STAGE FRIGHTS - PART THREE: UNBURIED

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.

John Bavoso (he/him/his) is a Washington, DC-based playwright, marketer, and aspiring wrangler of unicorns. He mostly writes plays about women and queer people who are awkwardly attempting (and generally failing) to engage with serious subject matter using only dry wit and impeccably timed combative taunts. John is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America, a 2019 Lambda Literary Fellow, and the recipient of District of Columbia FY18 and FY19 Arts and Humanities Fellowships. His plays have been produced and/or developed in DC, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin; Canada; Japan; South Korea; India; United Arab Emirates; Australia; and the UK.

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.

Pepper has been performing in the Augusta area for eight years. In addition to stage, film, and voice acting, Pepper has performed with Sho Fusion Belly Dance Troupe, the Geektastic Bellydance League, and Dirty South Burlesque. She and has also performed with Schrodinger's Cat Improv Group. Pepper also has experience behind the scenes as a director, producer, writer, videographer, editor, production assistant, and stage hand.

I was born and raised in Augusta, GA. I started in radio by interning at a local rock station, WRXR, while I was still in high school. My first paying radio gig out of school was in Greenville, SC doing Saturday mornings. I barely made enough money to pay for the gas to get me back and forth on the 5 hour round trip to do my show but I had been bitten by not only the radio bug but the entertainment bug! I loved entertaining and getting to know people. I bounced around from station to station, as you do, for years. Picking up stories and perspectives along the way. I probably learned the most about how to treat people who are your listeners from the time I spent in Birmingham, AL producing the Patti & Dollar Bill morning show on WDXB. They were true radio legends and it was a privilege to learn from them and an honor to call them friends. From there I moved back to Augusta to be closer to family. You can often find me on stage with one of the great theatre groups here in town. I can also be seen and heard in several television commercials nationally and you might even catch a glimpse of me in some movies too. I love photography, cooking, and my pup, Magnolia the Malshi.

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.

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.