DAVID CECI (he/him) writes across multiple genres about characters who tend to live in the past or the future. In addition to this workshop of Unfamiliar: A Maidstone Tale, he is also preparing for a full musical staged reading of Fur Pajamas (music by John Allman, book & lyrics by David) at this summer’s Next Step Theatre Festival. Last fall, David directed a staged reading of Act I of Arsinoë IV, his historical drama set in ancient Egypt, at the Spark Theatre Festival; its origin play (also Arsinoë IV) was a Finalist with Red Bull Theatre's Short New Play Festival. Earlier, his short play derived from the full-length Unfamiliar: AMT was chosen for self-production by festivals at both The Secret Theatre and The Players Theatre. The Enemy Unseen, a dystopian sci-fi adventure (formerly titled Sundown), was selected for The Skeleton Rep’s Salon Series, and David continues to develop The Fountain, a period romantic drama set in southern Italy. His work has also been developed at The PlayGround Experiment, Seattle Playwrights' Salon, and Primary Stages ESPA. Member: Dramatists Guild & The PlayGround Experiment (PGE).

CIERA EIS is a recent New York transplant. She directs new plays and musicals that emphasize the cool, the weird, and the queer. Recent directing credits: Last West: Roadsongs for Dorothea Lange (Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, Oakland Museum of California), Hadestown (American Conservatory Theatre), The Mushroom God of Leaf-Cutter Ants (The Tank), Signs of the Kingdom (Ca$h Grant), WORK/SHOOT (Playground SF), The Speakeasy (Boxcar Theatre), Love U: A New Musical (Z Space), Future is Queer (Left Coast Theatre Co), Circle Mirror Transformation (Custom Made Theater), and more. Ciera was the Assistant Director of Wakey Wakey directed by Anne Kauffman/starring Tony Hale and Both Your Houses directed by Mina Morita (American Conservatory Theater). She is a Founder Member of Bay Area Directors Collective, Playground Company Member, lead artist at ColLABo (Carnegie Mellon University) and The Ground Floor (Berkeley Repertory Theatre), recipient of Directors Lab West, SDFC Observer, Shortlived Play Festival VIII Winner, Ca$h and Porter Arts Grant recipient, Promising Women in Theatre Award and Renaissance Artist Award. B.A. in Theater Arts and Psychology from University of California, Santa Cruz.

This is Kelsea’s first time playing a vampire. Ten years ago, she played Mina in a production of Dracula in Themiddleofnowhere, Kentucky. The theater no longer exists. Vampires allegedly involved.

Shout out to Mike Lesser and his boundless, infectious passion and enthusiasm in inspiring artists to keep creating, congregating and celebrating.

Akaina Ghosh (they/them) is a multidisciplinary actor, musician, and playwright. They’ve debuted new works in New York, Los Angeles, Switzerland, Greece, and San Francisco. Akaina is passionate about reconstructing historically significant narratives through a gender expansive lens, and generating new works that center on queer voices and perspectives. Their specialties include devised theater, music composition, and ensemble performance. Selected credits include their TBA Award Nominated performance as Tilly in Time Sensitive (Ragged Wing Ensemble), Macbeth (Shakespeare on the Sound), Plot Points in Our Sexual Development (NCTC), and Phantasmagoria (Cutting Ball). Akaina received their MFA from NYU Tisch’s Graduate Acting Program. akainaghosh.com

I can see Van Helsing in the back row with my friend Tom Jaekels as my co-worker at the asylum. There's Courtey as the housekeeper, Polly as the Aunt, Kathryn as Renfield, and Mina (Murray) Harker. But why aren't Jonathan Harker and Dracula in this pic? I guess we'll never know.