About El Mago Loco

Making its 2025 debut as a Hollywood Fringe Scholarship Winner, El Mago Loco is a magician who only does what he knows: Latino magic tricks! But what happens when you show up (white, black, Asian-American, Brazilian?) and the audience isn’t 100% Latino? What follows is only una noche to prove his worth (magically, of course) and the discovery that true happiness in mediocrity is better than someone else’s (you!) version of success. Oh, and yeah, he’s going to do that trick where he cuts someone in half (could be you?).

About the El Mago Loco Team

LINZY BELTRAN – Clown

Linzy Beltran is a first-generation clown and writer from Houston, Texas. After surviving a Pentecostal upbringing, she found the holy spirit – through improv! During the pandemic, she turned that burning idea into a script, becoming one of 10 writers selected for the Disney-NHMC Screenwriter Fellowship. Linzy relocated to LA where she made her Hollywood Fringe debut as the lead in the play, El Paso (2022) and joined the Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) Character team in 2024.

NATASHA MERCADO – Director

Natasha Mercado is a director, performer, and visionary of the “Soft Clown”—a performance style she pioneered that combines unapologetic vulnerability, absurdism, and emotional depth. Her innovative approach has made her a sought-after teacher, with sold-out workshops across the country. In 2024, The Comedy Bureau named her work one of the “Best Things in Comedy,” and Cirque du Soleil’s David Shiner praised her as “fearless and completely out of [her] mind.”

As a director, Natasha has helmed critically acclaimed Fringe productions including Thank You So Much For Coming, Medicine Woman, and The Great Shamé. These works have garnered multiple award nominations and widespread recognition across the Edinburgh and North American Fringe circuits. In 2025, she is directing three new original works debuting at the Hollywood Fringe Festival, continuing her commitment to developing emotionally transformative, genre-defying performances in collaboration with rising artists.

Her solo shows, Tree and #1 Son, have toured internationally and received critical acclaim, with Tree being named one of Stage Raw’s Top 10 Shows in Los Angeles. Natasha’s directorial work centers creative impulse within heightened, often surreal worlds, creating transformative experiences that engage audiences both intellectually and emotionally.

In addition to her performing and directing career, Natasha works with The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company, mentoring youth in under-resourced communities to develop original work that reflects their personal stories. She draws inspiration from immersive theatre, physical comedy, and the transformative power of intentionally shifting the energy in a room.

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The New York Times called 2024 “Peak College Admissions Insanity.” But what happens AFTER you’ve been accepted?

So Baby is a sharp and hilarious new comedy exploring growing up and our obsession with higher education. When a boy-crazy nerd, a power-hungry activist, and a spoiled Russian oligarch’s daughter are assigned to be roommates, their clashing visions for college quickly lead to big drama in their tiny dorm.

The So Baby Team

A world premiere by Talisa Friedman, winner of the National Jewish Playwriting Competition and member of the Road Theatre’s Under Construction playwriting cohort. www.talisafriedman.com

Co-directed by Josie Andrews and Sierra Nutkevitch – two badass female filmmakers who are bringing their visual sensibility to the Fringe space.

The Cast of So Baby

Starring three wildly talented young actresses all making their LA theater debuts: Emily Hope Turner, Ciara Cain, and Diana Malota.

Get to Jnow the Team

CIARA CAIN (Jordyn) is an actress and screenwriter who moved to Los Angeles from South Carolina, two years after graduating from North Carolina A&T State University. There, she obtained her BFA in Professional Theatre. She has been in love with all forms of storytelling since she fell in love with reading in elementary school. The many movie nights with her grandparents fostered her love of movies. Her fun fact is that her mother would not let her watch Disney Channel or Nickelodeon during the school week. Instead, she’d come home from school, catching reruns of 90s sitcoms. That’s where her love of television comes from. All these factors made her the creative that she is. During college, she started her indie production company. Out of pure passion and the desire to see the visions God placed in her outside of her mind, she wrote and produced a 5-episode web series entitled Together, one pilot episode of her original TV show New Life, and a few short films.

DIANA MALOTA (Roksana) is a versatile actress and producer fluent in English, Albanian, Russian, and French. She stars as Deborah in What Did Deborah Do?, a critically acclaimed feature that premiered at the Mammoth Film Festival and just recently won Best Indie Drama at the Film Threat Award This Awards. Diana also served as a producer on the film, and it’s now available for streaming on Prime Video.

In addition to her acting work, Diana is dedicated to refining her craft, studying improv at The Groundlings and performing as a stand-up comedian at venues like Flappers Comedy Club, the Zephyr Theatre, and Fourth Wall Comedy.

EMILY HOPE TURNER (Miri) is a versatile performer with experience and training ranging from traditional Shakespearean theater to improv comedy. As a model, she stars in a Sephora campaign and is also known for her incredible voice and musical talent, playing multiple instruments. She has starred as Deb in Ordinary Days, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Fania Fenelon in Playing for Time, and more. Carpentry, ASL, Italian, and tap dance are just a few of the many skills she brings to the table while splitting her time between LA and NY.

TALISA FRIEDMAN (Playwright/producer) is a writer, actor, and producer. Her play WHO BY FIRE won the 2021 National Jewish Playwriting Competition, the Tel Aviv Jewish Playwriting Competition, and was one of three finalists for Monumental Theater’s New Work Series at the Kennedy Center. WHO BY FIRE had a workshop production at The Road Theatre in spring 2023, directed by four-time Emmy winner John Frank Levey. She was a finalist for the Geffen Writers Room, and is currently a member of the Road Theatre’s Under Construction playwriting cohort. As an actor, her theater credits include Alex Timbers’ THE LAST GOODBYE (Juliet) and HAMLET (Ophelia) at The Old Globe, CABARET (Sally Bowles) at Celebration, THE DODGERS (Patti) at the Hudson, plus Arena Stage, American Repertory Theatre, etc. She majored in English at Harvard, where she was awarded the Jonathan Levy Prize for Acting, the David McCord Prize for the Arts, and was a member of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals and the Signet Society of Arts & Letters. Talisa lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two sons.

New Jersey native JOSIE ANDREWS (Co-director) is a director, producer, and writer of stage and screen. She began her career performing professionally at the age of eight, touring with Broadway musicals and appearing in countless Off-Broadway/regional productions. A double Trojan, Josie graduated as the Salutatorian of USC’s class of 2018, continuing on at USC to pursue her M.F.A. and eventually assuming her current role as an adjunct professor of production. Josie’s narrative shorts have swept the globe with wins and nominations, including Oscar/BAFTA qualifying Nashville, LA Shorts, Santa Fe, Cordillera, Soho and many more. Her award-winning debut documentary tracking live theatre’s comeback amidst the pandemic titled WAITING IN THE WINGS can be seen on the PBS app. In the episodic space, Josie has directed several vertical drama apps top-earning shows, garnering millions of views worldwide. She’s slated to make her directorial feature debut with MIRIAM, one of five projects selected for this year’s Sundance/WIF finance intensive as well as the AWD Rising Director Fellowship.

SIERRA NUTKEVITCH (Co-director) is a writer/director from Montreal, Canada who creates exciting, ​thoughtful genre stories that blend humor and tension, unlike ​anything you’ve ever seen before. Her specialty is complicated ​women, thrown into impossible situations and growing to contend ​with them. Sierra has several years of experience in development and international production. She graduated from Columbia University’s MFA ​Film Program, where she received several awards for her work, ​including the Dean’s Project Grant and Faculty Honours for her screenplay The Golem, which is also the Horror/Thriller Category winner in the Final Draft Big Break Screenwriting Contest 2024. She is ​currently based in Los Angeles.

LAUREN SCHAFFEL (Producer) is an actor, writer, and producer. Television/film credits include The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Will and Grace, and the voice of Lucy in A Charlie Brown Valentine’s Day.  She’s worked at numerous theaters, including the Road in LA, Geva in Rochester, the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene, Playwrights Horizons, and The Barrow Group.  As a filmmaker, she wrote, produced, and starred in the short, musical comedy film Catalogue of Noses.  Lauren is a co-founder of the production company LMC Productions and on the board of Jewface Theater Company.

JOHN BRUGAL (Producer) is an LA-based writer/director/producer from Long Island. His work vibrates at the nexus of dark, inventive, funny. He believes bold, original visions by singular creators are the future of the film and television industry and wants to support the next generation of creatives in their pursuit of making challenging cinema. His latest short film, MATINÉE, premiered online on Omeleto after a 2024 festival run. His writing has been published on McSweeney’s Internet Tendency and featured on stage at The Groundlings and UCB.​​ He holds a BA in Economics from Harvard and a miniscule savings account from years in the creative trenches. Let’s go, Knicks.

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About Rag Doll on a Bomb Site

At previous Hollywood Fringe Festivals, Shelley Cooper portrayed Maria Callas and Jenny Lind. Now, she adds to her gallery of famous, historically significant singers as she embodies Lotte Lenya in Rag Doll on a Bomb Site.

The show is based on an actual incident in Lenya’s career. It’s 1928, and the premiere of a sold-out house for The Threepenny Opera. Lenya is cast in the role of Jenny Diver and is set to sing the opening number, Mack the Knife. Somehow, Lenya’s name has been omitted from the playbill. Her husband, the composer Kurt Weill, bursts into her dressing room, demanding that the performance be canceled. No one can insult his wife in this fashion.

Lenya tries to calm her husband down. Performing Jenny Diver, a character with whom she identifies on a number of levels, is far more important to her than avenging the oversight of her omitted name on a playbill. Before her marriage to Weill, hers was a hard-knock life on the gritty, poor side of Vienna. She grew up in a slum, beaten repeatedly by a cruel father, endured hunger and crushing poverty, rape, and repeatedly found herself in morally compromising positions as she struggled to survive and advance herself.

She’s come so far, and now that she has her dream role, Kurt must allow her to go on stage and sing. But will he?

An album of the show’s music will be available for streaming on Spotify and Apple Music with an anticipated release date of mid-May.

Rag Doll on a Bomb Site premiered at Goethe Institut-Bangkok. Here’s a peek from that production:

About Shelley Cooper

Shelley Cooper (Music, Lyrics, Book, Performer, and Producer) is a two-time, Off-Broadway, award-winning solo actor/playwright, Associate Professor of Musical Theatre at Augustana College in IL and is no stranger to the Hollywood Fringe Festival community! Her one-woman shows La Divina: The Last Interview of Maria Callas was featured in Hollywood Fringe 2021 (Pick of the Fringe and nominee for Best Solo Show), Solofest, LA Women’s Theatre Festival, Orlando Fringe (Best Individual Performance in a Drama) and Off-Broadway at United Solofest on Theatre Row (Best One Woman Show). Jenny Lind Presents P.T. Barnum was featured in HFF24 has been an official selection for Solofest, Binge Fringe, Fort Worth Fringe, Orlando Fringe FestN4, LA Women’s Theatre Festival, made its European debut in Austria, and United Solo Fest with an extension (Off Broadway). Jenny Lind has won Best Biographical Show (United Solo Off Broadway), Best Biographical Show (LA Hidden Gem), and Best of Asylum (HFF24).

Shelley is a very active musical theatre/opera performer. Most noted performances are “Dolly” in Hello, Dolly, “Johanna” in Sweeney Todd starring Tony-Award-winning actress Faith Prince; “Nellie” in South Pacific, “Musetta” in La Boheme.

About Lotte Lenya

Lotte Lenya (1898-1981) was born in Vienna and became known as one of the great performers of the collaborations of composer Kurt Weill and librettist and lyricist Bertolt Brecht (The Threepenny Opera, The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, The Seven Deadly Sins). The Threepenny Opera was a huge success, and Lenya would repeat the role of Jenny Diver in a German film version in 1931 (which would eventually air on American television in 1982). A  star in Berlin, she fled to America in the 1930s when her leftist political opinions ran her afoul of the emerging Nazis. Divorcing and then remarrying Weill, they eventually settled in and near New York. Weill died in 1950. Lenya won a Tony Award in 1956, portraying Diver again in Marc Blitzstein’s English language translation of The Threepenny Opera. She would receive an Oscar nomination for her role of Countess Magda in the 1961 film version of Tennessee Williams’ The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone. She may have achieved her greatest fame playing the nemesis of James Bond, Rosa Klebb, in From Russia with Love. She founded the Kurt Weill Foundation for Music in 1962.  She was back on Broadway in 1966, as Fraulein Schneider in the original cast of Cabaret. Her name was included in an improvised lyric by Louis Armstrong in a recording of Mack the Knife, which Bobby Darin included in his top-selling version of the song. In 1979, she was inducted in the American Theatre Hall of Fame.

The Rag Doll on a Bomb Site Team

Kelsey Miller (Director/Developer) is an award-winning director, performer, and stage manager based in the IL/IA Quad Cities area. A dynamic and versatile theatre artist, Kelsey has contributed to numerous regional productions across a range of disciplines. Most notable directing credits include Kinky Boots, Songs for a New World, and The Spitfire Grill. As a performer, memorable highlights include roles in Spring Awakening, RENT, Bare: A Pop Opera, The Wedding Singer, The Rocky Horror Show and Groundhog Day: The Musical. Kelsey holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Psychology, Women and Gender Studies, and Theatre from Augustana College and a Masters of Science in Education (M.S.Ed) in Counseling from Western Illinois University.

Jessica Lynn Johnson (Producer/Developer), is a published playwright, recipient of BEST NATIONAL SOLO ARTIST AWARD, advisory board member of the LA Women’s Theatre Festival, co-executive producer of the Joshua Tree Solo Theatre Festival, and founder and CEO of Soaring Solo Studios International. Jessica has aided in the development, direction and producing of over 175 solo shows (and still going strong)! As a performer, Jessica has “edu-tained” international audiences touring her own one-person shows ZE and OBLIVIOUS TO EVERYONE for over 15 years. Jessica’s projects have taken home awards such as TOP OF FRINGE, HFF ENCORE PRODUCER AWARDS, TVOLUTION BEST SOLO PERFORMANCE, LARRY CORNWALL AWARD FOR MUSICAL EXCELLENCE & several other accolades! Jessica was also awarded the LAWTF Rainbow Award in 2024 and was nominated for the Female Director of Distinction in Theatre by Girl Trip LLC at the 2018 Hollywood Fringe Festival and Best Director of a Play by Broadway World 2023. http://www.SoaringSoloStudios.com

Roger Pavey Jr. (Video Designer, Marketing/Graphic Designer) works full-time at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in CT as the Creative Content Associate, where he leads graphic design and photography. He has worked at Williamstown Theatre Festival, Des Moines Metro Opera, Off-Broadway with UnitedSolo, and in numerous professional capacities in the IA, IL, CT, NY, and RI areas. Roger holds a BA in Theatre Arts and Graphic Design from Augustana College in Rock Island, IL, class of ‘24. rogerpaveyjr.com / Instagram: @rogerpaveyjr

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About Stumbling on Ceremony: From Ayahuasca Confessions to My Daughter’s Wedding

When a divorced single dad is asked by his daughter to give a very important speech on her most special day, he questions his ability to complete the task. Needing help, he goes to a spiritual ceremony where he meets Mother Ayahuasca to be his muse. The problem is, the ceremony is the day before the wedding. Will he be able to sift through the sordid details of his life to find the nuggets of wisdom to pass on to his daughter? Or will he run out of time before the wedding?

The Team

Writer-performer Larry Davidson was born in Brooklyn. He received a BA in Motion Picture and Television Production from UCLA and an MA in English Literature from CSUN. Following his studies at UCLA, he became a documentary filmmaker. He currently teaches film to high school students. He was a member of Dream Circus Theatre, for whom he served as performer, writer, lighting designer and stage manager, performing at Electric Daisy Carnival, Burning Man, and Lollapalooza. At 55, Larry faced death, and came face to face with the reality of his mortality. Taking into account the parts of his life that were left unlived, he decided to return to his love of theater.

This is his second Fringe show.

Director, Developer, Jessica Lynn Johnson is a published playwright, recipient of BEST NATIONAL SOLO ARTIST AWARD, advisory board member of the LA Women’s Theatre Festival, co-executive producer of the Joshua Tree Solo Theatre Festival, and founder and CEO of Soaring Solo Studios International. Jessica has aided in the development, direction and producing of over 175 solo shows (and still going strong)! As a performer, Jessica has “edu-tained” international audiences touring her own one-person shows ZE and OBLIVIOUS TO EVERYONE for over 15 years. Jessica’s projects have taken home awards such as TOP OF FRINGE, HFF ENCORE PRODUCER AWARDS, TVOLUTION BEST SOLO PERFORMANCE, LARRY CORNWALL AWARD FOR MUSICAL EXCELLENCE & several other accolades! Jessica was also awarded the LAWTF Rainbow Award in 2024 and was nominated for the Female Director of Distinction in Theatre by Girl Trip LLC at the 2018 Hollywood Fringe Festival and Best Director of a Play by Broadway World 2023. http://www.SoaringSoloStudios.com

Heather Dowling, Soaring Solo Instructor, is an award-winning writer, actor and director. Heather brought to life 50 distinct characters in her critically acclaimed one-person shows, Unemployed. Finally. and Fertile. Both shows won the PRODUCERS’ ENCORE AWARD and were nominated for BEST SOLO PERFORMANCE at the Hollywood Fringe Festival in 2015 and 2019. Both shows were selected for the prestigious L.A WOMEN’S THEATRE FESTIVAL and both were deemed BEST OF FEST at SOLOFEST, the largest solo theatre festival on the West Coast. Unemployed was selected to be part of UNITED SOLO, the largest solo festival in the world, on 42nd Street in NYC. On the heels of her personal solo success, Heather started coaching alongside her director and founder of Soaring Solo Studios, Jessica Lynn Johnson. In 2022, Heather directed five shows that gathered 5 award nominations at the Hollywood Fringe Festival and one of the shows she directed and developed, Asexuality: A Solo Musical, won BEST PREMIERE and the TOP OF FRINGE out of more than 250 shows at the festival that year. Learn more about Heather at HeatherDowling.com.

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About Earth, Wind & Car Fire

In Earth, Wind & Car Fire, Janora McDuffie takes us on a captivating journey of self-discovery and transformation. From embracing her sexuality and navigating the complexities of race to redefining personal expectations, this 60-minute solo show is a celebration of life’s twists, turns, and triumphs. Come with Janora on this entertaining and soulful joyride and oversharing adventure.

The Earth, Wind & Car Fire Team

Janora McDuffie is an actress, voiceover artist, speaker and host who brings authenticity and heart to every stage. Whether on screen, behind the mic, or in front of a live audience, she has built a dynamic and multifaceted career in entertainment.

Janora has appeared in hit television shows including NCIS, This Is Us, Truth Be Told, and Grey’s Anatomy.  Her voice has been featured in popular video games, ad campaigns and most notably, around the world as the Live Announcer for the 94th Academy Awards.

As a host, her most meaningful work was No More Down Low TV, an award-winning web series amplifying the voices of out and proud LGBTQ+ people of color.  Her passion for storytelling and advocacy extends to the podium where she has delivered multiple keynotes—including UNC-Chapel Hill’s 2023 Lavender Graduation as well as a TEDx talk.

Janora first performed Earth, Wind and Car Fire as a staged reading for the 25th Anniversary Black Queer Conference in April 2025.  She is honored to continue this in-progress work, celebrating the intersections of Blackness, queerness, and art—bringing her voice, her story, and her full self to the stage.

Learn More at janoramcduffie.com

Joseph Megel is artist in residence in Performance Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he directs The Process Series: New Works in Development. Mr. Megel has spent the last 25 years focusing on the direction and development of new works for theatre and film. He is co-artistic director of StreetSigns Center for Literature and Performance, Associate artistic director of the Teatro Latino/a Series, and continues to serve as co-executive director of Harland’s Creek Productions, producer of premieres of new plays, developmental producer of screenplays and readings and producer of short films. Previously, he served as artistic director of Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey and Theatre of N.O.T.E. and Words Across Cultures in Los Angeles.

Director, Developer, Jessica Lynn Johnson is a published playwright, recipient of BEST NATIONAL SOLO ARTIST AWARD, Advisory Board Member of the LA Women’s Theatre Festival, co-executive producer of the Joshua Tree Solo Theatre Festival, and founder and CEO of Soaring Solo Studios International. Jessica has aided in the development, direction and producing of over 175 solo shows (and still going strong)! As a performer, Jessica has “edu-tained” international audiences touring her own one-person shows ZE and OBLIVIOUS TO EVERYONE for over 15 years. Jessica’s projects have taken home awards such as TOP OF FRINGE, HFF ENCORE PRODUCER AWARDS, TVOLUTION BEST SOLO PERFORMANCE, LARRY CORNWALL AWARD FOR MUSICAL EXCELLENCE and several other accolades! Jessica was also awarded the LAWTF Rainbow Award in 2024 and was nominated for the Female Director of Distinction in Theatre by Girl Trip LLC at the 2018 Hollywood Fringe Festival and Best Director of a Play by Broadway World 2023. http://www.SoaringSoloStudios.com

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About Shake It Away: The Ann Miller Story

On a soundstage at the 1970 MGM studio auction, dancer Ann Miller revisits the Golden Age of Hollywood and discovers her second act as a Broadway star. Featuring selections from the Great American Songbook, this love letter to entertainment is written by and stars Kayla Boye, whose Call Me Elizabeth premiered in the 2022 Hollywood Fringe and has since sold out a critically acclaimed, international tour.

States Boye, “At a time when so much is uncertain, our hearts long to feel unbridled joy. That is the essence of Ann Miller, whose talents graced the screen in pictures such as Kiss Me Kate, Easter Parade, and On the Town, and who danced her way around the world in productions such as Mame, Hello Dolly, and Sugar Babies. She embodied resilience by persevering through enormous challenges, and she always gave the best of her authentic self to her audiences. I am excited to share her story.”

The Shake It Away: The Ann Miller Story Team

Written by and starring Kayla Boye
Directed by Michael Weber
Choreographed by Tammy Mader
Music Directed by Linda Madonia

Kayla Boye (Writer/Actor) returns to the Hollywood Fringe with Shake It Away: The Ann Miller Story following 2022’s production of Call Me Elizabeth, a critically acclaimed show about the life of Elizabeth Taylor which continues to tour internationally following sold-out runs Off-Broadway at 59E59 Theaters, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and Mexico’s San Miguel Solo Theatre Festival. Credits: Sierra Madre Playhouse, NAMBA Arts, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Drury Lane Theatre, Fireside Theatre, Capital City Theatre, Porchlight Music Theatre, Mercury Theater Chicago, Music Theater Works, BrightSide Theatre, Citadel Theatre, Bigfork Summer Playhouse, The Huron Playhouse, The Youngstown Playhouse, and City Lit Theater (Winnie in Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days). Awards: Best Choreography, Chicago Musical Theatre Festival (Wonder Women: The Musical). Her work has been awarded grants from Illinois Arts Council and the Arts Midwest Touring Fund. kaylaboye.com | callmeelizabeth.com

Michael Weber (Director) is a nationally recognized, award-winning director, producer, actor and educator. He currently serves as the Resident Director of the Chicago company of Titanique produced by Porchlight Music Theatre, where he serves as Artistic Director. He recently directed the Off-Broadway and European premieres of Call Me Elizabeth written by and starring Kayla Boye as Elizabeth Taylor. Porchlight productions that he directed include Anything Goes, Cabaret, Gypsy, End of the Rainbow, Sweeney Todd, Pal Joey, Assassins, and Side Show, as well as Grand Hotel at Drury Lane Theatre Water Tower Place and She Loves Me at Theatre at the Center, were each nominated for the Jeff Award Award for Best Production. Directing credits include Living the History-125 Years of The Auditorium Theatre starring Patti LuPone and John Mahoney, Fifth of July and Talley’s Folly at the Oak Park Festival Theatre, Beauty and the Beast at Marriott Theatre, and Cirque du Symphony at Sears Center Arena featuring stars of Cirque du Soleil with the Elgin Symphony Orchestra. The recipient of two Joseph Jefferson Awards, Weber’s regional acting credits include The Merry Widow (starring Renée Fleming) at Lyric Opera, Annie Get Your Gun and Gypsy (both starring Patti LuPone) at Ravinia Festival, The Winter’s Tale and Henry V at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Around the World in 80 Days at Cleveland Playhouse, Disney’s My Son Pinocchio at First Stage Milwaukee, It Had To Be You (starring Cindy Williams and Eddie Mekka) at Little Theatre on the Square, Angel Street at First Folio Shakespeare, and The Gifts of the Magi at Indiana Repertory. He is author of the play, WAR of the WELLeS (about Orson Welles’ infamous radio broadcast) and he is a longtime pledge host for PBS station WTTW channel 11. michaelweberonline.com

Tammy Mader (Choreographer) is a musical theatre performer, director, choreographer and educator. She’s choreographed over 30 productions in the Chicagoland area as well as regional theatre productions, and commercial and video projects. Currently, she is an Associate Teaching Professor of Musical Theater at Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts, and Program Director of their one-of-a-kind Musical Theatre Dance Concentration BFA. Tammy is a proud member of SDC, the union of Stage Directors and Choreographers.

Linda Madonia (Music Director) is currently the Music Supervisor and Associate Conductor on Titanique for Porchlight Music Theatre where she has previously worked on Anything Goes, Cabaret, and A Chorus Line. Other projects include Guys and Dolls, Legally Blonde, Shrek, Mamma Mia, and Camelot at Music Theater Works; and Jersey Boys, Rock of Ages, and Sister Act at Mercury Theater Chicago. Linda is the vocal coach for the Master’s Degree program in Music Theatre Pedagogy at Carthage College and owns American Eagle Productions, which has been at the forefront of Theatre Education in the Chicago area for the past 35 years.

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Dynamic stage production about the mysterious heist of the world’s most famous painting…from the quick tempo shifting (pulsating to romantic), Arkenstone’s music is a sweeping, triumphant blast…” – Jonathan Widran, The JW Vibe, jwvibe.com

The Mona Lisa Missing! The Musical!

Mystery! Singing! Intrigue! Dancing! In 1911 the world’s most famous painting was stolen from the Louvre. Vanished! Skulking in Paris for instigating the Spanish-American War, Hearst yellow journalist Karl Decker sets out to redeem his tarnished reputation by cracking the Mona Lisa case. Along the way, there’s singing, can-can, butting heads with France’s Sherlock Holmes Police Inspector Louis Lepine, and uncovering the beginnings of love and redemption with an aspiring Italian artist, coincidentally named Lisa. Find out what happens when larger-than-life personalities converge to illuminate Paris, the City of Light.

Now adding musical theater to his repertoire, David Arkenstone says, “It was super fun creating music for a period show! Very proud of my long-time friend Steven Vlasak, whose script bubbled with colorful characters, intrigue, and joie de vivre. There’s wonderful challenges that come with making music for a staged musical, which I happily embraced. Don’t want to spend too much time in my comfort zone…”

The Mona Lisa Missing! The Musical! Cast

Find out what happens when these larger-than-life personalities converge to illuminate Paris, the City of Light:

KARL DECKER – Jaded American reporter looking for his next big break, and for love.

LISA FLORENTINA – Idealistic aspiring painter from Florence (Jordan Mullins)

MISTINGUETT – Feisty queen of the Moulin Rouge (Alison Sinclair)

ANDRE SALIS – Host of the bohemian hothouse Le Chat Noir (Kirby Tepper)

PABLO PICASSO – Outspoken Spanish painter, and possible anarchist (Oliver Rotunno)

LOUIS LEPINE – Authoritarian Prefect of Police (Michael Gabiano)

VINCENZO PERUGGIA – Mandolin playing Italian craftsman (Ross Brooks)

EDUARDO VALFIERNO – A mysterious Argentine aristocrat and art dealer (Michael J. Gonzales)

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The Team

Experience irresistibly catchy songs from 5X GRAMMY® nominated recording artist David Arkenstone, book/lyrics by Fringe Veteran Steven Vlasak (Disrobed, Beautiful Monsterz), Directed by Christopher Strand (A Death in the Family, Stranger Things), and story/music/lyrics by Musical Theatre Legend Wayne Moore (I Love Lucy: Live On Stage).

David Arkenstone:

While not on tour or composing music for World of Warcraft, David Arkenstone has been busy bringing the streets of Paris to life with his captivating music for Mona Lisa Missing! David is a recording artist and multi-instrumentalist with over 2 billion streams worldwide, 70+ albums, film and TV scores, audio drama score, NBC Sports themes such as The Kentucky Derby, and recent recipient of the World Entertainment Award for Best Instrumental Album for his 2024 release Quest For The Runestone. David is known for taking listeners on a musical adventure with his genre-bending compositions.

Wayne More:

Also bringing music and lyrics to Mona Lisa Missing! is Wayne Moore, a musical theater staple. He is a composer, lyricist, and performer recognized for many contributions to musical theater and cabaret. Wayne is known for his work as Musical Director and Special Lyrics for “I Love Lucy® Live on Stage,” which toured nationally. This theatrical adaptation of the classic television sitcom took audiences on a nostalgic journey back to the 1950s. In addition to his key off-stage roles, he performed onstage as first keyboardist, adding to the live musical experience. ​

Steven Vlasak:

Mona Lisa Missing! The Musical! book and lyrics written by Steven Vlasak, who has been putting on shows, one way or another, for most of his career in film, stage and television production in the states and abroad. Steven’s past Hollywood Fringe works include Nights at the Algonquin Round Table, the provocative Beautiful Monsterz, and the notorious comedy Disrobed, which has been performed live and live streamed at Fringe Festivals and naturist events around the world.

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What happens when your fiercest advocate is also your most formidable challenge?

In her world premiere solo show, STAGE MAMMA: From Child Star to Leading Lady, Rheagan Wallace invites you into her extraordinary life with raw honesty, poignant reflection, and unexpected humor.

Presented by Soaring Solo Studios, directed by and developed with Jessica Lynn Johnson the play chronicles Wallace’s unique Hollywood coming-of-age, starting from a small town in Texas to navigating the high-stakes world of LA, all under the relentless guidance of her unforgettable mother—a true “Stage Mamma.”

Ultimately, STAGE MAMMA reveals the resilience forged within a complex mother-daughter relationship. It’s a testament to the transformative power of telling your own story—the key to finding her voice, healing, and finally becoming the lead in her own life’s story. Experience this deeply resonant journey, told with abundant humor and heart.

From a small town in Texas to the glitz of Hollywood, this poignant coming-of-age story navigates stardom and the complex relationship between a daughter and her mother who is both her fiercest advocate and greatest obstacle. Rheagan’s one-woman show explores themes of resilience and healing while infusing humor, heart, dynamic characters and a myriad of multimedia including actual home videos.

Experience the dizzying highs and crushing lows of child stardom through Rheagan’s eyes. In a virtuosic solo performance, Rheagan embodies multiple characters – from her formidable mother to industry players and younger versions of herself – wrestling with pressures, ambition, and identity. Blending intimate storytelling with actual home video, she creates a dynamic multimedia theatre experience that brings the past vividly, sometimes painfully, and often hilariously, into the present live on stage.

The Team

Developed with Jessica Lynn Johnson, Artwork by Mary Lou Sandler,  3Cubed Studios, Videography by Justin Sandler, 3Cubed Studios, QLab Design, by Nick Foran, Solo Coach: Heather Dowling.

Rheagan Wallace is a Texas-born actor and comedian who’s been stealing scenes since before she could even spell the word ‘audition’. After kicking off her career in Dallas with Walker, Texas Ranger, she moved to Los Angeles and quickly built a résumé packed with memorable roles in TV favorites like Malcolm in the Middle, That’s So Raven, 7th Heaven, ER, and NYPD Blue, as well as films including the cult-classic Six-String Samurai and Texas favorite Deep in the Heart. Her starring role in the short film Amazin’ Grace won her Best Actress honors at the Bare Bones International Film Festival.

As a filmmaker and comic, Rheagan brings a heartfelt authenticity to projects that amplify women’s voices, provoke conversation, and invite audiences into deeper reflection.She believes storytelling is fundamental to human connection, that laughter bridges divides, and that the most meaningful art arises from the courage to share our truths.

Director, Developer, Jessica Lynn Johnson is a published playwright, recipient of BEST NATIONAL SOLO ARTIST AWARD, Advisory Board Member of the LA Women’s Theatre Festival, co-executive producer of the Joshua Tree Solo Theatre Festival, and founder and CEO of Soaring Solo Studios International. Jessica has aided in the development, direction and producing of over 175 solo shows (and still going strong)! As a performer, Jessica has “edu-tained” international audiences touring her own one person shows ZE and OBLIVIOUS TO EVERYONE for over 15 years. Jessica’s projects have taken home awards such as TOP OF FRINGE, HFF ENCORE PRODUCER AWARDS, TVOLUTION BEST SOLO PERFORMANCE, LARRY CORNWALL AWARD FOR MUSICAL EXCELLENCE and several other accolades! Jessica was also awarded the LAWTF Rainbow Award in 2024 and was nominated for the Female Director of Distinction in Theatre by Girl Trip LLC at the 2018 Hollywood Fringe Festival and Best Director of a Play by Broadway World 2023. http://www.SoaringSoloStudios.com

Heather Dowling, Soaring Solo Instructor, is an award-winning writer, actor and director. Heather brought to life 50 distinct characters in her critically acclaimed one-person shows, Unemployed. Finally. and Fertile. Both shows won the PRODUCERS’ ENCORE AWARD and were nominated for BEST SOLO PERFORMANCE at the Hollywood Fringe Festival in 2015 and 2019. Both shows were selected for the prestigious L.A WOMEN’S THEATRE FESTIVAL and both were deemed BEST OF FEST at SOLOFEST, the largest solo theatre festival on the West Coast. Unemployed was selected to be part of UNITED SOLO, the largest solo festival in the world, on 42nd Street in NYC. On the heels of her personal solo success, Heather started coaching alongside her director and founder of Soaring Solo Studios, Jessica Lynn Johnson. In 2022, Heather directed five shows that gathered 5 award nominations at the Hollywood Fringe Festival and one of the shows she directed and developed, Asexuality: A Solo Musical, won BEST PREMIERE and the TOP OF FRINGE out of more than 250 shows at the festival that year. Learn more about Heather at HeatherDowling.com.

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About Atypical Grace

Marilynn runs a weekly support group for parents of children struggling with learning disabilities. These parents are as diverse as their children’s needs, but Marilynn continually seeks to meet them where they are with empathy. As expected, Marilynn explores her own journey as she struggles to forgive herself and break generational patterns.

From Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD) to trouble with math or reading comprehension, each parent shares their child’s ups and downs with learning and their own individual challenges supporting their kiddos. As all parents know, parenting doesn’t stop at the classroom door, it’s a never-ending job that’s best done Add Form
with a healthy dose of forgiveness. Watch as a group of parents come together to face some of the trials, tribulations, and joys of raising children with so many needs.

This show is not autobiographical, but rather an amalgamation of the many years spent in private practice working with children who struggle with the learning process, as well as supporting their families.

There will be a brief talkback after the preview performance on Sunday, June 7th.

About Maria Fagan Hassani

Maria has performed comedic and dramatic roles on stages and screens from Chicago to Los Angeles, including Sex Sent Me to the ER, America’s Court, and You Can’t Take It With You. Her extensive training includes studying at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, Meisner and Cold Reading techniques, and improv at iOWest. This is Maria’s second one-woman show.

As a dually credentialed teacher and educational therapist, education is Maria’s life’s work, so this show is definitely a labor of love.

The Atypical Grace Team

Jessica Lynn Johnson

Jessica Lynn Johnson is the winner of BEST NATIONAL SOLO ARTIST, board member and submission screening panelist of the LA Women’s Theatre Festival, director and instructor at Whitefire Theatre, and founder and CEO of solo theatre company SOARING SOLO LLC. Jessica has toured internationally performing and teaching with her solo shows for over a decade. Her first solo show, Oblivious to Everyon,e was published in The Book of Estrogenius 2008 and her second solo show ZE, has toured festivals and schools nationwide. Jessica’s work has been seen in the LA Women’s Theatre Festival, the NYC Samuel French Playwright Festival, the Kansas City Fringe Festival, the NYC International Fringe Festival, the Sola Voce Festival, the Monodrama Thespis Festival in Germany, the Black Magic Women’s Theatre Festival in Amsterdam and enjoyed an extended run at NYC’s prestigious Theatre Row on 42nd Street. Johnson currently teaches a weekly FREE one-person show development class in LA and does small group & private coaching through her company Soaring Solo LLC. As a director and developer, Johnson has co-created over 75 solo shows and has proudly taken home TOP OF FRINGE, multiple ENCORE PRODUCER AWARDS, and several other accolades over the years. She is exceedingly excited to keep the tradition alive and direct multiple solo shows in this year’s Hollywood Fringe festival. For more on this artist, please visit: www.JessicaLynnJohnson.com and email her directly at SoaringSoloArtist@gmail.com.

Heather Dowling

Heather Dowling is the winner of two PRODUCERS’ ENCORE AWARDS for her one-person shows Unemployed, Finally. and Fertile. Both shows were:

• nominated for BEST SOLO PERFORMANCE at the Hollywood Fringe Festival (15 and 19)
• selected for the L.A WOMEN’S THEATRE FESTIVAL
• and invited to SOLOFEST, the largest solo theatre festival on the West Coast.

Learn more about her adventures as an award-winning writer, actor and director at https://www.heatherdowling.com/

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An evening of comedic one-act plays written, directed, produced and performed by members of the Los Angeles chapter of Theatre 68.

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