Rock Bottom written by Nelson Downend. Reading directed by Regina Ainsworth.

Following a chance encounter while throwing up in the same public bathroom, a fifty-five-year-old alcoholic and a twenty-four-year-old bulimic form an unlikely bond as they attempt to address their unresolved trauma, mend fences with estranged family and slowly head down the path toward recovery.

Nelson Downend is an award-winning screenwriter, director and lighting designer based in New York City. His work explores emotional and psychological trauma and the power of the human connection in the aftermath. Informed by his experience as a lighting designer, Nelson’s work often employs a grounded surrealism that enhances the visual storytelling.

Nelson's character driven projects include dark dramas, psychological thrillers, mysteries, and dramatic comedies which have advanced to later rounds in various screenwriting programs and contests including Sundance, ISA, Roadmap Writers, ScreenCraft, Austin Film Festival, Page International Screenwriting Awards, and Final Draft’s Big Break. He currently has several projects on Coverfly’s Red List.

Nelson's directorial work has screened at various film festivals, including The New York Shorts International Film Festival, New York CineFest, the Garden State Film Festival, the Lighthouse International Film Festival and the Richmond International Film Festival. He has also been a Semi-Finalist in the Rhode Island International Film Festival, the Prague Underground Film Festival and the Brooklyn International Short Festival.
Most recently, Nelson has been working as a screenwriter on multiple TV projects being developed by Little River Entertainment.

Nelson received his MFA in TV Writing from Stony Brook University and holds a BFA in Lighting Design from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

Born of the theatre as an actress, dancer, writer and director, Regina has successfully transitioned her love of movement and character driven storytelling to filmmaking. Her passion for amplifying authentic experiences that can inspire positive social change is what drives her activism in both her leadership and cinematic worlds.

Regina Ainsworth spent a year amongst West End productions in London, and upon returning stateside, began directing regional theatre. With an eye toward directing episodic television, she landed a job at Warner Bros. Television. WBTV was her film school, as she worked with and observed over 120 productions, including Arrow, The Leftovers, Blindspot, Pretty Little Liars, and Westworld. It was after auditing the WBTV Director’s Workshop (a program she helped launch), that she became a freelance independent director. Ainsworth was most recently selected for Netflix’s Episodic Directors on the Rise Program led by Paris Barclay.

As an award-winning filmmaker, Regina’s work has resonated internationally. Selected credits include two episodes of indie series Linked by Love, the sci-fi indie darling Recombined (based on the YA SciFi Tankborn Trilogy novels), and Unveiled, a magical realism proof of concept, exploring final moments of love and the tough transition from this world to whatever is next.

Regina is the DGA Latino Committee Co-Chair Emeritus, Co-Founder of los directores, a Guild-level collective of Latino directors and director’s team, founder of the DGA Latino Summit, and a member of the Television Academy Directors Peer Group.

Darrell Philip* (Brendan McKnight) was born and raised in Texas and studied in Hollywood at The Actors Center International, The Groundlings, with Ivana Chubbuck, and Larry Moss. On stage he has been seen as Cyrano in Cyrano de Bergerac, Neil Simon's California Suite, Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit, Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, as well as Bronzeville, No Place To Be Somebody, Pity the Proud Ones, and The Wrong King of People with the Robey Theatre Company with artistic director Ben Guillory. He will appear in the upcoming mini-series Washington’s Armor and the films Rico San Marco, You’re Hired!, LA 4orce, and the romantic fantasy Believe. He recently performed in New York in a play about Eartha Kitt playing all her husbands. (*Darrell performs courtesy of Actors’ Equity.)

Isa Garcia (Julia Aella) Originally from Mexico City and San Antonio, Texas, Isa Garcia studied film at the University of Texas at Austin where she spent time on both sides of the camera. Since then, she has appeared in guest star roles on Law & Order SVU and S.W.A.T. Currently, she is the English-language voice for the lead character in Eva Lasting and frequently lends her talents to multiple projects for Netflix, Marvel, and Disney+. A versatile storyteller, she works in many facets of the industry, including as a writer, casting director, and associate producer on music videos for artists such as Kaitlin Butts and Cloe Wilder. Having spent nearly two decades in theater, ballet, and cheerleading, live performance is Isa's first love and she’s honored to be a part of this production.

Burgandi Trejo Phoenix (Raina Doherty) is a passionate Chicana multi-hyphenate storyteller with Yaqui & Apache roots. A proud member of SAG-AFTRA, Actor's Equity, and the Television Academy, she actively advocates for authentic representation of BIPOC women both on and off-screen. Through her work, Burgandi amplifies diverse voices and challenges stereotypes, striving to create an inclusive industry that reflects the richness of our cultures. Her dedication to storytelling not only entertains but also empowers, with the goal of driving transformative change in the entertainment industry.

Carl Garcia (Jonathan Bryant, Andrew Park, Cop 2) is beyond thrilled and honored to be a part of this reading of Rock Bottom. He is an actor and musician who most recently produced, acted in, and played music for The Paranoia of Poe for this past summer's Hollywood Fringe Festival at the McCadden Theatre. While working in voice over, he has done the Eglish voices for leading roles in multiple series such as Creature and both seasons of Eva Lasting which are available on Netflix. For his day job, Carl is a children's performer for the Children's Burn Foundation and LA Troupe Theater in Education which allows him to be goof every morning for a new, excited, rowdy audience.
Carl is so grateful to the director, Regina, for always having his back and making sure that he always has something to look forward to working on.

Paul McCrillis (Paddy, Barney, Cleaning Man) most recent Los Angeles stage appearances were in Sound of Music (Kavali theatre); Fire In A Dark House (Whitefire) and A Sleep Of Prisoners and Dial M for Murder (both in Pasadena). As for TV and film, Paul has been working on both sides of the camera since the end (he hopes) of the COVID 19 pandemic. 

Elena Hollander (Mary) is an actor/writer/comedian in LA. She loves the improv scene, having performed with the American Improv Theatre, Smile Squad Comedy, and Zach King, and is now in the core track at Groundlings. She also performs stand up throughout LA including The Comedy Store. You may have seen her or heard her VO in multiple commercials, but you almost definitely haven't seen her many roles in independent tv and film. When not acting, she loves being a mom to her two little girls. Huge thank you to the team and ISA for this opportunity! www.elenahollander.com, @elenamariehollander

Catia Ojeda (Rebecca Aella) TV highlights include: Series Regular on Amazon’s JUST ADD MAGIC, Recurring Guest Star on Netflix’s MALIBU RESCUE and Apple TV’s SURFSIDE GIRLS, and guest appearances on SELENA:THE SERIES, GREY’S ANATOMY, HAWAII FIVE-O, AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE, CRIMINAL MINDS. She starred in the dark indie comedy feature CLOSURE which picked up 7 festival awards including 2 for BEST ACTRESS (Austin Indie Fest, Marbella International Film Fest). She also has an extensive theater background and was nominated for the Ovation Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Play in 2013, and is a member of The Antaeus Theatre Company, L.A.'s premiere classical theatre company. She lives in Burbank with her husband, writer/director Alex Goldberg, and their two sons. www.catiaojeda.com.

Chris Valenti (Teddy Williams, Martin Preston) has performed in numerous projects for film, television, and theater. Always proactive, he has written, produced, and starred in dozens of film festival short films and feature films of his own, including the features Sensitive Johnson and 800 CDs, both on Amazon Prime. He has written, staged, and performed in three of his own theater productions, including a full length musical. As a musician and comedian, Chris has recorded five albums, all available on Spotify, and toured extensively, including a 2013 trip with the USO to Afghanistan. Also a feature film screenwriter, Chris and his writing partner have a first look deal with Pathfinder Media Holdings, for whom they have completed six romantic comedy scripts this year alone. Chris has also completed four horror comedies for Dark Arts Entertainment as a writer for hire. Please visit ChrisValenti.com.

Austin Warren (Trey, Doorman, Cop 1) is a multi-talented Actor, Comedian, Voice Actor, and Musician based in Los Angeles, originally hailing from Chicago. With 7 years of stand-up experience, Austin has graced iconic stages like The Improv, Dynasty Typewriter, The Comedy Store, The Laugh Factory, and Comedy Works. A highlight of his career includes opening for Craig Robinson and headlining in Las Vegas and LA. He also showcased his talents at the first-ever Netflix is a Joke Festival and recently earned high praise performing at Lil Rel’s What’s Funny? Festival.

Austin’s voice acting career is equally impressive—he’s the English dub voice for Lupin in the hit Netflix series Lupin, which has secured a spot in the platform’s top ten. His versatile voice has brought life to characters across streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime.

Oscar Emmanuel Fabela (Derek Benson, Construction Worker) is an award-winning Mexican-American actor, writer, and producer raised in South Texas, and a proud Scholar and Legacy Artist of the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts. A graduate of UCLA’s School of Theater, Film & Television, and The British American Drama Academy at University of Oxford, he was most recently awarded the Golden Globes Acting Fellowship. After working with Francis Ford Coppola on his latest project Distant Vision, Oscar has served as an Actor and/or Writer for theater companies like The Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Anne Bogart’s SITI Company, The Pacific Conservatory Theatre, and the Grotowski Institute in Wroc?aw, Poland. Most recently, Oscar's original play Don Carlos: Prince of Asturias had its World Premiere at Off-Broadway’s Theatre Row as part of the United Solo Festival in New York City, garnering him the Best Emerging Actor Award. You can also hear Oscar’s voiceover work on platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO Max, Paramount+, and Audible. Currently, Oscar serves as a Producer of voiceover/dubbing for Netflix international features and series with Roundabout Entertainment. www.oscarfabela.com

Marabina Jaimes (Fancy Woman, Hostess, Therapist, Elderly Woman) is a Stage, Film, and Television Performer best known as the Emmy Award Winning Host of “Storytime!” (PBS). Credits include Criminal Minds, Bosch: Legacy, NCIS, Casual, SMILF. A Bilingual Voice Artist, she’s voiced or dubbed 100’s of projects: Coco, Desperate Housewives, Ugly Betty, Love is Blind: Mexico. Marabina narrated and was highlighted in “Now En Espanol” (PBS) a well received documentary about the art of dubbing by Andrea Meller. She’s a multiple award winning producer (@TheTrendTalk - Telly, “Together Alone” MonzaFF, “Inland Empire” MexAmFF) and is currently developing a series of her own!
IG: @MarabinaJaimes Rep: DPN Talent

Jake Ferree (Narrator) is an accomplished actor known for his dynamic performances across film, television, and theater. Hailing from St. Louis Missouri, Jake's passion for storytelling began at a young age, leading him to pursue a career in the performing arts and a BFA in Acting/Directing.
Jake has appeared in notable projects such as The Baxters, True Detective, Modern Family, They’re Inside, and countless Netflix and Disney voiceover projects. For 3 seasons on The Baxters he entertained viewers as “Sam Hogan” earning acclaim for his ability to bring complex characters to life. His work in theater, including performances as Ethan Strange in Sex With Strangers at Stephanie Feury Theater, Chris Keller in All My Sons at the Shawnee Theatre, Dennis Mcleary in The Violet Hour at Max & Louie Productions are all just a few to mention that have further showcased his talent and dedication to the craft.
When he's not on stage or screen as an actor, Jake enjoys touring and recording music with his Irish punk band, Hounds of Belfast. Alternatively you can find him decanting wine as a Sommelier or volunteering his time to his union SAG-AFTRA. Last year he was heavily involved as a strike captain having shut down multiple productions at Paramount Studios.