The Cast
Karen
Lyndsey originally hails from the cornfields and lake effect snow of Northeast Ohio, and is an alum of the National Theater Institute at The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut. She has snagged Best Actor nods for her stage work in girls. in boys pants., as well as opposite Mackenzie Phillips in the short film Blackout. She most recently led the cast of Lore, slated for release by Lionsgate. Getting back to the Midwest with Cicada Song and this talented bunch of peers was an absolute joy.
Judith
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Kim Reed has performed around the world in her stage career. She easily shifted to camera work and CICADA SONG is her first major feature film. She also appears in the features JUST BELOW SUNSET and QUINN, both in post production. She stars in the short film I AM RUPERT CALDWELL (California Film Festival Diamond Award winner), NO RETURNS (Worldfest Houston Platinum Remi Award winner), and the Tribeca Film Festival selection of WILLOWBROOK. Kim also wrote and produced the pilot episode of the webisode THE SECRET LIVES OF NANCY JONES.
Kurt
Joseph Bottoms is known for DISNEY’S THE BLACK HOLE and SANTA BARBARA. Brother of Sam. Ben and Timothy Bottoms, Joseph made his Broadway debut as Kenneth Talley, Jr. in the Pulitzer Prize winning play Fifth Of July. He won the 1975 Golden Globe Award for “New Star of the Year” for his work in THE DOVE. Joseph decided to be an actor when he was 13 years old after having a premonition that he would dance with Elizabeth Taylor, which he did in the 1978 TV film RETURN ENGAGEMENT.
Annabelle
Jenny Mesa is a first generation Cuban-American from Miami. The acting bug first bit her In the 7th grade when she played one of the evil step sisters in her school's rendition of Cinderella. Immediately after graduating from Florida International University, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue her career in acting, completing the two year program at the Taylor School of Acting. Soon after graduation, she booked her first supporting role in a short film. Her supporting role in Cicada Song marks her first major role in a feature film.
Richard
Rob is an Actor/Writer/Director who started in DC/Maryland and ended up in Los Angeles working in television, film, and theatre. He most recently directed, wrote, and starred in a comedy series titled THE GROW. The workplace comedy about the underground Cannabis industry. Rob has been in numerous films including the 2014 CATALINA FILM FESTIVAL WINNER: DANNY AND THE WILD BUNCH (Best Animation). Rob is currently writing and developing a short form content comedy series about two brothers living below the poverty line in Bakersfield California. He is represented by Sally Hinata at Energy Talent.
Javier
Cesar is an actor / writer and proud L.A. native. Along with his acting training, he is also trained in mov’t/clown, drum circle facilitation, and social emotional arts education. From his first feature on-screen appearance in Sideways, he has continuously worked in indie films, web series, and commercials. For the stage, he has worked with notable companies such as the L.A. Opera, Coeurage Theatre Co. and East West Players. Recently he was a performer / character coach at SXSWedu and currently writing his next film project.
Bob Wilkes
LR Hults’ stage career has included Henry Irving in Don Nigro’s Henry and Ellen, the Duke in Measure for Measure, Henry in Lion in Winter, Sorin in The Seagull. He has appeared in several independent films, including the Pastor in Sheep, Dr. Simon Hill in The Body of Richard Baker, and Uncle Mitch in Awful Nice. LR has directed the premiere productions of several of Don Nigro’s plays, including Tombstone, The Reeve’s Tale, Darkpool and Goat. Currently he is directing and starring in his own television channel of rider’s perspective motorcycle rides, Real Time Rides.
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Tom Wilkes
Mr. Loach
Joe Hayes
Joe has spent most of his life entertaining audiences on stage from behind a drum set in two-piece progressive rock band Clatter. Several years ago he broadened his “entertainment palette” when he slipped behind a microphone in order to bring characters to life for the KBIA Maplewood Barn Radio Theater. CICADA SONG marks Joe’s first time to appear on film (without a drum set!). Joe loves to exercise, and shares his passion for fitness by working as a Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Strength Coach and Fitness Instructor.
Bea
Merideth Ludwig
Meredith was delighted to answer the call from Cicada Song when they came to Missouri looking for talent. Her past includes roles at various regional theatres, her favorite - Annie Sullivan in The Miracle Worker at Virginia Stage Company. Her interests turned toward writing and lead her to develop an audio theatre workshop which she traveled with to public schools in Kentucky and Georgia. Eventually she would discover the joys of collecting oral history and turning it into community based theatre which she continues to do. She is presently working with nine Indian nations in Ottawa County, Oklahoma.
Bill Samson
David Crespy founded MU's Writing for Performance program, serves its Co-Director, and it received the 2017 Gold Medallion from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF). He is the founding Artistic Director of MU's Missouri Playwrights Workshop, Mizzou New Play Series, and Summer Rep's Comedies-in-Concert Series. Dr. Crespy is a working actor, a member of SAG-AFTRA, and a veteran of many NYC soap operas, including One Life to Live, All My Children, Guiding Light, Loving, Another World, and Ryan’s Hope. You can catch him in several films including Presumed Innocent (with Brian Dennehy and Harrison Ford), Box Elder, Red Cloud, and The Experimental City. He is also a proud veteran of the MU stage, performing the musical Parade under the direction of James M. Miller, The Girl in the Cube by Matt Fotis, directed by Dr. Suzanne Burgoyne, and most recently, as part of the 2019 Summer Repertory Theatre productions of Corduroy, directed by Dr. Matt Saltzburg, and the musical Ragtime, directed by Dr. Joy Powell.