“Fanatical Optimism” began in renowned casting director Cathy Reinking’s “Create Your Own Content” class
for actors in Atlanta, GA and had its first incarnation in Reinking’s ongoing personal storytelling showcase,
In My Shoes. It has since been performed at other Atlanta venues including The Red Light Cafe; and then—
upon bringing it to New York and teaming up with veteran producer/director Spider Duncan Christopher—it has
played at The Mark O’Donnell Theatre at the Entertainment Community Arts Center, The Red Room at the
KGB Bar, Under St. Marks as part of the NYC Fringe Festival, and—most recently—at off-Broadway’s
Playhouse 46 at St. Luke’s.
Excerpts have been performed by invitation from two different comedy impresarios: Bob Sumner—creator of
HBO’s Def Comedy Jam—and beloved Atlanta icon Jerry Farber.
WHAT: Chalant Productions presents “Fanatical Optimism”
WHO: Written and performed by Adam LeBow
Directed by Spider Duncan Christopher
Produced by Lisa Reich
Developed in collaboration with Cathy Reinking
Adam LeBow is an actor/writer whose work has appeared on stages and screens across the country and
around the world. Credits include film festival award-winning short “Defense Contract” which he wrote and
appeared in; co-creator (book, music and lyrics) of Greenwood, a musical that premiered in the New York
Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF); he wrote the text for his portrayal of controversial director Elia Kazan in the
anthology production Inside Private Lives that ran in Los Angeles, New York, and at the Edinburgh Fringe
Festival; and has contributed sketches to various sketch comedy shows. His spoken-word creations have
appeared on three of superproducer Davion Botts's albums as well as the single “Lost in Love” by recording
artist Brendalynn McKinney. Born in Brooklyn and raised on Long Island, Adam attended Yale College,
misspent his adulthood in many different places, and now resides in Westchester County, NY with his wife—
producer Lisa Reich—and two dogs.
Spider Duncan Christopher is a multi-hyphenate creative who has been recognized by Marquis Who's Who
for his achievements in the performing arts. An accomplished actor, singer, dancer, director, choreographer and
producer, his work has been seen on numerous stages across the country and abroad. In his roles as master
teacher, coach and mentor, he has had an impact on many others who have gone on to successful careers in
theater, film and television. Spider has taught acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse and co-founded the
Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers, with renowned master teacher William Esper. He was the
choreographer and assistant director on the original production of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas at The
Actors Studio; and was the co-founder, original artistic director, and choreographer of Infinity Dance Theater
Company. He formed Spidercorp—which he calls "an eight-legged organization"—in order to expand his
contributions in all his areas of expertise.
Lisa Reich is a co-producer on Margaret Cho’s Broadway-bound solo show currently in development. She was
co-producer of the 50th anniversary concert of Pippin on London’s West End in April and is an associate
producer of the on-stage entertainment at Atlanta’s first cabaret club, Damsel, which opened this spring. She is
also involved in a production of A Face in the Crowd, which has a score written by Elvis Costello and will
premiere on London’s Off-West End this fall. She was an associate producer for the long-running NEWSical:
The Musical off-Broadway, an innovative immersive-theatre production of the musical Carrie at La Mirada
Theatre in Southern California, and the pre-Broadway run of Jason Robert Brown’s Honeymoon In Vegas at
New Jersey’s famed Paper Mill Playhouse. She produced the original musical Greenwood starring Broadway

legend Andrea McArdle. Lisa has been expanding her portfolio to include television and film. She is a co-
producer of The Accidental Wolf starring Tony Award-winner Kelly O’Hara, which has already earned an

Emmy® Award nomination and was written and directed by Arian Moayed. She is an associate producer on
America’s Favorite, a feature film currently in pre-production, and she is executive producer on two short films:
“Defense Contract” and “The Audition” which both earned awards at film festivals.
Cathy Reinking has been working as a casting director since the early '90s, working on Frasier, Arrested
Development, and many other shows and pilots on NBC, CBS, ABC, The CW, and Fox. She also served as
NBC's Manager of Casting, overseeing many pilots including The Office, and holds a degree in theatre arts
from UCLA, where she graduated magna cum laude. Recent credits include Insatiable, New Amsterdam,
Manifest, and The Village. Cathy is also an award-winning content creator and urges actors to do the same.
Projects she has written and produced include the brand-new play Hardball recently produced in Atlanta,
where she now lives. She is also the author of three books: How To Book Acting Jobs 3.0; A True Hollywood
Cancer Story; and Little Lucky Girl: Secrets of Superman. Cathy has led workshops all around the world,
including recent stints in Australia and London. Her passion is helping actors create their own content in order
to showcase great talent and new stories.