Giovanni Ortega (Dramatist Guild, SDC, AEA, SAG-AFTRA) has been working professionally for over a decade as a proponent of the performing arts as a multidisciplinary artist and educator. Playwright credits: The Butterfly of Chula Vista (San Diego Rep commission); Sama Sama: Solidarity in the Fields, Criers for Hire and Allos – the Story of Carlos Bulosan (East West Players commissioned production). Criers for Hire has been performed in Chicago, Sydney and San Francisco. ALLOS has toured Chicago, Honolulu, Austria, Uganda (Kampala Theatre Festival), Oregon Shakespeare Festival, San Francisco and Singapore. Director credits include: Nicky, a modernized adaptation of Chekhov’s Ivanov, We Are Nothing Without Hantu Hantu (Hollywood Fringe) Halo Halo (Third Culture Theatre), Angel from Manila (Echo Theater), Lena Passes (Pasadena Playhouse) Scrimmage (East West Players), The Hotel Play (A.D., Center Theatre Group/ Playwrights’ Arena), La Madre de Todos los Exilios (La Casa Tercer Acto, Bogotá), Cabaret, Spring Awakening – The Musical, Urinetown. In Singapore, Giovanni directed The Body Series, Evolution, Kabaret Singapura and worked with Poetry Festival Singapore to create Benches and Palindromes (Theatre) followed by Belonging, Atlas and Nomads (Films). As a performer, he starred in San-San Onglatco’s film Zenaida (AFI Film Festival )and  Dreams, A Musical at the Hawaii Theater. Additional credits: President Marcos in Imelda, The Musical (East West Players), Romance of Magno Rubio (Inside the Ford – LA Weekly award nomination), Dogeaters, The Refugee Hotel (Center Theatre Group) and Conjunto. For more information: www.giovanniortega.com