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Josh Drew recently appeared as Paul in Firebelly’s comedy Moon over Buffalo. He joined Firebelly Productions in its Page to Stage production of Conversing Elevens and Dunce at the Kennedy Center. His previous experience includes The Shakespeare Theatre at the Kennedy Center: Young Patron in Five by Tenn; Actor's Theatre of Washington, Jean Bilodeau in Lilies The Shakespeare Theatre: The Boy/Ensemble (u/s in perf) in The Silent Woman; Madcap Players: The Man in Buyer’s Market; The American Century Theatre: Bomber in Picnic; Trumpet Vine Theatre Company: Kidnapper # 3 in Abducting Diana; Bohemian Acting Company: Victor in Four Dogs and a Bone; Maintenance Shop Theatre: The Thief in Dark Ride. Joshua is a graduate of Iowa State University, with a degree in Acting/Directing .

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Sarah Imes recently joined Firebelly as Charlotte in the Ken Ludwig comedy Moon over Buffalo and is excited to continue her association with Firebelly Productions. She appeared with Firebelly in the Kennedy Center’s Page-To- Stage new play showcase in Conversing Elevens and Dunce. Some of her favorite past roles were Vicky in Blackmail (Off-Broadway), Svetlana in Chess (Baltimore), Rona in Kennedy’s Children (Maryland Ensemble) and Natasha in The Three Sisters (Los Angeles). Her training includes an MFA from California State University, Fullerton. When not on stage she devotes her time to running a small decorating business, messing up crossword puzzles, and ignoring nutritional information on chocolate

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Edwin Xavier Conversing Elevens and Not So Soft marks Ed's Firebelly and Washington, DC debut. He is an MFA candidate in acting at Catholic University of America( CUA), in Washington, D.C., and expects to receive his diploma any minute now. While at CUA, some of his favorite roles have been Sir Andrew Aguecheek in Twelfth Night, Doc O'Connor and Rulon Stacey in The Laramie Project, and Jim Bayliss in All My Sons. Travel is not new to Ed. Last summer, Ed traveled to Dubrovnik, Croatia with the CUA company of Uncle Maroje where they performed at the 55th Annual Dubrovnik Summer Festival. Ed is a native of Indianapolis, Indiana, where he earned a living as a chauffeur when he wasn't on stage.

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Guest Director Jessica Lefkow (BFA Acting, Catholic University of America) joins Firebelly Productions this season after nearly twenty years' experience directing, acting and teaching across Europe and Asia. Past credits include starring in the Asian touring premier of Margaret Edson's award-winning play, Wit, as well as directing such American classics as Greater Tuna, The Glass Menagerie, Crimes of the Heart for companies in New Delhi, Nicosia, and Hong Kong. Since her return to the Washington, DC area in 2003, Jessica has directed Firebelly's 2004 entry in the Kennedy Center's Page-to-Stage festival, (Conversing Elevens and Dunce, by David Cahill), several readings for the Playwrights Forum, and most recently directed Hanukka Gelt and The Story of Eid for Calliope Productions/Muslim Community School's joint production of The Spirit of the Faiths. She is currently working with local actress and playwright Marian Licha on her one-woman show, Frida, Vice-Versa, (by M. Licha & R. Dennis Green). The Hong Kong tour of Firebelly Production's Conversing Elevens and Not So Soft marks Jessica's fourth project with that city's Faust International Theatre, though her first as a touring guest at their annual Faust Festival.

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Kathi Gollwitzer, Artistic Director, Stage Manager for Conversing Elevens and Not So Soft   Kathi has been a working actor, director, and acting coach on a professional, community, and high-school level for many years. Kathi has coached numerous students, helping them gain admission into highly selective programs such as the Governors Summer Acting Program and audition-based colleges and conservatories including New York University’s Tisch School, Syracuse University Musical Theatre program, the DePaul Theatre School, SUNY Purchase College Conservatory of Theatre Arts and Film, and The Juilliard School of Acting. She also coaches professional actors and teaches classes for Firebelly Productions. For nearly ten years she has been involved with the Arlington Diocesan Shakespeare Festival, a program for eighth graders. She encourages students to "play it for honesty," the ultimate form of realism, and basis of non-realistic acting. Her greatest strength lies in her ability to communicate with young actors and instilling in them a solid work ethic. She is currently Drama Director at the Trinity School in Falls Church, VA and is also an educator with the Helen Hayes Awards Washington Theatre Legacy Project, which brings theatre to the Washington DC Public School children. For six years she directed drama at Bishop Denis J. O’Connell High School in Arlington, VA.

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David Cahill  David Cahill, a graduate of the American University (B.A. Communications: Visual Media / Theatre Minor), is delighted to have Firebelly as the first theater company to fully produce his one-act comedy, Conversing Elevens. Firebelly previously held staged readings of Cahill's one-act, Dunce, along with Conversing Elevens, at the Kennedy Center's 2004 Prelude Festival. The Washington Post's Sunday Source selected the readings as a "must-see" event. Cahill's one-act, Trampoline, his very first play, was selected and received a staged reading at the 2002 Prelude Festival. Cahill's current writing projects include the full-length comedies Drowning Noah and Fullswing Changeling. He would like to thank Kathi and Barbara for always believing in his work, Jessica for directing it, the cast and crew for bringing it to life, and Caleen Sinette Jennings for nuturing a fledgling interest into something greater. Love, as always, to his parents, the Ahlbergs, his Alyi, and Eddie the Cat.

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Jonah Sea Knight is the Artistic Director of the New Play House in Frederick, MD, a theatre company dedicated to the development and production of new plays and emerging playwrights. He served as the Writer-in-Residence at the Open Space Arts Center in Reisterstown, MD for tree years teaching creative writing, playwriting, and filmmaking. His plays have been produced in Maryland, Massachusetts, Oregon and now Virginia. He was recently commissioned by the city of Frederick, MD to write a play commemorating the city’s origins for the first annual Founders’ Day festival. In 2003 he was one of 20 playwrights selected to train at the Kennedy Centers summer playwriting intensive where he studied with Pulitzer and Tony award winners who are all much more famous than he. His play Techies won Honorable Mention from the American College Theatre Festival, region 2 in 2002. His 10-minute Field Work won second place at the New Voices playwriting festival in Cambridge, MA in 2004. He is a member of the Dramatist’s Guild and of Washington DC’s Playwright’s Forum. He received his B.S. from the University of South Dakota in 1998 and his M.L.A. from McDaniel College in 2002.

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***  Firebelly Productions is supported by Arlington County through the Arlington Commission for the ARTS and the Cultural Affairs Division of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Resources.  ***

Copyright © 2005 Firebelly Productions. All rights reserved. Designed by David Cahill.