THE ANTIPODES is the latest installment of our ongoing series entitled “Eat, Drink, Play,” an evening that presents a play that has thrilled audiences elsewhere but has yet to be produced in Los Angeles, bookended with complimentary drinks and food before and after the show.

Arrive early and stay after to engage with the cast, creative team, and each other!

Gathered in a windowless room, a team of writers sets out to break the greatest story ever told. As their brainstorming sessions unravel into strange tangents and dark confessions, there's a growing sense their story might break them.

ARYE GROSS - “Sandy”

Arye Gross, best known for Minority Report, Big Eden, Gone in Sixty Seconds, A Midnight Clear, and House II, was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. Other film credits include For The Boys, Grey Gardens, Mother Night, The Experts, Coupe de Ville, and Tequila Sunrise. Television credits include regular and recurring roles on Castle, Wildfire, Ellen, The Riches, and Better Call Saul. Recent credits include THE LINCOLN LAWYER, THE ROOKIE, 911, and MONSTER. Recently seen in the world premiere of UNBROKEN BLOSSOMS (as D.W. Griffith) at East/West Players and the L.A. premiere of Anna Ouyang Moench’s BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA, his other theatre credits include Brooklyn Boy (on Broadway and at SCR) and regionally, Parfumerie (The Wallis), Circle Mirror Transformation, and the world premieres of Our Mother’s Brief Affair and Future Thinking (SCR), as well as The Great Leap (ACT-SF), Chekhov X 4, Uncle Vanya, Mrs. Warren’s Profession, and Eight Nights (Antaeus Theatre), After the Revolution (Baltimore Center Stage), Coney Island Christmas and Underneath The Lintel at The Geffen Playhouse, and The Winchester House and Stupid Fucking Bird for Theatre@ Boston Court.

BETH TRIFFON - “Sarah”

Beth Triffon is an actor, writer, and director known for her role as "Joanne Schwartz" on the long-running sitcom, The Goldbergs. In 2016, Beth won the ABC Digital Discovers Competition and was awarded a holding deal with ABC. Since then, she's had guest arcs on Ten Days in the Valley, Veronica Mars, and Stand Up and Away with Brian Regan. Other TV credits include Nobody Wants This, The Rookie, Tiny Beautiful Things, Jury Duty, On The Verge, 9-1-1, Fresh Off The Boat, The Middle, American Princess, Dr. Ken, Swedish Dicks, and The McCarthys. Behind the camera, Beth co-owns production companies Stage Left Creative and Nightdrive Films, where she has directed several short films and music videos for Sabrina Carpenter, New Kids on the Block, Christina Perri, and numerous other artists. 

CHRIS PARNELL - “Danny M2”

Chris Parnell first broke through as a performer with the LA comedy troupe The Groundlings and later gained recognition during his time as a cast member of Saturday Night Live from 1998 to 2006. After leaving SNL he played the role of Dr. Leo Spaceman on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock. Chris co-starred on the ABC comedy series Suburgatory and was a series regular on the CBS sitcom Happy Together. In animation, he voices Jerry Smith on Adult Swim’s Rick and Morty, Cyril Figgis on the FX series Archer, the Narrator and Houston on the PBS Kids series Nature Cat, and various characters on Family Guy and America Dad! He’s appeared in the films Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Hot Rod, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, and the forthcoming Micro Budget. 

DANIEL DAVID STEWART - “Brian”

Daniel David Stewart is an actor, filmmaker and musician known for his work on screen and stage. He is so excited to work on this beautifully insane play by the incredible Annie Baker (who inspires him endlessly). TV/Film work includes Milo Minderbinder in George Clooney’s Catch-22 on Hulu, Amazon’s #1 show, Reacher, For All Mankind on Apple TV, Never Have I Ever on Netflix, Silk Road alongside Nick Robinson, Jason Clarke and Paul Walter Hauser, Red Right Hand opposite Orlando Bloom, and the upcoming Love Language opposite Chloë Grace Moretz. But his first love will always be theatre where he’s been seen in the Tony Nominated/Winning productions of Deaf West’s Spring Awakening and The Band’s Visit on Broadway. He releases music under the artist name People Pleaser and is in the process of directing and producing his first feature…Daniel is repped by Gersh and 3 Arts Entertainment.

DEBORAH PUETTE - “Eleanor”

Deborah Puette is a creator whose work crosses theater, film, and television. A founding member of Lobby Theatre and an Ovation Award-winning producer, she is the recipient of the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Solo Performance, the L.A. Weekly Award for Lead Performance, and Chicago’s Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Actress. Television work includes guest and recurring roles across the networks and streamers. Her first feature as a screenwriter, Cash for Gold, was recently produced with Puette co-directing and starring and is available on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, and other outlets. Her most recent project as writer-director, the short film Such A Pretty Girl, is in festivals now and serves as proof of concept for her next feature, currently in development.

JOHNNY SNEED - “Danny M1” 

Johnny Sneed is an actor, musician, and photographer based in Los Angeles, California, with a repertoire of film, television and commercial work that has seen him starring alongside award winners such as Josh Brolin, Bryan Cranston, Helen Mirren, Paul Dano,  Janelle Monáe, and Amy Poehler, just to name a few. He's had numerous television guest appearances, including recurring roles on NBC's Emmy-nominated sitcom "Parks and Recreation," Amazon's acclaimed "Outer Range," and Netflix's "Painkiller." In 2014 he landed a pivotal career opportunity--as an actor and drummer--to portray Hal Blaine, session drummer and member of the legendary Wrecking Crew, in the Brian Wilson biopic "Love & Mercy." The following year, he landed a role in another biographical drama, "Trumbo," starring Bryan Cranston, who earned an Oscar nomination for his role.  In addition to acting, Sneed plays drums. As a fan of the great drummer, Levon Helm, he once recorded an album at Helm's studio in Woodstock, New York. 

KEVIN WEISMAN - “Dave”

A veteran of both stage and screen, Kevin is best known for his acclaimed portrayal of ‘Marshall Flinkman’ in the hit series ALIAS on ABC, as well as his recent portrayal of Lester Thompson on NBC’S SUITS LA. Other work includes series regular roles in Marvel’s RUNAWAYS, HBO’S Emmy nominated comedy series HELLO LADIES, and SCORPION on CBS. Having appeared in more than forty television shows, additional credits include recurring roles on BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, BETTER CALL SAUL, THE BLACKLIST, and David Kelley’s Amazon Studios drama GOLIATH, opposite Billy Bob Thornton and William Hurt. In addition to his large body of work for television, Kevin’s feature film credits include memorable performances in Kevin Smith’s cult classic CLERKS 2, Michael Bay’s GONE IN SIXTY SECONDS, and Rob Reiner’s FLIPPED. A founding member of BUFFALO NIGHTS THEATER COMPANY, theater credits include OCTOBER 7TH: IN THEIR OWN WORDS, Arthur Miller’s INCIDENT AT VICHY, the west coast premiere of Donald Marguiles’ DINNER WITH FRIENDS, and THE GOLDONI TRILOGY at the Mark Taper Forum.

LOUIS OZAWA - “Adam”

Louis Ozawa portrays the mysterious Mamoru Yoshii in the Independent Spirit/Peabody award winning Apple series PACHINKO.   He stars as the pivotal character, Chao Fa Sein opposite John Krasinski and Michael Peña in the fourth and final season of the international hit series Jack Ryan. Ozawa also stars opposite Al Pacino and Logan Lerman in Jordan Peele’s critically acclaimed Amazon Prime series, HUNTERS.  Other Television highlights include the magical puppeteer Mr. Pickles-san in KIDDING opposite Catherine Keener and Jim Carrey (Showtime), The DC Comics character “HAT” in SUPERGIRL (CW), THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE (Amazon), Robert Rodriguez's El-Rey series MATADOR, the final season of TRUE BLOOD and the Netflix series ANOTHER LIFE. Feature highlights include iconic roles in PREDATORS and THE BOURNE LEGACY.  Ozawa’s NY theater credits include the Obie award-winning CAUGHT (PlayCo), Breaking the Story, The TUTORS, WARRIOR CLASS, and YEAR ZERO (all at Second Stage), CRANE STORY (Playwrights Realm), and The DUMB WAITER (NAATCO).   Regional credits include the Ovation Award nominated CAUGHT (Firefly), Eurydice (Williamstown) and Hamlet (Trinity Rep). Ozawa earned his MFA in acting from Brown University. 

STEVEN KLEIN - “Josh”

Steven Klein is an actor, Emmy nominated producer, the founder of Firefly Theater & Films, and producing director of Lobby Theatre @ AGBO. Recent projects featuring Steven include the films RALLY CAPS, starring Judd Hirsch and Amy Smart, and IN OUR BLOOD, a Firefly film starring Brittany O’Grady to be released by Utopia later this year. As an actor on screen, Steven’s past favorites include films THE CIRCLE and KENSHO AT THE BEDFELLOW and the award-winning pilot, EVERYONE TOGETHER, which he also co-created. On stage, favorite roles include starring in the award-winning LA premieres of CAUGHT, by Christopher Chen, and of COMPLETENESS and THE FOUR OF US, by Itamar Moses. Revised 2025

CAITLIN DUFFY - Stage Directions

Caitlin Duffy is thrilled and grateful to work with Lobby for the first time! Theater: Northern Stage, PTP/NYC, Trinity Repertory Company, The Williams Project, Palm Beach Dramaworks, Theater at Monmouth and Centenary Stage Company. TV/Film: The Pitt, The Old Man, Good Trouble, S.W.A.T., Bel-Air, 911: Lone Star, Trigger Happy, First Contact, The Tomorrow Job. She was also fortunate to collaborate with lots of loved ones to create her own short film about a clown who goes on a big adventure to the unknown. Caitlin received her BA from Middlebury College and her MFA from Brown/Trinity Rep.

RON BOTTITTA - “Max” (V.O.)

Ron Bottitta is recently back from the Off-Broadway premiere of Fatherland at MTC, a production started here in L.A. at The Fountain Theatre, and for which he won a Stage Raw Best Leading Actor award. His credits at The Fountain include Lifespan of a Fact and The Children. Other L.A. credits include: Earthquakes in London, Oppenheimer, Honky, Penelope, Sunset Limited, and Razorback at Rogue Machine (company member); Superior Donuts and Yes, Prime Minister at The Geffen; 4.48 Psychosis at Son of Semele; Rules of Seconds at LATC; Loot, Hir, and Faith Healer (Ovation Nomination for Best Actor) at The Odyssey. Recent TV/Film: Monster(s), The Mandalorian, Criminal Minds, How to Get Away with Murder, numerous cartoon and animé series for Netflix; Neil Ferron’s 2024 Palme d’Or winning Fishmonger, as well as 150+ IMDB credits. Ron is cult favorite Capt. Butcher for the Call of Duty franchise. Training: BA U.C. Berkeley; MFA N.Y.U. Married to actor Kathryn Kelley; dad to Dan, Sasha and Mika; Iron Butt BMW Motorcyclist; Aviator.

CREATIVE AND CREW

Annie Baker (Playwright) Annie Baker's plays include INFINITE LIFE (Atlantic Theatre Company, National Theatre, Drama Desk nomination for Best Play); THE ANTIPODES (Signature Theatre, National Theatre); JOHN (Signature Theatre, National Theatre, Obie Award); THE FLICK (Playwrights Horizons, Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Obie Award for Playwriting, Susan Smith Blackburn Prize); CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION (Playwrights Horizons, Obie Award for Best New American Play, Drama Desk nomination for Best Play); THE ALIENS (Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, Obie Award for Best New American Play); BODY AWARENESS (Atlantic Theater Company, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations for Best Play/Emerging Playwright); and an adaptation of Chekhov's UNCLE VANYA (Soho Rep, Drama Desk nomination for Best Revival), for which she also designed the costumes. Other honors include a MacArthur Fellowship, Guggenheim Fellowship, Steinberg Playwriting Award, American Academy of Arts and Letters Award, and the Cullman Fellowship at the New York Public Library. She is Associate Professor of Practice at the MFA in Playwriting Program at the University of Texas, Austin, and wrote and directed the film JANET PLANET for A24 and BBC Film.

Christopher Breyer (Dramaturg) is a Los Angeles-based creative producer, writer, director, and consultant on performance, narrative, and story development for theatre, film, television, and non-entertainment enterprises. He is a co-founder and the former Literary Director of Lobby Theatre @ AGBO, and from 2005-2024 he served as Resident Dramaturg and/or Literary Director of the Ojai Playwrights Conference. His theatre background also includes serving as Literary Manager/Dramaturg at two now defunct Off Broadway institutions, the American Place Theatre and the WPA Theatre, and a long association with L.A.’s Center Theatre Group.

Grant Gerrard (Technical Director) is a Technical Director and Scenic Carpenter based in Los Angeles. He is the Technical Director at Rogue Machine Theatre, where he has worked on their productions of Evanston Salt Costs Climbing, Bacon, and Corktown '39. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California, where he earned a BA in Theatre Design. Some other credits include: Master Carpenter at Theatre of NOTE (Kill Shelter, AllStore, Electric I), Master Carpenter & Designer at The Robey Theatre Company (Last Night at Mikell's), and Production Manager/Assistant Technical Director at IAMA Theatre Company (Smile). In addition, he has worked with various theater groups throughout LA, such as the Latino Theatre Company, Center Theatre Group, and The Industry. While he primarily works as a Scenic Carpenter, he often takes up roles as a Lighting Tech, Production Manager, and Production Assistant. He is grateful for the opportunity to work with Lobby Theatre as their Technical Director for The Antipodes.

Julia Hibner (Stage Manager) is a Stage Manager & Theatre Artist based in Los Angeles. BA in Theatre from Cal Poly Pomona. Recent credits include stage managing These Shining Lives (Actors Co-op), Ada Twist Scientist & Friends (TheaterWorksUSA National Tour), Alternate Endings (The Echo Theater Company), Sama Sama: Solidarity in the Fields and Patsy Mink (East West Players), Enter Stage Right (24th STreet Theatre), and currently a resident Stage Manager for 24th STreet Theatre. She is delighted to join the team at Lobby Theatre for their staged reading of The Antipodes. 

Michelle Hanzelova-Bierbauer (Graphic Designer/Website Design) is a visual creative designer. She's found success as a theater poster designer, having designed hundreds of posters in mostly Los Angeles and New York City. In the last twenty years she has stage managed shows, designed projections for multiple theaters (Ovation Best Projections Design 2020 Nominee for Earthquakes in London), produced plays, spent many nights discussing art on the sidewalks of Los Angeles and is currently the Marketing Director at "one of the most ambitious and accomplished theater companies in Los Angeles (Variety)” Rogue Machine Theatre which just “can’t seem to stop making fierce, groundbreaking, original theatre hits. (Broadway World)”. Among other things she is also an Art Department Coordinator for the prolific designer Arae Webner which has allowed her to work with artists such as Lizzo, SZA, Imagine Dragons and others. The fun never ends in Hollywood. She likes dark dusty theaters, her wife, their boyfriend, one of her two dogs, most of their seven cats and corn. www.michellehanzelova.com

Donny Jackson (Lighting Designer) is an award-winning Lighting Designer based in Los Angeles. Work highlights: Black Cypress Bayou (Geffen Playhouse)-Stage Raw Award, Move Kill Paradise (Odyssey Theatre)-Ticket Holders LA Award, In the Heights (La Mirada Theatre) -Orange Curtain Award, If I Forget, directed by Jason Alexander (Fountain Theatre), Closely Related Keys (ICT Long Beach) -Stage Scene LA Award, Four Clowns- New York Premiere (La Mama), When God Looked Away, starring Al Pacino (Macha Theatre), KJAZZ Concert 2017 (Wallis Annenberg) and Transition (Lounge Theatre)-NAACP Award. Recent projects: Is God Is (Lobby Theatre), What the Constitution Means to Me (ICT Long Beach) and Fences (Costa Mesa Playhouse). He is Head of Technical Theatre and Design at Cypress College and holds an MFA in Lighting from UCLA. www.DonnyJackson.com

Steven Klein (Founding Producing Director) is the producing director of Lobby Theatre @ AGBO, and his non-Lobby producing is focused through Firefly Theater & Films, a company he founded more than 25 years ago. Firefly’s theater productions, including Off-Broadway and Off-West End London, have won more than two-dozen awards. Firefly’s films – including notable documentaries MAKE BELIEVE, PRINT THE LEGEND, FINDERS KEEPERS, OUT OF OMAHA, and multi Emmy-nominated WRESTLE – have been distributed worldwide after playing and winning prizes at dozens of festivals, including SXSW, Sundance, TIFF, and LAFF. On stage, Firefly is now developing a new stage musical for Broadway based on its documentary MAKE BELIEVE, directed by Neil Patrick Harris and produced by Steven Klein, Oscar-winner Bruce Cohen, and multi-Tony winner Daryl Roth. On screen, Firefly will next premiere IN OUR BLOOD, a thriller starring Brittany O’Grady that is the fiction directorial debut of Oscar-nominated director Pedro Kos. IN OUR BLOOD will be released by Utopia later this year.

Robin Larsen (Director, Founding Artistic Director) For Lobby: Enhanced readings of Aleshea Harris’s Is God Is, starring Merle Dandrige and Regina Taylor, and Clare Barron’s Dance Nation starring Justin Kirk and Marin Hinkle. Robin is a Los Angeles-based theatre director known for “so many superlative productions” (Hollywood Reporter) at leading venues, including South Coast Rep, The Wallis Annenberg Center, Disney Hall with the LA Phil, Antaeus Company, The Odyssey, The Fountain, and Rogue Machine, where she was a founding member. Robin is the recipient of the Los Angeles Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Career Achievement in Directing, and her productions have garnered numerous Ovation Awards, Critics’ Picks, and the LA Times “Best of the Decade” designation for David Harrower’s Blackbird. Robin is an Academy Award-winning filmmaker for her UCLA grad school film, Sombra. Her film work has screened internationally at Cannes and Berlinale and stateside at Austin and Tribeca.

 Chris Moscatiello (Sound Designer) is an award-winning sound designer, composer, music editor and music director for theater, TV and film, and he is the Resident Sound Designer at Rogue Machine Theatre. TV highlights include The Walking Dead, Eureka, Psych, Human Target, Caprica, The Cape and Trauma. He has scored series and specials for National Geographic and The Discovery Channel, as well as specials and promos for HBO, BBC, Animal Planet, MSNBC, ZDF Germany and The History Channel. Theater highlights include The Kennedy Center, The Smithsonian Institution, The Shakespeare Theatre, Signature Theatre, Roundhouse Theatre, Antaeus, A Noise Within, Skylight Theatre, The Fountain Theatre, Odyssey Theater, The Road Theatre, Pacific Resident Theater, and he served as assistant conductor for the national tour of The Phantom of the Opera. An East Coast native, Chris was Associate Artistic Director and Conductor of the Boston Chamber Ensemble and wrote a ballet commissioned by the Kirov Ballet Academy that had its world premiere in Washington, DC. REVISED 2025

Bridget Peterson (Associate Producer) is a Casting Coordinator at Amazon MGM Studios, contributing to projects across TV and Film. Previously, she was a Talent Coordinator at LINK Entertainment. Bridget earned her BFA in Acting from Carnegie Mellon and remains involved with her alma mater by mentoring the graduating seniors and teaching an annual 'Business of Acting' seminar, equipping them with vital industry knowledge. She joined Lobby Theatre’s producing team in 2025 and couldn’t be more thrilled to collaborate and bring Annie Baker’s compelling story to the stage. 

Deborah Puette (Producer) is a creator whose work crosses theater, film, and television. A founding member of Lobby Theatre and an Ovation Award-winning producer, she is the recipient of the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Solo Performance, the L.A. Weekly Award for Lead Performance, and Chicago’s Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Actress. Television work includes guest and recurring roles across the networks and streamers. Her first feature as a screenwriter, Cash for Gold, was recently produced with Puette co-directing and starring and is available on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, and other VOD outlets. Her most recent project as writer-director, the short film Such A Pretty Girl, is in festivals now and serves as proof of concept for her next feature, currently in development.

Chris Redondo (Casting Director) was the Vice President of Casting for Paramount Television Studios, where he helped assemble the casts for series including THE OFFER (Paramount+), STATION ELEVEN (Max), DEFENDING JACOB (Apple TV+), JACK RYAN (Amazon Prime Video), CATCH-22 (Hulu) and THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE (Netflix). Prior to joining PTVS, Chris was co-casting director (with Richard Hicks) on Ryan Murphy’s SCREAM QUEENS and associate casting director on the Academy Award-nominated film HELL OR HIGH WATER. He is thrilled to be collaborating with Lobby Theatre again after casting last year's reading of DANCE NATION by Clare Barron.

Athena Saxon (Assistant Sound Designer)(she/her) is an actor, producer, and occasional sound designer from the SF Bay Area. After graduating from Chapman University, she worked as a freelance production assistant and coordinator on several network TV shows. Over the last 6 years, she has collaborated with numerous LA theater companies such as CTG, Rogue Machine Theatre, IAMA theatre, Pacific Resident Theatre, Support Black Theatre, The Vagrancy, and is also a founding producer of her company, Season 10 Stage Productions. This year Athena was added to the staff of Rogue Machine and is currently operating out of her cozy home theatre The Matrix. She is thrilled to be working on her first show with Lobby Theatre!

Shiloh Strong (Photographer) is an accomplished photographer and filmmaker with a focus on creating visually compelling content for a wide range of projects. With over 30 years of experience in the entertainment industry, Shiloh’s expertise spans portraiture, editorial photography, and video production. His work is known for its artistic approach, bringing creativity and a sharp eye to each project. Shiloh is excited to bring his talents to this production, capturing both photos and video that reflect the unique vision of the theater company.

Jacquline Thornell (Assistant Director) graduated from Pepperdine University last week with a B.A. in theatre and emphasis in acting and directing. Recently, Thornell wrote, directed, and acted in the original one woman show Anchor. This past fall she directed Eleemosynary by Lee Blessing for her senior thesis. This last summer, she participated in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She was the stage manager for an original show called no one is coming to save us written by Lewis Hetherington. Other credits include: Dance Nation (Assistant Director), Silent Sky (Henrietta Leavitt), First Year Showcase (Co-Director and Producer), This Girl Laughs… (Assistant Director), The Winter’s Tale (Assistant Director). Thornell is overjoyed with this incredible opportunity to work with these incredible artists. She is grateful to Robin for this amazing experience.