STAGE FRIGHTS - PART SIX: SACRIFICE

Jonathan Cook is heavily involved in the fine arts as an actor, writer, and filmmaker based in South Carolina. Many of his short plays have been produced in theatres around the World and and he is a six-time recipient of the Porter Fleming Literary Award in the playwriting category. Aside from playwriting, he has also written and directed several short films that have been presented in regional film festivals as well as distributed internationally on ShortsTV. He is also the host and producer of the radio theater podcast GATHER BY THE GHOST LIGHT. Launched in 2020, GATHER BY THE GHOST LIGHT is a collection of stage plays adapted to an audio only format performed by voice actors and edited with appropriate sound effects and music.

Jacquelyn Priskorn has been writing plays since she took her first class with playwright Kitty Dubin in 1997. She has had several plays and screenplays produced since that first class, including the award winning short film "The Guest Room" (shown at the Strasbourg Film Festival in France) as well as a screenplay, "Love & Plutonium", which is currently available on Amazon. "Glass Slipper, Size 8 ½", "The Rot", "The Reckless Romantic" and "Off Center" are currently available through Brooklyn Publishing. "Ida Invisible" and "Andela" are available through Next Stage Press. The one act version of "Barn Wood and Blue Roses" is available through Stage Partners.
Her short play "Off Center" won Best Play at the Oakland University Actor Showcase. And "Good Morning, Miriam" has received the Jury's Choice Award at the Detroit Fringe Forward Festival, Best New Play from New Plays From the Heartland, Audience Favorite at Big Idea Theatre, and The Chameleon Theatre Circle's 17th annual one act play contest.
As an actress, Ms. Priskorn began writing to create roles for anybody and everybody.

Devon McSherry has been involved in the arts for as long as she can remember. Music and theater was what brought her parents together and shaped her love of the arts. So much so that she went to college for musical theater and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BFA from Metropolitan State University of Denver. Wherever she went, Devon continued to perform but only began writing plays and short films a few years ago. After directing a short play in a festival and helping friends involved in the film community, she decided to go outside her comfort zone and write some short plays.

Nathan Shelton was born in Springfield, MO to Kevin and Tammy Shelton. His father is a Methodist pastor and his mother works with the Languages department of UMKC in Kansas City, MO. Nathan grew up in theatre, performing at several venues around his hometown, where he started to work professionally as a stage and screen actor in the early 1990s. He went on to study acting, writing, and directing at Missouri State University (then SMSU) in the same prestigious acting program that launched John Goodman, Kathleen Turner, Tess Harper, Jack Laufer, and many others.

Aside from working as a professional theatre/film/television actor, Nathan is an award-winning SFX makeup artist, writer, and director/producer. Nathan moved from Missouri to Chicago, IL in 2013, and continues to work throughout the country on various creative projects with his production company, Arcane (including the internationally acclaimed web series Shadow Bound, and the horror radio-drama anthology series, The Frightmare Theatre Podcast). Nathan and his wife, Alma Rodriquez, were married in March 2021 and split their time between the US and Mexico. Nathan has two children, Finnley and Vince.

I connect with my community through art and these connections are often the focus of my work. Whether I’m talking about death over a plein air painting or drawing a cathartic piece about a chicken and a possum having lunch, my art is an ongoing conversation with the world.

Matt is an actor, director, psychologist, and cat dad in Augusta, GA. He has performed locally with Gather by the Ghostlight, The Augusta Players, Le Chat Noir, and The Presidential Dinner Theatre at Fort Eisenhower.