sleepless actors 2011

HEATHER BICKFORD

Heather is a native of the Adirondacks. She has been involved in Music Theater for many years. Some past shows include Lend Me a Tenor, Blithe Spirit, Into the Woods, Steel Magnolias, played Polly in Crazy for You, and most recent was Maria in The Sound of Music. Heather has had theater and vocal training in Boston. When not on stage, you can find her being a mom to 3 amazing kids.

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ERIC OAKES

Eric is looking forward to being a part of the competition again this year. He was a featured actor in the Burlington College entry from 2008, “American Cheese”, which won the people’s choice award & played Uncle Sam. He has been in several independent films including G-Rated which won People’s choice at The Ed Wood Film Fest in Albany NY in 2007. He is adept to comedy and dramatic work and looks forward to delving into new characters and working with individuals who take storytelling seriously.

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ARTHUR VOLMRICH

Arthur brings 30+ years of stage experience in well over 60 productions. Awarded for his talented contribution in local theatre he has gone from grouchy old man (Scrooge) to kind hearted bishop (Sound of Music) to judge (Chicago). He is thrilled to return for his 3rd Sleepless in Lake Placid event.

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DOROTHY WILBER

Dorothy has worked in numerous bit player roles over the past 5 years in Los Angeles to include Curb Your Enthusiasm. She lives on the NY side of Lake Champlain. She recently auditioned for a small role in Transformers 3 in Los Angeles.

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JON FREMANTE

This is Jon’s fourth year with the SiLP student competition. He has worked with SUNY Plattsburgh and SUNY Purchase in previous years. Locally, Jon has done The Fiddler on the Roof, Anne of Green Gables, The Sound of Music, and Bye Bye Birdie. Jon’s film in 2009, Memorize and Preserve, won the competition for SUNY Purchase.

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VERONICA MONTES

Veronica is excited to return for her second year as a participant in the 2011 Lake Placid Film Forum Student Competition. She was recently a part of CTP’s production Chicago at the LPCA as a Billy Girl and dancer/singer in all of the chorus numbers. She studied drama at SUNY Albany and works as a Bookkeeper for Generations Restaurant in Lake Placid.

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MATHEW CANTORE

Mat is an Albany area native with ample stage credits, as well as some film credits. He is happy to be returning to Sleepless in Lake Placid for his third year. Mat is energetic, fun-loving, and comedic, but can play it straight when needed, too. He loves the challenge of film acting, and cannot wait to stay awake filming for 24 more hours this year, rain or shine!

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MICHAEL FISHER

Michael Fisher has acted in numerous short films and commercials. He understands the hard work necessary to make a great short and he’s ready to be an asset to the team.

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SUNNY ROZAKIS

Best Actress winner at the 2010 Sleepless in Lake Placid Awards Showcase. Sunny attended LaGuardia HS “FAME” in NYC majoring in Dramatic Arts & Theatre Technics. She has trained bi-coastally for film, voice, dance & circus arts and has been blessed with lead roles in numerous theatre and film productions in LA & NY. In January 2012 she will be continuing her filmmaking career at the New York Film Academy creating highly stylized films that often involve super humans.

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SCOTT DANNI

Scott has appeared in theater, in several print ads, short films, documentaries, and TV commercials. In addition, he has written several films which he will produce and direct throughout the upcoming summer. Scott was the first to win Best Actor at the 2010 Sleepless in Lake Placid Screening and Awards. Scott is honored to return and participate in his 2nd Sleepless in Lake Placid Film competition.

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STEVE O’CONNOR

Steven is an accomplished radio, stage, film, and television actor with over thirty years of experience. He has worked in New York’s Capital Region, New England and the United Kingdom. Also a versatile stage actor, Steve has played a number of roles in productions ranging from the title character in Shakespeare’s Macbeth to leads in Neil Simon’s comedies. He is especially adept at performing a wide range of accents.

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LAURA HYLER

Laura is a member and Fund Raising Chairperson at Upstate Independents. She is an actress and has worked and taken classes with Kevin Craig West, Sande Shurin, Shauna Kanter and John Holser and James Pentaudi. Laura is experienced acting in film and currently has a commercial out on three major networks.

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ANDREW BENWARE

Andrew is an Assistant Professor of Instrumental Music Education at the Ithaca College School of Music in Ithaca, NY, where he teaches courses in wind instrument pedagogy, instrumental conducting, and secondary instrument methods. He holds both a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education with a concentration on the Trumpet and a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from the Ithaca College School of Music.

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CYNTHIA WILBER

Cynthia has appeared in numerous stage, TV and film productions as an actress since the 90s. She currently works in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles with a broad range of experience in front of and behind the camera. She’s looking forward to returning to the awesome Adirondacks to be sleepless on set while reminiscing about her formative years as a teen when she trained and lived in Lake Placid to pursue her passion for figure skating.

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JOHN FREEMAN

Ever since being featured in Columbia Pictures’ The Other Guys, John’s passion for acting was ignited. He is happy to get involved with Sleepless in Lake Placid and is exited to kick start his acting career.

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ELISSA KLIE

Elissa has just graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Television/Radio, and minors in both scriptwriting and theatre. She is currently in her final semester at The Actor’s Workshop of Ithaca, studying the Meisner Technique. This is Elissa’s first year participating in the Sleepless in Lake Placid Film Competition and she is very excited to be part of such an extraordinary experience.

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CARLISLE CAREY

I look forward to being a part of the Lake Placid Film Forum 2011 Competition. I am a member of Upstate Independents. I have worked as an extra on a couple of non budgeted, independent films and I study improv. I have been performing Stand Up Comedy all over the Captial district, as well as in New York City.

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KAMA PRELLWITZ

Kama is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance at the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam. She has won numerous awards and praise for demonstrated excellence in her field. Outside of school she participates in several community theatre and dance programs, frequently incorporating her instrumental talent. This will be Kama’s first Sleepless in Lake Placid Competition.

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SOOZIE LEUBERT

Soozie rents cabins on Rainbow Lake, mostly showing people how to get in and out of kayaks and how to let go and relax. In recent years she has occasionally found herself on the stage in odd costumes in front of seemingly appreciative audiences. From ghostly Grandma Tzeitel in Fiddler on the Roof to bearing it all in Chicago, Soozie has proved herself to be a very versatile actress. This will be her second Sleepless in Lake Placid experience.

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JESSICA MARSHALL

Jessica is an actress, a singer, a figure skater, and the host and producer of “Reel Inspiration,” a movie review series on Guideposts.org. She currently lives in Astoria, Queens with two adorable tuxedo cats and an ever-expanding collection of movies.

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HANZ THE DOG

Hanz hails from the North Country and lives in Hollywood where he’s worked like a dog to wag his way up to work on several student, independent films and TV shows to include Gilmore Girls, Grey’s Anatomy, Entourage and the Mentalist. This canine cutie is a real people pooch and poser who knows how to mind his Ps and cues on set. He’s pawsitively ready to go on “action” in the Adirondacks and be sleepless in Lake Placid.

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ROBERT ALDEN BAGG

Robert was born and raised in lake placid. He started acting around the age of 10 with the community theatre in the area. In his senior year of high school he played the role of gaston in beauty and the beast and since then Robert has been in the Community Theatre Players’ productions of Fiddler on the roof and most recently chicago. He is very excited to join the LP film forum crew. This will be his first Sleepless in Lake Placid Competition.