Spotlight on . . . Jocelyn Truitt

We first saw Jocelyn's headshot and resume on the Theatre Bay Area website; we thought she had a certain undefinable quality that fit with our idea or maybe our ideal of several Lost and Found in the Mission characters. It turns out our hunch was right . . . she's an invaluable member of our ensemble. She is also currently appearing in a production of Lysistrata with the Actor's Ensemble of Berkeley at the Live Oak Theatre, now through May 12. Some biographical background, in her own words: This is Jocelyn’s first production with Boathouse & Co., and she is excited to be involved with such an innovative project as well as this group of fun and talented people. A native of Columbia, Maryland, she moved to the Bay Area in 2000. She has since studied at both the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre and American Conservatory Theater, most recently completing its 2006 Summer Training Congress. Past roles include Silvia in Two Gentlemen of Verona, Steele in A Piece of my Heart, and Rena in Jitney. (Photo by Borys Procak)

Lost and Found in the Mission

My current favorite publicity shot. The cast, from left to right: Robert Kellerman, Rowena Richie, Jocelyn Truitt, Joan D. Saunders, Peter Griggs, Carole Landes, and Flo Nakamura. Photo by Borys Procak.

Spotlight On...Joan D. Saunders

Today we stopped traffic with our publicity photo shoot. When the storm passed, we took over the bus-stop at Mission and 11th. Check back later to see our "best of" photos. Speaking of stopping traffic, today's Spotlight features Joan D. Saunders, a.k.a. Lois, the librarian (can't you tell?), and the "finder" in our story. Joan D. loves high heels. (Those are the shoes we didn't choose for this shoot in the background--photos by Borys, of course). "I like them to be at least three inches," Joan told me. She has a lot of spark, beautiful Spanish, and can sing a mean B. Here is her biography: Joan D. Saunders attended North Dakota State University, majoring in both Spanish and English, then attended graduate school at Southern Illinois University and Florida Atlantic University, where she studied linguistics, specializing in phonetics. She was an avid participant in music and drama as a teenager and young adult, then shifted into work related to her education. Three years ago, after a long career as an editor, Joan went back to her first loves, acting and music. She continues her acting and musical theater training, primarily at American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. She also studies singing on an ongoing basis in private training with singing teacher Ava Victoria (NATS). In October 2006, Joan participated in a 20 hour acting and improv workshop taught by Alan Arkin. Only 20 participants were allowed in the workshop. Joan says, “It was one of the most amazing and valuable experiences of my life.” Over the last 12 months, Joan has completed five independent films, with a principal role in three of them.

Spotlight On...Flo Nakamura

Here's Flo. She won us over with her initial email saying, "I'd like to audition w/ you this saturday, if you think you can use a butoh-hula-modern dancer. (i'm also an ex-singer w/ assorted groups for ~20 years back in the day.)" We auditioned her and we said, YES, let's go with the FLO! Photo by Borys Procak, per usual. By the way, that crucifix set is for another show. Here's Flo's bio:
Flo Nakamura took dance classes from childhood on, dropped it . . . returned to it via 100s of improv jams at Judson Church in New York City. Eventually, she began dancing with Iona Contemporary Dance Theatre and the Giinko Marischino/Wild Hair Jabong ensembles in Hawaii. Transplanted last year into the rich soil that is San Francisco, she continues to delve into the intersections of performance, inspiration, and meditative (non-thinking) dance improvisation here, and can be seen from time to time at Bare Bones Butoh in the Mission. Flo has also sung for start-up rock and world-beat bands in Boston and New York, in the 80s and 90s. More at www.iamlovingthis.com.

Spotlight On...Carole Landes

For the next few weeks we'll be profiling individual members of our cast, so be sure to check back to see* the "performer of the hour." Carole is the first person we auditioned and we hired her on the spot. She's playful and vibrant and works hard! Here's her bio: Carole Landes has been part of the Bay Area theatre scene for many years, including roles in The Diary of Anne Frank, Grease, Dream of a Common Language, White Lies, Whose Life Is It, Anyway?, Broadway Bound, Over the River and Through the Woods, and It's Only a Play for which she received a Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle nomination and a Best Actress Award from Theatre Rhinoceros. She has also appeared at Fringe Festivals in San Francisco and at Dominican University. Carole has toured with her solo dramatization of Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper, and the widely acclaimed play, Purple Breasts. She was thrilled to be part of the film, Seniors Rocking, developed by the world renowned dancer, Anna Halprin. She has done commercial work on TV and radio, and was last seen in a Mythbusters commercial on the Discovery Channel, and as a lover of Brazilian music, has danced in the streets of Bahia and San Francisco during Carneval.
*Photo by Borys Procak