THE ANTS

(IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)

The Brain HUGO ARMSTRONG †

Nami NICKY BOULOS

Meredith MEGAN HILL

The Pizza Guy JEREMY RADIN

Shahid RYAN SHRIME

†Fight Captain

The Actors and Stage Managers employed in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

SETTING/TIME

The City. Soon.

RUNNING TIME

2 hours and 15 minutes Including one intermission.

PLEASE NOTE

There is no photography or filming of any kind allowed during the performance. Please turn off all electronic devices, including cell phones. Thank you!

OPENING NIGHT SPONSORS

The Brain and Stonestreet Studios. Nicky’s TV credits include New Amsterdam, 9-1-1: Lone Star, and God Friended Me, acting opposite Navid Negahban, who later enlisted Nicky in a reading of the powerful play Asher’s Command. During the pandemic Nicky wrote an Arab superhero origin screenplay and is now working on the comic book so he can see more people like him represented on the big screen! Nicky co-founded Arcana Den, a creative, mindful studio in DTLA that offers breathwork workshops, figure drawing, tarot reading workshops, and sound bath meditations. Check out @arcana.den on Instagram for more details. Nicky is excited to be a part of this production and make his Geffen debut!

Hugo Armstrong was most recently seen in Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 at the Mark Taper Forum, Uncle Vanya at Pasadena Playhouse, and Power of Sail here at the Geffen Playhouse. TV includes recurring roles on Bosch: Legacy and NCIS as well as stints on True Lies, The Blacklist, Room 104, and Fear the Walking Dead. Movies include Lucky, Coherence, Roman J. Israel, Esq., and Daniel Martinico’s OK, Good and Excursions. Recent VO includes podcast series DUST, Agent Stoker, and Blood Weed on Audible Originals, as well as voices for Cinema Toast and the MCU. He’s recurring on the Oldhead Two Hour Radio Hour on Blast Radio, and is a CalArts grad.

@nickyboulos www.nicky-boulos.com

Nelson Greenberg’s Do You Feel Anger?; Robert Askins’ Hand to God; Lonesome Winter (co-written with Joshua Conkel). In 2019, Megan was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for her portrayal of David Lee Roth in Eddie and Dave and was named one of the Best Comedic Performances of the Year by the New York Times. Her play The Last Class: A Jazzercize Play has had acclaimed runs in New York, DC, and Seattle. B.F.A. in Acting & Original Works from Cornish College of the Arts. M.F.A. in Acting from ART/ MXAT IATT at Harvard. For more info: www.meganhill.net or follow on Instagram: @meganhillwhat.

Nami

Nicky Boulos is thrilled to be appearing in the world premiere of The Ants. Nicky earned his B.F.A. at NYU Tisch, and has continued his studies at Stella Adler Studio of Acting

MEGAN

Meredith

Megan is delighted to be making her Geffen Playhouse debut and to be in collaboration again with Ramiz and Pirronne. Megan is a Brooklyn-based actor and writer. As an actor, she has originated roles in the world premieres of: Leah Nanako Winkler’s The Brightest Thing in the World and Kentucky; Crystal Skillman’s Open and Cut; Amy Staats’s Eddie and Dave; Mara

Jeremy Radin is an actor and writer and is absolutely thrilled to be making his professional LA theater debut at the Geffen Playhouse! He’s appeared in films such as The Way Back (directed by Gavin O’Connor) and The New World (directed by Terrence Malick), and TV shows like It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Criminal Minds, and CSI. He’s an original member of the LA-based theater company The Public Assembly and Krymov Lab NYC. He studied and taught at the Beverly Hills Playhouse. His poetry has been published widely in magazines and journals and he’s the author of two full-length collections: Slow Dance with Sasquatch (Write Bloody, 2017) and Dear Sal (Not A Cult, 2022). He owns and operates Lanternist Creative Consulting, through which he coaches writers and performers. This one’s for mom, who knew I was an actor before I did. Instagram: @germyradin

Playwright

Shahid

Ryan is thrilled to be back on stage making his Geffen debut in The Ants! An actor, singer, writer, producer, and voice performer, his favorite credits include Hulu’s Pam & Tommy and Grimcutty, Netflix’s On My Block, Nickelodeon’s Sam & Cat, ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy, as well as The Engine of Our Ruin at The Victory Theatre, and his recent voice role in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare

II. Ryan trained at the William Esper Studio in NYC, the Berg Studios in LA, is currently studying at The Last Acting Studio in LA, and he holds a B.A. in Economics from Harvard University.

Socials: @ryanshrime

Ramiz is an alumnus of The Writers’ Room at Geffen Playhouse, where The Ants was developed. It also was developed at the Ojai Playwrights Conference in 2021. Ramiz is co-author of the musical The Unfortunates produced at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and A.C.T. in San Francisco. He wrote that show’s accompanying graphic novel as well. He also co-wrote The Many Deaths of Nathan Stubblefield, which premiered in the 2017 Humana Festival at Actors Theatre of Louisville. His play 3 Farids was part of The Bushwick Starr reading series and selected to be in the New Works Festival at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, the DNA New Work Series at La Jolla Playhouse, and at Playwrights Horizons. Ramiz is an actor and has appeared in major theatres across the country, most recently playing the title role in Rajiv Joseph’s Letters of Suresh off-Broadway at Second Stage Theater, numerous television series including NCIS, S.W.A.T., SEAL Team, Kidding, Shameless, Modern Family, and Young Sheldon. He is also in the film Synchronic. Ramiz would like to thank Rachel Wiegardt-Egel, as well as Bob Egan at Ojai, for their championing of this piece. Ramiz is a former member of the Evolving Playwrights Group at Circle X Theatre Co., and a current member of the L.A. Writers’ Workshop at Center Theatre Group, here in Los Angeles.

Pirronne Yousefzadeh is a director, writer, and educator, and serves as the Interim Associate Artistic Director at Playwrights’ Center. Prior to this appointment, she served as Geva Theatre Center’s Associate Artistic Director and Director of Engagement, where her directing credits include Vietgone by Qui Nguyen, Queen by Madhuri Shekar, The Royale by Marco Ramirez, Heartland by Gabriel Jason Dean, and The Lake Effect by Rajiv Joseph. She has a passion for new work that centers and uplifts the stories of global majority communities and has developed and directed work at Playwrights Horizons, New York Theatre Workshop, The Public Theater, Soho Rep, Ars Nova, The Kennedy Center, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Cleveland Play House, and many more. Pirronne is a Usual Suspect at New York Theatre Workshop, New Georges Affiliated Artist, and member of EST, No More 10 Out of 12s, and Wingspace. She is an alumna of the 2050 Fellowship at NYTW, Sagal Fellowship at Williamstown, SDC Denham Fellowship, Lincoln Center Directors Lab, Soho Rep Writer/ Director Lab, New Georges Jam, and Drama League Directors Project. Pirronne was a finalist for the 2020 Zelda Fichandler Award from SDC and is a proud member of the union. M.F.A., Columbia University. Representation: Ben Izzo at A3 Artists Agency. www.pirronne.com

CAROLYN MRAZ (she/they)

Carolyn has collaborated on over 70 world premiere new works such as off-Broadway musicals, regional theater productions, immersive events, performance art, and international tours, including some favorite design challenges: a magic show, a spaceship, a sexy lounge on a decommissioned ferry, a rock musical staged in a church sanctuary, and a collapsible performance tent. For their experimental work in NYC, Carolyn has earned five Hewes Design Award nominations. Carolyn is a longtime associated artist of Target Margin Theater and Clubbed Thumb in NYC, and A Host of People in Detroit. Carolyn recently moved to LA and teaches at California State University, Fullerton. Proud union member USA 829. Please visit www.cmraz.com for a visual peek.

DOMINIQUE FAWN HILL

Costume Designer

Broadway: Fat Ham. Off-Broadway: Tambo & Bones (Playwrights Horizons and Center Theatre Group); Where the

Mountain Meets the Sea (Manhattan Theatre Club); The Dark Girl Chronicles: CHRONICLE X (The Shed); 125th & FREEdom (National Black Theatre); Fat Ham (The Public Theater and National Black Theatre). Regional: Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Rent (Portland Center Stage). Awards and Nominations: Obie Award, the USITT/USA Prague Quadrennial Best Costume Design Award, Lucille Lortell Award nomination, and Tony Award nomination. M.F.A., University of California, San Diego. Website: www.dominiquefhill.com

PABLO SANTIAGO (he/him)

Lighting Designer

Pablo is a live performance and digital film lighting designer. Winner of the Richard E. Sherwood Award, Stage Raw Award, and multiple Ovation Award nominations. Pablo’s designs aim to find evocative images that embody the emotional moment of the show. Images that can spark the imagination of the audience to worlds beyond the stage. Pablo has worked at Geffen Playhouse, Santa Fe Opera, LA Opera, Opera Omaha, Boston Lyric Opera, Detroit Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Long Beach Opera, Prototype Festival, The Industry, Opera Columbus, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Music Academy of the West, Opera Santa Barbara, The Kennedy Center, Teatro Municipal São Paulo Brazil, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Goodman Theatre, Arena Stage, BAM Harvey Theater, Mark Taper Forum, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Los Angeles Theatre Center, South Coast Repertory, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, The Broad, Kirk Douglas Theatre, Ensemble Theater Company Santa Barbara, Hollywood Bowl. Visit pablosantiagodesign.com and follow him on Instagram @pablosdesign.

JOHN NOBORI

Original Music & Sound Designer

John Nobori is a California-based sound designer, composer, and ensemble member of Cornerstone Theater Company. His work has been heard in plays produced by such organizations as Pasadena Playhouse and Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Other recent credits include Center Theatre Group’s production of Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue and South Coast Repertory’s production of Our Town. He has been nominated for several awards for excellence in sound design and is the recipient of an Ovation Award for his work on The Golden Dragon at Boston Court Pasadena. B.A. University of California, Irvine.

HANA S. KIM (she/her) Projection Designer

Broadway: The Old Man & The Pool (Lincoln Center Theater), Summer, 1976 (Manhattan Theatre Club). Off-Broadway/ New York: The Harder They Come (The Public Theater), The Visitor (The Public Theater, Lucille Lortel nomination), Eve’s Song (The Public Theater), Everything Rises (BAM), Magdalene (Prototype Festival). New music/opera: Sweet Land (The Industry), The Anonymous Lover (LA Opera). Regional: Geffen

Playhouse, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, South Coast Repertory, Magic Theatre, A.C.T., among others. Awards: Princess Grace Award, Dorothy and Richard E. Sherwood Award, Helen Hayes Award, Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Distinguished Achievement Award, among others. www.hananow.com

DOMINIK KRZANOWSKI

Magic Consultant

Dominik Krzanowski discovered magic at age 5 while watching Paul Daniels on British TV. His passion grew in Northern California, inspired by David Copperfield. Moving to Los Angeles, he became a Junior Member at the Magic Castle at 17. Dominik immersed himself in the magic library, performing in the Magic Castle each summer. Soon, he began designing illusions for himself and other magicians, showcasing his creations worldwide on cruise ships, TV, movies, and in Las Vegas. Credits include Guards at the Taj, Dracula the Musical, Dynamo: Magician Impossible, The Carbonaro Effect, Masters of Illusion Live!, Penn & Teller: Fool Us, and Carnival Cruise Lines. For 12 years, Dominik served as stage manager at the Magic Castle, and now directs and stages Milt Larsen and Terry Hill’s It’s Magic! show. Outside of magic, he trains horses and develops his own show at www.sebastiankraine.com.

SUSANA

JARAMILLO (she/her)

Assistant Director

Susanna Jaramillo is a Queensbased director who believes in radical inclusion and aims to create work that subverts our expectations of identity, uplifts voices that are historically excluded from the theatrical canon, and interrogates the societal structures that limit us. Recent credits include: Jesus 2.0 (The Workshop Theater), Fucking A (PPAS), Best Life (JACK), Daddy (John Jay College). Assisting credits include: Wolf Play (MCC Theater), Dom Juan (Bard SummerScape), Wine in the Wilderness and Bite Me (Roundabout Theatre Company), African Caribbean MixFest (Atlantic Theater Company). Select academic theatre direction includes: Yellow Face (Front Row Theatre Company), Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play (iNtuitons Experimental Theatre), Little Shop of Horrors (Quadramics Theatre Company), Susanna is a member of Cohort 4 of the Roundabout Directors Group and the inaugural Drama League Stage Directing Assistantship Program and would like to thank the Drama League for this opportunity! www.susannajaramillo.com

JULIE OUELLETTE (they/she)

Fight Director

Julie Ouellette is a Queer feminist actor and fight director committed to building safer spaces for marginalized artists by fighting for authentic representation, radical accessibility, and systemic racial equity in the entertainment industry (and beyond). Recent: A Transparent Musical (Center Theatre Group), The Inheritance (Geffen Playhouse), Little Shop of Horrors (Pasadena Playhouse). Upcoming: Julie will return to the stage this summer, appearing as the Major General in a wildly re- bellious production of The Pirates of Penzance (Ophelia’s Jump). www.hellojulieo.com

OLIVIA O’CONNOR (she/her) Dramaturg

Olivia O’Connor joined the Geffen as Literary Manager & Dramaturg in July 2022. Her previous creative development experience includes staff positions at Pittsburgh CLO (Manager of New Work Development) and Roundabout Theatre Company (Artistic Associate), as well as dramaturgy and selection committee work with City Theatre Company, Pittsburgh Public Theater, Bricolage Production Company, Third Space Theatre, The Flea Theater, the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, and the 5th Avenue Theatre. Outside of her institutional work, Olivia has experience as a script consultant, copywriter, and playwright. www.oliviaannoconnor.com

DARLENE MIYAKAWA (she/her) Production Stage Manager

Darlene Miyakawa is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association and the American Guild of Musical Artists and has worked around the U.S. including at: South Coast Repertory, Geva Theatre Center, L.A. Dance Project, Barrington Stage Company, Long Beach Opera, The Watermill Center Festival, Playwrights’ Arena, Piedmont Opera, Opera San Jose, California Symphony, Fort Worth Opera, Opera Memphis, Tri-Cities Opera, New York City Opera, OPERA San Antonio, Los Angeles Philharmonic, LA Opera, East West Players, Getty Villa, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley.

Phyllis is an Artistic Associate and the Casting Director for Geffen Playhouse. Recent casting includes The Inheritance: Part 1 & Part 2 and TRAYF. She has received 8 Artios nominations: Power of Sail, Man of God, Witch, Significant Other, Actually, Barbecue, Barcelona, and The Country House. Before joining the Geffen, she was the Casting Director for Steppenwolf Theater Company in Chicago where her favorites include Frank Galati’s adaptation of The Grapes of Wrath (also La Jolla Playhouse, National Theatre in London, and Broadway, where it received the Tony Award for Best Play), the original production of Steve Martin’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile (and subsequent productions including Westwood Playhouse and Briar Street Theater in Chicago). Broadway transfers include One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Tony Award for Best Revival), The Song of Jacob Zulu, and The Rise and Fall of Little Voice. She is a member of the Casting Society of America.

Executive Director

Gil Cates, Jr. is Executive Director of Geffen Playhouse. In this role, he is responsible for managing the Geffen’s dayto-day operations; developing new, ongoing theater partnerships and leading its mission to inform, entertain and inspire diverse audiences with live theater of the highest caliber. Prior to being named Executive Director in 2015, Cates served as Geffen Playhouse Board Vice Chairman since 2012 and served as a producer and director in theater, film and television. His theater credits include the award-winning Names (Matrix Theatre Company) and Three Sisters and David Mamet’s A Life in the Theatre (both at Syracuse Stage). Cates’ film credits include The Surface (starring Sean Astin and Geffen Playhouse alumnus Chris Mulkey), Jobs (starring Ashton Kutcher, Josh Gad, Dermot Mulroney, as well as Geffen Playhouse alumni Matthew Modine and Ron Eldard) and the 2011 feature film Lucky (starring Colin Hanks, Ari Graynor and Ann-Margret). In addition, Cates co-produced and co-directed the critically acclaimed Life After Tomorrow, featuring Sarah Jessica Parker, which premiered on Showtime. His other films include Deal (starring Burt Reynolds, Bret Harrison and Charles Durning) and The Mesmerist (starring Jessica Capshaw and Geffen Playhouse alumnus Neil Patrick Harris). Cates’ television directorial debut was an episode of the NBC comedy Joey, starring Emmy winner Matt LeBlanc. He is currently directing a documentary short chronicling the journey of one of the first refugee families to flee Ukraine and arrive in the U.S. after escaping the Russian invasion, set for release in 2023. He studied at the National Theatre Institute in Waterford, Connecticut, and holds a B.F.A. in Drama from Syracuse University.

During her tenure at the Geffen, Amy has spearheaded numerous programs for commissioning and developing new plays and has shepherded more than 150 plays into production. Dramaturgy credits include the commissions and world premieres of Donald Margulies’ Time Stands Still and Coney Island Christmas, Jane Anderson’s The Quality of Life and The Escort, Amanda Peet’s Our Very Own Carlin McCullough, and Michael Mitnick’s Mysterious Circumstances. Other dramaturgy credits include Actually, Invisible Tango, Extraordinary Chambers, Build, Equivocation, Joan Rivers: A Work in Progress by a Life in Progress, Guards at the Taj, and Geffen Stayhouse virtual shows including Helder Guimarães’ The Present and The Future, and David Kwong’s Inside the Box. She holds an M.F.A. in Dramaturgy from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

BEHNAZ ATAEE

Chief Financial Officer

Behnaz “Nazy” Ataee is Chief Financial Officer of Geffen Playhouse. In this role, she has oversight responsibility for accounting functions of the theater, including operating and capital budgets. In addition, she supports all IT and HR activities. Behnaz was named Chief Financial Officer in 2015 after serving as General Manager since 2002. She first joined Geffen Playhouse in 1999. Previously, Ataee worked as a senior financial analyst for Ultratech Inc., an international semiconductor company based in San Jose. Prior to Ultratech, she was an auditor for Van Sloten

CPA, after holding the position of Director of Accounting at FABS Management, where she was responsible for overseeing the finances of more than 25 non-profit organizations. As a financial professional with more than 30 years’ experience in for-profit and non-profit financial management and auditing, Ataee began her career in the Bay Area as a partner in a small tech startup. She holds a master’s degree from Pepperdine University.Mint aut

Supporting artists is central to the mission of the Geffen Playhouse, and play commissions are a cornerstone of that support. To commission a playwright to write a play means making a commitment to their voice, craft, and vision, with the hope of sharing the fruits of their work on our stage.

The Geffen Playhouse’s New Play Development Program is made possible, in large part, through the leadership and generosity of donations from: The Edgerton Foundation, The Harold & Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, Fay & Frank Mancuso, Sandra Krause & William Fitzgerald, Hilary & Jack Angelo and Mary Bianco, The MOCA Foundation.

We are proud to have the following artists under commission:

LUIS ALFARO

JONATHAN CAREN

COLMAN DOMINGO

MICHAEL GOLAMCO

MEGHAN KENNEDY

MATTHEW LÓPEZ

MARTYNA MAJOK

QUI NGUYEN

STACY OSEI-KUFFOUR

JIEHAE PARK

JOHN POLLONO

ROBERT SCHENKKAN

JEN SILVERMAN

DAVID WIENER

CRAIG WRIGHT

LAUREN YEE

For more information on this program, please visit geffenplayhouse.org/newplays.

A group for Los Angeles-based playwrights, The Writers’ Room is a product of the Geffen’s deep commitment to supporting new plays and specifically to fostering bold, relevant work by the vibrant artistic community of this city. During this one-year residency, playwright members gather monthly at the Geffen to share their work and receive feedback from their peers and the Geffen’s artistic staff, culminating in a play reading series.

For more information on the 2023/2024 cycle of The Writers’ Room, please visit geffenplayhouse.org/thewritersroom.

The Writers’ Room is made possible through the generous support of the William Randolph Hearst Foundation and Jerry and Terri Kohl.