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Instructor Bios |
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David Fofi– Resident Acting Coach and Company Member
A veteran, who after serving with the US Navy, went on to study theatre at California State University Long Beach. After which he founded the Elephant Theater Company. In 1998, along with Don Cesario, he created Elephant Stageworks and the Lillian Theater in Hollywood, where he serves as Producing Artistic Director.
Dave has enjoyed working in many aspects of theater, as a director, actor, producer and designer. Directing credits include: Hellcab by Will Kern (Critic's Pick, Backstage West), the world premiere of Robert J. Litz's One World (Recommended, LA Times and LA Weekly), a workshop of the award winning playwright Lyle Kessler's Robbers, the self-written King of Clubs (Recommended, LA Weekly), 4H Club by Sam Shepard, (Critic's pick, Backstage West), Search and Destroy by Howard Korder (Recommended, L.A. Weekly) and Sean Huze’s The Sand Storm (Recommeded LA Times, Critic’s Pick Backstage West).
Director’s note: My work with VetStage is dedicated to all of our Armed Forces serving in Iraq, Afghanistan and those deployed in forward areas around the world. All of whom are brothers, sisters, sons and daughters. I'd like to thank and recognize my brothers: Lt. Colonel Richard Fofi, Colonel Randall Fofi, Veteran Operation Iraqi Freedom and Master Sgt. Anthony Fofi who served in both Afghanistan and Iraq. They serve... and I am able to create theatre in Los Angeles thanks to them.
B. Mark Seabrooks– Playwriting Instructor
A graduate of Howard University, B. Mark Seabrooks arrived in Hollywood in September of 1990 the recipient of the Paramount Pictures/Eddie Murphy Screenwriting Fellowship Award. From 1990 to 1991, B. Mark worked with Eddie Murphy and his production team, while learning the craft of pitching from such Hollywood veterans as Larry Albucker, Don Granger, and Kevin Jones. During his time on the fellowship, B. Mark spent two months working along side the writing staff of Star Trek: The Next Generation with Executive Producers Michael Piller, Jeri Taylor, and Ronald D. Moore, and the sci-fi icon, Gene Roddenberry. Immediately following The Paramount Fellowship, B. Mark landed his first job as a staff writer for the critically acclaimed CBS sitcom, The Royal Family. The Royal Family proved to be a double blessing: it not only provided B. Mark with an entry into the world of sitcoms, but it also gave him the opportunity to work with comedy legend Redd Foxx. The Royal Family was the beginning of a long and successful run in the half hour world. B. Mark went on to write for such shows as NBC’s Out All Night, the ground breaking Fox Network sketch comedy series, In Living Color, Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper; part of ABC’s legendary TGIF lineup, and finally the first hit sitcom for the WB Network, The Steve Harvey Show. Following his run as a co-executive producer on The Steve Harvey Show, B. Mark went on to write, direct, and produce the award winning featurette VEIL. He created and developed the situation comedy pilot, My Hero, for Fox Studios, co-created the pilot The WuShu Kids, for The Disney Channel, and he wrote the cutting edge pilot, Standup Guy for HBO.
On the feature front, OSCAR-NOMINATED ACTOR DJIMON HOUNSOU, AND GRAMMY AWARD WINNING SINGER ERIKAH BADU are both attached to star in his dark dramatic feature, A Deeper Shade of Blue. B. Mark Seabrooks’ other screenplays include Sister Beth; Deadheads; Sex & Violence; The Death of Lieutenant Daniels; Where My Dawgz At?(currently under option with Hat 2 Da Back Productions), and most recently a contemporary adaptation of Euripides’ MEDEA.
B. Mark currently lives in Woodland Hills, California with his beautiful wife Kim and their two wonderful children Toryn Ashbury and Nile Elijah. |
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The VetStage Foundation 12439 Magnolia Blvd., #166 North Hollywood, CA 91607 www.myspace.com/thevetstagefoundation Phone: 818-358-2666
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The VetStage Foundation |
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Supporting the troops is more than a bumper sticker. |