Forrest Naylor

While in his early twenties, Forrest moved to Amsterdam with one hundred dollars and a whole lot of dreams. With naivety propelling him forward, Forrest landed his first acting role with the Muzenis Theatre Company where he spent the better part of a year and a half traveling around Holland honing his craft, while continuing to take various acting workshops in and around Amsterdam. After playing Dostoyevsky’s tortured character Raskolnikov in an adaptation of CRIME AND PUNISHMENT, Forrest was invited to join the international Amsterdam Chamber Theatre and spent the next four years performing around Amsterdam and Europe in various stage productions. Over those four years Forrest began to write skits and one act plays that he and his fellow actors would perform, subsequently catching the attention of his director who asked him to co-write an original play. Two months later Forrest and fellow actor Grainne Delaney completed PLAYING WITH SHAKESPEARE, which went on to receive success in Amsterdam and also received the honor of representing the Netherlands at the 1994 Cairo International Theatre Festival.

It was while in Egypt that Forrest realized his love for writing superseded his desire to act and shortly thereafter moved back to the United States to purse writing and directing. Within a year after returning, Forrest wrote, directed and produced his second play CUSP, which he staged in San Francisco. Since then, Forrest decided to concentrate more on film and since has written four feature screenplays, sold one short film, and has written, directed and produced three other short films - CALLA LILLY, FAVORITE COLOR PINK, and HALLELUJAH. He is currently developing a weekly web series for the Internet titled SUNDAYS, about an eclectic medley of characters living in a small N. California coastal town, which is slated to go into production in January 2011. Forrest is also very excited for the opportunity to be the Mendocino Theatre Company’s Producing Director, providing him with yet another avenue to express his creativity and love for the performing arts.