Wake Up and Open Your Eyes

Clay McLeod Chapman writes novels, comic books, and children’s books, as well as for film and television. He is the author of the horror novels The Remaking, Whisper Down the Lane, and Ghost Eaters, among others. He was named by Esquire magazine in 2023 as one of the authors shaping horror’s next golden age. He also co-wrote Quiet Part Loud, a horror podcast produced by Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw for Spotify. Visit him at claymcleodchapman.com.

Cary Hite has performed in several theaters across the country as a cast member in the longest-running African American play in history, The Diary of Black Men. He also appeared in Edward II, Fences, Macbeth, Good Boys, Side Effects May Vary, and the indie feature The City Is Mine. He has voiced several projects for AudibleKids, including Souls Look Back in Wonder, From Slave Ship to Freedom Road, and Papa, Do You Love Me?

Neil Hellegers grew up in New Jersey and attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a BA in theater arts and a minor in psychology before getting an MFA in acting from the Trinity Rep Conservatory in Providence, Rhode Island. He moved to New York City in 2003 and, since then, has made a career of theatrical performance, percussion, theater education, and audiobook narration. He currently lives in Brooklyn with his wife and son.

Marni Penning co-founded Fahrenheit Theatre Company in Cincinnati, Ohio, which was renamed the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company in 2006. While she also performs in contemporary plays and comedies, her stage career has included more than fifty productions of Shakespeare’s plays.

P. J. Ochlan is an Audie Award–winning, multiple Earphones Award–winning, and Voice Arts Award–nominated narrator of hundreds of audiobooks. His acting career spans more than thirty years and has also included Broadway, the New York Shakespeare Festival under Joseph Papp, critically acclaimed feature films, and television series regular roles.

Soneela Nankani is an award-winning narrator with over three hundred titles in many different genres including Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Sci-Fi, and Nonfiction. She has garnered sixteen Earphones Awards, nominations for Audie and SOVAS awards, and was recently awarded AudioFile magazine’s Golden Voice Lifetime Achievement Honor. Her audiobooks have been featured in Best Audiobooks lists by AudioFile magazine and the Washington Post, among others. In her spare time, she loves to read (yes, really), learn languages, try new recipes, and travel. She lives in the DC area with her husband and two mischievous daughters.

Megan Tusing is an actress, known for The Beginning and the End, The Share, and Odd Jobs. She has a bachelor’s degree in theatre from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Kelli Tager is a classically trained actor with a master's degree in Shakespeare studies from the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-Upon-Avon, UK. She worked in film/theater and taught children's acting for many years. Now, she only acts behind the mic in commercials, animation, and, of course, audiobooks. ("Kelli Garland" narrates anything for the young listener.) Audiobook narration is the perfect marriage between her love of literature and her love of acting.

Joe Hempel, best known for his rich narrations, has entertained listeners with over one hundred audiobooks in genres ranging from horror and mystery to science fiction, romance, and personal development.