Scott C. Sickles
Playwright

Scott C. Sickles (he/him) is an LGBTQ/neurodivergent/biracial Korean American writer. He has received five consecutive Writers Guild of America Awards for the daytime serial General Hospital, and numerous Emmy Award nominations. For over thirty years, his plays have been performed in New York City, his native Pittsburgh, across the United States, as well as internationally in Canada, Australia, the UK, Hungary, Singapore, Indonesia, Lebanon, and Dubai.

Sickles’s biographical drama Nonsense and Beauty, chronicling the private life of E. M. Forster, received its world premiere at the Repertory Theater of St. Louis, garnering an Edgerton Foundation New Play Award, and was a finalist for the Harold and Mimi Steinberg/American Theatre Critics Association New Play Award. The play won the 2016 Dayton Playhouse Future Fest under its previous title, Shepherds Bush, and received its West Coast Premiere at Theatre22 in Seattle in 2022.

Playing on the Periphery received its world premiere at Kansas City’s Whim Productions. Telling the story of four LGBTQ+ third-graders, it was prevoiusly presented as a concert reading by Reading Theatre Project, deep in red Pennsylvania. Monologues and scenes from the piece have been performed in “Don’t Say Gay” Florida.

The Second World Trilogy, a speculative alt-history political/environmental love story, consists of three full-length plays spanning nearly 50 years. Marianas Trench, the first in the series and an O’Neill finalist, received developmental readings at The Road Theater Company, Portland Stage, and the Mixed Asian Media Festival. Leviathan Lab in New York City will produce its world premiere production in Spring 2024. The second installment, Pangea, an O’Neill semifinalist, was presented as virtual readings by Roly Poly Productions and the Garry Marshall Theatre New Works Festival. The final play, The Known Universe, headlined the inaugural Mixed Asian Media Festival.

Published tiles include Composure (New York Innovative Theater Award, Lambda Literary finalist), Hairdresser on Fire, From the Top, Moonlight & Love Songs, and Hellish Delights (Next Stage Press); Intellectuals, Beautiful Noises, and Drain (Smith & Kraus); Turtles and Bulldogs, Up on a Roof, and Badger and Frame (Applause); murmurs (Samuel French/Concord); a Hungarian translation of The Other Half; Perfecting the Kiss: a mockumentary for the Stage and Demon Bitch Goddess (consisting of the short plays Medusa, Cassiopeia, and Thalassa) (Amazon/KDP); “Guten Tag, Baby!” (Left Edge Theatre and Good Life Review); Your Gaze and Afterwards (The Playground Experiment Faces of America); Eighty-Seven Keys (Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble); 600 km NE Lima (Flyway Journal). Smith & Kraus and Applause have also published several of his monologues.

Other full-length plays: Lightning from Heaven (Beverly Hills Theater Guild/Julie Harris Playwriting Award), The Philosopher’s Joke; Frailty, Thy Name; Layers, or “The Casserole Play,” Seaside Tragedies; TARTARUS; and Tesseract.

Other produced short plays: All the Things; The Antique Shoppe; Appetizers, or “On an Island Somewhere”; Arboreal Conquests; The Bedroom Summit; Boardwalk Concessions; Bulletproof Love; Dangerous Angels; Deception • War • Retribution; Erroneous Zones; Fade to White; The Fallow Garden; The Following Morning; Glint; The Greater and Lesser Edmunds of the World; Hand on Heart; The Harmonic Convergence (winner Pittsburgh New Works Festival); #Bastille; I Knew It!; I’d Follow You Anywhere: a Solaris story; I’ll Find My Soul as I Go Home; The Man in 119; Manly Men Doing Manly Things; Miracle and Her Minion, The Mother Lode; The Nihilists Victorious; Notes Over and Undercast Sky; O, For a Muse of Fire; The Open Window; Orchids and Heat; Outpost; Sarcophagus; Somewhere South of Bethlehem; Sugarplum; Tactile Creatures; Uncomplicated Bereavement; Vacancies; Vanilla; Virgins; We’ll Take a Cup of Kindness Yet; Wheel of Fortune Reversed; and Yea, Though I Walk.

Other produced monologues: Between the Surf and the Stars; Boy’s State; Consolation; End of a Long, Long Day; Escalator to the Gallows; Hoist; I Left My Heart in the Mojave Desert; Knife on a Glass; Night in Tunisia; Parameters; Surrounded; This is Not a Touch Exhibit; Time, Magic, and Antoinette; The Time You Were Away; We Ride at Dawn!.

Sickles holds an MFA in playwriting from Carnegie Mellon University and is a member of the Writers Guild of America, the Dramatists Guild, and the New Play Exchange. www.ScottCSickles.com

Janet Bentley
Director

Janet (Jan) Bentley (they/them/theirs) is a director, dramaturg, writer, actor, film editor, sound designer, graphic designer, and composer.  They hold an MFA in dramaturgy from the University of Iowa, a BA in theatre from the University of South Florida, and have multiple years training and experience in piano, dance, voice (opera and musical theatre), acting, and teaching theatre.  Janet made their international debut as a director/deviser, theatre instructor, and sound designer at Ashtar Theatre's International Youth Festival in Ramallah, Palestine, winning an award for their co-direction of The Waiting Room with Co-op Theatre East, NYC.  Virtual projects include: Jewish Plays Project 2020 and 2021 – Editor and Sound Designer, Denizen's Theatre Company's production of Motherfucker With The Hat directed by John Fico, Director/editor/composer for Pangea by Scott Sickles. Some New York credits include world premieres of The Dark and Our Fantasia by John Patrick Shanley (Director; Nylon Fusion Theatre Company/Tada!), Handmaid's Dianetics, Episode One by Joyce Miller (Director/Sound Designer; United Solo), The Lights Are On by Owen Panettieri (co-Sound Designer/NLTP), Friends With Amenities by Ahsan Ali and Lisa Jill Anderson (Sound Designer/NLTP & Pendragon Theatre), According To the Chorus by Arlene Hutton (Co-Sound Designer/NLTC), A Measure Of Doubt by Paul Schwartz (Director; Hudson Guild), Le Petite Chartreuse by Ed Malin (Projections/Sound/Dramaturgy; Under St. Marks), Circle Mirror Transformation by Annie Baker (Sound Designer/Pendragon Theatre), The Brecht Project (Co-Sound Designer; New Light Theatre Project), Everything Is Super Great by Stephan Brown, directed by Sarah Norris (Sound Designer; NLTP/59E59), ray gun say0nara by Steven Mark Tenney (Directing/Projections Designer; NFTC/The New Ohio Theatre), (a)loft modulation by Jaymes Jorsling (Co-Sound Designer/Off Broadway; the american vicarious/Mezzanine Theatre-ArtNY),  Round Went The Wheel by Frank Ceruzzi (Director/Sound & Video Co-Design; The Lion Theatre/Theatre Row), Basement by Michael Hagins (Director/Producer; Roly Poly Productions--Nominated for two New York Innovative Theatre Awards), Guns and Ammunition (Writer; The Kraine Theatre - directed by David Adam Gill), Friendly's Fire by John Patrick Bray (Original Music/Sound Design; Rising Sun/The 14th Street Y Theatre), CC: You In Hell! by Mark Levy (Directing/Sound Design; The Kraine Theatre), Life X 3 by Yasmine Reza (Original Music/Sound Design @ NLTP/Urban Stages), Detroit '67 by Dominique Morriseau (Sound Designer; Kingsborough-CUNY), Experimenting With Katz by David Adam Gill (Sound Designer; Theatre Lab/NATC), an original dance-play called Horse (Director/Writer; Planet Connections Theatre Festivity 2017), Brooklyn (Cain's Adventure) by Mario Fratti (Director/Original Music by The Roly Polys; Theatre For The New City), Mr. Chekhov and Mr. Porter (Director/Development/Scenic Designer; Medicine Show Theatre), Lila on the Wall by Edward Allen Baker (Director; Pica/The Bridge Theatre-Shetler Studios), Abu Casem’s Slippers by August Strindberg (Director; The Gene Frankel Theatre), The Troubadour Struck by Lightning by Ed Malin (Director; FringeNYC), Blankets and Bedtime: 3 Restless Plays by Erik Champney (Director/Producer; Planet Connections Theatre Festivity), After Tartuffe by Judy Klass (Director; The Wild Project), Queers for Fears by Ed Malin (Director/Video Design; F*ckfest @ The Brick), The Addicts by Ed Malin (Director; Theatre for the New City), The Big Funk by John Patrick Shanley (Live Original Music; NFTC/La Tea), Incendiary Agents by Jack Karp (Dramaturg/SM; NFTC/The New Ohio Theatre), "This Round's On Us" (director/playwright in multiple festivals with NFTC – 2013 – 2020), and Coventry Carol by James McLindon (Emerging Artists Theatre), down in the holler by Val Dunn (Sound Designer; Stella Adler Studio).  Regional directing credits include As You Like It, The Pillowman, Baal, The Woman From the Sea, Time on Fire, Parallel Lives, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Randy Noojin’s The Knife Trick.  Film/TV:  We Dissent: Voices for Reproductive Rights (Director/Editor/Sound).  Stage Left: A digital documentary series about theatre (Director/Editor/DP/Sound - available on Brooklyn On-Demand). Upcoming:  Delicacy a film by Bruce Jones (Director/Editor/Composer).   Janet has served as venue director for FringeNYC, venue manager & technical director for the 2019 SoFi Festival, and producing director at T. Schreiber Studio.  Janet is a member of New Light Theatre Project (NLTP), Actors Studio Playwright Directors Unit (director member), Nylon Fusion Theatre Company (NFTC), New York Madness, and New Ambassadors Theatre Co (NATC).  They are listed in Parity Productions Online Database.  Janet is co-artistic director and founding partner at Roly Poly Productions.  www.rolypolyproductions.com

Ara Tandon
PRODUCTION stage manager

Ara Tandon is a stage manager and multidisciplinary artist who values the power of experimentation in art and storytelling in the pursuit of social progress. Ara is currently studying stage management at Fordham University and recently completed an internship at the historic Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Company in Denver, CO. OTHER CREDITS: Production Stage Management of Fordham Playwriting's recent production of AND THIS IS WHERE WE, written by Iz Gonzalez; Stage Manager of Gaven Trinidad's LEARNING HOW TO READ BY MOONLIGHT produced through Leviathan Lab; YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO ANYTHING, written by Ryan Drake and produced through the IRT Theater 3B Development Series.

CRYS CLEMENTE
ASSISTANT stage manager

Crys Clemente (it/they) is a performing arts generalist who recently relocated to the Bronx. Its previous stage management experience includes the 2023 Cannonball Festival, CURTAINS (Villanova Theatre Department), COWBOY VERSUS SAMURI (Hedgerow Theatre Company), and THE WEST PHILLY MEETING (Theatre in the X). It also previously worked as an associate producer for Philadelphia Asian Performing Artists. In addition to a BFA from the Savannah College of Art and Design, Crys graduated this May from Villanova University with an MA in Theatre and a graduate certificate in Nonprofit Management.

Nicholas Yenson*
”TEDDY”

Nicholas returns to MARIANAS TRENCH after previous readings for the Mixed Asian Media Fest and a digital production for Portland Stage. Nicholas trained at American Conservatory Theater, the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, and the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance. Selected credits: ALLIGATOR SUMMER (Squeaky Bicycle), AS YOU LIKE IT (SF Playhouse – SF Critics Circle Award nom.), A CHRISTMAS CAROL (McCarter), KING OF THE YEES (Signature Theatre), OF MICE AND MEN (Firebelly Productions), PICNIC (Hampton Theatre Co.), PORT CITY (American Conservatory Theater), RED HOT PATRIOT (Arena Stage), TAMING OF THE SHREW (Shakespeare Theatre). Scott, Jan, Ariel, I can no other answer make but thanks and thanks and ever thanks.

NiK dUGGAN*
“Anzor”

Nik Duggan (Anzor) is honored to return to this wonderful story after being involved in the Mixed Asian Media Festival's reading! THEATRE: “Chessman” (B Street Theatre), “Fire On the Mountain” (TheatreWorks Silicon Valley), “A Child’s Guide to Heresy” (Pittsburgh Playhouse REP), “Noirtown” (Witness Theatre), “Keynote at Necrocon” (The Brick), "Every Brilliant Thing" (The Tribe). FILM/TV: “The Etruscan Smile” (Po Valley Productions, LLC), “Most Addicting Games Showdown” (Nickelodeon), and the upcoming feature "Gingerbread Kids" (Dispoto Films). Nik holds a BFA in Acting from Point Park University. Thanks for coming and love to my family and friends!

Chad Anthony Miller*
”YUKUB”

Chad Anthony Miller works professionally as an actor, writer, producer, and teacher. He’s thrilled to be returning to the work of Scott C. Sickles and Jan Bentley after previously performing in past readings of Marianas Trench and Pangea. He's truly in love with this talented cast. Over the past few years, he’s been featured in four indie movies, which you can stream: Ophelia Falls, Batsh*t Bride, Big Break, Such A Funny Life. Other film credits: An Ordinary Family. TV credits include Criminal Minds, General Hospital, 30 Rock, and an upcoming Ryan Murphy project. Comedy projects: Funny Or Die, Huffington Post, Ponies! Live On Broadway. Theatrically, he has performed Off Broadway at Playwrights Horizons and Signature Theatre. He also loves the new work development process and has taken part in readings for National Queer Theatre and New York Theatre Workshop (Veteran Voices; Mind The Gap). Improv training: Upright Citizens Brigade and The Groundlings. Improv coaching: Texas, Cornish College of the Arts, Centenary College of Louisiana, and throughout Asia. He is currently developing a tv pilot PHYLLIS, which is based on life with his West Texas mother. You can follow his chadventures at www.thechadanthonymiller.com

Jon Okabayashi*
”RICO”

Jon Okabayashi is an actor, painter and live event production multi-hyphenate. Jon is the off-beat uncle who told you Navajo ghost stories, keeping little, young you scared and awake; the one who taught you to slow play pocket aces and catch trout on a fly. He will drink whiskey with you until wee hours of the morning. He is his own evil twin. He has traveled the globe as a scuba diver and citizen scientist surveying coral reefs in the Indian Ocean and the Straits of Hormuz. Performance highlights include the Obie award winning production of 600 Highwaymen’s THE RECORD and Radiohole’s Bessie nominated production of MYTH or (maybe) METH, TV: "FBI: Most Wanted", "Poker Face".

Christine Verleny
”ZELIHA”

Christine Verleny is thrilled to be bringing yet another Scott Sickles play to life. She has had the pleasure of performing in too many plays to list here. She performs a once monthly live soap opera for the stage called IT'S GETTING TIRED MILDRED and you should check it out! Her current feature films are The Girl Who Got Away and The Sisters Karras. Thank you to Leviathan Lab for bringing this beautiful play to life.

Morgan Zipf-Meister
”OPAL”

Morgan Zipf-Meister is a graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Over the past decade she has found a home in the New York Indie Theater scene, and has worked with too many companies to list here. She can be seen in New York's Favorite Monthly Soap Opera for the stage ‘IT'S GETTING TIRED MILDRED’ as Charmaine Milton. Morgan is also a New York Innovative Theatre Award nominated Lighting Designer and Moth storyteller, who has been featured on The Moth Radio Hour. Her short film 'Push Up' has played festivals both locally and internationally. For more information, please visit www.morganzipfmeister.com.

Jinn S. Kim*
”GERRY”

Jinn S. Kim is a NY-based actor with various theater, film & tv credits. He proudly serves as the Executive Director of Developing Artists, which provides opportunities for overlooked teens to reach their full potential and advocate for positive social change through a practical application of the performing arts (developingartists.org). Jinn has been a member of LAByrinth since 1995. Theater credits include RACE, RELIGION & POLITICS by Stephen Adly Guirgis (co-starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, dir. Charles Goforth); THE FAIRY TALE PROJECT at the Public Theatre (dir. Jill DeArmon); DESORIENTED by Kyung Park; NYIT Award winning production of RISE AND FALL OF A TEENAGE CYBERQUEEN by Lindsay Joy Murphy; THE OLDEST BOY by Sarah Ruhl at Marin Theatre Company (dir. by Jessica Thebus); AUBERGINE by Julia Cho at South Coast Rep (dir. by Lisa Peterson); THE FAR COUNTRY by Lloyd Suh at Atlantic Theater Company (dir. Eric Ting). Film/TV includes Hurricane Streets, “Oz,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” “How To Make It In America,” “Power,” 11:55, “Jessica Jones,” “Feed The Beast,” “Bull,” “Gotham,” “God Friended Me.”

Perri Yaniv*
”BASHSHAR”

Perri Yaniv is a born and raised New Yorker with over 40 local, regional, and international theatre credits; repeat collaborators include Blessed Unrest (Misconceptions, REFUGE), SpitNVigor (The Brutes, Blood Countess, Mary's Little Monster), Metropolitan Playhouse (Injunction Granted, A Man's World), Nicu's Spoon (Richard III, Red Noses), and Medicine Show (Don Juan in Hell, The Bedbug, Notary Sojac). Film and TV: The Blacklist (NBC), Bedlam: The Series, White Peacock, Purity, Untoward, Delivery Hour and Winter Has No Sun. www.perribazyaniv.com