Not About Nightingales

MICHAEL BENZ recently wrapped filming on the feature Pressure, opposite Brendan Fraser and Andrew Scott. He can be seen recurring as Kevin opposite Mae Whitman in the Hulu series “Up Here” and previously had a significant story arc on Apple Tv’s "For All Mankind” opposite Joel Kinnaman. He can also be seen in Todd Phillips’ Joker opposite Joaquin Phoenix and in Aaron Schneider’s Greyhound with Tom Hanks. Michael’s other screen credits include the films The Wife directed by Bjorn Runge, Snowden directed by Oliver Stone, and as American valet Ethan Slade on the ITV series “Downton Abbey”. On stage, Michael recently starred in The Power of Sail at The Menier Chocolate Factory in London. Michael previously co-starred as Leo Hubbard in the six-time Tony nominated production of Lillian Hellman’s The Little Foxes on Broadway opposite Laura Linney and Cynthia Nixon. He also starred in the West End production of The Importance Of Being Earnest opposite David Suchet, the West End production of The Tempest opposite Ralph Fiennes, and Hamlet, As You Like It, The Winter’s Tale and Love’s Labour’s Lost at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London. Michael is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and Georgetown University.

NICK CRAVEN is making his professional stage debut, and is still wrapping his head around the fact that it’s at the Williamstown Theater Festival. After graduating from Marist College with a degree in Film and Theater, he performed in a series of black box plays (The Dinner Party, Outposters) and shorts (Cutout, Homebody, Father) which have all led to this moment. He’s thrilled to be a part of a company that is sure to bring new life to this lost Tennessee Williams play. He’d like to thank everyone he’s ever met, that has in one way or another, brought him here, but most importantly, his family and friends.

SKYLER GALLUN Off-Broadway and New York theater: Richard III (The Public's Shakespeare in the Park); A Raisin in the Sun (The Public Theater); Terezin (Playwrights Horizons), Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare in Bryant Park); Henry VI: Part III, Twelfth Night, Cymbeline (Shakespeare in the Parking Lot). Regional: Blood Play (Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, First Reading); 10x10 New Play Festival (Barrington Stage Company); Lord of the Flies (Denver Center), Macbeth, (dir. Robert O'Hara, Denver Center). Film: Ray Donovan: The Movie, Souvenirs. TV: "Ray Donovan," "Dickinson." NYU BFA. He is represented by VGP Artist Management.

BRIAN GERAGHTY can most recently be seen playing a leading role opposite Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren in Taylor Sheridan’s ground-breaking series “1923” for Paramount+. The show’s second season, which aired in February, has smashed all prior viewership records at Paramount+ as the network’s most-watched series of all time. Brian can previously be seen playing a lead role in the David E. Kelley series “The Big Sky” for ABC opposite John Carroll Lynch and Ryan Phillippe, which was ABC’s most-watched premiere episode in five years. He can most recently be seen in the Sam Esmail series “Gaslit” for Starz, opposite Julia Roberts, Sean Penn, and Dan Stevens. Prior to that, he could be seen starring in Sam Esmail’s drama anthology “Briarpatch” for the USA Network, opposite Rosario Dawson, Kim Dickens and Alan Cumming. The show had its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival and maintains a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Brian also starred in Cary Fukunaga’s series “The Alienist” as Theodore Roosevelt, opposite Daniel Bruhl, Dakota Fanning, and Luke Evans for TNT. He also starred in “The Fugitive” series opposite Keifer Sutherland and Boyd Holbrook. Geraghty made waves alongside the pedigreed cast of Scorsese's “Boardwalk Empire” as Warren Knox, a rookie FBI agent whose baby face and Midwestern charm mask his true nature as a vicious, unhinged sociopath - and Season Four's most diabolical villain. He appears alongside Liev Schrieber in Showtime’s acclaimed drama “Ray Donovan” and in NBC’s “Chicago P.D.”, “Chicago Fire”, and “Chicago Med” as Sean Roman. Feature-wise, Brian Geraghty's unique combination of intensity and charisma has made him a favorite among auteurs and A-listers alike. While perhaps best known for his role as the tightly-wound bomb specialist in Kathryn Bigelow's Oscar-winning film The Hurt Locker, Geraghty also popped as the co-pilot turned religious zealot in Robert Zemeckis' much-lauded drama Flight, opposite Denzel Washington. Geraghty can be seen in a turn as a sharp-eyed DA in the Sundance-premiered Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile opposite Zac Efron, Lily Collins, and John Malkovich, and in the Elias Draughdrill-directed drama Faith. Brian recently finished shooting a role in the independent film Press Your Luck opposite Walt Goggins, Paul Walter Hauser, and David Strathairn. His resume lists such esteemed and eclectic collaborators as Martin Scorsese, Sam Mendes, McG, Jake Paltrow, Carlos Cuaron, playwright Jessica Goldberg, and indie darling Kyle Alvarez.

BEN GETZ is a graduate of NYU Tisch. Film/TV credits include "You", "Blue Bloods", "Invasion" as well as starring in the newly released "Gothic Slayers". Stage credits include Speech and Debate at Barrington Stage and Sinners directed by Brian Cox.

WILLIAM JACKSON HARPER Emmy and Tony nominee William Jackson Harper recently starred opposite Steve Carell in Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya. Harper, who received both a Tony Award nomination and a Drama League Award nomination for his performance, portrays the character of Astrov under the direction of Lila Neugebauer. Additionally, he currently stars alongside Jeff Daniels and Diane Lane in the Netflix limited series “A Man In Full,” executive produced by David E. Kelley and Regina King. In 2023, Harper starred in the Pulitzer Prize-winning off-Broadway play Primary Trust, written by Eboni Booth, and received rave reviews. Harper won an Obie Award and an Outer Critics Circle Award for his performance in Primary Trust, and he was also nominated for a Drama Desk Award and a Lucille Lortel Award. In film, Harper most recently starred in Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and in MGM’s Landscape With Invisible Hand. In 2021, he starred in HBO Max’s rom-com anthology series “Love Life,” for which he also executive produced, and received Critics’ Choice Award and NAACP Image Award nominations. Additionally, he starred alongside Aya Cash in the indie rom com We Broke Up and in Barry Jenkins’ Emmy nominated Amazon limited series “The Underground Railroad,” for which he received a Critics’ Choice Award nomination. From 2016-2020, Harper portrayed Chidi in NBC’s award-winning comedy series “The Good Place.” For his role, he earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series and two consecutive Critics’ Choice Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. In 2020, Harper narrated the Marvel audiobook series Black Panther: Sins of the King. He also starred in the Williamstown Theatre Festival’s Audible presentation of Animals by Stacy Osei-Kuffour. In 2019, Harper starred in the Focus Features’ legal drama Dark Waters, which centered on the scandal revolving around the DuPont chemical company. Directed by Todd Haynes, Harper starred alongside Mark Ruffalo and Tim Robbins. Harper also starred in A24’s thriller Midsommar with Florence Pugh and directed by Ari Aster. His additional feature film credits include Lost Holiday, Paterson, True Story, All Good Things and How to Tell You’re a Douchebag. On television, Harper co-starred as the character Xander opposite John Krasinski in the second season of Amazon’s “Jack Ryan.” Additionally, he has made guest appearances on numerous acclaimed television series including “30 Rock,” “The Blacklist,” “Law & Order,” “Law & Order: CI,” Hulu’s “Deadbeat,” “High Maintenance,” “Unforgettable” and the PBS children’s series “The Electric Company.” His credits also include the telefilms “The Breaks” and “The Share.” Born in Dallas, Harper has an extensive background in theater, co-starring alongside Cristin Milioti in After The Blast at Lincoln Center, as well as on Broadway in the Tony Award winning play All The Way, with Bryan Cranston. In 2018, Harper made his playwriting debut with the drama Travisville, which centers on a Texas church community untouched by the tumult of the civil rights movement. The play opened at New York’s Ensemble Studio Theatre to critical praise, with The New York Times noting Harper’s “serious writing chops.” Additional stage performances include A Family for All Occasions at the Labyrinth, Modern Terrorism at Second Stage, The Total Bent, Titus Andronicus and Measure for Measure at the Public, Placebo and A Cool Dip in the Barren Saharan Crick at Playwrights Horizons and Queens Boulevard and Paradise Park at the Signature. Harper also has numerous regional theater credits, including Ruined, Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing and Romeo and Juliet. Harper currently resides in Brooklyn with his dog Chico.

IVÁN MARCEL HERNANDEZ holds a BFA from Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University, and has performed at Shakespeare’s Globe and in productions such as Henry IV Part 1 (Hotspur) and Ten Blocks on the Camino Real. Bilingual and stage combat trained. Proudly from Santo Domingo.

JOE GOLDAMMER is delighted to be returning to the Williamstown Theatre Festival where he was seen in A Raisin in the Sun. Selected Chicago credits: Marie Antoinette ( Steppenwolf Theatre); Booty Candy (Windy City Playhouse); Rabbit Hole (Goodman Theatre); Suicide Inc. (Steppenwolf Garage); Cicada (Route 66); Dead End (Griffin Theatre); R.U.R. (Griffin Theatre); If You Take A Mouse To School (Emerald City). Regional Credits include: Macbeth (Denver Center for the Preforming Arts); Peter Pan, A Christmas Carol (Actors Theatre of Louisville); The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (Stage One); Henry V (Walden Theatre). Joe would like to thank his beautiful wife for her love and support.

MALIK JAMES Born in San Antonio, Texas, raised in Houston, Texas. Malik’s first exposure to the theatre was his senior year at Hightower High School in which he played the role of Uncle Henry in The Wiz. Unbeknownst to him, the role would spark what has been a decade long journey in learning, loving, and mastering the craft of acting. After graduating from high school, Malik enrolled at Texas State University majoring in Mass Communications. However, his intense curiosity about the motivation and psychology behind the human spirit and expressions of love, pain, distress, joy- could not be completely answered by the logic of his degree. The longing he felt helped him find his way to the Broadway actor and playwright, Eugene Lee. Mr. Lee proved to be the guiding spirit he needed and inspired him to change majors and dedicate his time to his craft as a BFA Acting major. Upon graduation his professor, Lauren Lane, told him that she thought he had what it takes to go to grad school. Upon some thought, he ended up auditioning and being accepted into the school formerly known as Yale School of Drama in 2020. Malik went on to make his professional debut during his first year in grad school in CHOIR at the Yale Repertory Theatre and recently revisited the stage starring in THE INVESTIGATOR. He has been the recipient of countless scholarships and awards including: 1st Place winner of the National Society of Arts and Letters Drama Competition, 2023; CBCF Performing Arts Scholarship, 2023 and many more.

SAM JAMES is a Brooklyn-based actor thrilled to be making his Williamstown Theatre Festival debut. Recent credits include the premiere of The Vicky Archives with Brouhaha Theatre Project at The Tank, They Came to the Castle at Theater for the New City, and Hamlet, The Seagull, and Electric Bloom through the Columbia University School of the Arts. He is a current member of Group 57 at The Juilliard School and a graduate of Bates College. He is grateful for the support of his family and his teachers.

DAN KATZ is thrilled to be making his Williamstown Theatre Festival debut especially as an Amherst College graduate. He has worked at the American Repertory Theatre, La MaMa, Cape May Stage, and sung in several Irish Repertory Theatre gala concerts. Thanks to Steve Irlen at Frontier Booking for his support and to Robert O'Hara for this wonderful opportunity. Love and appreciation to his wife Meg and his family. This show is dedicated to his beloved dad.

ELIZABETH LAIL will next be seen in the upcoming sequel to Universal's smash-hit 'Five Nights at Freddys 2. She also appears in the upcoming independent film 'Gonzo Girl' opposite Willem Dafoe and directed by Patricia Arquette premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival. On television, Lail starred opposite Penn Badgley in Netflix’s psychological thriller drama "You," from Greg Berlanti and Sera Gamble. She was also the lead in the NBC series "Ordinary Joe," opposite Jimmy Wolk and has played recurring roles on CBS's "Elsbeth" and HBO Max's "Gossip Girl." Previously, Elizabeth completed David Fincher’s "Videosyncrasy'" for HBO and starred as Frozen's 'Princess Anna' in a season of ABC's "Once Upon a Time." Other films include the STX horror film Countdown as well as the indie film Mack & Rita directed by Katie Duplass in which she plays a young Diane Keaton. Lail made her theatre debut this past year in Pretty Perfect Lives at the Flea Theater and performed in Ken Urban’s off Broadway play Nibbler directed by Ben Kamine.

ANNIE MCNAMARA Tony nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play, Slave Play, Alana. Selected theater credits: Slave Play (West End, New York Theatre Workshop), Iowa (Playwrights Horizons, Lortel Nomination For Outstanding Featured Actress In A Musical, The Cheerleader); We’re Gonna Be Okay (Humana Festival At Actors Theatre Of Louisville), Rapture, Blister, Burn (The Huntington Theatre Company). Elevator Repair Service: Gatz, Everyone’s Fine With Virginia Woolf, The Sound And The Fury, Clubbed Thumb Affiliated Artist. Tv/Film: Blue Jasmine, “Orange Is The New Black”, “Mozart In The Jungle”, “The Good Fight”, “Severance”, and “Hello Tomorrow!”.

DAVID MATTAR MERTEN is so proud to be returning to WTF this season after being an Acting Apprentice as an undergraduate. David is an Arab-German-Irish artist whose recent credits include An Enemy of the People on Broadway with Jeremy Strong and Michael Imperioli and the recent Off-Broadway production of The Beacon with Kate Mulgrew at Irish Rep. David has developed work with 2nd Stage, La Jolla Playhouse, Transport Theatre Group, The Flea Theatre, and Cherry Lane Theatre. Education: MFA in Acting from Brown University/Trinity Rep, BFA in Acting from Ball State University.

CHRIS MESSINA has appeared on stage in Salome (Broadway); Far Away (New York Theatre Workshop); Faster (Rattlestick Playwrights Theater); The Cherry Orchard (Williamstown Theatre Festival); This Thing of Darkness (Atlantic Theater Company); Good Thing (New Group); Blur (Manhattan Theatre Club); The Light Outside (Flea Theatre); Hologram Theory (Blue Light Theater Company); Refuge (Playwrights Horizons) and American Clock (Signature Theatre).

GABRIEL PORTUONDO hails from Brentwood, Long Island, NY. He is a graduate of Bucknell University and Columbia University (MFA in Acting) and is also a founding member of the Magis Theatre Company in NYC. Most recent credits include First Player in the Hamlet workshop at the Center Theatre Group in L.A., directed by Robert O’Hara. Touchstone in As You Like It directed by Allen O’Reilly at Sylvester Manor, Thomas Putnam in The Crucible directed by Will Pomerantz at Bay Street Theater, Banquo in Macbeth, directed by Allen O’Reilly at Bay Street Theater, and The Narrator in The Grift, at Bay Street Theater. As well, Hercules in The Alcestiad with Magis Theatre Co, directed by George Drance. Gabriel’s one-man show THE RIME (a theatricalization of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's epic poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner) has run at the Montauk Lighthouse, the Virginia Arts Festival, and Theatre Row in NYC. Favorite roles include: Touchstone (Sylvester Manor) in As You Like It, Banquo in Macbeth (Bay Street Theater), Ariel in The Tempest (Inwood Shakespeare); Angelo in Measure for Measure (Shakespeare & Co.); Horatio in Hamlet (Shakespeare Theatre of NJ, school tour), and Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare Theatre of NJ, school tour). Gabriel is also an instructor with Bay Street Theater’s Mini-Main Stage, a Shakespeare camp for children ages 7-12, at Bay Street Theater, with Allen O’Reilly and Teresa DeBerry. Gabriel would like to send a special thank you to Allen and Teresa for their tireless work as directors and instructors and for trusting Gabriel’s talent as an actor and educator. Finally, Gabriel would like to thank Columbia, Bucknell, his professors, mentors, colleagues, friends, and family for molding him into the artist he has become. You know who you are. Mad love to you! Gabe

ROBERT O'HARA is the Tony-Nominated Director of Slave Play and is currently working on several Film, Television, and Broadway projects. He’s a two time Obie Award Winner and two time NAACP Award Winner whose work has been seen around the country.

RAKESH PALISETTY is an Indian writer-director for theater and film based in New York. Before moving to the U.S., his productions toured extensively across India. His work challenges the status quo, shaped by his upbringing in the socioeconomically and culturally layered landscape of New Delhi. His artistic inquiries are deeply rooted in his evolving relationship with colonial texts and language, a tension that permeates both the rehearsal room and the stage. His theater-making is contemporary and experimental, not as a pursuit of innovation but as an organic extension of his lived experience—a response to the fractured, multi-layered world he inhabits. Select directing credits include Queen (NYU Grad Acting), Gruesome Playground Injuries (East Village Basement), Soirée at Walter Benjamin's (Teatro Latea), Hedda Gabler (Lenfest Center for the Arts), Much Ado About Nothing (Two River Theater), and Sky of Darkness (Theatrelab).

MARCUS WATSON (he/him) is a New York City–based intimacy coordinator, intimacy director, fight director, movement specialist, actor, and teaching artist with two decades of experience in live performance and film/TV. With a foundation in stage combat and a deep love for physical storytelling, Marcus draws from his diverse background in acting, gymnastics, mime, dance, and fighting to craft work that is grounded, expressive, and intentional. Marcus is a queer intimacy professional who has spent much of his career championing authentic and respectful representations of LGBTQ+ stories—particularly those involving gay intimacy—on stage and screen. His credits span Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regional theaters across the Northeast, as well as film and television projects with Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Apple TV, Showtime, STARZ, The CW, and Miramax. Notable credits include Halston, Uncoupled, Succession, Billions, The Penguin, and the Academy Award–nominated films Maestro and A Different Man. He is a teaching artist with Intimacy Directors and Coordinators (IDC), where he plays an integral role in training and certifying aspiring intimacy professionals, equipping them with the tools to build safer, more inclusive creative environments. Marcus also leads consent and intimacy workshops for theater and dance companies and is part of the advisory team collaborating with SAG-AFTRA to establish standardized guidelines for on-set intimacy coordination.

SOPHIA CHOI Broadway: Cult of Love (Second Stage), KPOP (Tony nomination), Off-Broadway: Urinetown (Encores!), White Rose: The Musical, Notes On My Mother’s Decline, Regional: Primary Trust (La Jolla Playhouse), Cult of Love (Berkeley Rep), An Enemy of the People (Yale Rep). Other selected theatre credits: Intelligence (Edinburgh Festival Fringe), Anna May Wong: The Actress Who Died a Thousand Deaths (Mabou Mines). Assistant design credits: Dope Thief (Apple TV+), Kaleidoscope (Netflix), White House Plumbers (HBO). Graduate of Yale School of Drama (MFA) and VCU School of the Arts (BFA). sophia-choi.com.

AUSTIN BOYLE is a New York based Lighting Designer and Associate. Recent Associate Credits: SHIT.MEET.FAN. (MCC), A Raisin in the Sun, Richard III (The Public Theater/NYSF), Long Day's Journey into Night (Minetta Lane), Faust, La Bohème, Don Giovanni, Falstaff (Berkshire Opera Festival). Recent design credits: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (The Lee Strasberg Institute) The Maid & The Mesmerizer, Discus (Hunger & Thirst Theatre), POOL (Rehearsal for Truth Festival), The Woods (Pendragon Theatre), The Mountaintop (Weston Playhouse), Grease, Rock of Ages, Cabaret (The Hanover Theatre Conservatory), Trash or Stories, Legally Blonde (ECFS), In The Same Space (Dixon Place, Williamstown Theatre Festival), Let The Right One In, Radium Girls, Dance Nation (Neighborhood Playhouse) Sylvia (New York Deaf Theatre). Outside of theatre, Austin works extensively in the fashion/event space, including five seasons of runway shows for New York Fashion Week with IMCD Lighting. Website: austinboylelighting.com

PALMER HEFFERAN (Sound Designer) is a Tony Award® nominated sound designer and composer for theater, opera, and podcasts. In 2019, she received an Obie Award® for Sustained Excellence in Sound Design from the American Theatre Wing. Highlights from the last decade include Broadway: John Proctor Is The Villain (Booth Theatre, Upcoming), Alex Edelman: Just For Us (Hudson Theatre), The Skin of Our Teeth (Tony nom, Lincoln Center); Grand Horizons (Second Stage); The Lifespan of a Fact (Studio 54). Off-Broadway: Shit.Meet.Fan, Nollywood Dreams, BLKS, Collective Rage, Charm, School Girls (MCC Theater); Teeth (New World Stages, Playwrights Horizons); Liberation, what the end will be, Something Clean, Bobbie Clearly (Roundabout Theatre); Long Day’s Journey Into Night (Audible Theater); Merry Wives, shadow/land, Shipwreck, Wild Goose Dreams (The Public Theater); Waiting For Godot, Fefu and Her Friends (TFANA); Blood Quilt, Flex, Becky Nurse of Salem, Marys Seacole (Lincoln Center); The Comeuppance, Fabulation, The Death of the Last Black Man... (Signature Theatre). IG: @palmzhefferan

Belle Alatorre is a latiné sound designer from Southern California living in the Garden State. They are thrilled to be working with Palmer Hefferan again. Select assistant/associate regional credits: KATE (Pasadena Playhouse), POTUS, Bulrusher, Mother Road, (Berkeley Rep), tiny father (Chautauqua Theatre Company), Mojada (Indianapolis Shakespeare Company). Con mucho mucho mucho amor xoxo. Check out more at stolenmemory.art