Artistic Circle
Jennifer Chang
Jennifer is a founding member of Chalk Rep. Most recently, she directed The Debate Over Courtney O'Connell of Columbus, Nebraska (Chalk Rep). As an actor, her theatre credits include: The Brand New Kid (South Coast Rep), Three Sisters (Chalk Rep), The Joy Luck Club (East West Players), Charlotte’s Web (South Coast Rep), Messy Utopia (Mixed Blood Theatre), The King and I (Fulton Opera House), Daughter of a Pacifist Soldier (LaMAMA / Painted Bride Arts Center). With the National Asian American Theatre Company (Off-Broadway): The Dispute (dir: Jean Randich), Air Raid (dir: Stephen Stoudt), House of Bernarda Alba (dir: Chay Yew). UCSD: Blood Wedding (dir: Jerry Ruiz), Moliere: A Cabal of Hypocrites (dir: Barbra Berlovitz), La Dispute (dir: Darko Tresnjak), A Dream Play (dir: West Hyler), Eurydice (dir: Daniel Fish), Full Circle (dir: Meredith McDonough). Baldwin New Play Festival: Citizens of Rome, Weight of Paper (written by Emmy-winner Rachel Axler). TV: NCIS: Los Angeles, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Hawthorne, Numb3rs, Days of Our Lives. Numerous independent films, shorts, and national commercials, . Producing experience includes special events at the Tisch School of the Arts (NYU), UCSD’s First Asian American Theatre Festival. Education: MFA, UCSD/ La Jolla Playhouse, B.F.A., NYU’s Tisch School. Member of SAG and AEA and AFTRA.
Amy Ellenberger
Amy is an actress, educator, and independent arts administrator. She has administrative and production experience with such noted organizations as the Barrow Street Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club, Contemporary American Theatre Company, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. During her time in New York City she produced the show stalk(her) by noted solo artist Victoria Libertore, founded and managed the improv group DD, and was an artistic collaborator for Six Figures Theatre Company and Doppelgang Productions. Now in Los Angeles, she has become a member of the improv comedy group, the Mutiny, and is starring in the web series, Lost Angeles. She is also a co-host on the internet radio show, Worst Show on the Web. Amy has performed with various theatre companies on the east and west coast including the La Jolla Playhouse, Chautauqua Theatre Company, Contemporary American Theatre Co. in Columbus, OH, and Six Figures Theatre Company in NYC. She received her B.F.A from Otterbein College and recently her M.F.A. from the University of California San Diego.
Larissa Kokernot
Larissa Kokernot been working in the professional theatre for over 25 years, beginning as an actor in Minneapolis with companies such as the Guthrie Theater, The Children’s Theatre, Theatre de la Jeune Lune, Ten Thousand Things and Eye of the Storm Theatre Company and appearing as “Hooker #1” in the Coen Brothers’ Oscar winning Fargo. Larissa served as Artistic Associate for Eye of the Storm Theatre for six years where she directed the work of Bridget Carpenter, Nilo Cruz and David Hare as well as the “Seeds” of many new plays for the company’s annual Seed the Storm Festival. Additional directing credits in Minneapolis include work with Ten Thousand Things Theatre Company, The Children’s Theatre, Guthrie Theater, U of M B.F.A. program and The Playwright’s Center. Regionally, Larissa has worked at the La Jolla Playhouse, Carleton College, New Dramatists, Bay Area Playwright’s Festival and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival where she was the 2007 Phil Killian Directing Fellow. Larissa is a founding member of Chalk Repertory Theatre where she directed the company’s inaugural production, Three Sisters, at Hollywood Forever Cemetery and Family Planning in various homes around Los Angeles. Also in Los Angeles, Larissa directed the world premiere of Karl Gajdusek’s FUBAR for Theatre of Note. She went on to direct FUBAR in New York City at 59e59 as part of the Americas Off Broadway series. Larissa received her B.A. in Theater from Brown University and an M.F.A. in Directing from the University of California, San Diego. She also received a Jerome Travel/Study Grant to train with Anne Bogart and the SITI Company. Larissa lives in Los Angeles with her husband, playwright and Screenwriter Karl Gajdusek, and their sons Kade and Nicholas.
Ruth McKee’s work has been produced and developed by Abingdon Theatre, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Six Figures Theatre Company, Alliance Theatre, Atlanta, and HB Playwrights Foundation, among others. Her play The Nightshade Family was featured in the 2007 Summer Play Festival (SPFNYC), and her newest work Hell Money was a runner up for the 2009 Yale Drama Series Award. She received the 2008 Stanley Drama Award for her play Stray, which was produced in Los Angeles by The Black Dahlia Theatre and Chalk Rep, and will be produced in New York in March 2010 as a part of the Cherry Lane Theatre's Mentor Project (mentored by David Henry Hwang). Ruth is a member of the L.A. Playwrights Union and is currently developing a new play as a part of Center Theatre Groups 2009-2010 writers workshop. She teaches writing at UCSD, and the California State Summer School for the Arts, and has served as Literary Manager for the Black Dahlia Theatre and Young Playwrights Inc. BFA: NYU, MFA: UCSD. www.ruthmckee.wordpress.com
Teri Reeves
Teri Reeves will be appearing this spring as Pegeen in A Noise Within's 'Playboy of the Western World'. She is a proud member of the Chalk Artistic Circle and appeared as Natasha in Chalk Rep's inaugural production of Three Sisters. She also originated the role of Kiki in the La Jolla Playhouse production of Current Nobody. She has an MFA in acting from UCSD where she appeared as Hermaine in La Dispute, directed by Darko Tresnjak, as King Louis XIV in A Cabal of Hypocrites, as Bride in Blood Wedding, Indra's Daughter in A Dream Play, and as Eliza in I Ain't Yo Uncle. She trained in script analysis with Deborah Aquila and currently studies with Lisa Robertson. Television credits include Three Rivers (recurring as Alicia), The Forgotten, Numbers and Days of Our Lives. AEA/AFTRA/SAG
Hilary Ward
Hilary Ward is an accomplished actor, teaching artist, and coach. She holds a B.S. in Education from Indiana University. With Off-Broadway’s Obie-award-winning company, Classical Theatre of Harlem, Ms. Ward appeared in Medea, King Lear, and Macbeth. In a remounting of Macbeth, Ms. Ward was invited to perform at Biennale Bonn Theatre Festival in Bonn, Germany. Other New York credits: The Tempest and Henry V (Judith Shakespeare), Subway Series (tangent theatre co.), Richard II, and Marisol. Regional credits: Pennsylvania Shakespeare, Phoenix Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse. As an MFA candidate at University of California- San Diego (UCSD), Ms. Ward was able to train with Kyle Donnelly, Jim Winker, Orlando Pabatoy, Wesley Fata, and Darko Tresnjak. UCSD credits: Twelfth Night, Gum (Chay Yew, dir.), Blues for an Alabama Sky, F*cking A, 11 Hills of San Francisco, and Election Day (originated role of Brenda). TV: Numb3rs, Brothers and Sisters, Young & the Restless, NCIS:Los Angeles. MFA-UCSD 2007. Ms. Ward is a proud member of SAG, AFTRA and AEA.
