DOUG WRIGHT

Doug Wright of New York City attended school in the Highland Park School District. Doug entered Yale University, and while a senior, Doug was invited to bring two of his plays to Edinburgh. One local critic called him "American's hottest young playwright." After graduating from Yale, he enrolled at New York University receiving his MFA in Playwriting. Doug received the Pulitzer Prize, a Tony Award, the Drama Desk Award, a GLAAD Media Award, an Outer Critics Circle Award, a Drama League Award, and a Lucille Lortel Award for I Am My Own Wife. He was nominated for the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Circle awards for Best Book of a Musical for Grey Gardens, won an Obie Award for his play Quills, and the screen adaptation was named Best Picture by the National Board of Review and was nominated for three Academy Awards. Doug has been cited by the American Academy of Arts and Letters and has been awarded the Tolerance Prize from the Kulturforum Europa. Doug is currently working on the book for the musical of Disney's Little Mermaid opening on Broadway in early January.

LUCIE ARNAZ has had an extremely diversified career spanning over thirty-five years in show business. She has starred on the New York stage in They're Playing Our Song (Theatre World, LA Drama Critic's and Outer Critic's Circle Awards), Lost in Yonkers and Grace and Glorie; in First National companies of Seesaw, Whose Life Is It Anyway?, Social Security and My One and Only (Sarah Siddons Award); and in regional theatres in Wonderful Town, Master Class, Cabaret, The Guardsman, Annie Get Your Gun, I Do! I Do!, Educating Rita, Vanities, L'il Abner, Bye Bye Birdie, Once Upon A Mattress, Mack and Mabel, in the London premiere of Witches of Eastwick, and at Florida's Coconut Grove Playhouse in Once Removed, A Picasso, Ann and Debbie, and Sonia Flew, in which she co-starred for the first time with daughter, Luckinbill. Most recently, she returned to Broadway in the musical Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

She has appeared on television in The Lucie Arnaz Show, Abduction of Innocence, Sons and Daughters, The Black Dahlia, The Mating Season, Who Gets the Friends?, Washington Mistress, Death Scream and Here's Lucy; on the big screen in The Jazz Singer (Golden Globe Nomination), Down to You, Second Thoughts, Billy Jack Goes to Washington, and most recently, Wild Seven (with Richard Roundtree and Robert Loggia) and The Pack.

Lucie has performed on the Academy Awards, at The White House and internationally in concert. She was Executive Producer of the I Love Lucy 50th Anniversary (Emmy nominee, 2001), and Lucy & Desi: A Home Movie (Emmy winner, 1993). She produced two CD-Roms, and recorded an album for Concord Jazz (Just in Time). She also travels the lecture circuit (Surviving Success).

Lucie currently serves on the Board of Directors of The American Theatre Wing (www.americantheatrewing.org) and is President of the Board of Directors of the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center in Jamestown, New York (www.lucy-desi.com).

With her brother, Desi, she manages Desilu, too, LLC. With her husband, actor-writer Laurence Luckinbill, she manages five children. Lucie invites you to visit her online at www.luciearnaz.com.

Adam Pascal was born on October 25, 1970, in the Bronx and raised in Syosset, New York. He started singing in various heavy metal and hard rock bands when he was 12, and has been singing in bands, as a solo artist, in movies or on the Broadway stage ever since.

In high school, Adam's bands played at local clubs and parties on Long Island, and performed in various Battle of the Bands competitions. In later years, the band name changed and the music evolved, and the band moved on to play in New York City clubs like CBGB and China Club.

In 1995, the band, then called Mute, recorded a self-titled album that was released in Japan by Zero Corporation. Through the various phases of the band, Adam continued to write his own music. In 1996, Adam tried out for the then unknown, off-Broadway production of Rent. He landed the role of Roger Davis - one which he would reprise a few years later in London, in the 2005 movie version of Rent, and again 11 years later for a limited run on Broadway during the summer of 2007. He was nominated for a 1996 Tony Award as Best Actor (Musical) for his role as Roger. While in New York, Adam also played gigs with The Adam Pascal Band.

In 1998, Adam's career expanded to the big screen in SLC Punk! Then in 2000, Adam was cast in the lead role of Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida as Radames. In May of that year, his debut solo album, Model Prisoner, was released on Sh-K-Boom Records. Also in 2000, Adam co-produced the hit off-Broadway play Fully Committed with fellow former Rent cast member, Jesse L. Martin. In October 2003, Adam once again visited the Broadway stage, this time as the Emcee in Cabaret, as part of the closing cast. He played the lead singer of a rock band in 2003's School of Rock and is on the movie's soundtrack. Adam's second CD, Civilian, was released in November 2004.

After 2004's musical Temptation, his reprisal of the role of Roger in the movie version of Rent in 2005 brought a new generation of fans not only to the Broadway show and its music, but to the original cast as well. Since 2005's Rent, Adam has appeared in a 2006 episode of Cold Case where he played an actor in Cabaret and he has worked on two films Goyband and American Primitive. When Adam returned to the Rent stage in July of 2007, he helped the show regain the excitement and buzz it hadn't seen in many years.

Adam's latest project, a yet-to-be-titled CD to be released in early 2008, is a collaboration with writing partner Larry Edoff. In the last year, the new band Me and Larry have been writing and touring and recording all in preparation for the new CD and the 2008 tour.

Adam currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two sons.

Adam Pascal, and TheatreFest 2008 invite all convention goers to a special performance on Saturday evening. Adam Pascal will be performing Saturday, January 26, at 7:00 PM, at an all-convention event called "An Acoustic Evening with Adam Pascal." Adam will be briefly interviewed by David Michaels of Actors' Fund, then perform a set of songs accompanying himself on the guitar. There will then be a brief Q&A session, followed by an autograph/photo opportunity for the attendees.

Dale Kristien is best known for her portrayal of Christine Daae in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, a role she played for over 1700 performances, both on Broadway and for the entire four and a half record-breaking years in Los Angeles.

Dale starred with the original Phantom, Michael Crawford - first on Broadway and then as they premiered the show together in Los Angeles. She and Mr. Crawford have continued their alliance ever since, appearing in concert together all over the world, in television specials, as well as for five United States Presidents and one English Prince.

Dale first appeared on Broadway in Camelot, starring Richard Burton (the original stage King Arthur) and followed by Richard Harris (the film King Arthur). She then played the role of Magnolia on Broadway in the Houston Grand Opera production of Showboat, starring Donald O'Connor.

Dale's career has included her own concerts, countless musicals, television appearances, and a CD (with two more currently in production). She continues to donate her time to such worthy causes as The Actors' Fund, The American Heart Association, Breast Cancer, and numerous organizations providing AIDS treatment and education.

Dale currently resides in Burbank, California.

Mary Ekler has appeared in various musical capacities (musical director, pianist, composer, arranger, producer, vocalist) around the globe. Her compositions have been performed and recorded by artists such as Helen Reddy, Sergio Mendes, Glenn Yarbrough, and Little Anthony and the Imperials. She has also written music for television, including the series Matlock, for Viewer's Choice Pay TV and numerous feature films. She has served as Musical Director, keyboardist, vocalist and arranger with the Grammy awarding winning group, Wilson Phillips, and with artists as diverse as Rita Coolidge, Helen Reddy, Glenn Yarbrough, Freda Payne, Stefanie Powers, Lorenzo Lamas, Dale Kristien, Michael Maguire, and Little Anthony and the Imperials.

In the wonderful world of Musical Theatre, Mary has served as Associate Music Director or part of the orchestra for productions of Company, Kismet, 110 in the Shade, Purlie, Side by Side by Sondheim, and The King and I.

Educationally and artistically, Mary is also Musical Director at St. Francis High School in La Canada, CA where West Side Story, Pippin, South Pacific, Fiddler on the Roof, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Les Miserables, Jesus Christ Superstar, Footloose and Miss Saigon have been performed in a state of the art theatre to rave reviews.

David Michaels began working as an actor and a model at age 17, appearing in New York, around the USA, Canada and in Europe. Favorite productions include Godspell, Jesus Christ Superstar, Purlie and Deathtrap. He worked steadily until he became a contestant on a game show and an immediate fascination with the "behind the scenes" world of television led to his first production job with Bob Stewart Productions. He rose quickly from production assistant to producer, doing over 25 pilots and air shows. Most notably, David produced The $25,000 and $100,000 Pyramids, starring Dick Clark, garnering multiple nominations and two Emmy Awards. He also produced Pictionary for the late Dan Enright.

Transitioning into the talk show world, David produced such shows (partial list) as Vicki! (2 nominations), Leeza (2 nominations, including one for writing) and Caryl and Marilyn. He also produced and wrote the primetime special Lie Detector.

At the Television Academy, David served as Co-Chairman of the Daytime Emmy Awards for over 10 years and served on the Board of Governors for 12 years, as well as on numerous other committees. He founded TV CARES, the Academy's AIDS awareness committee, chairing the committee with honorary co-chair, Angela Lansbury, for the last 14 years. He also conceived and produced the annual RIBBON OF HOPE CELEBRATION for 11 years and counting.

David has produced countless star-studded live charity events and is currently Director of Special Events for the Western Region of The Actors Fund, which offers a myriad of services to all entertainment professionals. The position makes good use of his producing skills for live events, as well as television. For the last two years, he produced and wrote The RIBBON OF HOPE live event as a Special for "here!" Networks.

Charlene Speyerer, graduate of Plano Senior High School and member of Actors Equity, currently works in New York City as a stage manager on Broadway. After graduating from UT Austin with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Drama Production, Charlene began a seven-month internship with the Broadway production of Les Miserables. The internship soon advanced to a short-term position as a union stage manager on her first Broadway Production Contract. She then spent an incredible six months working on the pre- Broadway production of Victor/Victoria where she worked side by side with Blake Edwards and Julie Andrews. Charlene toured the United States with the First National tour of Miss Saigon and the Third National tour of The Phantom of the Opera. Upon Charlene's return to New York, she has held Production contracts on the Broadway companies of Thoroughly Modern Millie, 42nd Street, Mamma Mia!, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, The Pirate Queen, and Legally Blonde. Always a popular presenter, Charlene is excited to be back in Dallas for TheatreFest 2008.

Randy Bennett, one of the early members of "The Groundlings," the premiere comedy improve troupe out of Los Angeles, will be one of the featured guests at TheatreFest '08. While with the Groundlings, Randy performed with Phil Hartman, Paul "Pee-wee Herman" Reubens, and Cassandra "Elvira" Peterson. Randy was Administrator of the Groundling School of Improvisation and opened the Groundlings East in New York City. He has taught improvisation to almost 3,000 students in the past 28 years. Former students include George Clooney, Jon Lovitz, Julia Sweeney, and Phil Rosenthal, Executive Producer of Everybody Loves Raymond.

As a talent agent, he represented such clients as Lynn Redgrave, Kirstie Alley, Cloris Leachman, Tom Selleck, Kelly Preston, and Mr. Clooney. As a theatre producer and casting director in Los Angeles with his partner Craig Strong, he gave "first breaks" to Lisa Kudrow of Friends, Debra Jo Rupp of That 70's Show, and Peri Gilpin of Frazier. Randy's film and television credits include Golden Girls, Laverne and Shirley, Scooby Doo, Brave Little Toaster, and Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.

Television directing credits include The Nanny for CBS and Jam Bay for ABC/Universal. Randy has just completed shooting his third documentary film. He is a member of the Director's Guild of America, Screen Actors Guild, and Actors Equity.

Randy graduated cum laude from the University of California. He is currently Chair of the Arts Department at Desert Academy in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he teaches Theatre, Comedy Improv, and Film. He is the proud dad of Alexander Bennett-Strong.

Randy will be featured speaker for a couple of the events, will teach improve for students and for the teachers and will be available to answer questions.

Tim Mooney has worked in, with and around the theatre for almost thirty years, as an actor, director and playwright, and everything in between.

Tim received his bachelor's degree from Southern Illinois University and a master of fine arts degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He went on to internships with the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre and the Seattle Rep, where he was assistant director to John Dillon and Daniel Sullivan, respectively.

Tim taught acting and stage movement for two years with Northern Illinois University, before creating The Script Review, a newsletter that reviewed some 700 plays in manuscript form over the course of seven years, distributed to Literary Managers and Directors all over the United States. As a director, Tim's production of Secret Obscenities was one of five winners at the Bailiwick Directors' Festival in Chicago. From there, Tim stepped in as Artistic Director of the Stage Two Theatre Company, where he produced nearly fifty plays in five years, most of them original works.

When Stage Two turned to the classics, Tim adapted his own sparkling rhymed, iambic-pentameter versions of the plays of Moliere creating fifteen new Moliere plays in seven years. Stage Two produced Tartuffe, The Miser, The Schemings of Scapin, The Misanthrope, The Doctor in Spite of Himself and Sganarelle, and companies around the world picked up on these plays too, with productions all across the United States, as well as Canada and even India. Tim's writing work brought him full circle, back in front of the footlights as a performer, playing the lead role in many of the works he had written. (In fact, all of the roles in which he now found himself cast were the parts that Moliere himself had originated!) This was to give Tim the impetus for a one-man show, Moliere Than Thou (Best Adapted Work, San Francisco Fringe Fest).

Most recently, Tim has further refined the art of the one-person show, creating a one-man Sci-Fi Thriller, Criteria, (Artistic Picks Finalist, Seattle Fringe Fest), as well as Karaoke Knights a One Man Rock Opera.

Tim continues to write new versions of the plays of Moliere, novels, short stories, songs, children's stories and screenplays.

A 20-year veteran Teaching Artist with Young Audiences of North Texas and recent Undermain Theater ensemble member, Kent Williams was last seen in Undermain's The Appeal as Coleridge and in Core Performance Manufactory's This Music Crept By Me Upon the Waters. Kent can be heard on a number of Cartoon Network and FUNimation Channel anime features such as Dragonball Z, Full Metal Alchemist, Trinity Blood and One Piece. A Telly Award recipient for his puppetry and voice work in Jack Houston's Camp AOK, Kent manages and performs with Le Theatre de Marionette, a marionette fairytale theater. Current projects include the Dallas Arts Learning Initiative (DALI) for theater, music and language arts curricula in DISD elementary schools. Theate in its most creative sense can best describe Kent's workshops.

C. Denby Swanson is a graduate of Smith College, the National Theatre Institute, and the University of Texas Michener Center for Writers. She is the NEA/TCG Playwright in Residence at Zachary Scott Theatre Center for 2007/2008 and has been a William Inge Playwright in Residence, a Jerome Fellow and a McKnight Advancement Grant recipient. Her work has been commissioned by the Guthrie Theater; featured in the Southern Playwrights Festival, the Women Playwrights Project, the Estro-Genius Festival, and PlayLabs 2002; and world-premiered at Salvage Vanguard Theater, The Drilling Company, and 15 Head a Theater Lab.

She is published by Smith & Kraus, Heinemann, Accompany Publishing, and Playscripts, Inc. In 2006, she was in residence at New York Stage & Film to develop her play A Brief Narrative of an Extraordinary Birth of Rabbits, which was also included in the Writer/Director Lab at the Playwrights Center, and workshopped at Cornell College in Iowa as part of New Plays on Campus grant. Her play Atomic Farmgirl was workshopped at the Culture Project's Impact Festival and the first annual Icicle Creek Theater Festival, in Washington State.

She is a Core member of The Playwrights Center in Minneapolis, an alumna of the Lark Theater in New York where her play The Death of a Cat was featured in Playwrights Week 2005, a former Artistic Director of Austin Script Works, and on the faculty at Southwestern University as a guest professor in playwriting. She had a show open in New York this past November.

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