DEB GOTTESMAN

Co-Director

Deb Gottesman is Co-Director of The Theatre Lab and a professional actor who has appeared frequently at Woolly Mammoth Theatre, where she starred in the world premiere of Wonder of the World. She has also performed at Arena Stage, Signature Theatre, Source Theatre, Theater Alliance, and with the Washington Shakespeare Company, among others. She received her M.F.A. in Acting from Catholic University and has taught theatre in a variety of settings, including Woolly Mammoth and American University. Along with Buzz Mauro she is the founder of Center Stage Communications, a unique consulting firm specializing in the application of acting techniques to the business world. Together they are the authors of three books on applied acting: The Interview Rehearsal Book, Taking Center Stage, and The Best Answer, all published by Berkley Books, a division of Penguin Putnam.

BUZZ
MAURO

Co-Director

Buzz Mauro is Co-Director of The Theatre Lab and a Helen Hayes Award nominee who has performed extensively with Signature Theatre as well as at Ford's Theatre, Studio Theatre, The Shakespeare Theatre, Woolly Mammoth, the Potomac Theatre Project, and with the Washington Shakespeare Company. He received his B.A. from Yale University and has an M.F.A. in Acting from Catholic University. Along with Deb Gottesman he is the founder of Center Stage Communications, a unique consulting firm specializing in the application of acting techniques to the business world. Together they are the authors of three books on applied acting:The Interview Rehearsal Book, Taking Center Stage, and The Best Answer, all published by Berkley Books, a division of Penguin Putnam.

RENEE CALARCO

Renee Calarco has been improvising, teaching, and writing comedy in Washington since 1987. She is an alumna of Washington Improvisational Theater and is a founding member of Dropping the Cow, a sketch and improv comedy troupe. Her comedies “Rest Stop,” “The Seven Habits of Highly Defective People,” and “Good Counsel” were produced at the Source Theatre's last three Ten -Minute Play Competitions. Her full-length play Short Order Stories was recently presented at Charter Theatre's First Draft Reading Series. Renee also does voiceover and commercial work around DC, and is a tour guide for Washington Walks.

SHERRI EDELEN

Sherri Edelen received the 2000 Helen Hayes Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her work in Signature Theatre's production of Side Show , and was nominated for her work in Assassins , The Rink and She Loves Me . Other credits include: Big , Nunsense (National Tours); the Sondheim Celebration Productions of Sunday in the Park with George , Merrily We Roll Along (Kennedy Center);  The Secret Garden , She Loves Me (Olney Theatre Center); The Swan (Rep Stage); Tell Me on a Sunday , Elegies (Signature Theatre); You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown , The World Goes Round (Round House Theatre); Sunday in  the Park With George (Arena Stage); Sing Down the Moon , Perseus Bayou , Mississippi Pinocchio (Theatre of the First Amendment); A Christmas Carol (Ford's Theatre); The Music Man , She Loves Me , Annie Get Your Gun , The Sound of Music (Stages St. Louis).

RICK FOUCHEUX

Rick Foucheux has appeared in many of Washington's fine theatres, performing a wide range of roles and working with the area's most notable directors. He is a member of the Woolly Mammoth Acting Company and is featured regularly at Arena Stage, Round House, the Folger, and Theatre J. His credits span the spectrum from classical to contemporary and include the works of Shakespeare, Wilde, Chekhov, O'Neill, Albee, and Mamet. Mr. Foucheux has been nominated for a number of Helen Hayes Awards and received the award in 2000 for his portrayal of the title character in Mamet's Edmond , at Source. He is also a recipient of the Theatre Lobby's Mary Goldwater Award.

GEORGE
FULGINITI-SHAKAR

George Fulginiti-Shakar is well-known in the Washington, DC area as a music director, teacher, vocal instructor, composer and pianist. He has received six Helen Hayes Award nominations for his work on such shows as Camelot and South Pacific at Arena Stage and The Oedipus Plays at the Shakespeare Theatre, and has also been Music Director for the Kennedy Center's Theatre Lab as well as most theaters in the DC area. He was invited to the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center's National Music Theatre Conference as music director, and has performed extensively as music director and pianist for cabaret artists here and in New York. Mr. Fulginiti-Shakar is also on the board of Washington's Cabaret Network, is a cofounder of the Alliance for New Music Theatre, and is on the faculty of the Studio Acting Conservatory.

GEORGE
GRANT

George Grant has appeared in, among other projects: The Tempest , Othello , Peer Gynt , The Merry Wives of Windsor , and All's Well That Ends Well at The Shakespeare Theatre; Measure for Measure and The Revengers Tragedy at The Washington Shakespeare Company and The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail at Catalyst Theatre Company. He was a company member at Imagination Stage for three years and has appeared at Discovery Theatre at The Smithsonian and The National Portrait Gallery in a one-man show. George has appeared at the Goodman Theatre in  Chicago and The Milwaukee Chamber Theatre. He holds a BA in Theatre/Drama from Lawrence University and MFA in Classical Acting from The Shakespeare Theatre's Academy for Classical Acting at George Washington University. He is currently on the faculties of The Shakespeare Theatre's Education Department and The National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts.

BRENNA McDONOUGH

Brenna McDonough, actor and co-author of You Can Work On-Camera , has 30 years' experience as a successful actor in commercials and corporate videos. She founded her own studio, On-Camera Training, in 1995. Brenna began her career in her home town of Chicago. She then worked in Los Angeles and New York before settling in the Washington, DC area. Brenna continues to work in voice-overs as well as on-camera acting, including various feature films shot here in the area. She is currently an adjunct professor at New York University, where she recently taught her on-camera class for the School of Continuing and Professional Education. She and husband John Leslie Wolfe are the parents of two teenagers who are actively involved in theater and on-camera careers of their own.

JENNIFER MENDENHALL

Jennifer Mendenhall is a long-time resident of the Washington area. She has appeared at many local theatres, including: Woolly Mammoth, where she is a company member, Theater Alliance, Theatre J, MetroStage, Studio Theatre, The Kennedy Center, Arena Stage and The Shakespeare Theatre. As a dialect coach, she has worked most recently on the following productions: Blue/Orange , Gross Indecency , Mary's Wedding (Theater Alliance), Martha, Josie and The Chinese Elvis (Woolly Mammoth),  Homebody/Kabul (Theatre J/Woolly Mammoth), and Experiment with an Air Pump (Journeymen Theatre). She also records books for the Library of Congress, Books on Tape, Blackstone Audiobooks, Hovelaudio and others. Awards include Audiofile Magazine Earphones, Washington Theatre Lobby and Helen Hayes.

SCOTT MORGAN

Scott Morgan is a 1991 Helen Hayes Award recipient and a 1996 nominee for Lead Actor in a Musical. He has done stage work at Arena Stage, Ford's Theatre, The Kennedy Center, Washington Stage Guild and the Washington Jewish Theatre. Scott's television credits include NBC, ABC, HBO and a ten year run on Home and Garden Television. On film, he has been in several bad Hollywood movies and appears regularly in the avant-garde films of John Waters. Scott also has his own media training and public speaking consultancy.

DOT NEUMANN

Dot Neumann is a critically acclaimed director who has worked in the Washington area since 1978. A three-time Helen Hayes Award-nominee, she has served as Resident Director at Horizons Theatre and Artistic Associate with Signature Theatre, as well as performing a ten-year residency with Source Theatre. Memorable productions she has directed include Waiting for Godot with the Washington Shakespeare Company, Unidentified Human Remains at Signature Theatre (co-directed by Eric Schaeffer), Stick Wife with Horizons Theatre, and Extremities at Source Theatre. Recently she worked on In the Land of Israel at Theatre J. She holds an M.F.A. in Directing from George Washington University.

JANE
PESCI-TOWNSEND

Jane Pesci-Townsend is a well-recognized feature on DC stages. She has appeared at Arena Stage, The Folger, Metro Stage, Source Theatre, Washington Jewish Theatre, and The Marquee Cabaret, among others. A four-time nominee for the Helen Hayes Award for Lead Actress in a Resident Musical, she recently starred in Putting It Together at Signature Theatre directed by Eric Schaeffer. This spring she will be featured in the chorus of Sweeney Todd at The Kennedy Center and will understudy Christine Baranski in the role of Mrs. Lovett. Jane is in her eighth year as a faculty member at The Catholic University of America's School of Music where she teaches voice and musical theatre performance. She has directed at BAPA, Montgomery College, University of Maryland, Catholic University and for the Paradigm Players, a theatre company devoted to supporting actors with special needs. She is also the director of The Theatre Lab's Musical Theatre Institute for Teens. Jane is married to Kevin Townsend and is the proud mother of George and Rosemary.

TONYA BECKMAN ROSS

Tonya Beckman Ross relocated to DC from the Midwest in 2004 and has since appeared at Shakespeare Theatre Company, Folger Theatre, Round House Theatre, Studio Theatre, and the Kennedy Center. Regional credits include Center Stage, Cleveland Play House, Cumberland Theatre, Fulton Opera House, and Purple Rose Theatre Company, among others. As a teacher, she has worked at Baldwin- Wallace College, Ohio University, and the Cleveland Shakespeare Festival, as well as for The Theatre Lab’s Summer Acting Camp for Kids and Summer Acting Institute for Teens. Dialect coaching credits include productions of Importance of Being Earnest, She Stoops to Conquer, Dancing at Lughnasa, and The Grapes of Wrath. Tonya holds an MFA from Ohio University’s Professional Actor Training Program and a BFA from University of Wisconsin.

MICHAEL RUSSOTTO

Michael Russotto is a longtime Washington actor and director who has appeared in shows on many local stages, including The Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Theater Alliance, Theatre J, The Folger Theatre, Arena Stage, MetroStage, Olney Theatre, and Studio Theatre. Recent roles include Alexandra in She Stoops to Comedy and The Soul in Vigils, both at Woolly Mammoth. Michael has directed at The Actors' Theatre of Washington (cofounder), MetroStage, Source Theatre, The Washington Shakespeare Company, Studio Theatre, and The National Academy of Dramatic Arts. He is a member of the Woolly Mammoth Acting Company, and is also a narrator of recorded books for the Library of Congress.

EDDIE
SARFATY

Eddie Sarfaty can be seen this season on Comedy Central's Friday night show Premium Blend and is currently working on a half-hour special for that network. He performs regularly at Caroline's Comedy Club in New York and at clubs, cabarets and corporate events nationwide. He entertains on college campuses throughout the U.S. and has been selected to showcase his stand up act at the National Association of Campus Activities (NACA) annual conference. For two years he toured the country as one half of Two Consenting Adults and he is a member of the groundbreaking troupe Funny Gay Males. In addition Eddie performs at resorts and on cruise ships and has been featured at the prestigious Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal, The Toyota Comedy Festival in New York and at festivals in Detroit, Columbus, Phoenix, Miami and Washington, DC .

KIM
SCHRAF

Kim Schraf has performed at Arena Stage, The Kennedy Center, Studio Theatre, Round House Theatre, Woolly Mammoth, Everyman Theatre, The Theatre of the First Amendment, and the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland. Credits include starring roles in Angels in America at Signature Theatre; Skylight at Studio; Patience , Freedomland and The Gene Pool at Woolly Mammoth; and Light Up the Sky at Everyman. A graduate of St. John's College in Annapolis, she has been teaching for twenty years, most recently at the Parkmont School. She is also a successful narrator of audio books, recording for the Library of Congress and other companies.

JUDY SIMMONS

Judy Simmons recently appeared as Hannah in The Spitfire Grill at Theater Alliance and has been a cabaret performer and actress for many years. She has taught theatre at American University and voice at Catholic University. She has directed several cabarets for local artists and has also directed musicals at Montgomery College, Catholic University and for the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington. Other theatres she has worked at include: Signature, Studio, Source, Shakespeare, Cumberland , Everyman, The Kennedy Center and The Smithsonian. Her cabaret shows include: Not In Kansas Anymore, Here And Now, Get Happy, The Eccentrics, What Were We Thinking?,  Much More, and Cockeyed Optimist .  She recently attended the Cabaret Conference at Yale University. Judy has been the director of "The Cabaret" series at Signature Theatre for the past six years and is Executive Director of the DC Cabaret Network.

JEREMY SKIDMORE

Jeremy Skidmore has taught at George Washington University, The National Conservatory for Dramatic Arts, the North Carolina School of the Arts, the Chicago Academy for the Performing Arts, The Lovett School in Atlanta, Fu Ren Catholic University in Taiwan , the Institute for Dramatic Arts in Tokyo, the Macau International Fringe Festival in China and The Globe Theatre in London. As the artistic director of the Theater Alliance, Jeremy has directed the Washington premieres of Mary's Wedding , Tales from Ovid and Slaughter City , the American premiere of The Dispute , and the world premiere of Painted Alice . Outside of the Theater Alliance he has recently directed the world premiere of Randy Baker's After the Flood for Rorschach Theatre, The Learned Ladies for Catalyst Theater Company and Speed-the-Plow for The Magellan Project in Los Angeles (nominated for Best Revival of the Year by LA Weekly). Jeremy is a graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts.

DEIDRA LAWAN STARNES

Deidra LaWan Starnes is a two-time Helen Hayes Award nominee who has performed with Rep Stage, The African Continuum Theatre Company, Scena Theatre, Studio Theatre, Olney Theatre, Woolly Mammoth, Cumberland Theatre, Portland Center Stage, New Federal Theatre, and the Connecticut Repertory Theatre. Credits include Anna Lucasta , Personal History , Spunk , Blues for an Alabama Sky , The Old Settler , and A Raisin in the Sun . Deidra has taught theatre and directed productions at Hearst Elementary School , the Bethesda Academy of Performing Arts, and Renbrook Summer Adventure Camp.  She also taught theatre at the Unversity of Connecticut where she received her M.F.A.  She is one of the Directors of The Theatre Lab's Summer Acting Camp for kids, and she teaches movement and voice classes for teens and adults.

DELIA TAYLOR

DAVID
TONEY

David Toney has numerous credits in television, film, Broadway, Off-Broadway and over forty regional theatre productions. He has worked with such notable directors as Julie Taymor, Marion McClinton and Zelda Fichandler, and has been a member of the Writers Guild of America for over a decade. His credits include being a sketch comedy writer for Twenty Century Fox's "In Living Color." He has also been a head writer and story editor for an adult animated comedy series for ESPN and SONY WONDER and a screen writer for New Line Cinema. His experience in acting coaching focuses on intensive character personalization through the use of "The Grand System," an integrated artistic process that involves the physical, mental and nervous system. His students include actors from the Lee Strasburg School and Mike Nichols' The New Actor School.

CRAIG WALLACE

Craig Wallace is a classically trained actor who spent several seasons at The Shakespeare Theatre, where he appeared in such productions as Henry the Fifth featuring Harry Hamlin and Othello featuring Patrick Stewart. Craig's credits include Belize in Angels in America at Signature Theatre (Helen Hayes award nomination) and numerous roles at Arena Stage, including Taylor in K2 . Most recently he played King Lear at Shenandoah Shakespeare in Staunton, Virginia. Craig is on staff at George Mason University where he teaches acting. His training includes a Bachelors degree from Howard University and a Masters degree from the Pennsylvania State University, as well as study with the Royal National Theatre in London.

DELANEY WILLIAMS

Delaney Williams is a two-time winner of the ITVA Peer Award for Best Actor in Film and Television in DC and Baltimore. His feature film credits include Disney's Ladder 49 and Contact , Dreamworks' Head of State , and Warner Bros.' The Replacements and Murder at 1600 . His television credits include guest starring turns on NBC's “The West Wing,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” and “Homicide: Life on the Streets,” as well as CBS's “Cold Case” and “The District.” He is perhaps best known, however, for his current role as Sgt. Jay Landsman on the HBO series “The Wire,” whose fifth and final season will begin production in spring of 2007. A veteran stage actor for over twenty years, he is well known to DC theatre audiences from his appearances at Arena Stage, The Shakespeare Theatre, Woolly Mammoth, Signature and Studio Theatres , Washington Stage Guild, and Washington Shakespeare Company, among many others.

MARYBETH WISE

MaryBeth Wise is an actor, teacher and narrator of audio books. Her acting credits include The Importance of Being Earnest at Arena Stage, The Mineola Twins at Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Perfect Pie and Piaf with Potomac Theatre Project, Vita and Virginia at Rep Stage, and many productions at Olney Theatre including The Miser, The Laramie Project , The Rivals, Equus , Tartuffe and Romeo and Juliet . She has performed with The Shakespeare Theatre, Ford's Theatre, The Kennedy Center, and The Folger Theatre. She will be performing the role of Annie Sullivan in The Miracle Worker at Olney Theatre Center in the Summer 2005.  MaryBeth has toured nationally with the Kennedy Center and the National Players, and internationally with Music Tours, Inc. and USIA. She narrates audio books for the Library of Congress and teaches theatre at Howard Community College. She received her BA from Barry University in Miami and holds an MFA in Acting from The Catholic University of America.