Cast and Crew Bios

	Umi-Shakti Ausar-Sahu (Ensemble - Hero, First Watch) Umi-Shakti is a Brooklyn native and recent graduate of Yale University. She is absolutely thrilled to be involved in this project and would like to thank the director and her fabulous castmates for making this show a wonderful experience. She would also like to thank God and her family and friends for their continued support.
	Alvin Chan (Ensemble - Don John, Dogberry, Friar) A recent transplant from Hawaii, Alvin is excited to be making his debut with Curious Frog. With a BA in Theatre from the University of Hawaii, Alvin has performed in various types of theatre ranging from Shakespeare, to Children s Theatre, to Kabuki and Chinese Opera. He was most recently seen as Romeo in the Inwood Shakespeare Festival's production of 'Romeo & Juliet'. Love to his roommates and friends for their support and laughter.
	Leif Evans (Ensemble - Leonato, Sexton ) Leif Evans was born and raised in Tuscaloosa, Alabama (Roll Tide) where the acting bug bit him at the age of seven acting in his church’s Easter pageant. He was cast as a market child running around the vendors and getting underfoot of the adults. His parents, who say he never really walked after standing just ran, to this day swear he was type cast. He continued in his pursuits of acting via the Easter pageant, being extremely active in his high school’s musical theatre department (performing two Broadway musicals per school year), his local community theatre, and performing in his first professional acting gig right out of high school. Despite his love of theatre he actually entered college as a music major to study voice, although the stage was never far away. He attended college in his hometown and then went on to study at the world renowned Westminster Choir College, where he received some of the finest vocal training. However, the stage kept calling and he participated in numerous theatrical productions (playing a step—sister in Cinderella is a fond memory) and taking theatre courses whenever he was able. After time as a voice student, still loving music and singing, he realized that acting would be his first artistic love and he changed his major to theatre finishing his BA in theatre at the University of Montevallo. Leif graduated college in May of 2003 and moved to New York that summer where he has resided since. He has been pursuing his acting dream since, on stage as well as in front of the camera. He has been seen in several films and numerous stage productions in New York as well as New Jersey. This is his second production with Curious Frog, he was seen last year as Eageon in The Comedy of Errors. He would like to thank his family for all of their love and support as well as Curious Frog for this opportunity. .
	Aaron Novak (Ensemble - Benedick) Aaron is so excited to be learning and working with this wonderful cast. He has a degree in Theatre Arts from Bloomsburg University and is a member of the Omicron Theatre Project located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He was an acting intern at the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble in 2006. Some of his favorite experiences include Macbeth, Shakespeare's R&J, Lone Star, The Laramie Project, Two Rooms, Measure for Measure, A Lie of the Mind and Angels in America. He would like to thank all of his friends and family for their support. He lives and works in Queens and is glad to be performing outside in the beautiful parks of New York City.
	Topper Fabregas (Ensemble - Claudio, Hugh Oatcake) A theatre actor from Manila, Topper has appeared in Philippine productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Taming of the Shrew, Urinetown, The Secret Garden, The Sound of Music, Aspects of Love, Baby, Disney's Beauty and the Beast, to name a few. This is his second brush with Much Ado About Nothing, having played Dogberry a few years back. He moved to New York to complete the Musical Theatre Program at the Circle in the Square Theatre School. Topper has fallen in love with the city (and its various parks).
	Devin Moriarity (Ensemble - Ursula, Borachio, Margaret, Messenger, Verges) Devin is delighted to be part of this ensemble. She just appeared as Dymphna in TERMINATING (Stage Left Studios). Other recent performances include CHELSEA, ALASKA (Soho Think Tank), MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (Wide Eyed Productions), and THE SHORT HAPPY LIFE OF FRANCIS MACOMBER (ETNY/Wings). On stage, Devin often winds up in convents (THE ROVER – Columbia MFA, CYRANO DE BERGERAC - NTAE, THREE MUSKETEERS - Inwood Shakespeare), sacrifices for love (ROMEO and JULIET - Theater at Momnmouth, J.B. – J-City Theatre, OTHELLO - Hudson Shakespeare), or loses her mind (SECRETS REVEALED – Player’s Club, EMBALMING – Looking Glass/Samuel French, DANCING AT LUGHNASA - Harvard Law Drama Society). Devin gives profound thanks..
	Robert Pham (Ensemble - Pedro, Conrade) Curious Frog Theatre Company debut. NY Theatre: From Fairest Creatures, The Three Sisters (Greige Theatre), Drowning [Death of a Salesman], Death of Wonderland, The Persians (Columbia University), One Million Forgotten Moments (The Paper Industry). Regional: Hey Girl! (Socìetas Raffaello Sanzio), Titus Andronicus, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Julius Caesar, Waiting for Godot, Dead Man Walking (Marquette University). Founding Member, Greige Theatre Company. Milwaukee High School of the Arts 2007 Spring Artist-in-Residence. Training: SITI Company, Frank Theatre, The South Wing, Synaesthetic Theatre. Marquette University, B.A. Psychology..
	Hannah Wolfe (Ensemble - Beatrice) Recent theatre credits include "Those Whistling Lads" at the Midtown International Theatre Festival, "Hamlet" with Castle Shakespeare Company, "Love's Labors Lost" and "Henry V" with Illinois Shakespeare Festival and national tours with the Obie-award winning children's theatre company, The Paper Bag Players and the National Theatre for Children. Hannah toured her two-woman show, "HER KIND: The Life & Poetry of Anne Sexton" last Fall at the New York and San Francisco Fringe Festivals.
	Renee Racan Rodriguez (Director, Designer) Founder, Curious Frog Theatre Company. Previously on the founding team of Act Now! Theatre Company (San Francisco/Bay Area), and helped rebuild and market CTA Crossroads Theatre (San Francisco). As Director: In San Francisco/Bay Area: Turn of the Screw, Shakespeare's Passions, Don't Dress for Dinner; outside of California: The Credeaux Canvas (Indiana), Another Damn Ten-Minute Play (Indiana), Shakespeare in the Gardens (The Lost Colony, North Carolina), as well as several short plays in Chicago; in NYC: McGurk's Suicide Hall (ReddMask Theatre Company), and Curious Frog's debut play, Comedy of Errors. Assistant director: Marvin's Room (Ross Valley Players) Our Town (Altarena Playhouse). Reneé has taught and directed Shakespeare, voice, auditioning and acting for over 10 years throughout the United States, privately and academically, at one point spending a year with Idaho Shakespeare Festival, where she acted, directed, and taught voice and movement, and directed children in Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale, one of her favorite plays. MFA in Acting, and an award-winning actress in SF/Bay Area.
	Damon Pelletier (Set Design) TK.
	Stef Maus (Costume Design) Stephanie Maus is a costume designer originally from North Carolina. She fell in love with clothes in 6th grade, when she always wore shirts in flourescent colors – yellow, green and orange. This earned her the nickname “Light Bulb.” Since then Stephanie has become more interested in dressing up other people, but still loves Halloween and theme parties. Stephanie has built hats for Chautauqua Opera and velvet slippers for Colorado Shakespeare Festival, as well as costumes for such Broadway shows as The Little Mermaid and Wicked. When she’s not transforming people into tennis players and friars, she enjoys riding her bicycle and playing with her kitties, Cassio and Enik. .
	Marie Morrow (Choreographer) Marie Morrow (Dancer/Actress) has been performing since she was three years old. She attended the studio at American Conservatory Theatre before moving to NY to get her Masters at SUNY Purchase Acting Conservatory. In 2006 she developed a one person short installation piece about the oversexualisation of women in the media that was shown in NY and in Paris. She is currently taking modern at Dance New Amsterdamn and has studied this past summer with Joe Goode and dancers in San Fransisco. The debut of her new dance theatre peice in collaboration with Danscores by Ofelia Loret De Mola will show this coming March at the Joyce SoHo Theatre