Meet the Creative Team

small hours By Lucy Kirkwood and Ed Hime Creative team
Director \| SARAH GAZDOWICZ Sarah Gazdowicz is a second-year MFA directing candidate. Before coming to Iowa City, Sarah lived and worked in Boston for over tenyears working as a director, performer, and educator with theatres at every level. Previous UI productions: HOW CAN I KEEP FROM SINGING by Amanda Keating, The Job by Ikram Basra, and Effective by Charlie O’Leary. Other recent directing credits: The Last Catastrophist, Peter and the Starcatcher, and The Nether. Love to Bob!
Scenic Designer \| EDWARD MATTHEW WALTER Matthew Walter's first design assignment, when pursuing his MFA in theatre design here at the UI, was for the Directors Showcase in 2003—a two-show evening of one-acts directed by fellow MFA directing candidates. He is honored to be back for this reimagined four-show showcase now called Iowa Directors Festival. Originally from New York, Matthew has been working as an independent theatre designer or teaching since 2001 with various regional theatres, including Timeline (Chicago), FilmAcres Productions, and Kansas City Actors Theatre.
Costume Designer \| KAELEN NOVAK Kaelen Novak is a second-year MFA student pursuing costume and scenic design here at the University of Iowa. They recently costumed the production of Effective and An Unsettled Body at the University of Iowa, a visual album for Southeastern Louisiana University, Slips Away, and a documentary of the process, The Play That Never Opened. They are excited to start staged theatre productions again and looks forward to designing more for UI in the future and to explore this new world of theatre in the post-COVID era.
Lighting Designer \| ALASTAIR SIGALA RAMIREZ Alastair Sigala Ramirez received his associates in theatre from Amarillo College and his BA from Texas Wesleyan University. He is a second-year design graduate focusing on lighting and costume design. Previous work with University of Iowa includes lighting design for A Plant and Generation Candyland: A Fable, as well as costume design for 6 by 6: Collected Perspectives on Social Justice, Wild, Wonderful, and Our Lady of 121st Street.
Sound Designer \| COLTEN LANGFITT Colten Langfitt is a sound designer and mixer based out of North Liberty, Iowa. Most recently, he was the sound designer for the 2021 season at Festival 56. Some previous work includes Godspell (Festival 56), Romeo and Juliet (Festival 56), The Job (UI), Hit the Wall (UI), and King George IV (Riverside Theatre). Additional work and portfolio at coltenlangfitt.com.
Media Designer \| DANIEL FINE Daniel Fine is an artist, scholar, and technologist working in immersive physical/virtual environments, site-specific locations and installations for interactive users, audiences and live performance. He is an assistant professor of digital media in performance at the University of Iowa in theatre arts, dance, and public digital arts. He is the co-author of Digital Media, Projection Design & Technology for Theatre. By combining the simple, traditional forms of storytelling with that of new media technologies and digital video, he produces, directs, and designs large scale and intimate experiences in order to engage the imaginations and hearts of a twenty-first century audience.
Dramaturg \| MARGO SKORNIA Margo Skornia is a second-year MFA dramaturg from Grand Rapids, Michigan. She served previously as the dramaturg for Generation Candyland: A Fable. She sends her deepest gratitude to the creative team, her family, and her partner.
Assistant Costume Designer \| GAGE HIND
Assistant Costume Designer \| ANNELIES KNIGHT
Assistant Costume Designer \| EMILY PAJAZETOVIC Emily Pajazetovic is a senior at the University of Iowa graduating this Spring 2022 with a BA in biology and theatre arts, with an emphasis in costume design. During her time at Iowa, Emily has costumed shows for the university, City of Coralville, and Iowa City Community Theatre. Emily has more shows coming up this semester and plans to continue costuming even after graduation.
Assistant Lighting Designer \| JULIA D. CORBETT Julia D. Corbett is an entertainment designer, with most of their work in lighting and sound design. Their key credits at the university include lighting and sound design for Where Are You Going, Holler Greene?, sound design for Bigfoot Takes A Walk, and lighting design for All the Yellows. They also served as the assistant lighting designer on the mainstage production Three Sisters.
Assistant Media Designer \| EMILY BERKHEIMER Emily Berkheimer graduated from the University of Iowa in gall 2021 with a bachelor's degree in informatics. In her time at the university, Emily designed media for Smile Medicine, assisted in media design for Blue Whale Variations and Trapped in the Folds, and is continuing development and production work with UIowa XR Studio and Media Clown.
Audio System Designer \| COLTEN LANGFITT

small hours
By Lucy Kirkwood and Ed Hime
Creative team

Director | SARAH GAZDOWICZ

Sarah Gazdowicz is a second-year MFA directing candidate. Before coming to Iowa City, Sarah lived and worked in Boston for over tenyears working as a director, performer, and educator with theatres at every level. Previous UI productions: HOW CAN I KEEP FROM SINGING by Amanda Keating, The Job by Ikram Basra, and Effective by Charlie O’Leary. Other recent directing credits: The Last Catastrophist, Peter and the Starcatcher, and The Nether. Love to Bob!

Scenic Designer | EDWARD MATTHEW WALTER

Matthew Walter's first design assignment, when pursuing his MFA in theatre design here at the UI, was for the Directors Showcase in 2003—a two-show evening of one-acts directed by fellow MFA directing candidates. He is honored to be back for this reimagined four-show showcase now called Iowa Directors Festival.

Originally from New York, Matthew has been working as an independent theatre designer or teaching since 2001 with various regional theatres, including Timeline (Chicago), FilmAcres Productions, and Kansas City Actors Theatre.

Costume Designer | KAELEN NOVAK

Kaelen Novak is a second-year MFA student pursuing costume and scenic design here at the University of Iowa. They recently costumed the production of Effective and An Unsettled Body at the University of Iowa, a visual album for Southeastern Louisiana University, Slips Away, and a documentary of the process, The Play That Never Opened. They are excited to start staged theatre productions again and looks forward to designing more for UI in the future and to explore this new world of theatre in the post-COVID era.

Lighting Designer | ALASTAIR SIGALA RAMIREZ

Alastair Sigala Ramirez received his associates in theatre from Amarillo College and his BA from Texas Wesleyan University. He is a second-year design graduate focusing on lighting and costume design. Previous work with University of Iowa includes lighting design for A Plant and Generation Candyland: A Fable, as well as costume design for 6 by 6: Collected Perspectives on Social Justice, Wild, Wonderful, and Our Lady of 121st Street.

Sound Designer | COLTEN LANGFITT

Colten Langfitt is a sound designer and mixer based out of North Liberty, Iowa. Most recently, he was the sound designer for the 2021 season at Festival 56. Some previous work includes Godspell (Festival 56), Romeo and Juliet (Festival 56), The Job (UI), Hit the Wall (UI), and King George IV (Riverside Theatre). Additional work and portfolio at coltenlangfitt.com.

Media Designer | DANIEL FINE

Daniel Fine is an artist, scholar, and technologist working in immersive physical/virtual environments, site-specific locations and installations for interactive users, audiences and live performance. He is an assistant professor of digital media in performance at the University of Iowa in theatre arts, dance, and public digital arts. He is the co-author of Digital Media, Projection Design & Technology for Theatre. By combining the simple, traditional forms of storytelling with that of new media technologies and digital video, he produces, directs, and designs large scale and intimate experiences in order to engage the imaginations and hearts of a twenty-first century audience.

Dramaturg | MARGO SKORNIA

Margo Skornia is a second-year MFA dramaturg from Grand Rapids, Michigan. She served previously as the dramaturg for Generation Candyland: A Fable. She sends her deepest gratitude to the creative team, her family, and her partner.

Assistant Costume Designer | GAGE HIND

Assistant Costume Designer | ANNELIES KNIGHT

Assistant Costume Designer | EMILY PAJAZETOVIC

Emily Pajazetovic is a senior at the University of Iowa graduating this Spring 2022 with a BA in biology and theatre arts, with an emphasis in costume design. During her time at Iowa, Emily has costumed shows for the university, City of Coralville, and Iowa City Community Theatre. Emily has more shows coming up this semester and plans to continue costuming even after graduation.

Assistant Lighting Designer | JULIA D. CORBETT

Julia D. Corbett is an entertainment designer, with most of their work in lighting and sound design. Their key credits at the university include lighting and sound design for Where Are You Going, Holler Greene?, sound design for Bigfoot Takes A Walk, and lighting design for All the Yellows. They also served as the assistant lighting designer on the mainstage production Three Sisters.

Assistant Media Designer | EMILY BERKHEIMER

Emily Berkheimer graduated from the University of Iowa in gall 2021 with a bachelor's degree in informatics. In her time at the university, Emily designed media for Smile Medicine, assisted in media design for Blue Whale Variations and Trapped in the Folds, and is continuing development and production work with UIowa XR Studio and Media Clown.

Audio System Designer | COLTEN LANGFITT