Block 9
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Sideshow by the Seashore
Written and directed by Sebastian Bader
Bios
Sebastian Bader- Writer/Director
Sebastian Bader is a writer, director, and Sound Designer from Los Angeles, California, who has made his home in New York. He’s had multiple plays performed around New York City and Los Angeles. Some include Vincent Almost in King John, The Thaumatrope Game, A Bar in Damascus, and The Night Watch Before Christmas. Four of his plays have been performed on Columbia’s campus as mainstage theatrical productions. Outside of the terrifying world of Columbia theater, The Chain Theater put up his one act The Dol-Men and his other one-act, Sideshow by the Seashore. In addition to his theatrical work, his radio play, The Guano Memories, starring Laraine Newman (Saturday Night Live), Thomas Lennon (Reno 911), Jeff Bennet (Johnny Bravo), and Swampy Marsh (Phineas and Ferb), was aired on Sirius XM Radio Classics with Greg Bell. Of course, when he’s not writing plays, he’s working on comics. In fact, on November 26th, he made his official writing debut with DC Comics, penning the script for “I Saw Ma Hunkel Kissing Santa Claus,” the DC Comics Holiday Special for this year.
Shea Rathburn- Producer
Shea Rathburn is a New York-based writer and producer, whose partnership with Sebastian Bader for multiple theatrical projects has manifested in their production company “A Film by Vannis M. Vannis.” After producing The Dol-Men for The Chain’s 2026 Winter One-Act Festival, she is proud to bring another original work by Sebastian Bader, Sideshow by the Seashore, to The Chain’s 2026 Summer One-Act Festival. A recent Columbia University graduate, her additional previous producing credits include original works such as Brooks Gillespie’s Baby’s first Crazy kiss Story, Jack Rado’s One-Armed Bandit, as well as mainstage productions such as Disney’s Newsies, and various smaller film and theatrical projects, including Episode One of Sebastian Bader’s radio play, The Mysteries of Los Angeles. She is so excited for everyone to join the strange world of Imperial Beach in the show.
Keala Henry- Stage Manager
Keala is so excited to be a part of the Sideshow by the Seashore team! She is a recent graduate from Barnard College and this past spring made her Off-Broadway debut as a Deck Hand on Cable Street the musical at 59e59 Theatres. Stage Management credits include: Fefu and Her Friends (Barnard College), Hellcats (University of Galway), Fox Toss (Barnard College), The Frat Boy Play (The Tank Moonlight Series), The Great Christmas Cookie Bake-Off (KOTA Productions), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Columbia University), and Much Ado About Nothing (Columbia University). When she is not backstage, Keala runs Stagedoor Stationery, her small business selling theatre inspired stationery items (which can be found at stagedoorstationery.com!)
Chris Jaymes- Dean *Equity Member appearing with permission of Actors’ Equity Association without benefit of an Equity contract in this Off-Off Broadway production.
Since relocating to NYC in 2023, Chris has appeared Off-Broadway in the 2026 World Premiere of Censorship of Dreams at La Mama , the 2026 World Premiere of Portraits of Gays in Despair at Playwrights Theater, NYC, the 2025 world premiere of One in 25 portraying Nobel Prize winning physicist Dr. Richard Feynman. Other recent stage credits include: Mel in the Irish 2-hander The Saviour and Roland in Constellations. Film & Television credits include: the recent Bruce Springsteen biopic, “Deliver Me from Nowhere,” the upcoming Teddy Roosevelt Amazon “Expedition with Michael Chernus,” recurring in “Law & Order: Organized Crime,” Apple+’s “For All Mankind,” the ABC hit show “LOST, Magnum P.I.,” and many others including his award-winning debut feature film “In Memory of My Father” starring Judy Greer, that he wrote and directed. IG: @chrisjaymes
Morgan Johnson- Z
Morgan Johns is happy to return for her second Chain Theatre festival, after performing in Sebastian Bader's The Dol-Men this past February. She recently graduated from Columbia University, where she participated in over thirty productions, including three Varsity Shows as a performer (V128, V130) and co-writer (V131). Prior to Columbia, Morgan was a professional ballet dancer based in Richmond, Virginia.
Seann Gallagher- Flavio *Equity Member appearing with permission of Actors’ Equity Association without benefit of an Equity contract in this Off-Off Broadway production.
Seann Gallagher is a stage and screen actor whose work has taken him across the U.S. and Canada. On stage he has appeared at American Conservatory Theater, Marin Theater Company, Aurora Theater, Soulpepper, Canadian Stage Company, Segal Centre, Neptune Theatre, Resurgence Theatre Company, and numerous festivals. On camera Seann has worked with several celebrated film directors, such as Richard Attenborough, John N. Smith, Billy Ray, Renny Harlin, Jean Pierre Lefebvre and Michel Brault. TV credits include leading, recurring and guest star roles in series such as: Law & Order SVU, The Comey Rule, Designated Survivor, Hannibal, Good Witch, Rogue, and Covert Affairs among others. Seann trained under Uta Hagen at HB Studios and is a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada.
Amelia Thomas- Financial Producer
Amelia Thomas is excited to be working on Sideshow. She is going into her senior year at Barnard College, where she got her start producing original work. She has been working in Shanghai for the past several weeks, so she thanks the team for their patience with the time zone thing.
Quinn Fastnow- Scenic Design
They/Them. Usually a stage manager, Quinn greatly enjoys whenever they get the opportunity to design and is delighted to be designing for Sebastian in an official capacity this time. They spend most of their days herding cats, but most of the time would really prefer to be petting cats.
Jon Pankauski- Prop Design
Jonathan Pankauski is a PhD candidate in engineering who moonlights as an actor and properties designer. Jonathan has previously done props design at The Chain for Isabel Tongson’s A White Girl’s Understudy and Sebastian Bader's The Dol-Men. Jonathan has also done props design for Sebastian Bader in One-Armed Bandit, XMAS!19: The Night Watch Before Christmas, and The Thaumatrope Game.
Vera Pankevich- Costume Design
Vera Pankevich is a rising Senior at Columbia University, studying something unrelated to theater; however, she has designed costumes and stage managed several theatrical productions. Previous credits include costume design and stage managing for Jack Rado’s One-Armed Bandit, stage managing for King Crown Shakespeare Troupe’s production of Tartuffe. Much like the rich and complex characters of this play, Vera has been to a Dunkin Donuts once. She has ventured outside of Columbia twice, both times to the Chain to do some costumes, with her first encounter at The Chain being Sebastian Bader’s The Dol-Men.
Sophie Simons- Lighting Design
Sophie Simons is a designer & playwright whose work focuses on stories of young people exploring intense and intimate relationships. They are the co-founder and Managing Director of The House Theatre Company. They have designed in theatres around the city including The Vino Theatre, Caveat NYC, The Tank, The Hudson Guild, Brooklyn Comedy Collective, and more. Sophie received the 2025 Dasha Epstein Award, for which they attended New York Stage & Film’s summer season as an Artist-in-Residence and Sub A2. Recent credits: NO ONE’S REALLY A VAMPIRE (Club Creates), VERNISSAGE (The Tank). THE BLESSING (IRT). Up next: their play GLORYHOLE at Court Square Theatre with the Frayed Knot Collective, 7/25! @sophieeimons @thehousetheatreco
Sophia Ling- Lighting Design
Sophia is a recent graduate of Barnard College. She has designed lighting for numerous Barnard and Columbia student productions, including Fall Cabaret, Rabbitman, Head Over Heels, Bid Me Run, New Opera Workshop, Simon Suites, and Mangled House, among others. Recent credits include assistant lighting for Frat Boy Play at The Tank, Treatment History at Hudson Guild Theater, Wailsong at The Tank, and The Blessing at IRT Theater. She likes coins.
Clara Noggle- Publicity
Clara Noggle is a writer / actor / director / costume designer / publicity manager / assistant candlemaker / amateur barista based in NYC. She is doing publicity for Sideshow by the Seashore. She is studying Theatre and English at Columbia University, and also learning a lot about Victorian poetry. Recent credits include: Mountain Mountain Biking Biking (Writer, Columbia University, NOMADS), Tartuffe (Director, Columbia University, KCST), and How to Boil Water (Costume Designer, The Chain Winter One-Acts Festival).
Colson Struess- Production Photographer
Colson is a photographer and theater administrator living in New York City. He has photographed several Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway, and student productions. He is currently working at New Perspectives Theatre Company and The Theater Center.
Alexandra Bradbury- Composer
Alexandra Bradbury hails from Lexington, Kentucky, but has spent the past four years in New York City, obtaining her degree in chemical engineering and music from Columbia University. Throughout her time at Columbia, she music-directed five shows, and made her compositional debut this past year. Outside of theater, Alexandra plays piano, bassoon, saxophone, and bass guitar, while also conducting research in the impacts of 20th century classical music. In the fall, she will be pursuing an MSc(Res) in chemistry at the University of Saint Andrews before returning to the United States to attend the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music for her MM in music theory. She is stoked for another opportunity to compose and is proud to be a part of this project!
Melañia Horowitz- Fight Choreography
Melañia might be in the process of actively mind-melding with Sebastian Bader. Some favorite fight choreography credits include Vincent Almost in King John, The Dol-Men, Julius Caesar, The Moors, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Recent favorite performance credits include Orgon in Tartuffe and a featured Gladiator in Julius Caesar. Melañia’s latest project was staging Tennessee Williams’s A Cavalier for Milady for their senior thesis in Directing at Columbia! Enjoy the festival. :-)
The Last Light of Day
By Ryan Tramont
Bios
RYAN TRAMONT (WRITER/PERFORMER) is an NYC based actor. Recent credits include THE SLIDE IS THE NEGATIVE at The Chain and the acclaimed Off Broadway revival of Austin Pendelton’s ORSON’S SHADOW at Theater for the New City. Previous credits include HURLYBURLY, HAMLET, CRAZY FOR THE DOG, 23 KNIVES, and many more. He will next be seen in PART OF THE NOISE portraying Franz Kline at Theater for the New City in October. Thank you to Eric and Rachel for making this happen.
ERIC PARNESS (DIRECTOR) is Artistic Director of Resonance Ensemble, where he has directed plays inspired by Sophocles, Shakespeare, Maxim Gorky, Anton Chekhov, Henrik Ibsen, Karel Čapek, Samuel Beckett, among others. Other favorite New York City directing credits include Going Once! Laughing Twice!! at St. Luke’s Theater, Jean Cocteau’s Crazy for the Dog, Rachel Reiner Productions’ Embraceable Me, Oberon Theatre’s Measure for Measure, ATA’s North to Maine, IATI Theatre's Three on a Match, Rising Sun’s Proud, Hypothetical Theatre’s Kryptonite City, and Boomerang’s Blood Wedding. He has also directed numerous plays and musicals at Westfield State University, where he serves as an Associate Professor of Acting and Directing.
DANIELLE NAHIL MULLEN (STAGE MANAGER) has the pleasure of working between New York (Paradise Factory, Chain, TNC, Theatre Row) and LEBANON (Beirut and South, Habibati al Muzhila). As a devotee of off-off-Broadway, Danielle is delighted to be working with this team at Teatro Latea.
Two A’s In Louisiana
Written by Nick DeSimone
Directed by Kathy Gail MacGowan
Synopsis
In 1982, while on location in Louisiana for a film shoot, New York actor and recovering alcoholic Arthur Barrett attends an AA meeting that’s not what he expected
PLACE: A Motel Room in Rural Louisiana
TIME: Late January 1982
Bios
Nick DeSimone(PLAYWRIGHT & ARTHUR) is an award-winning writer /actor/ filmmaker with credits spanning theatre, film & TV, including HBO’s Crashing. His films, Two Boroughs and Full Throttle Paradise (Robert Funaro /The Sopranos and Karen Giordano /Nonnas) made their mark in festivals, while his last short Cut Wish (w/ Daniel H. Simon) begins its festival run, and the brand-new Beach Haven recently premiered at New Plaza Cinema. Dual Citizen of U.S./Italy. Thank you, Julie, Aaron and Kathy for your magnificent work. Instagram: @click.with.nick www.NickDeSimone.com
Julie Hays (KITTY) is a NYC actress and voiceover artist with credits spanning film, television, theater. She won Best Actress in the 2025 Aery One-Act Festival performing in another Nick DeSimone heartfelt play, FRANK CARUSO USED TO SING. TV/Film: Godfather of Harlem, White House Plumbers, New Amsterdam, FBI, Motherless Brooklyn. AEA SAG/AFTRA. Instagram @the_real_jumeh
Aaron Smallwood, Jr. (KEN MILLS) is a Philadelphia, PA native, New York–based actor and Lifetime Member of The Actors Studio. A graduate of Hampton University with a BFA in Theatre, his television credits include NBC’s The Hunting Party and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, MGM+‘s Godfather of Harlem, HBO Max’s That Damn Michael Che and more. Aaron is grateful to be sharing this work and thanks you for supporting live theatre.
Kathy Gail MacGowan (DIRECTOR) is a New York-based director and dramaturg specializing in new work. Kathy has directed NYC premieres, many developmental workshops, and productions at venues like 59E59, The Flea, Workshop Theater, HERE Arts, The Sheen Center, La Mama, Symphony Space, ATG, EST and others. She is a frequent guest director at The Stella Adler Studio/NYU Tisch. UPCOMING: "Up the Down Hill" a new episodic series shot in NYC! SDC, AEA, MFA.