Ashley Adler, New York:   Ashley is thrilled to be beginning her first year with Living Voices, performing in "Through the Eyes of a Friend".  She is a recent '06 graduate of SUNY Purchase's acting conservatory.  Her New York credits include the indie feature film "The Understudy", "Political Subversities" (Culture Project), "Seven Deadly Sins" (Symphony Space), "Mahagonny Songspiel" (Liederkranz Opera), and the Drama Desk nominated "The Pirates of Penzance" (National Yiddish Theatre).  Favorite roles include Kate in "Kiss Me Kate", Mad Margaret in "Ruddigore", Miss Gilchrist in "The Hostage" and Masha in "The Seagull".  She has directed several children's theatre productions of at the Encino Drama Academy and looks forward to working with children again.

Leya Adler, New York:   Leya is excited to begin her first year performing with Living Voices. She considers herself a theatre practitioner with a love for acting, directing, and teaching theatre.  Leya holds an M.A. from NYU in Educational Theatre with an emphasis in directing. She completed her undergraduate studies at Florida State University in Theatre with an acting emphasis. Past favorite roles include Jesse in Night Mother, Six Doctors in Reckless, Nurse in Romeo and Juliet and Hermia in Midsummer Night's Dream whereby she was awarded recognition through the English Speakers Union. Directing credits include, The Would be Gentleman, Flowers for Algernon, I Never Saw Another Butterfly , and  A Shayna Maidel,. Her production of A Shayna Maidel won the Ellie Weisel honorable mention award in 2004. She most recently directed the second cast of the Off-Broadway production of Last Jew in Europe. She has also taught acting full time at a school for the arts in Florida and continues to teach in the New York area.

Jamie Askew, New York: Jamie Askew has been performing with Living Voices since 2004 and in New York and regional theatre productions for the past nine years.   Recent roles include: Lady Lurewell u/s - The Constant Couple (The Pearl Theatre Company) Louka u/s - Arms and the Man (The Pearl Theatre Company),  Elaine - Birdbrain (Actors Theatre of Louisville), and Choub - The Viy (HERE).   Jamie is a graduate of Mary Washington College, London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (Shakespeare Intensive), and was in the apprentice companies of Williamstown Theatre Festival and Actors Theatre of Louisville

Rachel Atkins, (Script Writer) Seattle:   Education Director and primary scriptwriter for Living Voices; teaching artist for Book-It All Over, Seattle Repertory Theatre & Seattle Children's Theatre Education Outreach. Former Director of Education/faculty for Ardeo Theatre Project in St. Julien l'Ars, France; University of Washington Drama Coordinator for public school outreach; Partnership Coordinator for Youth Theatre Northwest; dramaturge for The Empty Space Theatre; Literary Manager at Pilgrim Center for the Arts. Over 11 years of teaching/directing experience in Seattle, New York and France with Ardeo Theatre Project, Creative Arts Team Youth Theatre, Seattle Children's Theatre, Book-It All Over, Seattle Repertory Theatre, The Empty Space Theatre, Pilgrim Center for the Arts, Youth Theatre Northwest, Bertschi School, Northwest School, Group Health Cooperative, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, University of Washington Outreach, King County Libraries and Seattle Public Schools. MA in Educational Theatre from New York University.

Christine Avila, Los Angeles:   Christine Avila was an original cast member of the Mark Taper  Forum's ZOOT SUIT, and, recently, performed at the Kirk Douglas Theater in DOGEATERS. Recent screen credits: HEROES, NUMB3RS, HOUSE, and LIAR, LIAR .   Christine performed the role of "Antonio" in MERCHANT OF VENICE for LA Women's  Shakespeare Co..   She was also in the original
cast of South Coast Rep's LA POSADA MAJICA. Christine is a eight time invitee to  the Sundance Playwrights Festival, a founding member of We Tell Stories and The Classical Theatre Lab, and an Associate Artist at the former LATC.   Other regional theater credits:  Padua Hills Playwrights Festival, San Jose Rep, La Jolla Playhouse, Colorado Springs Shakespeare, Pasadena Shakespeare Company and Bilingual Foundation for the Arts. Awards: Two  Dramalogue Awards; Teacher Of The Year (UCLA Extension); two citations from the City of L.A. (SIPA & Fred C. Nelles School for Boys). She graduated from UCLA, and studied with Sandy Meisner and Bill Esper at the Neighborhood Playhouse. She has
taught at UCSB,  USC and UCLA,  and is an Associate Teacher  at the Steve Eastin Studios .  She is a member of THE ACTORS GANG.

Britt Boyd, Seattle:  According to her mother, Britt learned to sing before she could talk, a talent that went unappreciated until she got cast in her first paying show. Performing has taken her around the world and back to her hometown of Seattle, where she spends her days opening young minds to the joy of theatre. A graduate of the University of Washington, she is a musical theatre historian and avid stage combatant. Britt is thrilled to return for her third season at Living Voices.

Natalie Burgess, New York: In addition to being a new performer with Living Voices, Natalie Burgess is a performer, composer, playwright and mask and puppet designer specializing in theatre for young audiences. She is the Artistic Director of Paper City Productions, a New York City theatre company which utilizes her handmade designs and original songs and scripts presenting new stories to family audiences. She holds a B.A in Psychology from Sonoma State University and an MA in Educational Theatre from NYU. She is thrilled to be a part of Living Voices - bringing quality educational theatre to audiences of all ages.

Susanna Burney, Actor/Director, Seattle: Susanna Burney returns for a fourth season performing for Living Voices.  For the past 15 years she's made Seattle her home.  Favorite Seattle performances include, Lady Capulet in Romeo and Juliet, Phebe in As You Like It (Seattle Shakespeare Company); The Laramie Project (Empty Space); Emilia in Othello, and Boyet in Loves Labours Lost (Wooden O); the title role in Hamlet, and Grace in Faith Healer (opposite Paul Giamatti) at Annex Theatre; Mrs. Wilcox in Howards End and Miss Dent in Trains for Book-It Repertory.  Susanna has performed in Los Angeles, New York City (Dance Theatre Workshop and Lincoln Center Directors Lab), Boston (The Huntington, New Ehrlich, Public Theatre); Portland, Maine, and at the Edinburgh Festival. She also directs, and is the founding artistic director of Our American Theater Company, devoted to producing solely American plays.  Susanna received her BFA in acting from Boston University.

Nancy Calos-Nakano, Seattle:   Is an independent artist working in the A&E industry since 1977, within various genres: stage, film, tv/video, radio, modeling and performed many capacities (performer, dancer, program creator, educator, writer, producer, director, grants-writer, board member, mixed-media and textile and jewelry artist by commission).  Nancy has collaborated with over 90 organizations, locally, regionally and internationally; NW Asian American Theatre, Seattle Group Theatre, Live Girls! Theatre, Seattle Rep, ReAct, Portland Cultural Firehouse, Video International, Dyson Artforce, Bete Internationals, Montreal Playhouse, Wing Luke Asian Museum, Seattle and Burke Museums, Hiroshima to Hope Floating Lantern Festival, O'day, Bullitt and Fox  Broadcasting companies, OPM Sketch Comedy, Langston Hughes Performing Center, Tacoma Art Museum, Rainier Valley Youth Theatre, Mae West Fest, Black Arts West, Youth theatre NW, ACT, Theatre Babylon, Korean Identity Society and more.  A few board representations: Theatre Puget Sound, NW Actors Studio, Seattle Scenic Studio, Performing heARTS of Washington, Mabuhay TV Magazine, Consortium for Artists of Color, Eleventh Hour Productions (Seattle Slam), NWAAT, Tacoma Slam Poetry, APCC and Arts Together.  Related industry organizations: Carolyn Hansen Fashion Agency, Barbizon, Stars Modeling Agency, Rivera Productions and Faces International.  Currently, White Center Arts Alliance, Broadway Performance Center for the Arts,  Theatre Artists Alliance, Mavin Foundation and Cultural Art Projects for multicultural and multi-ethnic work.

Nancy received her communication arts degree at the UP and won an award for poetry/prose in City Kids Magazine

Becky Chong, Seattle: Becky is honored to begin her second year with Living Voices. Graduating from the University of Washington with a double B.A. in drama and communications, Becky has also had the opportunity to study at the University of Hull in England and the Actors Theatre of Louisville. With performances in the Humana Festival and the New York International Fringe Festival, she also had the opportunity to share the stage with Theatre de la Jeune Lune in The Miser. Some other favorites roles include Ariel in The Tempest, Cleante in Tartuffe, and Celia in As You Like It.