While AMERIKA is still in the process of casting, the following characters have already joined our production.

	Kaori Mitsushima, as Kat Born in 1979 in Tokyo, Japan, Kaori Mitsushima is an artist who began acting in commercials while living in Prague, where she worked with her husband, Mika Johnson, to complete the character of Kat. Kaori's paintings, illustrations, and sound collages are inspired by both the animals and plants around her and classical images from Japanese and Western art. In the past two years, she has self-published two zines that feature her ink drawings -- Question Marks (2011) and Cats I Know (2010) -- along with collaborative works -- My Shadow is a Cat and Rose-Eaters -- that combine poetry and art. She has joined several group exhibitions in Japan, the US and UK since 2009.
	Kimie Shingyoji, as Ritsuko Kimie Shingyoji is a distinguished actress/artist from Tokyo, Japan. From the age of six Kimie displayed talents in dance and modeling, which led her to an acting career. She has appeared in many films and television shows including "Hear the Wind Sing" (an adaptation of a Haruki Murakami novel) in 1981, directed by Kazuki Omori, "Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl" in 1998, directed by Katsuhito Ishii and "Eureka" in 2000, directed by Shinji Aoyama. Kimie has stretched her talents into theatre and writing, and is the creator of an online project entitled First Philosophy: That Which is Immortal — A Link From the Beginning of the Universe to Socrates. In AMERIKA, Kimie will portray Ritsuko, Kat's mother.
	Dai Ishiguro, as Snow White In 1998, Japanese actor and performance artist Dai Ishiguro moved to New York City, inspired by the forthright lyricism and imagination of Bob Dylan's music. Dai studied acting at the prestigious Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute, and later performed in several of director/writer Steven Tanenbaum's pieces, including "Mono", "Mixed Tape Project" and "PRE" as well as the Amadeo Riva-directed "Fairy Tale." Dai now transitions from theater to cinema, playing the character "Snow White," a transvestite lounge singer featured in the Tokyo introduction to AMERIKA.
	Kerry T. Cromer, as Ronny Lee Jr. Born in 1975 in Americus, Georgia, Kerry T. Cromer has been an international model for magazines and catalogs for the past twelve years. He has also enjoyed a successful career acting in commercials throughout the Americas, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. In AMERIKA Kerry portrays a fast talking salesman who cunningly steals cash from Kat on a train-ride from New York to Ohio.
	Herbert Russell, as Dick Johnson Herbert Russell divides his time between N.Y.C. and L.A., and is involved in many projects. He has appeared in various independent films such as Secretary and The Adventures of Sebastian Cole, andportrayed the character "Bald-Headed John" in the musical production of Frank Zappa's Joe's Garage. He also guest starred on NBC's Freaks and Geeks, and recently worked with director Noam Murro in a series of short films for HBO, slated for release in 2009. In addition to acting, Herbert is also a songwriter and will record an album this year. He joins AMERIKA as Dick Johnson, the car salesman who opens his home to Kat in her time of need.
	Peg Kilroy, as Kathy Peg was born and raised in Ohio, where she is now a self-employed cosmetologist, specializing in skin care and hair design. Her wide-ranging interests (skydiving, windsurfing, painting, and cooking) exemplify Peg's natural ability to seek out and adapt to exciting challenges. A self-proclaimed mystic, Peg's dynamic and infectious personality is a perfect fit for AMERIKA's eclectic cast. She is the inspiration for the character of Kathy: the pistol-packing housewife who teaches Kat how to shoot, in AMERIKA.
	Larry D. Bland, as Jim Hailing from Barnvillie, GA, Larry D. Bland brings a wealth of experience to AMERIKA. After spending part of his adulthood working in the restaurant industry and at General Motors in Detroit, Michigan, Larry found himself battling alcohol addiction. He has had many brushes with violence in his life, and spent several years in and out of correctional facilities. However, this tumultuous period marked the beginning of a Christian transformation for Larry, a spiritual path that continues to guide him today. Larry joins the cast of AMERIKA, portraying a mysterious harbinger who warns Kat of the future to come.
	Sheila Donovan, as the Homeless Woman Sheila Donovan, an Oberlin College graduate, is a founding member of the Laboratory Theater Company. She is also a musician in the band Tallboys, whose EP Scallywag Tag was released in 2003. She is now collaborating with the No Neck Blues Band and Volcano the Bear as the band Amolvacy, as a vocalist, violinist, and drummer. Their new album A La Lu La will be released in 2009. Sheila is also involved in the band Womb Sharks, alongside members of The Mazing Vids and Tallboys. In addition to portraying a homeless woman who surprises Kat during a stop in Chicago, Sheila will also choreograph several dance and fight scenes in AMERIKA.
	Hasan Mirai, as Vishon Hasan Mirai is a musician and filmmaker living in New York City. He studied Creative Writing and Religion at Oberlin College and photographed his first feature film in 1999. Hasan is now working in the film industry, while dividing his time between the U.S. and Pakistan, where he also works in film and tv production. He now joins the cast of AMERIKA, and portrays Vishon, the dope-dealing, ice-cream truck driver who shows Kat a unique perspective on ethnicicity and belief.
	Tim Scholl, as Alex Tim Scholl is a Professor of Russian at Oberlin College and a specialist in nineteenth and twentieth-century ballet. He holds degrees from Yale University (PhD 1991) and Vanderbilt University (BA 1984). Tim authored "From Peptina to Balanchine: Classical Revival and the Modernization of Ballet" (Routledge 1994) and "Sleeping Beauty, A Legend in Progress" (Yale 2004), and his writings have been translated into six different languages. In AMERIKA Tim will play a professional gambler who spots Kat in a hotel in South Dakota. Over the course of an evening, he introduces her to gambling, Swedish drinking etiquette, and a tarot card reading that projects the fate of her journey.
	Jay Thomas, as Jack Born in 1975 in Aurora, Illinois, Jay Thomas studied English Literature at Kent State University. After graduating in 2001, Jay moved to Hollywood and began a brief acting career, including small roles in Steve Guttenberg's "P.S. Your Cat is Dead" and John Baumgartner's "War Story." After growing disillusioned with the Hollywood film world, Jay moved around until settling in New York City where he began painting and writing fiction, and is now working on his first book of short stories. As the secondary lead in AMERIKA, Jay plays a drifter named Jack who accompanies Kat from Wyoming to Arizona, as she makes her way west.
	Ingvar Jón Bates Gíslason, as Golligollee Ingvar Jón Bates Gíslason was born in 1971 on Reykjavík, Iceland, the eighth continent, and is a Vajrayana Tibetan Buddhist. He was recently named Herr Doctor of Architecture, defending his thesis, "A Sentimental Modern - Elastic Classic / Arnost Wiesner and Nordic Classicism" at Brno University, Czech Republic, and is currently translating Vitruvius' "Ten Books on Architecture" from Latin to Icelandic. In addition to Icelandic ethnicity, Ingvar has a Native American and Irish heritage. He is passionate about classical music and the arts, and has lived in seven countries in the past 17 years. Ingvar joins AMERIKA as the enigmatic leader of the Furies.
	John Pasiuk, as the bartender John Pasiuk is originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he grew up in a rough neighborhood characterized by soccer clubs, Polish immigrants, and tango dancing. He gave up an interest in piano and played soccer for 11 years, until his path to a professional soccer career changed due to a reoccurring knee injury. He then immigrated to America in 1968, and worked in a Brooklyn soccer-club before becoming a machinist. John now resides on Staten Island, and works as a Maitre D' at a prestigious catering hall. His calling to be an actor comes from both his love for cinema and desire to explore the other side of the camera. John joins the cast of AMERIKA as the unforgettable bartender in the Arizona portion of the film.