phoenix creative collective (December 5-8, 2019)

Paris Benjamin (Two) 

made her Theatre of NOTE debut performing in the explosive 2018 Late Night Show OA: Alternative Acts: The Leftovers. She was recently seen touring Rajiv Joseph’s Pulitzer Prize nominated drama Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo in the Southeast, as well as directing Luis Valdez’s satire Los Vendidos. Paris can be seen in television shows such as NCIS, Scandal, Criminal Minds Beyond Borders, to name a few.  Growing up watching Star Wars in her little French village, she never dreamed that one day she would be on a Hollywood stage playing her idol, the late and incomparably talented Carrie Fisher. Paris would like to thank director Kerr Lordygan, writer Andrew Osborne and this hilarious and exquisite cast and crew for making it happen.  www.parisbenjamin.com

Alex Elliott-Funk (Five) 

studied at the University of Iowa before moving to Los Angeles. He is a proud member of Theatre of NOTE and recently appeared there in Marian or the True Tale of Robin Hood. He was nominated for a Best Male Comedic Performance Stage Raw Award for his performance in 2017’s world premiere of Supper, a Broadway World Best Featured Actor Award for his role in Just the Tip, and shared a Best Ensemble by the NAACP Theatre Awards as part of the cast of Shoe Story. The Empire Strikes Back is one of his all time favorite movies, and his performance is dedicated to Carrie Fisher.   @funkonfire 

Lance Guest (Six/Producer) 

created the role of Johnny Cash in the Broadway production of Million Dollar Quartet and his regional theatrical credits include Million Dollar Quartet (Chicago/Goodman), Look Homeward Angel  (Playmakers, NC), Key Exchange (Chautaqua, NY), Baby with the Bathwater (West Coast Premiere – L.A. Public/Coronet), The Weather Outside (Barrow Group, NYC), and 35 years of original theatre works in L.A.  TV work includes House, Jericho, X-Files, The Wonder Years, NYPD Blue, JAG, Becker, Life Goes On, Knots Landing.  Film:  The Last Starfighter, Jaws: The Revenge, Halloween 2, Plan B, Late Phases and more on IMDB.com.

Jennifer Hugus (One) 

was born at a very young age.  Having grown up in Massachusetts, France, and Denmark, she is a noted fan of Asian Cuisine.  She studied ballet at the Royal Danish Ballet Theatre and acting in U.S.C.’s B.F.A program. She also makes her own jewelry when she isn’t working on writing absurdist plays and comparatively mainstream screenplays.  Jennifer would like to be a KID when she grows up!  thelosangelesbeat.com/author/jennifer-k-hugus/

Rich Lehmann (Four) 

marks his TRIUMPHANT return to theater with Special. An actor for 25 years, he began his career playing the role of Yankel in Yoshua Sobol’s first American production of Ghetto. He received a BA in Theater from Catholic University in Washington D.C. before moving to Los Angeles. Rich fondly remembers watching the original broadcast of The Star Wars Holiday Special. He can still hear his father’s voice saying, “C’mon, are you even enjoying this? This is stupid. Let’s change the channel.”

Marty Yu (Three) 

who plays every type of character in Special from a French Canadian auteur and a geeky teen to foul-mouthed TV executives and Harvey Korman, trained for several years at The Groundlings and the Upright Citizens Brigade. He has performed in various sketch comedy shows and plays around L.A.. You also might have seen him here and there on the TV, including recurring roles on Veronica Mars and Grey’s Anatomy – though he mostly wore a surgical mask in the latter. The last time he graced the Theatre of NOTE stage was over 14 years ago. He is thrilled to be back.   @martyyu