Michael Alvarez (director) is excited to be collaborating with Echo Theatre again after directing a reading of Roger Q. Mason’s California Story. He has been a Directing Fellow at New York Theatre Workshop, a Drama League Directing Fellow, and a Director with the Civilians R&D Group, amongst others. He has directed in New York, London, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Eastern Europe, and at such institutions as Her Majesty’s Theatre in the West End, Arcola Theatre, Institute of Contemporary Arts, New York Theatre Workshop, Serenbe Playhouse and made performance art pieces at the British Museum. He is the founding Artistic Director of The Muse Collective. Member of the Lincoln Center Directors Lab. Education: Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and California Institute of the Arts. www.Michael-Alvarez.com
Mia Ando (Mrs. Shimo) Born and raised in Japan, Mia’s theater credits include Blood (nominated for Best Supporting Female Performer for LA Stage Raw Awards2017), Letters to Eve, The Straggler. Film credits: The Wind Phone, The Heart of the Home, and Submittan. Mia’s excited to be a part of this project!
Trinity Catlin (Production Intern) is working towards her bachelors degree in English at Seattle University, with a specialization in creative writing. She has previously worked with the Echo on the production team on The Cake by Bekah Brunsetter. In addition, she serves as the co-president of the Seattle University Literary Society.
Morgan Danielle Day (Lucretia Jacobs) is an actress, dancer, writer/poet and director based in Los Angeles. She grew up in Baltimore, MD where she graduated from The Baltimore School for the Arts, then earned a BFA at Marymount Manhattan College, and recently graduated with her MFA from CalArts. She made her international debut at the Edinburgh Fringe as “Betty” in Gunshot Medley. Additionally, Morgan has appeared in many plays including The Hendrix Project directed by Roger Guinevere Smith at The Public Theatre in New York. As a voice actor, Morgan can be heard in Blackish, Grownish, Modern Family and AP Bio. She recently starred in the independent film The Council which can be found on Amazon Prime.
Alana Dietze (Producer) First time producer, Associate Artistic Director of the Echo and award-winning actor and director. As a director she is best known for her work on The Wolves and Dry Land (both with the Echo). Favorite acting credits include: The Recital, Gloria, Charlotte Stay Close, An Undivided Heart and Fugue.
Chris Fields (Producer) is founding Artistic Director of The Echo Theater Company. He also founded and was Artistic Director of the Ojai Playwrights Conference. Most recently, he directed the world premiere of Erik Patterson’s HANDJOB, before that he produced THE WOLVES and directed Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ GLORIA, Daniel Talbott’s WHAT HAPPENED WHEN and Yusuf Toropov’s AN UNDIVIDED HEART for The Echo. He won a Stage Raw Award for GLORIA, an LADCC Award for FIREMEN and the LA Weekly Award for A FAMILY THING.
Amy K. Harmon (Elie Kovner) is a Los Angeles based Actor and Director. Credits Include: Lord of The Underworld’s Home For Unwed Mothers ( Skylight Theatre) Nice Things ( Rogue Machine) Dirty ( Dir. Shannon Cochran) All Your Hard Work (Dir. Michael Matthews),Scandal(ABC), Castle (ABC) Private Practice (ABC) More at www.amykharmon.com
Gloria Ines (DeeDee Echeverria) is a graduate from the University of California, Riverside, where she earned her BA in Acting and Directing. During the day she works as an actor educator for KP’s Educational Theatre. She has been a member of the Echo’s Associate Company since 2018. She’s thrilled to be a part of sharing this story.
Matthew Paul Olmos is a three-time Sundance Institute Fellowship/Residency recipient, Actors’ Theatre of Louisville Humana Festival Commissioned Playwright, New Dramatists Resident Playwright, Center Theatre Group LA Playwright Workshop Writer, Geffen Playhouse Writers Room Playwright, Oregon Shakespeare Festival Black Swan Lab Playwright, Humanitas Play LA Workshop Playwright, Princess Grace Awardee in Playwriting, National Latino Playwriting Awardee, Repertorio Español Miranda Family Nuestra Voces Playwriting Awardee, Cherry Lane Mentor Project playwright as chosen by Taylor Mac, and La MaMa e.t.c.’s Ellen Stewart Emerging Playwright Awardee as selected by Sam Shepard.
He spent two years as a Mabou Mines/SUITE Resident Artist being mentored by Ruth Maleczech and is a former New York Theatre Workshop’s Emerging Artist Fellow, Baryshnikov Arts Center Artist in Residence, Dramatists Guild Fellow, Primary Stages’ Dorothy Strelsin New American Writer, two-time INTAR H.P.R.L Playwright, Echo Theater Company Resident Playwright, and an Ensemble Studio Theater lifetime member. He is a proud Kilroys nominator.
His work is produced internationally and nationally, published by Samuel French and No Passport Press; and is taught in university.
He is currently finishing a 3-play cycle about our tumultuous relationship with U.S. presidents, developed through New Dramatists Creativity Fund, and he is collaborating with composer April Dawn Guthrie on a play with music, entitled WE WALK ALONG THE CHRISTMAS BRIDGE, exploring the polarization of the left and right; as developed through Center Theatre Group’s LA Workshop and a play inspired by Samantha Power’s “The Education of An Idealist” for Geffen Playhouse’s Writers Room. He has developed a feature with Andrew Laurent Productions, and is working on a screenplay inspired by his play THAT DRIVE THRU MONTEREY. www.matthewpaulolmos.com.
Roland Ruiz (Efren) is Texas born w/a voracious curiosity that Theatre and Film attempt to quench. He loves travel and experiences life with effusive vigor and honesty so as to better understand and represent ‘life’ on stage and film. Also, life is more fun and interesting that way, que no?
Darrett Sanders (James Rouser) Echo Theater credits include A Small Fire and General Sherman’s Hollow Body. Other credits around Los Angeles include Exit Strategy, Disposable Necessities, Sunny Afternoon, Supper and The Whiskey Maiden.
Shelby K. Smotherman (Production Stage Manager) is a technician, artist, and mystery enthusiast based out of Tampa Bay. After years of stage managing at a small roadhouse theatre, Shelby is excited to
SPECIAL THANKS
Historical research from Eric Avila’s
“Popular Culture in the Age of White Flight – Fear and Fantasy in Suburban Los Angeles”
and
“The Folklore of the Freeway – Race and Revolt in the Modernist City” Painting inspired by “Alone and Together under the Freeway,” 1992; painted by David Botello.
Original Artwork by Dorothy Zhu
Tim Wright and Steve Hofvendahl