About
ABOUT
Gasbag is an uplifting half-hour, single-cam comedy webseries about GEORGE NORDSTROM, a wannabe travel agent in Queens who suffers from logorrhea, or excessive overtalking. (It’s a real thing!) Alone during Covid with no one to talk at, George realized he was utterly alone and needed to change his life. Now, post(ish)-Covid, he’s on it! His overbearing mother, PHYLLIS, won’t make it easy, nor his manipulative boss MARCIA POWELL, and memories of his missing father that start bubbling up don’t help. But thanks to his can-do spirit, and help from his bossy and protective cousin JEAN, George will learn to love silence. He may even learn to love himself.
Think of it as warm, zesty TED LASSO schmeared on SEINFELD’s marble rye.
We are currently having a blast shooting Season 2, this time with schmancier production, an incredible all star directing team and a cast of some of the most hilarious actors in town.
Season 1 Cast & Crew
Featuring:
David James Boyd - Rob
Tina Chilip - Jean
Jorge Cordova - Tad
Christy Escobar - Pam
Mia Katigbak - Phyllis
Chad Kessler - George
Deirdre Lovejoy - Rona
Jackie Tohn - Stella
Directed by Meredith McDonough (Episodes 1-4), and Julie Kramer (Episode 5)
Written and Created by Lynn Rosen
Produced by Chad Kessler and Lynn Rosen
Edited by Christopher Gerson
Original music by David James Boyd
David James Boyd
(original music, Rob)
David’s music has been featured in the films Raid On The Rainbow Lounge narrated by Meredith Baxter, Bear City 2 and he penned the theme song for the multiple Emmy-nominated dramedy Tainted Dreams, which currently airs on Amazon. As a performer, David has performed in both the Broadway and 1st national touring companies of Miss Saigon (with Lea Salonga) and Kiss of the Spiderwoman (with Chita Rivera). Education- UCLA School of Film, Theater and Television. www.Davidjamesboyd.com
Tina Chilip
(Jean)
Tina has worked Off-Broadway with Classic Stage Company, Signature, Fiasco, Playwrights Realm, Ma-Yi, and the National Asian American Theater Company. Regional credits include The Old Globe, Huntington, Guthrie, Actors Theater of Louisville, Portland Center Stage, Cincinnati Playhouse, Berkeley Rep, Trinity Rep, Hudson Valley Shakespeare and others. TV appearances: Law & Order: SVU, FBI: Most Wanted, Jessica Jones, It’s Bruno, Elementary, Deception, Madam Secretary. MFA, Brown/Trinity. Company Member of Fiasco Theater and The Actors Center.
Jorge Cordova
(Tad)
Theater: Legerdemain (Development/workshop with New Georges, written by Lynn Rosen), A Doll’s House Part 2 (Long Wharf), Porto (Bushwick Starr, Women’s Project/New Georges), Universal Robots (Gideon Productions/Sheen Center), Lady Day (The Little Shubert). Television: City on a Hill (Shotime), Black Mirror (Netflix), Billions HBO), Tales of The City (Netflix), Seven Seconds (Netflix). Upcoming voiceover work includes, Podcast: Unknown 9: Out of Sight (Reflector Entertainment), TV: Mecha Builders (Sesame Street, HBO MAX)
CHRISTY ESCOBAR
(Pam)
Theater: GNIT (Theatre for a New Audience), Beginning Days of True Jubilation (SOCIETY), Queen of Basel (Studio Theatre), Scissoring (INTAR), Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train (Atlantic), The Great Gatsby (Virginia Stage Company), The Hollow (The Brick), Lady Macbeth and Her Lover (Director's Company), Bad Jews (Long Wharf), Murder on the Nile (Dorset Theatre Festival). TV: Blindspot, Dietland. Film: The Man in the Woods, Who We Are Now, Loser Leaves Town, Anomalous, Under the Lantern Lit Sky. MFA - NYU
Mia Katigbak
(Phyllis)
Selected NYC: Henry VI (NAATCO); Trial of the Catonsville Nine (Transport Group); Scenes From a Marriage (NYTW); Dear Elizabeth (WP); Awake and Sing! (NAATCO, Obie Award). Other NYC: Public Theater, PlayCo, Ma-Yi, New Group, Foundry, New Georges, Soho Rep, Clubbed Thumb, Target Margin. Regional: Long Wharf, Yale Rep, Humana Festival, Two River Theater, Berkeley Rep, Guthrie. 2021 USA Fellow; Special Drama Desk Award 2019; 2017 Fox Foundation Resident Actor Fellowship for Distinguished Achievement; Co-Founder/Actor-Manager of NAATCO. BA, Barnard College; MA, Columbia University.
Chad Kessler
(George, producer)
Chad can be seen on Amazon's multiple Emmy nominated series Tainted Dreams, appearing as Lance Shapiro and is also a recurring voice on POKEMON! The Series and Nickelodeon. On stage, Chad created a multitude of roles in the long running hit Off-Broadway trilogy, My Big Gay Italian Wedding, My Big Gay Italian Funeral & Mi Big Gay Italian Mid-Life Crisis. Other NYC stage work has been seen at Lincoln Center, West End Theater, The Actors Playhouse, and Ensemble Studio Theater. NYU/Tisch grad.
Deirdre Lovejoy
(Rona)
Four Broadway shows (including Six Degrees of Separation and Lucky Guy with Tom Hanks), dozens of plays and over one hundred episodes of television including the HBO classic The Wire (as Rhonda Pearlman) and the currently running The Blacklist (seven seasons as Cynthia Panabaker). Episodic television ranging from the OG Law and Order to The West Wing to Raising Dion to Darwin: The Series (co-created/written by Lynn Rosen). Training: BFA University of Evansville, MFA New York University. Ms. Lovejoy resides in Manhattan with her rescue dog, Mr. Huckleberry Pickles.
Visit Deirdrelovejoy.com
Social: @ddlovejoy
Jackie Tohn
(Stella)
Jackie is an actress, writer, comic, singer/songwriter, host and show creator. Acting professionally since she was nine years old and doing stand-up comedy as early as age fourteen, Jackie is no stranger to the stage. She played ‘Melrose’ on the hit Netflix series GLOW and is the host of the Netflix cooking competition series, Best Leftovers Ever! Jackie has also guest starred on The Boys, The Good Place, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Sopranos and more. She had the honor of playing one of her heroes, Gilda Radner, in the Netflix feature A Futile and Stupid Gesture directed by David Wain. Most recently, Jackie co-created the new animated preschool musical series, DO RE & MI, on Amazon. She also wrote all 50 of the songs for the show’s massive first season pickup. She and Kristen Bell executive produce the show and voice two of the main characters. To keep up with her goings-on, follow her on Instagram @Jackietohn
Meredith McDonough
(Director, Episodes 1-4)
Meredith was the associate artistic director at Actors Theatre of Louisville for seven seasons where favorite directing includes both parts of Angels in America, Peter and the Starcatcher, and The Last Five Years. In the Humana Festival she directed the premieres of Marginal Loss, Dot, brownsville song (b-side for trey) and Airness, amongst others. Regionally, favorites include The Lily’s Revenge with Taylor Mac (Magic Theatre), Noises Off (Guthrie), Fair Use (Steppenwolf), Eurydice (Williamstown), and the US premiere of NSFW (Roundhouse). She was the New Works Director for TheatreWorks Silicon Valley and for the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, Education: Northwestern; MFA, UCSD.
Julie Kramer
(Director, Episode 5)
Julie directed her adaptation of Rona Jaffe's bestselling novel The Best of Everything in New York where it was a "New York Times" and "Time Out" Critics’ Pick. It is published by Dramatists Play Service. Directing includes A Chorus Line (Theater Under the Stars “Best Musical – Houston Theater Awards”), Miss Bennett Christmas at Pemberley and Outside Mullingar (“Best of Utah”) (Pioneer Theater, Salt Lake City), If On A Winter's Night The Tank), Santa Doesn't (EST), And...Action (Keen Company) and Hillary (New Georges). She was a 2017-18 Audrey resident at New Georges with playwright Lynn Rosen, developing the play Legerdemain. She directed multiple shows at Uprights Citizens Brigade and the HBO/Aspen Comedy Festival. Julie has developed new work at New Dramatists, The Public, EST, NYMF, The Directors Company, Juilliard, The Dorset Theatre Festival and The O’Neill. She teaches directing at The Tepper Semester/Syracuse University. Julie is a member of SDC, where she served on the Political Engagement Committee and co-captained the 2020 Election Task Force. www.juliekramerdirector.com
Christopher Gerson
(Editor)
Christopher is an actor and filmmaker based in New York. Chris has created content for numerous organizations including: Walt Disney Imagineering, Sundance Film Festival, AfroPunk, and the Hartford Symphony Opchestratra. He is the co-creator, producer, and editor of the award winning Web Series Darwin. Lead editor for Happy Lucky Tofu Dragon Panda Good Time Fun Fun Show directed by Carrie Preston and Fort Greene directed by Jordan Thomas. Directed and edited The Yellow Wallpaper (Jury award winner New Orleans Second Line Film Festival), Home For The Holidays and the horror film The Fool. Acting credits include: New Amsterdam, FBI’s Most Wanted, Mr. Robot, The Good Fight, Younger, Days of our Lives, and Chicago Hope as well as numerous regional and NY theatre credits.
Lynn Rosen
Lynn is a playwright and TV writer. She was just named a 2022 Visionary Playwright by Theater Masters. Her plays have been produced at many theatres including: New Georges, San Francisco Playhouse, Red Bull Theater, Women's Project, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Theatreworks Silicon Valley, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Centerstage Baltimore, Studio Theatre, Contemporary American Theatre Festival, and Working Theater, among others. She is a resident playwright at New Dramatists and is currently commissioned by Theater Masters for THE USHERS, and by Theatreworks Silicon Valley for HOW TO BUILD A REVOLUTION, a musical about Betty Friedan, Flo Kennedy, and Helen Gurley Brown. Lynn co wrote/co-created the award-winning comedic web series Darwin, directed by Emmy winner Carrie Preston and Greg Ivan Smith, which was named one of the "Top Ten Best Web Series of 2015" by Paste Magazine. Lynn recently sold a pilot to a major network and has more in the pipeline. Coming up: THE OVERVIEW EFFECT ar Contemporary Theatre Festival (CATF), July 2023. https://newdramatists.org/lynn-rosen