"My Psychic Life"

CARLA BRISCOE:
A Tisch Merit Scholar and graduate of NYU (B.F.A, M.A.), Carla studied improv and sketch writing with several of the founding members of the Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB), attending classes on both coasts. A regular performer with the group "Livestock" at the People's Improv Theatre, she was also one of the original cast members of Stephen Ruddy's critically acclaimed "Gravid Water " — one of the longest running  (and still running) shows at the UCB.

After completing advanced studies with the UCB, she apprenticed with the award-winning Labyrinth Theater Company in 2007; Philip Seymour Hoffman and John Ortiz then acting as Co-Artistic Directors. Later that year, her play “The Lie Down" became a semi-finalist for the Princess Grace Award in Playwriting.

A former Teaching Artist with the Women's Project, Carla oversaw writing and performance workshops with the formerly incarcerated in programs sponsored by the Center for Court Innovation, devising the play "The Life" from the writings of sex workers to raise funds for continued programming. One of her current projects, “Released: Life After Prison”—an episodic documentary—will use the personal narratives of the formerly incarcerated to examine the systemic and policy based issues that often lead to recidivism. Relative to this endeavor, she recently completed coursework at the Maysles Documentary Center in the Spring of 2016.

She is currently the Project Coordinator for the Writers Guild Initiative—working with marginalized and underserved populations—and can be seen performing standup at venues such as Caroline's, the Broadway Comedy Club, Eastville, and The Women in Comedy Festival, among others. More information is available at: www.carlabriscoe.com

SUZANNE SMITH:
Actress and writer, Suzanne Smith has appeared on television in "Sex and the City," "Law & Order," and in numerous independent films, including "Double Whammy," directed by Tom DiCillo and "Meeting Marty" for the Sundance Channel.

Suzanne has been influenced and inspired by filmmakers and actors who create their own original work, like John Cassavetes, Christopher Guest, and Larry David, and by the work of strong, comedic women, including Roseanne Barr and Bea Arthur.

Suzanne began creating original characters and writing her own material while studying with her teacher and mentor, Wynn Handman, the renowned acting teacher and Artistic Director of the American Place Theater. She is now a part of a writers group led by award-winning playwright, Leslie Ayvazian.