Please join us for an evening with esteemed New York actors with substantial resumes and stories to share. They'll cover how they got their start, roles that opened doors, juggling work and career, managing stress, and weathering the busy times with the lean times. Being an actor can feel like riding a roller coaster. Learn how the panelists have kept their careers in the fast lane while remaining positive and pragmatic about the industry. The ride isn't always smooth, but it's part of the journey.
PANELIST BIOS
David Dean Bottrell - Actor
David Dean Bottrell began his career as an actor and playwright at such prominent theatres as the Second Stage, the Public Theatre, La MaMa, the Long Wharf, Studio Arena and the Actors Theatre of Louisville’s Humana Festival. In addition to acting, he has written screenplays for 20th Century Fox, Fox Searchlight, MTV Films, Paramount Pictures and Disney Feature Animation, etc. His script, Kingdom Come was made into a successful feature film starring Whoopi Goldberg, Jada Pinkett Smith, Anthony Anderson and LL Cool J. He is probably best known for his acclaimed performance as the creepy, homicidal Peeping Tom, "Lincoln Meyer" on season three of Boston Legal. His recent guest star and recurring roles include gigs on such shows as Modern Family, The Blacklist, SVU, Longmire, Rectify, Mad Men, True Blood, Justified, Criminal Minds, NCIS, CSI, Castle, Bones, Mistresses and Days of Our Lives. Bottrell is the creator of the acclaimed Sci-Fest LA: The Los Angeles Science Fiction One-Act Play Festival and has won over 17 awards for his directing work for stage and for independent cinema. He has won numerous awards for his spoken work performances and has taught scene study, camera acting and audition technique for the New York and Los Angeles campuses of AADA as well as the UCLA Professional Screen Acting Program, the Screen Actors Guild Conservatory, and the SAG-AFTRA Continuing Education Program. He currently writes “expert” columns for Backstage.com and teaches acting privately in New York and in Los Angeles. You can check out his reel at DavidDeanBottrell.net
Margaret Colin - Actor
Margaret Colin , currently on Veep as Jane McCabe. As well as Shades of Blue as Linda, Ray Liotta's wife ....recently appeared at LAMAMA, in After The Dark. played the title role in the Long Warf production of THE SECOND MRS. WILSON, by Joe Di Pietro,beginning rehearsal in April 2015.She Has worked on Kelly and Cal, an independent film which premiered at the Austin film festival. 'You better be funny,' coming out this spring. And Awaiting release of THE BROKEN ONES.Recently, she travelled with LA theatre works to China for the production of THE PENTAGON PAPERS. ! as the leading Character, Kathryn Graham. LAST on Broadway in, The Columnist, by David Aubern, the Pulitzer Prize winning writer. She recently appeared in the Tony Award-nominated revival of Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia playing Lady Groom, also on Broadway. and can be seen playing "Eleanor Waldorf" on the hit television series, Gossip Girl, on Netflix.
Colin’s feature films include Unfaithful, First Daughter, Blue Car, The Devil’s Own, Independence Day, True Believer, Three Men and A Baby, Adventures of Sebastian Cole, the recently completed Backwards, and The Missing Person starring opposite Oscar nominees Michael Shannon and Amy Ryan. She has also played series leads in television’s Now and Again, Chicago Hope, Foley Square, Sibs and The Wright Verdicts, among others.
Colin’s extensive theatre credits include her critically acclaimed role on Broadway in Old Acquaintance (Roundabout), Jackie (Theatre World Award as Jackie Kennedy Onassis) and A Day in the Life of Joe Egg. Other New York theatre appearances include Defiance (Drama Desk Nomination), Aristocrats (Drama Desk Nomination), Sight Unseen and Speaking in Tongues. Colin played Gertrude at the Public Theatre Shakespeare in the Park production of Hamlet. At MTC in Taking Care of Baby.
Michael Cyril Creighton - Actor
Michael Cyril Creighton is an actor and writer based in New York. He's best known for his portrayal of clergy abuse survivor Joe Crowley in the Academy Award winning Best Picture "Spotlight" (for which he received a Robert Altman Ensemble Award at the Independent Spirits) and for playing the Helen Hunt obsessed agoraphobe, Patrick, on HBO's "High Maintenance." He's also been seen on TV in "Horace and Pete," "The Good Fight," "Nurse Jackie," "30 Rock," "Orange is the New Black," "2 Broke Girls," "Person of Interest," "Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll," "Louie" and an upcoming episode of Jon Glaser's "Neon Joe, Werewolf Hunter." FILM: "Spotlight," "Coin Heist," "Sleeping with other People," "Fits and Starts" and the upcoming features "Game Night," "Home Again" and "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" On stage, he was seen in Sarah Ruhl's Stage Kiss at Playwrights Horizons (Outer Critics Circle Nomination, New York Times "Face to Watch") and originated roles in several plays by The Debate Society, including Blood Play and Buddy Cop 2. MCC created, wrote and starred in the web series "Jack in a Box" (2009-2013), for which he won a Writers Guild of America Award for Outstanding Original New Media. www.michaelcyrilcreighton.com
Amy Hargreaves - Actor
Amy Hargreaves can currently be seen starring in the new hit Netflix series 13 Reasons Why. From executive producers Selena Gomez and Oscar winning director of SPOTLIGHT Tom McCarthy,13ReasonsWhy follows teenager Clay Jensen (Dylan Minette) in his quest to uncover the story behind his classmate and crush Hannah's decision to end her own life. Amy plays Clay's mother, Lainie Jensen, a whip-smart helicopter Mom who wants the best for her son but is concerned he's in over his head after the tragic death of his friend Hannah. She ends up getting pulled into the intrigue behind Hannah's death and determined to find out the truth.13 Reasons Why is based on the best-selling YA novel by Jay Asher. In addition to the series, Amy will star alongside Julianne Moore and Michelle Williams in the upcoming Todd Haynes film WONDERSTRUCK. Amy will play Michelle William's sister Jenny, who needs to step in with support when the family goes through a major crisis. WONDERSTRUCK follows 2 deaf children born decades apart- and the thread that links them together
Amyis perhaps most recognized for her recurring role as Carrie Mathison’s (Claire Danes) always responsible sister Maggie on Showtime's hit series Homeland.For her role in the HBO original film Flashback, she was nominated for a Cable Ace Award for best actress in a dramatic series or special. Amy's other television credits include recurring roles on Blindspot, Law and Order: SVU and Third Watch. She has also recently guest starred on Law and Order, The Blacklist, Blue Bloods, Person of Interest, Power, Elementary andThe Following among others.
On the film side of things, Amyis best known for the Cannes '13Prix Fipresci award-winning BLUE RUIN (Dir Jeremy Saulnier), as well as HOW HE FELL IN LOVE (opposite Matt McGorry), The Preppie Connection, Michael Clayton (dir. Tony Gilroy), SHAME (dir. Steve McQueen), DELIRIOUS (dir. Tom DiCillo), AGAINST THE CURRENT, EL CAMINO and the 1990s cult classic BRIANSCAN (opposite Edward Furlong and Frank Langella).On stage, Amy has been involved with the award-winning Barrow Group Theater Company for over 20 years where she has been seen in productions of "Expecting Isabel" and "Trust." She has explored playwrighting and directing there in more recent years as well.Off- Broadway, she has been seen in "Laugh It Up, Stare It Down" at the Cherry Lane theater, "Years of Sky" at 59E59, and in "Living Proof" with the Jewish Repertory Theatre.
Michael Potts - Actor
Michael Potts is an accomplished actor of stage and screen who most recently received critical praise for his role as “Turnbo” in the Manhattan Theatre Club’s production of August Wilson’s Jitney, under Ruben Santiago-Hudson’s direction. Upcoming, Potts will star alongside Olivia Wilde and Tom Sturridge in the new stage adaptation of George Orwell’s dystopian masterpiece 1984. The stage version of the acclaimed novel will begin previews on May 18th at the Hudson Theatre and open on June 22nd.
Potts is widely recognized for his role as the well-mannered yet feared assassin, “Brother Mouzone” on HBO’s critically acclaimed series “The Wire” alongside Idris Elba and Dominic West and as “Detective Maynard Gilbough” in the Emmy® Award winning HBO drama “True Detective,” opposite Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson. On the stage, he is known for originating the role of “Mafala Hatimbi” in the Tony® award winning musical The Book Of Mormon.
In 2015, he starred in the HBO six-hour miniseries, “Show Me a Hero,” co-created by David Simon (“The Wire”) and directed by Oscar winner Paul Haggis. Recurring television roles also include CBS’ “Madam Secretary” and FOX’s “Gotham.”
As a graduate the Yale School of Drama, Potts’ extensive theater background has afforded him several performances on New York’s theater stages. Roles in Rent, The Tempest, Twelfth Night and Richard III garnered him the Falstaff Award for best ‘Male Supporting Performance’ and The Village Voice’s Obie Award for his portrayal in the off-Broadway production of The American Play. Potts originated the role of “Brooks, Sr.” in the Tony® Award winning play Grey Gardens and additionally the role of “Paul Pierce” in Tony Kushner’s TheIntelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures at the Guthrie Theatre. In the regions, Michael has starred in Oedipus, Highway Ulysses, Romeo and Juliet, The Hostage, The Rivals and was in the original Broadway company of Lennon.
Additionally, he has held recurring roles on multiple primetime television shows such as, “Bored To Death”, “Damages”, “Nurse Jackie”, “Flight of The Conchords”, “Oz” and “Law & Order”. In film, he has held his own alongside Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts in CONSPIRACY THEORY and in THE PEACEMAKER with George Clooney and Nicole Kidman.
He is an active supporter and contributor of the 52nd Street Project, dedicated to the creation and production of new plays for, and often by, kids between the ages of 9-18 that reside in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood in New York City. The organization achieves this goal through a series of unique mentoring programs that match kids with professional theater artists. Potts was born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Wisacky, South Carolina. He now resides in New York City.
Lori Hammel - Moderator
Lori Hammel is a NYC based actress and writer who has performed on Broadway and Off Broadway as well as in National Tours including Mamma Mia, Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5 and as Ethel Mertz in in I Love Lucy Live.
Film work includes playing a morning show host in the Coen brother's feature Burn After Reading; An Invisible Sign; She's Lost Control (2014 Berlin Film Festival, SXSW) and playing the lead in Coney Island Queen (2014 Cannes Shorts Corner). TV includes The Following, 30 Rock, Difficult People and The Colbert Report. As an improviser, Lori played recurring political pundit Leslie Hillerman on the Onion News Network series, In The Know and is the creator and star of the series Margo Rose Reports.
Look for Lori in season two of Master of None with Aziz Ansari and the upcoming thriller Rapid Eye Movement starring François Arnaud.
In 2015 she received an Excellence in Acting Award at the NY Fringe Festival. She is the recipient of a Jeff Award, two Jeff nominations and two After Dark Awards. In national commercials Lori has had the pleasure of being directed by David Steinberg, Oscar winning documentarian Errol Morris, Phil Morrison and Rupert Sanders.
Lori is the 2014 recipient of the SAG-AFTRA Joseph C. Riley Service Award. She co-authored the critically acclaimed guidebook Minding the Edge – Strategies for a Fulfilling, Successful Career as an Actor (2012 Waveland Press) and is a contributing writer for Acting for the Stage (2017 Focal Press).
