‘This Is Not a True Story‘

Artist Bios

Preston Choi (Playwright) is a Korean/Irish-American playwright whose work focuses on social science fiction and Asian/mixed/queer lives. His work has been recently developed with Round House Theatre, Interact Theatre, Cygnet Theatre and more, while his plays include limp wrist on the lever (2023 Stephen Lim Playwriting Award), performing class (2022 NNPN New Play Showcase), The Migratory Patterns…(2021 Stephen Lim Playwriting Award, 2019 NNPN New Play Showcase, 2017 Agnes Nixon Award), and Happy Birthday Mars Rover (2022 Planet Earth Arts Award). He received a BS in Theatre from Northwestern University and an MFA in Playwriting from UC San Diego.

Reena Dutt (Director) is a city girl with a country soul who believes in creating with a conscience. She directed the development workshop of Accidental Feminist  at The Public, Guards at the Taj in the Berkshires and the Midwestern premiere of American Fast, and assistant directed The Collaboration with Paul Bettany and Jeremy Pope on Broadway. Dutt is a seasoned film director/producer having screened at over 80 venues including Sundance, Outfest, NBCShorts, HBO, BET, and PBS/Latine and is an award-winning audiobook narrator/director. Fellowships: Drama League, Lincoln Center Directors Lab, DLW, Project Involve, SFFilm.  www.ReenaDutt.com

Julia Cho (CioCio) is an actor who produces theatre and occasionally directs. Her credits include films like Fool’s Paradise (with Charlie Day) and Larry Crowne (with Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts); the Emmy Award-winning web series The Lizzie Bennet Diaries; and recurring roles on TV shows such as Scandal, Goliath and This Is Us. You can also hear Julia’s voice English-dubbing various characters in Korean content, including films like Seoul Vibe (Netflix) and Grid (Disney+).  As a Producing Artistic Leader with Artists at Play, Julia has proudly helped present numerous works created by / featuring theatre artists of color in Los Angeles and beyond.

Zandi de Jesus (Kim), a UC San Diego Theatre graduate, is making her Artists at Play debut in This is Not a True Story. After a 15-year hiatus, during which she overcame breast cancer and channeled her energy into raising her family, she returned to the stage this past May for East West Player’s On This Side of the World. Zandi’s credits also include Miss Saigon (Starlight Theatre), Most Wanted (La Jolla Playhouse), Cowboy Vs Samurai (Mo’olelo Performing Arts), and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (US National Tour) as Marcy Park. Her proudest role is being a mom to her incredible kids, Maxwell and Olivia. Follow @zandi_dj_ on Instagram!

Rosie Narasaki (Kumiko/Takako) is a second-generation actor and playwright. As an actor, highlights include Little Women with Playwright’s Arena, and Two Mile Hollow with Artists at Play, as well as appearances on Shameless, Wisdom of the Crowd, For the People, and a bunch of commercials. As a playwright, her play Unrivaled recently had its world premiere production at the Boston Court Pasadena, prior to which it was workshopped with EST/LA, Artists at Play, the Road Theatre Company, and won the 2022 LA New Play Project Award. She also wrote for a Netflix show once.