13 minute read
BIOGRAPHIES
Kasi Love Jeanee Harris Chelsea Ryan McCurdy
Jasmine Renee Thomas Elizabeth Marshall Black
ELIZABETH MARSHALL BLACK (Beth) Local theatre credits include: Rec Room: Dance Nation; A.D. Players: Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, Harvey, You Can’t Take it With You, The Miracle Worker; Catastrophic Theatre: Tragedy, A Tragedy, Trevor, The Blackest Shore; Main Street Theatre: Private Lives, The Secretary, The Book of Will, Silent Sky, Peace in Our Time, Fallen Angels, Heartbreak House; Mildred’s Umbrella: The Hunchback of Seville, Becky’s New Car, Carnival ‘Round The Central Figure; Celebration Theatre: The Divine Sister, The Beebo Brinker Chronicles; Classical Theatre Company: The Government Inspector; Ensemble Theatre: By the Way, Meet Vera Stark. Elizabeth holds a B.S. and M.B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin and also studied acting at SUNY Purchase.
JEANNE HARRIS (Carol) received her MFA in acting from Columbia University and her BA from University of Houston. Credits include: A.D. Players: The Christmas Shoes; Catastrophic Theatre: Fefu and Her Friends, Toast, First Suburb, Rhinoceros, Talk House, Trevor, Marie and Bruce; Alley Theatre All New: Queen of Basel; The City Theatre: Hamlet; La Mama: Richard 3; Here Arts Center: Island of the Slaves, Horace Mann: A Winter’s Tale, The Visit, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead; Alley Theatre: The Crucible; Houston Shakespeare Festival: A Midsummer’s Night Dream; University of Houston: Crimes of the Heart. Jeanne is delighted to be working with Rec Room. She is currently represented by Boysen Talent Agency. Special thanks to Rita, John, Tom, and Carrington for always being so supportive, funny, and loving.
KASI LOVE (Diane) steps out from behind the curtain, ecstatic to make her acting debut at the Rec Room! Love is a theatre artist whose 15+ year career has flowed between stage operations, technical direction, & production management. Her favorite production credits include High School Play: A Nostalgia Fest (Alley Theatre), Holmes and Watson (Arizona Theatre Company), February House (Long Wharf Theatre), Give It Up! (Dallas Theater Center, now Lysistrata Jones). Special thank you to Christine Friale. Pineapple, Ashley. @LoveTheatreCo
CHELSEA RYAN MCCURDY (Pam) is pleased to be making her Rec Room debut. You have previously seen Chelsea at The Alley in Amerikin (Alma), A Christmas Carol (Mary Stuart App./ Mrs. Fezziwig & Mrs. Cratchet US), Crimes of the Heart (Meg) All My Sons (Lydia); TUTS: Oklahoma (Vivian); Rogue Productions: Sole Mates: A Laundered Love Story - Public Reading (Laken), I Love You Because (Marcy); AD Players: Godspell (Self); 4th Wall: Lobby Hero (Dawn); Stages Repertory Theatre: The Doyle and Debbie Show (Debbie), Five Course Love (Woman), Big Fish (Jenny Hill), Honky Tonk Angels Series (Angela), The Great American Trailer Park Christmas Musical (Darlene), The Marvelous Wonderettes Series (Missy), Panto Cinderella (Cinderella); Unity Theatre: BoeingBoeing (Gretchen); as well as Main Street Theater and Theatre Lab productions. Voice actor for Funimation & Sentai Filmworks. Chelsea would like to thank the incredible Rec Room team of artists for bringing all of their gifts together to create something so magical and letting her be a part of that!
JASMINE RENEE THOMAS (Renee) has loved her first experience onstage with Rec Room! Previously, Jasmine has performed in various productions, including The Revolutionists (Marianne) with Dirt Dogs Theatre Company; Dreamgirl Deferred (Connie), Hattie’s Big Night (Louise Beavers), and Just Lena (Ethel Waters) with Vincent Victoria Presents; Infancy (Mrs. Booker) with Sankova Collective; and 702 Punchlines & Pregnant (Waitress) at The Davenport, NYC. She has also starred in various filmed projects with Landing Theatre Company and Mildred’s Umbrella. Jasmine also enjoys teaching, connecting with family and friends, and volunteering with her church community. www.jasminereneethomas.com; @ thejasminereneethomas
LILY WOLFF (Director) is a director and new play fan girl. She is also the Literary Manager at
the Alley Theatre and has worked passionately on the new play program there since 2018. Recently, Lily directed a series of audio plays for Rec Room Writer’s Group Sound Scripts project, mentored student playwrights at the University of Houston, designed and facilitated collaboration workshops at HSPVA, dramaturged a new play set in Galveston for New York Stage and Film/New Georges, directed at an Italian new play festival in London, and became a Pandemic Parent! Previous directing credits include: The Oresteia, From White Plains (Houston Press “Best Play/ Production” and “Best Director” nominations), The Madres (NNPN Rolling World Premiere), Cry It Out, A Bright Room Called Day, The Effect, Fahrenheit 451, Lungs (“Best Direction” Austin Critics Table Award), As You Like It, and Gidion’s Knot. Lily is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin and the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Her participation in this project has only been possible because of her Moose, Seth – Super Dad, Super Hubs, Do-er of All, Fixer of Everything – thank you for running our life, so I could play pretend.
MADELEINE GEORGE (Playwright) plays include Hurricane Diane (Obie Award), The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence (Pulitzer Prize finalist; Outer Critics Circle John Gassner Award), Seven Homeless Mammoths Wander New England (Susan Smith Blackburn finalist), Precious Little, and The Zero Hour (Jane Chambers Award, Lambda Literary Award finalist). Honors include a Whiting Award, the Princess Grace Award, and a Lilly Award. Madeleine’s translation of Chekhov’s Three Sisters is set to premiere at Two River Theater in 2022, and her audio adaptation of Alison Bechdel’s comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For is forthcoming from Audible Originals. Madeleine is a founding member of the Obie-Award-winning playwrights’ collective 13P (www.13p.org), the Mellon Playwright in Residence at Two River Theater, and a writer on the Hulu mystery-comedy Only Murders in the Building. Since 2006, she has worked with the Bard Prison Initiative at Bard College, where she currently serves as Director of Admissions. STEFÄN AZIZI (Scenic Design/Executive Director) is the Executive Director here at Rec Room Arts. His Rec Room design credits include: Dance Nation, Pass Over, The Children, Woyzeck, The Royale, On the Exhale, Hansel and Gretel (both times), Exit Strategy, and Sender. Additional scene design credits in Houston: Putnam County Spelling Bee and Sensitive Guys at Stages. He graduated with departmental honors in Scene Design and Technical Direction from the Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University. He is currently a freelance scene designer and a Project Manager for Caspian Enterprises based in Houston,TX. Recently finished The Sanctuary Lofts, a conversion of a Gothic Revival Church(built by the Tellepsen family) into a forty-five unit residential loft. @TheSanctuary_Lofts / @Stefan_Azizi
MADELEINE REID (Lighting Design) is a Chicago and Houston based Lighting Designer and Assistant Lighting Designer of theatre, dance, opera, and live events. She is excited to return to Houston to design her second production with Rec Room. Previous Lighting Design credits include: The Chinese Lady (Kitchen Theatre Company – transferred to Geva Theatre Center); Mac Beth (The Sargent Conservatory of Theatre Arts, Webster University); The Living (The Sargent Conservatory of Theatre Arts, Webster University); Chasing Waterfalls (TLT Productions); Voices of America (TLT Productions). Assistant Lighting Design credits include The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci (Goodman Theatre); Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Alabama Shakespeare Festival); Mlima’s Tale (Repertory Theatre St. Louis); Thanksgiving Play (Repertory Theatre St. Louis); upcoming: King John (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); Trouble In Mind, The Sound of Music, Clue (Utah Shakespeare Festival). Madeleine is currently the Assistant Lighting Supervisor at Chicago Children’s Theatre and works at Production Resource Group. She recently graduated from The Sargent Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University with her B.F.A in Lighting Design and a Minor in Business. www.madeleinegreid.com
HARRI HORSLEY (Costume Design) is currently a 3rd-year MFA Costume Design candidate at the University of Texas with a BFA in Design/ Technology from Kent State University. Harri is a 2nd generation Afro Costa Rican-American that was raised in Dallas, Texas, which is where they lived for 12 years. They then moved to Chicago, Illinois which is where they currently reside primarily with their family. Since setting off in the arts, Harri has worked professionally at acclaimed theatre companies like, Broadway Costumes (Chicago), Porthouse Theatre, and the Williamstown Theatre Festival. Harri believes that education should constantly flow in art so artists can evolve seamlessly. Currently and in the future, Harri strives to refine their technology skills in draping, tailoring, millinery, crocheting, beading, embroidery, Adobe photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and as well as their costume design and illustration skills. Harri has been named the recipient of the 2020 Judy Dearing Award by the Black Theatre Network for their work in Costume Design. Harri’s favorite things to do are eating Portillo’s Italian Beefs, reading a really well written book, and playing with their dog, Harper, a Giant Schnoodle puppy.
ROBERT MEEK (Sound Design) is very excited to be working with Rec Room again. He has Directed and done Sound Design for: The Tempest, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, The Haunting of Hill House, Veronica’s Room, Titus Andronicus, Christmas Carol, Macbeth, & Much Ado About Nothing (CCCT). He has also done sound design for Collected Stories, Pride & Prejudice, The Glass Menagerie, Between Riverside & Crazy, and The Lifespan of a Fact at 4th Wall Theatre Co. and for Woyzeck here at Rec Room. He has assistant directed for The Landing Theatre Company for the world premiere of Small Jokes About Monsters, at 4th Wall Theatre Company for their production of Ho Ho Humbug 2.0, and at Classical Theatre Company on Government Inspector. Robert is also a music producer and releases original music as “J U N O”, you can listen and learn more at www. junomusichtx.com. SKYE BRONFENBRENNER (Movement/Intimacy Direction) is thrilled to be working at Rec Room! She has an MFA in Acting from the Professional Actor Training Program at the University of Houston and has been fight directing, intimacy directing, and choreographing in Houston since graduating. Recent credits include Dance Nation at Rec Room, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Assistant Fight and Intimacy director) with the Alley Theatre, Picnic (Fight Director, Intimacy Director, and Choreographer) and The Carrier (Fight Director) both at the University of Houston, and She Kills Monsters (Fight Director) at Summer Creek High School. She taught Movement/Stage combat to the advanced students at the High School for the Visual and Performing Arts and currently teaches at Rice University where she is choreographing The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. A huge thank you to the incredible team of artists on this production and to Adam Noble, Sophia Watt, and Matt Hune for trusting me with such wonderful opportunities!
JAMI AGUIRRE (Assistant Scenic Designer) is a second year BFA Production student at the University of Houston. She is an aspiring scenic designer who has worked on a number of shows including Seussical Jr. with Pharr Parks and Recreation, How I Learned to Play Tennis with the University of Houston, as well as produced a number of award winning model designs through Texas’s UIL Theatrical Design competitions. This is her first show with Rec Room and is excited to work on more shows within Houston’s professional theatre scene.
EMMA BACON (Assistant Stage Manager) is a junior Stage Manager at the University of Houston and is thrilled to take part in a new theatre experience at Rec Room Arts. Recently, Emma assisted on Ocean Filibuster, a touring production from A.R.T. at UH. Previous credits include University of Houston’s Holy Ghosts, The Oresteia, Our Lady of 121st Street, 10 Minute Play Festival, and TEATRX’s La Vida Es Cortos festival. Emma is so grateful to her friends and her mom for their continued support, and to all
those who are supporting the arts in this time we so desperately need artistic expression.
BRANDON CHO (Technical Director) returns to Rec Room after Dance Nation. He is a junior at UH currently working towards his Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts. He specializes in sound and has recently worked on shows around Houston such as: Pipeline, School Girls, and Picnic.
JESSICA CASANOVA (Production Stage Manager) is thrilled to be back at Rec Room for Hurricane Diane, and is so excited to be stage managing again for the first time in 18 months. Select Professional credits include: American Shakespeare Center’s Twelfth Night and Othello (SM), Rec Room’s Pass Over (SM), Stages Repertory Theatre: Sin Muros Latin Theatre Festival (SM) 2018, 2019, and 2021, Theatre Under the Stars’s Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (ASM) and Elf The Musical (SM Intern), and Houston Shakespeare Festival 2017 (PA). Jessica is currently the Company Manager at Theatre Under the Stars. In her free time she enjoys reading, knitting, working out, and good food and coffee.
SOPHIA WATT (Director/Associate Artistic Director) is the associate artistic director at Rec Room Arts and a freelance director in Houston, Texas. Directing credits include: Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again. (Hangar Theatre/ Wedge), Jack and the Beanstalk (Hangar Theater), The Diaries of Adam and Eve (Unity Theatre), The Nest (University of Houston- Guest Artist), The Effect (MATCH), Oleanna, The Visit and Creatures of Habit (The Landing Theatre Company), Hedda Gabler (part of Rec Room’s artist residency), Three Sisters (University of Houston- Guest Artist). She has assistant directed for Theresa Rebeck at the Alley Theatre as well as James Bohnen and Bill Brown at the University of Houston. She is an alumni of Barn Arts Residency, the Lincoln Center Director’s Lab and SDCF observership class 2016-2018. Sophia is a 2019 Drama League Directing Fellow. BFA : The Hartt School. MFA: University of Houston. Sophiawatt.com MATT HUNE (Artistic Director) is co-founder and Artistic Director of Rec Room Arts where he is dedicated to energizing a new generation of theatre artists and audiences. In Rec Room’s short history, Hune and staff have produced plays, opera, dance, and concerts. Before cofounding Rec Room, Hune developed the Living Room Series, where he converted a Montrose living room into a 22-seat black box theater. In addition to Rec Room Arts, he has been involved in the founding of The Inconvenience in Chicago and Loring Theatre in Minneapolis. As a director, his original works or adaptations include: Woyzeck, Hansel and Gretel, The Rite of Spring, The Bald Soprano, Dead Rock Star, Not Mad, Inherited, and Accidental Death of an Anarchist. Other directing credits include: Ike Holter’s Exit Strategy, Put Your House in Order at the Alley Theatre’s All New Festival, Hansel and Gretel, Blackbird, The Lesson, Three Sisters, and Tis Pity She’s a Whore, among others. As an actor, he made his professional debut in the regional premiere of Edward Albee’s The Goat or Who is Sylvia at the Alley Theatre. Other acting credits include Hamlet, Macbeth, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, This is Our Youth, Dead Man Walking, American Buffalo, Good Worker, Merchant of Venice, and A Number. He currently is a faculty member in the acting program at HSPVA. He has also taught acting in the graduate Opera Studies program at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. He is an alumnus of The Theatre School at DePaul University in Chicago and a recipient of the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts award for Theatre. He is a member of SDC (Stage Directors and Choreographers Society).
UP NEXT|Starts July 14
-New York Magazine
IS GOD IS
written by
Aleshea Harris
directed by
Candice D’Meza
A modern myth about twin sisters who sojourn from the Dirty South to the California desert to exact righeous revenge. This Obie Award winning play collides the ancient, the modern, the tragic, the Spaghetti Western, and Afropunk in this darkly funny and unapologetic Houston premiere play.
FALL|Starts October 20
-Chicago Tribune
PUT YOUR HOUSE IN ORDER
written by
Ike Holter
directed by
Matt Hune
A romantic-comedy/horror/thriller about a first date that spirals into a race against an invading force. This Houston premiere from playwright Ike Holter (Exit Strategy, Sender) explores new beginnings at the end of the world.
