Daryn Strauss (Beth, Writer/Director/Executive Producer)
Named a fresh and strong voice by NewTeeVee in 2010, Daryn Strauss has been profiled by Clicker, TV Talk Radio, Web Series Network, Script Magazine and in the book Creative Girl by Katharine Sise. In September 2010, she made an appearance on GRITtv with Laura Flanders in conjunction with the launch of her website, DigitalChickTV.com, which gives voice to female creators in digital media and connects women to online programming. One of the first twenty-two digital media writers signed to the Writers Guild of America, East, Daryn has spoken on several panels on digital storytelling for the guild as well as New York Women in Film and Television. In addition to Downsized, she is also a contributing writer for online drama, Neverlanding. As an actress, she can be seen as a guest star in the upcoming second season of award-winning web dramedy, Then We Got Help. Independent film credits include Waiting in Woodsbury, The Triangle Fire, and Swimming to France.
Chris Henry Coffey (Connor)
A graduate of the the Yale School of Drama, Chris Henry Coffey can be seen in the upcoming film Trust, opposite Clive Owen and Catherine Keener. He can also be seen in the films The International, Thirteen Days, Play it By Ear, Walking on the Sky, and June amongst many independents. Selected television credits include guest appearances on Cupid and Law and Order and recurring roles on Law and Order: Criminal Intent and Guiding Light. Additionally, he has been seen on some of the most respected theaters across the country including The Huntington Theater, Playwrights Horizons, The Goodman Theater, The Long Wharf and Yale Repertory. At the Old Globe in San Diego, he worked with Arthur Miller in his penultimate play Resurrection Blues.
Conan McCarty (Andy)
Conan McCarty can be seen as Detective Ross in the TNT series, The Closer, with Kyra Sedgwick. His other television appearances include Nurse Jackie, Law and Order, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, and Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.
On stage, he has appeared in the Broadway productions of Macbeth and A Few Good Men, and has performed in productions for Centerstage, The Old Globe, The Actors Theatre of Louisville, Alley Theatre, Indiana Repertory Theatre, George Street Playhouse, Dallas Theater Center, Pioneer Theatre Center and Alaska Repertory Theatre in the works of Shakespeare, Moliere, Chekhov, Athol Fugard, Brian Friel, Noel Coward, and Sam Shepard, amongst others.
Film appearances include the films Duplicity with Julia Roberts and Stuart Little.
Shannon Conley (Astrid)
Shannon Conley's voice can be heard as cartoon characters on several tv series including Pokemon, Kappa Mikey, Thumb Wrestler's Federation, Ellen's Acres, Ah! My Goddess & As Told By Ginger. Most recently, she can be found as the voice of Special Agent Abigail Brand in the Marvel motion comic web series, X Men: Gifted, written by Joss Whedon & illustrated by John Cassaday.
When she is not on the road rocking the mic as the lead singer of Lez Zeppelin: All Girl All Zeppelin, she can be seen around the NYC area as half of acoustic duo, The So & So's with Lance Doss.
Meredith Zinner (Priscilla)
Meredith Zinner's long film resume includes a supporting role in the Oscar winning film Erin Brockovich. She has also had leading and supporting roles in several indie films including Identical, Fencing Miss Morality and Since You've Been Gone with Teri Hatcher. On television, she has appeared on Law and Order, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, ER, The Division, Guiding Light, and One Life to Live. On stage, she has appeared in productions for Lincoln Center, Steppenwolf Theatre, Huntington Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre and Fox Theatricals. She earned a BS in Theatre from Northwestern University.
Esra Gaffin (Leyla)
Esra Gaffin has performed in productions of The Cherry Orchard (Chekhov Now Festival), The Greeks (Imua! Theatre and Film Company), The Monogamist (Coyote Theater Co.) and As You Like It (Commonwealth Shakespeare Co.) Favorite roles include Inez in Sartre's No Exit, Betty in David Ives' Sure Thing and the Young Pupil in Ionesco's The Lesson (dir: Erwin Maas.) She is proud to have originated the role of Ruth Berlau in Chalk Circles, a new play by Will McAdams about Bertolt Brecht's tragic muse.
Esra created, produced, co-wrote & performed in 12 Fiery Woman (Ohio Theater), an ongoing project about the universality of the female experience against the backdrop of America's feminist and sexual revolutions. Her voice can be heard in the award-winning video game System Shock II and Thief II: The Metal Age. Esra is also a member of Visible Theatre.
Kaipo Schwab (Nate)
Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, Kaipo Schwab earned his BFA in Acting from Boston University School of the Arts and has performed at the the Roundabout Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club, The Public Theatre, Second Stage, and Playwrights Horizons. Most recently, he played Macbeth in PanAsian Repertory's production of Macbeth. His film and television credits include Fair Game with Naomi Watts, Law and Order and Cosby. A talented director, he founded Imua! Theatre and Film Company in 1994 and has produced and directed acclaimed shows The Greeks, Balm in Gilead, and Julius Caesar. In 2004, he was selected diect part of ABC Television's Cultural Diversity Showcase. His recent film "White Rabbit" was chosen as a Top 10 Film at the Asian American Film Lab in 2009 and was nominated for Best Direction and Best Editing.
Michele Mavissakalian (Maura)
Michele Mavissakalian is a graduate of the Neighborhood Playhouse School. Upon graduation, she worked in theatre, independent film and commercials in New York City and Los Angeles. Michele is also a writer and recently had a screenplay optioned by Capstone Entertainment Group and is about to go into production for a short she co-wrote for French film company Librero Films. She is currently working on a feature for Devi Entertainment and was recently cast in Downcity currently in preproduction with Gary Oldman and Terrence Howard.
Gerard Urciuoli (Hank)
Gerard Urciuoli traded his NYC police badge for roles in numerous independent films including Seesaw, Benny Silver, Fingerprints, Cross the Line and The Path of Most Resistance directed by Peter Kelley, which was an Official Selection at the Slamdance Film Festival. Television credits include White Collar.
Duncan Murdoch (Lowell)
A graduate of the William Esper Studio, Duncan Murdoch is a founding member of the improv troupe, FACE, which performs regularly at the PIT and Magnet Theater and was a 2008 NY Fringe selection. He has also performed in the improv troupe No Filter at the Toronto International Improv Festival, The Stanley Project and the Providence RI Improv Festival, Evilese! Sketch at the New York Underground Comedy Festival. His independent film credits include Ice Queen, Duck.Love. and Waiting in Woodsbury. He has appeared in the television show Forensic Files for Court TV and Go Ahead, Make My Dinner for the Discovery Channel.
Brian Keane (Justin)
Brian Keane can currently be seen as Father Molloy in FX's series Lights Out. His other television appearances include Law and Order, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, Queens Supreme, and All My Children. Film appearances include the popular recent release BearCity, Going Under, and If Lucy Fell. On stage, he recently was seen in the Obie nominated Primary Stages production and Yale Repertory production of Happy Now? He has also appeared in Cyrano de Bergerac directed by Frank Langella, All My Sons directed by Barry Edelstein (Roundabout Theatre Company), Sideman directed by Michael Mayer (Naked Angels), The Misanthrope with Uma Thurman, and Richard III with John Turturro (Classic Stage Company).
Aysan Celik (Dunya)
Aysan has been performing Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway and at top regional theaters around the country for over a decade. The New York Times has called her "beguiling", "a delight", and "hilarious" amongst other stellar reviews. She recently garnered critical acclaim for her first feature film, the award-winning indie comedy The Brooklyn Heist, which she stars in alongside Danny Masterson (That 70s Show), Phyllis Somerville (Little Children, The Big C), and Dominique Swain (Lolita). Check out what she's up to next at www.twitter.com/aysan.
Sevrin Anne Mason (Tara)
A graduate of Boston University School of the Arts, Sevrin Anne Mason has appeared in the Broadway production of The Crucible with Laura Linney. Other stage performances include 365 Days/365 Plays: Week 47 (Rising Phoenix Rep) and The Greeks (Imua! Theatre & Film Company). Her film appearances include Last Days of America, People are Dead, and White Rabbit.
CREW
Writer/Director/Executive Producer: Daryn Strauss
Director of Photography/Editor: Chris Shimojima
Maitely Weismann (Producer)
Maitely Weismann is a producer and performer dedicated to presenting exciting new plays, indie films, new media, TV concepts and other artistic collaborations. Right now, you can hear Maitely as the haunting voice of Ali Kemp on Identification Discovery's Buried Voices, Hidden Secrets and see her as a 1930's era agent's wife, Mrs. Levinson, on HBO's Mildred Pierce. Maitely co-created the web series Mother Eve's Secret Garden of Sensual Sisterhood, is now completing post production for her first independent feature and is entering pre-production for a new indie TV pilot.
Scott Napolitano (Associate Producer)
Scott Napolitano is the creator of the web series Issues. He currently serves as an associate producer on the critically acclaimed web series Downsized, the dramedy web series Neverlanding, the gameshow pilot Geek vs. Geek, and the forthcoming comedy Start Up. In 2008, he was chosen as part of the first class of web series writers inducted into the Writers Guild of America, East. In addition to his writing and producing career, Scott serves as Outreach Producer and Trainer for MSG Varsity Network and as a web editor for OMFGeek.com. He is a graduate of The College of New Jersey and resides at the Jersey Shore.
Location Sound, Season 1: Brett Van Deusen and Rob L. Hubbard
Location Sound, Season 2: Tayman Strahorn, Billy LaRue, and Abe Gill
Post Production Sound, Season 2: Mike Frank
Casting Associate: Hy Bender
Assistants to the Director, Season 1: Alexis Fedor, Jill Strauss
Assistant to the Director, Season 2: Jill Strauss
Production Assistants, Season 2: Corey Curasco, Renee Colvert
Additional Video: Haley Finnegan, Guy Shahar