GREG LAWSON began his career in Los Angeles, where studied acting and worked in theater, television and film.  He has been working with Traveling Lantern Theatre Company since 2003 as an actor, director and playwright performing across the country from New York to Los Angeles.  His favorite roles for Traveling Lantern include Bilbo Baggins in “The Hobbit”, the young King Arthur in “The Sword and the Stone”, and both Peter and Hook in “Peter Pan”.  In 2006, he spent a year writing and performing educational English language theater for children and their families in South Korea.

GREG TANKERSLEY was born in Dallas Texas.  He lived as a child in Lubbock Texas then in a farming community near the New Mexico border named Seminole.  He attended university and studied acting at Texas Tech University,  Southwest Texas University and Universityof Texas.  He moved to San Diego California at age 23 and began pursuing a professional acting career.  He's been in many print, commercial  and film projects.  Playing characters like a policeman,  a dragon (like Barney), a lifeguard (which Greg really is a lifeguard, scuba diver, swimming coach and national swimmer!) a waiter, businessman, doctor, and many time a father of young children.  On stage Greg has played many, many roles.  He's been in Fiddler on the Roof (Mottl), Annie (Rooster), West Side Story (Baby John-Riff-Tony), Boys from Syracuse,  (Alexander),  and many others.  His favorite roles include Gandolf (The Hobbit),  Merlin (The Sword in the Stone), to name a few.  Acting has taken Greg all over the world from Seattle to New York  (46 states  doing shows!)  to London, England for 1 year,  Paris France, Amsterdam, Holland and Seoul South Korea far a year.  Have fun with our shows and get to know Greg better! 

AMANDA EWING VITIELLO joined the Traveling Lantern Theatre Company in 2005.  Born and raised in Los Angeles, with an actress mother, she was in her first play at the age of four.  Since then, she has performed in over twenty-five plays.  Amanda just returned from Cambridge, MA where she trained with Harvard's Moscow Art Academy and with whom she performed in Anton Chekhov's Three Sisters as Irina.  She also just closed an extended run of Chicago with Musical Theatre of Los Angeles.  Amanda, a former nanny, loves children and is passionate about arts education for them.  After receiving a BA in Theatre Performance from CSULB, she is very excited and blessed to be in her third season with the Traveling Lantern Theatre Company.

JESSE JENSEN Originally from San Francisco, Jesse began acting at the age of fourteen and has gone on to perform a number of diverse roles on stage and screen.  His notable stage credits include Hamlet, Macbeth, The Heiress, The Laramie Project, and Gypsy.  Jesse also starred in the film Farewell Bender that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.  He has been seen in the primetime dramas CSI and Cane.  Jesse earned Best Actor at Loyola Marymount University in 2002 before graduating cum laude in 2004 with a BA Degree in Film and Theater.  This is Jesse’s first tour with Traveling Lantern.  He loves the ocean, cooking, coffee, reading, acting and kids.

GRACE LONG is a singer/actor originally from Natchitoches, Louisiana and now living in New York City.  Grace recently graduated from Longy School of Music’s Graduate Performance Program in Opera after receiving a Masters of Arts in Acting and Bachelors of Music in Sacred Music.  Her favorite operatic roles include Arminda in La Finta Giardiniera, Miss Wordworth in Albert Herring, Suor Genevieve in Suor Angelica, Laetitia in The Old Maid and the Thief, Yum-Yum in The Mikado, Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi, Lola in Cavalleria Rusticana andJennie Parsons in Down in the Valley.  Her former theatrical roles include Barbara Pitts/Catherine Conolley/Zubaida Ula in The Laramie Project, Callie Pax in Stop Kiss, Scarlet in Coyote Ugly, Mary Ann/Mary Lou in The Exact Center of the Universe, Alice in The Rise and Rise of Daniel Rocket, Mme Josephine in The Madwoman of Challiot and Blanche Dubois in Desire, Desire, Desire.

JAMES BROOKS was raised in Washington state and now lives in New York City.  He holds a BA in Theatre Arts from Western Washington University where he performed many roles, including George in the Actor’s Nightmare, Poe in An Evening with Edgar Allan Poe, and Juliet in Shakespeare’s R & J.  After college he started a professional acting career and has performed in Masterpiece Mysteries’ A Royal Wedding as Kip and Incendiary Ensemble’s The Laramie Project as Aaron McKinney and Jedediah Schultz.  He is pleased to be joining the Traveling Lantern, and looks forward to a great season.

ELENI THEODORA ZAHAROPOULOS is originally from Queens, New York. Her interest in performing started early and as a child studied theatre at The Neighborhood Playhouse. Eventually her curiosity for all aspects of performance took her off stage and earned her a Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing and Film from Sarah Lawrence College. Recently her desire to perform has come full circle. Interested in theatre produced by the physically creative actor, she studied at Stella Adler’s newly formed Harold Clurman Center for New Works in Movement and Dance Theatre. Wanting to know more, she ended up in Northern California and is a recent graduate of the Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre.

TEIG SCHNEIDER has been acting since the third grade. Born in Michigan he attended Grand Rapids Community College, where some of the best community theater in the country is performed and Western Michigan University where he focused on Philosophy, World Religions and Creative Writing. Though acting has always been a part of his life, the serious pursuit of it as a career occurred just after graduating from Western Michigan, at the ripe old age of 23. He has performed in Scapino (Scapino), The Lion in Winter (Prince John), Richard II (Hotspur), Romeo and Juliet (Mercutio), Elizabeth Rex (Matt), Puss 'n' Boots (multiple roles) and From Every Mountainside (Matt); both of the latter were written by Max Bush. Since moving to Chicago in November of 2007, he has attended numerous classes at Act One Studios. While pursuing his passion to become a full appreciated (and paid) actor, he pursues his other passion for knowledge through the studies of philosophy, religion, poetry, Shakespeare, world economics, psychology and the practice of Yoga, Tai Chi and martial arts. Namaste.    

KEN JORDAN Hailing from Monticello, FL, Ken has worked on over 75 shows and films as a producer, director, designer, crew, and actor.  Recent productions include A Few Good Men, Half-Pint Night at the Metro, Prisoners of Gotham, Trial of Superheroes, and The Magnificent Forge.  He holds a B.A. degree in Theatre from Florida State University.  This tour marks his Traveling Lantern debut.  Thanks to Mom, Ilan, Maggie, Carly, William, and the fine people at Sonny's Real Pit Barbecue for their steadfastness, courage, and punctuality.    

INA STRAUSS is thrilled to bring two of her favorite things together in one place with Traveling Lantern Theatre Company: theater and the opportunity to share it with children. Ina is from the Portland area and lives in Chicago. She has a BA in Theater Arts from Portland State University and has trained at the Canadian National Voice Intensive. Her recent credits include Mariela in the Desert at Miracle Theater and The Heidi Chronicles at Profile Theater, both in Portland.