JUDITH MANOCHERIAN & INDIEWORKS THEATRE CO.
present a staged reading presentation of


When the villagers of Orn find themselves fed up with the eccentric Bee-Man and his
ever-buzzin' bees, they convince Sorcery Girl, Sophia, to transform him. Perfect
timing, too, as she only has until nightfall to get her transformation merit badge!
There's just one catch: subjects have to agree to be transformed and the Bee-Man
loves his life just the way it is. Sophia sets out to change that - and change him! But
when her misguided mission sets off a chain of events that puts all of Orn in danger,
Sophia realizes that maybe she's the one who needs to change.
2024 READING CAST

KORIE LEE BLOSSEY*
THE BEE-MAN
Broadway: DISNEY'S ALADDIN (Genie), Off-Broadway CYCLOPS A ROCK OPERA (Cyclops), SWEET LORRAINE (Carl Hansbury/ Pastor Baldwin). 1st National Tour: DISNEY'S ALADDIN (Genie). Thank you Gregory Van Acker, Ellery Sandhu and The Mine. Thought...it's wonderful to just get lost in your own little world, try it sometime! "Bee" sure to follow the hive... @itsmekorielee

ELI GONZALEZ
SAM; NEIGHBOR 2; SLAYER 2
Eli is an NYC-based actor, singer, and teaching artist from Corpus Christi, Texas. Eli holds a Master of Music in Vocal Performance: Music Theatre and Advanced Certificate in Vocal Pedagogy from NYU. Off-Broadway: "Iron Chef" in EL OTRO OZ (Atlantic Theater Company: NYT Critic's Pick, Off Broadway Alliance Award Winner for "Best Family Show"), "Papa" in the world premiere of THE ADVENTURES OF HONEY AND LEON: THE MUSICAL (NYCCT) based on Alan Cumming's children's book.

FERNELL HOGAN*
LESTER; NEIGHBOR 4
Fernell is a Houston native and proud graduate of The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. He was most recently seen playing Martin in the The Tony Award winning Best Musical KIMBERLY AKIMBO on Broadway where he originated the role. Other credits include Broadway:THE PROM; National Tour: MEAN GIRLS; TV/Film: LAW & ORDER: SVU, MEAN GIRLS THE MUSICAL.

KENDYL ITO*
SOPHIA
Kendyl is a yonsei Japanese-American theatre artist. Off-Broadway: SOFT POWER (The Public), WILD GOOSE DREAMS (The Public). Tours: WAITRESS (Limited Engagement Tour), MATILDA (1st National/Mirvish). Regional Highlights: INTO THE WOODS, 25TH ANNUAL ... SPELLING BEE, YOU'RE A GOOD MAN CHARLIE BROWN, A CHORUS LINE, RENT, LOCUSTS. TV/Film: LAW & ORDER: SVU (NBC), Ghosts of Christmas Always (Hallmark), THE KENNEDY CENTER AT 50 (PBS). | www.kendylito.com

REBECCA LARKIN*
MARGIE; NEIGHBOR 3; SLAYER 3; PATRON
Broadway: SOUTH PACIFIC, AVENUE Q (Tour). Selected Credits: WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD (World Premiere, TLP), AVENUE Q (Ogunquit/ Cape Fear), DISNEY'S TWICE CHARMED (World Premiere, OCR), SPELLING BEE (Actors' Playhouse/ St. Michael's/ TheatreZone/ Waterfront), RENT (WBT). Starred in and collaborated on THE J TRAIN musical, exploring multiculturalism in Judaism and generational divides. MFA: Performing Arts (SCAD). Education Director at Timber Lake Playhouse. | RebeccaLarkinActor.com

MARY MALANEY
JENNIFER; MONICA; NEIGHBOR 1; SLAYER 1
Mary is always delighted to be a part of new works! THE ELF ON THE SHELF (First National Tour), A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE (The Public Theater of San Antonio), NUNSENSE (Greenbrier Valley Theatre), THE GREAT AMERICAN TRAILER PARK MUSICAL (Millbrook Playhouse), & RAGTIME & THE SOUND OF MUSIC (Ogunquit Playhouse). | IG: @thatdorkydramacoach.

MANU NARAYAN*
MR. PETERSON; ALFREDO
Broadway: COMPANY (Theo; 2022 Tony Best Revival of a Musical); GETTIN' THE BAND BACK TOGETHER (Robbie), MY FAIR LADY (Karpathy; LCT), BOMBAY DREAMS (Akaash; Drama League nom.). Tour: MISS SAIGON. Off-B'way: A DELICATE BALANCE (Transport Group/NAATCO); MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG (Roundabout/Fiasco), YEAST NATION (NYFF), FALSETTOLAND (NAATCO), SUBURBIA (Second Stage), THE LISBON TRAVIATA & The Who's TOMMY (Kennedy Center). Film: ANYTHING'S POSSIBLE, THE LOVE GURU, LAST AIRBENDER. TV: YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS, AND JUST LIKE THAT, GREY'S ANATOMY, SVU. Carnegie Mellon University, BFA. | @TheManuNarayan

JESSICA SHERIDAN*
MAUREEN
NYC credits include THE MUSIC MAN with Hugh Jackman, HELLO DOLLY with Bette Midler, SISTER ACT, FOLLIES, MARY POPPINS, LES MISERABLES, SHOWBOAT with the NY Philharmonic, and Mrs. Claus in Radio City's CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR. National Tours include HELLO DOLLY, BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, SISTER ACT, THE PRODUCERS, FOOTLOOSE, HOW TO SUCCEED..., and LES MISERABLES. Films include THE PRODUCERS and LIZA LIVE AT RADIO CITY. She established her career touring the United States and Europe with the incomparable Liza Minnelli. Jessica is both an Ovation Award and LA Weekly Award nominee.
(*) Denotes Member of

(**) Denotes Member of

CREATIVE TEAM

KIT GOLDSTEIN GRANT
BOOK, LYRICS
Podcast: MICRO-FACE (NPR's Planet Money podcast), TIME TRAVEL MAKES COMPLETE SENSE (IndieWorks' Bite Sized Broadway podcast); International: THE NOSE (Anex Theater Productions, South Africa). NYC: THE GIANT HOAX (Indieworks Theatre Co., Theater Row); THE NOSE (Master Theater, MITF); THE COMMUTERS (IndieWorks Theatre Co., Strawberry One-Act Festival, voted Audience Favorite), WHERE ANGELS FEAR TO TREAD (The Players Theater, Moxie Arts); The Wrong Box (Theatre for the New City). School Tours: THE MERMAID OF EDAM, IT'S RAINING TAMALES!, KING MIDAS, THE EMPEROR AND THE NIGHTINGALE, ANDROCLES AND THE LION (Schenectady Theater for Children). Publications: IT'S RAINING TAMALES! (YouthPLAYS). Kit has studied at Juilliard, the BMI Musical Theatre Writing Workshop, Union College, and she holds a M.M. in Composition from Brooklyn College. She is also a teaching artist, and the founder of Paper Kite Arts. Kit is a member of ASCAP, the Dramatists Guild, Composer's Collective, and Theatre Now New York's Musical Writers Lab (www.tnny.org). www.kitgoldstein.com

NEIL RADISCH
BOOK, MUSIC
Neil is a composer, arranger, and orchestrator. He is currently working on his 33rd annual musical for the Mask & Wig Club, a student group at the University of Pennsylvania. His vast Mask & Wig portfolio includes LURLINE AGAIN, a reimagining of the Club's first musical in honor of its 100-year anniversary. Other musical theatre credits include BLUE CROSS BLUES (Lincoln Center's Across A Crowded Room; IndieWorks' BITE-SIZED BROADWAY podcast), an original musical version of THE HUNCHBACK Of NOTRE DAME (The Players Club of Swarthmore), THE DON JUAN AND THE NON-DON JUAN (The Vineyard Theater), and sequencing engineer on the recording of THE WITCHES OF VENICE by Phillip Glass. He has also scored a short comedy film, I JUST PLAY ONE ON TV (Kaaterskill Actors Theater). In addition to SOPHIA AND THE BEE-MAN, Neil is working on a musical version of George Bernard Shaw's THE DEVIL'S DISCIPLE. Neil studied at Juilliard and participated in the BMI Musical Theatre Writing Workshop. Neil also leveraged an engineering degree from Penn into a career as a software engineer creating digital audio and video systems.

CHRISTOPHER MICHAELS**
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER; DIRECTOR; GRAPHIC DESIGN
Founder/Producing Artistic Director of NYC's IndieWorks Theatre Company. Executive Producer/Creative Director of the 12-time award-winning series, BITE-SIZED BROADWAY. is a director, actor, producer, and writer. Off-Bway/NYC: THE GIANT HOAX, THE COMMUTERS OR A CAUTIONARY TALE ABOUT THE PORT AUTHORITY, CASPER THE NOT-SO-FRIENDLY GHOST, EMPTY FRAMES, SONGS FROM A HAT, VANITIES (IndieWorks); YOSEF: AN EPIC NEW MUSICAL (Born Entertainment), BONNIE & CLYDE, ONCE UPON A MATTRESS (Stagedoor Manor). REGIONAL: THE LONG WEEKEND (Pigs Do Fly), THRILL ME (Island City Stage), INTO THE WOODS (Largo Cultural Arts Center), OKLAHOMA! (Osceola Performing Arts), CLOSER THAN EVER (Pinellas County Center for the Arts), CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE KID'S SOUL (John Hopkins Center for the Arts), YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN and LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (Muchadu Productions). FILM: VALLEY HIGH (Calendar Boys Productions). Proud member of SDC and AEA. FB/IG @cmikesnyc | christophermichaels.nyc

JOSEPH IVAN
MUSIC DIRECTOR
Joseph is an MFA candidate at Penn State University in Theatre Music Direction. Broadway: Music Assistant for SUNSET BLVD, ELF. Other MD credits: FALSETTOS, TARRYTOWN (PSU), SPRING AWAKENING, HEATHERS (CASA), 21 CHUMP ST., AMERICAN IDIOT (Miami University), ALL SHOOK UP, ZOMBIE PROM, BABES IN ARMS (Stagedoor Manor). Associate MD for URINETOWN, INTO THE WOODS, RENT (PSU). He'll return to PSU in the spring to music direct his thesis production of HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING.

JUDITH MANOCHERIAN
PRODUCER
Broadway: THE WIZ, PICTURES FROM HOME, THE GREAT SOCIETY, THE PROM (Drama Desk Award), THE LIFESPAN OF A FACT, ONCE ON THIS ISLAND (Tony Award). Off-Broadway: N/A, FERN HILL, SMART BLONDE, THE GIANT HOAX (IndieWorks Theatre Co). Film: COAST, A CALL TO SPY, and NO ONE CALLED AHEAD (Amazon Prime). Podcast: BITE-SIZED BROADWAY, Seasons 1 & 2 (IndieWorks Theatre Co; Winner of 12 Awards; Apple/Spotify).

GREGORY JAFARI VAN ACKER
CASTING DIRECTOR, THE CASTING COLLABORATIVE
CD (selected): KIMIA...OF THE MOUNTAINS (Kennedy Center), THE QUEEN'S BALL: A BRIDGERTON EXPERIENCE (Netflix/Shondaland), BITE-SIZED BROADWAY (IndieWorks), SHOOT FOR THE MOON (dir. Raja Feather Kelly, MTF), THE DECIDERS (Woolly Mammoth). Casting Associate: SUNSET BLVD (ACT of CT), HOUSE OF TELESCOPES (Pipeline), STRANGER SINGS! (Playhouse 46), GATSBY (Immersive), multiple shows for Atlantic, Denver Center, Syracuse Stage, and Alliance Theatre. Normalizing positive representation for historically excluded voices. www.gregoryvanacker.com

REBECCA L. JOHNSTON*
PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER
Rebecca is originally from Orlando, FL where she worked in various entertainment roles for Walt Disney Entertainment, Universal Studios Orlando, Sea World Orlando, and Gaylord Palms Resort. She has also worked for Virgin Voyages and Royal Caribbean Cruise Line. Since moving to NYC, Rebecca has enjoyed working in venues with amazing talent such as Baryshnikov Arts Center, ATC Stage 2, New World Stages, The Tank, Dixon Place, and 583 Park. Regional Theatre Credits: Barrington Stage Company, American Stage. She is a member of the Stage Manager's Association. IG: @rebeccatheatregirl4276
We hope you enjoy this staged reading presentation of SOPHIA AND THE BEE-MAN as
much as we enjoyed creating it. If you would like to reach out to the producers for more
information about the show or would like to discuss future production opportunities,
please email us at info@indieworkstheatre.com and we would be happy to set up a chat!
-- Christopher Michaels & Judith Manocherian
-- Christopher Michaels & Judith Manocherian