Freud on Cocaine
Artist Bios

Howard Skora (Playwright / Director) is a Los Angeles-based playwright, director, and screenwriter. His first play, Miserable With an Ocean View, featured Oscar nominee Patty McCormack, received “recommended” reviews from Broadway World (“laugh out-loud funny”) and Stage Raw (“wildly unorthodox”), was the recipient of a Valley Theatre Awards nomination for best play, and ran for five sold-out months. His second play, Damaged Furniture, was the top-rated original comedy on Los Angeles theater review aggregate site Better-Lemons for its entire run with a 100% “sweet” review rating. His most recent play, Gaslight House, which he also directed, premiered in 2022, once again receiving rave reviews; Stage Raw called it “unforgettable… “witty banter and verbal comedy keep you laughing and enthralled throughout… this writer can’t recommend it enough.” Skora studied screenwriting at UCLA Extension, where he received the prestigious Diane Thomas Screenwriting Award for his screenplay, “The Trainer.” He is also the first place winner of the fifth annual Scriptapalooza Screenwriting Competition and used the $10,000 prize money to complete Nick Name and The Normals. his first independent feature-length documentary, which premiered in London at the National Film Theatre. Skora develops most of his work with the members of The Actor’s Gym, run by his longtime mentor, Oscar winner Bobby Moresco.

Jonathan Slavin (Freud) was born on a Marine base in North Carolina and grew up in Pennsylvania. After high school, he fled to New York and performed in The Best of Schools at Ubu Rep, Lincoln Center and then Broadway in Wendy Wasserstein’s The Sisters Rosensweig, to Dallas to do Six Degrees of Separation (a production that was visited and subsequently cited by the Dallas Vice Squad), and finally to Los Angeles, to appear in the West Coast premiere of Larry Kramer’s The Destiny of Me. Recently, Jonathan appeared in the award-winning world premiere of Home Front at The Victory Theatre. Additional local theater credits include The Boomerang Effect at the Odyssey and then the Zephyr, and The Arrival at Sci-Fest. On television, Jonathan has appeared as a series regular on Dr. Ken, Better Off Ted, Andy Richter Controls the Universe and Union Square, and he voiced Ogo, a neurotic and slightly deranged robot, on the animated series Robot and Monster. He recurred on Netflix’s Santa Clarita Diet, Speechless, Family Tools and My Name is Earl, to name a few. Recent and/or notable guest stars include Grace and Frankie, Pam & Tommy, Station 19, Corporate, The Neighborhood, Grey’s Anatomy, Friend and Major Crimes. Among his film credits are Starf*ckers, Marvelous and The Black Hole, Dirty Girl, Hard Pill and A Cinderella Story. Slavin is an activist, dedicating much of his time to animal rights, as well as a longtime vegan and animal rescuer. Proudly identifying as both queer and gay, he is equally committed to LGBT rights. He marched on Washington for the first time in October of 1987, began protesting with ACT UP(Aids Coalition to Unleash Power) in New York shortly afterwards, and has been ferociously screaming for equity, equality and inclusion ever since. He has thrice participated in AIDS/LifeCycle, a nearly 600 mile bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles, raising funds for HIV services provided by the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, where he continues to volunteer his time to Lifeworks, the Center’s mentorship program.

Barry Brisco (Emanuel Merck) Born in Plainfield, New Jersey, Barry is an award-nominated SAG/AFTRA actor who has performed for over three decades on hundreds of stages around the world as well as in film and television. As a writer, director and producer, Barry brought his award-winning play Love is a Battlefield to the 2023 Hollywood Fringe Festival. In 2000, he performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with Jordan Roth, Diane Paulus, Randy Weiner in David Babani’s hit off-Broadway show The Donkey Show. For the 2001 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, he and Babani created The Fleetwood Coupe Deville Chat Show, a one-man chat show which Barry performed with guest stars Seth Myers and Charles Fleischer (Roger Rabbit). Brisco’s Los Angeles theater credits include Benny in Rent (Hudson Theatre); Darren Lemon in Take Me Out (The Complex) and Bernard in Boys in the Band (Coast Theatre). Other roles include Paul in Six Degrees of Separation and the Wiz in The Wiz. He was a regular performer in Anthony Wilkinson’s My Big Gay Italian Wedding with Nikki Blonsky and the legendary Lainie Kazan. He recently completed an extensive tour with the Australian sensation, Puppetry of the Penis, and he performed the role of legendary gay rights icon and thrower of Stonewall bricks “Ms. Marcia P. Johnson.” On film, he appeared in Dreamgirls, and his television credits include General Hospital, Ray Donovan, the final season of Lucifer on Netflix, and the role of “Dr. Reid” on ABC’s Station 19. He currently recurs as “Pastor Thurston” on Hulu’s Reasonable Doubt with Kerry Washington and as “Dauntes” on Starz’s Blindspotting. Barry is represented by Chris Giovanni, CGEM Talent. and DDO

Kim Hopkins (Anna Freud) is an award-winning international actress and director who has loved bringing characters to life for over five decades. She has been passionate about creating meaningful characters and exploring their journeys. Kim’s flair for sexy comedy landed her roles in the cult classics Cheech & Chong’s Next Movie and The Hollywood Knights, as well as recurring comedic sketches on The Tonight Show and series regular roles on television. Kim’s passion for the theater and her vulnerability have led to such roles as a 90-year-old nudist zombie in the musical Nudist Colony of The Dead. Other theater credits include Skywriter by Victoria Hochberg, The Iris Circle, Home Care, Guys and Dolls and Nuts.

Aaron LaPlante (Dr. Ernst von Fleischl-Marxow) is primarily a voice actor. Some notable credits include the voice of Spear the caveman in Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal, the Duke in Resident Evil Village, and the Gremlins in the Hotel Transylvania series of films.

Sara Maraffino (Martha Freud)  is a classically trained actor based in Los Angeles with roles spanning across stage, television, and screen. A graduate of The Groundlings, Circle in the Square Theatre School and Shakespeare & Company, Sara brings uncompromising authenticity and honesty to the characters she plays.  From Shakespeare to original new works, Sara’s credits include John Patrick Shanley’s Italian American Reconciliation, David Mamet’s Sexual Perversity in Chicago, Edward Allen Bakers’ Doloresand Terence McNally’s Frankie & Johnny at the Claire de Lune, and network favourites like “The Mentalist,” “Pretty Little Liars” This is the second Howard Skora production that she has had the pleasure of working on.  In her spare time Sara, a Reiki Master, enjoys working with animals and people to help release blockages, heal trauma and return to a state of balance. 

Sigute Miller (Emmeline Bernays) is fresh off the tour of her one woman show Tragic Magic ~ A Story of Recovery, which she wrote, performed and produced. The show debuted at the Whitefire Theatre in March, 2022; she was invited back for the Whitefire’s 2023 Solofest, winning a “Best of the Fest” award. The play also ran at the Hollywood Fringe Festival in June 2022, winning a “Hollywood Producers’ Encore Award.” It was also selected for the world’s largest solo festival in New York, “United Solo,” receiving an Encore award. In her hometown, Chicago, she performed to sold-out houses. As a member of the Echo Theater Company, she has been seen in Anon, Better, The Suitcase and An Undivided Heart. At the Broadwater, she performed in the comedy Emergency Operation as well as in We The People (playing Dr. Christine Blasey Ford) and What’s in Front of Us. Her most cherished performance was at the Victory Theater in The Guys – a tribute to the New York City fireman of 911. Sigute is also a competitive swimmer with U.S. Masters and has won numerous medals in age group swimming, including the Senior Games. Staying close to her roots, she was the Western regional director of Lithuanian Scouts and has been camping and scouting for over 50 years. She is a member of SAG-AFTRA.

Amy Smallman–Winston (Emma Eckstein) was born and raised in Indiana. After graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in NYC, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue her creative dreams. Soon after, she joined Academy Award-winner Bobby Moresco’s Actor’s Gym, where she has been an active member for over 20 years. Amy is also a proud alumnus of The Groundlings Theater, where she honed her improv and sketch comedy skills. Original theatrical works include her one-woman show Miss Congeniality, and Whores, co-written with Maggie Baird. Her theatre credits include the LA premieres of Blackout, Cheyenne, American Conspiracy, Stella’s Last JDate, Brushes and Howard Skora’s Gaslight House. In addition to being a mom, wife, and actor, Amy’s other great passion is volunteering for dog rescues.
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