The Echo Theater Company is a group of actors, writers, directors, and producers dedicated to developing and presenting the work of playwrights on all levels.

Jenny Schwartz is a New York-based playwright and a graduate of Juilliard, where she received a fellowship in the Lila Acheson Wallace Playwriting Program. Her play, God’s Ear, was premiered by New Georges under the direction of Anne Kauffman in February 2007; and was subsequently produced by the Vineyard Theatre in spring 2008; and has been published by Faber & Faber. God’s Ear was a finalist for the 2007 Susan Smith Blackburn Award. Her play, Cause For Alarm, was part of the New York International Fringe Festival, as well as PSNBC’s “Best of the Fringe Festival” at HERE. She received an MFA in Theatre Directing from Columbia University in 2001. Jenny is the recipient of a grant from the Lincoln Center Lecomte du Nouy Foundation. She is currently working on her new play, Somewhere Fun, which is a commission from Soho Theatre, London & Soho Rep, NY. She is also under commission from South Coast Repertory and True Love Productions, where she is writing a musical with Ethan Lipton. She was selected as the inaugural recipient of the Soho Rep Dorothy Strelsin Playwriting Fellowship and has attended the Sundance Institute in winter 2008. Jenny is an Associate Artist with The Civilians, and a member of New Dramatists

God’s Ear marks Rory’s first full production with the Echo, where he has directed several public readings. Rory grew up in Los Angeles, where he worked as a child actor. He later studied acting at the University of Utah, in Salt Lake City, and proceeded to work in local Equity theatre, including Salt Lake Acting Company, Salt Lake Shakespeare, and Sundance Children’s Theatre. He then received his MFA from the American Repertory Theatre/Moscow Art Theatre School Institute at Harvard, where he performed in several productions, including an international tour of Phaedra 4:48, directed by Robert Woodruff. He has directed plays for theaters in Utah, Cambridge, and Los Angeles. Rory is also a screenwriter – he is developing a one-hour historical TV drama called “Blood Money”, and his spec script for “Mad Men” was a finalist in the 2011 Slamdance Screenwriting Competition.

is a Los Angeles based set designer and installation artist. She co-founded the Joint Workshop, a design/build studio in Cleveland before obtaining her graduate degree from Cal Arts. Set design credits include: Gogol’s The Gamblers presented by Cleveland Museum of Art, Gilgamesh (Boston Court Theater), Ubu Roi (A Noise Within), Orpheus Rising ( RED CAT, NOW Festival). Currently, she also works as co-lead scenic artist and in the technical department at the Los Angeles Opera, and is a faculty member at East Los Angeles College. Please see www.mficociello.com for more information.

Kristie has designed for many theatre, opera, and dance companies including: the Geffen Playhouse, the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Disney Hall, the Getty Center, Method Contemporary Dance, and Speak Theater Arts. Her theatrical designs have been seen on tour nationally as well as in cities around the world including New York, Vancouver, Seoul, and Warsaw. Kristie’s most recent theatrical work includes: All Hail the Queen with Lesli Margherita, Some Girl(s) at the Geffen Playhouse, and See If You Still Love Us with Method Contemporary Dance.

Outside the theatre Kristie has brought her mad skillz to theme park, live performance, and television projects, including Bruce Springsteen concert tours, the TED Conference, and GLAAD Award shows. Her lighting credits include web broadcast and television specials for artists such as Rihanna, Ben Harper, Joss Stone, and John Legend.

Kristie received her BA from Brown University, and an MFA in Lighting Design from UCLA.

makes his Echo debut with God’s Ear. Over the past two years he has been producing the hit nightclub act All Hail the Queen: Hail Yes! starring Olivier Award winner Lesli Margherita, for which he also designed the costumes. Additionally, he is a founding partner of bass/casting, a bi-coastal feature film, tv, & theatrical casting company. Thank you to Lauren & Chris for this opportunity.

is an award winning sound designer, show control programmer, and theatrical consultant. His experience encompasses theme parks, cruise ships, theatre, television, film, industrials, and installations. Drew has worked for Universal Studios, Walt Disney Imagineering, Disney Creative Entertainment, Nickelodeon Recreation, and Paramount Parks. He has done extensive sound and show control work for Universal Studios Hollywood, most notably Halloween Horror Nights 2006-2010. For Nickelodeon Resorts, Drew acted as the show control programmer and technical systems consultant for Nick Live Family Style Goes Wild!, SpongeBob’s Bikini Bottom Bash, Nickelodeon’s Slime Party, and SpongeBob’s Christmas Spectacular. His work on cruise ships includes being Technical Director for the Nickelodeon Family Cruise in 2008 and 2009 and the 2009 R Family Cruise to Alaska. Drew has designed sound for over 250 theatrical productions. His designs have appeared in venues as varied as Disney Cruise Lines’ Wonder for the world premiere of Toy Story: The Musical to world and West Coast premieres at regional theatres such as South Coast Repertory, The Laguna Playhouse, The Colony, and the Rubicon. As a young designer, he received the 1998 USITT ClearCom Sound Achievement Award. Since then, he has been nominated for Ovation, LA Weekly, Garland, LADCC, and NAACP Awards, winning multiple times. Drew also works with Stage Research as an expert trainer for their SFX Software and has trained students ranging from attendees at LDI to Local 1 members in New York City.  Drew received his MFA in Theatrical Sound Design from the College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, and his subsequent accomplishments and unique skill set have created a demand for him as a lecturer. He teaches specialized classes in show automation and sound for theme parks at California Institute of the Arts and has lectured at Yale University, University of California Irvine, The University of Missouri Kansas City, North Carolina School for the Arts, Purdue University, and The University of Cincinnati.

is thrilled to be returning to the Echo Theater Company after 2009′s The Illustrious Birth of Padriac T. Duffy. Regional theater credits: Massoud: The Lion of Panjshir and NEVA (Center Theater Group Workshop), The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, The Escort, The Break of Noon and Ruined (Geffen Playhouse), The Importance of Being Earnest, A Little Night Music, The BFG, La Posada Magica, dead man’s cell phone, An Italian Straw Hat, Sunlight, Jungle Book and Peter Pan (South Coast Repertory Theater). Other theater credits: King Lear, Cousin Bette, Classicsfest 2010, and American Tales (Antaeus), My Sister in This House (Deaf West Theater), Stick Fly (Matrix), The Illusion (Open Fist), Man of La Mancha (Reprise! Theater Company), Norman’s Ark (Ford Amphitheater), Talley’s Folly and Collected Stories (CCAP).

Norman Lear’s Embassy Television (1982-83); Lorimar Television (1987-88). Press Associate, Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson, Kirk Douglas Theatres, Mark Taper Forum) 1986-87, 1990-95, 2000-2009. Boneau/Bryan-Brown (L.A.), 1995-97. Miramontez/Werther Company, 1988-90. Also: 42nd Street, Sweet Charity starring Debbie Allen (prior to Broadway), Sandra Tsing Loh’s Bad Sex With Bud Kemp, Aliens in America and Mother on Fire!, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Forever Plaid; the original production of Naked Boys Singing! at Celebration Theatre (1998). Blank Theatre Company: The Wild Party, Lobster Alice, Hotel C’est L’amour, Little Fish, Why Torture Is Wrong and the People Who Love Them, See What I Wanna See, Terre Haute. Black Dahlia Theatre: Orson’s Shadow, Belfast Blues, An Infinite Ache, Secrets of the Trade. Elephant Theatre Company: Block Nine, Supernova, Parasite Drag, The Little Flower of East Orange. Moth Theatre Company: Geography of a Horse Dreamer, The Quarry. Previously for the Echo Theater Company: Wirehead. Member: Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers, Publicists Guild of America. Co-Producer: 2008 L.A. Stage Alliance Ovation Awards. Associate Producer: Leiris/Picasso for Brimmer Street Theatre Company. Assistant Director: Stop the World I Want to Get Off for Musical Theatre Guild; The Women of Brewster Place at Celebration Theatre. www.kenwerther.com

has been producing theater in Los Angeles and New York for over a decade, both independently and as Producing Director of the multiple award-winning Echo Theater Company. Current projects include the hit nightclub act All Hail The Queen: Hail Yes! starring Olivier Award Winner Lesli Margherita which will be touring later this year and the recent West Coast Premiere of Mark Schultz’ Everything Will Be Different.  Past productions: West Coast/World Premieres of Jessica Goldberg’s Body Politic (Ovation nom. Best Play & Best Ensemble), Kate Robin’s Anon, Adam Bock’s Thursday, Sarah Ruhl’s Melancholy Play, and the Ovation Award winning War Music by Bryan Davidson.  Other credits include the solo shows A Series of Comedic Lectures by John Lehr (Zipper Theatre, NY / Powerhouse, LA), Gorgeous! (Room 5), Tom Lenk’s: Will You Be My Special Friend? (Acme Comedy), and the premieres of  Save Me From Sister (Hudson Backstage), Michael John LaChiusa’s First Lady Suite (The Blank), and The Grave White Way (Lambs, NY / Hudson Backstage, LA). Additionally, Lauren is a founding partner of bass/casting, a bi-coastal feature film, tv, and theatrical casting company.

is a Los Angeles-based director, teacher, and actor who is currently the artistic director of the award-winning Echo Theater Company, which he founded in 1996. Most recently, he appeared in the critically acclaimed Los Angeles premiere of Marc Schultz’ Everything Will Be Different and co-produced the world premiere production of Wirehead for The Echo. He recently directed The Illustrious Birth of Padraic T. Duffy, the world premiere of Kate Robin’s What They Have at South Coast Repertory, the Los Angeles premiere of Jessica Goldberg’s Body Politic , Ovation nominated, Kate Robin’s Anon, Sarah Ruhl’s Melancholy Play, the world premiere of Paul Zimmerman’s Pigs and Bugs, and the world premiere of Eat Me by Jacqueline Wright, which was nominated for six LA Weekly Awards including Best Director. He produced the Echo production of Bryan Davidson’s War Music at the Los Angeles Theater Center, which won three Ovation Awards including one for Best Premiere Play and one for Best Ensemble.

Chris founded and was Artistic Director of the Ojai Playwrights Conference from 1996 to 2000. Additionally, as a director, he’s worked with and staged plays by Adam Rapp, David Lindsay-Abaire Christopher Durang, Ellen McLaughlin, Napoleon Ellsworth, Bernardo Solano, Deborah Prior, Neal Bell, Kira Obolensky, Herman Daniel Farrell III, and Quincy Long, among many others.

His work in film includes his adaptation of Neal Bell’s Out the Window, which he produced and directed, and his recent short Sunnyslope, which was awarded Best New York Film at the New York Film and Video Festival and nominated for Best in Fest at the Great Lakes Film Festival.

As an actor, Chris has appeared on Broadway (Homefront), Off Broadway (Machinal at the Public, Aristocrats at Manhattan Theater Club and Orphans with Steppenwolf) and has numerous regional credits, among them Golden Boy, All My Sons, The Marriage of Bette and Boo, and 2. His acting credits in film and television include Zodiac, Fight Club, Apollo 13, The Game, Jurassic Park, Alien 3, and Jacobs Ladder, as well as appearances on “Sleepercell”, “ER”, “NYPD Blue”, “Boston Public”, and “Ally MacBeal” to name a few.

Additionally, he was a proud member of the acting ensemble of the Eugene O’Neill Playwrights Conference at the National Theater Center under Lloyd Richards. Chris was an adjunct professor of drama at SUNY Purchase and maintains a workshop in Los Angeles.