BIOS

For Mary London Szpara, her writing skills were evident at an early age and her love of music led into a successful radio career in major markets throughout the U.S. eventually landing in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Drawing on those skills, she morphed into commercial work as a voice actor.  She is a writer, producer, voiceover artist, and audio editor for countless clients. Not only does she write and produce high-end quality commercials…her silky smooth, velvety voice, takes them to another level, with a consistency her clients love and appreciate. Clients like Toyota, Nissan, Wachovia, Hardees, UNC Charlotte, LPGA, the City of Kannapolis.  

A savvy audio editor, producer and natural mimic, Mary London has a knack for theatre of the mind and audio role play. She is heard across the U.S and into Canada as the imaging and promo voice for radio stations and multiple syndicated radio shows.  

Her ease with words led her to express her innermost thoughts after the death of her husband, Michael. It became her salvation as she put her pen to paper in “The Loss World” © 2013. The book inspired the stage play “The Loss World Monologues” ©2015, followed by “The Loss World Monologues 2.0”, an enhanced reading  with original music collaboration in 2018. “The Loss World Monologues, a short film” is the latest iteration of the saga based on grief and healing.

Mary is not only an artist who brings words to life, she is also a visual artist. It is not surprising that her need to create with pigment on canvas was extended to stage and film.

She remains passionately involved with music as a driving force.

Maria’s acting career began, as the choir soloist in the Oscar nominated film, “The Color Purple”, and she has gone on to appear in hit TV shows such as Lifetime's, “Army Wives”, "Devious Maids". NBC’s “Revolution”, and “Aquarius”, “Criminal Minds” (CBS), and “The Resident” (FOX), the Charlotte-based OWN Network’s TV series, “Delilah”. Theatrical credits include, “The Blind Side”, “Hunger Games: Catching Fire”, the Oscar nominated film, “Hidden Figures”, and she starred alongside famed-actor, Keith David, as his wife in the poignant short film, “Bewildered”, which reveals how music plays an integral part in early stages of dementia.

Maria is also a professional vocalist, with 35+ years of experience…concentrating in the American Songbook genre. 

As a voiceover artist, she lends her voice to numerous radio/TV commercials, cartoons, and narrations for audiobooks. She uses her knowledge and experience, as a speaker and coach for up-and-coming aspiring artists in all her areas of discipline. 

DIRECTOR’S BIO

Maria Howell is a successful working actor with over 35 years of experience, appearing in award winning movies, from “The Color Purple” to “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”, and many hits in between. With her first director being Steven Spielberg, and her second, George Lucas, it’s no wonder why she was inspired early on to seriously consider directing at some point in her career. Maria has a deep affinity for live theatre, and Biographical  docu-mentaries. This diverse, yet very specific interest, makes for a keen sense and love for true and emotional storytelling. She has brought her many years of experience as she makes her directorial debut is with “The Loss World Monologues” a short film by Mary London Szpara, which chronicles a personal journey of the loss of a loved one. 

Working with the amazing cast, allowed her to bring her personal unique qual-ities as a director to the film, conveying the caring, nurturing, and strong will of women. This has been a running theme throughout the roles in her acting 

career …it’s not surprising that this has been a natural segue.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

As a young girl, I lived across the street from a funeral home, so I was keenly aware about matters of life and death. I didn’t understand it completely, but I wasn’t afraid of what I saw. I learned early that sadness and joy could co-exist, and in some strange and beautiful way, it helped me grow to be more empathetic, caring…kind. I’ve 

personally experienced the loss of loved ones, as early as elementary school, and I believe in the spiritual realm. 

When I first read Mary London Szpara’s, “The Loss World Monologues”, I felt her heart, her hurt, her joy, and above all, her undeniable strength and love for her dear Michael. This resonated with me, because when I was 28 years old, my fiancé died, and I was changed forever. I wanted to direct this work of art, I had to direct it…I needed to direct 

it. “TLWM” helped Mary heal, and helped me heal. My desire is that anyone suffering from the loss of a loved one, will also find healing in these touching stories shared

Patricia French, raised a Navy brat, was born in San Diego, California, and lived in California, Florida, and all over the world (mostly amazing islands). Some 20 schools later, Patricia’s acting career was ordained and it has saved her life and given her much joy.

Patricia began her career as a theatre actor, as well as a voice-over talent. Some of her favorite roles include: Blanche in “Streetcar Named Desire”, Eleanor in “Lion in Winter”,Mary in “Long Day’s Journey Into Night”, Arkadina in “The Seagull”, Mrs. Kendall in “The Elephant Man”, Roberta in “Danny and the Deep Blue Sea”, and the one-woman show, “Search For Signs of Intelligence in the Universe”. 

She recurred for three seasons on Lifetime’s “Army Wives”, as Betty, the “no-nonsense” owner (with a heart of gold) of the Hump Bar. She’s also the voice of Lil, in “Squidbillies”, on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. More of her film and TV credits include: :Last Dance, Life As You Know It”, “My Fake Fiance”,  “Hall Pass”, “Three Stooges”, “Wanderlust”, “The Change Up”, “Parental Guidance”, “The Watch", “Dumb and Dumber Too", “The Resident”, and “The Act”. 

Recently Patricia was seen as one of the leads in POMS, with Diane Keaton. She has also appeared in Showtime’s “Good Lord Bird”. Most recently, Patricia will be seen in BET’s “Better” and in the final season of “Ozark” on Netflix. (For my Honey Tasman)

Patricia is represented by People Store, Atlanta and New Orleans, and CMA Entertainment, Los Angeles and New York.

• Vickie Eng is a TV/Film and Commercial Actor. She has had recurring  roles in TV shows “Drop Dead Diva” on Lifetime as Judge Rita Mayson; “Greenleaf” on OWN as Maricel for 3 seasons; HBO’s “The Outsider” as Ruth Collins; “Being Mary Jane” on BET, as Barbara Ling-Cho; and  on Netflix Sweet Magnolias 3 seasons, as Grace Wharton. She has also had roles on other Lifetime productions such as “Switched Before Birth” and “Saving My Daughter”. Additional credits include “Ordinary Joe” (NBC), “Queen Sugar” (OWN), “P- Valley” (STARZ), “Homeland”  (Showtime). Feature lms include “Gabriel’s Rapture: Part Two”. “The Change Up” (starring Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman), “Venom”, and “We’re the Millers” (starring Jennifer Aniston and Will Poulter). “Diary of A Mad Black Woman” (Tyler Perry Studios), and while residing in Hong Kong, the critically acclaimed “ChungKing Express”, directed by the masterful Hong Kong lmmaker, Wong Kar Tai (Winner of Best Film and Best Director).In addition to her successful TV and Film career, Vickie is a voice actor, and has lent her voice to such clients as the American Cancer Society and IBM. She also serves as a grief mentor with the Care Ministries of North Point Community Church, and has done so since 2018.
•  http://www.imdb.me/vickieeng 

Michelle Weber began performing on stage at a young age in musicals, and as a classically trained dancer. She later found a love for film, television, and commercials. She enjoyed working on hit TV shows such as Showtime’s “Homeland”, and the masterful independent film about Alzheimer’s and early dementia, titled “Bewildered”, starring famed-actor, Keith David (Greenleaf) and Maria Howell (The Color Purple). Michelle has portrayed a spokesperson and numerous principle roles for companies like, “Lowes”, “Wilmington Healthcare", “Mission Healthcare", “Trixen", and “Verizon”, “Harris Teeter”, and the list goes on.

She’s also a social entrepreneur, business owner, speaker, coach, and trainer…specializing in communication and leadership development - ultimately helping people connect on a deeper level, so they not only survive, but also thrive. Michelle brings her passion for “reconnecting the world…one conversation at a time”, building a bridge between her acting and her social entrepreneur experiences.

Originally from Charleston, SC, Reba Bowens has been working with dance and Capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian art form combining acrobatics, martial arts, music, and dance, in the Charlotte area communities and schools. She holds a Masters of Arts in Arts Administration from Winthrop University, along with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance Performance, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting. She has had the opportunity to work with Caroline Calouche, Gaspard & Dancers, Triptych Collective, and many others. 

Along with dance, Reba is an avid martial arts practitioner studying Shaolin Kempo Karate for 14 years and attained the rank of 2nd Degree Black Belt. Training Capoeira for the last 11 years has allowed her opportunities to travel to Brazil, Peru, Russia, and various places across the US. For Reba, movement allows for infinite creativity and exploration with body and mind that she enjoys sharing with others.