Speech & Debate
Frustrated by the hypocrisy they see in their parents, teachers, and the entire school board, an unlikely trio set out to find a common truth and make their voices heard as they revive a defunct school club and take on the world.
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Main Cast
Sarah Steele
Sarah Steele is an American stage and screen actress. Born in Pennsylvania, Steele has showcased her acting prowess in various television series and films. Her first break into the film industry was the role of Bernice in the movie "Spanglish". She gained recognition for her roles in shows like "The Good Wife" and its spin-off "The Good Fight," where she portrayed the determined and resourceful Marissa Gold. Steele's contributions extend beyond television, including her work in theater productions, displaying her range as an actor. Her dedication to her craft and her ability to bring depth to her characters have earned her acclaim, establishing her as a respected and versatile figure in the entertainment industry.
Known For
Austin P. McKenzie
Austin P. McKenzie (born August 24, 1993) is an American actor and singer, known for his role as Melchior Gabor in Deaf West Theatre's 2015 Broadway revival of Spring Awakening. His performance as Melchior has garnered significant critical acclaim, and multiple theatrical award nominations, for both Los Angeles runs and its run on Broadway. The show ran two weeks past its intended run due to its rave reviews, and garnered three Tony Award nominations including Best Revival of a Musical. Starting at age fifteen, McKenzie spent six summers assisting at a summer camp for children and adults with mental and physical disabilities called Lions Camp Tatiyee. It is where he first came in contact with people who are deaf or hard of hearing. The camp inspired him to enroll at Columbia College Chicago, where he studied American Sign Language and Childhood Education with the intention of becoming a special needs teacher. He graduated in 2014 with a Bachelor's degree in American Sign Language and Vocal Performance. Soon after graduating from Columbia College Chicago, McKenzie sent in a tape to director Michael Arden and the creative team at Deaf West Theatre, with hopes of obtaining a job as an interpreter during the company's ASL-inclusive run of Spring Awakening. However, the Deaf West team saw his potential, and requested he audition for the leading role in the production—the radical atheist Melchior Gabor. He was given the role it was his professional theatre debut. He starred in the feature film Speech & Debate, adapted from the hit 2007 off-Broadway play of the same name by Tony-winning playwright Stephen Karam. He also starred in the ABC miniseries When We Rise. He portrays the young LGBT activist Cleve Jones in the period piece, which chronicles the struggles of LGBTQ people who helped pioneer an offshoot of the Civil Rights Movement in the 20th century. He then portrayed Fred in the film Unhinged, starring Russell Crowe.
Known For
Janeane Garofalo
Janeane Garofalo (born September 28, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actress, political activist and writer. She is the former co-host on the now defunct Air America Radio's The Majority Report. Garofalo continues to circulate regularly within New York City's local comedy and performance art scene. Description above from the Wikipedia article Janeane Garofalo, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Kal Penn
Kal Penn (born Kalpen Suresh Modi) is an American actor, comedian, and former White House staff member in the Obama administration. He is best known for his roles as Kumar Patel in the Harold & Kumar movie franchise, Taj Mahal Badalandabad in Van Wilder and Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj,
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Roger Bart
Roger Bart was born on September 29, 1962 in. He is an actor.
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Wendi McLendon-Covey
Wendi McLendon-Covey (born October 10, 1969) is an American actress, voice actress and comedian. She's best known for her role as Deputy Clementine Johnson on the Reno 911! franchise. She is also known for her role as Beverly Goldberg, the family matriarch, on the ABC comedy series The Goldbergs, for which she was nominated for two Critics' Choice Television Awards for Best Actress in a Comedy Series. After her a breakout performance in the 2011 comedy film Bridesmaids, she has appeared in numerous films including What to Expect When You're Expecting (2012), The Single Moms Club (2014), Blended (2014), Think Like a Man Too (2014), What Men Want (2019), and Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar (2021). Her best known voice roles are as Monica Rappaccini / Scientist Supreme on Marvel's M.O.D.O.K., Doreen on Crossing Swords, Nancy Green on Big City Greens, and multiple roles on American Dad!.
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Kimberly Williams-Paisley
Kimberly Williams-Paisley (born September 14, 1971) is an American actress and director, who is perhaps best known for her co-starring role on the ABC sitcom, According to Jim, as well as her breakthrough performance in the popular comedy film, Father of the Bride, for which she was nominated for several awards (along with its sequel, Father of the Bride Part II). Throughout her acting career, she has guest-starred on television shows including Tales From The Crypt, George Lopez Show and Less Than Perfect. She is also well-known for her roles in made-for-TV movies, including Safe House, The Christmas Shoes, and Lucky 7. and also her role as Laura Parker in Shade, a short film she also wrote and directed. Williams is married to country music singer Brad Paisley, with whom she has two sons. Description above from the Wikipedia article Kimberly Williams-Paisley, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.​
Known For
Skylar Astin
Skylar Astin Lipstein (born September 23, 1987) is an American actor and singer. He's best known for portraying Jesse Swanson in the musical films Pitch Perfect (2012) and Pitch Perfect 2 (2015). He was in the original cast of the Broadway musical Spring Awakening, and has since appeared in films such as Hamlet 2 (2008), Taking Woodstock (2009), Cavemen (2013), and 21 & Over (2013). He played the role of Greg Serrano (originally played by Santino Fontana) on the last season of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend; and the role of Max in the musical dramedy Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist (2020). He co-stars as the title character in the dramedy So Help Me Todd (2022).
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Sarah Baker
Sarah Baker (born 9 September 1990) is an American actress and comedian, best known for roles in movies such as The Campaign and Mascots, and TV shows like The Kominsky Method and Louie. Baker helped build Whole World Improv Theatre in Atlanta as a performer and teacher.
Known For
Darren Criss
Darren Everett Criss (born February 5, 1987) is an American actor, singer, and songwriter. He rose to fame starring on the television series Glee (2010–2015) and received Emmy and Golden Globe acting awards for his leading role as spree killer Andrew Cunanan in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (2018). He has also appeared on Broadway and in film and has released several musical albums. A founding member and co-owner of StarKid Productions, a musical theater company based in Chicago, Criss first garnered attention playing the lead role of Harry Potter in, and writing most of the music and lyrics for, StarKid's musical production of A Very Potter Musical. Criss has also starred on Broadway as a replacement in both How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Hedwig and the Angry Inch. In 2015, Criss co-founded Elsie Fest which is touted as "New York City's first outdoor music festival celebrating tunes from the stage and screen". In March 2017, Criss debuted his indie pop band Computer Games along with his brother Chuck Criss. In addition to his music endeavors, Criss starred in the second installment of Ryan Murphy's American Crime Story. Subtitled The Assassination of Gianni Versace (2018), Criss's portrayal of spree killer Andrew Cunanan received acclaim from critics, and earned him an Emmy win for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries, or Television Film.
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Kristin Chenoweth
Kristin Dawn Chenoweth (born Kristi Dawn Chenoweth; July 24, 1968) is an American actress and singer, with credits in musical theatre, film, and television. In 1999, she won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance as Sally Brown in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown on Broadway. In 2003, Chenoweth received a second Tony Award nomination for originating the role of Glinda in the musical Wicked. Her television roles include Annabeth Schott in NBC's The West Wing and Olive Snook on the ABC comedy drama Pushing Daisies, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2009. She also starred in the ABC TV series GCB in 2012, played Lavinia in Trial & Error in 2018 and was the antagonist, Mildred Layton, in the Apple TV+ musical comedy Schmigadoon! (2021). Chenoweth sang gospel music as a child in Oklahoma and studied opera before deciding to pursue a career in musical theatre. In 1997, she made her Broadway debut in Steel Pier, winning a Theatre World Award, before appearing in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown and Wicked. Her other Broadway roles were in The Apple Tree in 2006, Promises, Promises in 2010 and On the Twentieth Century in 2015, for which she received another Tony Award nomination. She has also appeared in five City Center Encores!, Off-Broadway and regional theatre productions. Chenoweth had her own sitcom, Kristin, in 2001, and has guest-starred on many shows, including Sesame Street and Glee, for which she was nominated for Emmy Awards in 2010 and 2011. In films, she has played mostly character roles, such as in Bewitched (2005), The Pink Panther (2006) and RV (2006). She has played roles in made-for-TV movies, such as Descendants (2015); done voice work in animated films such as Rio 2 (2014) and The Peanuts Movie (2015) along with the animated TV series Sit Down, Shut Up and BoJack Horseman; hosted several award shows; and released several albums of songs, including A Lovely Way to Spend Christmas (2008), Some Lessons Learned (2011), Coming Home (2014), The Art of Elegance (2016) and For the Girls (2019). Chenoweth also wrote a 2009 memoir, A Little Bit Wicked.
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Ryan Lee
Ryan Lee was born on October 4, 1996 in Texas, USA. He is an actor.
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Unknown Actor
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Lucy DeVito
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Lucy Chet DeVito (born March 11, 1983, height 4' 11" (1,5 m)) is an American actress and daughter of actors Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman. She was born in New York City and grew up in Los Angeles, California, along with her sister Grace DeVito (born March 1985) and her brother Jacob Devito (born October 1987). She starred as Anne Frank in a production of Anne Frank at the Intiman Theatre in Seattle, Washington, in 2008. Her first important movie role was in 2009 in the film Leaves of Grass with Edward Norton.
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Unknown Actor
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Angel Giuffria
Angel Giuffria is known for No Such Thing As Monsters (2019), Impulse (2018) and Chicago Med (2015).
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Gideon Glick
Gideon Glick (born June 6, 1988) is an American actor. His Broadway work includes the role of Ernst in the musical Spring Awakening, Jimmy-6 in Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, Jordan Berman in Significant Other, and most recently Dill Harris in Aaron Sorkin's adaptation of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, for which he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play. His film and TV work includes Ocean's 8, The Detour, Devious Maids, and Alfie in the fourth season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
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Unknown Actor
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Unknown Actor
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Lin-Manuel Miranda
Lin-Manuel Miranda (born January 16, 1980) is an American composer, lyricist, playwright, and actor best known for creating and starring in the Broadway musicals Hamilton and In the Heights. He was a songwriter for Moana (2016) and Encanto (2021). He also starred in Mary Poppins Returns (2018). Miranda's awards include a Pulitzer Prize, two Grammy Awards, an Emmy Award, a MacArthur Fellowship, and three Tony Awards. Miranda wrote the music and lyrics for the musical In the Heights, which premiered on Broadway in 2008. For this work, he won the 2008 Tony Award for Best Original Score, the show's cast album won the 2009 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album and the show won the Tony Award for Best Musical. Miranda was also nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance in the show's lead role. Miranda prepared Spanish translations used in the 2009 Broadway production of West Side Story and was co-composer and lyricist for Bring It On the Musical, which played on Broadway in 2012. His television work includes recurring roles on The Electric Company (2009–2010) and Do No Harm (2013). He hosted Saturday Night Live in 2016. Among other film work, Miranda contributed music and vocals for a scene in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015). Miranda also wrote the book, music and lyrics for another Broadway musical, Hamilton. The show earned the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, and was nominated for a record-setting 16 Tony Awards, of which it won 11, including Best Musical, Best Original Score and Best Book. For his performance in the lead role of Alexander Hamilton, Miranda was nominated for another Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. The Hamilton cast recording spent ten weeks atop Billboard's Top Rap Albums chart in 2015, while The Hamilton Mixtape, an album of covers of songs from the musical, developed by and featuring Miranda, reached number one on the Billboard 200 upon release in December 2016.
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Unknown Actor
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Robert Peters
Robert Peters was born on July 20, 1961 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. Robert is an actor and director, known for Ocean's Eleven (2001), Lincoln (2012) and In the Line of Fire (1993).
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Unknown Actor
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Bryce Romero
Bryce Romero (born October 29, 1993) is an American actor who rose to fame playing Jack in the Maze Runner series of films. He has also appeared in films like 2015's Maggie and played Grayson on Scream: The TV Series.
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Unknown Actor
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Unknown Actor
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Lester Speight
Lester Speight is a film and television actor best known for his portrayal of Terry Tate: Office Linebacker in a series of Reebok commercials that first aired during Super Bowl XXXVII in 2003. The spots feature Speight, a former All-American Football player himself, as a linebacker charged with the no-holds barred enforcement of office policies. The commercials achieved much critical acclaim and were ranked the most watched of the Super Bowl by The Hollywood Reporter. The popular character recently made a return appearance in a series of ads campaign in support of voting. Amongst the Office Linebacker's new tackles included former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin. As determined and hardworking on screen as a linebacker is on the field, Speight has appeared with such stars as Eddie Murphy, Damon Wayans, Anthony Anderson, and even Optimus Prime. His television work includes a recurring role on the ABC series "My Wife and Kids," as well as guest starring appearance on "Prison Break," "Bones," and "Cold Case." On the silver screen he has appeared in hit films such as "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," "Norbit," and "Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay." Aside from Terry Tate however, Speight is probably most recognized by fans of the Gears of War video game series for the XBOX 360. Speight won the G-Phoria award for Best Voiceover in 2007 by the G4 Network for his performance as Augustus Cole (AKA Cole Train), a character that was modeled after Speight and includes subtle allusions to the Office Linebacker. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Lester Speight
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Unknown Actor
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Rachel Wulff
Rachel Wulff is an actress.
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Movie Details
Production Info
- Director:
- Dan Harris
- Writer:
- Stephen Karam
- Production:
- Sycamore Pictures
Key Crew
- Screenplay:
- Stephen Karam
- Location Manager:
- John Read
- Director of Photography:
- David Hennings
Locations and Languages
- Country:
- US
- Filming:
- US
- Languages:
- en