Meet the Team

Peter Atkinson founded The Merry Beggars while in graduate school at Columbia University. Prior to Columbia, he studied Classics & Early Christian Literature at Ave Maria University. Peter founded a study abroad program in Rome and a Shakespearean acting program in Florida. After training in Massachusetts and London, Peter went on to Columbia University’s graduate school for an MFA in Acting. While in graduate school, he starred Off Broadway and in 2021, The Merry Beggars was acquired by Relevant Radio. Peter is married to an incredible actress, Naomi Atkinson, and they have one wonderfully impish daughter, Francesca Atkinson.

Buzz McLaughlin is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter, producer, script consultant, and teacher. His plays have been produced in NYC and regionally in the U.S. and Canada. He founded the Writers Theatre of New Jersey and has published a book on playwriting: The Playwright’s Process (Back Stage Books). Buzz has taught at Drew University, the University of Virginia, New Hampshire Institute of Art, and New England College. He holds a doctorate in theatre and dramatic literature from the University of Wisconsin (Madison) and is a member of the Dramatists Guild and Writers Guild of America.

César Barroso is a Venezuelan-American writer and photographer. After earning a degree in Film and Photography at the University of Miami, he worked in talent representation in Los Angeles for a decade, eventually becoming partner for a world-class modeling agency. During that time, César fed his passion for writing through a number of projects, including writing for the Spanish version of a TV series. Following the pandemic, César chose to pursue photography, visual arts, and content creation full-time. He recently opened his own studio in Austin, TX, the city where he now lives with his wife Laura and their four children.

Clare Lickona is a student at Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York, pursuing a Bachelor in Fine Arts in Film, Photography, and Visual Arts. Clare’s background includes 12 years of competitive dance, musical theatre, and visual art. She is currently involved in two productions for ICTV, the longest running student-aired television program in the world. Clare has a wonderful family of 8 siblings, and one cat.

Jacob Daniel Groth studied Musical Theatre at Wichita State University and Acting at Northern Illinois University. He made his feature film debut in Sony Pictures’ 2018 Paul, Apostle of Christ, and shifted his focus to writing shortly after. In 2021, his first play, Dead in The Water, was presented as a staged reading in Chicago, and will see a full-scale production in the same city in 2024. He currently works as Creative Development Associate with Renovo Media Group, an Iowa-based production company that most recently wrapped the Ethan Hawke-directed film Wildcat.

Kiley Hatch is a playwright and theatre director from Arlington, Virginia. Kiley began work with The Merry Beggars in 2020 with The Quarantine Plays when she wrote “I Do Like the Rain.” Kiley is the founder and producer of Embers Theatre, a playground for young creatives. There she directs children’s theatre and develops new plays. She is currently studying at Hillsdale College for a Bachelors of Arts in Theatre.

Kristen Ann McLaughlin has written teleplays for The Family Channel and worked as a journalist, magazine and book editor, and public relations writer. A graduate of St.Olaf College, she did graduate work in English at the University of Virginia. Her 1993 conversion to the Catholic Church is recounted in “The Catholic Mystique: Women Converts Tell Their Stories,” published by Our Sunday Visitor. She and her husband, Buzz McLaughlin, have collaborated on a number of screenplays and teleplays and are members of the Writers Guild of America. She has recently completed her first novel, which she describes as “The Hunger Games meets C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.”

Jay Beckmeyer realized his passion for music at the age of 12 and began finding every way possible to write and produce music. This developed into a fascination with digital audio workstations which led him to college at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida where he graduated as valedictorian of his class. During this time he also developed an interest in video production and realized how he could seamlessly blend his two passions. Since then, Jay has been pursuing personal music projects as well as producing the audio and visuals for The Catholic Homeschool Podcast, Conferences, and Community.

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Kevin Conroy is an award-winning producer and writer. Producing commercials for nearly 600 national and local clients, he most notably wrote and produced the One Voice Award winning commercial “Crispy.” Other nominees for this category included McDonald’s, Miller Lite, and Benjamin Moore. In 2021, he joined The Merry Beggars as Lead Audio Producer. His work includes, A Christmas Carol, The Quarantine Plays (episodes 6-12), and On the Night Train.

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Chris is a multi-disciplined artist who works in advertising, branding, corporate communication, illustration and industrial design. He has helped clients such as IBM, The New York Times, Polaroid, and the New York Festival Awards. He studied Interpretive Illustration at Sheridan College, Oakville, Canada and received his accreditation with the Association of Registered Graphic Designers in Canada. Chris shares patent rights for product design, has artwork in the permanent collection of the Art Gallery of Hamilton and has won numerous advertising and design awards.

Clara Garcia earned her Bachelor of Music from the Rome School of Music, Drama, and Art at the Catholic University of America, with minors in theology and dance.  Following graduation, she worked for the non-profit, “Women’s Rights Without Frontiers.”  Soon afterwards, Clara began working for The Merry Beggars.  Most recently, Clara was seen as an actress for the short, Baila Conmigo, which premiered in early 2023.  At the present moment, Clara is Head Coach for the competitive dance team at Ave Maria University in sunny southwest Florida.

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Kevin Wessa, a graduate of the Franciscan University of Steubenville with a degree in Economics, founded Brewww in 2017, a creative studio specializing in website design and branding for small businesses. Kevin and his wife, Christine, run the business as partners while raising their three young children in Pensacola. Despite the challenges, they are passionate about using their creativity to help entrepreneurs succeed and provide innovative solutions for their clients.