CAST
Johanna Parker (Gnocchi Bolognese)
Johanna was born and raised in New York, where she received her BFA in Acting from Syracuse University. While at Syracuse she spent a semester abroad where she studied Shakespeare with amazing BADA instructors.
Her theatrical credits include Shelby in Steel Magnolias, Adela in A Street of Crocodiles, Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Bianca in The Taming of the Shrew, Doto in A Phoenix Too Frequent. Television and film credits include Criminal Minds, As The World Turns, Swine, Liquor and White Women, My Dentist's Tongue, and of course she's very proud to be a part of The Broken Heart of Gnocchi Bolognese.
Zach Ford received his BFA in Musical Theater from the Theatre Conservatory of the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. His Chicago stage credits include Footloose! at the Marriott Lincolnshire, Winter’s Tale and Taming of the Shrew at Chicago Shakespeare, and the world premiere of Loving Repeating at About Face. He’s also appeared on the television show Passions. You can currently see Zach in Spamalot at the Wynn Casino in Las Vegas, directed by Mike Nichols. Peter grew up at the Grand Hotel of Rimini, Italy (the one in Fellini’s award winning Amarcord), with Federico Fellini as regular guest and family friend. After the violent death of his father (like in the best mob movies...), Peter helped the family avoid financial and moral bankruptcy and successfully recover, while getting a BA cum laude in business administration. Then, he became an actor and writer.First in New York, then Los Angeles, Peter hosted Cult Network Italia, top cable TV show for international distribution, guest starred and recurred on primetime and daytime TV shows (Spin City, Port Charles, Vivere, Fashion House) and starred and costarred in award winning independent movies (including The Almost Guys, with Robert Culp, Shawnee Smith and Lin Shaye). Last season Peter was on Fashion House, with Morgan Fairchild and Mini Anden (MyNetworkTV). He recently wrapped the sequel to Shadow Boxing.
Prolific in Voice Over and Dubbing. Peter dubbed Roberto Benigni’s OSCAR winning Life Is Beautiful and coached Tom Cruise on Mission Impossible III, in collaboration with J.J. Abrams.
Award winning screenplay writer (Run With Me, Special Jury Prize at the New York International Film Festival), writer/director/actor of Life & Me...What A Couple!, one-man show at HERE Performance Space, in NYC, and tour. Published writer (The Little Old Lady, short story, in Frightful Stages, Haworth Press, Inc., and in The Psychotherapy Patient, Vol.11, N.3/4, 2001).
Peter co-starred in Real Estate SuperMan, winner of the Audience Award at the 168 Film Festival, 2007.
Peter's podcast Madness is available on iTunes and on Peter's website at peterarpesella.com, updated weekly with new episodes.
Peter’s paintings have been shown at the Barnsdall Arts Market, in Los Angeles , in 2007 and he's been invited as the featured speaker at the Pacific Palisades Art Association, in 2008.