PROGRAM 8

A Very Nigerian Dream by Taiwo Aloba

Eight One Eight Two by Rishi Chowdhary

The Last Five Star Bowl America in America by Andrew Reid

The Loveless Fridge by Amanda Esquilin

CAST BIO

Ammunikee Gomez (Wisdom) is thrilled to play the role of Wisdom in "A Very Nigerian Dream." Proud alumni of The American Academy of Dramatic and Operation Triple Threat Performing Arts Academy, Ammunikee is an actor and singer based in New York.

Aren Craft (Solomon) is an up-and-coming actor and model represented by New York's MMG. He has appeared in music video shoots, films, and live TV interviews. Aren also has a degree in Marketing from the highly accredited Bentley University, where he completed his education.

CREW BIO

Taiwo Aloba (Playwright and Director) is a New York-based writer and director originally from Nigeria. She was educated at Lagos State University in Lagos, New York Film Academy in New York, and Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, New Hampshire. She is a member of the Dramatist Guild. www.TaiwoAloba.com

Rishi Chowdhary (Playwright) was born in Kenya, grew up in Miami, worked in New York and currently lives in North Carolina.  While in New York, he wrote his first short play Color Me Desi which was part of Despina’s Seven.11 productions in 2005 and 2009.  Rishi is excited to be partnering with Fresh Lime Soda Productions and the Chain Theatre in staging his play Eight One Eight Two about his parents' inspirational and challenging decision to move from Kenya to America in the early 1980’s.  He thanks his family and wife for humoring him by listening to his ideas.

Kanika Asavari Vaish (Director) Kanika is an NYC-based director, writer, performer, producer, and MFA graduate from Columbia University School of the Arts. She is the co-founder of South Asian theater ensemble and incubator Fresh Lime Soda Productions along with Sabina Sethi Unni. Her work focuses on themes of hope, transformation, and community, and she believes in using theater as a form of collective healing. Recent credits include: ELIJAH (Director, Lenfest Center for the Arts), The XIXth (Assistant Director, The Old Globe), Richard III (Associate Director, SoHo Shakespeare Company), Nine Ways to Plead with a God (Playwright, Lenfest Center for the Arts), Jyoti's Bridge (Playwright, Schapiro Theater at Columbia University), and Guards at the Taj (Director, SoHo Shakespeare Company). 

Sabina Sethi Unni (Cast) is a political theater director, performer, writer, organizer, and lover of long self-aggrandizing lists. She is the co-founder and co-artistic director of Fresh Lime Soda Productions, a contemporary South Asian theater ensemble and incubator. She loves performing and directing theater in public spaces: from children’s theater about composting (Pistachio and the Worms for the DOT Public Space Programming at PS Family NYC, 31st Avenue Open Street, and Flatbush Open Street); to community theater about flood sensors (Rainy Day Play in Edgemere Farm, Gowanus Dredgers Community Boathouse, and West Harlem Piers); to protest theater about unions (May Day Protest in Washington Square Park for Make the Road). For more, come see her new play premiering this summer and fall, A Fun Play About How Scary Climate Change Is, written with the support of the Brooklyn Arts Council, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, and Amanda+James Coastlines Festival. www.sabinasethiunni.com.

Wasim Azeez (Cast) is a New York-based actor. He recently wrapped up a sci-fi short film titled "Alone, Alone on the wide wide sea", funded by Tasveer.org, which is scheduled to premiere at various film festivals in the fall. His screen credits include films such as "Treading" and "No Service," the latter of which will be streaming on Amazon later this year. He has also performed at the Theater for the New City and at Teatro Latea for the New York Theatre Festival. He graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, NYC, and speaks five languages. Wasim champions diversity in the arts and is proud to represent the South Asian community on a global stage.

Siraj Huda (Cast) Born in Orissa, India, Siraj Huda considers himself an accidental actor. He took an unconventional path to his acting career, milking cows in Nepal and teaching ice skating in Dubai on the way. After immigrating to the United States to pursue an MBA, Siraj moved to New York City where he has worked in publishing and as a software engineer. When the recession hit in 2008, Siraj discovered acting and never looked back. His varied life experiences contributed to his ability to get under the skin of the characters he portrays.

Benjamin Viertel (Director) Recent: Between the Bars (HERE Arts), BRIC TV Original Series 86’d, The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (New Ohio Theatre), Fireface (The Brick), Kragtar: An American Monster Musical (West End Theatre), & award-winning web series Blank My Life. Benjamin has worked with BAM, Roundabout Theater, Huntington Theater, The New Group, and The Civilians. Member of The Orchard Project’s Greenhouse Lab, Kennedy Center Director’s Lab, MTC’s Directing Fellow, and The Civilians’ R&D Group. Founding Artistic Director of Third Space. Education: Carnegie Mellon & Columbia University. www.benjaminviertel.com 

Jacqui Byrne is entering her 2nd year as an MFA Acting Student at Columbia University and is thrilled to be making her New York theater debut in this festival. She recently graduated from Dartmouth where she earned a B.A in Theater and acted in many productions. Her recent work also includes shows at Northern Stage and at Columbia. A big thank you to the cast, crew and playwright of this production and to her friends and family for their support. 

Bethsabé Caballero (she/her) is an actor from Caracas, Venezuela. She was a part of the theatre company Conexión Pelegrín in Caracas for twelve years. She got her BFA in Acting at California State University Long Beach in 2022. She just finished her first year as an MFA actor at Columbia University and is delighted to be working with such a talented group of artists.

Yvonne Jessica Pruitt is a New York based actor and voiceover artist going into her second year of the Columbia MFA Acting program. She is extremely excited and honored to be a part of this! She’d like to thank her friends and family (including her fur baby Brownie) for their continued support and encouragement. 

Andrew Reid (he/him) is a playwright and dramaturg originally from the Washington D.C. area and is delighted to be making his NYC debut at The Chain Theatre’s Summer One-Act Festival. Recent productions with Rorschach Theatre, The Kennedy Center, The HUB, Who What Where Productions, and The D.C. Capital Fringe Festival. He is currently studying at Columbia University to obtain his MFA in playwriting. He would like to thank his cast, crew, family, and friends for all their support and his wife, Molly, for always encouraging and believing in him. 

Writer:

Amanda Esquilin: Born and raised in the Bronx, Amanda Esquilin began her writing career as a playwright and poet at Bronx Theatre High School where she worked closely with The Roundabout Theatre Company. During this, she won a playwriting competition where her short play was read in front of a live audience. Simultaneously, she produced her first 15-minute silent short through the Ghetto Film School. She was an assistant production coordinator for the indie feature Entangled (Amazon Prime) and a casting associate on the feature film Goldie (Vice) under Damian Bao Casting. She was also an assistant to critically acclaimed Writer/Director, Kiel Adrian Scott for his short Samaria. Her upcoming project, the short film Feathers, which she wrote and produced, is in post-production with Director Izzi Rassouli. 

Director : Melissa Aquiles is a Portuguese-American actor, writer, comedian, and director. She’s been doing comedy for over 12 years, most notably at The Peoples Improv Theater where she taught and performed on multiple senior teams. Her most recent project was directing Lungs by Duncan MacMillan at Arts on Site. Her work has been featured in Refinery29, PasteMagazine, Cracked.com, and more. Acting credits include Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (TBS), Pixar in Real Life (Disney+), Jolie (Winner of Cannes World Film Festival), and more. 

Role of SHAWN

Mannie Mendez is an Afro-Latino actor/clown from Tampa Fl. He recently graduated from Terry Knickerbocker Studio class of 22’, where he studied acting under Terry Knickerbocker and clown with Justin Cimino. His most recent project was a short film titled “Going Out to Eat” written and directed by Lem Worrel. Mannie is excited to be making his NYC stage debut on the Chain Theater stage in this production of The Loveless Fridge.

Role of VEDA

Yuka Taga: Yuka Taga is a Japanese-American actor born and raised in New York City. She is a recent graduate of Terry Knickerbocker Studio, where she studied character acting through the Meisner Technique. Some of Yuka’s past credits include Magic Hour (Official Selection, Tribeca Film Festival; playing a romantic lead across Indya Moore) Drifter (Official Selection, ScreamFest) Ma (Official Selection, Palm Spring International Film Festival), and more. She is currently writing her first feature-length film based on her experiences as an aspiring musician in The Bronx Underground. Yuka is represented by Innovative Artists. IG Handle: @yuka.taga

Role of SAUL/POLICE OFFICER

John Backstrom - John Backstrom is a Meisner-trained actor based in Brooklyn, NY, working primarily on camera. He is SAG eligible & independent. See IMDb and/or CV for qualifications, credits, reel, etc.: https://read.cv/johnbackstrom John is thrilled to take the stage!