkah Story. Other recent credits include Emerson Stage’s Measure for Measure (Isabella). Emma also starred in a TYA piece, Women Who Weave, in the role of Atalanta for which she received an EVVY award for Outstanding Lead Performance. Emma would like to thank the NPTC family for welcoming her in with open arms and open hearts.
ELIANA WEISS (Jess) is a D.C.-based actor and teaching artist. Thank you NPTC, Alexa, Emma, and Dani for this opportunity to tell a meaningful story with meaningful people! It was a pure joy. Selected Credits: NPTC: Foul Line (virtual) (Jess); Advice to the Players: The Comedy of Errors (Dromio of Ephesus), Montague and Capulet (Valentina); British American Drama Academy: Hamlet (Horatio); Brandeis University: Margaret My Name (Duchess Eleanor, Prince Edward, Queen Elizabeth), Arcadia (Thomasina), Twelfth Night (Viola). Eliana graduated from Brandeis University, and trained in London at the British American Drama Academy and at Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, MA. www.elianaweissactor.com
SAMANTHA MEDINA CHACHRA (Sonali) is a NYC-based artist who is thrilled to be participating in the Women’s Work Festival. She grew up in Connecticut where her first love was the cello. After discovering her passion for singing and acting, she attended NYU Tisch, receiving a BFA in Drama. While there, she studied at Stella Adler and Stonestreet studios. She is a singer/songwriter and an avid cellist - both things she puts to good use when producing music, creating anything from pop to corporate themes.
MIGUEL AVILES-ELROD (Matias) is making his NYC debut in Frosting On Top. Miguel just recently graduated from the University of Michigan with his BFA in Acting and has also studied classical theatre with BADA in Oxford and theatre for social change with The Market Theatre in South Africa. Some of Miguel’s recent credits Include Water By the Spoonful (Elliot), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Lysander), and You for Me for You (Wade). Miguel is beyond grateful for the love and support from his family, friends, and mentors who have supported him throughout the years and he is excited for the new journeys he will take on in New York!