J. Stephen Brantley

J.Stephen is an actor, playwright, producer, and pebble on the pond. Born in Texas, reborn in New York City.

I love rehearsal. I believe that storytelling is a sacred charge. I love what I do and I strive to do it fearlessly, gratefully.

Reynaldo Piniella

Reynaldo Piniella is an AEA and SAG-AFTRA actor born and raised in New York City. He was nominated for Best Actor in 2015 by the Latino Short Film Festival for his performance in the film “10 Second Barrier”. He is a member of the Actors Center, former member of the Bats, the Obie-award resident acting company of the Flea Theater and the Drafts, a resident acting company of the Horse Trade Theater Group. TV credits include Law & Order: SVU, The Carrie Diaries, Louie, Us & Them, Greenleaf, Sneaky Pete, NYC 22 and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Film credits include Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Warner Bros.), Broken City (20th Century FOX), projects for College Humor, Funny or Die, as well as numerous independent films. His theater work includes The Death of the Last Black Man (Signature Theater Company), Romeo & Juliet (Actors Theatre of Louisville), Honky (Urban Stages), Facing Our Truth (National Black Theatre), The Toilet (New Federal Theatre) and The Great Recession (Flea Theater). He has appeared in national commercials for ESPN, MTV, Nintendo of America, Def Jam, Pop Tarts, Trojan Condoms, National Geographic, Mike & Ike Candy, Music Choice Television and Canon. He is also a contributor to Backstage Magazine. In his time away from acting, he enjoys reading, writing and all things sports related. He is represented by Stone Manners Salners in New York and LA and commercially by Stewart Talent.

MICHAEL RAU

MICHAEL RAU is a theater director specializing in new plays, re-imagined classics, and opera.

Since 2008 he has been working internationally in Germany, the UK, Ireland, Canada, and Greece. He recently made his German language directing premiere at Theater Bielefeld. He has also created work in New York City at PS122, The Culture Project, HERE Arts Center, Ars Nova, The Bushwick Starr, The Brick, 59E59, 3LD and Dixon Place. He has directed productions regionally in Chicago and Cleveland, and was a guest artist at Wesleyan University in 2011. He has developed and directed new plays at the Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, the Lark and New York Theater Workshop. His recent work includes his work included Machinal at the Atlantic Theater Company Conservatory, restaging Aida at Opera Santa Barbara, and creating three new productions, a performance piece based on German Lieder, a staging of contemporary poems by Erica Wright, and nouveaux circus staging of Sherry Kramer’s David’s Redhaired Death.