DAVID PAYNE (Artistic Director)
David Payne started in Theatre as a Stagehand at the Royal Court Theatre in London in 1964. Leaving London, he gained valuable experience in Stage Management and Production Management in the English Repertory Theatre system at Belgrade Theatre in Coventry, Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham, & Citizen’s Theatre in Glasgow.  Returning to London, David presented his first West End Production at the MayFair Theatre in 1968, and remains the
youngest ever to produce a West End Show.

Payne accepted an invitation to join the management team of an experimental Theatre in London called the Open Space. During this period he was able to put his versatility to good use. Designing and building sets, (with multiple ‘Tony’ Award winner John Napier), designing lighting and sound, directing, and began to develop his long-term relationships with Playwrights. Many successful productions include Oscar Wilde’s Critic As Artist, Pablo Picasso’s Four Little Girls. Jane Arden’s New Communion for Freaks, Prophets & Witches. Following a season with the Royal Shakespeare Company, Payne returned to the Royal Court Theatre, where he continued an on-going relationship that lasted many years. Working with Writers such as Charles Wood, David Storey, Joe Orton, Trevor Griffiths, Sam Shepard, Harold Pinter, David Mamet, and Directors Lindsay Anderson, William Gaskill, Tony Richardson on Plays like Entertaining Mr Sloane, Home, Changing Room, Veterans, Teeth of Crime,  Payne received a theatrical education many would envy. Of the plays he directed, Masters Of War, and Diary of a Madman (“a theatrical miracle” Times), remain his favorites.He built the second reincarnation of the Bankside Globe Playhouse in Southwark, (a 500 seater Theatre on two empty parking lots), and ran the Shakespeare Birthday Celebrations at Southwark Cathedral. Actively involved in many productions in London’s West End and the National Theatre. (Including  Mystery Plays, Glengarry Glen Ross)

Using his theatrical experience, he produced the highly acclaimed ‘cult’ masterpiece Movie The Draughtsman’s Contract.  There followed an extended period of producing Movies, (two with Glenda Jackson), under the auspices of his production company Airtime. Serving on the conciliation panel of the B.F.T.P.A. (British Film and Television Producers Association) arbitrating disputes between Unions and the Producers for five years.
During this time Payne also had a scenery company that serviced such Movies as Alien, Superman 1 & 2, Empire Strikes Back, The Legacy, and many of the British TV stations. Payne still continued in Movie Production, moving to Los Angeles in 1990 to produce the HBO docu-drama The Trial of James Earl Ray.

Disturbed by the political climate in the U.S., Payne contacted playwright Nick Darke in Britain, (remembering a play of his, The Body that opened at the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1983), asking if he could premiere the Play in the United States. Fearing Payne might be “lynched” for this, as play more relevant today than ever, Nick reluctantly gave his blessing.  With an old friend from the Royal Court days, Michael O’Hagan and Susan Clark at the ‘heart’ of a 16 strong cast, David Payne directed the U.S. Premiere of The Body in May 2004 at the Matrix Theatre in Los Angeles to great acclaim. Determined to produce and direct plays that do not shy away from social issues, the NOMAD THEATRE COMPANY was born. Since 2004, Payne has directed the U.S Premiere of Charles Woods’ Red Star, (again a Play
previously only produced at the Royal Shakespeare Company). U.S Premiere productions of  Trevor Griffiths play The Truth & Other Fictions.  Howard Barker’s Victory, Charles Woods’ Across from the Garden of Allah.   Mitzi’s Abortion, a new play by Elizabeth Heffron, with Ed Asner and Susan Clark. 

Directed Samuel Beckett’s Rockaby for theWest Coast BeckettFest. 

Directed World Premiere of Donald Freed’s play Patient #1.

U.S Premiere of Hush by April de Angelis.

Will be directing Nick Darke’s play Dead Monkey, with Amanda Plummer, Matthew Modine and Burt Young in New York and as a Motion Picture. Workshopping a production of a new play with Manhattan Theatre Club, and in his spare time has introduced, (with Katy Haber, and LA’S BEST), a schools cricket program for inner city elementary schools within the Los Angeles Unified Schools District, and continues his work with LA’s Homeless.

KATY HABER(Executive Director)
An active Board member of BAFTA/LA for fifteen years, serving five as Managing Director/Co-Chair, Katy comes to Theatre after a lengthy career in motion pictures. Producer/Co-Producer/Post Production Supervisor on such films as Ridley Scott’s BLADE RUNNER, Michael Cimino’s DEER HUNTER and THE SICILIAN, James Foley’s AT CLOSE RANGE. For seven years she worked closely with Sam Peckinpah on STRAW DOGS, THE GETAWAY, PAT GARRETT AND BILLY THE KID, CONVOY, among others.

Co-Produced the U.S. Premiere of Nick Darke’s THE BODY at the Matrix Theatre in 2004. Founder member of Nomad Theatre Company.

Also, Executive Director of Justiceville Homeless USA, Dome Village in Los Angeles.

LAURA FINE (Set Designer/Secretary of Board)
Laura is the Resident Set Designer for NTC. Laura's recent work in Scenic Design includes NTC's productions of The Body, Red Star and Triptych at the Matrix Theatre. She also designed the San Francisco Opera Mercia Production of The Barber of Seville. Other work includes LA's Latino Theatre Company's production of Dementia and UCLA's night of Ravel Operas L'Heure Espagnol and L'Enfant et Les Sortileges.

JULIAN STONE (Actor/Web Site Editor)
Born on the south coast of England, Julian studied English Literature at Southampton University and Rutgers University, NJ, readying himself for a life as a journalist. However, acting reared its seductive head and, for the past fifteen years, he has successfully worked around the world as a professional actor.  Julian has appeared on the stage in London, Edinburgh, New York and many regional venues (including a Dramalogue Award with Frances Fisher for Caryl Churchill’s Three More Sleepless Nights) and, since 1991, has lived in Los Angeles, working extensively in television and film. He has guest-starred and recurred on many popular TV shows including Columbo, Mad About You, Baywatch, Diagnosis: Murder, Lois and Clark, Models Inc., Babylon 5, Newsradio and ER, and spent two years as a member of the Emmy-winning cast on the ABC soap, General Hospital.  His film work has included Legalese (New Line) with James Garner, When in Rome with the Olsen twins (Tapestry Films) and most recently National Lampoon’s Cousin Eddie’s Christmas Vacation (NBC/Warner Bros) as Melbourne Jack with Randy Quaid, Ed Asner and Eric Idle.  He is a very busy voice-over and commercial actor on both radio and TV, and has contributed a variety of voices to some of the more popular video games. He is a member of four professional acting unions (British Equity/SAG/AFTRA/AEA) and is a very active member of BAFTA/LA as both Editor for the Academy website and the soccer player-manager.

CERRIS MORGAN-MOYER
Cerris is from Cornwall, England, trained and worked in London (Central School of Speech and Drama) and New York (B.A., Sarah Lawrence College), and now lives and works in Los Angeles. Working in Nick Darke’s The Body has been the highlight of Cerris’s Los Angeles theatre experience, and she is honored to continue the exciting collaboration with the building of Nomad Theatre Company.  Other Los Angeles theatre credits:  Calaih (Sisters of the Winter Madrigal by Beth Henley, world premiere) and Sky Skrapper (No Scratch).  She is currently performing in the 25th west coast anniversary production of Last Summer at Bluefish Cove at The Village (www.laglc.org). 

In New York she has performed in off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway theatre, with and without such companies as Gorilla Rep and Faux Real Theatre.  Favorites of these theatre credits include Hermia (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Cordelia (King Lear), Bianca (The Taming of the Shrew), Gretchen (Faust), Sonja (The Chamberpot).  She also performed in many new plays developed for Theatre Row and Chashama. 42nd Street:  Blue Girl (FunBox Times Square), Teresa (Chicago Pulp), Mona (The Naked Show), Mark Anthony (William Shakespeare’s Haunted House), Maggie (Talk to Me), Janet (Where I’m Headed) and Talking Jazz.  Cerris’s film credits include BBC’s A Different Drummer, The Dance, First Time, Who’s Your Angel, Passage, Wall/Paper, Galaxy Hunter and Mr.49.  In addition to acting in theatre, film and television, Cerris is pursuing an associate’s degree in sign language interpreting and teaches ASL to infants and parents as an early communication tool.  She also tutors French and ESL.

PAM GILLES (Casting Director)
Pam Gilles started casting in Oregon via Children’s theatre by accident.  After spending summers working for Children’s non-Profit Theatre in Oregon, and presenting shows like Jungle Book, Cinderella, and Jack in the Beanstalk, Pam started managing children. Pam formed Entertainment Enterprises soon after. She developed the company as an umbrella to provide many services, such as Talent Management, Consulting and casting for Film, TV, and Commercials. Pam has recently cast more and more TV spots for Animal Planet, Discovery, and AMC, along with name brand commercial spots.

Pam expanded into casting Theatre, including the U.S. Premiere of  “THE BODY” for LA and New York, the U.S Premiere of  “RED STAR” and “DEAD MONKEY” by Nick Darke, directed by David Payne, who heads The Nomad Theatre Group. This year is the U.S. Premiere of “Poor Beast in the Rain” directed by Wilson Milam.

Pam has cast such films as “THE BLUE HOUR”, with Alyssa Milano, Clarence Williams III, Rachel Minor and Derrick O’Connor “TRAIN”, with Thora Birch, “MAGIC” with Greg Grunberg (Heroes), “KILLER BY NATURE” with Armande Assante and Ron Perlman, and “HERO WANTED”, with Cuba Gooding Jr. and Ray Liotta.

Pam is also working with associates in distribution, sales and packaging and is an active member of Women in Film and IFP West.

For more details, visit http://www.gillescasting.com, or e-mail Pam at pamgillescasting@sbcglobal.net.

IAN WRIGLEY (Web Site Management)
Ian is a member of the Board of Directors of BAFTA/LA and is CEO of W A Communications, Inc, a communications consultancy specializing in Web site development. He is currently developing a number of projects for film and television under the W A Productions banner.

ARNOLD SCHWARTZMAN OBE (Graphic Design)
London-born Academy Award-winning filmmaker and noted graphic designer. In 1982 Arnold was appointed Director of Design for Los Angeles Olympic Games. Since 1996, he has designed many of the key elements for the Annual Academy Awards. In addition to his design work, Arnold is the Producer, Director and Screenwriter of a number of films (including his Oscar-winning documentary feature "Genocide"). In 2002 he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to the British film industry in the U.S.A. He is also a Governor and past Chairman of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Los Angeles (BAFTA/LA) and serves on the Board of Hollywood Heritage, Inc.