Sam is obsessed with history and the things we aren’t told. He’s got a mind palace of facts that will unravel the way you think about what you think. Sam is a first-generation Ethiopian/Eritrean American from southern California and was recently awarded the 2023/25 Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship. Though he used to be a neuroscientist, he now is an actor/playwright/comedian. TV/Film: Venice International Film Festival, Blue Bloods, New Amsterdam, Full Frontal w/ Samantha Bee, HBO UrbanFilmFest. Theater: The Public, Ars Nova, IRT Theater, Chicago Shakes, B Street Theater, Adirondack Theater Festival. Written work has been seen at The Public’s DTWG, Ars Nova’s ANT Fest, and Victory Garden Theater in Chicago. University of Connecticut: MFA Acting, Duke University: BS Neuroscience, BA Theater Studies, Minor Biology.

Mahayla is a queer, biracial, multidisciplinary artist, facilitator, and dreamer engaging in work that generates personal inquiry around mental and spiritual health, joy, humor, and stewardship of community and self. Mahayla co-founded  CAMP at Ars Nova, a year-long residency that develops genre-bending comedic shows. As a staff writer for the Story Pirates Podcast & TV show, they have received awards from iHeartRadio & the Webby Awards for Best Kids and Family Podcast and newly been nominated in the Best Fiction Scriptwriting category at the 2023 Ambies. Mahayla’s work has been seen at Clubbed Thumb, Radio City Musical Hall, Feinstein’s/54 Below, Union Hall, Caveat, and Pioneer Works. They hold a BFA in Drama from NYU and, upon graduating, received the Beth Turner Award for Scholarship in the African Diaspora.