Director | MICHAEL C. FLORES** Michael C. Flores is a third-year MFA candidate in directing at the University of Iowa. Michael has directed and choreographed across California prior to his graduate studies. While at the University of Iowa Michael has directed productions including In This Sepulcher, We Are Fed, by Eli Campbell, Flashes: A Fantasy Play by Adrian Enzastiga, Razor Creek: A Folk Rock Musical by KT Peterson and Paige Scott (UI New Play Festival), And Tell Sad Stories of the Death of Queens by Tennessee Williams for Iowa Directors Festival, and 3 Cubes And A Ghostlight by the undergraduate playwrights workshop (UI New Play Festival). For the past 2 years Michael has served as the director and choreographer of the Musical Theatre Ambassadors, a subgroup within the university’s musical theatre track. As a queer artist, Michael’s directorial approach is shaped by his work reflecting a commitment to investigating the preservation of queer spaces. Union: SDC (Associate Member) For more visit www.michaelcflores.com |
Music Director / Keyboard | MARK BRUCKNER Mark Bruckner (Music Director, Arranger, Vocal Coach, Keyboard Programmer) is an Assistant Professor of Instruction and Resident Music Director in the Department of Theatre Arts, University of Iowa. A New York Innovative Theater and Audelco Award-winning composer, musician, sound artist, and a Henry Hewes American Theatre Wing design nominee. Prof. Bruckner is known for his work in new play development, musical theatre adaptations and revivals, and the development of wearable sound technology for production. He has received commissions from off-Broadway, regional theaters, colleges, and producing organizations across the US. Recent work includes: Electro-acoustic score and ambisonic sound design for Body Concert by master puppeteer Kevin Augustine of New York’s Lone Wolf Tribe, which was featured at the 2025 Festival Du Mondial des Theatre Marionettes in France (world’s largest puppetry festival), and which received the Grand Prize for Best Music at the 2024 17th International Lalka Też Człowiek festival in Warsaw, Poland; ARatorio for the Mis-Remembered, an immersive virtual reality oratorio based on stories from UI Veterans, directed by Mary Beth Easley with creative direction by UI alum Kaelen Novak; Music Direction, Arranging and Conducting for Side Show by Henry Krieger and Bill Russell, directed by Paul Kalina (UI Mabie Theatre, March 2025); Original Music and Sound Design for The People vs. Nature by Kevin Augustine and LWT (LaMama ETC, New York, Nov. 2024); Original Music and Sound Design for David Adjmi’s Marie Antoinette directed by Mary Beth Easley (UI Thayer Theatre, Oct 2024). With Mary Beth Easley and Kaelen Novak, Prof. Bruckner is lead author for “Making the Unimaginable Real,” an article about the creation of ARatorio for the Mi-Remembered published in the summer 2025 edition of Theatre Design & Technology (TD&T). The authors just received the USITT Herbert D. Greggs Merit Award for their writing and research featured in this article. |
Dramaturg | BO-HUA LIN** |
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Stage Manager | REED DAVIS**§ Reed is a second-year MFA stage management candidate from Bangor, Maine. After receiving his BA in theatre from the University of Maine, he has worked with Opera House Arts, First Stage Milwaukee, Opera Maine, Weathervane Theatre, and was the resident Production Stage Manager at Penobscot Theatre Company for three seasons. Previous University of Iowa credits include Marie Antoinette (ASM) and salt tongue (SM). He would like to thank his friends and family for their support. Enjoy the show! |
Scenic Designer | NAZANIN VAKILI**
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Costume Designer | BELLA FORTUNADO** Bella Fortunato is a costume designer and fabricator from Buffalo, New York. She is excited to be finishing up her final project of grad school with the Head Over Heels production team. It has been a blast getting to create a beautiful high fantasy world with Michael and the rest of the creative team. Some of her past credits include Argonautika (UI), Side Show (UI), for colored girls (UI), Anti-Hero: Revenge of the Swifties (UI New Play Festival), and salt tongue (UI New Play Festival). She would like to thank Jackson for his support and encouragement throughout this project. |
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Makeup and Hair Designer | GRACE PUCHALLA*
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Lighting Designer | SØREN OLSEN** Søren Olsen is a third-year MFA candidate in directing & design at the University of Iowa. He is a multidisciplinary theatre artist focused on new work, collectively created performance, and design-centered processes. |
Intimacy Director | CRISTINA GOYENECHE |
Keyboard | CANLIN QIU** Dr. Canlin Qiu is a pianist, scholar, and educator who actively performs in concerts, masterclasses, and conferences across North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. She has received top prizes in several competitions, among them the Austria Mozart International Klavierwettbewerb. Her lecture-recitals and research have been presented nationally and internationally and have earned honors such as the CMS Northeast Chapter Follett Outstanding Student Scholarship Award. Dr. Qiu holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Iowa and previously studied at Indiana University and the China Conservatory of Music. |
Guitar | JOSEPH NORMAN Joseph Norman completed the Doctoral degree in Music Composition at the University of Iowa in 2019. During his studies there he was also Research Assistant/Composer/Sound Technician to the Department of Dance. In 2020 he was Visiting Lecturer at Grinnell College where he taught digital music. His music has been performed at the Exchange of Midwest Collegiate Composers UMKC and University of Colorado in Boulder, the Midwest Composers Symposium in the University of Michigan and the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, SCI at the University of Iowa, and the Alba Music Festival in Alba, Italy. He has also had works read and premiered by the JACK Quartet, Accroche Note, LIGAMENT, Sonic Apricity, the Center for New Music at the University of Iowa, and LOUi, the Lap Top Orchestra also from University of Iowa. He continues to compose and perform collaboratively with actors, dancers, choreographers, and filmmakers. |
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Guitar | DAKOTA PAROBEK
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Bass | MILES PETERSON*
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Drums | SETH REZEK*
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Production Assistant | ISABELLA KRUSER** Isabella is a first-year stage management graduate student from Bloomfield, Iowa. She is a recent graduate of Oklahoma City University, where she received her Bachelor of Science in dance management. She is excited to be a part of an amazing SM team for her first show in the theatre department! Recent credits include Dancing with Bob: Rauschenberg, Brown & Cunningham Onstage with the Trisha Brown Dance Company, Dance Gala 2025, and Move! Dance for the World of Entertainment. |
Production Assistant / AASRITH VEERAPANENI* Aasrith is a second-year student at the University of Iowa, studying theatre arts and English. Credits can be found in Iowa, St. Louis, and Connecticut. SM credits include The Indoctrination of Bananas (2025, Iowa). Select ASM credits include GOWANUS/DEGENERATES (2024, Iowa), Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune (2025, Stray Dog Theatre), Argonautika (2025, Iowa), and Die Fledermaus (2026, Cedar Rapids Opera). He wants to thank Sam and the SM team for the opportunity to work with them. He also wants to thank the cast, crew, and creative team for a great festival and the folks back in CT for giving him his start. |
Assistant Stage Manager | ELLA CROSBY* Ella is a third-year English & creative writing and theatre arts major with a focus in stage management. This is her 7th show with the department; previous works including stage managing Drill Drill Drill in the fall and assistant stage managing An Enemy of the People last spring. She is so excited to be working on this magical show, with its message of self-discovery and being true to yourself more important now than ever. She is thankful for her friends and family who have supported her in her theater journey and hopes you enjoy the show! |
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Assistant Costume Designer | SELMA FETIC*
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Assistant Costume Designer / Orchestra Stylist | SARAH MORGAN*
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*Undergraduate student.
**Graduate student.
§Member of Actors’ Equity Association, The Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
UI Theatre is dedicated to providing hands-on theatre experience for both undergraduate and graduate students.