Theater 71: Shakespeare’s Heroines at the Gynecologist
Writer/Actor: Chriselle Almeida (Juliet)
Chriselle Almeida was born and raised in Mumbai, India and moved to NYC at the age of 14. She started out her career as an actor and has had the opportunity to work in several productions and shows over the years. However, as an Indian-American artist, she became dissatisfied with the limited and stereotypical roles available for women of color. Therefore, she started writing and producing her own work with the goal of creating more content of better quality for artists that look like her. Shakespeare's Heroines at the Gynecologist has placed in reputable writing contests including the Austin Film Festival, Screen Craft, Coverfly and ISA. Chriselle feels empowered to use her voice to tell stories that encourage diversity and inclusive. She is grateful to Bernadette Armstrong and Open Door Playhouse for giving her the opportunity to showcase her work.
Chriselle would like to dedicate this production to her high school acting teacher, Fran Kondziela, as a way to say Thank You for opening her up to the magical world of Shakespeare so many years ago and also for reading countless drafts and helping with the editing process recently.
CHRISELLE ALMEIDA
Director: Bernadette Armstrong
Bernadette Armstrong moved to Los Angeles to work in film in the late 1990’s and after her first two films went to festivals she took a short hiatus from writing until she fell in love with small theater. Since 2008 she has had several successful theater projects produced in No Hollywood. Her play The Reading Group was named Pick of the Week by LA Weekly Magazine and in 2017 her play Simple Lives was nominated for Outstanding Writing of an Original Play or Musical by the Valley Theater Awards (the only woman nominated).
Bernadette Armstrong
CAST:
Goreti da Silva (Viola)
Since moving to Los Angeles from Canada, Goreti da Silva has worked in many films, tv programs, theatre, and improv shows. Most recently, you may have seen her on Big Little Lies, a Toyota commercial, or heard her voice in one of many radio plays on Opendoorplayhouse.org.
Goreti was awarded The Michael Grossman Most Inspirational Award for her body of theatre work in the Desert; and she won the Valley Theatre Award for her work in “Park Plays: Portland”.
When not performing, Goreti fills her "well" by teaching Improv, Theatre Arts, Playwriting, and Acting to underserved youth who write plays in which they later perform. Though Goreti has produced and directed dozens of plays, she continues to be surprised, delighted and inspired by our next generation of leaders.
Goreti da Silva
Gloria Tsai (Ophelia)
Gloria Tsai is a Taiwanese-Texan actor/voice actor originally from Austin. After leaving a corporate career in 2015, she decided to pursue her childhood passion for performing and in late 2018 relocated to LA. In the Fall of 2019, Gloria was cast in “The Joy Luck Club” at Sierra Madre Playhouse (SMP), directed with LA Arts Commissioner & former East-West Players Artistic Director, Tim Dang. She returned to SMP in July of 2020 for a virtual production of “Yellow Face” by D.H. Hwang. And this past December, she played Clara Stanton in "Sex" by Mae West. Gloria’s VO career is just beginning! She completed her demos and narrated 2 romance novels in 2020. She has trained with famous vocal coaches: David Sobolov, Steve Blum, Bob Bergen, and Eliza Jane Schneider. Learn more at GloriaTsai.com or check out @glowtsai on all socials.
Gloria Tsai
Barika Phillips Bell (Desdemona)
Barika Phillips Bell originally hales from Dallas, TX. After graduating Suma Cum Laude from Fisk University in Nashville, TN, she received her bachelor's degree in Psychology & Theater. She is an accomplished actress, singer, director, published poet & spoken word artist, a playwright & producer. "James & Joseph" produced by Barika, was nominated for an NAACP award. Past credits include: "And Then There Was You" with Brian White and Lynn Whitfield, the films "No Sunlight", "Maternal Instincts", and "A Mother's Ordeal" and "The Last Appeal". She recently won Best Support Actress for the film "The Tale of the Corporate Slave" airing now on Amazon and Best Comedy Ensemble for the short "It Happens" at the Austin Film Festival.
Barika Phillips Bell
Camille Ameen (Lady Macbeth)
Camille has acted on Broadway, off-Broadway & major regional theatres. Most recently, she appeared in Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders and Gilmore Girls. Other TV shows include ER, L.A. Law, Newhart, Roseanne, and Kate & Allie. She had the pleasure of performing in Othello, starring James Earl Jones and Christopher Plummer, Garland Wright/Jack Heifner's Colette: Music Hall Sidelights with Kathy Bates, Awake and Sing opposite Nancy Marchand, Miss Julie & The Stronger with Rip Torn and Geraldine Page, Pirandello's Chee-Chee with Actors Theatre of Louisville, and 2 productions each of A Streetcar Named Desire and The Three Sisters. She co-founded a theatre-based non-profit for underserved middle schoolers, which became so successful (went to the White House to accept an award for the organization) that she had to let go of other passions. Now, she's thrilled to be acting again with Open-Door Playhouse. She's extremely grateful for the opportunities she's received.
Camille Ameen
Sound Production:
Oak House Recording Studio in Pasadena, CA with Sound Engineer David Peters.
