Jake Wichansky is a filmmaker from Randolph, New Jersey who graduated from NYU's film program in 2022. He has directed over twenty short films of which many have screened at multiple film festivals, including the award-winning short films "Sara" and “Fermata”. He recently finished his NYU thesis film “Irrational”. He has also edited several other short films, both narrative and experimental, as well as documentaries.

Joey Contreras is a New York based, Mexican-American musical theatre and pop songwriter, internationally known for his various projects, performances and studio album releases, amassing millions of streams. He is a Fred Ebb Award finalist, a two-time Jonathan Larson Grant finalist, and an alum from the Johnny Mercer Songwriters Project and NYU Grad MT Writing Program. His musicals with bookwriter/lyricist, Kate Thomas, include All The Kids Are Doing It (Provincetown Playhouse, Tisch, IWU, O’Neill NMTC Finalist), Forget Me Not (Open Jar Institute, NYU, The Dare Tactic) and Elements.  He is the composer of Heartbreakers in Hell, a modern day adaptation of Dante’s Inferno written with bookwriter/lyricist Benjamin Halstead.  Additionally, he has composed for the Walt Disney Company, and various short films. He regularly teaches songwriting through private coaching and group master classes at universities and theatre programs worldwide.

Julia Whitcher is an NYC based actor and is currently studying at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting through NYU Tisch. She hails from Denver, Colorado, and truthfully prefers baking pie over memorizing it. Julia is so excited to be going back to her musical theater roots for this project, and could not be more grateful to be working with such a stellar group of people. She can’t wait to bring Claudia and the world of Irrational to life!

Alessandra Antonelli is an NYC based actress, singer, dancer, and choreographer. She recently received her BFA from NYU Tisch Drama with a Minor in Dance, and is signed with DDO Artists Agency for VoiceOver. She adores musicals, films, and musical films, and is honored to be a collaborator on Irrational!

Denis Lambert appeared in the Broadway productions of A Chorus Line and Doctor Zhivago and in the National Touring productions of White Christmas, A Chorus Line and The Producers. His New York credits include three shows at New York City Center, Carnegie Hall, York Theatre, Dying City and The Wild Party. His regional credits include the Hollywood Bowl, Kennedy Center, Dallas Theater Center, Paper Mill Playhouse, Pittsburgh CLO, Asolo Rep, Syracuse Stage, Berkshire Theatre Group, Walnut Street Theatre, Music Theatre of Wichita, Hudson Stage, Finger Lakes and The Lex. Denis' television and film credits include Modern Love (Amazon), The Professor, An Urnest Attempt, Micro Lovo, What Dreams May Come and Guilty. He holds a MA in Classical Acting from LAMDA and a BFA Musical Theatre from CCM. Denis is also an audiobook narrator and the creator and host of The Voracious Student podcast.

Sara LoCasale is a child actor. Most recently she can be found playing Minnie in the short film Pestle. Filmed in Orient, NY, it was directed by Sophie Knobler and produced by Mariel Neto. She was also cast as Belle in The Wee Which Project and directed by Caledonia Curry in Bronx, NY. Sara is no stranger to the spotlight. She has trained at Cygnus Creative Arts Centre for 9 years where she trained under professional dancers. Further trained at Atlantic City Ballet where she was cast in professional productions of The Nutcracker and Cinderella at Caesers Casino in Atlantic City, NJ and other local theaters throughout NJ. Her other hobbies include playing field hockey, singing and being a member of her school's orchestra as a violinist. She currently resides in NJ with her parents and younger sister.

Ailina Dohn (Uh-Lee-Nah) is from California and is a Junior in Tisch Film & TV. She has competitively danced for 8+ years winning Top 10 in the nation. Her training includes classical ballet, jazz contemporary, and musical theater. You can catch her watching action films anytime. She loves to see visual storytelling conveyed in amazing fight choreography and VFX! Here at NYU, her top passions are cinematography, dance, and stunts.

Alexander Zinn is many things: a Tisch film/tv senior, a math minor, and Jake Wichansky’s roommate; but above all else, he’s a spreadsheet wizard, which is why he’s Assistant Directing this project. Beyond that, he’s interested in food… and other things?  Things like the great outdoors and even greater indoors. He’s been a drone photographer for state parks and national forests; an Amazon Best-Selling author; and a gamer with continual Pokemon double battles dominance to his name. He’s got a cool scar on his neck which he falsely claims as being from a pirate attack. Born and raised in San Antonio, he’s a lifelong Spurs & Gregg Popovich fan, knows that beans don’t go in chili, and feels that enchiladas are underrated. Ultimately, he’s just some guy who occasionally does things—he has no idea what he wants to do with his career, but he’ll figure it out.

Sebastian Martinez is a third-year Film/TV major at Tisch, concentrating specifically on screenwriting and producing! In addition, he is constantly honing his comedy as he is the co-head of NYU’s premier sketch group Comic Sans while also a member of NYU’s improv team Home Improvment!

Shirley Sui has been making films for eight years. She is an award-winning writer-director, and she has also produced many student films. Shirley's first film, Please, was finalist in the All American High School Film Festival in Best Picture, Best Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Actress, and it was in Official Selections of Dance with Films Film Festival and screened at the TCL Chinese Theatre. Her films have won US Hollywood International Film Festival: Special Jury Award, Busan International Kids&Youth Film Festival 2017: Audience Award & Pure Wind Award, and Idyllwild Arts Film and Digital Media Department Best Producer Award & Best Screenplay Award. She was also nominated for The Mary Austin Award for her Excellence in Producing for the short film Standpoint.

Toby Romero is a Cinematographer based in New York City and Los Angeles. He has worked on numerous narrative films, commercials, documentary, and experimental shoots taking him from places like Tel Aviv, Israel to Ketchikan, Alaska. Toby is no stranger to the spotlight. His work has been featured by US News, selected multiple times for NYU’s showcases, and screened at festivals around the world. He’s been accepted for a fellowship with Ghetto Film School and a four year internship with Warner Bros. leading him to his work on the Netflix show Fuller House. His Norwegian and Latino background help influence his unique visual style. He strives to work with a range of people and doesn’t allow one single genre to confine him as he continues to present his name and reputation in the industry. When he’s not on set, Toby can be found in the ocean surfing or on the mountain snowboarding.

Lola Verhulst is a NYC raised and based production designer in her final year at NYU Tisch for film and television. Throughout her schooling, Lola has worked on several short films. Her most recent work includes the 2006 period piece Red Skies, a short funded by the Modern Military Association focusing around the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell laws.

Sophia is a recent graduate from NYU Tisch School of the Arts with a bachelor’s degree in Film & TV post-production, and an additional focus in casting and business operations. She uses her company, Hiller Castings, as an outlet to help her connect people through transferral of her skills. Sophia has also edited everything from commercial to narrative works. Jake's project is just one of the many projects that align with her vision and Sophia is super excited to help bring the vision to life.

Tess Rechtweg is a first-year Film and TV student, intending to concentrate in producing and directing. Prior to her matriculation at NYU, she worked on her high school productions, including theater and film. Tess was the photography editor for the award-winning Horizon, her high school’s newspaper, and was awarded an Empire State School Press Association Award.