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CAST OF CHRISTMAS: A MODERN TAKE
Casidee Riley (Stacy)
A native of Montana, Casidee Riley moved to L.A. in 2005 to pursue a career in acting. Her extensive theatre background includes shows like Proof, Woyzeck, 42nd Street, Bertolt Brecht’s Galileo, No. 11 Blue & White, and Bloodbrothers. A graduate of Montana State University-Billings, Casidee double-majored in Spanish and Communications with an Emphasis in Theatre. She worked as a teacher for 4 1/2 years at the Venture Theatre Youth Conservatory in Billings, MT, and was a member of the Venture Theatre Improv Troupe, performing game-based improv weekly, for 7 1/2 years. Casidee started attending Mosaic a year and ½ ago, though this is her first venture with the Artisans group. She is thrilled to be performing on the stage with such a wonderful group of actors.
Chris Poole (Chris)
Hailing from Palo Alto, California, Chris Poole has been acting since the age of 11. With a degree in Theater, Film, and Television from UCLA, Chris has been letting the Lord guide him though various adventures throughout his life — one of which landed him in Tokyo, Japan for five months this year.
Eric Fenton (Matt)
This is Eric’s first stage appearance at Mosaic, and he is excited to be rubbing shoulders with such a talented team of people. While his past stage appearances in Chicago have featured his singing (a proud tenor, baby) in such shows as Damn Yankees, 42nd Street, and Evita, he has enjoyed the opportunity to refine his acting skills in this show. Eric currently lives in Pasadena where he is completing his masters degree at Fuller Seminary as well as running a college-prep tutoring business.
Janet Wood (Beth)
Janet has studied improvisational comedy with the Groundlings and studied Theatre at Azusa Pacific University. Her credits while at school include Yenchna in Neil Simon’s “Fools”, Titania in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, and various roles for two traveling drama ministry teams. She is currently a part of an improv group through Mosaic called Lunch Lady and performs at various comedy clubs in Los Angeles. She would like to thank the community of Mosaic for their friendship and for the opportunity to express God’s love through art.
Jason Grasl (Tyce)
This is the first full-length production Jason has been involved with at Mosaic since moving out to L.A. this past summer. He just recently finished working on the radio play Super Indian with Native Voices Theatre Company for their 2007 Festival of New Plays. Previous stage credits include leads in From Little Seeds and Be the Hunter, as well as Boomtown 1925 and Tony n Tina’s Wedding. Screen credits include the lead role in Fantasy Football: The Movie, as well as numerous short films and commercials. Additionally, Jason wrote and directed several projects for his home church in Detroit. Thanks to friends, family, cast and crew. 41.
Lynn Downey (Rachel)
Lynn Downey is an Indiana native, now daily applying sunscreen in Southern California. With a desire to tell good stories, she acts, writes, produces, teaches and, just for fun, waits tables. As a theatre major at Ball State University she performed in The Last Night of Ballyhoo, All My Sons, Company, Our Town and numerous other productions. Since moving to LA in 2005, she’s done student and independent films, commercials, a post-apocalyptic take on Macbeth (nominated Best Production by LA Weekly) and recently has begun to work with the Pasadena Playhouse. If you have any other questions, ask Jessi Reider, who pretty much knows all there is to know about Lynn.
Natalie Nicole Gilbert (Lauren)
Natalie Nicole Gilbert is the Music Director and Afternoon Host on 98.3 KDAR. Gilbert is also known for songwriting and is releasing her ‘Best Of’ project this winter. Previous roles include Maria in West Side Story, the Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Theresa in Boy Gets Girl. Visit MySpace.com/NatalieNicoleGilbert to listen to her latest music.
Renee Wong (Natalie)
Renee Wong was born and raised in Seattle, WA. The middle child of three in a divorced family that immigrated from China, Renee has had the opportunity to experience a wide range of emotions best for theatre. Thinking it would be something fun and different, Renee’s mother had her audition for the part of “one of king’s daughters with a line”. Since then, theatre stuck as a hobby. All the way through school, Renee has been a part of various plays and productions such as, Our Town, Moliere plays, Watermelon Boats, Pajama Game, Into the Woods, and the various Christmas shows at church. (Her favorite role: the lightbulb, in which wardrobe had her dressed in a giant light bulb-ish costume that looked more like a squash). Since moving to LA, so has spent the majority of her time dancing. Learning from the In Living Color Fly Girls, Renee began her Los Angeles adventure as a dancer. She’s recently played a background artist on some upcoming featured films, past rap videos, and dancer/choreographer/principal in Erwin McManus’ Soul Craving’s series last year. She is glad to be a part of something like this and still believes in school teachers.
Ryan Sandberg (Brian)
Ryan has been a part of the Mosaic community since 2005 and is excited to be a part of his first Mosaic production. He moved to LA from Minnesota where his stage experience included Into the Woods, Lovers & Executioners, Much Ado Nothing, Story Theatre and other great shows at Bethel University Theatre. Recently he has been in many films for undergrad and graduate students at USC, Occidental College, New York Film Academy and Brooks Institute.
David Arcos (Producer, Director and Co-Writer)
David Arcos is a professional artist who has used his gifts in concept design, writing and directing to create original productions for the last fifteen years. He has written, performed and directed pieces that have been presented before national presidents, governors, and community leaders around the world. (World Vision Youth Ambassadors –‘98 and ’99 tour) and audiences of over 200,000 (Promise Keepers Tour ‘04) his work has been noted in the L.A. Times (Pulse ‘99) and his music on ABC (The Changing Face of Worship Dec. 7, ‘04) David is somewhat of a total creative: He acts, writes, directs, sings, composes, sketches, and dances. But his passion is to design the experience. He creates multi-layered, multi-textured human compositions through performances that stir the heart and illuminate the human spirit.
He is currently the Chief Creative Artisan of Awaken, an organization that seeks to catalyze a movement of human creativity and freedom through artistic experiences and spiritual impact.
Jessica Rieder (Co-Writer)
Jessica was born and raised in small-town Wisconsin, where she learned to love God, cheese and football (not necessarily in that order). Upon moving to Los Angeles three years ago, she was blessed with the opportunity to work on her all-time favorite show The West Wing. Currently, Jessica is the assistant to the Executive Producer of CBS’s Cane, where she spends her days making coffee, trying not to hang up on network executives, and praying the writers’ strike will end soon (perhaps even by the time you read this). If there is anything else you’d like to know about Jessica, feel free to ask Lynn Downey (Rachel) – who pretty much knows everything.
Erwin Raphael McManus – (Executive Producer)
Erwin Raphael McManus is a husband, father, writer, futurist, activist, artist, filmmaker, and spiritual and cultural leader. He also serves as the lead pastor and Cultural Architect of Mosaic in Los Angeles. Known around the world for its spiritual creativity and cosmopolitan diversity, Mosaic is a community of followers of Jesus Christ committed to live by faith, to be known by love, and to be a voice of hope. Since the early 90’s, Erwin has led Mosaic in a pioneering enterprise whose primary focus is to serve the post-modern, post-Western, and post-Christian world. Erwin is a native of El Salvador, and is a graduate of the University of North Carolina and Southwestern Theological Seminary. He and wife, Kim, have two children, Aaron and Mariah, and a foster daughter Paty.
(Dancers)
Opening - “Can’t Take It In” by Imogen Heap
Choreography by: Mike Tyus, Michelle Coratola
Becca Bertin
Cheryllyne Distor
Emily Brown
Lisa Olson
Michael Tyus
Morgan Carroll
Naomi Svensson
Rachel Barnhart
Shannon Taylor
“Christmas Canon” Remixed
Choreography by: Alan Luu, Rey Munda, Renee Wong, Marian Lockwood, Stacey Carr
Abby Mason
Alan Luu
Dorathi Chui
Francesca Leigh
Jocelyn Garrity
Marian Lockwood
Raymond Fong
Rey Munda
Stacey Carr
Staci Pederson
“Held” by Natalie Grant
Choreography by: Arlene Yuan
Arlene Yuan
Morgan Carroll
“Here with Us” by Joy Williams
Choreography by: Arlene Yuan, Rhianna Encizo, Lisa Olson
Arlene Yuan
Cheryllyne Distor
Emily Brown
Lisa Olson
Michael Tyus
Naomi Svensson
(Musicians)
Brady McGowan, Music Coordinator
Aimee
Alisah Duran
Chris Duran
Dana Elliott
Daniel Dempsey
Dominic Massaro
Gabriel Venegas
Jon Hastings
Matt Mugford
Paula Pradit
Wyatt
