Our Community Of Artists
Craig Perkins (Artistic Director/Playwright) moved to New York City ages ago because of the lack of jazz and opera in Omaha. He studied Creative Writing at the University of Nebraska, and has written and directed for HB Studio. Craig studied acting as well, with Sandy Dennis and Bill Hickey. He loves actors and finds it exciting to write blueprints for their creative work. He founded Engage Playwrights Lab last year and really cemented it April of 2021 with membership at A.R.T-New York. He also writes poetry on occasion, and is heavily influenced by the writing of Brecht, Beckett, Chaikin, and Maria Irene Fornes.
Evie Brandford-Altsher is a NYC-based performer and director.
She studied at NYU's Playwrights Horizons Theatre School and Stonestreet Studios, and now focuses on developing new work. Check out her original silly songs @e.v_b.a on Instagram, or her website: www.evieba.com
Erica Becker (EMC/SAG-E) is an actress, singer, and tv host with a background in both theatre and film. Originally from the Midwest, she holds a degree in Theatre with a minor in Film studies. She has performed in several Theatre festivals around NYC, and is part of a sketch comedy webseries that won Best Ensemble Cast at the LA Webfest. Erica has appeared in leading and supporting roles on numerous off-Broadway stages, Hulu, Netflix, Apple TV, The ID Channel, Disney Plus, and Amazon Prime. Check out her website: www.ericabecker.net
Alison Sarah Adams joined SAG / AFTRA at the age of eight and grew up in New York as a child actor. Before she even turned 18, you could spot her on TV in Law & Order or as a regular featured background actress on SNL or in the Disney movie Confessions of a Shopaholic. In the next year, you will spot her in shows and movies on HBO, Showtime, NBC, Disney Plus, Netflix, Hallmark and more. Alison is excited to be on stage again to act in this important piece of theater as she also grew up performing on stage in New York and believes this is an important story to be told. As a playwright, Alison was the recipient of a Scholastic Art & Writing Award and she also regularly performs stand up comedy around NYC.
Sean Bennett is a nationally recognized union actor, author, television host, media guest, and keynote speaker. Sean Bennett has been a teacher for various organizations such as: The Seminar Center, Model Talent Universe, Backstage, Actors Connection and the Creative Acting Company. Spanning a two decade career in the entertainment industry, Sean Bennett has had the privilege to work with Whoopi Goldberg, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Ron Howard, Bobby Flay, Anne Burrell, the Village People, the cast of SNL, Joe Bastianich, Peyton & Eli Manning and even a former President of the United States.
In addition to acting on and Off Broadway, hundreds of organizations, corporations and businesses have hired Sean to entertain, host and enhance their events including: Universal Studios, Sony, CBS, Netflix, Showtime, Walt Disney World/ABC, Hasbro, Mattel, Sony, Puffs Tissues, General Mills, TD Bank, Mumm Cuvee, Absolut, The NY Wine & Food Festival, Toyota and General Motors.
Bettina Skye has been working as an actress for as long as she can remember. She was accepted in to The Actors Studio as a teenager and had the opportunity to study with Lee Strasberg until his passing. Over the past many years Bettina has worked in over 100 films and television programs.
Bettina recently won Best Actress Award for role of landlady in "A Tall Drink of Walter" at Hang Onto Your Shorts Film Festival as well as Best Actress Award for the role of creepy mother in "Play Date" at the BrightSide Film Festival. In 2012 she won the prestigious award of Best Actress in The Hudson Valley. Steve Buscemi won for Best Actor that year. Some films currently making the festival circuit are: Happily Ever Ally, A Cosplay Life, Better Safe Than Sonny, Go/Don'tGo, and Talking To God. She can be seen on Netflix in "Orange is the New Black", and "Super Dark Times." On Amazon in "Collar," "Landing Up", "Death Before Discomfort" and "Night Job." You can also purchase "Teenage Bloodsucking Bimbos" (AKA Girls Just Want To have Blood") from Amazon, and the award winning series on Youtube: "Demon Doctor."
Vincent Ticali is a NY actor, singer and musician. Most recently seen on stage in the premiere production of Delta in The Sky With Diamonds Or Maybe Not, starring Austin Pendleton, Vincent’s other recent work includes: Film - All The Little Things We Kill, Ali and Ratu Ratu Queens, Work, Who Killed Pushkin. Television - Blindspot, Ways and Means (CBS pilot). Vinny also enjoys his work in front of a microphone as bassist/vocalist in the popular NY party band, Current Affair!
Jolynn Carpenter is a film, commercial, and theater actor whose classical training has allowed her to play roles in works by Shakespeare and Tennessee Williams. She has trained with The Barrow Group, Meisner Technique through JoAnna Beckson Studios, and many other schools. Jolynn is excited to continue to work with Engage Playwrights Lab in its future endeavors.
Annika Martens is a performer and stage manager based in New York City. She is a student at Marymount Manhattan College where she is expect to graduate in 2025 with a B.F.A. In Musical Theatre and minor in Arts Management. Annika grew up in Westchester, New York where she began performing. She has performed in a variety of different films, background work, musicals, plays, and commercials. You can find her on instagram @annikamartens_
Alexandra Recknagel is a New York based Russian-American actress originally from Prague, Czech Republic. After completing a degree in filmmaking, she received classical theatre training at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, as well as at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting. Upon recently graduating New York’s American Academy of Dramatic Arts, she is currently in pre-production for an upcoming TV show by Ruhn Films.
Anna Blaski’s technique focuses on connecting to the feeling coming from the heart and transferring it to the audience. She believes successful creation happens when the audience no longer sees the actor but the character they become. Sees theatre as an opportunity for both the actor and the audience to explore their creativity, as the audience also becomes a part of the play and experiences the emotions and challenges alongside the performer.
Manasvi Sharma is a film/theatre artist based in New York City. She was born and brought up in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh. She is trained at Stella Adler Studio of Acting, New York and Art of Acting Studio, L.A. Her most notable works include Preet short film, Manpreet short film, Spiritual Storyteller in Legend of the Chalk circle (Off-Off Broadway), Samant in Silence the Court is in Session at New Brunswick Performing Arts Center, A Sketch of New York, Kai in Hold Steady by Tira Palmquist at Stella Adler Studio, Metamorphoses at Art of Acting studio, Manon in Sonnez Les Matines (Off-Off Broadway), Commercial for Remitly and many more. She’s very excited to be a part of the team.
Elizabeth Winterbourne is a NYC-based singer and actor. She studied theater performance at the University of Rochester, voice at the Eastman School of Music, and acting at The William Esper Studio in Manhattan. She moved to NYC in 2022 and since then has starred in six independent film projects and been a featured artist at NYC venues such as Bar 9 and The Bowery Electric.
Timothy Schuebel is a film and theater actor plus a screenplay writer. His improv skills have earned him acclaim in shows he has acted in and in the podcast he does with his wife, Jolynn Carpenter, titled Timmyboy. He is in the process of producing more films as well.
Gigi Principe (She/They) is a New York based actor, born and raised in Chicago, she came to New York at the age of 18 to attend college at The American Academy Of Dramatic Arts (lovingly called AADA for short). During their time there, they studied Meisner technique throughout various acting classes along with Voice and Speech, Movement, Acting for Camera, Shakespeare and so much more. She graduated in 2019. They are a proud Non-Binary Queer person with Puerto Rican, Taino Native, African and Italian roots who is always doing research on family history when they’re not working.
She has done several Shakespeare plays and readings and was also apart of the Bound For Broadway Theatre Festival as well as the Secret Theaters One Act festival.
You can follow her Instagram: @Bellagigi99
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