[NoHo Arts District, CA] – The world premiere of Blood Supply: A ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE LOVE STORY written by Holly Anne Mitchell and directed by David Dickens runs at Theatre 68 Arts Complex January 20-February 11.
Blood Supply: A ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE LOVE STORY is a post-apocalyptic rock musical set one year after the zombie virus. Raw and authentic, hilarious and poignant, writer Holly Anne Mitchell debuts in this powerhouse piece on loss, hope, love, resilience, and redemption.
Abandoned due to her blindness by a group of survivors she once called family, Sadie must learn to trust again when she stumbles into Harold, a self-loathing microbiologist with a sickening secret. Meanwhile, Sadie’s former family members come into the service of a charismatic actor turned junkyard-dictator, and quickly learn that his plan for saving humanity may prove more toxic than the walking dead.
Who do you become when the world falls apart? Can love survive the end of civilization or even save it?
THE CAST
Holly Anne Mitchell (Sadie/Playwright/Composer/Producer)
Isaac Tipton Snyder (Harold)
Tyler Shilstone (Dad)
Denis S. Yudin (Dirk)
Ian Reier Michaels (General Baldwin)
Elise Walters (Crystal)
Zeke Jones (Jeff)
Gina Rizzo Bishop (Vargas/Choreographer)
Marianne Rotyliano (Mary)
Samuel Baron (William)
Alariza Nevarez (Reverend Baker/Zomsemble)
Jacob Rumer (Zomsemble)
Elizabeth Bennett (Zombie Maestro/Zomsemble)
Darian Stranix (Zomsemble)
THE TEAM
Book and Lyrics by Holly Anne Mitchell
Music by Holly Anne Mitchell and Grady Land
With special contributions from Ian Michaels and Mike Fowler
Directed by David Dickens
Choreography by Gina Rizzo Bishop
Produced by Famsara Productions
BIOS
HOLLY ANNE MITCHELL (Sadie/Playwright/Composer/Producer)
Holly Anne Mitchell is an actor, singer, playwright, two-time TEDx speaker, storyteller, life and business coach, and mental health advocate. Holly has a B.F.A. in Theatre from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and studied musical improvisation at the Magnet Theater in New York City. Due to financial constraints she took a break from acting for a decade, and became a founder, cofounder, and strategic advisor of 12 entrepreneurial startup businesses over the past 10 years. Holly celebrated her return to the theater in the fall of 2021 by moving to Los Angeles and starring as Margarite in Turkeys! The Musical at Zombie Joe’s Underground, followed by her breakout role as the Rage Fairy in Antonia Czinger’s The Rage Fairy. You can find Holly on Instagram @hollyanne_mitchell
Thankful for my family, my LA friends, and to the Noho Arts community for embracing me and welcoming me home to the stage after all these years. This show is dedicated to the memory of Evan Foster Higgins.
GRADY LAND (Composer)
Drawing inspiration from a decade of life lived as a modern-day troubadour, singer-songwriter turned producer Grady Donovan Land brings his unique blend of influences to the forefront of all of his musical endeavors, as lead singer of psychedelic space rock band Sci-Fi Country Land melds his love for folk storytelling with ethereal space guitar and energetic vocals, while his solo project Casual Drifter focuses on his lyrical ability and the more subtle craft of songwriting. Intent on telling his unique story through the magic of sound & song. Stepping into the role of producer gradually over time he seeks to bring life into the recording process by allowing each unique project to bloom & blossom into its truest form adding in his own unique sonic artifacts along the way. Blood Supply is the kind of dream project anyone in the music production space would hope to come along. Holly’s immense talent not only vocally but as a lyricist and playwright combined with her sharp vision and musical direction have made it a thrill to be a part of bringing this production to life.
DAVID DICKENS (Director)
David Dickens is the founder of Ballview Entertainment, a theater/multimedia production company based in the NOHO Arts District that creates immersive, scripted and VR content. His most recent shows include Max’s Nasty House, Hand and the Many Lives of Abigail Season.
ISAAC TIPTON SNYDER (Harold)
Isaac Tipton Snyder, at his happiest creating, earned his BFA in Acting from the Santa Fe University of Art and Design with a minor in Technical Theatre. He has studied Shakespeare in London, performed all across the country, and built sets for the Super Bowl. Since moving to Los Angeles he originated the role of “The Murderer” in the world premiere of the Rage Fairy, and played Woodstock Smith in The Thanksgiving Relay. Life is about living good stories, and finding those worth telling them to.
TYLER SHILSTONE (Dad)
Tyler Shilstone just returned to Los Angeles from spending 6 months in Chicago, where he wrote, directed, and starred in the sketch comedy revue, Bark Toggler’s Crazy Trip. You can see him in the raunchy country musical feature film, Whiskey Dixie and the Big Wet Country. You can see his work behind the camera as an Associate Producer on the upcoming NBC show LA County FD.
DENIS S. YUDIN (Dirk)
Denis S. Yudin is an actor, playwright, musician, and producer of Russian-Jewish immigrant descent. He began his career in Carlmont High School’s drama program playing mostly comedic supporting roles and Shakespearian villains, won two awards as a playwright and director, before briefly transitioning to theatrical sound and screenwriting during his time at Emerson College. His move to North Hollywood marked a return to his theatrical roots, with Denis playing tragic antagonist Jeremiah in Ian Michaels’ Turkeys and the comedically insane and depressingly romantic Cartographer in Ballview Entertainment’s Max’s Nasty House. Never one to shy away from a challenge, he now enjoys playing Dirk while assisting the production of Blood Supply and simultaneously working on an EP, a sci-fi rom-dramedy, and a space opera. In his spare time, Denis reads science fiction novels and poetry, sings, engages in political activism, overthinks, and gets into pointless debates with his friends over a glass of absinthe.
IAN REIER MICHAELS (General Baldwin)
Ian Reier Michaels is an actor and writer of musicals based in Los Angeles. Recent theater credits include Israel “Stucky” Stuckowitzenpuppetweiner in Max Zumstein’s The Hallway; Bindy Lipton in David Dickens’ Future Court; the title character in Mr. Ballviews Thanksgiving Relay. He recently appeared on Broadway in Cost of Living by Martyna Majok.
ELISE WALTERS (Crystal)
Elise Walters is an opera and musical theater performer, as well as a private voice and piano teacher. Originally from Buffalo, Elise received her training in music and dance from the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College. Recent credits include L’elisir d’amore, Pacific Opera Project; The Path to Catherine, Write Act Repertory Company; This Joint is Jumpin!, Theatre West; Turkeys! The Musical, Zombie Joe’s Underground. International credits, Hello Dolly!, Mittelsächsisches Theater in Freiberg, Germany. Elise is a mentor and soloist with Artes Vocales ensemble in Pasadena as well as a member of Theatre West.
I am so excited to step into the world of Blood Supply! Nothing brings me more joy than creating an original piece with friends that have become family. Let’s explore what it means to live in a world where everything has been stripped away and the stakes have never been higher. Life is precious. Let’s make some art.
ZEKE JONES (Jeff)
Zeke Jones is an actor, dancer, and musician. Growing up in Los Angeles, Zeke’s first memories are that of being brought on film sets as a baby. Learning film from behind the camera as well as in front of the camera. Recently performing more in theatre, Zeke’s recent performances have been in the musical The Unsackable Man and the experimental theatre show Urban Death. Zeke has graduated from Meisner-based Baron Brown Studio, and Degas Dance Studio. Studied with Sean Cunningham, Mark Travis, and the Institute of American Musical Theatre.
Being a part of a premiere for an original show is always exciting. And with Blood Supply the Musical, I get to combine my love for horror, science fiction, and music to help explore the horror and humor of humanity.
GINA RIZZO BISHOP (Vargas/Choreographer)
Gina Rizzo Bishop made her Broadway debut as Mary Rogers in The Will Rogers Follies. Her national tour and theatrical credits include: Gypsy, Hair, Anything Goes, Seussical, Annie, and Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Gina is an accomplished choreographer for stage & TV with featured work on: Girlfriends and The Game on CW, Big Love on HBO, and Drake & Josh on Nickelodeon. She was honored to premiere Urban Death at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with ZJU, perform as a dancer on Carnival Cruise Lines, and tour with Hollywood’s premiere tap troupe, The Satin Dollz. Gina is passionate about her role as co-director of ShowCamp, a performing arts camp that was founded by her parents. She has been teaching for 20 years and is proud to have volunteered in South Africa, Thailand, and Bali, offering free dance classes to underprivileged kids. Gina is motivated on and off the stage by her love of the performing arts and its immeasurable value in the world.
MARIANNE ROTYLIANO (Mary)
Marianne Rotyliano is an L.A.-based actor and singer. She studied musical theatre in New York before moving to Orlando to work in entertainment at Disney World. Known for her impressions on tiktok, Marianne now spends a majority of her time acting in social media skits seen on Dhar Mann’s YouTube channel. This is her sixth show in the NoHo theatre scene, performing in a variety of immersive and traditional shows. You can find Marianne on all social platforms as @marrotyliano
SAMUEL BARON (William)
Samuel Baron is a multi-talented actor. His home is Hollywood USA. A New York transplant, Samuel has a fabulous foundation in theatre. His work ranges from stage plays and musicals transitioning into film and television. He is incredibly grateful to be a part of this very special project and is eager to continue his evolution in his talent and his career.
ALARIZA NEVAREZ (Reverend Baker/Zomsemble)
From a BA in Theatre (emphasis in Performance) from San Francisco State University, to receiving her MFA in (International) Acting from East 15 Acting School of London, England, and finally to teaching Theatre to students of all ages all over the Greater Los Angeles Area, it’s safe to say Theatre is Alariza’s whole life! She’s always been a fan of everything Zombies, so to play a zombie on stage is a dream come true.
Favorite roles include Leontes, A Winter’s Tale (Shakespeare’s Globe, London, UK) Mary Grekova, Platonov (GITIS, Moscow, Russia), a Witch, HEX (TheatreWitch, North Hollywood, CA) and Ozzy Osbourne, ZOMBIE: A New Musical (Awesome Theatre, San Francisco, CA).
See what she’s up to through her website at www.alarizanevarez.com
ELIZABETH BENNETT (Zombie Maestro/Zomsemble)
Elizabeth Bennett (no, her mother does NOT love Jane Austen, and you don’t want to hear her whole family saga) is a mainly sketch/improv comedian and grammar-obsessed hooligan from Pittsburgh, PA. One of her shining moments was playing Duke Orsino on the Globe Stage in London. She moved to Los Angeles in 2013 for an internship with The Groundlings. She started the sketch group Twisted Comedy before the pandemic hit and Sal closed his comedy club in West Hollywood. Elizabeth has always ended up in post-apocalyptic productions and can be seen in the beginning of the movie, My Uncle John is a Zombie, where she is immediately devoured by a group of walking-dead men. Elizabeth is so excited to be a part of the “Zomsemble,” and to have the honor of co-music coordinating the world premiere of this brilliant musical written by such a lovely, badass, beautiful boss—the one and only Holly Anne Mitchell. Best of brains to you, and enjoy the show!
JACOB RUMER (Zomsemble)
Jacob Rumer, actor and comedian is marking his first debut show in Los Angeles. Traveling and performing in shows across the country such as Where Does it End? a play that went to schools to raise awareness to social issues. Murder’s in the Heir – a mystery where he played a detective trying to solve the campy, kooky murder. You can see him and his work in the film The Hutterite,and now in the debut cast of Blood Supply the musical.
DARIAN STRANIX (Zomsemble)
Darian Stranix received her BFA in Acting from AMDA College of the Performing Arts in fall of 2019. Darian wrote and directed a short film titled Bilk that will be released in 2023. She recently played Alice in the horror film Burnt Hickory that will be released in 2023. Her recent live performances include: Cabaret Macabre (2021 and 2022), Urban Death (2021 and 2022), All Hallways Eve (2021), Dick! A Whitty British Pantomime (2022), and Cabaret Macabre Christmas (2021).
SANDRA KUKER PR – Sandra Kuker-Franco – Publicist
Her three-decade background in music, film, television and theatre has created a client list of diverse and successful campaigns. Sandra’s experience also includes chartering ships for theme cruises, casting for film and television, as well as reality television, scripted television and documentaries. Highlights include films A World Away – by Mark Blanchard and Getting Unstuck – by Conscious (Merle Soden). Stage projects include: I’m Not A Comedian…I’m Lenny Bruce – Starring Ronnie Marmo, Directed by Joe Mantegna, Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground – Starring Tony Winner John Rubinstein, The Elephant Man, My Child Mothers of War, Voice Lessons – Starring Laurie Metcalf, French Stewart and Maile Flanagan, Panic! Productions include: Inspecting Carol, Next To Normal, Little Shop Of Horrors, A Time To Kill by John Grisham, Time Stands Still by Donald Margulies, Crimson Square Theatre Company’s Dinner With Friends, Live At The Purple Lounge The How And The Why, Sex With Strangers and Lost Lake. Author Bill Ratner of Parenting For The Digital Age and consulting with Retronuvo Media on Reality TV and scripted television & Documentaries. Utilizing the strength of personal relationships, alongside social media and traditional PR. Website: www.SandraKukerPR.com
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