Real People Things

JANEY MILES FEINGOLD (she/her/hers) is a writer, director and lyricist who created the viral musical teen series Chicken Girls for the BRAT YouTube Network. Chicken Girls, which reached over 100 Million views in its first season, was nominated for 2018 and 2019 Streamy Awards and is currently in its 8th season. Janey’s songwriting credits include the top streaming original songs from the show such as “Birds of a Feather” and “Photograph.” Janey co-produced and directed the digital song cycle Creativity is Not Cancelled featuring eight new songs written entirely in quarantine. In 2020, Janey collaborated with composer William Karras on an original song “Stange” which was featured in the On Hope global song cycle produced by The Other Palace Theatre in Victoria, London. Janey and her writing partner Bela Konstancja developed REAL PEOPLE THINGS as an audio only musical as their thesis project at the Graduate Musical Theater Writing Program and NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and are currently adapting the show for stage and film formats. Janey holds a BA from The USC School of Cinematic Arts and an MFA from the Graduate Musical Theater Writing Program at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. @JaneyMiles

JAKEIM HART (he/him/his) is an actor, singer and dancer. Broadway: Sing Street (Larry), A.R.T.: We Live in Cairo (Amir). Off-Broadway: Saturday Night In Concert (Dino), Second Stage Theater. Regional: Next to Normal, Casa Mañana (Henry). Workshops: The Visitor (Ensemble), The Public Theater; We Live in Cairo, NYTW/A.R.T. TV/Film: Blue Bloods, CBS; The Affair, Showtime. Education/Training: Muhlenberg College; Accademia dell’Arte (Arezzo, Italy).

WILLIAM KARRAS (he/him/his) is an award-winning composer, musical director and orchestrator/music producer. His show Brunch: The Musical, which was produced in Montreal and toured the Atlantic Canada, was created through the support of the CALQ and SOCAN. More recently, he contributed music to Creativity Isn’t Cancelled, On Hope: A Digital Song Cycle, Village Songs, and Rattlestick Playwright’s Theater’s Global Form Theatre Festival. Music Direction credits include Heathers (Montreal), Next Thing You Know (Montreal), Legally Blond (Montreal), Creativity Isn’t Cancelled, Time-Zone free (ob) and working with Playerʼs Theatre (Montreal) in the development of new works. William completed his B.Mus at McGill University and his MFA at New York University. More at www.williamkarras.com

BELA KONSTANCJA KAWALEC (she/her/hers) is a Polish-American writer, composer and performer currently living in Brooklyn, NY. Bela is a self-taught musician who has honed her skills in Nashville’s song writing rooms and frequently spent her Sunday nights playing at “The Bluebird Cafe.” In 2020 Bela was a semifinalist along with her collaborator Carrie Caffrey in the “NAMT 15-Minute Musical Challenge.” In 2021 she was a part of Rattlestick Playwrights Theater Village Songs song cycle, as well as Broadway’s Future Songbook at Lincoln Center. Bela and her musical writing partner Janey Feingold just graduated from Tisch’s Graduate Musical Theater writing program with their thesis musical REAL PEOPLE THINGS.

MASON MCDOWELL (he/him/his) is an award-winning singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, actor, and an alumnus of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop. His recent acting credits include The Yellow Wallpaper (John), Echolations (Ethan), Brace For Impact (Jeff Skiles), Perry Pareé (Perry), as well as The Adventures of Inspector Lockshire (All characters), which he also wrote and directed. Regional theatre acting credits include The Grapes of Wrath, The Sound of Music, and Fiddler on the Roof at Syracuse stage. As a songwriter, Mason has written/produced one full-length album Pictures in My Mind (2016), and two EP’s, The McDowell Brothers (2011) and Looking Glass (2019). His MD credits include West Side Story at Hamilton College (2019), Girlfriend at the Kitchen Theatre in Ithaca (2018), Assistant MD/Keyboard II for 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at Colgate University (2017) and Hazel Come Home at Purchase College (2016).

DEANNE STEWART (she/her/hers) is a Broadway actress currently in Jagged Little Pill (2020 Tony Nominee for Best Musical). Born and raised in Rochester, NY, DeAnne received her BFA in Musical Theatre at Ithaca College. In 2019 DeAnne closed out the 2nd National Tour of BEAUTIFUL: The Carole King Musical. During her time with the show she performed on ABC’s Dancing With The Stars, and PBS’, A Capitol Fourth celebration, alongside Vanessa Carlton and Carole King herself! She traveled throughout Europe and Asia originating roles in new shows for Royal Carribean International just after making her Off-Broadway debut in Mighty Real: A Fabulous Sylvester Musical! DeAnne is an advocate for underserved and underrepresented communities and a multi-hyphenate creator that can be found in commercials, ads, short films, music videos and on music streaming platforms. It’s such an honor to be a part of this piece about connection and to join this ensemble for my first live performance in the world as we now know it. Thanks to Janey and Bela and Two River for having me! DeAnne-Stewart.com Instagram: @deannestewart

SKYLER VOLPE (she/her/hers) is an actor, singer, dancer, and musician based in New York City. Most recently she played Anne in the world premiere musical Sing Street at New York Theater Workshop, which was slated to open at the Lyceum Theater on Broadway before the COVID-19 pandemic. Skyler also sang and played guitar and keys on the Sing Street Original Cast Album. Other credits include: The Hello Girls (World Premiere, Original Cast Album), West Side Story (Barrington Stage, Berkshire Outer Critics Circle Award), Passing Strange (Playhouse on Park), Tour: RENT (Original Cast, 20th Anniversary National Tour). Instagram @svulpes skylervolpe.com