Shiva for an Atheist

Leta Dolores Marcellus

She is an actor, producer, and co-founder of PickPocket Project, a theatre development company aiming to support new works and emerging artists. Recent credits include Sideway Stories from Wayside School (Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble), Moon Over Buffalo (Oregon Cabaret Theatre), stains (Ashland New Plays Festival). She holds a BFA in Performance with a minor in Shakespeare from Southern Oregon University.

David Huppert

David Huppert is an actor and improviser with experience in comedy ensembles and film and television productions in the New York and Philadelphia areas. He recently portrayed Glenn Greenwald in a mini-series about Edward Snowden that is currently in post-production for a major streaming service. In the spring, Huppert participated in a public table read for a feature film in pre-production (Working Title: "Because of You,") portraying the lead character, an American army officer who enlisted to serve in Europe during World War II. In the spring, Huppert played a cantankerous elderly regular patron at a coffee shop in a comedic short play performed at Theatrelab in Manhattan.

Shea East

Shea East (She/Her) is an actress and singer from Ocean County, NJ who is pursuing a B.A. in theatre performance at Wagner College. Some of her past credits include Antipholus of Syracuse in Staten Island Shakespeare Company’s The Comedy of Errors, Anne in The Diary of Anne Frank at the St. George Theatre, and Juliet in Wagner College’s Romeo and Juliet. After being nominated for a Rising Star Award in 2023, she went on to train at Paper Mill Playhouse’s summer conservatory the same year. She is deeply thankful for her friends and family for their support, as well as the cast and creative team.

Maxwell Swangel

Maxwell is an actor, writer, and artist; most recently, his work has been seen as the visual designer for the @akafeverdreams brand on Instagram and tiktok.

Melanie Santos Cordero

Melanie Santos Cordero (Michael) was born in Ecuador, calls Toronto home, and is now based in New York City. They are a graduate of the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre, where they trained in the Meisner Technique. Selected credits include The Comedy of Errors, Translations, Blood Wedding, and The Snowball Tragedy. Their work bridges classical and contemporary performance, exploring themes of transformation, cultural displacement, and the quest for belonging. They are pleased to work again with director Emmie D’Amico in Shiva for an Atheist by Darrin J. Friedman.

Olivia Moffa

Olivia Moffa is an actor, singer, dancer and creative from Syracuse, NY, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from Nazareth University. She is also a recent graduate of the Self Generated Theatre Lab at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting, where she showcased newly developed pieces with her collaborators. Recent credits: Staten Island Shakespeare Festival, Sterling Renaissance Festival, The Rev: On Tour, and the Emerging Artists Theatre Festival in NYC.

RJ Tabachnick

Born and raised in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, RJ Tabachnick now lives and works in NYC. He has performed around the Northeast—from Pittsburgh to Williamstown—and continually seeks out new works, especially ensemble-driven, collaborative theatre. RJ studied Commedia dell’Arte in Florence and Budapest and Lecoq clowning in Barcelona, both of which significantly inform his work as the Co-Founding Artistic Director of Soft Brain Theatre Company. He has performed in almost every show to date (The Raven, Theatre Sequence Initiated, Puss in Boots: After Dark, and The Fake Husband). RJ also conceived and directed The Captive Moon for Soft Brain. He earned his BFA in Musical Theatre with an emphasis in clown and Commedia from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Upcoming: Love and Other Life Sentences.

Margo Hera (she/her)

Bio Margo Hera (she/her) is an actor, comedian, and lyricist based in NYC. Recent credits include Lead Engineer Stef Merrick in Space Elevator at Caveat, Almond Milk Lawyer in How Do You Milk an Almond at the Sound Bites XII Festival, a member of the devising ensemble of Night Witches presented by Pick Pocket Project at Chez Bushwick, Ms. Fleming in Heathers: The Musical at The Milton Theatre, and Agnes Toller as a member of the Wyldewood Players at the Sterling Renaissance Festival. She is part of the musical improv team Elevator Pitch (@elevatorpitchimprov) which started as a house ensembles team at the People’s Improv Theatre (PIT). She also hosts the standup open mic and monthly show Femmes and Friends (femmesandfriendsmic). She is the lyricist of the new musical The Schmidt Sisters: A Revolutionary Situation (@theschmidtsisters).  She can be seen doing theatre, standup, improv, and sketch around the city. @margohera

Maddie Ryan

Maddie Ryan (she/they) is thrilled to be joining the cast of Shiva for an Atheist as Ellen. Film: Desperadoes (Emmeline), Perfect Mutilation (Vero). Theatre: The Garbage Patch Dolls (Mom), The Betrothed (Florence), Serials NYC. She would like to thank her mentor Joan Rosenfels, her family, and Rob for loving her and supporting her through everything. @maddieryan74 || maddieryan.com

Darrin J. Friedman

Darrin J. Friedman is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter. He explores the complexities of the human experience in new and relevant ways. From following protagonists on their quest for elusive answers to navigating the struggles of flawed characters seeking truth, he is dedicated to shaping stories that inspire. Darrin is a Woodward / Newman Award Finalist for his play “The Butterfly Anchor,” and his short film "A Mother's Love," which he not only wrote but directed, has been repeatedly recognized for its screenplay in film festivals and competitions alike. He received his MFA in Writing for Stage and Screen from Point Park University in 2023.

Emmie D’Amico

Emmie D’Amico is a director, deviser, and emcee based in New York City. You might recognize their work from “A Comedy of Errors” (Staten Island Shakespeare), Jen Silverman’s “Collective Rage:A Play in 5 Betties” (The Chain) “Schmidt Sisters: A Revolutionary Tale” (The Chain), PickPocket Player’s “Night Witches” (Chez Bushwick), Sarah Sterling’s “Of Sorts” (Not Forgotten Play Festival), Emily Elliot’s (Zoom) “No Serious Stuff,” and Pablo Ceja’s “Against the Wall” (Tank Attic). Other credits include Theatre Aspen writing/directing apprenticeship, production stage manager (national tour) “A Charlie Brown Christmas, Live!”, certified interactive improv performer (Wyldewood Players), improv performer (PIT) “Queerprov,” a pool artist (Tank) “Serials,” trained deviser (Tectonic Theatre Project), and frequent collaborator with the Youth Pride Chorus. A Pittsburgh native, Emmie is an alumnus of High Point University where they earned BAs in collaborative theatre and English literature, as well as the award for Excellence in Directing.