Meet the Cast of GO THERE

Erica is a LA based writer and storyteller. An NYU graduate, she received her degree in writing and acting. While living in New York City, she wrote and performed solo shows and was the singer and songwriter in an indie rock band. She worked regionally as an actress at The Actors Theater of Louisville and performed in the acclaimed Humana Festival. She moved to Los Angeles and began performing her true and personal stories on shows, including “Storytellers Project'', ``Risk!”, and “NAMI Washington’s: Brainpower Chronicles”. When not telling stories herself, you can find her teaching storytelling to people of all ages. Learn more at ericablumfield.com

Eric recently produced the feature documentary Aswat Acherim (Other Voices) available on Amazon.  At New York Film Academy, Eric teaches writing to Grad and Undergrad students. He  hosted/wrote the podcast The Backlot (on iTunes). With Chad Rocco, Eric adapted the NY Times bestselling young-adult series Vampire Kisses and developed a feature based on Knotts Berry Farm’s Halloween Haunt. His script Just Enough won a Sloan Scholarship and was accepted into the Hamptons Writer’s Lab. Eric’s short film Tito Stern was a finalist for the first (and last) Howard Stern Film Festival and appeared On Demand Cable. Eric is a proud member of the Burbank Cultural Arts Commission and appears weekly getting his geek on at the Bladtcast's Marvel Movie Talk. Eric lives in Burbank with his wife Lauren, sons Alex and Judah and Fezzik (an unemployed dog).

Megan is grateful to be back in front of a live audience after two years of stacking books on her desk to achieve the perfect laptop height to frame her face for Zoom shows. Megan's solo show, "Lemur Mom (because we can't all be Tiger Moms)" played to sold out houses all over Southern California. She has performed stories at The Moth, Expressing Motherhood, The Creativity Festival and written for L.A. Parent Magazine and the We Are Brave Together podcast. She's been a guest speaker at Long Beach City College and USC. Her TED talk, "Messy Mommy: A Slob in the Shadows" can be seen on Youtube. Megan is currently working on material for her next show about the Sandwich generation--those who care for aging parents and young children simultaneously. She writes in between school pick-ups, soccer games and visits to the geriatrician. 

Sean tells his stories in Chicago and Los Angeles at such shows as The Moth (storySLAM Winner "Nostalgia" Los Angeles 2021), USA Today Storytellers Project (Western/Sunbelt and  National shows), This Much Is True, Flick Lit, Bike Winter Chicago, Story Club Chicago, Story Salon, The ReBoot, The Laugh Factory, Pour One Out and The Antidote. When Sean is not on-stage telling stories, he coaches storytellers and leads personal narrative workshops. He works during the day at the Spondylitis Association of America, helping those living with the disease share their stories about being a pain warrior and elevating public awareness of spondyloarthritis. Sean lives with his partner John and rescue dog, Pilot. 

As an actor, Wendy’s TV credits include: Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Sopranos, and Mad About You. As a stand up comic, she was featured on Oprah. On The Colony Theatre stage, Wendy played Bunny for 70 performances in the national tour of Old Jews Telling Jokes. She has toured the country with her LA Times acclaimed solo show Ripe. Ms. Hammers is the creator/curator and host of Tasty Words, a live storytelling show and podcast, not in its 20th year. To learn more, and hear the podcast, visit wendyhammers.com 

Vicki has performed her original stories at theaters and festivals across the US, including the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, TN and the Playground Solo Performance Festival in San Francisco.  Her solo show "Sacred Resistance" ran for six months to rave reviews at the Jewish Women's Theater, Los Angeles.  She has played comic roles on TV in COACH, EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND, and YES, DEAR, as well as in countless commercials.

Lynn is a writer who channels an overactive imagination into fictional worlds where justice rules, karma is real and the good person comes out on top. Her second thriller novel, "God of the Internet," was named to Kirkus Reviews Best Indie Books of 2016 list. Her Zane Clearwater mystery series (“Bloodlines” and “Serpent Loop”) are set in her hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma, which also happens to be her favorite place to write about. Lynn earned a master’s degree in creative writing from Mount St. Mary's University in 2018. She lives in Burbank with her husband Steve Arakawa and their spoiled miniature dachshund Chloe. She is a firm believer in the importance of honest reflection and storytelling about mental health.

Supporting public education, mental health, and sensible gun control have been priorities for Senator Anthony Portantino during his time in office. His accomplishments include increasing funding for special education and the K-12 Local Control Funding Formula. He has pushed back school start time for middle and high schools, banned the open carry of handguns on Main Street California, raised the purchase age of firearms to 21, and placed the suicide hotline number on student identification cards. Prior to his years as a representative, he spent many years working in film and television production, served on the California Film Commission, and spent nearly eight years on the La Cañada Flintridge City Council, with two terms as Mayor.  In 2019, he was awarded the prestigious Ellis Island Award at a ceremony in the historic island’s great hall.

Senator Portantino grew up in New Jersey, where he attended public schools and graduated from Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania, where he met his future wife, Ellen, a longtime business executive at Warner Brothers and Disney.  They have two daughters. Read more about Senator Portantino here.

Born and raised in Japan, Miyo brings a unique perspective and sense of humor to storytelling. Her insatiable curiosity about life, people and the world leads her on many adventures and results in stories that delight her audience. She regularly performs at the Fanatic Salon Theater, other spoken word events, and the StoryMasters club. During the day, she works as a computer programmer for UCLA, writing narratives for computers to perform. Her solo show, "How to Be Japanese" will be featured on the National Storytelling Network on June 18, 2022. You can follow Miyo on Instagram and Facebook @miyothestoryteller or find her on the web at miyo.net.

Pi draws inspiration from her unconventional upbringing in “The Land of Weed and Wine” aka Northern California. Blending roots-rock swagger and storytelling soul, her music has drawn comparisons to Tom Waits, Dolly Parton, and Lucinda Williams. She has been heard on NPR, DittyTV, Austin Music TV, Americana Highways, American Songwriter Magazine, and regularly on tastemakers KCSN, WFUV and stations across the nation. pijacobs.com