Guest Artist

Charlotte Bydwell is a graduate of the Juilliard Dance Division and the Old Globe/USD MFA Acting Program who has performed and choreographed at leading theaters around the world, as well as in recognized film/TV productions. Her training and experience in both dance and theatre, with a particular focus on comedic works, have led to a varied career working alongside directors such as Richard Nelson, David Hyde Pierce, Rob Melrose, Arin Arbus and Taibi Magar. Select performance credits include: The Michaels (Public Theater), HELP (The Shed), A Month in the Country (Williamstown), Private Lives (The Cape Playhouse), Twelfth Night, Othello, Comedy of Errors (The Old Globe), PARIS! (Company XIV), Monica Bill Barnes & Co. (various venues, company member), Keigwin + Co. (The Joyce). She most recently served as the choreographer for the 2022 National Tour of ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ and as the revival choreographer for ‘La Traviata’ at the Houston Grand Opera. Other notable choreography credits include: season choreographer on Comedy Central’s sketch series ‘Alternatino’ and a collaboration with Mighty Earth for NYC Climate Week. Charlotte premiered her debut one-woman show, ‘Woman of Leisure and Panic’, as part of the 8th Annual soloNOVA Festival (New York Innovative Theater Award for Outstanding Performance Art Production). A combination of dance, theater and comedy, the show was remounted for performances at the NY International Fringe Festival, Anita’s Way and the First Person Arts Festival. It has also been translated into Spanish and performed across Mexico. Her solo film, ‘The Nude Model’, premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe before screening at film festivals around the world focused on boundary-pushing cinema. Charlotte created ‘Moving into Language’, a movement-based approach to acting for performers and creators of all kinds, and has taught at Gibney, Peridance, BeMoving, the Ken Studio and Dance Device Lab. More info at: www.charlottebydwell.com

Acclaimed stage and screen actor Christopher Abbott will next be seen starring opposite Margaret Qualley in Zachary Wigon’s independent feature SANCTUARY, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in September 2022 and just sold to NEON, and Yorgos Lanthimos’ POOR THINGS alongside Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, Jerrod Carmichael, Mark Ruffalo and Ramy Youssef.

Recent credits include Jerrod Carmichael’s directorial debut for Annapurna ON THE COUNT OF THREE (premiered at Sundance in 2021), John Michael McDonagh’s THE FORGIVEN opposite Ralph Fiennes (premiered at Toronto in 2021), Mona Fastvold’s THE WORLD TO COME with Katherine Waterston and Vanessa Kirby (premiered at Venice in 2020), Brandon Cronenberg’s thriller POSSESSOR opposite Andrea Riseborough (premiered at Sundance in 2020) and Lawrence Michael Levine’s meta-drama BLACK BEAR with Aubrey Plaza (premiered at Sundance in 2020).

In January 2020, Christopher was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in the “Best Actor” category for his work in the lead role of Hulu’s limited series CATCH-22 directed by George Clooney.

Other film credits includes Damien Chazelle’s FIRST MAN, Nicolas Pesce’s PIERCING, Jamie Dagg’s SWEET VIRGINIA, Trey Shults’ IT COMES AT NIGHT, JC Chandor’s A MOST VIOLENT YEAR, Mona Fastvold’s THE SLEEPWALKER and Sean Durkin’s MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE. In 2015, he was named by Variety as one of the “10 Actors to Watch” following his portrayal of the title role in Josh Mond’s award-winning film JAMES WHITE. His performance garnered Abbott “Best Actor” nominations from both the Independent Spirit and Gotham Awards.

On stage, Abbott made his Broadway debut in John Guare’s THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES. Other theatrical work includes THE ROSE TATTOO at The Williamstown Theatre Festival, Lucy Thurber’s WHERE WE’RE BORN at The Rattlestick Theatre, Annie Baker’s JOHN at The Signature Theatre and Sam Shepard’s FOOL FOR LOVE at The Williamstown Theatre Festival.

Christopher recently wrapped filming Sony/Marvel’s KRAVEN THE HUNTER for filmmaker J.C. Chandor. He is about to begin production on the independent feature SWIMMING HOME, based on Deborah Levy’s Man Booker Prize-nominated novel, alongside Mackenzie Davis and Ariane Labed.

Daniel Harnett made his Broadway debut singing and acting in I REMEMBER MAMA. He’s been writing songs since 1983 and has accumulated a catalogue of over a thousand. His work has been aired on WFMU 91.1 FM and has been featured in a handful of shorts and independent feature films (DOG RUN Dir: Ze’ev Gilad and most recently THE VANISHING POINT Dir: Sadie Rose Corrigan). Daniel has performed solo, as a trio and a quartet on bills with such artists as Jewel, Stereo Lab and Jeff Buckley. Daniel has also toured solo in 2003 across New Zealand; performed at numerous venues including Irving Plaza, Mercury Lounge, CBGB’s and Sine; toured the North East in 2014 with his most current band Crystal Robots; and was recently featured on the latest record by Mark Kozlek to be released end of 2022. He’s been commissioned to write music for the theater by Stephen Adly Guirgis, Philip Seymour Hoffman and John Patrick Shanley as part of Labyrinth Theater Company of which he is a member.

Igor Golyak is the founder and producing artistic director of Arlekin Players Theatre & Zero Gravity (zero-G) Virtual Theater Lab in Boston. A global leader in the virtual theater movement, he is currently directing THE ORCHARD OFF-BROADWAY, a hybrid production (both live and virtual), featuring Jessica Hecht and Mikhail Baryshnikov. During the pandemic he conceived and directed WITNESS, chekhovOS /an experimental game/ and STATE VS. NATASHA BANINA, each of which became international virtual theater sensations, receiving multiple New York Times Critic’s Picks, and garnering a 2022 Special Citation from the Boston Critic’s Association for “pushing the boundaries of digital space to create a new genre of theater.” Golyak’s work has received numerous Elliot Norton Awards for THE SEAGULL, THE STONE, and DEAD MAN’S DIARY, including an award for Best Director. His work also received This Week In New York Pandemic Awards (WITNESS and chekhovOS) and Broadway World’s Best Director of a Streamed Production Award (chekhovOS). He directed THE MERCHANT OF VENICE for Actors’ Shakespeare Project, productions at Northeastern University and Boston Conservatory at Berklee, and has taught at Boston Conservatory, Boston University, Harvard University, Lesley College, Wellesley College, New England Theater Conference, the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts/Middlesex University, Moscow Specialized Institute for the Arts, and the ARBOS Theatre Festival. Arlekin, a company of immigrants, as been invited to perform on famous stages and at world-renowned festivals all over the world, including in Ukraine, Yerevan, Armenia, New York City, Chicago, Lviv, Monaco, the US, Canada and UK, as well as the Moscow Art Theatre.

Golyak is from Ukraine, and with his team at Arlekin, has led the #Artists4Ukraine initiative, engaging artists to share messages of hope, peace and solidarity, and raising funds for humanitarian aid for Ukraine.

Richard Hoehler has created four Off Broadway solo shows: I OF THE STORM, NEW JERSEY/NEW YORK, WORKING CLASS (OOBR AWARD-Best Solo Performance), and HUMAN RESOURCES (BEST OF FEST). His newest solo piece, E, a “live memoir,” has been featured at The Cornelia Street Café, Delaware Valley Arts Alliance, and the Commons. Other acting stage work: ROUNDING THIRD, K2, KALIGHAT, TRUE WEST, CRIES FOR PEACE, THE RUBBER ROOM, INADMISSABLE, DAY OF THE DAD (Best Actor in a Lead Role), SEX TODAY, LOVE TOMORROW, and HAIR (55+). Television: NYPD BLUE, LAW & ORDER, CRIMINAL INTENT, THIRD WATCH (recurring), and THE BLACK BOX. Richard is an adjunct professor at John Jay College, director of the Theatre Workshop at Otisville State Prison and creator and director of ACTING OUT, an acting workshop for the formerly incarcerated at HB Studio.  His short play, BUT FOR THE GRACE, will premiere at the New Circle Company in December.

Wade Barrett is a bi-coastal actress, working on stage and screen. Recent credits include the upcoming series HIGHTOWN on Starz, Netflix’s WHAT/IF starring Rene Zellweger, ABC’s HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER, and TRUtv’s ADAM RUINS EVERYTHING, among others. She also works in national and regional commercials as both an actor and VO talent. Recent commercial credits include Turbo Tax, Walmart, Ross, and Allergen. Acting is her passion, and she absolutely loves sharing her craft with other actors via coaching in all areas of the craft. She enables her clients to win by arming them with great training and bulletproof preparation skills.

“Wade’s coaching has helped me to understand the audition process and feel confident about the work. Wade’s approach is easy and effective.”

-Carlos Linares, Actor
Mayans M.C., Snowfall, Triple Frontier

Judi Lewis Ockler is an intimacy/fight director, variety performer, stunt performer, and teaching artist.  Credits include: HATEF**K (Adrienne Campbell-Holt, director; WP theater) UNDER THE OVERTURE (Gerard Alessandrini, director), A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM (Tony Speciale, director; Classic Stage). She is an Intimacy Director with Intimacy Directors International; she leads workshops in Intimacy for the Stage for actors and designers at Eugene O’Neil Theater Center, NYU Tisch, and The American Musical & Dramatic Academy, NYC.

Since earning her degree in Religious Studies and the Aesthetics of Movement, Nina Wise has devoted her career to developing theater and writing stories that address the complex relationship between body, intellect, and spirit. Her original works, performed in prestigious venues in the United States, South America, Europe and Asia have won awards for playwriting, innovative design, and new theater including three NEA fellowships and seven Bay Area Theater Critics Awards. Her book, A Big New Free Happy Unusual Life, was published by Broadway Books and her stories and articles have appeared in numerous anthologies and journals.

Wise’s immersive theater piece The Kepler Story, created in collaboration with California Academy of Sciences Morrison Planetarium, is the first theater piece ever created about an astronomer for domes. The production played to sold out crowds at Morrison Planetarium in San Francisco and the Fiske Planetarium, UC Boulder and is currently in development for a world tour.

The founder of Motion Theater®, an original form of autobiographical improvisation, Nina offers performances and trainings in this unique form of authentic self-expression. She has performed custom-designed improvised works at theaters, think tanks, conferences, medical institutions, and political events around the world.

As an artist and teacher who specializes in innovation, she has coached numerous individuals and teams in creativity, the cultivation of presence, stress reduction, communication and leadership. In addition, authorized to teach by Jack Kornfield, Wise teaches Buddhist practice at Spirit Rock Meditation Center and other spiritual centers worldwide.

Peter Francis James taught Shakespeare at the Yale School of Drama from 2000 – 2020. Training: RADA. Broadway: HILLARY AND CLINTON, PRESENT LAUGHTER, THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, ON GOLDEN POND, DROWNING CROW, JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG. The Public: STUFF HAPPENS (OBIE & Lucille Lortel Awards), MUCH ADO, VENUS, HORATIO IN KEVIN KLINE’S HAMLET, LONG DAY’S JOURNEY… CSC: THE MAIDS (OBIE Award). Signature Theater: THE LADY FROM DUBUQUE, (Lortel Nomination). U.K: THE LADY FROM DUBUQUE (w/Maggie Smith), CYMBELINE (RSC /TFANA). Film/TV: THE HUMBLING, SONG ONE, THE LOSERS, THE REBOUND, THE MESSENGER / BULL, GODFATHER OF HARLEM, THE CODE, BOARDWALK EMPIRE, THE MYSTERIES OF LAURA, OZ, ROYAL PAINS, GOSSIP GIRL, KINGS, THE ROSA PARKS STORY, SIMPLE JUSTICE, THE RUBY BRIDGES STORY, all three LAW & ORDER series. Narration: over 60 books.

BIO:

New York- based actor. He appeared as Charlie D’Amico in the Lucille Lortel Award winning production of JESUS HOPPED THE ‘A’ TRAIN, dir: Mark Brokaw (Signature Theater). Also at Signature Theater: OUR LADY OF 121st, dir: Phylicia Rashad. Off-Broadway: ROMEO Y JULIETA dir: Saheem Ali (Public Theater); JULIUS CAESAR dir: Oskar Eustis (Delacorte Theater); SHAKESPEARE TRILOGY dir: Phyllida Lloyd (St Ann’s Warehouse); LAST DAYS OF JUDAS ISCARIOT dir: Estelle Parsons; Other theater credits: World Premiere of THE ASSIGNMENT ( A.R.T.NY); and World Premiere of THE PRINCE OF PROVIDENCE (Trinity Rep) TV: “Blue Bloods” (Guest Star Recurring), “New Amsterdam” (Recurring), “For Life”, “Blacklist:Redemption,” “Broad City,” “Law & Order SVU,” “Master of None,” and “Sneaky Pete.” FILM: “Life After You,” “11:55,” “Missing William.” Education: MFA: Actors Studio Drama School. BFA: University of Rhode Island. Erick received the 2020 Theater Hall of Fame: Emerging Artist Award. He is a Lifetime Member of the Actors Studio and proud member of the LAByrinth Theater Company.