Bryan is from Colorado Springs, CO. He started acting when he was in Kindergarten, playing the Prince in a school production of Cinderella. The stage has been his passion ever since, and he is thrilled to be part of Conundrum. Bryan received his BA in Theatre Directing from the University of Northern Colorado. He currently works as the School Age Director for the Burbank Community YMCA. Bryan has been a part of numerous productions, both on and off stage. He recently portrayed Max Detweiler in The Sound of Music. Some other acting credits include You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown (Charlie Brown), Fuddy Meers (Kenny), and Grand Hotel. He has also directed A Company of Wayward Saints, Bringing It All Back Home, Love Letters, and The Sound Of Music. When he has free time, Bryan likes to play the piano, read, and watch Disney animated movies.

Matthew Namik (He/Him) is an actor and director based in LA, and is proud to be on Conundrum's Theatrical Exploration Committee and to have the ability to assist in bringing these new plays to life. His previous work with Conundrum includes Seussical (AD), She Loves Me (AD), and Cabaret (Bobby/KitKat). Some of his other favorite roles have been George Gibbs (Our Town), and Jedidiah Schultz (Laramie Project). Come see his set design in Conundrum's upcoming production of Urinetown!

Kylie is just a girl living la vida loca with a heart full of gratitude, rocks in her pockets, and a dream. Some past favorite roles include MiMi Marquez in Rent, Logainne in the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and most recently Dancianya in Conundrum’s She Loves Me. She would like to thank her friends, family, and incredible voice teacher Joslynn Cortes (IG:vocallovexoxo) for always supporting for her. Follow along social media to stay up to date with upcoming performances IG: @_kylaaaaaaaay

Fiona Burrows (she/they) is excited to work on the marketing team for Conundrum inaugural New Works Festival! Fiona is Conundrum's Marketing and Administrative Assistant and has previously worked in theatre marketing at Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 42nd Street Moon, and numerous executive boards. They are excited to announce their Conundrum directing debut in "Urinetown", which runs at the Broadwater Main Stage in Hollywood March 15-17 + 22-24! www.fiona-burrows.com IG: @fiona.burrows

Nick is proud to announce that “Between the Pages” is his second original written work being shared with an audience. Before moving to LA, Nick studied theatre at East Stroudsburg University where he studied acting and directing. His directing credits include The Laramie Project, Night Mother (Scene), and 4,000 Miles (Scene). Post-college, Nick moved to New York where he made his off broadway debut in “A Therapy Session with Myself” as well as queer retellings of classic works such as Moliere’s “The Pretentious Young Ladies” and Eugene O’Neill’s “Thirst”. His most recent venture with conundrum was his ensemble role in their production of “She Loves Me”. Insta: @nickr0y

Hailing from the small town of Helena, Alabama, LaDarrion Williams is a self-taught playwright, filmmaker, author, and screenwriter whose goal is to cultivate a new era of Black fantasy, providing space and agency for Black characters and stories in a new, fresh, and fantastical way. As a playwright, his first play Katrina won first place at the Alabama State Thespian Conference. Black Creek Risin’ was a part of the Great Plains Theatre Conference in Omaha, Nebraska. His play, Coco Queens, was invited to participate in the 2019 Sundance Institute’s Playwriting Intensive and will be receiving its World Premiere at Playhouse on the Square in July 2024. His plays also received semi-finalist recognition from the Eugene O’Neill National Playwriting Conference. He is a 2x finalist for the National Black Theatre I AM SOUL Playwriting Fellowship, David Ross Fetzer Foundation for Emerging Artist Theatre Grant, and the American Blues 2023 Blue Ink Award. He is also an alum of the Echo Theatre Playwrights Lab and the Boise Contemporary Theater BIPOC Playwrights Festival. His Jeff Award nominated play Boulevard of Bold Dreams (a story about Hattie McDaniel’s historic Oscar win) was a part of the New Works Festival at the Morgan-Wixson Theatre in Santa Monica, California. It received a world premiere production at the TimeLine Theatre Company in Chicago and an East Coast Premiere at Greater Boston Stage Company in March 2023. It was a part of the Orlando Shakes Theater Signature Series in Fall 2023 and will be produced at subsequent theaters nationwide in 2024-2025. In his filmmaking bag, LaDarrion has curated three short films on YouTube. And as a debut author, his Young Adult Blood at the Root was acquired in a competitive auction from Labyrinth Road, an imprint of Penguin Random House, and will debut in Summer of 2024.

Ignoisco Miles is an artist, teacher, director and winner of premiere season of The Big Nailed it Baking Challenge on Netflix. Living in Los Angeles, California, Ignoisco is currently working as a Visual and Performing Arts instructor as well as directing Camp S.O.U.L. summer music intensive which is steeped in the history, performance, and practice of Black music in America. In addition to his work in the classroom, Miles has directed and music directed various productions and new works, such as Identify Me and Ripples in the Water, new works Boulevard of Bold Dreams and Bridging the Gap, as well as such productions as Choir Boy, Matilda the musical and Mothers and Sons by Terrance McNally. He has recently released a new single, "Could You" which you can stream on all platforms in addition to his previous record "The One".

Christopher Akens is a Los Angeles based actor originally from Houston, Texas. He has been acting since the age of seven and in January 2017 received his Master of Fine Arts for Film degree from the New York Film Academy. He also holds a BFA degree from Sam Houston State University. Chris is known for his work in "The Gift", "Gangsters", and "Black Rituals". He enjoys writing, listening to music and occasional road biking, and in his spare time he likes to read plays.

Shawn Rios (they/them) exuberantly returns to Conundrum to assistant direct Irreconcilable Differences. Some of their previous credits include costume designer (She Loves Me, Little Shop of Horrors), Head Waiter (She Loves Me), Wickersham (Seussical), and Gordon (RENT). Shawn is a multi-hyphenate clothing designer-engineer-actor, and is excited to add director to their tool belt. They would like to thank their director, Kamila for creating a safe space to learn and express; stage manager, Araceli, for always keeping rehearsals and meetings on track; the incredibly devoted cast for their artistry; and the Theatrical Exploration Committee for giving them a chance to learn a new skill to carry with them.

Christina Healey (she/her) - Christina (Chrissy) Healey is a performance artist located in Paris, France. She is a Character and Parade Performer with Disneyland Paris, with additional experiences in Los Angeles, Orlando, and Philadelphia. Chrissy is a Conundrum veteran whose performance credits include The Wild Party (Madelaine True) and Cabaret (Kit Kat/Gorilla). Additional performance credits include: Disney Stars on Parade (Disneyland Paris), Mickey's Dazzling Christmas Parade (Disneyland Paris), King of New York (Stage-2-Screen Prod.), Waiting in the Wings (dir. Sam Brown), and The Cover of LIFE (Elite Theatre Co.). Additional written works include Party Foul and String Theory. She would like to thank Conundrum for believing in the potential of her work and for supporting her on her continued journey in the arts. Extended thanks to her fiance Ryan and her parents for being her number one fans. Follow Christina's journey at christinahealey.com or @chrissy.healey.

This is Bird's (she/her) Conundrum debut. She is the founder and artistic director of Noisy Nest theatrical production company and play space, as well as The Nest LA, a 501(c)3 non-profit focused on physical and financial accessibility within the LA Theater scene working with the Motion Picture & Television Fund and the Therapeutic Living Center for the Blind and Disabled. Bird co-directed her first show in 2012 at the Annex theater in Los Angeles and has directed, produced, and designed over 50 productions including Armitage (Hope Lauren, Christina Moses) Proof (Chaz Bono), No Exit (James Tyler Johnson, Verona Blue), Smoke (Henri Esteves). Bird is also an actor, teacher, dog mom, one hell of a lucky human to have her people in her corner, and a collector of Artists. her: BirdDeArte.com @ANoisyBird company: NoisyNest.com @Noisy_Nest community: TheNestLA.org @Noisy_Nest

Giacomo Thillet (he/him) is grateful to be making his Conundrum debut as an Assistant Director for the play “Practice Makes Perfect”. It is his first stage production since high school and he is excited to be back! Outside of stage, he has served as a Producer and Editor for a number of original series on the Broadway on Demand streaming service. He would like to thank his wonderful wife Shani, his Mom and Dad for all the love and support. For more updates, follow @n0stalgiac

Garry Kluger was an actor right up to the time he realized the last eight roles he had auditioned for were all in the elf/leprechaun genre. So he concentrated on his writing and has authored three books, nineteen plays, two TV pilots, twelve documentaries, and several series. Garry’s play, A Thorn In The Family Paw, premiered at Theatre West in 2016 and won Best New Play from the Stage Scene L.A. Awards, and Garry Won Best Writer – Original Play from the Valley Theatre Awards. He has won the DFAP International One Act Festival for The Other Half, won the Gold Award for Office Hours and the Silver Award for In A Yellow Woood from the World Series Of Screenwriting, Play Competition, won Highly Recommended from the Segora Playwrights Festival in France for Prodigal Returns, and twice a finalist from the Sterts Theatre in London for his one acts, The Other Half and Brotherhood.

Rachel Rogers (she/her) is thrilled to be making her Conundrum debut as a part of the New Works Festival. Some previous directing credits include Wakey, Wakey by Will Eno, The Nether by Jennifer Haley, Smokefall by Noah Haidle (Benchmark Theatre), Sabrina Fair by Samuel Taylor (Spotlight Theater), and The Little Dog Laughed by Douglas Carter Beane (Vintage Theater Productions). This is her first directing role in Los Angeles, having worked as a theatre artist in Denver for a number of years as a producer, director, actor, and sound designer.

AJ Layague (she/her/hers) is a Filipino-American playwright and composer with degrees in music from Stanford University, CalArts, UC San Diego, and a postdoctoral fellowship in Asian Studies/Theater & Music (Occidental College). She studied playwriting at the David Henry Hwang Writers Institute at East West Players in Los Angeles. She won a 2022 Finalist Prize from Synecdoche Works' Frank Moffett Mosier Fellowship for Works in Heightened Language for her play, Cowgirl Katarungan’s Recipe for Adobo, which also won a spot in The Larking House Theatre Company’s Playwright’s Intensive Workshop (October 2023). She is also a Puffin Foundation Artist (2023) and premiered new work at the PanAsian NuWorks Festival in NYC in June 2023. Her collaborative music theater work, A Good Boy, based on interviews with the families of death row prisoners, was a semi-finalist in the Eugene O’Neill 2021 and 2022 Music Theater Conference, and received a Critical Issues Grant from the Humanities for the Public Good and the Cultural Arts Award from the Triangle Community Foundation. Her multi-media works have been performed in Europe, Asia, and the U.S. at the NYU Tisch, Montalvo Arts, and Agosto Foundation in Prague, among others, and she has published and presented on race and theater casting, Chinese film music, and Asian-American hip hop. She was a guest lecturer at Simon Fraser University, USC, National Taiwan University, and Freie Universität Berlin, and has given musical writing workshops at multiple institutions including Oregon State University, CalArts, and Cornish College of the Arts.

Aliza and Talia Berger are delighted to be making their Conundrum directorial debut. Aliza was last seen in Conundrum's bedazzling production of Zanna, Dont! The Berger Sisters are an LA-based writing and directing team. After studying film at the Pennsylvania State University, they directed and produced musical thesis films. Talia directed and Aliza choreographed the staged production of one of their films, A Most Average Musical, for Theatre Now New York’s Sound Bites 4.0. Directing credits: Urinetown, Reefer Madness, and High School Musical. In 2019 they wrote Disney Channel’s holiday special, Holidays Unwrapped! Television credits: Madame Secretary, The Break w/ Michelle Wolf, and Baskets. The Berger Sisters are proud members of the WGA, and most recently wrote a musical episode for the fourth season of Max’s Doom Patrol.

Joni’s excited to work with Conundrum. Last November, her new musical, THE MANAGER, was workshopped at the Bourbon Room in Hollywood. Her plays include “A Brush With Fate,” (West Coast Ensemble Theatre, Hollywood), ""For Pete’s Sake,” ( DP Weekly Winner, Playwrights Circle Finalist, Nominated ‘Best New Play’ by OC Weekly, Chance Theater, Anaheim), ""The Green Grocer” (Dublin Fest Best Play, Finalist Tulip Festival -NYC) and “Beethoven and Misfortune Cookies,” (The Met, The Odyssey and The Wharton Center among others, New Works of Merritt Honoree). Ravenna is also co-author of “You Let Some GIRL Beat You?- The Ann Meyers Drysdale Story,” which Forbes called, “ A stunning portrayal of one of today’s legendary women’s basketball treasures.” A USC grad, Joni has written extensively for cable TV and penned numerous articles for national and regional publications. Her new screenplay, “The Secret Notes of Professor Thomas,” won the Plaza Classic Film Screenplay Competition 2022.

April Littlejohn is an LA based actor director writer and previous stuntwoman. April enjoys martial arts and currently is a 4th black in Kung fu at LA Shaolin studios. April’s company Fuzzy Bottoms has produced six seasons of shows and has directed with Punk Monkey, Anemoia Films, and Loft Ensemble. April is excited to be working Conundrum and the amazing talent that’s involved in this production.

Lilia, originally from Bulgaria, is excited to join the Conundrum team and be part of the "Tucked Away" project. She recently completed her first feature film, which she wrote, directed, and produced, "The Haunting of Hollywood," which is currently in the festival circuit. She is a proud alumna of USC Cinematic School and looks forward to continuing her journey in the arts.

Stephanie is excited for her first project with Conundrum Theatre Company in Tucked Away.

Christian St. Croix (he/him) is pleased to have his play make its Conundrum debut. He's an award-winning playwright living and working in San Diego, CA. The San Diego Union-Tribune has called him “one of the nation’s fastest-rising playwrights, thanks to his ability to write multidimensional characters with wry humor and truth, as well as unique stories told from his perspective as a queer Black writer.” His plays include "Monsters of the American Cinema", winner of the 2021 Carlo Annoni International Drama Award, "We Are the Forgotten Beasts", a 2022 Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference Finalist, and "ZACH", winner of the 2021 Young-Howze Theatre Award for Best Comedic Writing. www.saintscrossing.com | IG: @saintscrossing

Phone Tha (he/him) is a talented multi-disciplinary artist who holds a BA in Theater from UC Irvine, where his focus was primarily on stage managing and directing. He is thrilled to be a part of Conundrum Theater, bringing his unique aesthetic to the production of "We Lovers." Phone aims to craft an immersive and transformative experience for audiences, ensuring each performance is not just seen but deeply felt. His artistic journey includes collaborations with several prominent theaters in Orange and LA Counties, including the Curtis Theater, the Wayward Artist, and Cornerstone Theater Company. Beyond the realm of theater, Phone contributes significantly as a Behavioral Therapist, where his passion for helping children express themselves shines through. He extends heartfelt thanks to his parents, whose unwavering support has been a cornerstone of his success.

A native Bostonian, Jim has a BFA in screenwriting from the USC School of Cinematic Arts, where he received their prestigious Jack Nicholson Award. He is a veteran journalist who covers the film industry, having worked at both The Hollywood Reporter and IGN. Jim also loves dogs, history, and a good bourbon.