RIMT #16

BIOS

Brad Alexander (Composer) most recently wrote the music for TheatreworksUSAís Just So Stories. He has also written for Sony, Nabisco, Berkshire Theatre Festival, NY Fringe, Century Center, Ta-Da!, Naked Angels and West Coast Ensemble. Brad is an alumnus of The BMI Workshop and member of The Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Masi Asare (Associate Artistic Director) is a singer and composer/lyricist whose work has been performed at the BMI Lehman Engels Workshop, La MaMa E.T.C., Dixon Place, Makor/92nd St. Y, and Harvard's Agassiz Theatre. She is currently working on a full-length piece ("The Judge's Wife") with her first RIMT collaborator, Chris Kipiniak.

Aaron Berk (Performer)

Jimmy Bennett (Writer) is co creator of Off Broadways The Nuclear Family as well as The Extended Family for The Sundance Film Channel/Viacom. He has participated in past events as an actor, this is his first as a writer.

Robert Terrell Bledsoe (Composer) composed three previous works for Raw Impressions. He teaches at the University of Texas at El Paso. On Feb. 27 Music Forum El Paso will present a concert of his music, including his recent sonata for clarinet and the premiere of a song cycle for voice, cello, & piano, based on Herman Melville’s “Battle Pieces”.

Alison Cimmet (actor) Off- and Off-Off B’way: Ostrovsky (MTC reading w/ Kevin Kline), Machinal (Ohio Theatre), Taxi Cabaret (Primary Stages), and The Lady Next Door (Folksbiene). Regional favorites include Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun and Winnifred in Once Upon a Mattress. Love to my family, David, and the light of my life – little Max.

Lorraine Cink (Intern) is excited to embark on her first New York adventure with Raw Impressions. Lorraine is a graduate of University of the Arts with a BFA with honors in Musical Theatre, as well as Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts, Acting Program.

Jared Cohen (Event Manager) recently served as Production Manager for the Off-Broadway Clara’s Christmas Dreams, and has worked with Broadway producers Adam Epstein, Daryl Roth, and Disney Theatricals. He would like to thank Jane and Laura for this opportunity and their unconditional support and RIMT for their dedication to producing fresh, creative talent.

Jackie Comisar (Actor) is very excited to be a part of RIMT for the first time. Credits include: Joseph...Dreamcoat(Nat. tour), Birds of Paradise (NY Theatre Festival), Willie B. Came into the Sun (Playwrights Theatre), and The Radio City Christmas Spectacular BFA University of Michigan. Love to Jason and the Fam.

Kara Corthron (Writer) is currently a Lila Acheson Wallace Playwriting Fellow at the Juilliard School. She was recognized as a finalist for the 2005 National Ten-Minute Play Contest and recently received a grant from the Lecomte du Nouy Foundation. Kara wishes to dedicate this production to her mother.

Joan Marie Delahunt (Composer) also a singer, pianist In BMI Second Year Workshop Vocal Teaching Artist, Met Opera Guild Urban Voices Program; Graduated NYU Gallatin Division(Film/Music) Lives in a house surrounded by the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, with 3dogs,many cats, whatever fish the cats drag in, and D M Spencer.Eamonn Farrell (Director) is a Brooklyn based director. He assistant directed Kushner's "Homebody/Kabul" (Premiere) at NYTW. With Mabou Mines, he has assisted Lee Breuer on "Red Beads," "Dollhouse" (World Tour) and the upcoming "Suma Dramatica." Eamonn is also the director of the burgeoning Episodic Rock Theatre Show called "The Best" (www.bellyofthebest.com).

Adam Gwon (composer) is thrilled to take part in his first RIMT event. Most recently, his musical Lulu appeared in the 2004 New York Musical Theatre Festival and Fringe Festival, and was a finalist for the Rusty Magee Project at EST. He is a member of the upcoming 2005 Composer/Librettist Studio at New Dramatists.

Kevin Hale (Actor) is thrilled to be a part of this very special event. Broadway: HAIRSPRAY, PIPPEN (Concert). Regional include: JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR (Judas), Grease (Doody), TITANIC (Barrett), Joseph...Dreamcoat (Joseph). Opera: ALCINA (Oronte), A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM (Lysander), CARMEN (Don Jose). Kevin holds a B.F.A. in Musical theatre from the University of Michigan. He sends love and thanks to amazing family and friends.

Colleen Hawks (Actor) Broadway: Smokey Joe‚s Café, the Boy from Oz with Hugh Jackman. Other credits: MTC‚s Wild Party, Papermill‚s Anything Goes! (“Erma”) with Chita Rivera. Favorite roles: Laurey (Oklahoma!), Polly (Crazy for You), Val (A Chorus Line) and Sugar (Title Role). Coming up: wedding to hunky Jeff Pierce in May!

Karin Hendricks (Intern) is a native of Tucson, Arizona, where she received her BFA in Musical Theatre. After two years working with PCPA Theaterfest in California, she recently made her way to the East coast, and is happy to have the opportunity to work with all the wonderful people at Raw Impressions.

Jeff Hiller is a regular at the UCB Theatre. His New York stage credits include “Kilgore, the Musical”, "Slut", “A Ho Ho Horatio Christmas” (with SNL’s Horation Sanz) and "Awesome 80's Prom" currently running Off-Broadway. Jeff is also a snarky commentator for VH1 shows.

Patricia Jang’s (Writer) play, Aboveboard, was performed at Chicago Dramatists and at Speaking Ring Theatre’s One-Act playwriting festival. Her play, Counterspace, was presented by the Chicago Dramatists and her play, Next Paris, has been presented in several staged readings. Patricia was awarded an Illinois Arts Council fellowship and a Donahue Tremaine Trust grant. She is pursuing her MFA in Dramatic Writing at NYU.

Eric K. Johnston (Music Director) The 2005 marathon marks Eric's third and fourth RIMT events. Previously, he music directed RIMT #11 and composed "The Guest" for #13. Eric is a member of the Blueberry Pond Arts Center weekly playwrighting lab in Ossining, where he participates as an actor and writer as well as being the group's Musical Advisor.

Tajlei Levis (Writer) grew up in Vermont, writing living room musicals. She wrote the Columbia Varsity Show and was a member of BMI. She recently wrote book and lyrics for A Time to Be Born, a musical based on Dawn Powell's 1942 novel (music by John Mercurio). She used to be a lawyer.

Brian Lowdermilk (Composer) is the recipient of a Richard Rodgers Award, an Alan Menken Award and a Jonathan Larson Memorial Fellowship at the Dramatists Guild. Composer/Lyricist: RED, Elliot and the Magic Bed, The Unauthorized Autobiography of Samantha Brown and The Woman Upstairs. Brian studied at Harvard University and NYU.

Matt Mager (Performer) has been seeing Raw Impressions Events since 2002 and is thrilled to be working on one. Some of Matt's favorite roles have been Pippin, The Fool in Big River, Matt in the Fantasticks and the Plant Manipulator in Little Shop. Matt is originally from Fredonia New York and now lives in Harlem. When he has time, he loves to cook for his friends.

Adam B. Mathias, (Writer) Original musicals: The Passion of George W. Bush, Hamlet Sings: Horatio, The People Could Fly, A Normal Life. Coming soon: The Adventures of Johnny Appleseed, Life Is A Dream. MFA in Musical Theatre Writing, NYU Tisch; BFA in Playwriting, The Theatre School, DePaul University. BMI Musical Theatre Librettists' Workshop, member.

Douglas Maxwell (Music Director) plays the piano and loves gadgets.

Patrick Mellen (Founder/Director of Raw Impressions’ Music Theatre Division). isa native of OH, has appeared professionally at ATL, Avery Fisher Hall, Town Hall, and the Promenade Theater in various character baritone parts. He gives great thanks to Raw Impressions for making the last 3.5 years real interesting. www.patrickmellen.comJoe Locarro (Director) has been in 6 Broadway musicals including the original cast of “Ragtime” and the role of ‘Enjolras’ in “Les Miserables.” Recent directing credits include 2 productions of “Ragtime.” the TV pilot, “Studio 2B-TV” and 2nd Unit Dir./DP for the History Channel pilot “Patent Warriors.”

RON MELROSE (Composer) Broadway Music Director and Dance/Vocal Arranger. Composer and/or lyricist: Superdimensional Microbabes (a Japanese-anime musical), Fourtune (off-Broadway), The Silver Swan (NEA Fellowship), The Missing Peace and Early One Morning (available on CD), Gospel Requiem (awaiting premiere), two Harvard Hasty Pudding shows, and Saturday Night Live.

Brett Nicholson's (Writer) full-length original musical HOLMES!, has been workshopped in Orlando and New York (www.holmesthemusical.com). During 11 years with Disney, Brett has been a puppeteer, performer, writer, and an artist/designer with Walt Disney Entertainment. Brett and his wife Emily live in Manhattan, where he is a member lyricist of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop. www.brettnicholson.com

David Rodwin (Producing Artistic Director/Founder)would like to thank all the extraordinary people who have given their time, talent, energy and love to every Raw Impressions event over the last 3-1/2 years. You have made Raw Impressions great. And especially thanks to Patrick for the initial impetus, Masi for stepping up to the plate and Bruce, Erik and Chris at RIPFest for taking it up a notch. www.jadelake.com

Danny Rothman (Performer) is thrilled to be a part of the Marathon! He has appeared in various productions in the New York theatre scene with The York Theatre Co., Prospect Theatre Co. and Musicals Tonight, as well as regionally with: The Goodspeed Opera House, STAGES St. Louis, Pittsburgh CLO, Stamford Center for the Arts, The MUNY, K.C. Starlight, Stonnington Opera among others. Carnegie Mellon University B.F.A. Musical Theatre. Love to family and friends.

Amy Silverman (Actor) works regularly with BMI and the NYU Graduate Musical Theatre Writing community. Favorite Regional/National Touring credits: Will Rogers Follies (Betty Blake), Fiddler… (Tzeitel), The New Yorkers Musicals Tonight (Lola), Nuncrackers (Original Cast –Amnesia), Schoolhouse Rock Live (Dori). Training: Northwestern University, Second City, Eugene O’Neill Cabaret Symposium, Guthrie Theatre.

Nana Simopoulos (Composer) is also an instrumentalist who creates a unique style of world music. She performs worldwide and has several albums of original music. Her Daughters of the Sun CD was #1 on NPR. She has been commissioned by top level dance and theater companies and has scored numerous films. www.nana.net.

Lucy Sorensen (Performer)

SAVIANA STANESCU (Writer) From Romania. 'The Inflatable Apocalypse' - Best Romanian Play of the year 2000, Final Countdown - Antoine Vitez Center Award, Paris. New York productions: ëYokastaSí - La MaMa ETC, 'Balkan Blues' - NY Fringe Festival, ëWaxing Westí - The Lark Theatre. MA in Performance Studies, MFA in Dramatic Writing, NYU, Tisch.

David H. Turner (Composer) Current projects include a musical collaboration with the playwright Christopher Shinn, writing the musical "King Macbush" with Randall David Cook, scoring a short NYU thesis film "Possum", performing solo as Johnny Hancock, and making a film with 1915 Pictures. He graduated from Princeton in 2002.

JUSTIN WARNER (Writer) is happily making his RIMT debut. His plays have been performed in ten U.S. states and in Canada. Other forays into short-order creativity include the 48-Hour Film Project, Spontaneous Combustion, and seven years performing with Washington Improv Theater (WIT). Member: BMI, Dramatists Guild. www.justinwarner.net