Darrin Terpstra headshot

Playwright | DARRIN TERPSTRA**

Darrin Terpstra is a second-year candidate in the Iowa Playwrights Workshop. His work has a primary focus on deconstructions of Christianity, queer narratives, and the dialogue between the two. Previous credits at Iowa include Jellyfish Baby (playwright), This Is My Body (playwright), and Go! (dramaturg). They would like to thank the queer and kinky friends they made in Bible college for all the love and insights.

Vivian Bonde headshot

Director | VIVIAN BONDE*

Vivian is a third-year theatre arts and communications double major from Davenport, Iowa. This semester, she has directed (2026 Ten-Minute Play Festival) and stage managed (Love Pentagram, Uncle Vanya). She would like to thank Darrin Terpstra and Meredith Healy for their mentorship, as well as her family and friends for their encouragement and support. 

Meredith Healy Headshot

Dramaturg | MEREDITH G. HEALY**

Meredith is a third-year directing candidate at the University of Iowa. Originally from Lexington, KY, Meredith made her way to Iowa by way of Wellesley, MA; Providence, RI; and Portland, ME. She is excited to be engaged in this process as a dramaturg with Ani! Past credits at the University of Iowa include How to Defend Yourself, Jellyfish Baby, The Words of Ants, Far Away, Anti-Hero: Revenge of the Swifties, and Brother-Brother. Meredith would like to thank her family for their unwavering support! 

Ani Jilavyan headshot

Dramaturg | ANI JILAVYAN**

Ani Jilavyan is from Yerevan, Armenia and graduated from the University of Iowa’s MFA in Literary Translation. Currently she is doing her MFA in Dramaturgy. She was the dramaturg for The Words of Ants by Xiaoyan Kang (directed by Meredith Healy) in the scope of the New Play Festival 2025. She also was the dramaturg for Jellyfish Baby by Darrin Terpstra, How to Defend Yourself by Liliana Padilla (both directed by Meredith Healy) and Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov, adapted by Annie Baker (directed by Kayla Adams). She is thankful to Darrin for the opportunity to work on their intriguing play with an amazing team! Also, she is thankful to her family and friends for their continuous support! 

 

*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.