King Kirby

CRYSTAL SKILLMAN is an award-winning playwright expanding into television and audio drama. Her NY Times Critics’ Picks plays include GEEK (Vampire Cowboys), published by Concord Theatricals; and OPEN (The Tank Theatre/AFO),  published by DPS. This summer, she was invited to become a member of the WGA Audio Alliance as THE MAGICIAN’S MAGICIAN will be released as a seven-part audio drama series (inspired by OPEN) with BOOM Integrated/John Marshall Media in 2021. Her other work with Fred Van Lente includes EAT FIGHTER the animated series (based on their comic book on WebToon with Fred Van Lente), optioned this summer by WebToon. Her musicals with Bobby Cronin include the award-winning MARY AND MAX, as well as her play with music RAIN AND ZOE SAVE THE WORLD, just optioned by DDM Productions/Drew & Dane Productions (LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, THE OTHER JOSH COHEN).  Crystal’s credits also include “ADVENTURE TIME” comics (BOOM! Studios) and work with Marvel Studios. https://www.crystalskillman.com/

FRED VAN LENTE is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of MARVEL ZOMBIES, INCREDIBLE HERCULES (with Greg Pak), ODD IS ON OUR SIDE (with Dean R. Koontz), as well as the American Library Association award-winning ACTION PHILOSOPHERS and newly released COMIC BOOK STORY OF BASKETBALL: A FAST BREAK HISTORY OF HOOPS. His original graphic novel COWBOYS & ALIENS (co-written with Andrew Foley) is the basis for the major motion picture starring Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford. Van Lente’s other comics include THE COMIC BOOK HISTORY OF COMICS, TASKMASTER, ARCHER & ARMSTRONG, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN and GI JOE. http://www.fredvanlente.com/

BOBBY CRONIN is the award-winning composer/writer of Mary & Max with bookwriter Crystal Skillman (World Premiere Theatre Calgary 2018, European Premiere at Austria’s Theatre Linz 2019; Winner of 2018 MUT Critics Award, Pace New Musicals 2018, SigWorks Finalist 2018); ‘Til Death Do Us Part (World Premiere 2020 – Covid Canceled, 2018-2020 SDSU New Works Award; 2017 SigWorks Finalist; 2016 Overtures Series) with bookwriter Caroline Prugh; Concrete Jungle, set to play London’s Leicester Square Theatre summer 2020 (Covid Canceled); Till Soon, Anne with book & lyrics by Christine Toy Johnson (O’Neill Writing Residency); Daybreak (winner of the 2011 New Jersey Playwrights Contest) premiered in Wayne, NJ & London’s Tristan Bates Theatre spring 2012. His TYA musical Psykidz was turned into a digital feature during the pandemic, filmed remotely with a cast of 19 actors, produced by The Professional Performance Prep where he is also on faculty. Bobby won the 2014 York NEO Award, mentored by Stephen Flaherty. He scored/wrote songs for numerous award-winning short musical films and webseries, plus the scores for the audio dramas King Kirby by Crystal Skillman & Fred Van Lente on the Broadway Podcast Network, and In The Cards by Kara O’Rourke as part of Yale’s Attune YDN Podcast. Other: 54 Below, Lincoln Center Songbook Series, Birdland, Symphony Space, London’s The Players Theatre & St. James Theatre, etc. “Reach The Sky: Live” & “The Concrete Jungle International Studio Cast Recording” on all digital platforms. Yale grad. Member of DG & ASCAP. www.bobbycronin.com

STEVEN RATTAZZI Broadway: Indecent. Off-Broadway: King Kirby (The Brick); The Black Crook (Abrons Arts); Indecent (Vineyard); Henry V w/Liev Schrieber (Public Theater); Galileo w/F. Murray Abraham; The Tempest w/Mandy Patinkin, (CSC); Stunning (Lincoln Center); Dinner Party (Target Margin); Painted Snake on a Painted Chair (OBIE); McGurk (ERS); Richard Foreman’s Samuel’s Major Problems (Ontological). Regional: Lempicka (Williamstown Theater Festival); The Bridge of San Luis Rey by David Greenspan (Two River Theater); Seder (Hartford Stage);The School For Wives (Two River Theater); Indecent (Yale Rep/La Jolla Playhouse); Marie Antoinette (ART/Yale Rep);  The Lovesong of J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cincinnati Playhouse); A Christmas Carol (McCarter); Sherwood (Cleveland Playhouse). Film: The Family (Luc Besson); But This Is How It Will End (Amy Epstein). TV: The Venture Brothers (7 seasons).

STEVEN RATTAZZI Broadway: Indecent. Off-Broadway: King Kirby (The Brick); The Black Crook (Abrons Arts); Indecent (Vineyard); Henry V w/Liev Schrieber (Public Theater); Galileo w/F. Murray Abraham; The Tempest w/Mandy Patinkin, (CSC); Stunning (Lincoln Center); Dinner Party (Target Margin); Painted Snake on a Painted Chair (OBIE); McGurk (ERS); Richard Foreman’s Samuel’s Major Problems (Ontological). Regional: Lempicka (Williamstown Theater Festival); The Bridge of San Luis Rey by David Greenspan (Two River Theater); Seder (Hartford Stage);The School For Wives (Two River Theater); Indecent (Yale Rep/La Jolla Playhouse); Marie Antoinette (ART/Yale Rep);  The Lovesong of J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cincinnati Playhouse); A Christmas Carol (McCarter); Sherwood (Cleveland Playhouse). Film: The Family (Luc Besson); But This Is How It Will End (Amy Epstein). TV: The Venture Brothers (7 seasons).

Amy Lee Pearsall: The Honeycomb Trilogy (Gideon Productions); Lickspittles, Buttonholers, and Damned Pernicious Go-Betweens (Boomerang Theatre Co.); Dream Ticket (FringeNYC / Fortress Productions); Picture Ourselves in Latvia (New Light Theatre Project); Dead Special Crabs (Wide Eyed Productions); What’s Wrong With You (Harold Clurman Lab / Stella Adler). Member: AEA; SAG-AFTRA; Indie Theater Hall of Fame (2013). www.amyleepearsall.com

Nat Cassidy is an award-winning actor, writer, and musician based in NYC. As an actor he’s guest starred on shows such as “The Good Fight” (CBS), “Blue Bloods” (CBS), “Bull” (CBS), “Quantico” (ABC), “The Following” (Fox), “The Affair” (Showtime), “Red Oaks” (Amazon) “High Maintenance” (HBO), “Law & Order: SVU” (NBC), “The Iliza Shlesinger Sketch Show” (Netflix), and has appeared on stage in numerous productions and workshops both Off- and Off-Off-Broadway (King Kirby being one of his favorite ever). He’s the author of numerous award-winning horror plays which have been produced and developed across the country and published by Samuel French, Broadway Play Publishing, Smith & Kraus, NYTE, and Applause Books. In New York, his plays have been nominated for a combined total of 17 New York Innovative Theatre Awards, including 3 times for Outstanding Full-Length Script (which he won in 2009, and in 2011 for Outstanding Solo Performance for his one man show about H.P. Lovecraft). He was commissioned by The Kennedy Center to write the libretto for a world-premiere opera and he wrote the novelization of the hit podcast Steal the Stars, which was published by Tor Books (Macmillan) in 2017 and which NPR included among the best books of that year. He has also signed a two-book deal with Tor’s new horror imprint, Nightfire, with the first original horror novel MARY coming in 2022. www.natcassidy.com

Joe Mathers Most forgotten as the Scene Shop Administrator for NYU Steinhardt’s Vocal Performance program, Joe has been working in NYC theater for almost 2 decades both onstage and off, as a comedian and performer, having originated roles in shows such as “12th Night Of The Living Dead” and Mac Rogers’ “Blast Radius”.  He’s also appeared in the off broadway revival of Milan Stitt’s “The Runner Stumbles” and Norman Krasna’s “Dear Ruth” and has even been on TV in those disturbing crime re-enactment shows your nervous aunt watches. Joe has also enjoyed performing in a number of pieces crafted by Crystal and Fred, not just “King Kirby”. His work offstage ranges from independent production companies such as Boomerang and Gideon to larger productions from The Public, Atlantic and touring productions coming through NYC. He balances his time performing and engineering scenery with raising his two daughters and considering a motorcycle again. 

Timothy McCown Reynolds is a multidisciplinary artist living in Brooklyn. He is known for his work on The Moose Head Over the Mantel (2017), The Big Bad (2011) and In Corpore (2020). www.timothymccownreynolds.com
IG: @timothymccownreynolds