Dinner with Friends at Santa Monica Playhouse

Celeste Marvin-Strong is an American Australian actor based in Los Angeles. She received her Theatre degree from UC Santa Cruz and National Institute of Dramatic Arts and previously attended the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. Celeste has performed in multiple productions and theatres across California and Australia. She toured for 2 years with Shakespeare Santa Cruz's educational theatre troupe Shakes-To-Go. Other past productions include: Agnes of God (Long Beach Theatre), The Proposal (Helen Borgers Theatre), Ghosts (Barnstorm Theatre), Doubt (Tom Mann Theatre), Love's Labour's Lost and Two Gentlemen of Verona (STG). 

“Dinner with Friends” marks David Auspitz’s first production with Big City Theater Company. He is best known for his role as Ben in the Youtube short-form series “Pizza Express.” When he isn’t performing in front of the camera or on stage, David can be found honing his improv comedy skills at The Groundlings Theater & School. Either that, or he is spending time with his pets and foster animals.

Brent Popolizio (Tom) is thrilled to make his debut with Big City Theater. Theater credits include Wit (George Street Playhouse), The Hunger Waltz (Manhattan Theater Ensemble), Christmas On Mars (Singularity Company/NY), Millicent Scowlworthy (Eugene O'Neill Theater Center), and The Gifted Program (Center Stage/NY). On screen, he's appeared in It’s Always Sunny…, Why Women Kill, 9-1-1, Law & Order: SVU, Lady Dynamite, and Jane the Virgin. A BFA graduate of Emerson College, Brent is a proud member of AEA/SAG-AFTRA. 

Ivory Kellogg is a Los Angeles–based actor, writer, and musician making her live theatre debut as Beth in Dinner with Friends. She spent six years training at The Groundlings Theater and has performed in various improv troupes. She honed her dramatic training through the techniques of Ivana Chubbuck and Uta Hagen. Beyond acting, Ivory is the frontwoman of the indie band IVES. She is thrilled to bring Beth to the stage and to mark this exciting chapter in her work as a performer.

Sasha Anufrieva is a Los Angeles-based theater and live-broadcast director. Her theater credits include directing Bardo Thodol, or Grandma, You’re Dead! and Please Have a Seat and Someone Will Be with You Shortly, both staged at Fiesta Hall in West Hollywood, and sound design for the audio play I’m Here, featured on the podcast Premiere the Play.

She runs a theater and live-streaming production company in Los Angeles and brings 15 years of experience in Russian and American television. Sasha studied directing at the Ostankino School of Television in Moscow and at Saddleback College in Orange County, California. She also holds a Master’s degree in Literature from the Maxim Gorky Institute of Literature and Creative Writing in Moscow.

Elena Kazakevich is a costume and production designer working across film, television, and theatre. Originally from Moscow, she graduated from the Moscow Art and Industry Institute.
Her screen work includes the critically acclaimed television series Chicks (Chiki). Her theatrical credits include Trinity: Living History, a large-scale multimedia production for which she served as Costume Designer, and Beethoven, directed by Yana Gladkikh for Arlekin Players Theatre, where she served as Costume Consultant.
Elena has been a member of the Union of Artists of Russia and the Moscow Union of Designers. Her work explores the relationship between character, costume, space, color, and texture in creating a cohesive visual world.

Samvel Dzhivani Ambartsumian is a Los Angeles-based actor with extensive professional training and a growing list of film credits. His acting foundation includes work at the William Esper Studio, Stella Adler Academy, Howard Fine Acting Studio, Ivana Chubbuck Studio, The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute, and many other respected programs. On screen, he has appeared in projects such as Cooper’s World and Creep (leads), as well as supporting roles in El Viaje, Ivan’s Angeles, and Fraud in Fraud.