
Once Upon A Time
ON A HOT SUMMER DAY
In July of 2016, improvisational actor Andrew Davies of The Bible Players fame, and tour guide Jonathan Goldstein of Cicerone Travel had a fateful meeting over macchiatos in a delightful Brooklyn cafe. The US Presidential election was underway, revealing the depth of division in modern times.
The two entrepreneurs discussed potential projects to apply their
respective talents in a world that seemed to be growing increasingly short on sensitivity, empathy, unity.
An idea was born to connect our audience to individuals from all walks of life through interactive theatrical walking experiences to engage with characters from history that might serve as an example of the great issues of our day.
We would introduce the experiences of immigrants, activists, reformers and dreamers to connect the American heritage of yesterday to the world we live in today. Thus, CharacTours combines the transformative power of immersive theater with the perspective shifting possibilities of historical tours.
Meet Our Team

Andrew studied acting with the Atlantic Theater Company and acted in and wrote several plays. His Climate change Musical "Blizzard the Wizard" was produced at the Off-Broadway theater Urban Stages. His Financial Fairytale Musical "The Goldenberg Scandal" was performed at The Drama Bookshop.
Andrew went on to study Improvisation at The Magnet Theater and received a certificate of Facilitation from Georgetown University. He volunteers leading workshops with Cherub Improv, a non-profit which provides laughs for those who need them the most.
In 2011 Andrew Co-Founded The Bible Players, a comedy team which is improv-ing Jewish Lives. The Bible Players have toured to 25 states, visiting hundreds of camps, schools, and synagogues teaching Jewish Values with a sense of humor. We walk softly and carry a big Shtick!

He first moved to NYC in 1999 to study History at Columbia, under Kenneth Jackson, the legendary professor of NYC's history. After a brief stint in finance, he took an epic 3-month backpacking trip through East Africa that ultimately landed him in Israel in 2006 to study an MA at Bar Ilan University in Land of Israel Studies and Archeology and the Ministry of Tourism's Guiding Course. Since 2009, he has been a tour guide in Israel working with a variety of clients including families, organizations, congregations, young professionals, pensioners, foodies, artists, activists, etc...
He currently operates a full-scale travel operation under the label Cicerone Travel in New York City, Central Europe, and Israel guiding the curious among us in an exploration of this crazy world we live in.

Zack has been teaching the Jewish youths of Manhattan since 2008. Zack holds a BA in Theater Arts & English from Brandeis University and is a graduate of the American Theater Wing's Springboard program, as well as a participant of the Einhorn School for the Performing Arts at Primary Stages.

As an actor Lockley has been on both stage and screen, featured in plays by Tarrell Alvin McCraney, Marcus Gardley and Idris Goodwin, and in film and TV featured on HBO, BET and MTV.
Lockley also writes and performs solo work. Notable solo shows are Asking For More and Last Laugh. Asking For More encourages healthy nutrition and fitness habits in young people through comedy mixed with facts and a high-energy interactive performance. Visit his website for more information.

Lucy has acted on stages all over the North East including Baltimore's Center Stage, and Shakespeare and Company in Lenox, MA. Lucy helps run Drunken Shakespeare in New York, a show that makes Shakespeare accessible for everyone. She recently starred as Lady Macbeth in Monmouth and made her off broadway debut at 59 E 59 in New York City.
Lucy is excited to be joining CharacTours and furthering the mission of bringing history to life. To see more of Lucy's film work and to get in touch with her, visit her website at www.LucyLavely.com

She holds a bachelors degree in Urban Studies and Planning and as an avid urban cyclist, has a endless, unmediated love for the ever-evolving organism better known as “the city”.
Dahlia’s goal is to make people miss being in New York before they even leave it and have their next trip to New York already envisioned. In the meantime, she’ll give your regards to Broadway.

For the screen, Dan co-wrote the forthcoming screen adaptation of Justin Torres’ novel We the Animals (dir. Jeremiah Zagar, Cinereach) for which he was a 2014 Sundance Screenwriting Fellow.
He is currently a TimeWarner 150 Fellow for his new television series The Move about white flight in 1980s West Philadelphia. Dan is the founding Artistic Director of Writopia Lab’s Worldwide Plays Festival (now in it’s 8th year!), a festival of plays written by teens and tweens from around the country, and he has twice been awarded a Gold Medal for Outstanding Educator by the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. He currently splits his time between New York City and Portland, Oregon.

Joey’s love for travel has taken her far from her small-town roots in Oklahoma, and she enjoys exploring the U.S. and abroad with her wife, Amy and their dog, Henry. Joey has a B.A. in Sociology from Oklahoma State University and a Masters in Education from Long Island University. She can be reached at RJoeyBlackburn@gmail.com

When he is not working or studying, Dan can often be found playing or seeing music; hiking and traveling; consuming films and books; or attempting to write comedy. He lives in South Slope, Brooklyn with his wife, Jennifer, and can be reached at: dfast83@gmail.com