FINAL AUDITION
Last Chance for the Role of a Lifetime
THE CAST
KATELIN CHESNA (Sally Cochrane): Katelin is our leading lady, a Chicago native who has done a great deal of work in television, film and theater. She is best known for her appearances in The Resident, How I Met Your Mother, True Blood, Sistas, The Oval and Love at First Lie. A smart student at Mother McAuley High School on the southwest side of Chicago, she was destined to become a doctor and while studying pre-med at the University of Illinois, she was inspired to pursue acting. Off to New York she went to study acting for three years, appearing in many plays at The Acting Studio Inc, as well as being cast as the lead role in several New York University Grad Films. She moved to Los Angeles where she booked guest roles on Showtime's Going to California, ABC’s October Road and the movie, A Perfect Getaway. Katelin has done stand-up comedy, improv and voiceover work. In addition to being a very talented actress, Katelin manages & teaches acting at AMAW Atlanta & loves spinning on the Pelaton, lifting weights, hot yoga, running long distance & loving on her 2 bunnies and 2 pepper dogs. She is beyond honored and thrilled to b ring the role of SALLY COCHRANE to life. On the personal side, her partner in life, Darrell Snedeger, is a very talented photographer & actor himself who was nice enough to shoot the Final Audition cover photo and promo scenes.
JUSTIN DILLEY (Elliott Pruett III) Justin joins the cast of Final Audition after an incredible portrayal of the character Henry Saunders in the classic comedy, Lend Me A Tenor. Justin has a wide variety of dramatic experience, having performed and directed with regional theaters in Ohio, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York City. In Atlanta, he has worked with companies like Essential Theatre, Working Title Playwrights, and Outfront Theatre Company. His favorite roles include Emcee in Cabaret, and Greg in A Kid Like Jake. Justin also teaches voice and directs around the metro area. "Love to M & K."
DESTINEE MONET (Colleen) is a newly proclaimed Atlanta based actor as of January 2023. Before making her move to Atlanta, she spent the majority of her acting career in Nashville, TN both on screen and on stage. During her short five years in Nashville, she starred in Pearl Cleage's Blues for an Alabama Sky at Vanderbilt University portraying the role of Angel under the direction of Dr. Kristyl Tift. She went on to perform in The Actors Bridge Ensemble's world premiere of The Calling is in the Body under the direction of Cynthia C. Harris. Her performance earned her a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor and she was awarded Most Promising Actor in the Nashville Theatre First Night Awards. Later, she performed in The Welkin, directed by Chicago Goodman Theatre's Halena Kays and produced by Nashville Story Garden.
Simultaneously, Destinee continues to pursue her passion in the rapidly expanding TV/Film industry in the Southeast. Some of her favorite roles include Lola in the short film Jane, Joy in the limited series Sad Sex Lives of Women, and Young Ida in the short film Right Where You Left Me (Best Actress, Nashville's 4th Wall Film Challenge and Best Supporting Actress, Benefit Film Festival.)​
HARRY WENDORFF (Jim Brotstein): Harry is very excited to be working with John and the rest of the creative team on Final Audition. His recent credits include Jack in Into the Woods (Roswell Performing Arts Center) Glen in The Wedding Singer (The Eagle), Tito in Lend Me a Tenor (Act 3 Playhouse), George in She Loves Me (Act1 of Alpharetta), Fogg in Sweeney Todd (FoCAL Center) and Kyle the UPS Guy in Legally Blonde (FoCAL Center). You can find Harry on Instagram: @TheDorff
NICOLETTE ACOSTA (Bonnie Love): Nicolette graduated from high school in Fort Worth, Texas. She then went on to New York University's Tisch School of the Arts with a double-major in Theatre and Journalism and a minor in Creative Writing. Among her credits, she is best known for her work with The Handmaid’s Tale, All Souls, and Bar Fight. Nicolette lives and works bicostally as an actress and game developer between Atlanta and Los Angeles.
NOEL OLKEN (Nick Michaels) is so pleased to be a part of Final Audition, and working again with John Ruane. Noel played the lead, a street musician, in Ruane’s original rock musical, Southbound, in Chicago, in 1991. Reconnecting and working together again is a great joy.
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Born and raised in Chicago, Noel has been performing and studying theatre and acting since he was 7. He has lived in, and performed on stages in Chicago, New York, Portland, Los Angeles, and Paris, France, where he studied mime and classical theatre for three years. While Film and Television currently play a bigger part of his career, he is always happy to return to live theatre.
Final Audition marks his Atlanta theatre debut, since moving here in 2022, if you don’t count a few improv shows last year. He looks forward to many more nights treading the boards. He thanks his wife of 31 years, Kris Cahill, for her love and support.
He would like to dedicate his performance to theatre people everywhere; the craziest, kookiest, most wonderful people in the world!
Break a leg, y’all!
JOSEPH BENNETT McNABB (Michael Cochrane), born in Lexington, KY, is an Atlanta-based TV/Film actor. Joseph began acting at age 7 in local theatre productions. Performing arts and athletics have always played a role in his life, and in some cases overlapped. Joseph became an elite competitive jump roper, performing for half-time shows at college sporting events and competing in national meets. After a successful sales career that was lacking the creativity he desired, he chose to return to acting full time.