“ZELDA” as Zelda

L Morgan Lee received a history-making Tony Award® nomination for her standout debut in Broadway's A Strange Loop. The performance also garnered her an Obie Award and Lortel and Drama League nominations. Recent credits include: A Complicated Woman (Goodspeed) and playing the title role in The Danish Girl inLondon (in development). Studio credits include: Sugar Maple Series (Osiris Media), Joe Iconis' album (Ghostlight Records), Her Sound, vol. 3, Rainbow Lullaby Album (Broadway Records), Soft Butter (Boylan/Kauffman and Teris), and the Grammy-nominated Broadway Cast Recording of A Strange Loop (Sh-K-Boom Records). She is a Mark O'Donnell Prize and 2024 HRC Visibility Award recipient. @lmorganlee 

“GRAVEYARD SHIFT” as Him

Jason Veasey is a NYC-based actor and singer. Jason created the role of “Thought 5” in the Broadway production of the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning musical A STRANGE LOOP. That performance garnered him an OBIE award. Veasey is recognized for his multi-season arc as “Jonathan” on the hit Hulu series ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING, which garnered him a 2024 SAG Award nomination. TV: LITTLE VOICE (Apple), CHICAGO FIRE (NBC), HIGH MAINTENANCE (HBO Max), FLATBUSH MISDEMEANORS (Showtime), BETTY (HBO), DASH & LILLY (Netflix), and the Hulu pilot OLGA DIES DREAMING. Film: I’M NOT HIM, HOME FREE, and the upcoming FRIENDSHIP (alongside Paul Rudd and Tim Robinson). In addition to performing, he continues to do work with young people in the arts from elementary school age all the way up to the university level! This also marks his second project with AKS Productions! His first was as a writer on the interactive cross-media experience “X”. Following him on socials: @Veaseyville 

“CROSSING” as Marigold

Gillian Saker is an actor, writer, and director based between New York and London. She trained at the prestigious Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and has worked extensively across stage and screen. She recently made her U.S. stage debut in Manhattan Theatre Club’s Golden Shield.

As an actor, Gillian has an extensive theatre resume, including The River (Royal Court), tick, tick… Boom! (Park Theatre – Off West End Award nomination), The Libertine (Citz/Bristol Old Vic), The Mirror Crack’d (National Tour), Othello(Off West End Award nomination), Anna Karenina (Royal Exchange), and Stephen Ward (Sydmonton Festival), among many others. On television, she is known for her series regular role in BBC’s Ripper Street and recurring roles in Misfits, Silent Witness, Endeavour, and Lynley (BBC). In the U.S., she has appeared in Ray Donovan, Bull, Fantasy Island, Leverage: Redemption, Chicago Med, and has a recurring role in Ridley Scott’s upcoming Dope Sick (Apple TV+), as well as Lynley for the BBC. 

Beyond performance, Gillian specializes in comedy script development for television, having worked as a development producer for Emmy Award-winning producer Marci Klein. She has taught acting for over a decade, with a focus on Shakespeare and acting for screen.

“IMAGINARY FRIENDS” as Lelise

As a performer born and raised in White Plains, New York, Caturah Brown earned her BFA from Marymount Manhattan College and completed the Midsummer in Oxford program at the British American Drama Academy. Her most recent theater credits include the Off-Broadway premiere of The Cotillion (The Movement Theatre Company), The Legend of Georgia McBride (Florida Repertory Theatre), The Execution of Helen Ray Fowler (Bethany Arts Community), Persephone (Anywhere Theatre Company), Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol (Mile Square Theater), The Tempest (Hudson Valley Shakespeare), Dracula and the Theater of Doom (Tarrytown Music Hall), good Friday  (The Flea Theater), and Or, An Astronaut Play (The Tank). You can stay up to date with all her projects at https://www.caturahbrown.com & @caturahdelores_

“THE RUNNER” as Isaiah

David Israeli is an actor hailing from Queens, NY. He has most recently appeared in Hand to God (Nutley Little Theatre), The Oresteia (The Gallery Players), Picasso at the Lapin Agile (City Gate Productions), and Zannis All the Way Down! (The PIT Loft). David is a member of the Department of Fools — a Commedia dell' Arte troupe — and is represented by Affinity Artists. 

“STANLEY HOTEL” as Sofia & “WHEN THEY SLEEP” as Marnie

In addition to her work on DRAMA: An Aural Experience, Dara's voice can be found on numerous audiobooks on Spotify Audio, Audible, and Amazon. As a member of Poseidon Theatre Company, she appeared in The Off-Broadway productions of The Cooping Theory and The Cooping Theory: 1969, as well as Bittersweet at The Cell, and Antigone. Training: Binghamton University, London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, Atlantic Acting School. For more info on her stage, screen, and mic work visit www.darakramer.com  @daraisgramming

“IMAGINARY FRIENDS” as Sascha

Samantha Lacey Johnson is excited to venture into this new season of Drama an aural experience. Previous works include the short film as Karen Wells in “Soothsayer” from Theatre of Terror productions. She also did costumes and starred as Gina Standen in Poseidon Theatre Company’s Off-Broadway immersive production of “Who Killed Edgar Allan Poe? The Cooping Theory: 1969.” Other credits in theatre include Virginia (The Cooping Theory), Helen Jenkins (Welcome to the Doll Den), and Alice (The Tea Party). Credits in the film include Clover Pans (The Adventures of Hot Head), Kylie (Jester Bits), and a recurring character on the web series Screen Crashers. Samantha has been featured in The New York Times, The New York Post, Wall Street Journal, NY Daily News, Playbill, Broadway World, and Time Out New York.  Training: MN Acting Studio, Ne Wesleyan University. @samanthalaceyjohnson

WRITER

Jeffrey James Keyes is the co-author of the New York Times Best Seller Killer Chef with James Patterson and a graduate of Columbia University's MFA Playwriting Program. His theater credits include The End of Days (SoHo Playhouse/New York International Fringe Festival), Southies (Samuel French OOB Festival), The Biltmore Academy (New York Madness, Prologue Theatre), Imaginary Friends (Samuel French OOB Festival & Prologue Theatre), I'm From Driftwood (Project Y/Access Theater), Immortal: The Gilgamesh Variations (Bushwick Starr), Dance Dance Arden (Old Vic/New Voices, 3LD), Cell Beget Cell (Old Vic), Room 407 (59E59), Josh Groban Fanclub (Ensemble Studio Theatre), Into the Shallow End (Ensemble Studio Theatre), Moonshine on the Rocks (78th Street Theater Project), and Williamsburg (Manhattan Rep).

As a producer, Jeffrey worked on the travel series Out in GayCities with Lexus, the Sundance series Revealing featuring Joe Zee, and MTV's True Life. His short films 181 and Uniform were showcased at over 30 festivals. He received the 2019 Artists' Patron Fund Gold Award for Cream City, a television pilot co-written with Matt W. Cody, and the 2022 Fresh Fruit Festival Audience Favorite Award for his short Christmas. His script for Digital Arrest, a virtual reality project, won the top prize at the 2019 NYC Media Lab. Additionally, his monologue Safe Word (The 24 Hour Plays) was nominated for Best Digital Entertainment at The Queerties.

Jeffrey is the inaugural recipient of PEN America’s L'Engle/Rahman Prize for Mentorship, awarded through its Prison and Justice Writing program. His work spans multiple genres, including his acclaimed collection of ghost story plays currently being adapted into DRAMA - an aural experience, an audio fiction podcast through AKS Immersive. Episodes are released biweekly, and more information can be found at drama-pod.com.

He regularly contributes to LGBTQIA+ media, including his popular "On the Go" column with GayCities. Additional writing and projects can be found on New Play Exchange and his YouTube channel.

KILLER CHEF

Eat, drink, and be murdered.
Someone is poisoning diners in New Orleans’ best restaurants. Now it’s up to chef and homicide cop Caleb Rooney to catch a killer–who has an appetite for revenge.

Co-authored with James Patterson for Hachette Book Group and Little, Brown and Company. 

Read an excerpt here

COMPOSER & ORIGINAL THEME SONG

Manuel Pelayo is a versatile music composer and producer specializing in crafting scores for film, media, and theater. His unique style combines the elements of orchestral arrangements with the modern edge of electronic elements, creating immersive soundscapes that resonate with audiences on an emotional level.

A composer with a broad range of expertise, Manuel has worked across various genres, bringing a distinct blend of creativity and technical mastery to each project. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with renowned brands, celebrated composers and off-Broadway theatrical productions, enhancing narratives through the power of music and sound. His contributions to storytelling through music have been recognized by: The New York Times for his work on The Cooping Theory 1969: Who Killed Edgar Allan Poe. He also received the Pantalla de Cristal award for Best Music at the Pantalla de Cristal Film Festival in Mexico City, honoring his composition for Claras de Huevo San Juan campaign.

Whether designing poignant melodies for cinematic moments, crafting dynamic scores for the stage, or producing tracks for media, Manuel’s passion for storytelling through music can be seen in the piece he creates.

COMPOSER

"Ssanti" is the creation of Mexican pianist and composer Giancarlo Bonfanti, a musician who specialized in neoclassical music. It was through the influence of Yann Tiersen and Ludovico Einaudi that Giancarlo started to immerse himself in the styles of modern classical contemporary composers.

This led him to train seriously at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts and the London Centre of Creative Media, before making a move to the city of Barcelona, where he found himself developing as an artist and began to shape his musical career through original works.

Today Giancarlo lives and works out of Mexico City, where he continues to compose music as well as produce music for various artists. His previous credits with AKS include the original scores for The Cooping Theory 1969: Who Killed Edgar Allan Poe & X The Experience. 

MARKETING DIRECTOR

Madeline has a passion for connecting with people, both on and off the stage. With a background in marketing and theater, she brings a creative spark to every project, blending the art of storytelling with smart strategies to engage audiences. Madeline's time in theater sharpened her ability to think on her feet, collaborate, and captivate attention, while her marketing expertise gave her the tools to build campaigns that truly resonate. Whether crafting a brand's voice or behind the scenes of a stage, Madeline thrives on bringing ideas to life and making a meaningful impact. 

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER

Is a U.S.-based Designer and Creative Producer. Most recently, Matthew finished costume designing the last two seasons of “The Food That Built America” as well as “The Mega Brands That Built America” for The History Channel. Solomon was a costumer on the Emmy-winning TV show “Pose” on FX. Other recent credits include “Jesus Christ Superstar Live!”, “Live with Kelly and Ryan!”, “Nancy Kerrigan’s Halloween on Ice,” the First National Tour of “A Bronx Tale The Musical,” and “A Chorus Line.” Solomon has also worked at theaters such as Lincoln Center Theater, Fifth Avenue, Riverside, North Shore Music Theatre, Cape Playhouse, and New York Stage and Film. There is always something coming up; we must all keep collaborating and bringing our art to the world.

DIRECTOR, EDITOR, AUDIO ENGINEER & EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Is a Mexican Indigenous-American theatre director and producer based in New York City. With a career spanning 25 years, Salazar has worked in various fields, including theatre, immersive experiences, dance, choreography, audio fiction, education, luxury brand activations, and event management.

His most recent project is "Drama an aural experience”, a scripted audio fiction series written by New York Times Best Selling Author Jeffrey James Keyes (notably known for "Killer Chef" with James Patterson). This series features a cast of talent from Broadway, film, television, and immersive theatre, and is currently streaming on popular podcast and audio fiction platforms.

Salazar's previous notable works include the critically acclaimed "X The Experience," starring Kim Exum (from Broadway’s "The Book of Mormon" and "A Wonderful World") and Cheech Manohar (known for "Dead Boys Detective Agency" on HBO/MAX and Broadway's "Mean Girls"). This interactive live cinema event had a successful six-month run internationally and was penned by Jason Veasey (of Hulu's "Only Murders in the Building," Broadway's "A Strange Loop," and "The Lion King").

Other notable productions he has directed include "BitterSweet" at the Cell Theatre, "The Cooping Theory 1969: Who Killed Edgar Allan Poe," which received coverage in the New York Times, NY Daily News, Timeout New York (Best Immersive Experiences), NY Post, and Wall Street Journal, as well as accolades from NoPro for being the Best Experience of 2019 in NYC. He has also produced various versions of "The Cooping Theory," including a Halloween edition, a sold-out run in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and "Antigone" at Alchemical Theatre. In addition, he has directed over 30 musicals and plays in educational theatre settings.

Beyond theatre, Aaron has collaborated with world-renowned luxury brands, leading activations and guest experience programs that have influenced other companies in team-building practices. As a talent acquisition manager, he has assisted over 300 artists in finding work between various arts gigs. Moreover, he has served as a consulting director for prestigious institutions like Carnegie Hall and the Juilliard School of Dance, as well as for an international education organization—name to be confirmed. He has also worked as an advisor for immersive and experiential live arts with Upturn Funds, a venture capital firm.

With extensive real-time knowledge and experience as both an artist and producer, Aaron founded AKS IMMERSIVE, a hub for creative production in theatre, experiential events, and brand activations. @directorsalazar