“A Down Home Christmas”
The setting is that of a small country town in the heartland of modern-day America. Scene opens in Rosco’s Diner, a central gathering place for many of the locals of the town.

“A Down Home Christmas” is a radio play written by Dennis Johnson and produced by Johnson Brothers Productions. Join us for this Christmas tale in two acts December 16th and 23rd on Arts Talk with the Johnson Brothers.

The cast includes Dennis Johnson, Duane Johnson, Dawn Johnson, Jeffrey Stirl, Mary Hill, Katie Hill, Madison Hill, Kara Morrison, Kaley Morrison, Kelly Rogers, Derric Wright, Wade Hodges, Curtis Northrup, and Johnson Taylor with songs by Autumn Matthews, The Mockers, Jeffrey Stirl, Tim Malchak and the Cast. The introduction is by Nina Johnson.

Growing up performing in live theater at a very early age, Vanessa sang and danced in her father’s music group where she was exposed to the music of great artists from a wide variety of genres. Musical studies also began at an early age thanks to Vanessa’s west-coast-rocker-old-Hollywood-actor father who would sneak in many lessons under the guise of playing games. Continuing the trend of various musical genres instilled by her father, Vanessa then went on to pursue formal music training in piano, trumpet, and voice in order to become a well-rounded musician. A recipient of various music performance awards and grants, Vanessa loves rnb, dance & hip hop and is frequently invited to musical collaborations by different producers and artists.

A versatile actress, Vanessa enjoys acting in everything from live theater to the current medium of film/tv/webseries portraying roles as just about anything you could imagine: a witch, a grandpa, a werewolf, a free-spirited girl, to a vampire queen, a rock n roll groupie, and a vengeance filled drifter. Although her looks would type her along the lines of leading lady, Vanessa gravitates toward just about any type of role as long as the character is rich with content; however, she has become a little more selective with the overall storyline of a script. “People who have worked with me know that I will not hesitate to take a risk in a role. Why? Because there is nothing to risk. Once I’m the character, I’m the character, and everything is open to interpretation from that point forward as long as it falls into the confines of what the character wants to achieve and how he/she ultimately wants to achieve it. I say he or she because I’m not beyond reading a guy’s part or a role where a character makes decisions that I myself disagree with or wouldn’t ever do in my life. Some people don’t understand that. What do I care? It’s a role. It’s not me. I read the words, it clues me in to what the character looks like and what the character wants to get out of the
situation. In the end, it’s all about the win”.

Vanessa Leinani currently appears in the feature film “180” as Jocelyn which distributes online through several online venues beginning Feb. 21st, and is currently starring in the revenge filled web series “Drifter: Broken Road” premiering March 16th, 2012 on www.drifterseries.com. Vanessa also appears in the principal recurring role as the cyber mastermind Detective Jade in the upcoming web series dramedy “Bail Out” starring Dennis O’Neill and Terry Kiser. Striking features, intelligent, charismatic, charming, an intensity and passion for all that she does, multi-faceted talents, and a good business work ethic make her one to watch.

Connect with Vanessa Leinani on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Youtube, IMDB & Soundcloud via http://www.vanessaleinani.com/

His directing, lighting design and scene design credits include The Time of Your Life, Fiddler on the Roof, Of Mice and Men, Noises Off, The Diary of Anne Frank, The Lion in Winter, The Fantasticks, Lost In Yonkers, You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown, Harvey, Wait Until Dark, The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail, The Crucible, The Boys Next Door, Our Town, Les Miserables, The Miracle Worker, A Cry of Players, Waiting for Lefty, The Mousetrap, The Odd Couple, The Bad Seed, The Gentle People, The Cave Dwellers, The Real Inspector Hound, Charlotte’s Web, The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-In-the –Moon Marigolds, T Bone N Weasel, Twelve Angry Jurors, The House at Pooh Corners, Barefoot In The Park, The Hasty Heart, Winnie the Pooh, Thieves, Blue Horses, Rumors, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, The Sunshine Boys, The Boy Who Stole the Stars, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe ,See How They Run, The Goodbye People, The Great Cross Country Race, The Flowering Peach, Crimes of the Heart, The Rope Dancers, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Sylvia, Marvin’s Room, The Last Night of Ballyhoo, Gooney Bird Greene and Her True Life Adventures, The Female Version of the Odd Couple and Look Homeward, Angel.

Douglas is married to Sherry Hoppock. He lists as hobbies, reading, writing, hiking, canoeing, and traveling (particularly to see his former students direct and/or act in plays.) Every other year, he and Sherry take a group of Theatre Northeast students to New York to see plays and to “invade the city.” He is exceptionally proud of his current and former students, many of whom have become professionals in theatre education.

There are very few things you need to know about me from a biographical standpoint.
I was born Hartford Connecticut, but grew up in the Pennsylvania. I moved to Pennsylvanian to live with my grandparents after my mother passed… away, in which my father was not stable enough to raise me. Moving from the projects of Hartford was probably one of the most life changing things that has happened to me.

I attended high school at Greencastle Antrim High School where I was first found a way to exercise my humor and acting skills in television productions class. Until then I really struggled in school, I guess that learning style was not best suitable for me. It wasn’t until T.V production that I got my first taste of the, “film word” so to speak, which I immediately fell in love with. My T.V production teacher at the time help assist me getting an internship at a local TV station. After high school I attended Penn State University where I studied communication media studies.

The struggles of being a single father and raising a child by my self at the age of 20 and still have the dream to be an actor is what kept me restless when I tried to forget about this dream I had. I have to say that without my son I would not be where I am at today nor would I be forced to have to write a bio about a film.

I have always been influenced by art, music and comedy. I was a comedian before and actor. Comedians are the best entertainers there is honestly with comedy and you need in writing directing and acting. Which I relied on when I decided to create my first feature film “Greencastle”, named after the town I grew up in. I have been known to have an underdog persona and a do not quit attitude, which plays a heavy influence on my writing. The under dog story will never grow old and always seems to be the best way to inspire.

I began writing Greencastle in 2010 after my grandmother passed away, who was one of my hero’s, and biggest supporters in my performing dreams. I guess you can say I was at a quarter life crisis. After seeing a local filmmaker create a film that actually, looked like a film that was all the blind confidence that I needed to not just write a script but also turn this script into what is now a “real film”.

I am not the smartest guy in fact I am about as average as they come which always made me push my self in anything I have ever done. I am very competitive to do something and if someone says I cannot do anything then I will try my best to prove him or her wrong.

What I plan to bring to the world of film is a much needed just do it attitude for film while not trying to be to artsy but yet still have that artist mystique about what I do if that makes sense. I want my works and acting to be honest and inspiring.

I’m 29 years old. I can’t dunk. I’m right handed. I like pranks. I’m hate watching sport would rather play them. I’ve probably mispelled a word somewhere in this bio. And after the whole home remodel/indie film summer vacation, I’m, unbelievably, still sane.
Did I mention that I have worked and appeared on MTV, MTV’s The Real World as a guest comedian, Late Night with Conan O Brien and Dumb and Dumber 2, Bamboo Shark, and Dead Woman’s Hollow.

Steven earned a Master’s Degree in Storytelling from ETSU in 1997 and is an active member of International Thriller Writers, The Authors Guild, Mystery Writers of America, and International Association of Crime Writers.

Steven serves as a contributing editor to Writer’s Digest. He appears regularly as a keynote speaker at events throughout North America.

http://www.stevenjames.net/