The Molok follows Micah, a young boy dealing with the grief of losing his father. When Micah's mother falls ill, he runs away, finding himself drawn to the wreckage of a fire-ravaged building. Inside an ancient creature has made his home, collecting and coveting the community's lost possessions, feeding off the memories they hold. The Molok makes Micah an offer: to rid him of all his painful memories. The cost? All of the good ones he has left.
A deity from another realm who has found a way here through the burnt ruins of a local church. He haunts the community’s residents, spreading the cracks between friends and family. Without a body of his own, he builds one from lost possessions that he’s collected, all forgotten or sacrificed. He’ll repress the feelings you attach to these objects, but for a heavy toll. His sights are set on Micah, the only one with the key to challenging him.
Ten-year-old Micah was a normal kid with a happy family. He liked to shoot movies on his old Sony Handycam. All that changed with the tragic death of his father, who was killed by a fire when the local church burned down. We see Micah struggling to overcome his loss as he hardens to his friends and family. As the community disintegrates, Micah begins to suspect that his dalliance with Molok may have consequences bigger than he could imagine. Yet he’s the only one who can see…
BROADWAY: includes Captain Newton in Amazing Grace, Komarovsky in Doctor Zhivago, Pontius Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar, Billy Flynn in Chicago, Dracula in Dracula; The Musical, Frank N Furter in The Rocky Horror Show (Tony, Drama Desk nominations), Scar in The Lion King.
NATIONAL TOURS: Finding Neverland, Urinetown, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Touring Broadway Award), Peter Pan. Off Broadway: Another Medea, Treasure Island, Jeffery, Beau Jest (Outer Critics nomination), Richard III, Othello.
RECENT REGIONAL CREDITS: My Paris (Long Wharf), Irma Vep (BTG), Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (La Jolla Playhouse), Kiss Me, Kate (Reprise!, Muny), Private Lives and Travesties (Long Wharf, CT Critics Circle Award), Compleat Female Stage Beauty (Old Globe), Zhivago and Dracula; The Musical (LaJolla Playhouse), Uncle Vanya (Arena Stage), Racing Demon and Blithe Spirit (Guthrie), Antony and Cleopatra (Shakespeare Theater). Performances throughout Japan, Europe, and the U.S. with the Suzuki Company of Toga. T.V. AND FILM: Law and Order, Frasier, All My Children, and Julie Taymors’s Fools’ Fire.
Tom is a native of Montana.
Julian is third in a lineup of four siblings obsessed with masks, capes and Nerf Guns. They are a fun-loving troop who call themselves “The Fuentes Family Fighters.” Being the third boy, Julian plays the role of prankster very well (His favorite day of the year is April Fool’s Day). Julian loves to read, run, think, and cuddle – in that order. The proud Ravenclaw and owner of five Monopoly sets, Julian is a fierce competitor who enjoys playing games of all kinds. He has moved 6 times in his 10 years of life, which has made him into an adaptable, friendly and courageous little boy. Most importantly, Julian is loving and affectionate, and his experience so far with “The Molok” has left him awestruck. He is absolutely thrilled to be a part of this incredible project.
Alexis is a single mom, and the proud captain of the Fuentes Family Fighters. Before being a mom, Alexis worked as a Catholic missionary. Today, she is a speaker on Catholic Spirituality, and works in youth ministry, designing retreats and creating meaningful content for events that engage young people in their life of faith. In her “spare” time, Alexis is a student at Seton Hall University, working on her Masters in Theological Studies. Alexis feels incredibly privileged to walk with her little boy through this amazing experience.
Ron is an actor/stage manager/writer/production manager.
He has been on All My Children, Law & Order, and the upcoming series Playing Dirty as well as numerous commercials. His film works include Enchanted, August Rush, and theupcoming Beyond Kepler.
Ron is the Production manager for Stephen Lang’s Beyond Glory which is a one man show with Stephen Lang (Avatar, Don’t Breathe, Terra Nova, Tombstone) about 8 Medal of Honor recipients.
In his free time Ron plays goalie for the New York Rangers Sled hockey team.
Molok Co-Creator Xander Chauncey’s career in the arts has spanned more than 20 years. He works as a writer, director, producer, actor, singer & dancer. No matter his role, Xander is a passionate storyteller and approaches the material from the inside out, connecting the emotional truth of the piece to his audience in every moment. As an actor, he trained in Meisner Technique with the legendary Bill Esper in NYC and has been seen in such favorites as Phantom, Cats, Beauty and the Beast and Titanic (Best Actor in a Musical, broadwayworld.com), as well as credits in film, TV, voice-overs and commercials. Xander has created pieces on cruise lines and theme parks and currently has multiple projects in various stages of production. Combining film, theatre, puppetry and multimedia, he is most excited about The Molok. Xander is a proud member of Actor’s Equity, AFTRA and SAG; he lives in Manhattan with his wife, Emily, and their furry prince, Pierre.
Katherine’s extensive performance career includes 10 years performing as a dancer, followed by three years with internationally touring company PUSH Physical Theatre, and a year as an independent artist teaching and performing her original material in China, Canada, and cities across the USA. Since beginning her freelance career in 2018, Katherine has written multiple new acts, taken up management of The Molok Puppet Company, performed as a puppeteer in The Molok Film, and produced and directed several new productions, most notably her new solo clown show, A Show with Cookies. IG: @Katherine.Dances
Rob Mundschau is a full-time software engineer. In his spare time, he creates props and sets for local amateur theater productions. Rob also provides videography services for a local charity show and dance productions.
Avi Pryntz-Nadworny is based in Rochester, NY
Throughout his career he has performed all over America, Europe, and Asia as a soloist and with companies such as Cirque Du Soleil, PUSH Physical Theatre, Cirq’ulation Locale, Airplay Juggling, and CirqOvation. He was also a finalist on TruTV’s Fake Off and has spoken as a guest for TEDx.
Josh Marcks is a multi-disciplinary theatre artist focused on puppetry, movement, live-foley, and original instrumentation. He is based in Perry, New York where he works as an associate artist of Shake on the Lake (SOTL). His work has been featured in The New York State Puppet Festival, The Buffalo Cherry Blossom Festival, and most recently “Lear’s Nightmare,” a site specific immersive adaptation of King Lear produced by SOTL.
Nanako is a Japanese native who graduated Summa Cum Laude from The College at Brockport, SUNY with a BFA in Dance and a Minor in Theater. She is currently a Rochester-based freelance dancer and choreographer who performs locally and nationally with artists including Mariah Maloney, Heather Roffe, Andrea Vazquez, Mariko Yamada, Rose Pasquarello Beauchamp, and Natalia Lisina. In addition to performing at various dance venues across the country, Nanako has toured internationally with her own project, making stops in Spain, France, Romania, Moldova, and Japan. She is also part of the first cohort in the Certification Program of Projective Kinetics Motion Analysis & Training.
Laurencio is Assistant Teaching Professor of Theatre and Integrative Arts at Penn State University. He is also resident scene and costume designer, scenic artist,props master and puppeteer. He holds an M.F.A. in Scenic Design from Penn State University, and a B.A. in Graphic Design from Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana in Mexico City, where he also studied industrial design and visual arts. His experience as a multi-disciplinary designer and artist includes sets, costumes, puppets, masks, and props for cabaret, theater and television. His puppets, photography, installations, and performance art work have been exhibited in the United States, Mexico, Japan, Germany and the Czech Republic. Since his involvement with puppetry, he has been performing at academic conferences, museums, theatres and festivals, and offering multiple puppet making and puppet-manipulation workshops at universities for art and theatre students.
Independent filmmaker and Molok Co-Creator Sam T. Wilson is a California native living in Brooklyn, NY, where he has been making films for the past 5 years. An inspired director, writer, and cinematographer, Sam seeks to shine a light into humanity’s darkest corners and thrust them to the forefront of his audience’s experience. His comprehensive understanding of the film medium, combined with a cerebral and intuitive approach to storytelling, allows him to excavate the deepest truth at the center of every story. Sam has recently completed post production on The Molok and is developing his directorial feature debut, The Trees, a revelatory interpretation of a short story by Algernon Blackwood.
Molok Co-Creator Xander Chauncey’s career in the arts has spanned more than 20 years. He works as a writer, director, producer, actor, singer & dancer. No matter his role, Xander is a passionate storyteller and approaches the material from the inside out, connecting the emotional truth of the piece to his audience in every moment. As an actor, he trained in Meisner Technique with the legendary Bill Esper in NYC and has been seen in such favorites as Phantom, Cats, Beauty and the Beast and Titanic (Best Actor in a Musical, broadwayworld.com), as well as credits in film, TV, voice-overs and commercials. Xander has created pieces on cruise lines and theme parks and currently has multiple projects in various stages of production. Combining film, theatre, puppetry and multimedia, he is most excited about The Molok. Xander is a proud member of Actor’s Equity, AFTRA and SAG; he lives in Manhattan with his wife, Emily, and their furry prince, Pierre.
Annalisa Barron is an artist and filmmaker currently working in Brooklyn, NY. She graduated from Penn State University with a BFA in Painting and Drawing in 2013 and with an MFA in Sculpture from the Pratt Institute in 2017. Her short films include The Kingdom of Back (2017), E.V.E.:ERECTUS VEGETABILIS EVITANEOUS (2013), Incarnate (2013) and Chair Man (2012). Her work has been exhibited at the Cooper Union, University of Rochester, Southern Oregon University, BunkerPROJECTS Gallery (Pittsburgh, PA), U.S. Embassy in Nicaragua, NO/GLOSS film festival (UK), and the Anthology Film Archives (NYC). Her most recent film, ‘The Kingdom of Back’ (2017) was featured in GRRL HAUS Cinema’s 2018 European tour. Currently, Annalisa is starting an art based film studio, Big Al’s Flying Films, which focuses on empowering young artists to work with their hands and learn to represent themselves as professionals.
Edna is a German writer and cinematographer based in New York. She has shot over 30 short films across the globe. She also co-directed THE COLOR OF TIME, a feature length collection of short stories based on TAR, a book of poetry by Pulitzer Prize winning C.K. Williams. The film was produced by and stars James Franco as well as Jessica Chastain, Mila Kunis and Henry Hopper. Recently, she wrote and photographed MOTHERHOOD, starring Marc Menchaca and Casey Killoran. Edna is passionate about lighting and beyond excited to help create the world of Molok. She holds an MFA in Filmmaking from Tisch School of the Arts. Currently, Edna is in pre-production for her first written and directed feature, ZEITLANG, which will shoot later this year on location in Switzerland.
LOCATIONS MANAGER and architect James Kalsbeek is providing the spaces. He specializes in memory and architecture. He explores an interest in architectural hospice utilizing reclamation, reuse and demolition. He is a tenured professor at the Stuckeman School at PSU.
Nancy Pop is a Romanian-American actress and filmmaker currently residing in Brooklyn, New York. She graduated from Marymount Manhattan College with a B.A. in Theatre Performance and Playwriting, in addition to training with The Second City (Chicago), Magnet Theatre NYC, Berg Studios (Los Angeles), and Pacific Performance Project East. Film and TV credits include Law & Order SVU, Tinderella, Origin, Moderngrumble, The Night Danny Got His Revenge, and Neapolitan. Pop is the Managing Director at The Theater Collective, where she produces theatrical works with the goal of uplifting minority voices. She hosts “In Cold Read”, a monthly cold reading workshop series at Spoonbill & Sugartown Booksellers in Bushwick. Most recently, Pop finished production on her first feature film, Poets Are The Destroyers, which she directed and produced.
Broadway: War Horse (Joey/Topthorn), Big Fish, Something Rotten!. Other New York Theater: The Metropolitan Opera’s The Merry Widow (FrouFrou), Hagoromo with Wendy Whelan at BAM. International Theater: Salzburg Festival’s Die Dreigroschenoper “The Threepenny Opera,” and Jedermann (Bear). National Tours: Something Rotten!, Young Frankenstein, Radio City Christmas Spectacular (Rockette). Additional puppetry at St. Ann’s Warehouse Puppet Lab under the direction of Matt Acheson, and The Chekhov Project’s “I am a Seagull” with puppetry designed by Julian Crouch. Ms. Hofmann also specializes in creating Etch A Sketch artwork.
Laurencio is Assistant Teaching Professor of Theatre and Integrative Arts at Penn State University. He is also resident scene and costume designer, scenic artist,props master and puppeteer. He holds an M.F.A. in Scenic Design from Penn State University, and a B.A. in Graphic Design from Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana in Mexico City, where he also studied industrial design and visual arts. His experience as a multi-disciplinary designer and artist includes sets, costumes, puppets, masks, and props for cabaret, theater and television. His puppets, photography, installations, and performance art work have been exhibited in the United States, Mexico, Japan, Germany and the Czech Republic. Since his involvement with puppetry, he has been performing at academic conferences, museums, theatres and festivals, and offering multiple puppet making and puppet-manipulation workshops at universities for art and theatre students.
Natalia Shaufert is a writer, producer, director and editor. After graduating from film studies in 2012 she became a member of Union of Cinematographers in Moldova, she was awarded “Best Director” for Diploma short film ANA at GIFF Dubai 2013, the film was screened at 15 International film festivals including Clermont-Ferrand, France 2012. Her feature film, Resentment (2018), is currently circulating in film festivals around the world.
Two-time Emmy Award winner Bill Diamond has been working in television production, puppet creation and animation for his entire career. He has worked with the legendary Jim Henson on Sesame Street, The Dark Crystal, The Muppet Caper, the Muppet Shorts and Fraggle Rock. His most recent accomplishments include creating the Tele and Aurora award winning “Monster TV Network”.
Doug Brandt is an award-winning composer, librettist, and lyricist, writing both contemporary classical music and works for the stage. Among other stage works, he has written the libretto, lyrics, and music for two full-length musicals: Our Little Secret, a comedy about three women with eating disorders, and Savage, a story swirling around Jeffery Amherst’s unconscionable use of smallpox as a weapon of war in 1763 but told through the eyes of the captain of the fort where the blankets purportedly originated. He is excited to take on a new role as the Script Supervisor for The Molok! Learn more about Doug.
Dominic is a lecturer in technical theatre light and sound design for the Pennsylvania State University. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in nuclear engineering from Penn State with a minor in theatre. His credits include lighting designer and light board operator for the Penn State School of music Mosaic concert (2014 to the present), lighting design committee for the Penn State Dance Marathon (2014 to the present). Dominic is a journeyman member of IATSE. He is pursuing the ETCP Entertainment Electrician certification.
A first-generation child of Mexican-Uruguayan immigrants in the United States, Nico is a Brooklyn-based cinematographer, producer, and editor who has worked on six independent films and series, including the award winning photography series “Buffalo Soldier.” He graduated from Marymount Manhattan College with a Bachelor’s in Communications Film and Digital Media.
Chris Younken, from central PA, has been a professional musician for over 40
years and performed at the Philadelphia River Blues Festival in 1994 with Code
Blue. He’s owned and operated two recording studios for over 25 years. For the
last 17 years he’s been an audio engineer for Penn State Public Media and also
a freelance sound mixer for various networks, video & TV production houses. He played cello on a record produced by Van Dyke Parks (Beach Boys, Ry Cooder, Harry Nilsson). He has owned and operated a recording studio with Tom ”T-bone” Edmonds (Lenny Kravitz, Bearsville Studios, Meat Loaf) helping him edit a live Lenny Kravitz CD for Virgin Records Japan. He mixed the film soundtrack for the, “The People’s Joe” and 365 Days: A Year in Happy Valley. Most recently he was the sound recordist for the film, “The Molok”.
Stephanie Swindle Thomas is the primary photographer for the College of Arts and Architecture at Penn State, where she is the Director of Social Media and Visual Assets. As part of her artistic mission, she teaches and mentors the next generation of photographers and videographers. She received her B.A. in Art & Art History from Rhodes College and her M.A. in Art History from Penn State. Thomas has exhibited work in local venues, receiving honorable mention in a show at the Art Alliance in State College, PA in 2018. The Borland Project Space hosted her solo exhibition, “Give Me Your Portrait,” in 2017. Later this year, she and her photography students will present their work as the subject of a group show, “Dojo 27: Photography as Art and Life.”
Daniel Card is a Brooklyn-based editor. He is a graduate in Psychology at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin (2016). Currently he works at VICE as a Short Form Editor for VICE News. Internsihps include Jazzmobile, Broadway Video and A+E Networks.
Rebecca Larsen is a natural foods chef at Gather & Co. Sustainable Catering and Inglebean Coffee House in Millheim. Her culinary skills are also frequently on display at Big Spring Spirits as part of its Wednesday kitchen takeover events, with creative offerings such as hatch chili & coconut chicken tacos, or herbed lamb meatballs with quinoa, feta and Kalamata olives.
Larsen said her head, heart, gut and soul chooses to connect with local farmers and producers to source quality vegetables, beverages, meat and dairy goods so that she can create and share nutritious and delicious foods with the community. She sources ingredients from throughout Happy Valley, PA, including many farms in the Penn Valley area.
Corporate girl turned makeup artist, Kat Stupar is diving head first into the passion she’s had since she was a young girl creating “eye shadows” out of flower pollen. She entered the makeup industry with a focus on bridal and portrait photography, but was eager to experience the fast pace of film, and stretch herself outside of the traditional beauty makeup application. According to Kat, being a part of The Molok team has been a dream and a privilege! Kat resides with her husband Rob and their spoiled cat in Bellefonte, PA.
Micah Stuart is an award winning writer, director and editor. After studying at UCLA, Micah went on to direct the critically acclaimed short film JOHNNY, which was an official selection at over a dozen international festivals (including OutFest, Inside Out Toronto, and the Academy Award qualifying HollyShorts).
As an in demand editor, Micah has created trailers for major motion pictures including Plan B Entertainment’s EAT PRAY LOVE, Paramount Pictures’ YOUNG ADULT, and Relativity Media’s IMMORTALS. He was recently honored with a Golden Trailer Award for his work on the Academy Award winning BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY and was the winner of the Adobe / Imagine Dragons “Make The Cut” editing contest. His feature film editing credits include DARK HEARTS, COMPULSION and IZZY GETS THE F*CK ACROSS TOWN.
Nathaniel Wolkstein is a composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist that has worked with SNL, Alessia Cara, Audi, Nissan, Jorge Meijia (CEO/President of Sony Latin Publishing) and regularly creates original productions for film, ads, bands, artists, educational institutions, planetariums, songs and more.
Anthony “Rocky” Gallo is a vastly experienced producer/recording engineer based in NYC. Rocky has worked with artists such as John Legend, Common, Norah Jones, Gavin DeGraw, Cat Power, Yeasayer, Mos Def, Carly Simon, Jon Bon Jovi, Perry Farrell, Warren Haynes, Travis Barker, Robert Randolph, Jim Jones, KRS1 and Talib Kweli just to name a few.
As the former Chief Engineer at The Cutting Room studios for years, Rocky has worked on platinum award-winning and many Grammy-nominated projects. He has worked closely with notorious producers including Steve Lillywhite, Eddie Kramer, Will.I.AM, Track Masters, and Jimmy Douglas. Rocky is constantly producing artists himself and is always excited to work in all music genres.
