”THE ULTIMATE CHRISTMAS QUESTION” by Rachel Feeny-Williams

Jonathan Cook is heavily involved in the fine arts as an actor, writer, and filmmaker based in South Carolina. Many of his short plays have been produced in theatres around the World and and he is a six-time recipient of the Porter Fleming Literary Award in the playwriting category. Aside from playwriting, he has also written and directed several short films that have been presented in regional film festivals as well as distributed internationally on ShortsTV. He is also the host and producer of the radio theater podcast GATHER BY THE GHOST LIGHT. Launched in 2020, GATHER BY THE GHOST LIGHT is a collection of stage plays adapted to an audio only format performed by voice actors and edited with appropriate sound effects and music.

I am 35 years old and live in Exeter, Devon UK. My first experience of writing a play was in my final year of University in 2008. I initially produced a play at university and then, following my graduation I returned to Devon and continued to write. I wrote and sold plays to multiple companies across Devon until Covid hit.

In the absence of live performance, I decided to dedicate myself to my writing. I created 'The Literary and Discourse Society' who continue to meet every Sunday to this day to read the works written by its members.

In addition, I have completed six 'play-a-day' writing challenges. This has taken my total works to 184 plays! I have had works produced all around the country as well as internationally. In April 2022 one of my pieces won "Best Original Script" at a one act play festival.

My other projects include my YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxfhR1CHdRXnNaYS_XEJOEg

My Two self-published books - https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/RFWScripts

And most recently, my audio play podcast that showcases the work of other playwrights

Marian Thibodeau is an actor and singer currently residing in Augusta, GA. She is a mom of two young girls but enjoys pursuing her love of acting when she can. She was most recently seen on stage playing Cayly in Kingdumb, which was the first live-recorded episode for the podcast, Gather by the Ghost Light. She also had the privilege of playing Sandra/Florence in Le Chat Noir’s sold out run of The Play that Goes Wrong. Along with podcasts and live theater, Marian has been involved in a handful of short films that you find on YouTube, or, hear her in numerous episodes on the Gather by the Ghost Light podcast.