Susan Kraker, originally from New York, has written and produced two critically acclaimed one-woman shows, NarciSusan (New York City) and Fall of ‘95 (Los Angeles). Susan graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and attended the counseling psychology Ph.D. program at the University of Southern California. She was also an original member of The New York Deaf Theater. She holds a BA in Theater, an MA in psychology, and has hosted KPFK’s weekly radio show, “Feminist Magazine”, on Pacifica Radio, Los Angeles.

Susan gained critical acclaim with her debut feature film, Solitude, which she wrote and directed with her husband, Pi Ware. Hailed as “ferociously eloquent” by the LA Weekly, and rated as four out of four stars by the Boston Metro, Solitude premiered to sold-out crowds in New York and Los Angeles. Indican Pictures has recently acquired Solitude for distribution and plans to release it in early 2005.

Susan and Pi are currently in development on two feature-length projects, Wait for the Laugh, a dramedy that takes place during the stand-up comedy boom of the late 1980’s, and Utopia, a dramedy about neo-hippie activists who open a communist restaurant.

Samuel Dowe-Sandes grew up in the small town of Williamsville, Vermont, and attended Wesleyan University and Marlboro College. Samuel worked for five years in Los Angeles as a development executive with famed producer, Robert Evans, at Paramount Studios. In addition to “The Act,” he has produced the short film “The Red Bow” for Esquire Magazine’s Celluloid Style film contest based on the short story by George Saunders. He is currently in post-production on a new film that he’s written and directed, “Out of the Woods”.

Debra Jo Rupp plays Kitty Forman, the endearing mother of Eric on the Fox situation comedy, “That 70’s Show.” Rupp has been featured on numerous television shows including roles on NBC’s hit series “Friends” (recurring as Phoebe’s sister-in-law), “Seinfeld” (recurring as Jerry’s ditsy booking agent), and “ER.” Additionally, she appeared in the Emmy-nominated HBO series “From the Earth to the Moon.” Rupp also starred in such telefilms as “The Invaders,” “In The Line of Duty - Ambush in Waco” and “A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story.”

Her feature film credits inlude “Big,” “Death Becomes Her” and “Sergeant Bilko.” Her theatrical credits include the Broadway hit “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” portraying Mae. Off-Broadway she has performed in “Frankie and Johnny” and “A Girl’s Guide to Chaos” which showcased her comic ingenuity and initially brought her to Los Angeles.

In the can is the independent comedy “Lucky Thirteen,” in which she plays the nagging mother of Zack Baker, who, due to his parents’ dysfunctional marriage, has never been able to sustain a romantic relationship. Rupp can also be heard as the voice of the teacher, Mrs. Helperman, in the new animated series “Teacher’s Pet,” which debuts on ABC as part of Disney’s “One Saturday Morning” lineup.

Rupp currently resides in Los Angeles.

Marco Fargnoli began his career in Chicago's independent film community, shooting low-budget features and music videos. Since relocating to Los Angeles, his features and short films have picked up awards at Houston Worldfest, BACA, Cinequest, and HBO's Short Film Award. His work on the digital cinema benchmark film The Dogwalker recently won Best Cinematography at the Ashland Independent Film Festival. His TV Documentary work includes projects for NBC, FOX, the History Channel, and the Sundance Institute. Marco's latest projects are the independent features Time of Fear and Held Together.

Since scoring his first movie, Bio Dome, at the age of 25, Andrew Gross has been busy scoring features and television shows, including Overnight Delivery (New Line), 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag (Orion), and The King of Queens (CBS). Andrew also did the string arrangements for the debut album of Jack Black's band, Tenacious D. Last year Andrew's score for Dead Simple (Artisan) was released, and he looks forward to the release of two of his other film scores, Buying the Cow (Sony/Screen Gems) and The Good Girl (Myriad Films), starring Jennifer Aniston and directed by Miguel Arteta.

Andrew is currently scoring My Dinner with Jimi (Rhino Films), which chronicles the band, The Turtles', first trip to London in 1968.

Craig Siebels
Production Designer

Craig Siebels has designed for theatre and opera around the country, including work at the La Jolla Playhouse, the Pearl Theatre, Augusta Opera, Madison Repertory Theatre, Clarence Brown Theatre, the American Stage Company, and many others.  In 2000 and 2001 Craig was the Head of Design for the Group at Strasberg at the Lee Strasberg Creative Center.  While there, he designed the renovation of the Marilyn Monroe Theatre as well as the inaugural production that opened the new space.  Recently, Craig has split his time between set design for theatre/opera and production design for film, and his films have been seen at film festivals around the country.  Craig Siebels has an MFA in design from the University of California, San Diego, and a BFA from Southern Methodist University.

Janet Teller is a freelance costume designer for film, theatre, dance, you name it. After receiving her MFA from UC San Diego, Janet became and in-house designer for Trashy Lingerie in West Hollywood, CA. Some of her recent film credits include The Vest, East L.A. King, Los Jornoleros, Singularity, and Breaking Up With Maggie Moore. Janet has designed costumes for Faust(OperaSantaBarbara), The Importance of Being Earnst(Cal Poly Pomona University) Molly's Delicious and A Bicycle Country(Lee Strasberg Crative Center) and Nora (LaJolla Playhouse). Janet is currently the resident costume designer for Beverly Hills Highschool and a part time lecturer at Cal Poly Pomona University.

Theis is a 2-year Filmmakers Alliance veteran with experience as a hack on various movie sets. He most recently appeared as a dolly grip in Aaron Stell's "Remnants of Auric Healing," a film especially well-known for its gripped sequences. He's currently an aspiring filmmaker with a particular interest in political documentaries and British comedy. His goal is to have filmed his first short by the end of 2004. During the day, he moonlights as an environmental lawyer.

David B. Kurtz
Glorified Errand Boy

As an unabashed Pi Ware lackey since their days at prep school, David Kurtz has long been dedicated to the fulfillment of Pi and Susan’s vision.  As the Glorified Errand Boy on The Act, David lent his virtuoso truck driving skills, Herculean schlepping capacity, and parking confrontation management skills to the production.

Elizabeth Daniels
Still Photography

Elizabeth Daniels is a photographer whose work has been featured in a number of group and solo shows in Los Angeles, the most recent being SENT though Sixspace Gallery. Her work is also featured in Turning Heads a book of photographs which will be published later this year. She has shot for a number of magazines and private foundations including The Help Group, a school for autistic children, and worked as a curator for The Wilson Center For Photography as well as in the department of photographs at the Getty, LACMA, and Alinari Museum. She is currently founding WAITING ROOM, the first human interest magazine about young adults and cancer. You can view her work at elizabethdanielsphotography.com.