Artists

James Chestnut is a director/assistant director, born and raised in Pennsylvania. He graduated from Penn State University in 2009 with a film degree and moved to LA soon after. James has been working in the film industry since landing in LA, joined the DGA as an Assistant Director in 2015 and recently won a DGA award for his work on the most recent season of Euphoria.

Time off due to the strike has rekindled the passion for directing.

When not filmmaking, James enjoys golf, reading and spending time with his wife and 3 year old daughter.

Cris Eli Blak is an emerging proud Black playwright. His work has been performed around the world. He is the inaugural winner of the Black Broadway Men Playwriting Initiative and the Atlanta Shakespeare Company's inaugural winner of the Muse of Fire BIPOC Playwriting Festival. He is currently an artist-in-residence with Abingdon Theatre Company. His work has been by Smith & Kraus, Inc., YOUTHPlays, Applause Books, New World Theatre, Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble, and in the Black Theatre Review.

Hunter Hawkins is multi-disciplinary creative: a narrative-driven artist, writer,singer-songwriter, and award-winning filmmaker, with background in acting and vocal technique. Hawkins’ debut film Window (2021) garnered awards and official selections at several film festivals. Hunter continued at California State University of Northridge’s Film Production program (B.A.), amidst accomplishing multiple independent projects, and performing frequent live performances as a singer-songwriter and theatrical actor. They have since completed over ten additional works as writer, director, and co-producer:experimental shorts, a self-directed music video shot on film, narrative shorts including Dawn (Official Selection, 2023 Tennessee International Indie Film Festival), and more.

Tori Rice is a San Diego-based theater artist and co-host of the Hey Playwright podcast. Her work lives in all types of spaces, including immersive events in cafés and courtrooms. She was a new play lab playwright for the 2023 Valdez Theatre Conference, the 2023 William Inge Theatre Festival, and the 2022 Kennedy Center Summer Playwriting Intensive. Her play “Maybe For A Minute” was an Official Selection of the 2023 Lanford Wilson New American Play Festival. She holds an MFA in Playwriting (ASU) and is a proud member of the AATE, Dramatists Guild, Honor Roll!, and TYA-USA. (IG: @kibosh94 and @heyplaywright). 

Saskia Baur is a Los Angeles-based actor of Dutch, Italian & German descent, born to Erna Baur and Mario Baur, Professor of Chemistry at UCLA, and raised in Los Angeles. Named after the Dutch painter Rembrandt's wife, Saskia is also a trained Ballet dancer and fluent in Italian.

Born into a Nicaraguan/Mexican American family, Andre has always loved entertaining and making people laugh. Acting wise, Andre has played a lead in several short films and commercials, two of which have gone on to earn awards. He also enjoys creating his own short’sand online content!

Saskia Baur is a Los Angeles-based actor of Dutch, Italian & German descent, born to Erna Baur and Mario Baur, Professor of Chemistry at UCLA, and raised in Los Angeles. Named after the Dutch painter Rembrandt's wife, Saskia is also a trained Ballet dancer and fluent in Italian.

Erin Osgood (she/her) is a Michigan playwright, actor, and Dramatists Guild member whose work has been produced throughout the country and abroad. She has a Master’s In Social Work from the University of Michigan and is a Make-a-Wish volunteer. Erin enjoys traveling, a good book, Cavatappi with shallots and mushrooms in a parmesan, cream sauce, an underdog winner, 70 degree weather, and Fireball. She loves to laugh,cry (often at the same time), and can curse with the best of them. http://erinosgood.com

INSTAGRAM:

https://www.instagram.com/countessschristine/?hl=en

Natalia is beyond thrilled to share the work she and her team have put into Detail Oriented at

her first gala ever! She recently worked with Day for Knight Productions on the play Titus Kills

as Julia. Natalia received a BS in Biochemistry and a Theater minor from UCLA last year; since

her graduation, she has been studying at Playhouse West and at the Actors For Actors Studio.

She wants to thank Alec for thinking of her for this project and Alexis for putting this whole

incredible event together <3

INSTAGRAM:

https://www.instagram.com/natimonty/?hl=en

Oscar Emmanuel Fabela is an award-winning Mexican-American actor, writer, and producer raised in South Texas, and a Scholar of the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts. A graduate of UCLA’s School of Theater, Film & Television, and The British American Drama Academy in Oxford, he was most recently awarded the Golden Globes Acting Fellowship. After working with Francis Ford Coppola on his project "Distant Vision", Oscar's play "Don Carlos: Prince of Asturias" had its World Premiere at Off-Broadway’s Theatre Row in New York City. Currently, you can hear Oscar’s voiceover work on platforms like Netflix, HBO Max, Paramount+, and Audible.

Deirdre Girard received her Playwriting MFA from Boston University. She’s had dozens of award winning short plays produced worldwide, and several full-length productions. Her work has been published by Applause Books, Smith & Kraus, Next Stage Press and Heuer Publishing. Most recently, her collection Women at the Center was published, her play Soulmate appeared in Smith & Kraus’s Best Ten minute Plays of 2023 and she completed a new collection of short horror plays. Deirdre is a playwriting instructor and a member of the Boston Playwright’s Theatre Advisory Council.

CONTACT: deedeegirard@gmail.com

Grace Kitchen is A Los Angeles Local and a recent grad of the Pacific Conservatory Theater. She is thrilled to be a part of the Fungus. Her most recent productions would be Cinderella (PCPA) and Society the devised peace(PCPA). She would like to thank her friends and family for their endless loveand support..

Cat is a recent graduate of the PCPA Class of 2023. Her favorite role during her time there was Lucy Grant in Bright Star. Mental health awareness is close to Cat’s heart because of her own experience battling depression. Cat is a big fan of SCUBA diving, good food and good laughs.

Cade Stedman is a 26 year old writer/director. The son of a magician and his assistant, Cade moved  from Seattle, Washington, to LA in 2015 to follow his dream of becoming a filmmaker. Working with On the Fridge Productions, Cade has made multiple shorts touching on themes of mental health and healing, and has no plans of stopping soon. When he’s not writing or making films, you can usually find him nose deep in a book. Philosophy, political science, theology, pretty much anything you can’t discuss at the dinner table. He’s honored to be a part of Recover Me.

Dana Hall (she/her) is a playwright, actor, and mental health therapist. The Theater Association of NYS (TANYS) awarded her Excellence in Playwriting. During the pandemic list 2022, the New York Journal named her one of the 50 under 50 most influential creators. She is currently in residence with the Dramatists Guild Institute's Certificate of Dramatic Writing program and Playground Chicago. Her plays have been published with Next Stage Press, Heuer, Stage Plays, & Smith Scripts. She is also a member of the Dramatists Guild, League of Professional Theatre Women, Honor Roll!, and International Centre for Female Playwrights. DanaHallCreates.com

Walter Gray IV graduated from UCLA with an MFA in Acting; shortly after he worked at Sony Interactive Entertainment America on their motion-capture stage for years, where he worked on numerous AAA video game titles not only as a production assistant but as an actor. Moving from the mocap stage he has been directing voice over sessions for multiple studios for almost 4 years now. Acting credits include a co-star role on HBO's The Newsroom, multiple voice over and motion-capture performances in a number of video games, and most recently a resurgence of live theater with the latest being Day for Knight Productions' show 'Titus Kills'.

John Watters is a 26 year old actor/editor from Seattle, WA. John moved to Los Angeles after graduating from DePaul University where he studied film and television. He now continues to produce and edit short films while working as a part-time Server on the Santa Monica Pier. John often finds himself at home playing video games, at the movies, or caring for his 3 year old pup named “Jack”. Growing up, John produced and edited short films throughout high school as his love for filmmaking started very early on in his life and he is very honored to be a part of RecoverMe.

Alexis Park, Founder of Recover Me, is returning for her second year as a director! She is so thrilled to be working with such an incredible team to bring these stories to life! 

Rebecca Chamaa is a freelance writer with bylines in Huffington Post, Glamour, Business Insider, and others. She is a public speaker for NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) and an instructor and workshop facilitator. She has been happily married for twenty-five years (the years she considers the best of her life). 

Emily Worrell (she/her) is a playwright, arts

administrator, and Ball State University graduate based in Indianapolis. Her plays have been produced at the IndyFringe 10-Minute Play Festival and Fonseca Theatre’s Boo-La-La 2!, and she has received readings at Ball State as well as the Kennedy Center American College

Theatre Festival. When she’s not writing or arts administrator-ing, Emily can be found playing video games, baking, reading, or watching

movies. Check out more of her work on New Play Exchange at

https://newplayexchange.org/users/60900/emily-worrell.

Louisa Melcher is an actor, playwright, and influencer born and raised in Los Angeles. She's best known for her TikTok account @loulouorange, where she's amassed 400k followers and over 350 million views by incessantly lying to her audience. She studied Drama at Columbia University and the British-American Drama Academy, and continues to train under Holly Gagnier at Playhouse West. Her original plays have received numerous awards, including the Joseph Milton Fee Prize and the Dasha Amsterdam Epstein Award. She's also a graduate of UCB, and in her free time, enjoys performing improv comedy with her indie team, Gist!

IG handle: @louisamelcher

Kade Harpole (they/them) is a student, youth worker, mental health advocate, and aspiring poet. Kade studies psychology at San Diego State University. They have long been a mental health advocate, sharing their story of recovery at multiple mental health awareness events since their teen years. Recently, Kade has gotten more into their poetry and hopes to be published soon. You can find them at various poetry open mics around San Diego. Besides poetry and mental health advocacy, Kade enjoys comedy, music, exploring the outdoors, and spending time with their cats, dogs, friends, and family.

Amir Levi (he/she/they). Select LA Theater: Tales of the Transcestors (Celebration Theater and Greenway Court), Nathan C. Jones: A Love Story? (theblank YouTube Channel), Wood Boy Dog Fish (RogueAE& Garry Marshall),  Something Truly Monstrous (the blank).  Select TV: “Grand Crew,” “911,”  “Brooklyn 99,” “New Girl.” Represented by Smith & Hervey/Grimes, and Debra Manners Talent. theamirlevi.com. IG: @theamirlevi.

M. A. Dubbs is an award-winning Mexican-American and LGBT poet from Indiana, United States. For more than a decade, Dubbs has been publishing writing in magazines, anthologies, and zines across the globe. She is the author of An American Mujer through Bottlecap Press (2022) and served as judge for Indiana's Poetry Out Loud Competition. She recently won the 2023 Holden Vaughn Spangler Award and her black out poem "America Posterity '' will be exhibited in December at UltraSuperNew Gallery in Harajuku, Tokyo, Japan.

contact: jessiecates@gmail.com 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peopleofoz/

Julissa Cárdenas is a writer and educator. Her writings are love and hate letters to the experiences of bipolar disorder, suicidal ideation and learning how to exist as a flawed, ever-growing human. Julissa’s poems “object permanence” and “root canal” shine a light on the weight of living with mental illness.

Juan Paulo Munevar is a Colombian American actor based in Los Angeles.

He’s currently the Creative Director for the Nosotros Organization, helping the non-profit with its vital mission to raise Latiné voices in the entertainment industry. As a DACA recipient he is no stranger to adversity and hard work. He is a passionate advocate for immigrant rights. His experiences have inspired him to use his creative talents as an actor bring about a better narrative of the Latiné experience in the United States. He strives to tell dignified stories that help give a voice to his community.

Talia Fletcher (she/her) is a writer, virtual artist, and advocate for mental health and adult survivors of childhood abuse and trauma. She began creating art to heal and find peace only to discover that her writing and art helped others. Her mission now is to share her work so no one else will feel alone in the darkness. Her work has been published in Introvert, Dear. Her artwork was selected for the Talking It Out - Virtual Arts Festival in Support of Mental Health Awareness. You can find more of her personal story and artwork on her blog, DailySuperheroism. 

Morgan Taylor is a graduate of The Old Globe MFA Program. Credits include: Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet, directed by Delicia Turner-Sonnenberg, as Phoebe in As You Like It, directed by Jessica Stone, as Hero in Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Kathleen Marshall, and more. Taylor is also a co-founder of the local theatre company The Queen’s Fools.

Ben Mumford-Zisk is a writer, actor and performer based in San Diego, California, currently retraining into a career in mental health advocacy. Thanks in large part to his partner’s unfailing nose for adventure, he has eaten cookies in more than a dozen countries.

Hailey Mashburn is a playwright and actor. She graduated from the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts with a BA (Hons) in Acting, where she also discovered a love for writing. Upcoming theatre credits include “Good Day” with Blue Balloon Theatre, and current works in development include “Kimberlite” and "With Love." Previous acting credits include performing in "Julius Caesar" with New Match Collective, and writing credits include "(Fire) Embers (Ash)" and "Electra," an adaptation of Sophocles's tragedy. 

Gabe Igtanloc is a fourth year theater performance major at San Diego State University. He participates in department productions, student clubs, and local professional shows as a performer and choreographer, most recently being the associate choreographer for San Diego Musical Theatre’s production of She Loves Me. He is so honored to be a part of this wonderful production, and hopes you enjoy it! 

Kate Huffman is an award-winning actor and playwright and a certified body image coach. Her work in film, TV, and theatre (Fresh Off the Boat, Castle) has won her an LA Weekly Theatre Award, an Encore Producers Award, and several LADCC nominations. Her world-toured one woman show, I'M TOO FAT FOR THIS SHOW, tells her story of twenty years of eating disorders, OCD, chronic pain, and body dysmorphia. The sharing of her story set her on a path to help others who struggle with the unnecessary oppression of body hatred to reclaim their time, energy, and money so they can live in greater alignment with their purpose. More at katehuffman.com.  

Margaret Hanzel has been writing since the age of eight, but poetry became her outlet of choice as she started college. For most of her life, poetry has served as a more vulnerable and real expression of her emotions, and this became more crucial as she struggled more with anxiety and depression. She is excited to present her poem as a performance for the first time with Recover Me! Margaret works as a specialty coffee professional and lives in Brooklyn.

Shayne Morehouse is an 18-year-old transgender man who has Dissociative Identity Disorder. He loves to express his battles through poetry, writing, and music. Living with this disorder is not easy, but these creative outlets have helped him cope and continue to help him heal from the past. He is an aspiring therapist and public speaker to help people like himself. He hopes to inspire others by letting them know they too can heal and live a fulfilling life. 

Morgan Wallace is a 37-year-old single mother trying to find her way in the world of writing. This piece is her first one she has ever submitted. She hopes to one day use writing to get away from menial jobs, and is using an anime themed blog to hone her writing skills which can be found here: https://mindofanotakumom.wordpress.com/

Rebekah D. Wilson is an actress, writer, teaching artist, and voiceover artist based in New York City. As a person whose family has a history of mental and emotional illnesses, she is honored to be a part of this timely and impactful event. Her most recent credits include: SCANDUSICAL at The PIT Improv (Olivia Pope), BARE at The Barrow Group Theatre (Tanya), and the Off-Broadway workshop of Little Rock at The Sheen Center (Minnie-Jean Brown/Gloria Ray). BFA: Howard University, MA: New York University. IG &amp; Twitter: @missrebekahdee. Philippians 4:13.

Marisa Taylor Scott is incredibly honored to be part of The River Takes! Marisa is a local San Diego actress and is a proud graduate of the Point Park Conservatory of the Performing Arts. She would love to thank Recover Me, Alana, and Hannah for the opportunity.

Christine Hellman is a performer, playwright, and teaching artist based in NYC.  She is the co-creator of Misery is Optional. This verbatim theatre piece travels the path from addiction to recovery based on anonymous interviews with people who have found freedom from addiction. Their stories shine a light on a disease that affects 23 million Americans – and on the hope and travails of ongoing recovery. These stories are taken directly from verbatim interviews to give those living in recovery a voice. Miseryisoptionalplay.com  Recent acting credits include- Sweat (Jessie), Barbecue (Barbara), The Flick (Rose), Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime (Mrs. Shears, voice 1), MIsery is Optional (Voice 2) Trustus Theatre. Some Girls (Bobbi), Don't Dress for Dinner (Suzette), String of Pearls (Amy, others) Workshop Theatre. Romeo and Juliet (Juliet) CTC. 

Sarah Wiesehahn is super excited to be apart of this wonderful fundraiser. Recover me holds a special place in her heart and was so excited to be involved this year especially during such a crazy chaotic time. A big thank you to her family and friends 

Lindsay M. Shields is an ardent lover and advocate of the arts.  She works as a playwright, actor, and technician, occasionally dabbling in banjo and flute.  She serves as the Chapter Director of NY Thespians, a theatrical honor society for teens, and currently teaches technical theater at Fort Hamilton High School in Brooklyn, working with and learning from incredible young artmakers.  She has participated in PortFringe, Providence Fringe, and Edinburgh Fringe.  She’s a proud graduate of Brevard College (BA theater and wilderness), NYU (MA theater), and Southern Oregon University (MA production and design).  Next summer she looks forward to studying theater at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and performing in KC Fringe. Instagram and Twitter, @ActingPolitical

Larissa Ryan is a Coronado-based visual and performing artist and an alumni of San Diego State University, where she graduated in 2019 with her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Performance and a minor in French. Her most recent role was that of Lenora Magrath in the Patchwork Theatre Festival Zoom production of Beth Henley's Crimes of the Heart. She also had the opportunity to write and direct an original ten-minute one act as part of the 72 Hour Playwriting Festival, which also took place over Zoom as an extension of the Patchwork Theatre Festival. Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, she was slated to take on the role of Eileen in Coronado Playhouse's production of Ken Ludwig's Moon Over Buffalo. She is thrilled to return to Recover Me for its second year, and is incredibly grateful for any opportunity take part in an artistic endeavor as we all continue to grapple with the ongoing pandemic.