Meet the artists!
Mycah Artis (Director) is a director focused on new work development and devised theater creation. She co-founded Serotonin Syndrome Productions, a devised theater company, and has presented original work throughout Metro Detroit, Lansing, Pittsburgh, Galway and Edinburgh. She is passionate about exploring beauty, emotional process and the difficulties of human connection through theater, both on the stage and in unconventional locations. Currently she is developing her first collaborative film focused on live theater. Further details / contact: www.mycahartiscreative.com
JM Ethridge (Performer) has tread the boards at many local theatres, including Little Door, Matrix, Planet Ant, The Snug, Riverbank, and Shakespeare Royal Oak. She is both a Wilde and Broadway World Award nominee and has appeared in over one hundred productions since her career began when she was six. On screen, JM can be seen in the Amazon Prime series “A Billion to One” and in commercials for Chrysler. When she is not acting, JM can be found playing the part of teacher at a local high school, wife to Todd, and mummy to Beatrice and Malcolm. “Hallelu!”
Julianna Gonzalez (Playwright) is a playwright, theatre-maker, and author whose works have been featured and produced by schools and theater companies in New York City, Portland, OR and Detroit, MI. She teaches and mentors emerging playwrights in Spanish and English and serves on the Advisory Board of Black and Brown Theatre in Detroit. She holds a BFA in Drama and English from Vassar College.
Linda Rabin Hammell (Playwright)-Though Linda spent about 40 years of her gainful-employment period scribbling what might delusionally be called “persuasive writing,” this will be her first attempt to devise dialogue. Not counting her own occasional onstage panic-babble. She’s preparing for this walk down the path trod by Albee, Beckett, and Lindsay-Abaire by wee-hour binge-viewing reruns of The Americans. Shhhhhhh. Das Vadanya.
Angie Joachim (Performer)- is excited and delighted to work with Open Book Theatre Company. A native New Yorker who has made her way from New Orleans to Connecticut, her credits include: Vibrata in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Gabriella in Boeing Boeing, Veronica in God of Carnage (NJACT Perry Award), Dotty/Mrs. Clackett in Noises Off, Velma von Tussle in Hairspray, Melissa Gardner in Love Letters, Shawna in Coyote on a Fence (Big Easy Award), Lucienne in A Flea in Her Ear, Mrs. Cratchit in A Christmas Carol, Ellen Pazinksi in Over the Tavern (Big Easy Award), Fritzie/Kost in Cabaret, and Sheila in A Chorus Line. Upcoming: Camila in In the Heights. Many thanks to Krista and Maria for this fun opportunity!
Mandy Logsdon (Performer) was last seen at Open Book as a multitude of zany characters in Wonder of the World. You may also remember her from Life Sucks in which she played Pickles or her turn as the “Stage Manager” in Recent Tragic Events in 2016, or from Wiley and the Hairy Man. Logsdon hails from Clinton Township, up in Eastern Macomb County and has been an actor in the Metro-Detroit area since 2010. When not onstage there is a whole lot of knitting and crocheting going on. www.mandylogsdon.com
Erin Osgood (Playwright) is a playwright and local actress in Michigan. Her plays include Family Pains (2018 Concert Reading at Purple Rose Theatre, 2017 CTAM winner, 2017 Finalist Todd McNerney Playwriting Award, 2016 Finalist Henley Rose Playwright Competition for Women), Minor Deviations (2020 Barrington Stage Company 10×10 Festival, 2018 Best Play Sandbox Festival, 2019 Estrogenius Festival NYC, 2019 MadLab, 2018 staged reading Roustabout Theatre Troupe’s Route 23 Arts & Music Festival), and Passing the Buck (2015 Sandbox Festival). She has a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Michigan and is an active volunteer with the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Michigan. https://www.erinosgood.com
Lucianna Piazza (Performer) is thrilled to be virtually back at Open Book for Weekend Wonders. She was last seen at Open Book as Jane Bingley in Christmas at Pemberley. Luciana has also enjoyed the opportunity to work at The Encore, Riverbank, Penny Seats, Dio, Snug, and Water Works theatres. When not onstage ( pretty often lately), Luciana is a voice over artist, Internship Coordinator for Shakespeare Royal Oak, and Project Administrator for Artisan E-Learning. Many thanks to family and friends for their ongoing support. Special thanks to Krista and Maria for keeping theatre alive and interesting during a very difficult time. And as always, love to Nana and Rick. Lucianapiazza.com
Jenna Kellie Pittman (Performer) is delighted to work with Open Book for the first time in this unique project. No stranger to remote theatre, she participated in many virtual readings and shows over the past year…but nothing quite this fast and furious! An active performer in Metro Detroit and Ann Arbor, Jenna has appeared with The Penny Seats, Roustabout, Intrinsic, Detroit Mercy, Four Wise Monkeys, Theatre Nova, and Michigan Irish Rep. While waiting not-so-patiently to return to the stage, she keeps busy creating virtual theatre experiences for Ridgedale Players, where she is also a board member. She thanks Open Book for offering such a fun and challenging way to keep our creative juices flowing, and her husband, Shaun, for supporting her in every crazy theatrical endeavor. Enjoy the show and support your local theatres so we can come back strong and keep doing what we love!
Lindel Salow (Performer) has been profoundly fortunate to be a part of Open Book for the last several seasons and was last seen in What Brought Me Here. Past OBTC work includes: Old Man in Fool for Love, Roger/Voice Two in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Vanya in Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike, Sagot in Picasso at the Lapin Agile, Rudolf Bauer in Bauer. He has also appeared at Puzzle Piece Theatre’s The People’s Temple, Ambition Facing West, and White People as well as at the JET, Performance Network and the Attic Theaters. Outside of performing, Lindel is an accomplished make-up artist with his artistry appearing in the PBS special, “Pavlo, Mediterranean Nights”, the Sam Levinson film “Another Happy Day” and in the work of Hollywood photographer Steven Kahn. He also enjoys spending time studying maritime history (and giving the occasional lecture), dabbling in stereo photography and isn’t adverse to general mischief making, with his spouse Chuck close behind egging him on!
Carrie Sayer (Playwright) is delighted to participate in her second Weekend Wonders! You may remember the play Carrie directed for February Weekend Wonders, Guest of Honor. Open Book audiences may also remember her as the mother in Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. Carrie is an experienced writer of plays, cabarets, comedy shows and forensics acts. She has edited a number of now-published books and plays. Carrie has experience producing, co-authoring, workshopping, directing, and performing in original works at such places as Boarshead Professional Theatre (Lansing, MI), Eastern Michigan University, Theatre NOVA (Michigan Playwrights Festival), the Performance Network (Fireside Festival), and her own studio. Carrie also teaches private acting and singing lessons (www.CarrieJayStudio.com). Carrie’s training includes Michigan State University, Meadowbrook, and Purple Rose Theatre Company. She gives thanks to Krista and Maria for this exciting opportunity, and to her family and friends for their ongoing, loving support.
Tony Semanik (Performer) has “knocked around” with acting since 1964, when he was cast in Edward Albee’s The American Dream in college. After decades acting in university, community, and civic theater dramas, comedies, and musicals, Tony shifted primarily to film, performing in “Indies,” commercials, and student projects. To date he has performed in over two dozen student films each at Wayne State University and the Motion Picture Institute. He got his first SAG film role as Santa in the TV holiday film, A Christmas Movie Christmas, which has aired for two years on several streaming platforms. Over the past decade Tony has also been narrating/producing audiobooks and audio dramas, plus recording voiceovers for commercials and PSAs. Now he is venturing into “live” video stream performance via ZOOM. As a “senior citizen,” Tony is doing his best to keep up with the ever-evolving performance landscape.
Anna Simmons (Director) has been working as an arts administrator, director, stage manager, and sound designer in the Southeast Michigan theatre community for over a decade, and has been the managing director of Roustabout Theatre Troupe since its founding in 2016. Anna is excited to work with Open Book Theatre Company for the first time, especially for her debut directing a virtual play!
Dinah Tutien (Performer) is honored and blessed to once again be a part of Weekend Wonders, this time as a performer! She has experience in film and stage, having played Ms. Cole in the short film Heroes Within with Black and Brown Theatre, as well as Miss Minnie in an original film called Strange Fruit: A Black Girl Lost with Team 6 Productions. She played Dr. Shelly in the film Borderline Crazy and Samantha the taxi driver in Everyone’s High But Mary Jane, both with Two In A Frame Productions. She was also the Basketball Coach in a Michigan promo with Great Lakes TV. On stage, she has played various roles in original productions such as Liz in Last Train by local writer Brian Cox, Shelby in When The Moon Yells by local writer Shawntai Brown (Two times is the charm!) and The Spirit of Christmas Present in an adaptation of A Christmas Carol with Black and Brown Theatre. She also had a great time as a part of a Disney themed scavenger hunt where she played The Fairy Godmother, thanks to Black and Brown Theatre. She is currently working on a stage production in Detroit, along with an original comedy series.
Jennifer Ward (Director)–While pursuing her BA in Theatre at Oakland University, Jennifer started writing for the stage in classes with the acclaimed playwright, Kitty Dubin. Since graduating in 2016, she has been busy directing musicals and plays for Clarkston High School, where she also offers an afterschool playwriting workshop. She serves on JET’s New Works play reading committee, is a member of Playwrights @ Work at Village Players and in her spare time even writes some of her own work, notably First Christmas, which earned a staged reading with the Ant Farm, and No Going Back and Walk-N-Talk, staged at Ridgedale Players in Troy. She also created and directed The Bible on Broadway, Around the World in 88 Keys and Weather or Not, cabaret style shows to benefit The Welcome Inn Homeless Shelter. On occasion, Jennifer has even been seen on stage; as Esther in Two by Two, Aunt Eller in Oklahoma and most recently in the ensemble of Ragtime with Stagecrafters in Royal Oak, where she lives with her ever-patient muse and spouse, Daniel.
Megan Wright (Director) has been on stage in some capacity since she was able to speak! She obtained a BFA in acting from Wayne State, a Masters in teaching artistry also from Wayne and work in her MA in Applied Drama and Theatre for Young Audiences at Eastern Michigan University. Megan and her business partner and friend Drue, started Professional Youth Theatre of Michigan, a theatre company for young artists K-12 ONLINE during the pandemic! Megan and PYTMI have since produced 4 musicals and are in rehearsals currently for their 5th as well as the newly formed PYTMI Teen Company!