Liana Johnston (Dahlia)
Liana was born and raised in Kailua on Oahu, Hawaii. It was there that she first began acting at the age of 7. She eventually outgrew the opportunities her small town could provide, and made the move to LA. Since earning her BA in Creative Writing and Journalism from USC, she has been steadily juggling writing and acting jobs. Previous stage credits include Ariel in The Tempest, Kismet in A Date With Destiny, The Artist in Our Beds Are Crowded, and Abigail in An Escape Artist. Her acting can also be seen on TV, on the web, and in feature films including the upcoming Man Without A Head. She is a member of AFTRA, and is also a published author and poet.
Scott Blair (Peter)
Scott was born and raised in Detroit, MI. He is happy to explore this world and story in War Zone with Ken and the cast. Scott was most recently onstage at Write-Act with the Urban Legends spoken word series and had a blast. He just wrapped 2 films The Roberto Clemente Story and the Spanish film Botes alAmanecer. Scott has 10 years of professional stage credits as well as several film and television appearances and is also a published author. He would like to thank his friends and family for their support.
Sharmila Devar (Laila)
Sharmila Devar is thrilled to be a part of Write Act’s production of The War Zone Is My Bed. She has worked with various theater companies in Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles including Steppenwolf, About Face, European Repertory, Exit Theater, East West Players and South Coast Repertory, among others. She is also a member of San Rafael’s Alternative Theater Ensemble. In addition, Sharmila was a performer in the 2007 NBC Showcase. Favorite roles include: Cassandra in Steven Berkoff’s Agamemnon, Medea, Sally Bowles in Cabaret, Fairouz in In the Heart of America, Heidi in The Heidi Chronicles and Rose/Snake in The Little Prince. She also works in television, independent film & commercials. Most recent television credits include 20 episodes of the groundbreaking NBC sitcom “Outsourced”. Sharmila is a proud member of Actor’s Equity Association. Special thanks to Renee & Lamese. And thanks to Ken for the opportunity and Yasmine for writing this powerful piece. And thank you for supporting live theater!
Cyrus Kam (Ash)
Cyrus is making his theatrical debut in The War Zone Is My Bed. An avid surfer, writer and traveler, he believes life is about the connections we make and finds that the theatre is a vehicle for just that. It's also darned fun.
David Ghilardi (Tony)
David Ghilardi has been in over 150 plays across the United States.
He was last seen in 'Of Grapes and Nuts' at the Seaglass Theatre. David's film and television work can be seen at IMDB or davidghilardi.com. He is a proud member of The Actors Network.
Melanie Cruz (Susan)
Melanie Cruz is a Colorado native who has traveled to four of the seven continents, including a year-long stint at McMurdo Station in Antarctica. She studied English and Theatre at Barnard College. Stage highlights include Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire, Coonass Blooze and Wife in the Write Act productions of How Katrina Plays and Our Beds Are Crowded, and the vagina workshop monologue in The Vagina Monologues at the DGA. Television and film highlights include House M.D., Big Love and the soon to be released feature In Medias Res. Melanie also produced and starred in the music video, Built Like a Botticelli. Find out more at www.melaniecruz.com.
