Gil Kofman, Jodie Markell & Richard Caliban

Gil Kofman (Playwright) was born in Nigeria and has an MFA in playwriting from Yale School of Drama. His play American Magic, a dark political satire, was produced in NY, LA and London, with Richard Foreman playing the part of the President and original music from Lee Ranaldo. It was later published along with two other plays, The Interview and Pharmacopeia. His film The Memory Thief played on the Sundance Channel. And in 2010 he directed a thriller in China that got a wide release and played on HBO Asia. In 2012, he directed and produced a feature film in Tel Aviv called Lost In The White City starring Haley Bennett and Thomas Dekker. Gil Kofman also wrote a play on Trump’s early days in office -Transparent Falsehood: An American Travesty that was produced in NY in 2018. Later in 2024 his play Dickhead was produced at Theater for the New City in NY. He was a fellow at the MacDowell Colony where he finished a play on Stanley Kubrick. His latest film Love and Swiping in the Age of Sorrow goes into production this fall.

Jodie Markell (Leni Riefenstahl) - received an OBIE award for her performance in MACHINAL directed by Michael Greif at Joseph Papp’s Public Theater. Other New York theater includes: David Marshall Grant’s SNAKEBIT; David Lindsay-Abaire’s KIMBERLY AKIMBO - Manhattan Theatre Club; BALM IN GILEAD directed by John Malkovich - Circle Rep; ITALIAN AMERICAN RECONCILIATION directed by John Patrick Shanley - Manhattan Theatre Club; ROAD and UBU at Lincoln Center; Will Scheffer’s EASTER and Odet's CLASH BY NIGHT both directed by Richard Caliban at Naked Angels (company member). She also played Karla Faye Tucker in Steve Earle’s KARLA. Regional theater includes: Tom Waits’ FRANK’S WILD YEARS - Steppenwolf Theater; STREET SCENE - Williamstown; SCENES FROM AN EXECUTION - Mark Taper Forum; Theresa Rebeck's SPIKE HEELS - NY Stage and Film. Film includes: Woody Allen's HOLLYWOOD ENDING; Todd Haynes SAFE; Jim Jarmusch’s MYSTERY TRAIN and THE DEAD DON’T DIE; Barry Levinson’s JIMMY HOLLYWOOD. Other features include : TRAPPED; QUEEN’S LOGIC; SWEET LAND; and Ira Sach's KEEP THE LIGHTS ON. TV includes: Law and Order; SVU; The Good Wife; and the recurring role of Wendy Hunt in the HBO series BIG LOVE. She also directed the feature film of Tennessee Williams’ THE LOSS OF A TEARDROP DIAMOND starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Evans, and Ellen Burstyn. www.jodiemarkell.com

Richard Caliban (Direction, Sound Design, Original Music) has collaborated with Gil and Jodie on a number of productions, including Kofman’s play Dickhead at Theatre for the New City; and he also directed Jodie in the Naked Angels off-B’way hit production of Will Sheffer’s Easter as well as the subsequent film version. Caliban was Artistic Director of critically acclaimed, award-winning Cucaracha Theatre (“The most exciting experimental theater company in New York.” — NY Times) where he wrote and directed many of his plays, including productions at the Public Theatre and The Vineyard Theatre. Caliban’s MoM - A Rock Concert Musical won “Outstanding Musical” at the NY Fringe Festival and continued with runs at the Actor’s Playhouse, Geva Theatre and many other venues. He is also known for directing the celebrated Obie and Outer Critics Circle award-winning production of Mac Wellman’s Crowbar at the Victory Theater. More recently, he directed Lost Shanghai, which he co-wrote with Grammy nominated composer Angel Lam, at Merkin Hall. His work has also been seen at Primary Stages, Playwrights Horizons, Theatre Row, The Cherry Lane, Ensemble Studio Theatre, La Mama, HERE, Joyce Theatre, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Denver Center Theater, Berkshire Theatre Festival, and overseas in Budapest, Uzbekistan and the UK. www.richardcaliban.com.

Spiff Weigand (Musician/Spifmeister) is a recording engineer at Double Digit Studios, a writer, and a songwriter. He was born with 2 thumbs on his right hand. He plays over 20 instruments, performing with Alkemie, Weird Uncle, The Automat, and The Randy Bandits. Jimmy Fallon and Brad Pitt have lip-synced to his yodeling. He played accordion on John Oliver. Spiff has music directed and acted regionally and in NYC for 25 years. He also makes meditation music. Creator of live audio theater show The Spiffemol Industries Radio Hour. Patreon.com/SpiffWiegand.

Joey Moro (Projection Design) designs lighting, projection, and scenery. Joey has designed over 150 productions in NYC, regionally, and abroad. Recent projection work: Walk Through Fire (Buglisi Dance Theatre,) Thanksgiving Play (Dorset Theatre Fest,) The Wanderers (Roundabout Theatre,) Skeleton Crew (Broadway programmer), Good Vibrations (Houston Ballet), Sunken Cities Exhibit (Virginia Museum of Fine Art), 72 Miles to Go… (Roundabout Theatre), A Bright Room Called Day (Juilliard), Skeleton Crew (Dorset Theatre Fest), Orange Julius (Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre). Obie Award for Wet Brain at Playwrights Horizons. MFA Yale School of Drama. Joey is concurrently a Professor of design at Berklee NYC, of projection design at Yale Drama, and of lighting design at NYU Tisch. www.joeymoro.com www.moro.media

Lake Simons (Puppet Design & Construction) - is a Brooklyn based director, designer, puppeteer, and physical theatre performer. She utilizes movement, puppetry, and live music to create stylized visual storytelling for the stage. Lake has collaborated with a multitude of musicians, performers, designers, and artists in NYC and Texas. She is the Managing Artistic Director of her family’s 48 year old Hip Pocket Theatre in Fort Worth, Texas. Lake teaches puppetry at Sarah Lawrence College, as well as to elementary school age children with Arts Connection. lakesimons@icloud.com

Team Leni