About the Artists
Marisa Brau-Reyes (director, Minerva) is an actor, comedian, and writer in NYC. She has developed and performed in plays with Columbia Stages, Theater for the New City, HERE Arts Center, InVersion Theatre Company and Off-Broadway as Titania in Offline Productions' A Midsummer Night's Dream. She writes and performs sketch and improv comedy all over the city and has trained at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre and The Peoples' Improv Theatre. Television and Film appearances include: Mozart in the Jungle (Amazon), Billions (Showtime), New Amsterdam (NBC) and Bel Canto starring Julianne Moore. For the same information in a different format go to: marisabraureyes.com
Michael Calciano (playwright, Tru Luv) is a New York based actor and writer. He is excited to be returning to 'WE READ BOOKS' as a writer after acting in the "Beowulf" edition. Other acting credits include 'RICHARD III' (4th St. Theatre; Bridge Production Group), 'GREGOR' (Access Theatre; InVersion Theatre Co.), and film 'POLYAMOR-ISH'. Writing credits include film 'COME BE CREEPY WITH US' (Short Of The Week, ScreenCraft film-fund semi-finalist) web-series 'RED' (post-production) 'QUARTET' (workshop; in development) BFA: UNC School of the Arts.
Christina Franklin (playwright, Hurry Up and Wait) is a Brooklyn based theatre artist and teacher. She received a BFA in Directing, Playwriting, and Production from the University of The Arts. Since then, she has had the privilege of working with companies such as the National Black Theater, The Signature, New York Theater Workshop, and The Public Theater. She has written and directed for TADA! Youth Theater, earning several National Youth Theatre awards and nominations. Most recently, she wrote and a directed a workshop of her play “Worth St.” with Royal Family Productions. Many thanks for Johnny, Sam, Chris, and Pat! Matthew 5:14
Dylan Guerra (actor, What We Need From Our Monsters) is a gay Latinx playwright and actor in NYC. He's happy to be back with Kate and Logan after 26 Seconds at Lynn Nottage's Studio at the Park Avenue Armory. His most recent solo-show Find Him premiered at Ars Nova earlier this year. He been a finalist for The Emerging Writers Group at The Public Theater, Youngblood at EST, NBC Universal's Writers on the Verge Program, and a semifinalist for the Sundance Episodic Television Writers Program. BFA SMU.
Luis Roberto Herrera (playwright, First Day) is a Miami based playwright with a bachelor’s degree in Acting from the University of Florida. He was a resident playwright in the GREENHOUSE Residency at SPACE on Ryder Farm. He has had work produced at the Fort Lauderdale Fringe Festival, and the New York Summer Theatre Festival. His full-length plays include; Pale Blue Dot, BANG BANG, and Poolside Glow. Poolside Glow was chosen for the New Year New Works reading series at Fantasy Theatre Factory on January 26th and was most recently a part of the Greenhouse Development Residency program at FIU. He was also accepted into the M.F.A. playwriting program at The New School for the 2019 fall term.
Miles G. Jackson (actor, What We Need From Our Monsters) Recent stage: world premiere of Celine Song's Endlings at the American Repertory Theater. Other stage credits include Williamstown Theatre Festival, Barrington Stage Company, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, George Street Playhouse, and TheaterWorks Hartford. Recent film and TV: indie rom-com In Reality (iTunes, Amazon Instant Video) and The Last O.G. (TBS). Currently shooting The Hunt (Amazon), starring Al Pacino. www.milesgjackson.com
Sam Leopold (director, Hurry Up and Wait) is a director, curator, educator, and producer. Sam has worked in both regional and educational settings. Credits: Ruination_Y3K(Caplan Studio Theater), Folk Wandering (Polyphone Festival/Pipeline Theater Co.), Total Bent (Workshop-The Public Theater), An Octoroon (The Wilma Theater), Turandot (Opera Philadelphia), Edison (The Prague Fringe Festival), Polaroid Stories (Northwestern University), Noise (PHTS) and Secret Supper: The Musical (Spring Street Social Society). Faculty Associate at Northwestern University’s National High School Institute. BFA University of the Arts. Soon to be MSW student at Hunter College.
Logan Reed (director, What We Need From Our Monsters) is a New York based theatre director with select credits including Kate Pressman’s 26 Seconds (Columbia University & Lynn Nottage's Open Studio at Park Avenue Armory), Terrence McNally’s It’s Only a Play (Hawaii Theatre) & Some Men (Pride Plays at Rattlestick), Jeremy O. Harris’s Xander Xyst, Dragon: 1 (Sam French OOB Festival), Sarah DeLappe’s But I Digress (The Habitat) and Mom Play (TinyRhino), Stephen Charles Smith’s Slow Field(Theaterlab), Gabriel Vega Weissman’s and Brian Reno’s Loose Canon (Scranton Shakespeare Festival/FringeNYC/SoHo Playhouse), and Blake Bishton’s No Baby (The Habitat). B.A. Tufts University and M.F.A. Columbia University (2020). LoganReedDirector.com.
Patricia Rose Suarez (actor, Hurry Up and Wait) is a multi faceted performance artist with a BFA in Dance and a Minor in Musical Theater from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA. There she performed in works by: Jesse Zaritt, Kyle and Dinita Clark, Sidra Bell, Andrea Miller, Tommie-Waheed Evans, and Yasmeen Godder. Now, residing in New York, Patricia is a member of The Flea’s resident acting company “The Bats” and is a teaching artist for a non profit organization called LeAp.
Matthew Van Gessel (director, Tru Luv) is an actor, director, and solo performer based out of NYC. He is excited to return to The Tank after the production last year of his original clown show ‘It Takes a Village,’ directed by Noam Shapiro. Recent credits as a director include the original short film ‘Winning Streak’ by Michael Labbadia, a workshop of ‘Quartet’ by Michael Calciano, and ‘MMF’ by David Kimple. More info about Matthew can be found at www.matthewvangessel.com