SHELTER X

ARTIST & CREATIVE TEAM BIOS

Jonathan Ashley. Writer, animator and artist Jonathan Ashley studied fine art at Boston’s Museum School, and filmmaking at NYU. He recently wrote and illustrated the middle grade novel Lily & Kosmo in Outer Outer Space (Simon & Schuster). He is delighted to be celebrating ten years of working with The Shelter.

Omar Bustamante is excited to celebrate Ten Years with the Shelter! He was last at the Shelter in “For Rae” in 2016. Recent credits include NBC’s “Shades of Blue” and Nylon Fusions “Final Request”. Many Thanks to his wife and mother for their continued love and support.

Danielle Beckmann is an actress, producer, writer, and all around story weaver. You can watch Danielle every Friday on Twitch as she leads the all-women adventure show Maven Brave that uses Dungeons & Dragons to tell remarkable stories. For more goings-on, please visit and say hello: daniellebeckmann.com

Ian Bell is an actor and filmmaker. Theatre: Other Desert Cities, Balm in Gilead. TV: Meyer Lansky in the AMC Series The Making of the Mob. Film: the upcoming feature Ask For Jane, the short Desperate? Defeated? Depressed? and as a producer the short On the Way North. www.ianandrewbell.com – @yahnhova

Michael Bernstein. Writer: Kate (The Shelter: Fairytale), Robot Girl (The Shelter Presents: Art). Actor: with the Shelter: Lily & Kosmo Live, Ghost Light, Fairytale; in Bryant Park: Measure for Measure, Much Ado About Nothing, The Tempest; multiple shows with Ugly Rhino & The Deptford Players. Film: You Can’t Kill Stephen King. www.michaelbernstein.biz

Emily Cannon-Brown. Originally from a small town in Northern California, Emily is a singer, actor and playwright (thanks to The Shelter). Favorite past roles include: Titania, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, Mary Magdalene, “Jesus Christ Superstar”, & Sophie in the world premiere of “Jack’s Back” at T. Schrieber Studios. Go Bears!

Belle Caplis is an actor, director and writer in New York. As a Shelter resident artist she has acted in three mainstage productions, been a director or actor in many Peep shows, and helped to workshop numerous plays. You can catch her on the BET webseries Brooklyn. Blue. Sky. www.bellecaplis.com

Rachel Carey is a writer and filmmaker based around NYC. Her first feature film as writer/director, Ask for Jane, has been accepted to over a dozen festivals, and she has written and directed numerous award-winning short films and plays. She has been a grateful member of the Shelter community since 2012.

Cait Cortelyou has been a proud Shelter artist for four years! She can next be seen starring in the feature film ASK FOR JANE, coming to theaters this spring. NY theatre: GALLOW GREEN (The McKittrick/Sleep No More); R&J&Z (NYIT Award Winner). TV: THE KNICK; BULL. Visit www.CaitCortelyou.com for more info.

Loren Dunn is excited to be performing with the Shelter to celebrate its 10th anniversary! In addition to work with the Shelter, favorite shows include “Pride and Prejudice” (Cincinnati Playhouse), Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap” (Alabama Shakespeare Festival), and “You Can’t Take It With You” (Geva Theatre Center).

Nate Dobson is an Actor, Writer, and Boozeslinger living in Brooklyn, NY. They were last seen in their play, The Fucking Problem at FringeNYC. They’ve done some other dope stuff, but would rather you donate resources to Trans youth. www.translifeline.org

John DiMino first performed with the shelter in their production of Red Room and has since appeared in a few Peep Shows and readings by Shelter Artists. He is thrilled to be celebrating their big X. BFA NYU. www.johndimino.net

Rachel Carey is a writer and filmmaker based around NYC. Her first feature film as writer/director, Ask for Jane, has been accepted to over a dozen festivals, and she has written and directed numerous award-winning short films and plays. She has been a grateful member of the Shelter community since 2012.

Greg Emetaz is the writer-director of CAMP WEDDING (Nevermore Audience Award Best Feature), short films BOWES ACADEMY (Out South Jury Award), SPELL CLAIRE and GET THE F K OUTTA PARIS! all developed at The Shelter, as well as, web-series DO IT YOURSELFIE (iTVfest Best Director award) co-directed with Amanda DeSimone. www.MINORapocalypse.com

James Fauvell is a director. His film ‘Other People’s People’ screened at the Austin Film Festival and HollyShorts (Winner, Best LGBT Film) He has assisted for Scott Ellis at Roundabout, Second Stage & NYSAF. Associate Director credits include: Colin Quinn’s Red State Blue State. He’s a member of Lincoln Center’s Directors Lab. 

Ben Firke is a playwright from New England. Recent projects: Extremely Bad Praxis at the Shelter, spoons at the Tank, and producing comedy benefits for a Texas abortion fund. He writes and performs monologues/socialist propaganda every month for The Tank’s “Fast and Furious” show. Dedicated to the memory of Alessio.

Abigail Grenda is an actor and freelance producer based here in NYC. Acting training at Maggie Flanigan Studio. Thank you Shelter for being a safe and creative home for me and many others over the years. Congrats on Ten!

Noam Harary. (NY currently). Theater: Trapper (Shelter Theater), Lobby Hero (Roy Arias) Film/TV: House of Cards (Netflix), and Madam Secretary (CBS), Heaven is Waiting (Cannes), Living Will (Lionsgate), Smokd (Dir. Tamika Miller) . Webseries: Soon By You (Z, Dir. Leah Gottfried). Noam runs a film/commercial production company gumzoopictures.com, studied with Maggie Flanigan, and his reel can be seen at NoamHarary.com

Orisa Henderson. Born in the Big Apple and bred with southern accouterments, Orisa is a young, vibrant, singer, and actress. Raised by a poet and a dancer, the Arts is no foreign land to this unconventional ingénue. Coupled with singing, some of her acting credits include “The Red Room” directed by Jenny Beth Snyder, “The Next Stop is” directed by Anna Strasser and “Blush” directed by Winter Coleman. Orisa received her Bachelors in Fine Arts from Howard University and continued on to a two-year post-grad program at Maggie Flanigan Acting Studio in New York.

Beth Jastroch is a playwright and a director from Fairfield, Connecticut. She has been a proud member of the Shelter community for the past decade and owes much of her work to Shelter prompts and Sunday workshops. Thanks to Mike, Meghan, Jonathan, Morgan & Dave for the inspiration, safe creative space, and friendship.

Meghan E. Jones. As a playwright, actor, producer, and director, Meghan E. Jones is a dynamic participant in New York City’s independent theatre scene. She has cultivated her own unique brand of storytelling—unvarnished, darkly comical, often surreal, and always deeply human.

Philip J. Kaplan has been published in three volumes of Best Ten Minute Plays (Smith and Kraus). Full Length plays include, THE BEST DAY OF YOUR LIFE, BUNNYBOY, THE CUPCAKE CONSPIRACY (w/ C.J. Ehrlich), I, VERMIN: A HOLLYWOOD SUCCESS STORY, COMFORT ZONE and EXTREMELY HOT IN CLEVELAND. Website: philipkaplan.weebly.com

Ginger Kearns is a writer/actress who loves finger puppets. She can currently be seen in the production of Sleep No More and the immersive show The Unbrunch. Television: Boardwalk Empire, The Sopranos. Film: Hungry Hearts Theatre: Nick Cave’s The Let Go (PAA) Writing credits: Four (Official Selection TSIFF 2019)

Michael Kingsbaker is the co-artistic director of The Shelter and a founding member. At the Shelter he’s written, directed, produced, and acted. He was nominated by NYIT for best actor in play for his performance in The Red Room. He’s eternally grateful for this magnificent community.

Bob Kolsby. Plays written for the Shelter: Make Love with the Light On, Canada, Eve, Love and Art, Legends of the West, Young Love in the Tomb, The Mystic Chords, Hungry, Cul-de-sac (with Rachel Carey and Beth Jastroch), We Work for the Registry.

Padraic Lillis is the Founding Artistic Director of The Farm Theater. This past fall he was The Humana Visiting Scholar and Artist in Residence at Centre College. He is an award-winning director, writer, producer, and educator. Padraic is the resident dramaturg for Compass Needle and a lifelong Yankee fan.

Jamahl Garrison-Lowe is a working actor and artist who resides in NYC.
Television and film include Birdman, Indelible, Gossip Girl. Theater includes Where’s My Money? (Animus Theater Company), The Names (Abingdon Theater), Indians (Metropolitain Playhouse). SAG-AFTRA and AEA. www.JamahlGarrisonLowe.com, @Jamahldotcom, IG: JamahlGarrisonLowe. Congratulations on Ten Years Shelter!

Paco Lozano is a grateful resident artist at The Shelter. NYC Theatre: The Public-Mother Courage with Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline (2006), Much Ado About Nothing (2014). TV: The Good Wife, Madam Secretary, Instinct, upcoming-Elementary (CBS). Upcoming-undisclosed Netflix Series. Movies: Bushwick (Netflix). Proud and lucky father to Galileo and husband to Maiken.

Jacob Marx Rice’s plays have been produced and developed at The Flea Theater, Actors Theatre of Louisville, The Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, Atlantic Theatre Stage 2, and others. He’s the winner of the 2017 Jean Kennedy Smith Playwriting Award from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Morgan McGuire is an actor, playwright, and theatre maker originally from the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. She now calls Brooklyn home. She’s beyond happy to be celebrating The Shelter with SHELTER X. For credits and other somewhat useless information you can find her at www.morganamcguire.com.

Christine Nyland is an actor, writer and filmmaker, telling dark and light stories of direct action and practical magic. Highlights: GRAVES (Streamy Nominee), The Garden Left Behind (SXSW), Maiden (3311 Productions, The Orchard). Her feature film, An Unquiet Grave, an unflinching look at grief, will be released later this year.

Jessica O’Hara-Baker. Select Directing Credits: Continuing the Conversation (Dreamcatcher Rep); Twelve Angry Men (Associate Director, NYU Tisch); Cardinal (AD to Kate Whoriskey, Second Stage), spoons (by Shelter member Ben Firke, The Tank); The Fucking Problem (by Shelter members Nate Dobson + Emily Alexander, NY Fringe). Performing: Wickedest Woman (WP Theater/Strange Sun); The Wanderers (The Lark); Usual Girls (EST Bloodworks); you do not look (Columbia MFA/Signature). jessicaoharabaker.com

Jenny Beth Snyder is a director & co-founder FGP NYC. Recent: 12 ANGRY MEN & MOTHER FUCKER WITH THE HAT (Lee Strasberg Institute); YOU DO NOT LOOK, (Signature Theater); THE RED ROOM, (The Shelter); NIGHT OF THE LIVING (The Shelter) BFA, NYU. Member of the Lincoln Center Theater Director’s Lab 2013.

Neil Tyrone Pritchard. There’s always The Hudson (The Goodman Theatre) The Berlin Electric (Park Ave Armory), The Mendelssohn Electric (Park Ave Armory), The Stowaway (Classic Stage Company),Queen Latina and Her Power Posse (Cherry Lane Theater . He has been a part of workshops at Sundance TheaterLAB,, Manhattan Theater Club, ,Lincoln Center Theater,and The Atlantic Theater Company. Proud Member of LAByrinth Theater Company.

Anna Strasser is a director who is passionate about developing new works. She loves The Shelter and previously directed Jacob Marx Rice’s Leni & Joseph with them. She’s also directed in two Peep Shows (A Different America by Philip Kaplan and Tree by Dave Lankford). She has a BA from Oberlin College and MFA in Directing from Brooklyn College.

Kate Warren. Kate’s thrilled to be celebrating Shelter X! Kate’s worked on a few Shelter “Peep Shows” and started writing her web series, Messy, at Shelter Sundays. She has gone on to producing, acting, catering, casting, and shooting 5 episodes of Messy, directed by Nicole Ansari. Kate’s excited to be part of Shelter X!

Maiken Wiese was a Threshold Playwright Fellow at The Shelter for THE OTHER KIDS RAN AWAY and an Audience Pick of the Estrogenius Festival for lN THE NINTH MONTH. She has acted at The Shelter, Ensemble Studio Theater, The Flea and Seattle Children’s Theater. Her acting film credits include “The Widowers” and “Awake.”