Karl Geary: Montpelier Parade

Karl Geary was born in Dublin, and moved to New York City at age 16. He co-founded two East Village institutions: the music venue Sin-é, and the legendary bar The Scratcher. He has worked as a scriptwriter (Coney Island Baby) and an actor (Michael Almereyda’s Hamlet; Ken Loach’s Jimmy’s Hall), and has adapted and directed Dorothy Parker’s story “You Were Perfectly Fine” for the screen. He lives in Glasgow with his wife and daughter.

Photo Credit: Ollie Grove

Gerry Leonard is a Dublin-born guitar player, songwriter and producer who served as music director/guitarist for David Bowie’s Reality world tour and DVD, and featured on the albums The Next Day, Boss of Me and I’ll Take You There. Leonard also produced Suzanne Vega’s most recent two albums, and has worked as guitarist and music director for the likes of Rufus Wainwright, Laurie Anderson, Duncan Sheik, and Roger Waters. When not recording or touring with international artists, Leonard heads up his own project, Spookyghost.

Whether multi-instrumentalist Jenna Nicholls is crooning a jazz standard, belting out a New Orleans dirge or plucking her 1920s-style original ballads on her Ukulele, she’s giving a vintage genre a new spin with her own lush nostalgic style. Nicholls has shared the stage with Glen Hansard, Amanda Palmer, Lucius, Joan as Policewoman and the Larceny Chamber Orchestra, and in 2016 participated in GIG, a dance/music collaborative performance choreographed by Whitney G-Bowley and Dana Moore (Bob Fosse). She has performed all over the world and in venues including The Gelsey Kirkland Center for the Performing Arts and Carnegie Hall.

Dael Orlandersmith is an actor, poet and playwright whose work has earned her the Obie Award, Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Award, and the Whiting Award. She was also a Pulitzer Prize finalist and Drama Desk Award nominee for Outstanding Play and Outstanding Actress in a Play for Yellowman.