Robert Gomes

Director, Screenwriter, Producer

Robert Gomes is a filmmaker and actor living in New York City.

He produced the award-winning short film Deflated, directed by Dustin Shroff; and the upcoming short film Pew! Pew! Pew!  He also produced segments for the online news magazine "Out at the Center" which was presented by The LGBT Community Center in New York City.

As an actor, on Broadway, he appeared in The Last Night of Ballyhoo and Racing Demon.  His off-Broadway credits include Still at Risk, Dan Cody’s Yacht, Dada Woof Papa Hot, The Temperamentals, Only You, Shmulnik’s Waltz, As Is and The Sum of Us.  Some regional credits include The Winter’s Tale,  August: Osage County, Angels in America, The Substance of Fire.  On film, he appeared in The Way I Remember It (opposite Christine Ebersole), Body/Antibody, An Englishman in New York (opposite John Hurt), and the HBO film Daddy.  His TV appearances include “Forever,” “Unforgettable,” “Sex and the City,” “Ed,”  and “Law and Order.”

Upcoming projects include Here Again (a romantic drama set against the backdrop of the gay rights movement); and with Dustin Shroff, he is co-writing a series called Rio House, set in Austin, Texas, about a bohemian enclave.

Dustin Shroff

Producer

Dustin Shroff is a filmmaker and production designer based in Austin, TX. 

Some of his most recent film and television design credits include Travis Mathew's Discreet, Lisa Donato's There You Are, Daniel Stuyck's The Eternal, and the Wanda Sykes-produced "Talk Show the Game Show."  He has also designed commercial work for clients including AT&T, Facebook, Budweiser, Google, IBM, USAA, and Dell.  

His award-winning short film Deflated played in more than thirty film festivals internationally, and was shortlisted for the prestigious Iris Prize.  The film also received three distribution deals, and is part of Peccadillo Picture's Boys on Film anthology.  Deflated is the first film in his Broken Arrow series: a group of stories exploring gender and sexuality through the eyes of Chris, a boy growing up in the suburban sprawl of the American Bible Belt.

Dustin is excited to bring his experience and love for filmmaking to the production of standby.

Mary J. Davis / MBL Productions

Executive Producer

Mary has had a diverse life, geographically, professionally and personally. She was born in Omaha, Nebraska; grew up in Annapolis, Maryland; and lived most of her adult life in a suburb of Philadelphia. She moved to New York in 2008. She is now a Broadway, off-Broadway, and film producer. Early off-Broadway productions include The Shoemaker starring Danny Aiello; and She's of a Certain Age. Mary also co-produced the New York premiere of The Pretty Trap, Tennessee Williams' one act version of The Glass Menagerie. Mary and Seth Rudetsky produced James Wesley's Unbroken Circle. She was also a producer for the musical Disaster!, both on and off-Broadway. Mary co-produced James Wesley's Art & Science, which had a successful run in Dallas. In addition, she produced David Bryan Colbert's C.O.A.L. at 59E59 in March 2015. In 2016, Mary produced A Persistent Memory by Jackob Hofmann, at Theatre Row. In Spring 2017, MBL produced Jennifer Jasper's Pressing Matters. Jennifer Blackmer's Unraveled was MBL's 2018 production at Theatre Row. In 2019, Mary produced 2 shows, both at 59E59: Smart Blonde by Willy Holtzman, starring the amazing Andrea Burns; Fern Hill by Michael Tucker, starring Jill Eikenberry and John Glover.

In addition, Mary has also invested in several Broadway shows: Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, winner of two Tony Awards; M. Butterfly, starring Clive Owen; Angels in America starring Nathan Lane and Andrew Garfield (three Tony awards); Mike Birbiglia's The New One; and The Cher Show, winner of two Tonys. Currently Mary has two shows on Broadway: Tina Fey’s Mean Girls, and Hadestown (winner of 10 Tonys!). Off-Broadway investments included: Joan, directed by Adrienne Campbell-Holt, and Tim Pinckney's Still at Risk. Mary donated money to get the Broadway for Orlando record made. MBL has also invested in the independent film Evergreen, winner of 5 awards on the festival circuit. Mary has several other plays in the early stages of development. Stay tuned!

Jamal Solomon

Cinematographer

Being from Brooklyn has left an indelible mark on Jamal's cinematography — "Finding the beauty in that visceral environment and how the two interacted with each other was always fascinating to me. Even at a young age, when I didn't understand art, [I knew] THIS was ART."

Jamal has been working in the industry for 8 years in New York City, as well as internationally. Shooting short films, feature length movies, as well as artistic videos for brands and artists has brought him the insight of understanding the needs of all types of stories and genres. In 2014, he won the Zeiss Precision Image Award; following that, his contribution behind the camera on the short film Flowers, allowed for the film to win Best Short at the 2016 American Black Film Festival. The film went on to air on HBO throughout 2017. 2018 brought opportunities in television, with TVOne's “UNCENSORED” series where Jamal lenses episodes featuring Lala Anthony and Charlemagne. The latter episode garnered the network's highest rating for the season. For him, these momentous achievements cemented the belief that improvement is key and should be utilized in strengthening each and every frame.

Rob Odorisio

Production Designer

Rob Odorisio has worked as a designer on Broadway and off-Broadway productions, including The Sisters Rosenzweig, The Who's Tommy, Comedy of Errors, and Stomp.

For TV he was art director on "The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd," ABC’s “The Standup,” Fox’s "Urban Anxiety” and “The Guiding Light” (three Emmy nominations).  His film work includes: Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll;  Neptune's Rocking Horse and The Rub.

He is currently the art director for CBS News (Emmy nomination).

Soleita Kabwasa

Costume Designer

Soleita Kabwasa is a highly skilled and creative costume designer and stylist with a rich background in garment restoration, manipulation, screen printing, embroidery, beading, and dyeing to name a few. Fluent in French, Soleita has built an impressive career, contributing her talents to a variety of projects ranging from commercial campaigns, tv shows, featured films, to world tours and music videos. Notable works include lead stylist roles for Benjamin Moore COTY 2024 campaign , and assisting in wardrobe for Ms. Lauryn Hill's 25th-anniversary international tour. Her portfolio showcases a commitment to artistic excellence and a deep understanding of fashion's role in storytelling.

Reed Birney

(Jerry, the standby)

Reed Birney won the 2016 Tony Award for his performance in The Humans. Other Broadway appearances include: 1984, Gemini, Picnic and Casa Valentina (Tony nomination, Drama Desk Award). 

His many off-Broadway appearances include Circle Mirror Transformation (Obie and Drama Desk Awards), Bug (Obie award),  I'm Gonna Pray for You So Hard (Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk Award nominations), You Got Older (Drama Desk Award nomination), Uncle Vanya (Drama Desk nomination), The Dream of the Burning Boy (Drama League, Outer Critics Circle nominations), Blasted (Drama Desk Award nomination), and Homebody/Kabul.  In 2011, he received a Special Drama Desk Award honoring his career as an actor. 

Film and TV credits include: The Menu, Mass, Four Friends, "House of Cards," "Girls," "Blue Bloods,” “Madam Secretary," "The Blacklist," and "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks."  He won a 2006 Obie Award for Sustained Excellence in Performance and in 2011 Actors' Equity awarded him the Richard Seff Award.

Pat Nesbit

(Tricia, a fellow standby)

Pat has appeared on Broadway in The Last Night of Ballyhoo, The Young Man from Atlanta, and So Long On Lonely Street. She appeared in the First National Tours of Neil Simon's Biloxi Blues (as Rowena); and Copenhagen.  She also toured in the Actor Theatre of Louisville's production of Pride and Prejudice.

Off-Broadway credits include Spinning Into Butter at Lincoln Center Theater; Emily at Manhattan Theatre Club; The Skin Game and The Old Lady Shows Her Medals, both at the Mint Theater Company; and English Teachers, Ladies of the Fortnight and The Whole Truth, all with Manhattan Class Company.

Pat has worked extensively in regional theater and is a four-time Carbonell Award winner for her performances in The Price, Collected Stories, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and The Middle Ages, all at the Caldwell Theatre. She stars in the short film Dressed.

Kelly Bishop

(Glenna, the leading lady)

Kelly Bishop she started her career as a dancer. After appearing in Broadway shows like Golden Rainbow; Promises, Promises and On The Town, Bishop originated the role of Sheila Bryant in the groundbreaking musical A Chorus Line. The role was largely based on Bishop’s own life, and would earn her the 1976 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.

The actress is also a beloved figure onscreen, having appeared in films like Dirty Dancing as Marjorie Housman, mother to Jennifer Grey’s character Baby. Bishop is also well known for her role as Emily Gilmore, the old-money matriarch on Gilmore Girls, which aired from 2000 to 2007 on the WB and CW. Her memoir, “The Third Gilmore Girl,” will be released this fall.

AJ Cedeño

(Marco, a fellow standby)

AJ Cedeño is an actor and voiceover artist best recognized for his recurring role as John Sellers in Amazon’s Z: the Beginning of Everything opposite Christina Ricci, as well as his tenure as the commercial spokesman for Nissan USA.

A native of the Midwest, AJ is an alumnus of the University of Notre Dame - where he played Division-I college football - and also holds a graduate degree from the Case-Western Reserve University/Cleveland Play House MFA Actor Training Program. He began his acting career in NYC with forays into theater including the Off-Broadway productions of March Madness (Abingdon Theater), Austin (Theater Row), Strawberry & Chocolate (directed by Tony-Award Winner Roger Robinson), and the Signature Theater’s highly-acclaimed production of Incident at Vichy (directed by Michael Wilson).

His select film credits include lead roles in Straighten Up and Fly Right (Slamdance Grand Jury Winner), The Last Nazi (opposite Tony-Award Winner Reed Birney), and Matthew Newton’s Among the Beasts (opposite Tory Kittles). Television credits include a recurring role on Royal Pains (USA), as well as appearances in Girls5Eva (opposite Renée Elise Goldsberry), Younger (opposite Sutton Foster), The Good Wife (directed by Emmy-nominee Josh Charles), Elementary (opposite Lucy Liu), and many others.

Safiya Harris

(Faith, a fellow standby)

Safiya Harris is so honored to have portrayed Faith in standby. Past Credits include: Ensemble/Ophelia (Understudy) in Hamlet (Shakespeare in the Park), Viola in Twelfth Night (Santa Cruz Shakespeare), Rosalind in As You Like It (Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey). You can find her music on all streaming platforms under SAFIYA. Grateful to her friends and family that support her to live her most authentic life. 

Justin Withers

(Ben, an actor)

Justin Withers is an actor, singer and dancer born in Chicago, Illinois. At age 13, Justin moved in with family in NYC to pursue training and a career in the performing arts. He's been chasing that dream ever since! Recent credits include: Off-Broadway: Days Of Rage (Second Stage Theater, Dir. Trip Cullman). Regional Theatre:  Love All (La Jolla Playhouse); American Underground (Barrington Stage Company); Thirst (Contemporary American Theater Festival). TV: THE GOOD FIGHT. Film: A SHOT THROUGH THE WALL; A GOOD OLD DAY. Education: B.F.A from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University; Justin also studied abroad at Shakespeare’s Globe in London for six months. Having had the experience of being a standby himself, Justin was very drawn to this project and is thrilled to have been a part of telling this story. He would like to thank his family for their continued support and God, for never ending grace.

Chuck Blasius

(Curtis, the dresser)

As an actor: Bette and Kate Join The Line (with Robert Kahan at The Duplex); Ken Nintzel’s productions of Pansy Acts, Piano Bar, and Sonata Da Camera Obscura (Ontological Theatre); Lapse and ‘Twas the Night… (P.S. 122); Grant James Varjas’ Accidentally, Like A Martyr (Paradise Factory); I Could Say More (Hudson Guild); The Village (Dixon Place).

Chuck is a member of the Dramatists Guild and a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. www.chuckblasius.com

Grace Dumdaw

(Tanny, an actor)

Grace Dumdaw (they/them) is a Kachin actor, singer, filmmaker, and photographer born in Myanmar and raised in Louisiana. They currently reside in New York City. A graduate of Swarthmore College, Grace has a BFA in Stage, Screen, & New Media, as well as Peace & Conflict Studies. Their additional acting education includes Larry Moss Studio, Prague Film School, Stella Adler Studio of Acting, and Upright Citizens Brigade NYC. Grace has appeared on shows like "And Just Like That," "Succession," "The Blacklist," "The Watcher," and more. They are best known for starring as the love interest of singer Zayn Malik in his music video for "Love Like This". In their spare time, Grace directs videos and sings in a band called Chanpan. Most importantly, Grace is a passionate advocate for the Kachin people of northern Myanmar, their ethnic group. Their goal is to use their art to raise awareness of the civil unrest and injustices faced by ethnic minorities worldwide.

Brian Keane

(the stagehand)

National tour: War Horse. Theatre: Orpheus Descending (TFANA), London Assurance (Irish Rep), Timon of Athens (NYSF), Happy Now? (Primary Stages), Misanthrope (CSC), All My Sons (Roundabout), 1776 (Muny), A Streetcar Named Desire (Guthrie), Macbeth (Old Globe), Winter's Tale (Yale Rep), Frost/Nixon (Bay Street Theatre), Book of Days (Arena Stage). Television: The Gilded Age, FBI: International, Dopesick, Billions, City on Fire, Evil, Kevin Can F Himself, Love, Death + Robots, Chicago PD, House of Cards, Blue Bloods, Gypsy, The Blacklist, Elementary, Gotham, The Good Wife, Person of Interest, Law & Order. Film: Bear City trilogy, Going Under, Campfire, Moratorium.