ATOMIC TALENT: ACTORS + ACTRESSES
Here in L.A. we’ve had the thrill of working with some killer professionals — professional actors and actresses, that is. Check out our A-list below. For info on booking any of these artists, drop us a line. And keep up with their latest developments on Twitter.
Lena Kay
Lena Kay: It’s only appropriate that Lena’s first professional role in L.A. theatre was as a wandering violinist. She began her career in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she started playing violin at age five. She then wandered south to study acting at the University of Southern California and the Upright Citizens Brigade. Throw in 13 years of ballet study, the dramatic skills she honed at ACT and the British American Drama Academy, and the comedic skills she flaunted in Moliere’s “Sganarelle,” and Lena is easily one of the most versatile and talented young actresses in L.A. She’s currently an active member of the award-winning City Garage Theatre at Bergamot Station.
Dave Mack
Dave Mack: From L.A. to New York, Europe to the Caribbean, Dave Mack has excelled both on stage and behind the scenes as an actor, director and producer. Originally from Connecticut, Dave honed his drama skills at Cornell University and the MFA program at the California Institute of the Arts. He currently performs at the award-winning City Garage Theatre, while also serving as the Managing Director of the Watts Village Theater Company and the Chairman of L.A.’s Empowerment Congress Arts & Culture Committee. He previously produced the intercultural showcase “Chocolate City.” Check out Dave Mack’s Casting Frontier Page here.
Cynthia Mance
Cynthia Mance: On stage and screen, Cynthia has played everything from a psychiatric patient to a jealous duchess, from a spry 90-year-old to a reality show prankster. Along the way, she has scored numerous critical raves, most recently a 2011 L.A. Weekly Awards nomination for Best Female Comedy Performance. The L.A. Times describes Cynthia as “redoubtable,” and her versatility enables her to play a vast range of ages, characters and genres. Cynthia earned her BFA in Theatre from the University of Florida, and she is a longtime member of “L.A.’s Best Theatre Company,” City Garage (recipient of the 2011 L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award for Sustained Excellence). Cynthia’s super special skill set includes giggling, cat wrangling, and singing startlingly out of tune. Check out Cynthia Mance’s acting website here.
Alisha Nichols
Alisha Nichols: Alisha first fell in love with dancing and acting in her hometown of Albuquerque, NM, where the nights are cold and the chili is hot. She then headed west, and after earning her B.A. in Theatre Arts from Cal-State/Northridge, she started working in film, television, theatre, webisodes, modeling, voiceover, and the DeLish Dames burlesque dance troupe. As a member of City Garage Theatre, she performed in “The Trojan Women,” “The Bald Soprano” (Nominated for Best Comedy Ensemble by the L.A. Weekly), “The Bourgeois Gentilhomme,” and many others. She has also appeared in national commercials and print campaigns for T-Mobile, Red Robin, and Purina, to name a few. Her ability to think on her feet, take direction, and work freely in a creative environment makes her a favorite among cast and crew. Called a young Goldie Hawn and a funnier Anna Ferris, Alisha hits the mark every time. Check out Alisha Nichols’ acting website here and her official Facebook page here.
Ian Petrella
Ian Petrella: Millions of movie fans first met Ian as Randy Parker, the little brother of Ralphie in the 1983 holiday classic “A Christmas Story”. Fast forward to the present, and Ian is a multitalented artist whose skills range from acting to animation, improv comedy to puppetry. Ian began acting at age three, and after several appearances in movies and television (ranging from Ken Russell’s “Crimes of Passion” to “Beverly Hills 90210″), he decided to study improv, becoming the youngest actor ever trained at the Groundlings Comedy Theater. With his passion for the creative arts, Ian also studied puppetry in the Czech Republic, and worked on “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” “Power Rangers,” and Jim Henson’s “B.R.A.T.S. of the Lost Nebula.” He continues to work as an actor, while creating illustrations and animated shorts on the side. Check out Ian Petrella’s official Facebook fan page here.
Jed Rowen
Jed Rowen: If you ever meet Jed in person, you might not recognize him immediately since he’s usually caked in zombie make-up. Then again, at 6-foot-3 with a shaved head and maniacal grin, Jed’s not someone you’ll ever forget. Since 1996, he has appeared in over 70 films, most of them in the horror genre, where he’s developed a monstrous fan base. His prolific performances have made him a popular presence at horror, sci-fi, and comic book conventions, and even the pages of Atlantic Magazine, where he was featured in the article “Inbred Jed”. What many of Jed’s fans don’t know is that he’s also a musician and a comedic actor with killer timing, which he has displayed onstage at City Garage Theatre and in the Atomic Tango series, “The Worldwide Scoop” (which includes an unforgettable conversation with his alter ego). And, yes, that’s Jed in the official Atomic Tango vid on our home page. Check out Jed Rowen’s Actors Access page here.