STAGE FRIGHTS - PART TWO: FIRST SHIFT

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.

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.

Marian Thibodeau is an actor and singer currently residing in Augusta, GA. She is a mom of two young girls but enjoys pursuing her love of acting when she can. She was most recently seen on stage playing Cayly in Kingdumb, which was the first live-recorded episode for the podcast, Gather by the Ghost Light. She also had the privilege of playing Sandra/Florence in Le Chat Noir’s sold out run of The Play that Goes Wrong. Along with podcasts and live theater, Marian has been involved in a handful of short films that you find on YouTube, or, hear her in numerous episodes on the Gather by the Ghost Light podcast.

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.

Leah Philbin is a writer from Nottingham, UK. One of her plays, Broke, was included in the 37 Plays Festival at the Theatre Royal Nottingham and my play The Queen of The Sun was recently performed at the Old Electric Theatre in Blackpool. She was recently shortlisted for the Alpine Fellowship Theatre Prize and was runner up in the UK Power Plays competition. She can usually be found writing in her garden, surrounded by her dog and her many cats.