West Guild Story

Rob Schow is a Canadian-born, American-raised writer, director, and producer residing in the Los Angeles area. However, he makes his money as a production assistant for ABC. If you need a script or film made, he will usually work for free. But if you want coffee delivered, it will cost you minimum wage. His goal is to one day flip that. Aside from production, Rob also works with Rugged Film, Intl., renting out film equipment to productions. Rob got his B.A. in Drama from the University of California, Irvine and loves getting massages.

Despite what his friends think, being born behind the iron curtain does not make Michael a pinko commie. He actually spent most of his life between the sunny beaches of LA and OC and is currently a researcher for Saving Grace. During the WGA Strike Michael managed the operations of the media room in the WGAw, where he learned that a writer's best friend is a pencil and procrastination – so that with pencil's down, you're only left with the latter.

Aside from being a jackass, Michael is a graduate of UC Irvine, with a BA in Economics and Film. He has won numerous film festivals and competitions for short subject filmmaking and is currently developing a few spec features and a TV pilot. He likes walks on the beach, but not very long ones, 'cause lets be honest, trudging through sand is not easy.

Brian is thrilled to be a part of West Guild Story.  Mr. Rodda can also be seen on Strike.tv in Life In General and Unknown Sender.  When not acting, he is a founding member of the Strike.tv team, the line producer for the upcoming documentary StrikeTV documentary, and an Associate Artistic Director with US Performing Arts. National Tours include: Alexander Who's Not Going to Move (Kennedy Center), Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (Kennedy Center). Regional credits include: A Class Act, Studio Theatre; Cinderella, Sacramento Theater Company; The Robber Bridegroom, American Century Theatre. Television audiences may also know Brian as the "Sales Guy" from a national spot for Carmax.  Brian holds a B.A. in Spanish from UC Davis.

Lourdes is a graduate of UC Santa Barbara's BFA Conservatory Acting Program. She has also studied at the British American Drama Academy in Oxford with noted RSC actors and directors. Previous work includes: bobrauchenbergamerica, The Actor's Nightmare, Melancholy Play, Brown Baby, Twelfth Night, The Comedy of Errors, and 5 Letter Word  for which she won The Kennedy Center New Works Festivals Award for excellence in Acting.  Please visit her website for more information! www.lourdesuribe.com

Chris Kolb (Fox/Head Exec) harks from Cape Cod, Chatham, Massachusetts!  Chris resides in North Hollywood but keeps in touch with his nautical roots (former commercial shellfisherman), love of nature and tongue in cheek New England sense of humor.  Clearly he cleans up well in order to play a hard-nosed corporate type in this short musical film spoof on West Side Story.  Chris just wrapped additional shooting of a very different type, in the El Paso Mountain Range in the Mohave Desert, as a principal in a gun slinging neo-western short that will hit festivals in '09.  You will also see Chris in a speaking role alongside Adam Garcia (Coyote Ugly) in Kurt Burk's feature, A Woman Called Job scheduled to hit festivals in 2008.  Chris just finished playing a lead role as the revolutionary poet, Pierre Gringoire, in an original production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame that ran in NoHo from December to February.  Chris adapts his singing voice to stage and film but his primary focus is motion pictures and television acting.  Chris is a graduate of Brown University with a B.A. in Art-Semiotics.  He is a poet, a sailor, a gardener and a p/t sound mixer/boom mic operator; Chris brings a conscientious and distinctive spark to his every role in the industry.

Parnell Damone is a triple threat performer, originally from Denver, CO. He has appeared in several theater venues in Southern California. including: "Dreamgirls", "Ragtime", "Bed, Boys & Beyond", and "It Started With a Lie". He has worked on films like "The Fabulous Baker Boys", "Amistad" "Dreamgirls", and "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story". He also played the title role in the prize winning short film, "Tyrone Jones". Parnell has toured the world singing with legendary entertainer Mary Wilson of The Supremes, and is currently recording his first CD of original music.

Born December 12, 1981 Chicago native, Joe found himself in Second City filling a long deep rooted void, which brought him cross-country chasing dreams, cars and mailmen with return-to-sender Head Shots, to beautiful Los Angeles.

Wilder Smith is currently residing in Los Angeles and pursuing her career in acting.  She has a B.A. degree in Drama from the University of California at Irvine.  This is her first production with Monsterbox Studios.

Timmy Morgan is a comedian/actor living in LA.  He has been performing standup comedy for over 5 years and has recently moved into writing and shooting his own comedic sketch material.  His latest work is called "Timlates: An Exercise ExtravaFUNza."

I was raised on a hippie commune in the backwoods of Michigan where I didn't know my father or mother as the entire community literally clung to the belief that it takes a village to raise a child.  I excelled in my studies at our quaint school and was chosen to be a future leader on the board of our commune.  It was decided that I would be sent to California to recieve a formal education to better serve our village.  Funds were limited so the woman of my commune banded together and cut their armpit hair for the first time in twenty years in order to make wigs and raise the funds I needed to go to school (you would be surprised how much virgin hippie armpit hair will run for).  When I moved out here I discovered technology and film and lost my love for flowers and outhouses, thus I stand before you today.

Lauren Gribble graduated with a BFA in Musical Theatre from Wright State University. So, needless to say, she was very excited to be part of this Musical Parody. "Nothing is more gratifying than a good street fight involving jazz hands and finger snaps". Aside from having a blast during filming, Lauren is especially proud of "West Guild Story" taking 1st runner up in United Hollywood's Short Film Festival! Lauren applauds the Producer/Writer/Director Duo Michael Arkoff and Rob Schow for their comedic and creative partnership. Let's keep the musical spoofs coming!
 

Originally from Tucson, AZ, Sean Hankinson was thrilled to be a part of West Guild Story.  A member of Actors' Equity Association, Sean feel right a home in this theatrical piece captured for the internet audience.  Those same audience members might recognize Sean as "Ben Simmons" on the Emmy Nominated internet series, Prom Queen.  For more about Sean, please visit www.aboutsean.com

Lacey Mael is gearing up for a big year. She has three movies coming out, as well as a co-staring role on a new Spike TV show. She has a BA in drama from UC Irvine and is continuing her education with many an acting class here in Los Angeles.

Don's first foray into performance was as a dancer. Some of Don's dance credits include: "Chicago Dance for Life" performances as well as "The Sleeping Beauty" & "The Nutcracker" ballets. However, after moving to Los Angeles in January of 2003 Don's love for acting and theatre was reignited. He has since dedicated all of his free time to performing in musical theatre as well as some small, independent films, most recently, "Gaydar". Some of Don's other acting credits include the role of Jackie in Andrew Lippa's "The Wild Party" and the role of Tommy Djilas in "The Music Man". Oh yeah, you may have also caught Don bouncing on the "big balls" on ABC's game show "Wipeout!"

Shari Washington Rhone has toured internationally as a soloist with Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre as well as with the Heritage Chorale.  She's toured nationally as a soloist with Lula Washington Dance Theatre. Shari performed in the original Los Angeles company of The Lion King as a singer and dancer swing, and also with Lion King - the Cheetah tour.  Mrs. Rhone opened Snow White An Enchanting New Musical at Disneyland as a dancer swing and currently works there, at Disneyland, as a Maintenance Choreographer.  Shari also sings professionally for the bands Proud Mary, Soulicious, and Bella Donna.

Tara Shayne grew up in Carefree, AZ as an active member of community theatre since childhood. With an ever growing passion for the arts, Tara began dancing at the age of 4 training at the prestigious Dance Motion Performing Company. She also began training vocally at a young age. She continued to expand her training with several coaches, performed in local choirs, and still continues to sing today. However, her training does not stop there. Tara has been a clasically trained pianist for nearly 12 years, studying under piano instructor Karen Maison.In her spare time, Tara began drawing in the medium of charcoal and pencil, and sold her first piece at age 15. Having set her sights on a career in the arts, Tara graduated from high school at 16, in the top 5% percent of her class, and shortly therafter moved to Los Angeles to further her acting career. She is an avid snowboarder, very profficient with dialects, great with physical comedy, and currently studies the Lyndon Technique with Amy Lyndon, as well as with Marnie Cooper at the Marnie Cooper School of Acting. You can catch Tara in the new Star Wars video game, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, as the likeness and motion capture for Princess Leia. You can also see her in the Weinstein Company film Boston Srangler: The Untold Story opposite David Faustino and directed by Michael Feifer, out on DVD in 2008. She also just wrapped production on the feature film Devolved with comedian Chris Kattan and is starring in two short films that make there festival circuit debut in 2009.

Born and grew up in Tokyo, Japan. Started film making in a college in Tokyo, and decided to study film in the US in 2007. Participated in a number of film projects as grip, screenwriter, editor, and director at University of California, Irvine. Aspiring to produce Hollywood scale movies in Japan.

Anne makes dances and theatre and films and writes and performs in a bunch of different places, like the Actor's Gang, Improv Olympic, the Upright Citizen's Brigade, and Cornerstone Theatre. Learn more about her at www.annebrashier.com

Davis enjoys working on both sides of the camera or curtain. She currently performs with 'Helios Jive' and 'The Pin Up Girls' and loves art, technology, all forms of improvisation and positive energy. www.davisneves.com