Meet the Cast 🐾
the woof pack
Humans
Kate Woerner
Kate Woerner is an actor, singer, and food content creator. She is a proud graduate of the University of the Pacific and is an alumna of the National Theatre Institute at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center and the Acting Apprentice program at the acclaimed Berkshire Theatre Group. Theatre Credits: Brutus in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Suzan-Lori Parks’ 365 Plays/ 365 Days, Tony Kushner’s The Illusion, and Eve Merriam’s The Club (Berkshire Theatre Festival). Staged Readings: Fetch (The Colony Theatre), What Doesn’t Hurt You Kills You Longer (The Colony Theatre). Kate has also worked basically every job in theatre around LA including: associate producer, box office manager, office manager, stage manager, and assistant to the producer. She previously worked for The Blank Theatre Company and associate produced: Sons of the Prophet, The Why, A Singular They, Knockout Mouse and their annual Young Playwright Festival. Kate is currently the Artistic Coordinator at The Colony Theatre and has enjoyed working on The Wedding Singer, Scripts & Sips, The Civility of Albert Cashier, Calvin Berger, Footloose!, Driving Miss Daisy, It’s Showtime! Series, and Camp C.R.E.A.T.E.
You can check out her cooking videos on TT/IG: @cheesegirlkate
IG: @katewoerner
Endless love and gratitude to Fam Bam, TCT Gals, Alison Mahay, and her beloved Yorkie—Rooney Bean.
Richardson Cisneros-Jones
Richardson Cisneros-Jones (he/him): Off-Broadway: THE AMAZING SEX LIFE OF RABBITS (SoHo Playhouse), EXORCISTIC: THE ROCK PARODY (Asylum NYC). LA: EXIT THE KING (A Noise Within), VENUS IN FUR (Crossbones), THE RABBIT QUEEN (Hollywood Fringe), A NEW BRAIN and THE PRODUCERS (Celebration Theatre). SF: SCAPIN and A CHRISTMAS CAROL (American Conservatory Theater). Film and TV: Kevin Hart: What Now? (Universal), “Masters of Sex,” “The Affair” (Showtime), “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life” (Netflix), “Fresh Off the Boat” (ABC), “SEAL Team” (CBS), “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” (seriously), and “Hacks” (HBO).
Insta: @richardsoncisnerosjones
Go to gofundme.com/rcjshorts to support his indie shorts, the first being his adaptation of H. G. Wells’s THE FLOWERING OF THE STRANGE ORCHID.
Jenica Bergere
Jenica Bergere is an award-winning actress, comedian, director, and producer with 100+ film and television credits—and a career spent bouncing happily between prestige drama, broad comedy, indie film, and making questionable choices onstage.
Her television credits include High Potential, Shameless, Modern Family, Grey’s Anatomy, The Conners, Trophy Wife, The Drew Carey Show, and Men Behaving Badly. On film, she’s appeared in Psycho Beach Party, Rat Race, Safety Not Guaranteed, Chasing Mavericks, Gloria Bell, The Motel Life, and The Starling.
Jenica co-created and starred with Jill-Michele Meleán in the gloriously unfiltered comedy special 2 Beetches, featured in Forbes and distributed on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.
Long before she stepped behind the camera, Jenica found her voice onstage. Her one-woman shows YOU CAN EAT ME and ONE CRAZY LADY were pivotal in shaping her career—blending fearless comedy, deeply personal storytelling, and the particular thrill of saying things out loud that probably should have stayed private.
That voice eventually took her behind the camera. Jenica wrote, directed, and starred in the award-winning feature COME SIMI, directed SPARE ROOM, and most recently produced FOR WORSE, starring Amy Landecker and Bradley Whitford, which premiered at SXSW.
She is wildly happy to be back in the theater—where there are no second takes, everyone can see your entire body, and somehow she agreed to this.
pups
Annie Chase-Smith
From the sunny beaches of Gold Coast, Australia to the vibrant city of Los Angeles, Annie Chase is thrilled to be bring her light to the stage production of Woof! A dynamic multidisciplinary performer, Annie brings passion, versatility, and a powerful presence to every aspect of her work. She began her training at the age of seven and has pursued her love of performing ever since, eventually graduating from AMDA with a BFA in Musical Theatre. Annie approaches every role with authenticity and meticulous attention to detail, striving to tell memorable, deeply personal stories. Some of her notable credits include Shelly in Bat Boy, Little Sally in Urinetown and Heather Chandler in Heathers @anniechasesmith
Joe Balanza
Joe Balanza has been performing for over 20 years, beginning his musical theatre journey at age eight. His credits include national tours, television, and film. He is a classically trained baritenor with experience in dance and stage combat. Joe is grateful to be part of this production.
Chris Schellenger
Chris Schellenger grew up onstage, landing his first role at eight and beginning his professional acting career at 14. Recent credits include HBO’s Hacks, Paul Schrader’s The Canyons, and numerous national commercials. A proud Houston native turned Angeleno, Chris is also a singer, visual artist, and faculty member at the renowned Margie Haber Studio. He’s known for his dynamic character work—ask him for his Donald Duck! Chris is thrilled to be playing Zeus the Poodle in WOOF and sharing the stage with this incredible team
literally every other character all played by one actor 👏
Cantor + Husband + Dog Walker + Veterinarian
A native Texan, David Beeler attended UT Austin, then a 3 year acting conservatory in London, The Royal Central School of Speech & Drama. David lived and worked in the UK for 10 years, racking up numerous theatre credits before moving to sunny LA. UK highlights include: playing Hamlet in London and at Kenilworth Castle, Norman Petty in Buddy, Puck, Edmund, and being directed by Dame Judi Dench in “The Scottish Play”. Booth, a one man show written and performed by David, won a Fringe 1st at the Edinburgh Festival. Our Brutus, an ensemble piece about John Wilkes Booth also won A Fringe 1st at the Edinburgh Festival, was nominated for The Independent Award and transferred to London which led to a writing commission from a West End Producer. David was also invited to perform Booth at the Players Club in NYC for the centennial celebrations of Edwin Booth’s death. On television, his numerous credits include: Ratched (Netflix), Blackish (ABC), Franklin & Bash (TNT), Insecure (HBO), General Hospital (ABC). And on film, he has starred in Trouble Is My Business, Into the Wilderness, Harbor and Ahhh Roach!, among others. In LA, David was part of the sketch comedy troupe, Lester McFwap, and was part of the comedy duo, Dave & Tom, for many years. In addition to his film and television credits, he has appeared in over 90 national commercials, several of which aired in various SuperBowls. He and his wife are busy with their best productions, their two sons.