Destiny of Desire

Juan Luis Acevedo

Juan Luis is thrilled to be making his Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park debut. New York City credits include Night Over Taos (INTAR Theatre), Woyzeck (TOYBOX), The Knight of Olmedo (Teatro Círculo), Summer Summer (IATI), Land of Fire (IRS     Productions) and Yerma (Spanish Repertory Theatre). Regional and international credits include The Sins of Sor Juana (Boston Playwrights), Julius Cesar (Commonwealth Shakespeare Co.), Camino Real (Spingold Theatre), End of the World Party (SpeakEasy), Mistress of the Inn (Spain) and Steel in Madrid (Mexico). Television and film credits Law & Order: SVU, Law & Order: CI, Damages, The Blacklist, Unforgettable, Billions, Kiss of the Damned, FAKE and 79 Parts, among others. You might recognize him for his recent AT&T television commercial “Just ok is not ok” as Michelangelo. Juan Luis is a William Esper Studio Alumni and holds a Brandeis University Master’s of Fine Arts and a Bachelor’s of Art from the University of Puerto Rico. He dedicates the performance to his mentors: Dean Zayas, Myrna Casas, Michael Murray, Marya Lowry, William Esper and his mother Isabel Cruz. A special mention to directors and friends Mariano de Paco Serrano and Mario Colón and much love to his family in Puerto Rico.  You can follow him on Instagram @juanluisnyc.

Yassmin Alers

Yassmin’s theatre credits include On Your Feet (Broadway, Gateway Playhouse), In The Heights (Portland Center Stage, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park), Women On Fire (Royal Family Productions), The Rocky Horror Show (Broadway), Paul Simon’s The Capeman (Broadway), Rent (Broadway, Hollywood Bowl, national tour), The Ten Commandments (Dolby Theatre, L.A.), The Who’s Tommy (European premiere), As Much As You Can (Celebration Theatre, L.A.) and The Third From The Left (Edinburgh, Scotland).Television and film credits include West Side Story (directed by Steven Spielberg), The Code, Madame Secretary, The God Committee, The Americans, High Maintenance, Elementary, The American Mall and Across The Universe.

Esperanza América

Esperanza was born and raised in East Los Angeles. Her theatre credits include Pilar in Destiny of Desire (Goodman Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, South Coast Repertory and Arena Stage); Faith/Gina/Valentina in A Mexican Trilogy: An American Story, Phaedra in La Olla, Raine in Habitat, Christine/Alexis in Melancholia and Tamara in Dementia (Latino Theater Company); Carmelita Bryant in WWJD: What Would Jimi Do? (The Lex Theater); and Ensemble in The Vault: Unlocked (Los Angeles Theater Center). Television and film credits include 31, Gino’s Wife, Kristin’s Christmas Past, Water & Power, Cry Now, Watts and Volts, Single Ladies and Southland. She received her Bachelor’s of Art from UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. Esperanza dedicates this performance to her 91-year-old Grandmother and namesake, Esperanza.

Eduardo Enrikez

Eduardo recently returned from London’s West End production of the musical On Your Feet, the story of Emilio and Gloria Estefan at The London Coliseum, and is excited to reprise his role as Sebastián in Destiny of Desire. West End European credits include The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged, Eating Raoul, Time Square Angel, Saturday Night Fever and Hair. Regional credits include Destiny of Desire; American Mariachi; Chris in Miss Saigon (Inland Empire Award for best actor, Broadway World nomination); Vittorio Vidal in Sweet Charity (Inland Empire Award for best actor, Broadway World nomination); Emcee in Cabaret (Garland Award nomination); Mickey in Blood Brothers (Ada Award for best actor); Is This Anyway to Start a Marriage; Ragtime; The Musical of Musicals, The Musical!; Love Songs—A Musical; Bat Boy The Musical; Hercules On Normandie and Schoolhouse Rock. Film and television credits include Sin Frontera (best actor award, Seattle Film Festival; best actor nomination, Beaufort International Film Festival), Stigma, Emilio, Jornada al Norte, Dog Tags, The Immigrant, Infertile Hearts, The Bridge, Locked up Abroad and Bluff. Eduardo has been awarded the ARAM Associate at The Royal Academy of Music in London. Visit eduardoenrikez.com and follow him on Instagram @eduardoenrikez.

Ruben Flores

Ruben is thrilled to return to Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park with the new production of Destiny of Desire. He made his Broadway debut in the hit musical In the Heights. Other New York credits include Two Gentlemen of Verona – The Musical and Kingdom (The Public Theater), Doctor Atomic (Met Opera), Roller Derby (New York Musical Festival) and sold-out solo performances at Joe’s Pub. He recently originated the role of Enrique in Havana!, directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle for Norwegian Cruise Line with music by Albita. Ruben has played leading roles in regional productions of On Your Feet (Gateway Playhouse), In the Heights (Fulton Opera), Evita (Engeman Theater) and Cats (Arts Center of Coastal Carolina). In Mexico, Ruben appeared in Grease, Kiss of the Spider Woman and Beauty and the Beast. His television credits include Law & Order: Criminal Intent, The Caroline Rhea Show (with Paula Abdul) and a series regular in Picardia Mexicana on Univision. His voice-over work includes HBO Sports, Netflix, National Geographic and numerous commercials. He studied Meisner technique with the legendary William Esper and musical theatre at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy. Visit Ruben on Instagram and Twitter @RubenFloresNYC. Share your light with the world!

Ruth Livier

Ruth is pleased to be making her Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park debut. Her theatre credits include Destiny of Desire (South Coast Repertory/Goodman Theatre); The Sweetheart Deal (Los Angeles Theatre Center); Neva (Kirk Douglas Theatre/South Coast Repertory/La Jolla Playhouse); A Perfect Wedding (Kirk Douglas Theatre); Lovers and Executioners and La Posada Mágica (South Coast Repertory); Just Like Us (Denver Theatre Center); The Indian Queen (Long Beach Opera); Sexo, Pudor y Lagrimas (MET Theatre); A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Hedda Gabler (East LA Classic Theatre); Three Sisters (Los Angeles Theatre Center); Latinologues (Wiltern Theatre/tour); ‘Dentity Crisis and The Three Penny Opera (Friends & Artists); and Lost Angeles (Elephant Theatre). On television, Ruth starred in Resurrection Blvd. and has recurred and guest-starred on numerous television shows including Switched at Birth and Beverly Hills 90210; film credits include Drag Me to Hell. Among her animation credits are Pixar’s Coco (Oscar-winner), Elena of Avalor, Handy Manny, King of the Hill and The Mark of Zorro (Grammy nominee). As a writer, Ruth was featured on the cover of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Written By magazine for being the first person to join that union via her work in digital media. Visit livierproductions.com and follow her on Instagram @rlivier and Twitter @LivierProds.

Xavi Moreno

Xavi is thrilled to be making his Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park debut. His regional credits include Into the Beautiful North (San Diego Repertory Theatre); Placas: The Most Dangerous Tattoo (national tour); The Mother of Henry, A Mexican Trilogy: An American Story, La Olla and Melancholia (The Latino Theater Company); and 10 seasons with Independent Shakespeare Company (favorite roles include Sir Andrew in Twelfth Night, Lysander in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Speed in Two Gentlemen of Verona).Television and film credits include The Devil Has a Name (directed by Edward James Olmos), Carne y Arena (directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu) and Variedades: Olvera Street (KCET+Artbound). Recognized as a Young Leader of Color by Theatre Communications Group, Xavi is also Marketing Director for the Latino Theater Company at the Los Angeles Theatre Center and serves as Producing Director for Company of Angels.  Visit iamxavi.com and follow him on Instagram @xavmoreno.

Dyana Ortelli

A native of Mexico, Dyana is excited to be making her Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park debut. Considered one of Hollywood's Latina pioneers, Dyana made her stage debut in Luis Valdez's iconic Chicano play Zoot Suit at the Aquarius Theater in Hollywood. She went on to appear in numerous stage productions in the Los Angeles area, most notably in Evelina Fernandez's Mexican Trilogy, directed by José Luis Valenzuela. “La Ortelli," as she is known to her friends, is also known for her roles in iconic Latino films including American Me, La Bamba, Born In East L.A. and The Three Amigos!, and for her role as the outrageous fashion designer Irene in Luminarias. Her most recent television appearances include Will & Grace and Jane the Virgin, with numerous appearances over the years in shows such as The Bridge, Curb Your Enthusiasm, C.S.I, Lizzie McGuire, Colombo, Matlock and Seinfeld. Dyana is also one of the leading characters in the internationally acclaimed Disney-PIXAR movie Coco, voicing the role of Tía Victoria.

Robert J. Revell

Robert has previously appeared in the Los Angeles Theater Company’s production of The Mother of Henry and Encuentro. As a composer, Robert has written and performed music for television shows such as Gotham (Fox),Nikita (CW),The Tomorrow People (CW) andDark Blue (TNT), as well as feature films The Marine 3 (WWE Studios) and Shark Night 3D (Incentive). He was born in Sydney, Australia, and graduated with a Bachelor’s of Art in Music from the California Institute of the Arts. Visitrobertjrevell.com for more information and follow him on Instagram @robertjrevell.

Elia Saldana

Regional theatre credits include Fade (Trinity Repertory), Destiny of Desire (Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Goodman Theatre, Arena Stage and South Coast Repertory), Ella Enchanted: The Musical and Ivy + Bean: The Musical (South Coast Repertory), The Mother of Henry and A Mexican Trilogy: An American Story (Latino Theater Company), Olivério: A Brazilian Twist (Main Street Theatre) and Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story (Theater League Regional Tour). Elia has also workshopped new musicals at Denver Center for the Performing Arts and New York Stage and Film. Her film and television credits include Criminal Minds, Jane the Virgin, The Cleveland Show, The LeBrons, Street Level and Cry Now. She earned her Bachelor’s of Art in Theatre from the University of California San Diego and received a Best Actress Award at the Nosotros American Latino Film Festival.  Follow her on Instagram @eliasaldanagram.

Mark Torres

Mark is pleased to be making his Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park debut. He appeared on Broadway as a member of the original cast of Amadeus. Some of his regional theatre activity includes roles in The Country Wife (Trinity Repertory), The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (Arkansas Repertory), The Normal Heart (Walnut Street Theatre, New Arts Theatre, Dallas), Cyrano de Bergerac (Center Stage), King Lear and Love’s Labour’s Lost (Utah Shakespeare Festival) and Death and the Maiden* and Richard III (Commonwealth Shakespeare *2018 Best Actor nominee, Independent Reviewers of New England Awards). Mark recently played Polonius in a virtual reality film version of Hamlet, produced by Commonwealth Shakespeare and Google. On television, Mark can be seen on Designated Survivor on Netflix and Manifest on NBC, as well as several Lifetime Movie films. Mark received his Master’s in Fine Art from Temple University’s Professional Actor Training Program and holds a Bachelor’s of Art in Theatre and Drama from Indiana University. Mark is a graduate of the Architecture program at the University of Maine at Augusta, where he graduated with honors. Mark lives in the historic Silvermine district of Fairfield County, Conn., with his wife Collene and their dog, Miss Dashwood. Mark is grateful to his terrific agents at Boals, Winnett & Associates.

Karen Zacarías

Karen happily returns to Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park after collaborating with her good friend Blake Robison on the world premieres of Native Gardens and The Book Club Play. Karen is an associate artist at the Playhouse and hailed by American Theatre magazine as one of the most produced playwrights in the U.S. The Copper Children premieres at Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2020, and Destiny of Desire directed by José Luis Valenzuela continues to its raucous run at Cincinnati Playhouse, Milwaukee Repertory and the Guthrie Theater. Other plays include Legacy of Light, Mariela in the Desert, The Sins of Sor Juana, Just Like Us and Into the Beautiful North. She is the founder of Young Playwrights' Theater and a core founder of the Latinx Theatre Commons. Karen was voted 2019 Washingtonian of the Year by Washingtonian Magazine. She is a 2019 Sine Fellow for Policy Innovation at American University and was selected by The League of Professional Theatre Women to receive the 2019 Lee Reynolds Award for “social, cultural, or political change with theatre.” She was awarded the 2019 Medallion by the Children’s Theater Foundation of America and was a 2019 speaker at TEDX Broadway. She lives in Washington D.C. with her husband, her three children and her two dogs.  Visit KarenZacarias.com for more information.

José Luis Valenzuela

José Luis is the Artistic Director of the Latino Theater Company (LTC), The Los Angeles Theatre Center (LATC) and is also a Distinguished Professor at UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television. José Luis is an award-winning theatre director and has been a visionary and an advocate for Chicanx/Latinx Theatre for over 30 years. He has directed critically acclaimed productions at major theatres both internationally and nationally including the LATC where he created the Latino Theatre Lab in 1985 and the Mark Taper Forum where he established the Latino Theater Initiative in 1991. Most recently he directed Macbeth at Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Karen Zacarías’ Destiny of Desire at Arena Stage, South Coast Repertory, The Goodman Theatre and Oregon Shakespeare Festival. He produced the national Encuentro Festival in 2014 and national and international Encuentro de las Americas in 2017. José Luis’ artistic vision and community commitment have garnered numerous recognitions, nominations and awards including the Ann C. Rosenfield Distinguished Community Partnership Prize and the Hispanic Heritage Month Local Hero of the Year Award sponsored by Union Bank and KCET. José Luis also serves on the national Steering Committee of the Latina/o Theatre Commons. 

Rosino Serrano

Born in Spain, Rosino has been part of the musical scene of Mexico since the early ’80s and, for the last two decades, he has shared his professional life between New York, Los Angeles and Mexico City. He has served as a composer and musical director for a large number of theatrical productions including credits with Thalia Spanish Theatre and Central Park SummerStage in New York City; Arena Stage in Washington, D.C.; South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa, CA; Goodman Theatre in Chicago, IL; Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, OR; and Mexico’s Organización Secreta and Compañía Nacional de Teatro. Since 2012, he has been a regular collaborator with the Latino Theater Company in L.A. where, most recently, he was the musical director for A Mexican Trilogy: An American Story, directed by José Luis Valenzuela. A renowned film composer, Serrano has scored iconic features such as the Oscar-nominated The Crime of Father Amaro, Santitos and Walkout, directed by Edward James Olmos. As a pianist, musical director, composer, arranger, conductor or producer, he has worked alongside some of the most prominent artists in the Hispanic arena, including Eugenia León, Armando Manzanero, Santana, Ivan Lins, Camila, Tania Libertad and many others. He has produced more than 35 albums for both independent and major labels. A graduate of Manhattan School of Music, he currently is a faculty member at Tecnológico de Monterrey and UNAM in Mexico City, and an artistic member of Sistema Nacional de Creadores de Arte. He recently founded his own jazz orchestra, Orquesta Moderna. www.rosinoserrano.com

Deborah Wicks La Puma

Deborah is delighted to be making her Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park debut, after music-directing Destiny of Desire at Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Recent music-directing credits include A Christmas Carol (Guthrie Theatre), Where the Mountain Meet the Moon (South Coast Repertory), Mo-A-Palooza (The Kennedy Center) and Recipe for Disaster (La Jolla Playhouse). As a composer, Deborah is one of the most produced Theatre for Young Audiences artists working today, having written 10 musicals with Karen Zacarías, including Ella Enchanted (based on the book by Gail Carson Levine), Olivério: A Brazilian Twist, Frida Libre and Einstein Is a Dummy. A graduate of NYU’S Tisch School of the Arts and Stanford University, she studied folk music with ethnomusicologist Alfredo López Mondragón. Her honors include the Jane Chambers Playwriting Award, an NEA New American Works Grant, two Parents' Choice Awards and a Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Musical Adaptation. A proud Mexican-American and "Navy brat" who grew up in Brazil, Portugal and California, Deborah is a member of Theatre for Young Audiences USA, American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, and The Dramatists Guild. She lives in Southern California with her three daughters, her PR agent and loving husband, Chris, and Mimi the Cat. Visit crunchynotes.com for more information.

Robert Barry Fleming

Robert, the Executive Artistic Director of Actors Theatre of Louisville, served as the Director of Artistic Programming at Arena Stage and the Associate Artistic Director at Cleveland Play House. Directing/choreography credits include Once on This Island (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park/Actors Theatre of Louisville); Native Gardens, The Royale and Between Riverside and Crazy (Cleveland Play House); Next to Normal (Tantrum Theater); Destiny of Desire (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); and Caroline, or Change (Tantrum Theater). Arena Stage world premieres commissioned, developed and/or championed under his watch include the 2017 Best Musical Tony Award-winner Dear Evan Hansen, Mary Kathryn Nagle’s Sovereignty, John Strand’s The Originalist, Katori Hall’s Blood Quilt, Karen Zacarías’ Destiny of Desire and the 2017 Pulitzer Prize-winner Sweat by Lynn Nottage. Robert was an Associate Producer for the off-Broadway premiere of The Two Character Play by Tennessee Williams, starring Amanda Plummer and Brad Dourif. An Associate Professor (tenured) and Chair of the University of San Diego Theatre Arts and Performance Studies Department, Robert’s professional acting credits include Ragtime, Stand-Up Tragedy on Broadway, Insurrection: Holding History by Robert O'Hara at The Public, the world premiere of George C. Wolfe's Jelly’s Last Jam as Young Jelly at the Mark Taper Forum and the Oscar-winning film L.A. Confidential.

François-Pierre Couture

Originally from Montréal, Canada, François-Pierre has been working in the United States since 2006, and he is pleased to be making his Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park debut. His multifaceted and dynamic approach to his craft has given him the opportunity to work across multiple environments and venues. He is also proud to be a full-time professor at East Los Angeles College, one of the most dynamic and upcoming theatre departments in Los Angeles. François-Pierre has had the     privilege of working in Los Angeles and the United States for the last decade as a scenic, lighting and projection designer. He has received multiple Ovation, LADCC, LA Weekly awards and nominations. His designs include Invisible Tango and A Picasso (Geffen Playhouse); Everything that Never Happened, With Love and Major Organ (Boston Court Theatre); Frankenstein (A Noise Within); Destiny of Desire (Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Arena Stage Theatre, South Coast Repertory, Goodman Theatre); Jackie Unveiled (Wallis Theatre); The Mexican Trilogy: An American History (Los Angeles Theatre Center); Metamorphoses and Everything is Illuminated (Ensemble Theatre Company); Médée and Teseo (Chicago Opera Theatre); and Carmen and Cold Mountain (Music Academy of the West). Visit fpcouture.com for more information and follow him on Instagram @fpcouturedesign.

Julie Weiss

Costume design is clearly a path of the constant search for the respect of character and how one sees themselves, or is seen through their clothes, which is their costume. As a costume designer, Julie’s destiny seems to be to travel the universe with Destiny of Desire as part of the company. Credits include theatre, film, television and opera. Honors include the Helen Hayes Award for Destiny of Desire. Latest work includes My Dinner with Hervé, with Peter Dinklage, soon-to-be released Greyhound with Tom Hanks and The Night Of. Latest Broadway credits include Cat on A Hot Tin Roof, with Scarlett Johansson and Holland Taylor’s Ann. Oscar nominations include Frida and 12 Monkeys. BAFTA award nominations include Frida. Emmy awards were received for The Doll Maker and Woman of Independent Means. Emmy nominations include Liza Minnelli, Live from Radio City Music Hall; Evergreen; Little Gloria…Happy at Last; and the television presentation of the play The Elephant Man. She received a career achievement award from the Costume Designers Guild for her work in American Beauty and Blades of Glory. She has also served on the faculty of UCLA and Stanford University. 

Pablo Santiago

Pablo is originally from Mexico and is the winner of the Richard Sherwood Award and Stage Raw Award, and he is a four-time Ovation Award nominee. Recent credits include Pulitzer Prize-winning Prism (Los Angeles Opera, Prototype Festival, Sao Paulo-Brazil); Macbeth and Mother Road (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); and Cold Mountain (Music Academy of The West); Place (LA PHIL-Beth Morrison Projects); Proving Up and The Wreck (The ONE Festival, Opera Omaha and Miller Theater); Valley of The Heart and Zoot Suit (Mark Taper Forum); Schoenberg In Hollywood and Threepenny Opera (Boston Lyric Opera); Destiny of Desire (Arena Stage, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Goodman Theatre); Ne Quittez Pas: A Reimagined La Voix Humaine (OperaPhila, O18 Festival); War of the Worlds (Los Angeles Philharmonic and The Industry); Galileo (The Industry); A Midsummer Night's Dream (LA PHIL); Breaking the Waves (Opera Philadelphia and Prototype Festival); Pelleas et Melisande (Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra); Flight, Pagliacci and Madame Butterfly (Opera Omaha);Boris Godunov, On The Town and Das Klagende Lied (San Francisco Symphony); Premeditation, The Mexican Trilogy, Dementia, Members Only and Sweetheart Deal (Los Angeles Theatre Center); Good Grief and Citizen (Kirk Douglas Theatre); I Am My Own Wife (Laguna Playhouse and Ensemble Theatre Company of Santa Barbara); Skeleton Crew and The Cake (Geffen Playhouse). Follow Pablo on Instagram @pablosdesign.

John Zalewski

John is based in Los Angeles and has designed soundscapes applied to live performance for 21 years. He has been involved with Destiny of Desire since its conception and his works have been heard supporting theatre at Los Angeles Theater Center; Arena Stage; Guthrie Theatre; Portland Center Stage; Alliance Theatre; Perseverance Theatre; Cherry Lane; Gym at Judson; PS 122, Theatre Delicatessen, London; South Coast Rep; Disney Hall, L.A.; Redcat; Evidence Room; Boston Court; Belle Reve and more. Recent credits include Mayakovsky and Stalin (Cherry Lane Theatre), Hold These Truths (San Diego Repertory), Macbeth (Oregon Shakespeare Festival) and The Father (Pasadena Playhouse). Upcoming productions include The Scarlet Letter (South Coast Repertory). Awards include seven LA Stage Alliance Ovation Awards, seven LA Weekly Awards, three Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards, and 10 Backstage Garlands LA Weekly Career Achievement and a Backstage West Local Hero Award. John teaches sound at Occidental College.

Stephanie Klapper, CSA

Stephanie is thrilled to continue her collaboration with Blake Robison and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. Select shows she has cast for the Playhouse are Once on This Island; Alias Grace; You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown; The Thanksgiving Play; Two Trains Running; A Christmas Carol; Cincinnati King; Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley and The Roommate, in addition to Shakespeare in Love; Mr. Joy; Be Here Now; Marie and Rosetta; Sooner/Later; Treasure Island and Murder for Two in 2017-18. Previously for the Playhouse, she cast A Prayer for Owen Meany, Disgraced, A Christmas Carol, Jane Eyre, All the Roads Home, Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, The Secret Garden, Sex with Strangers, Mad River Rising, Native Gardens, The Revolutionists, To Kill a Mockingbird, Mothers and Sons, Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Suicide Club, Safe House, Tenderly: The Rosemary Clooney Musical, Circle Mirror Transformation, Peter and the Starcatcher, Buzzer, Fly, Seven Spots on the Sun, Clybourne Park, 4000 Miles, Pride and Prejudice, as well as Shipwrecked! An Entertainment; The Book Club Play; Leveling Up; Abigail/1702; The Three Musketeers. Her work is frequently seen on Broadway, off-Broadway and regionally, as well as on film and television. She has many exciting projects running and upcoming in New York, regionally and in Europe. Stephanie is a member of the Casting Society of America.

U. Jonathan Toppo

Jon is very pleased to be making his Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park debut. His New York credits include Sweat (Broadway Studio 54, The Public Theater), White Noise (The Public Theater), Julius Caesar (Theatre for a New Audience). Regional credits include West Side Story (The Guthrie Theatre), Angels in America (Berkeley Repertory), Mother Road (Arena Stage), Othello (American Repertory Theater), Sweat (Dallas Theatre Center), Mojada (Portland Center Stage), Pirates of Penzance (Portland Opera), Sherlock Holmes and The Sign of the Four (Oregon Cabaret Theatre). He has been Resident Fight Director for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival from 2008 to present. He is an adjunct faculty member at Southern Oregon University where he's been teaching stage combat for over 10 years. Jon is an associate instructor with Dueling Arts International. He holds a third-degree black belt in Aikido and is a level-one instructor in Krav Maga. His awards include a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Fight Choreography for Sweat (The Public Theater) and Drama Desk award nominee for Outstanding Fight Choreography for Julius Caesar (Theatre for a New Audience).  Visit ujonathantoppo.com for more information.

Brooke Redler

Brooke is pleased to return for her fifth season with Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. Her off-Broadway credits include Breathing Time, The Faire and From White Plains (production stage manager, Fault Line Theatre). Regional theatre credits include Once on This Island, In The Heights, Million Dollar Quartet, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Summerland and Native Gardens (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park); Hair: Retrospection, Stillwater, The Whipping Man, August: Osage County, Cabaret and five seasons of A Christmas Carol (production stage manager, Kansas City Repertory Theatre); Peter and the Starcatcher and Richard II (Utah Shakespeare Festival); Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (Center Stage in Baltimore); The Drowsy Chaperone, Is He Dead? and Harry the Great (Creede Repertory Theatre). Assistant stage management credits include Our Town, A Flea in Her Ear, Clay, Jitney and Love, Janis (Kansas City Repertory Theatre); and work at Starlight Theatre, Stages St. Louis and Heart of America Shakespeare Festival. Brooke also has worked in opera, with credits including Moscow, Cherry Town and Medea (PSM, Opera Long Beach); and Ariadne Auf Naxos, The Coronation of Poppea, Frida, Die Fledermaus and Tosca (ASM, Cincinnati Opera). She also spent two seasons at The Santa Fe Opera.

Andrea L. Shell

Andrea is excited to be celebrating her 20th season with Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, having worked on more than 90 productions. A highlight of every season for her is stage managing A Christmas Carol. Favorite Playhouse credits include Alias Grace; The Last Wide Open; The Roommate; Treasure Island; Be Here Now; Mr. Joy; Erma Bombeck: At Wit’s End; Jane Eyre; Disgraced; Bad Dates; The Revolutionists; Peter and the Starcatcher; I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti; The North Pool; The Trip to Bountiful; Merrily We Roll Along; As You Like It; Behind the Eye; The Understudy; Blackbird; Durango; Around the World in 80 Days; Altar Boyz; Smoke on the Mountain Homecoming; Reckless; Ace; The Clean House; A Picasso; One; Abracadabra (2002-2007); The Bible … (abridged); and Dark Paradise. Regionally, she stage managed The Blonde, the Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead (Dallas Theater Center); Ace (The Old Globe); Lost Prospect (Ingenuity Festival of Cleveland); A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Nutcracker (Cincinnati Ballet); and Snow White and Beauty and the Beast (Cincinnati Ballet’s Otto M. Budig Academy). She also served as the production stage manager for the Jonesborough Repertory Theatre. Andrea is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association. She would like to thank her family, friends, Dylan and Scott for their unending support.

Suann Pollock

In more than 20 years at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Suann has stage managed many productions. Her favorites include Company; The History of Invulnerability; Three Sisters; Othello; Pure Confidence; This Wonderful Life; Love, Janis; Crowns; Leap; A Christmas Carol; The Crucible; Hiding Behind Comets; and The Smell of the Kill. Regionally, she has served as production stage manager at Music Theatre Wichita, Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati, BoarsHead Theater and Cincinnati Ballet. Suann has directed Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse and The Phantom Tollbooth for Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s Off the Hill outreach tours. Other favorite directing credits include Pride and Prejudice; Rent; Urinetown; and Bat Boy, The Musical. Suann teaches Musical Theatre Acting for University of Cincinnati’s College- Conservatory of Music Prep Department and is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association. 

Milwaukee Repertory Theatre

Milwaukee Rep is the largest performing arts organization in Wisconsin in terms of audiences served and one of the largest professional theaters in the country. Each year, Milwaukee Rep welcomes over 275,000 people at nearly 700 performances of 15 productions ranging from compelling dramas, powerful classics, new plays and full-scale musicals in its three unique performance venues – the Quadracci Powerhouse, Stiemke Studio and Stackner Cabaret. For over 65 years, Milwaukee Rep has gained a national reputation as an incubator of new work, an agent of community change and a forward-thinking provider of vital arts education programs. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Mark Clements and Executive Director Chad Bauman, Milwaukee Repertory Theater ignites positive change in the cultural, social, and economic vitality of its community by creating world-class theater experiences that entertain, provoke, and inspire meaningful dialogue among an audience representative of Milwaukee’s rich diversity.

Guthrie Theater

The Guthrie Theater (Joseph Haj, artistic director) was founded by Sir Tyrone Guthrie in 1963 and is an American center for theater performance, production, education and professional training, dedicated to producing the great works of dramatic literature and cultivating the next generation of theater artists. Under Haj’s leadership, the Guthrie is guided by four core values: Artistic Excellence; Community; Equity, Diversity and Inclusion; and Fiscal Responsibility. The Guthrie produces a mix of classic and contemporary plays on three stages and continues to set a national standard for excellence in theatrical production and performance, serving more than 350,000 patrons annually. In 2006, the Guthrie opened a new home, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel, located on the banks of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Open to the public year-round, it houses three state-of-the-art stages, production facilities, classrooms, full-service restaurants and dramatic public lobbies. Visit guthrietheater.org.