An Intimate Theatre Project

Christopher Tipp

Ethan

Chris Tipp is thrilled to be back home after recently moving to New York City and excited to return to Rebel and Misfits after playing Laertes in their immersive production of Hamlet: See What I See. He was most recently seen at the Repertory Theatre of Saint Louis in A Christmas Carol and Stages Saint Louis in their production of Alice in Wonderland. He has played the title role in The Who’s Tommy at the Springer Opera House in Columbus. He has worked with The Repertory Theatre of Saint Louis' Imaginary Theatre Company and was nominated for a Saint Louis Theatre Circle Award for best supporting actor in a drama for his portrayal of Beethoven in Dog Sees God. Additional roles include the title role in Thom Pain (Based on Nothing), Valentine in Orpheus Descending, Adama in Spellbound, and Devlin in Ashes to Ashes. He is recognized by the Society of American Fight Directors as an Actor Combatant and has played guitar for 10 years. He received his MFA in Acting from Western Illinois University and is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Kelly Hummert

Olivia

A member of the global phenomenon Secret Theatre, Kelly Hummert is thrilled to play this role on the heels of REBEL AND MISFITS PRODUCTIONS acclaimed Hamlet: See What I See, where she played Ophelia alongside her fellow company member, Christopher Tipp. Credits: The Sexy Witch in Macbeth for Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis, Viola in Twelfth Night at Brooklyn Shakespeare Experience, Maggie in After The Fall with Stage 15 Productions, Medea in Medea Redux in The 24 Hour Plays at the Public, Natasha in Three Sisters, the New York Premiere of Kato McNickle’s Swimming In The Ocean, and Helen in the workshop of Warning: Adult Content at MCC. Other favorite Regional roles: Jack in Lord of the Flies, Hermione in The Winters Tale, Lula in The Dutchman, Amy in Tape, and Antony in Julius Ceasar. Film Credits: The Devil Wears Prada, The Marconi Brothers, The Good Shepard, and Across the Universe.

Kelly Hummert - Artistic Director

Ms. Hummert is the founder and Artistic Director of REBEL AND MISFITS PRODUCTIONS, where she recently produced and concepted The Immersive Theatre Project’s, Hamlet: See What I See. She holds a BFA in Acting from Webster Conservatory’s Theatre Program, where she honed her acting skills and developed her love of directing and a taste for “out of the box" work. She created and directed a ninety-minute, modernized production of THE WINTERS TALE, directed David Mamet’s THE WATER ENGINE as a stage-play, and LOT 13: THE BONE VIOLIN. After making her St. Louis debut in Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis’ third season in Macbeth, Ms. Hummert moved to New York, where she found herself working with some very successful writers, acting, and eventually helping writers shape their stories in more original ways. After almost a decade in New York, she moved back in St. Louis, where she saw a thriving theatre community and a niche for her personal work. She is dedicated to presenting life-changing stories in non-tradional environments and in non-traditional ways. She is thrilled to bring one of her favorite playwrights, Ms. Laura Eason’s Sex With Strangers to St. Louis. Her hero is David Bowie, and as he so eloquently said “I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring.” She is extremely proud of this team, and is honored to bring you the first installment of An Intimate Theatre Project

Michelle Bossy - Director

Michelle Bossy is a Mexican-American theater director and filmmaker dedicated to bringing original, new work to the stage and screen. She directed the short films 18 (world premiere, Austin Film Festival), written by Courtney Baron; She Grinds Her Own Coffee (New York Short Film Festival), written by Cheri Magid; and The New 35, written by Leslie Korein. Recently Michelle collaborated with Maria Alexandria Beech on TeleMAMAS, a new web series.

Theater projects Michelle has directed include Every Good Girl Deserves Fun by Heidi Armbruster, Sex of the Baby by Matthew-Lee Erlbach, Cloven Tongues by Victor Lesniewski, Un Plugged In by Brian Pracht, South Beach Rapture by David Caudle, and Sarajevo’s Child by Katie Simon, amongst many other new plays. She directed the world premiere of Little Monsters by Maria Alexandria Beech, and created the musical High School Confidential for Primary Stages with writers Janet Reed, Dan Ahearn, Sara Wordsworth and Russ Kaplan. Some developmental readings she has directed include Radio Boys by Joe Gilford (EST), Miller, Mississippi by Boo Killebrew, The Infinity Pond by Maria Alexandria Beech and Eat Your Heart Out by Courtney Baron (all at Perry Mansfield New Works Festival), Bicycle Girl by Rogelio Martinez (at Repertory Theater of St. Louis), Gloria by Maria Alexandria Beech (EST), Mercy by Adam Szymkowicz, and May Day by Molly Smith Metzler.

Michelle was the Associate Artistic Director of Primary Stages, where she worked for thirteen years. While there, she ran the Dorothy Strelsin New American Writers Group, where she worked with over twenty five emerging writers on the creation of new plays. Michelle holds the first undergraduate directing degree from Webster University’s Conservatory of Theatre Arts. She teaches acting and playwriting for the Einhorn School of Performing Arts (ESPA) and directing for Syracuse University's Tepper Semester. Michelle was a semifinalist for the HBO Access Program. Member: Lincoln Center Director’s Lab.

Vanessa Hart - Stage Manager

Vanessa C. Hart is a new resident of St. Louis, originally from Philadelphia, PA. She got her B.A. in Theatre from Franklin and Marshall College. Previously, she stage managed Rebel and Misfits Productions’ of Hamlet: See What I See (dir. Melanie Armer) and PRIME Theatre Company’s FAT: A Play by Shannon Greir (dir. Andrea Schoening). Back in PA, she stage managed F&M's A Midsummer Night's Dream (dir. Carol C. Davis), Three Sisters and One Man, Two Guvnors (dir. Rachel Anderson-Rabern), and The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (dir. Jason Narvy), as well as The People's Shakespeare Project of Lancaster's The Tempest (dir. Laura Korach), and Wee Keep Company's Three Sisters and A Wolf (dir. Rachel Anderson-Rabern).

Laura Eason - Author

Laura Eason is the author of twenty plays, original work and adaptation, a musical book writer and screenwriter. Selected productions include SEX WITH STRANGERS (Second Stage, NYC; Signature Theatre, DC; Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago; Sydney Theatre, AU; published by Overlook Press); THE UNDENIABLE SOUND OF RIGHT NOW (Rattlestick Theatre and Women’s Project Theatre, NYC; Rising Phoenix Rep, NYC); THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER (Hartford Stage, CT; New Victory, NYC; People’s Light, PA; Actor’s Theatre, KY; KC Rep; St. Louis Rep; Denver Center, published by DPS), and AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS (New Vic and Royal Exchange, UK; Lookingglass Theatre; Baltimore Centerstage; published by Broadway Play Publishing). She wrote the book for the musicals DAYS LIKE TODAY, music and lyrics by Alan Schmuckler (Writers Theatre, Chicago) and SUMMERLAND, music by Jenny Giering, lyrics by Sean Barry (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre commission). Additional plays include: THE VAST IN-BETWEEN (Denver Center commission, also developed by the Vineyard, NYC), REMARKABLE INVISIBLE (Ambassador Theatre Group commission), EVERY REASON TO HOPE AND BELIEVE (Repertory of St. Louis commission), 40 DAYS (NEA grant, developed by New York Theatre Workshop and Lookingglass Theatre Company), PLAINFIELD ACE (developed by Two River Theatre, NJ and Atlantic Theatre Company, NYC) and an adaptation of HANS BRINKER AND THE SILVER SKATES (Arden Theatre commission), among others. As a screenwriter, Laura wrote on season two and three of the Emmy-winning Netflix show HOUSE OF CARDS. She is an Ensemble Member and former Artistic Director of Chicago’s Lookingglass Theatre (2011 Regional Tony Award). In New York, she is a member of Rising Phoenix Rep, New Georges, and a Women’s Project Playwright’s Lab alumna. More information available at lauraeason.com or @LeasonNYC on twitter.

Aarti Couture - Digital Media Director

Aarti is a St. Louis native returning from Los Angeles to join Rebel and Misfits Productions. She has worked locally at Synergy Productions, Talent Plus and Lounge Concepts as well as SKAM Artists in Los Angeles.

Chad Raines - Sound Designer

Chad Raines is a musician from Dallas, Texas. In New York he has designed for Roundabout Underground, Here Arts Center, Jack Performing Arts Center, The Baryshnikov Arts Center, The Ontological, The New Ohio, La Mama, The Public Theatre’s Under the Radar Festival as well as Regional and College Theaters such as Bard’s Fisher Center, Princeton’s Berlind Theatre, Brown/Trinity, Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Barnard College to name a few. He is the resident Sound Designer for Fault Line Theater and I AM A BOYS CHOIR and has designed for Rachel Chavkin, Robert Woodruff, Julia Jarcho, Liliana Blain-Cruz, Robert Woodruff, Robin Frohardt among many other awesome people. He is a 2011 graduate of the Yale School of Drama and frontman for the rock group, “The Simple Pleasure” www.chadraines.com