Cast and Crew

SAMANTHA COOPER (SANDY)

Samantha is grateful to return to this vital, beautiful play with this vibrant cast and crew. Credits with PTP include Foreign Bodies at Women Center Stage/Culture Project, and the last two incarnations of Goliath, including the Planet Connections Festivity, in which Sam was nominated for Best Supporting Actress.  Recent credits: Naked Holidays with EndTimes Productions,The Vagina Monologues at the Snapple Theatre; Twelfth Night and Much Ado… with Communicable Arts; Ravel, directed by Alex Mallory, and The Killing of Jacob Marr with 221 Films. Sam received her B.A. in Theatre from UCSD, and has trained at Shakespeare Santa Cruz, A.C.T., Circle In The Square, and with Karen Kohlhaas. For Toby, always.

DONTONIO DEMARCO (GABRIEL)

Dontonio Demarco was last seen in the critically acclaimed and award-winning NYC production of Goliath, a reading for the upcoming production of Reginald Edmund's Southbridge as Edwin C. Berry, and Romeo and Juliet 2054 as Benvolio. He has also done numerous television appearances and off broadway productions. "Barry O" one man show that displays an inner look at our current President Barack Obama, "Date Night" the movie, and "Law & Order" to name a few. He trained at the School for Film & Television Conservatory. Dontonio is a native of St. Louis, MO. and has been in NY for over 10 years studying and acting. Upcoming projects include a revival of Goliath in NYC then a Tour for the show in the fall, and a new venture, prodcuer of the upcoming NYC production of Underground.

NATALIA DUONG (MARIA)

Natalia Duong is a performance artist, choreographer, and writer native to the San Francisco Bay Area. A graduate of Stanford University in Neuropsychology and Dance, she is interested in the use of movement as a resource for conflict resolution. Natalia is the Director of Project Agent Orange, a movement collective that investigates the physical proliferation of war as embodied by people affected by the herbicide Agent Orange. She is continually struck by the lyricism of Goliath, and is excited to be sharing this deeply important work with you once again. www.nataliaduong.com

EDGAR EGUIA (JOHNNY)

Edgar Eguia recently completed an acclaimed run of She Kills Monsters at The Flea and is a member of their resident acting ensemble, The Bats. International Tour: Yo Gabba Gabba Live! NYC: The Third Pulpit (Strawberry One Act Festival); The Passion Play (Park Performing Arts Center); Something Wicked (Richmond Shepard Theatre); Goliath (Planet Connections Theatre Festivity) and The Taming of the Shrew (DMTheatrics). Tours: The National Theatre for Children & George Street Playhouse. Training: Stella Adler Studio of Acting.

KENNETH HEATON (PAUL)

Kenneth recently appeared in the Off-Broadway premiere of Pippi Longstocking the Musical at the Theatre at St. Peters. Other New York roles: H.F. Sullivan in I Will Go, I Will Go, at The Barrow Street Theater along with Michael Shannon and Austin Pendleton; Harold in In Vino Veritas at La Mama; and in the sketch comedy troupe Oculingus. He recently appeared on The Travel Channel’s Mysteries at the Museum. Films include Big Muddy (Cannes Film Festival), How Far Would You Go? and Outshot, Ltd. He holds an M.F.A. from the Yale School of Drama, and was a Fulbright Fellow to Croatia.

ILIANA INOCENCIO (MARIA)

Iliana Inocencio is grateful for getting the chance to work on this amazing piece with such an inspiring cast and crew. Past favorite roles at various regional theaters include: Beauty and the Beast (Belle), West Side Story (Maria), The King and I (Tuptim), and Rent (Mimi). She performs regularly at The People's Improv Theater with Day Camp Kids and hosts their official podcast, The PITcast. Unending gratitude to Ma, Da, Ko, DCKs, Scott, and friends for their continuous support.

MONIQUE PAIGE (CATHERINE)

Monique Paige is a Philadelphia native who has been performing for over 18 years. She has been able to perform in theater, film, television and print. Her most current work has been at the Studio Theater in Washington DC in the play Breathe Boom where she recieved favorable reviews in the Washinton Post and other local papers. You can also see her currently on the cover of Virgina Tourism Magaizine. She would like to thank Poetic Theater Productions for giving her this opportunity. 

NABIL VIÑAS (DAVID)

Nabil Viñas is a first generation Dominican American raised in NYC. He began acting while a Math Major at The City College of New York where he earned his B.A. in Theatre. Favorite stage roles include LARRY in Closer (The Seven Collective) and MIGUEL MONTES in Asymmetry (Puffy Shirt Productions). He's working on several independent films and most recently appeared in the award winning feature "Things I Don’t Understand" by David Spaltro. Nabil is a co-founder of The Seven Collective Theatre Company, works regularly with Free Arts NYC and volunteers with iMentor in the Bronx.www.NabilVinas.com

TAKEO RIVERA (PLAYWRIGHT)

Takeo Rivera is a poet, playwright, and cultural critic born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, currently a PhD student in Performance Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Takeo wrote the first draft of Goliath in late 2006 as an undergraduate at Stanford University, where he was privileged to have classmate Alex Mallory direct its debut performance. In addition to Goliath, Takeo is author of the choreopoems "R&L" and "Prometheus Nguyen," as well as several published poems and academic articles. Takeo also spent two years as a full-time rape crisis advocate and educator.

ALEX MALLORY (DIRECTOR)

Alex Mallory is Co-Artistic Director for Poetic Theater Productions, for which she has directed Goliath by Takeo Rivera (2011 Planet Connections Award for Outstanding Direction), faith by Caroline Rothstein, Off the Record and Filial Therapy (Women Center Stage 2011 Directors' Weekend). She has developed work at Lark Play Development Center, Atlantic Stage II, New Georges, NYU, the Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival, the Bay Area Playwrights Festival, Jimmy's #43, Nicu's Spoon, The Looking Glass, and is currently the Assistant Producer at Culture Project. Alex is a graduate of Stanford University, where she received the Louis Sudler Prize in Creative Arts and the Sherifa Omade Edoga Prize for work involving social issues. She is an Associate Member of SDC, a member of Directors Lab Chicago, and was a finalist for the Mike Ockrent Fellowship with George C. Wolfe through the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation.

JEREMY KARAFIN (PRODUCER)

Jeremy Karafin is the founder of and Co-Artistic Director for Poetic Theater Productions for which he has produced 24 productions, showcases and readings (20 in collaboration with Co-Artistic Director Alex Mallory) including Goliath (2011 Planet Connections Award for Outstanding Production of a New Play) and Poetic License, a festival of new poetic theater.  Jeremy founded and produced the first three seasons of the Kinetic Poetics Project, an annual spoken word and poetry festival on the west coast, now in its ninth season.  Jeremy produced a web-video in support of gay marriage with Alan Cumming and associate produced the Off-Broadway Production of No Place Called Home at 3LD-Art Center, the Wild Project, MileSquare and the cell.  Previously Jeremy was the Assistant Director of Student Media and Television Broadcast Adviser at the University of California, Santa Cruz.  Jeremy is the Assistant Manager at the Wild Project Theater in the East Village.

SARAH LIVANT (STAGE MANAGER)

Sarah Livant is a rehearsal and production stage manager.  Previous projects include Summer in Sanctuary with the Abingdon Theatre Company, faith and Foreign Bodies with Women Center Stage, and Spike Heels with the GRIT Theatre Company. She is happy to be once again working with the Goliath cast and crew.

BRAD PETERSON (LIGHTING DESIGN)

Brad Peterson has designed faith, Foreign Bodies, Goliath, Underground and the Poetic License Festival for Poetic Theater Productions. Recent lighting designs include the North American tour of Stand Up Eight, Squealer (Lesser America), The Umbrella Plays (The Tank NYC), The 2011 Brooklyn Ballet Season, The Drowsy Chaperone (The Gallery Players), How I Became a Pirate (Children’s Theater of Charlotte), Coram Boy (The Hartt School), Twelfth Night (Sonnet Repertory Theater), Seussical! (The Weston Playhouse Theater Co.), and If You Take a Mouse to the Movies… (CTCharlotte). Additionally, Brad has designed projections for world premieres with Buglisi Dance Theater and Linda Duci Dance. Upcoming lighting designs include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Weston) and Pippin (Hartt). Brad is a graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts. bradpetersonlighting.com