CAST & CREATIVE

Ashley Griffin (Playwright) is a bicoastal writer whose work has been produced/developed at New World Stages, Manhattan Theater Club, Playwrights Horizons, A.R.T., La MaMa and more. Ashley received the WellLife Network Award and a county commendation for her Off-Broadway play TRIAL (directed by Lori Petty and heralded as “If this show were on Broadway it would win the Pulitzer,”) which is currently in talks for a transfer. She has worked as a Broadway ghost writer and is an Artistic Associate at New York Rep. She is the creator of the pop culture phenomenon TWILIGHT: THE MUSICAL which received rave reviews from E! EW, MTV and others. She has written for T.V. and film and has two published novels, THE SPINDLE and BLANK PAIGE, both of which debuted at number one on Amazon. Ashley has been Artist in Residence at the Access Theater Company and Dreamcatcher Entertainment. She has a BFA from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and has taught at NYU. http://www.ashleygriffinofficial.com 

Rachel Klein (Director) is a New York City based stage director and director/choreographer, specializing in new play and musical development. Off-Broadway: The Gospel According to Heather (Theatre 555; starring Katey Sagal); Red Roses, Green Gold (Minetta Lane Theatre/ft. the music of the Grateful Dead); Around the World in 80 Days (The Davenport Theatre); The Anthem (Lynn Redgrave Theatre). Selected NYC: Tink! (NYMF); More Than All the World (Theatre for the New City); Circus of Circus (The House of Yes) The Tragedy of Maria Macabre (Tides Foundation Commission); Symphony of Shadows (Jerome Robbins Foundation Commission). Selected Regional: The Suffragist (Gallagher Bluedorn Theatre; starring Nancy Opel), Dead Certain (composer: Air Supply's Graham Russell); 54 the Musical (House of Independents; starring Michaela Jaé Rodriguez and Frankie Grande). Selected workshops and readings: High Priest (Paul Iacono’s new play about the Warhol Factory); Helen (Starring Bonnie Milligan), Medusa: A New Pop Opera; Girlfriend From Hell. Charity: Ms. Klein directed the charity roast of Michael Musto raising funds for the Callen Lorde Community Health Center, featuring Rosie O'Donnell, Bruce Vilanch, and Jinkx Monsoon. 

Ms. Klein's direction and choreography have been featured at the National Alliance of Musical Theatre, The New York Musical Theatre Festival,  La MaMa E.T.C, The Kitchen, Sony Hall, the House of Yes, The National Arts Club, (le) Poisson Rouge, New York Theatre Workshop, the New York Innovative Theatre Awards, Dixon Place, Green Room 42, 54 Below, Times Square for Playbill Pride, the National Black Theater, and the legendary nightlife event Night of 1000 Stevies. Ms. Klein is a proud member of SDC, founding member of Iconoclast Theatre Collective, guest teaching artist at Fordham University, serves on the New Musical Screening Committee for NAMT, directed Double, Double for Bite Sized Broadway (ft. Richard Kind) and was the Director/Showrunner of the audio series The World to Come (ft. Adrienne Barbeau). www.rachelkleindirector.com

*Danny Gardner (Will) - Broadway: Flying Over Sunset, A Christmas Carol, Dames At Sea. City Center Encores!: Dick Trevor in Lady, Be Good! (Subsequent Album). Radio City Music Hall: Dad / George M. Cohan in The NY Spectacular starring the Radio City Rockettes. National Tours: Here to Stay – The Gershwin Experience!, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas and 42nd Street.  Off-Broadway: Cheek To Cheek (The York Theater), Time Step (New Victory Theatre), Room 17B and Everybody Gets Cake (59E59th Street Theaters).  Regional:  Dial M For Murder (Geva Theatre Center & Dallas Theatre Center), Bach At Leipzig (People’s Light and Theater Company), Crazy For You (Signature Theater), Singin’ in the Rain (Chicago’s Marriott Lincolnshire), Mary Poppins (Houston’s Theatre Under The Stars), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (John W. Engeman Theater). @dannyjgnyc www.danny-gardner.com

*Ashley Griffin (Eloise) has performed extensively on and off-Broadway as well as in L.A. and London (in theater, film and television.) Highlights include work at The Gershwin Theater, Lincoln Center, Playwrights Horizons, MTC and The Public Theater, as well as in THE GREATEST SHOWMAN, HOMELAND and DIABOLICAL, among others. She is the first person in history to be nominated for a major award for both playing and directing HAMLET for a theatrical production. She holds a BFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and has trained at RADA, the National Theater and the Boston Conservatory. Ashley has been nominated for five NYIT Awards in multiple categories including Best Actress. http://www.ashleygriffinofficial.com  

Crista Jackson (Intimacy Director) Broadway: Between Riverside and Crazy (Helen Hayes), West End: Mad House (The Ambassadors Theatre). Off-Broadway/Regional: Teeth (Playwrights Horizons), Gun and Powder (Papermill Playhouse), The Welkin (Atlantic Theater Company), Dig (Primary Stages), Dodi & Diana (HERE), Little Rock (Loretto Theater), Things of Dry Hours (NYTW), The Tempest (The Elm Shakespeare Company), Belleville (Asolo Rep). Tour: Alegria: In A New Light (Cirque du Soleil). Film/TV: Greatest Showman, No Hard Feelings, Dumb Money, American Horror Story, FBI: Most Wanted, Mayor of Kingstown, And Just Like That, Harlan Coben’s Shelter, Fallout @crista_marie

*Kelly Merritt (Stage Manager) Broadway: The Inheritance, Hillary and Clinton, The Ferryman, The Boys in the Band.  Off-Broadway/NYC: Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors, Gospel According to Heather, The Good John Proctor, SuperHero!, Slave Play.  Regional: Enchanted April, Soft Power, Bright Star, Archduke, Zoot Suit, A Funny Thing Happened […]. Love to her family for their endless encouragement and support!

Emily Katherine (Assistant Stage Manager) Off Broadway credits include FIVE: The Parody Musical, Dracula A Comedy of Terrors, and The Gospel According to Heather. A huge thank you to my friends and family for supporting my journey thus far; may we all be so lucky! 

Zach Pizza (Lighting Designer) is a NYC/NJ based designer. He is very exited to be working on this new piece with this great team!  Recent highlights: Deadly Stages (Theater Row), Sesame Street, The Musical (Theater Row), Camp Morning Wood (Playwrights Horizon/Asylum NYC), Jason Robert Brown feat. Stephen Sondheim**his last public performance** (Town Hall, NYC), On the Head of a Pin (59E59). Regional: Vivid Stage, Resident Lighting/Scenic Resigner (Summit, NJ), Whyte Hall (Fire Island Pines), Fat Kid Rules the World (GFTF, Davis, CA), Hattiloo Theater-Memphis, TN, Sharon Playhouse-Sharon, CT, Little Theater on the Square-Sullivan, IL. [Zach’s second life: Chief Instructor, New York Okinawan Karate, NYOKarate.com] Thanks always to all of my friends and families. Purchase College Alumn.www.zachpizzalighting.com

Bryan Clarendon (Assistant Lighting Designer) is a graphic designer by trade with a soft spot for theatre. He received his BFA in graphic design from Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, MD. He's always been a wearer of many hats, experienced in everything from branding and motion design to printmaking, sculpture, and more recently theatre work. His theatrical practice includes lighting, set, and projection design, but he thrives anywhere his creativity can be put to use. Bryan is grateful to work alongside the creative team for The Opposite of Love. 

Brendan McCann (Scenic Designer) Recent production credits include: Scarlett Dreams, Five! The Parody Musical, Make Me Gorgeous, I Can Get It For You Wholesale. Upcoming: Empire at New World Stages. Instagram: @bren_bash 

Hayley Garcia Parnell (Production Manager)

Kaylin Kellin (General Manager) Also known as Kaylin AK, is an NYC-based muti-hyphenate specializing in producing, management, and social media marketing. Kaylin is the General Manager of NewYorkRep.  Additionally, her recent credits include The Cottage (Broadway), Golden (Worksession), ROOM (Broadway), Harry Potter, and The Cursed Child (Broadway) Embrace the Season Gala (Drama League) A co-founding member of BlackLight Community, a non-profit helping POC in the arts. Sending joy. @kaylin_ak kaylinak.com

*Equity Member appearing with permission of Actors’ Equity Association without benefit of an Equity contract in this Off-Off Broadway production

Actors’ Equity Association (AEA), founded in 1913, represents more than 50,000 actors and stage managers in the United States. Equity seeks to advance, promote and foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of our society. Equity negotiates wages and working conditions, providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. AEA is a member of the AFL-CIO, and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. The Equity emblem is our mark of excellence. www.actorsequity.org