PRODUCTION BIOGRAPHIES

STEPHEN ADLY GUIRGIS, HE/HIM (PLAYWRIGHT) graduated from University at Albany - SUNY. He is a former Co-Artistic Director of LAByrinth Theatre Company in New York Cityand educator in New York City area prisons, schools, shelters, and hospitals for conflict resolution and HIV/AIDS prevention. Guirgis’s plays have been performed throughoug the US and across 5 continents. He won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play Between Riverside and Crazy. Awards include: the Lucille Lortel Award, the PEN/Laura Pels Award, the Yale Wyndham-Campbell Prize, The Harold & Mimi Steinberg Award, Whiting Award, TCG fellowship, Fringe First Award, NY Drama Critics Circle, and the L.A. Drama Critics Prize. He is also an actor and has appeared in theater, film, and television.

KENDRA WARE (DIRECTOR) is a performance-based multidisciplinary artist who creates hybrid staged environments using experimental approaches to art-making, live performance, video and installation to explore the intersections of race, gender, class, cultural politics, and identity while challenging social norms and notions of otherness. She has staged work site-specifically in a women’s prison, under a freeway, on street corners and dirt roads, in bookstores, plazas and parks. Her work has been awarded a NEFA Creation and Touring Grant, NPN Documentation and Creation Fund Grant. 2022 Dramaleague Stage Assistant Directing Fellow; 2022 Lloyd Richards SDCF New Futures Residency MFA: California Institute of the Arts.

ANN

SHEFFIELD, SHE/HER (SCENIC DESIGNER)

joined the Department of Theater and Dance at the University of California, Santa Barbara as Head of Design and Director of Performance. Concurrently, Ann continues her work with regional theaters across the country including Indiana Repertory Theatre, Laguna Playhouse, La Jolla Playhouse, Goodspeed Opera House, D.C.’s Ford’s Theatre, Arizona Theatre Company, Oklahoma Festival Ballet, Children’s Theatre Company of Minneapolis, the South Coast Repertory Theatre, and locally with Ensemble Theater Company Santa Barbara. A graduate of the Yale School of Drama, Ann further honed her design skills assisting award-winning Broadway designer Tony Walton. During her tenure with Tony, she worked on a number of major productions including Anything Goes, The Will Rogers Follies, Lend Me a Tenor, and The Grand Hotel. Ann enjoys teaching, oil and watercolor painting, and beach walks with her Covid pup, Trooper.

ADRIANA

LAMBARRI (COSTUME DESIGNER)

has experience in costume design which spans both theater and film and works mostly in Orange County and Los Angeles. Her theater credits include work at Antaeus Theatre Company, South Coast Repertory, Center Theater Group, The Los Angeles Theater, Cincinnati Playhouse, The Odyssey Theatre, Chance Theater and Pasadena Playhouse to name a few. She’s also had the unique opportunity to design costumes for the NFL Hall of Fame’s current immersive exhibit Game for Life, which features a holographic Joe Namath. Her most recent feature film King Knight came out earlier this year starring Matthew Gray Gubler. Adriana also works occasionally as a costume illustrator. Clients include Disney, Marvel Studios, Guthrie Theater, La Jolla Playhouse, Cleveland Opera, and most recently, Utah Shakespeare Festival. She is a proud member of USA 829. Check her out at www.adrianalambarri.com, @adriana.lambarri_costumedesign.

AZRA KING-ABADI

(LIGHTING DESIGNER)

recently designed an exciting production of RENT with Coeurage Ensemble, a new play American Fast with Constellation Theatre, Revenge Porn with Ammunition Theatre, Ayano with Black Bough Productions, and a new opera Tres Mujeres de Jerusalén with LA Opera at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. Prior works Tea with Hero Theatre, the award winning Poor Clare at Echo Theatre, Three Tables with Padua Playwrights, the award winning production Wet and The Color Purple with Greenway Court Theatre, The Barber of Seville with Opera Neo, La Traviata, and Madama Butterfly with Opera Santa Barbara. Azrakingabadi.com

DANNY KELLY, HE/HIM (SOUND DESIGNER) is a proud member of the UCSB Theatre/Dance production staff, serving as Production Specialist in Lighting, Sound, and Projections. Originally from Virginia, he got his B.A. in Theatre with a focus on Design and Technology from James Madison University. During his time there, he sound designed columbinus by PJ Paparelli and Stephen Karam and Beneath It Lies by Catalyst Collective; he also assistant sound designed She Kills Monsters by Qui Nguyen. He wants to thank his fellow staff members for welcoming him to his first theatre position since the pandemic. He also wants to thank Troy Davis for being his constant source of support.

TRINITY WICKLUND, SHE/HER (STAGE MANAGER) is a third year Theater Production and Design major. Trinity has stage managed nearly 30 productions for the department, and has been thrilled to work on this latest production of Judas. After graduation, Trinity hopes to attend Grad School to pursue a career as a professional stage manager.

JINGLAN “QUEENIE” YANG, SHE/HER (ASSISTANT DIRECTOR) is a second year Theater and Sociology double major. She participated in several productions at UCSB. Queenie has worked as an assistant director for Freedom Hills in LAUNCH PAD Amplify Reading Series Festival. Queenie also acted in the 2022 Naked Shakes production Romeo and Juliet as a member of ensemble and Balthasa. Jinglan also has an interest in theater design, concentrating in set and costume design.

GRYPHON SEVENEY, SHE/HER (ASSISTANT DIRECTOR) is a third-year transfer student working towards her BA in Theater and minoring in English. She has been involved in theater since the age of six and has worked as a Director since she was fourteen. Directing projects such as Beauty and The Beast, Mary Poppins, and an array of Shakespearian titles such as Taming of The Shrew, Romeo & Juliet, Comedy of Errors, and Love’s Labour’s Lost. She is currently working towards completing the Directing sequence offered through UCSB’s Department of Theatre & Dance.

KADRICK BLATT, HE/HIM (ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER) is a firstyear Film and Media Studies and Theatrical Design double major. He had his first role on campus in the fall quarter as assistant stage manager for UCSB’s Fall Dance Show and has since worked on multiple dance shows and performances in various positions including designing sound for Night Night, Roger Roger. Kadrik was heavily involved in theatre before coming to UCSB however, including stage managing productions of The Addam’s Family, Dead Man’s Cell Phone, and She Loves Me. He has also worked various other positions on shows such as Moon Over Buffalo and The Drowsy Chaperone. Kadrik hopes to join the film industry post-graduation and eventually operate in roles relative to cinematography and editing.

MIKAYLA BUHBE, SHE/HER (PROPS DESIGNER, SECOND ASSISTANT SCENIC DESIGNER) is a third-year Writing and Literature major and is minoring in Theater Production and Design. She has worked as a scenic designer for the 2023 LAUNCH PAD Amplify Reading Series Festival and this quarter’s Amplify’s GO: Play in a Day, as well as run crew for several productions. Mikayla is also the Managing Editor for Spectrum Literary Journal and the Outreach Coordinator at the Resource Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity. This is her first time working as a designer for a full production and hopes y’all enjoy the show!

Cast Biographies

ABBS STOIBER, THEY/THEM (JESUS/GLENNA/LORETTA) is a fourthyear in the BFA Acting program. Their most notable stage credits at UCSB include “Benvolio” in Naked Shakes’ Romeo & Juliet and “The Hospital Director” in The Government Inspector. They have also worked backstage on several productions over the past several years, which will soon include Irwin Appel’s The Death of Kings coming this summer. Abbs would like to thank their family, friends, and mentors for all of their love and support over the course of their time at UCSB and for everyone involved in this production for their hard work and dedication to bringing this show to life.

ABRAHAM FIGUEROA, HE/HIM (CAIAPHAS/UNCLE PINO) is a thirdyear student planning to double major in Theater & Community and Linguistics. This is Abraham’s first production at UCSB as an actor, having worked as wardrobe crew for the previous production Spectral Frequencies in February of 2022, as well as part of the lighting crew as a part time electrician.

AHLORA SMITH, SHE/HER (CUNNINGHAM) is incredibly honored to tackle this role and show! She’s a Junior in the BFA Acting program. Past appearances include Night Night, Roger Roger, Romeo & Juliet, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind, and more. She’s also a student director for UCSB

Amplify! This quarter, she was found listening to Lady Gaga’s Judas at least twice a day. Fun fact: Ahlora was an award winning mock trial competitor in high school; her mother is still sad that she has no intentions of becoming an actual lawyer.

DESIREE MEDINA, SHE/HER (SAINT MONICA) is a fourth-year Theatre and Political Science double major. Desiree has worked on several productions including UC Riverside’s 2021 production of Water by the Spoonful playing the role of Yazmin. As well as UCSB’s Spring 2022 One Acts playing the Role of Yetta in 146 Point Flame. In November, she acted as a production assistant for NBC Universal’s Nosotros Monologue Slam. More recently, she played the role of Olive in Dalia is Dead and her Dad keeps making Dumplings in UCSB’s LAUNCHPAD amplify reading series festival.

FRANCES MANTHORPE, SHE/HER (GLORIA/SOLDIER 2) is a junior in the BFA acting program. The last play she was in was SBCC’s production of The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night Time in 2020 and prior to that, Sense and Sensibility in 2019. However, her work was also seen in UCSB’s Particle Collider last year. Frances dedicates her performance to her Grandpa, Zdenek, who has supported her throughout her journey in performance and art. She hopes you enjoy the show!

HIND JADALLAH-KARRAA, SHE/HER (HENRIETTA) is in her second year at UCSB. She is a Junior in the BFA Theater program after transferring from SBCC and is minoring in Applied Psychology. Hind has acted in various productions at UCSB. She was most recently in the 2023 Winter Quarter production of Night Night, Roger Roger written by UCSB undergrad Roni Ragoni, and was a part of this year’s LAUNCH PAD Reading series. She hopes you enjoy this production, and encourages you to find it in your hearts to forgive Judas Iscariot.

HOLDEN OVERBECK, HE/HIM (SATAN/MATTHIAS) is is a first-year transfer student Theatre major at UCSB. Holden has acted in several productions this year for the Gauchos, including the 2022 Fall One Act production of Dash Climbs A Rope, as well as the LAUNCH PAD Winter production of SHE WOLF Margaret of Anjou. More recently, he acted in the AMPLIFY GO! play festival as well as the first ever Between the Couch Cushions sketch comedy show at UCSB. Enjoy the show! Go Dawgs!

JONAH SPITLER, HE/THEY (SIGMUND FREUD/SIMON) is is an actor closing out his second year in UCSB’s BFA program. You might have seen them in The Government Inspector, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and Night Night, Roger Roger. Jonah also read in Roni Ragone’s We’re All Girls Here, a semi-finalist in the 47th Samuel French Off-Off-Broadway Short Play Festival. Other endeavors include starring in the upcoming short film Helena and Jonas Celebrate the End of the World and portraying Dr. Frank-N-Furter in UCSB’s Rocky Horror shadow cast. He has had a blast working on Judas and hopes it shows!

KYLE BRASHER, HE/HIM (BAILIFF/SAINT PETER/SOLDIER 1) is a theatre major here at UCSB. He was recently a part of the DOUBLE2 program last quarter and before that played Pentelaeyev in Government Inspector. He hopes you enjoy this little side of Purgatory and the show. Salud.

MICHEAL LAO, HE/HIM (EL-FAYOUMY) coming from a musical background, Micheal has played many roles such as: King Basilius from Head Over Heels & Harold Hill from The Music Man. Now finishing up his first year as a theater major here at UCSB, Micheal is excited to be making his UCSB debut playing as the prosecutor ElFayoumy. Micheal would like to thank his family and his incredible girlfriend for the non-stop support and push to become what he’s always wanted to be. He also hopes the audience enjoys the show as much as he enjoyed working on it. Welcome to purgatory!

MICHAEL SEITZ, HE/HIM (JUDAS) is a senior in the BFA acting program. He was seen as Hlestakov (The Government Inspector), Panch (25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), Mr. Nightmare (Spectral Frequencies), D Vicious ( Airness), and in Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind for UC Santa Barbara. He has also performed as Trigorin (Stupid F@#!ing Bird ), and Andrew Jackson (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson) at College of the Sequoias, and Jaime (The Last Five Years), Mortimer ( Arsenic and Old Lace), and Bernstein (Dogfight). He is so grateful to his professors, classmates, family and girlfriend for their love and support and making his time at UCSB a memorable one. Thank you Mom, Dad, and Julia for always believing I could do it.

NICK ENEA, HE/HIM (THOMAS/SOLDIER

3) is a transfer student in his second year in the BFA Acting program. He is happy to be acting in his 5th mainstage production at UCSB. Some of his past performances include Romeo in Romeo & Juliet, and The Moony in Night Night, Roger Roger. He hopes you feel moved by some of the touching moments in the play. Nick also enjoys piña coladas and getting caught in the rain. Nick would like to dedicate his performance of Butch Honeywell to his good friend William Huffaker.

PRESTON JONES, HE/HIM (PONTIUS

PILATE/SAINT MATTHEW) is a fourth-year student majoring in Theatre at UCSB. Preston previously has appeared onstage at the Hatlen in The Bones of Contention, Freedom Hill in the LAUNCH PAD reading festival, in addition to acting in several television productions. He is excited to be a part of this spectacular cast and would like to thank his parents.

RYTASHA KUMARDEEN, SHE/HER (MARY MAGDALENE/MOTHER

TERESA) is a first-year Film and Media Studies major. This is Rytasha’s first theatre production at UCSB and she is beyond excited to take on her roles as Mother Teresa and Mary Magdalene in The Last Days Of Judas Iscariot. She has previously acted in the short film Cracked which was also produced at UCSB. In her free time she likes to paint, scrapbook and taste test every single frozen yoghurt flavor to exist. She would like to thank her friends, family, Salem (her cat), and the amazing cast and crew of The Last Days Of Judas Iscariot, without whom this show would not be possible.

ROY ERNSTER, HE/HIM (JUDGE) is a 4th year Film & Media Studies major. Roy has never acted before - unless we’re counting his years of experience playing D&D - but has nonetheless always been enthralled with the world of theater. Before joining the cast, Roy has worked professionally in the LA film scene as a grip as well as having worked on dozens of short films in and around the SB area in almost every position on set from gripping and gaffing to DP-ing and producing to everything in between.

Department of Theater and Dance Donors

Richard Auhll

John and Jill Bishop

Mr. and Mrs. Marc Adelman

Ms. Susan L. Alexander*

Mr. Frank S. Alvarez

Mr. David B. Anderson*

Jeffrey and Alyssa Anderson

Irwin Appel and Julie K. Fishell

John and Jody Arnhold°

Cynthia and Scott Austin

Joel F. Barsky, D.M.D

Elaine and Todd Bauer

Lisa and Gary Beeson

Jill and Arnie Bellowe

Ms. Myrna H. Bernard

Eve Bernstein

John and Jill Bishop

Ms. Annelisa Blake-Wasden

Constance S. Brainin, Ph.D.

Ms. Deborah Brevoort

Mr. and Mrs. Chuck A. Burright

Mr. Dan Castellaneta and Ms. Deborah Lacusta

Cliff Chamberlain

Luiza Yuk Wah and Leland Chan

Ms. Christine Chien

Cynthia and Chris Chin°

Mr. William and Mrs. Susan Clutton

Toni Corwin

Ms. Lilyan Cuttler and Mr. Bernad Seder

Randee and Ken Devlin Family Foundation

Mr. Michael K. Douglas*°

William Eisenhower

Yussef El Guindi

Dr. Amr El Abbadi and Ms. Janet E. Head

Ms. Elizabeth Engelman

Ms. Jordan M. Finley*

Carolyn and James Flanigan

Dr. Leonard M. and Jill H. Fromer

Ms. Juliet Fry and Mr. Steven K. Glikbarg

Mark and Karen Gill

Louis J. Glass

Ms. Amelia Gomez and Jeffry A. Sherbakoff

James and Mary Hahn

Stephen and Anne Hahn-Smith

Eva Haller and Yoel Haller

James Hanway

Lisa Harris

Noah and Robin Harpster*

Arlene Hutton

Miss Laura B. Isham*

Ms. Sylvia A. Jackson Arreola*

Mr. Stephen E. Jacobsen and Ann E. Erickson*

Bonnie and Dick Jensen

Robert “Gib” Johnson and Zoe Iverson

Mr. Bob Johnson and Ms. Lisa Reich

Charlotte Johnson

Scott Kassner and Linda Adler-Kassner

Ms. Katya Bloom and Mr. Hugh Martin Kelly

Ryan and Lydia Kim

James and Debbie Kimball

Benjamin and Laura King*

Bill and Linda Kitchen

Ms. Ada Ko

Julie Ladner

Steven Lafranchi and Natasha Nicholson°

Ronald and Beverlie Latimer

Ms. Barbara Lebow

Margaret Leonard and Clare Sheils

Mr. Philip A. Levien and Ms. Darlene S. Craviotto-Levien*

Jason Loewith

Russell and Pamela Lombardo

Thomas Lousen

Mr. Bernard A. Magier

Dr. David Marshall and Dr. Candace J. Waid

Brian and Karen MacDonald

Jane Martin and Michael David

Mr. Myles M. Mattenson

Ms. Meredith McMinn*

Maureen McFadden

Karen Meena

Michelle Meena

Joseph Michael and Ruth E. Mercado

Mr. Don M. Minami

Heather Myrick

Emily Newsome

Thurman and Lucinda Newsome

Ms. Jane C. Novak

Michael Novak

Dr. Donald D. O’Dowd

Diane O’Dowd

Rylee O’Dowd

Nancy Okeefe

Mrs. Paige Owens and Mr. James Owens

On Pointe Dancewear LLC

Kim and Dean* Pananides

Doug and Alissa Parrish

Dr. Pauline J. Paulin*

Ms. Felicia T. Perez*

Phyllis M. Perez

Ms. Aurora Perry

Dr. Frederick J. Perry*

Ms. Deborah Pfann

Mr. Tyler Pon and Ms. Alice I. Youmans

Ms. Carol M. Press and Dr. Nicholas Tingle*

Mr. Albert L. Reid, Jr.

Todd and Sherry Reinart

Charles and Joanna Reisner

Honorable Susan J. Rose

Charles and Gayle Rosenberg

Richard and Cissy Ross

Sister Judith M. Royer*

Dr. Rona J. Sande

Jean Scott

Ellen Shadur

Santa Barbara Foundation

Ms. Anne M. Shanto*

Jeffry Sherbakoff

Manuel Sherbakoff

Jessie Sherman

Dr. Tonia Shimin and Mr. Steven Eakin

Shad Springer

Gregory and Dale Stamos*

William and Cheri Steinkellner

Ms. Deborah Steffen*

Mrs. Elizabet L. Tessier*

Ms. Anne Torsiglieri

Anne Towbes

Bickley Townsend

Mr. Edward F. Underhay°

Victor Gomez Insurance Agency

Mr. Dana White

Samah Yasin

Steve and Joan Young

The Towbes Fund for the Performing Arts, a field of interest fund of the Santa Barbara Foundation

UCSB Summer Culture and Community Grant

Dean’s Office, UCSB College of Letters and Science, Division of Humanities and Fine Arts

Office of the Dean of the Humanities & Fine Arts

Alison Tatlock and David Wiater * UCSB Alumni

If you are interested in making a gift to the Department of Theater and Dance please contact

Leslie Gray, Senior Director of Development

LESLIE.GRAY@UCSB.EDU or visit us on the web at theaterdance.ucsb.edu

Your support makes a difference! This list notes gifts made between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022.

We apologize for any errors or omissions. Please contact Leslie Gray, Senior Director of Development.