Meet the Creative Team

Macbeth BY william shakespeare DIRECTED BY MARY mayo meet the creative team
Director \| MARY MAYO Mary Mayo is an Associate Professor in the University of Iowa Department of Theatre Arts where she teaches Linklater voice and acting. She has an M.Litt/MFA in Shakespeare and Renaissance Literature in Performance from Mary Baldwin College and the American Shakespeare Center. Mary has coached voice and dialects at Arena Stage, Roundhouse Theater, Ford’s Theater, Signature Theatre, ExPats Theatre, and Chesapeake Shakespeare Company. She has performed with Nelson County Shakespeare Festival, Hamner Theater, Kristin Linklater’s Company of Women, Ensemble Studio Theater, the Open Eye and Shakespeare & Company. Favorite roles include Richard in Richard III, the Queen in Richard II, Cornwall in King Lear, Olivia in Earl Hamner’s The Homecoming, and Virginia in Vita & Virginia. Directing credits include The Waiting Room (at UMD), A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Richard II, As You Like It, and Taming of the Shrew.
Choreographer \| SOPHIA MCLAUGHLIN Sophia McLaughlin is a dance artist and current MFA candidate in the Choreography track at the University of Iowa. She holds a BA in Dance and Botany from Connecticut College, where she studied post-modern dance forms and conducted research on the spread of invasive plant species. Her training has included forms such as Ballet, Horton, West African, Cunningham, and Release techniques, and her choreography has been shown at attended colleges, the 2019 ACDA New England conference, and the Sable Project’s Water in the Wood 2021 performance. Throughout her education, she has performed works by David Dorfman, Heidi Henderson, Lisa Race, Rashaun Mitchell, Silas Riener, Ellie Goudie-Averill, Shawn Hove, and Stephanie Miracle, and in the restagings of work by Ohad Naharin, Merce Cunningham, and Kate Weare. In her current research, she centers her practice on the intersection of botany and dance to expose the inner world of plants and our relationship with them.
Fight Choreographer \| PAUL KALINA
Dramaturg \| REBECCA WEAVER Rebecca Weaver is in their second-year as an MFA candidate in the dramaturgy program here at the University of Iowa. Previously, Rebecca obtained two bachelor’s degrees in English and Drama (2020) at Jacksonville State University where they then received their master’s degree in English (2022). Among their theatre experience, Rebecca has presented their dramaturgical work at several theatre conferences (SETC, PCA/ACA, MATC) and spent time at the Kennedy Center in D.C. as a dramaturgy fellow through KCACTF under Mark Bly and Anne Morgan. Their most recent theatre credits include dramaturging You’re Still Here (NPF, UIowa), Ugly Lies the Bone (UIowa), The Children’s Hour (UIowa), Emilie: du Châtelet Defends Her Life Tonight (JSU), co-dramaturging A Midsummer Night's Dream (The Shakespeare Project), and directing The Diary of Anne Frank by Wendy Kesselman. They are very honored to have worked with the cast and creative team of Macbeth and hope you enjoy the show!
Stage Manager \| SAVANHA MOORE Savanha Moore (She/Her) is a Theatrical Artist and Production Stage Manager from Southern California. She is happy to be continuing her education at the University of Iowa as a second-year Stage Management MFA candidate. Savanha has always wanted to tell stories that serve a greater purpose and that makes way for the change she would like to see in the world. Thank you to the cast and crew and creative team for their incredible work throughout this process. She thanks those who have always supported her on this journey and encouraged her to take that leap of faith; without your support none of this would have been possible. Her recent show credits include: NBC Quantum Leap (SDCC 2023), Title Pending (Obsidian Theatre Festival), Lil G: A Gatsby Remix (Thayer Theatre), Braided Sorrow (Thayer Theatre), Mother:Knife (MacVey Theatre), HBO House of the Dragon Activation (SDCC 2022), Untitled Baby Play (IAMA Theatre), Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Geffen Playhouse), she thanks you for coming and enjoying live theatre; enjoy the show!
Scenic Designer \| R. ERIC STONE From 2008 – 2015, Eric’s work at the University of Iowa included serving as the Director of Graduate Studies, Head of the Design Program for the University of Iowa’s Department of Theatre Arts, and the Vice-Chair and Chair of the Faculty Assembly. He designed 28 productions for Theatre Arts, including Something Rotten!, Our Lady of 121st Street, Orlando, The Crucible, Rome Sweet Rome (the 2016 Partnership in the Arts with the Q Brothers, a modern/hip-hop Julius Caesar), American Idiot, The Luck of the Irish, Eurydice, and Out of the Pan Into the Fire (the 2013 Partnership in the Arts production with The Moving Company), and advised 180 student productions for the department.. Eric was the recipient of the University of Iowa's prestigious 2017 Collegiate Teaching Award. He was honored with the distinction of emeritus professor upon retirement. Eric has designed productions in California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin, with work touring to New York and beyond. He worked extensively in the Art Department for the Fox Live broadcast of RENT in Los Angeles. The production won the 2019 Emmy award for Outstanding Production Design for a Variety Special. In 2019, Eric designed A Little Night Music for Madison Opera and The Sound of Music for the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, and 3 productions for the Great River Shakespeare Festival. Other design credits include work as the Associate Designer for the USITT USA National Exhibition at the 2011 and 2007 Prague Quadrennial (and Steering Committee Member for the 2011 Exhibit); the Associate Designer for Ralph Lemon’s Scaffold Room (2014) and Come home Charley Patton (2004); and designs for Great River Shakespeare Festival (23 productions, including Macbeth, Hamlet, King Lear, As You Like It, Romeo and Juliet, Richard III, Henry V, The Glass Menagerie), Utah Shakespearean Festival (13 productions, including Cyrano de Bergerac, Camelot, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, My Fair Lady, Born Yesterday), Skylight Opera Theatre, Fulton Theatre, American Players Theatre, California Shakespeare Festival, San José Repertory Theatre, and Iowa Summer Rep. Eric was the Chair of the Scenic Design Program for the University of Illinois at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts (2001-2008; 10 designs, including Leonard Bernstein’s Mass, Metamorphoses, Nine, Twelfth Night); He was the Resident Scenic Designer at PCPA Theaterfest (1995-2001; 36 designs, including The Servant of Two Masters, The Grapes of Wrath, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, The King & I, Cinderella, 42nd Street, On Golden Pond, The Lion in Winter, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The 1940’s Radio Hour). He earned his B.A., Lewis & Clark College, and M.F.A., Ohio University. Eric is a member of the United Scenic Artists 829. www.rericstone.com
Costume Designer \| ABBY GARRATY MFA '25 (Costume Design) BFA '20 Texas Wesleyan University, magna cum laude (Theatre Design and Technology) Born and raised in Texas, Abby has worked as a costume designer, stagewear designer, and fashion illustrator. Their theatrical Costume Design credits include Sleepy Hollow, The Sound of Music, Mr Burns, A Post-Electric Play, and Vintage Hitchcock: A Live Radio Play. She made her University of Iowa design debut in the 2023 New Play Festival production of Lil G. See her work also featured in the upcoming UIowa production of Dance Nation!
Lighting and Media Designer \| VICTOR MALDONADO Victor is a 3rd year MFA Design student at the University of Iowa with a focus in lighting and digital media design. Aside from theatre, Victor has been the lighting designer for artist like Boys II Men at Rhythm City Casino, and the lighting designer for Hancher’s Fall Welcome Concert 2023 for Britney Howard and Dawn Richards. Other design credits at the university include Braided Sorrow, Lil G: A Gatsby Remix, BLKS, and Gwenevere.
Sound Designer \| ZHENYA LOUGHNEY* Zhenya Loughney (they/them) is ecstatic that you’re here, seeing live theatre! Thank you to their editors at The Daily Iowan for being so patient with them to make the music possible. This is Zhenya’s first-time sound designing for a major production, so thank you to director Mary Mayo for taking a chance on them, and everyone else on the production team for supporting them throughout the process. And lastly thank you to their inspiration, their ruby in the rough. Listen with care and enjoy the show!
Intimacy Director \| OWEN BRIGHTMAN
Porter Text \| KELLI TOSIC
Assistant Director \| JOSH TURNER Josh Turner, an Atlanta native, is an MFA Directing Candidate at the University of Iowa. Josh graduated with his BFA in Acting from Brenau University. His desire to tell stories was born at an early age through the influence of his grandfather, Ural Smith Jr. This began an early belief that great stories can change lives and transform hearts. An up and coming Theatre artist; he believes in the versatility of Theatre practitioners without sacrificing expertise and precision, and because of this works as a Director, Actor, and Carpenter to serve the purpose of telling meaningful stories through honest collaboration and heart. He has acted in award winning productions such as The New Black Fest’s Hands Up: 7 Playwrights/ 7 Testaments which ran at the Tony award winning Alliance Theatre, and recently won a Suzi Bass Award for Outstanding Social Justice Production. As a Director, he’s previously directed New Works such as the Just Us League and classic’s such as It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play. Josh wants to thank his fiancé, Zafyre, for always loving and supporting him. Enjoy the show!
Assistant Dramaturg \| ELLA RUPE*
Assistant Stage Manager \| ANDRÉS VASQUEZ
Assistant Stage Manager \| MATHEW KIER* Mathew Kier is a third-year Theatre Arts, Cinema, and Screenwriting triple major with a focus in Stage Management. Previous stage management work includes being assistant stage manager for The Bacchae as well as stage managing the Ten-Minute Play Festival and BOOTH for New Play Festival last year.
Associate Scenic Designer \| DOROTHY CRAVEN* Dorothy Craven is a fourth-year Theatre Arts and Ancient Civilizations double major with focuses in Stage Management and Scenic Design. Previous scenic design work includes Gwenevere, Stars and Stones, and Rockabye. She would like to thank Eric and the entire Macbeth team for making this show such a wonderful experience!
Assistant Costume Designer \| ISABELLA FORTUNADO

Macbeth
BY william shakespeare
DIRECTED BY MARY mayo
meet the creative team

Director | MARY MAYO

Mary Mayo is an Associate Professor in the University of Iowa Department of Theatre Arts where she teaches Linklater voice and acting. She has an M.Litt/MFA in Shakespeare and Renaissance Literature in Performance from Mary Baldwin College and the American Shakespeare Center. Mary has coached voice and dialects at Arena Stage, Roundhouse Theater, Ford’s Theater, Signature Theatre, ExPats Theatre, and Chesapeake Shakespeare Company. She has performed with Nelson County Shakespeare Festival, Hamner Theater, Kristin Linklater’s Company of Women, Ensemble Studio Theater, the Open Eye and Shakespeare & Company. Favorite roles include Richard in Richard III, the Queen in Richard II, Cornwall in King Lear, Olivia in Earl Hamner’s The Homecoming, and Virginia in Vita & Virginia. Directing credits include The Waiting Room (at UMD), A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Richard II, As You Like It, and Taming of the Shrew.

Choreographer | SOPHIA MCLAUGHLIN

Sophia McLaughlin is a dance artist and current MFA candidate in the Choreography track at the University of Iowa. She holds a BA in Dance and Botany from Connecticut College, where she studied post-modern dance forms and conducted research on the spread of invasive plant species. Her training has included forms such as Ballet, Horton, West African, Cunningham, and Release techniques, and her choreography has been shown at attended colleges, the 2019 ACDA New England conference, and the Sable Project’s Water in the Wood 2021 performance. Throughout her education, she has performed works by David Dorfman, Heidi Henderson, Lisa Race, Rashaun Mitchell, Silas Riener, Ellie Goudie-Averill, Shawn Hove, and Stephanie Miracle, and in the restagings of work by Ohad Naharin, Merce Cunningham, and Kate Weare. In her current research, she centers her practice on the intersection of botany and dance to expose the inner world of plants and our relationship with them.

Fight Choreographer | PAUL KALINA

Dramaturg | REBECCA WEAVER

Rebecca Weaver is in their second-year as an MFA candidate in the dramaturgy program here at the University of Iowa. Previously, Rebecca obtained two bachelor’s degrees in English and Drama (2020) at Jacksonville State University where they then received their master’s degree in English (2022). Among their theatre experience, Rebecca has presented their dramaturgical work at several theatre conferences (SETC, PCA/ACA, MATC) and spent time at the Kennedy Center in D.C. as a dramaturgy fellow through KCACTF under Mark Bly and Anne Morgan. Their most recent theatre credits include dramaturging You’re Still Here (NPF, UIowa), Ugly Lies the Bone (UIowa), The Children’s Hour (UIowa), Emilie: du Châtelet Defends Her Life Tonight (JSU), co-dramaturging A Midsummer Night's Dream (The Shakespeare Project), and directing The Diary of Anne Frank by Wendy Kesselman. They are very honored to have worked with the cast and creative team of Macbeth and hope you enjoy the show!

Stage Manager | SAVANHA MOORE

Savanha Moore (She/Her) is a Theatrical Artist and Production Stage Manager from Southern California. She is happy to be continuing her education at the University of Iowa as a second-year Stage Management MFA candidate. Savanha has always wanted to tell stories that serve a greater purpose and that makes way for the change she would like to see in the world. Thank you to the cast and crew and creative team for their incredible work throughout this process. She thanks those who have always supported her on this journey and encouraged her to take that leap of faith; without your support none of this would have been possible. Her recent show credits include: NBC Quantum Leap (SDCC 2023), Title Pending (Obsidian Theatre Festival), Lil G: A Gatsby Remix (Thayer Theatre), Braided Sorrow (Thayer Theatre), Mother:Knife (MacVey Theatre), HBO House of the Dragon Activation (SDCC 2022), Untitled Baby Play (IAMA Theatre), Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Geffen Playhouse), she thanks you for coming and enjoying live theatre; enjoy the show!

Scenic Designer | R. ERIC STONE

From 2008 – 2015, Eric’s work at the University of Iowa included serving as the Director of Graduate Studies, Head of the Design Program for the University of Iowa’s Department of Theatre Arts, and the Vice-Chair and Chair of the Faculty Assembly. He designed 28 productions for Theatre Arts, including Something Rotten!, Our Lady of 121st Street, Orlando, The Crucible, Rome Sweet Rome (the 2016 Partnership in the Arts with the Q Brothers, a modern/hip-hop Julius Caesar), American Idiot, The Luck of the Irish, Eurydice, and Out of the Pan Into the Fire (the 2013 Partnership in the Arts production with The Moving Company), and advised 180 student productions for the department..

Eric was the recipient of the University of Iowa's prestigious 2017 Collegiate Teaching Award. He was honored with the distinction of emeritus professor upon retirement.

Eric has designed productions in California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin, with work touring to New York and beyond.

He worked extensively in the Art Department for the Fox Live broadcast of RENT in Los Angeles. The production won the 2019 Emmy award for Outstanding Production Design for a Variety Special. In 2019, Eric designed A Little Night Music for Madison Opera and The Sound of Music for the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, and 3 productions for the Great River Shakespeare Festival.

Other design credits include work as the Associate Designer for the USITT USA National Exhibition at the 2011 and 2007 Prague Quadrennial (and Steering Committee Member for the 2011 Exhibit); the Associate Designer for Ralph Lemon’s Scaffold Room (2014) and Come home Charley Patton (2004); and designs for Great River Shakespeare Festival (23 productions, including Macbeth, Hamlet, King Lear, As You Like It, Romeo and Juliet, Richard III, Henry V, The Glass Menagerie), Utah Shakespearean Festival (13 productions, including Cyrano de Bergerac, Camelot, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, My Fair Lady, Born Yesterday), Skylight Opera Theatre, Fulton Theatre, American Players Theatre, California Shakespeare Festival, San José Repertory Theatre, and Iowa Summer Rep.

Eric was the Chair of the Scenic Design Program for the University of Illinois at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts (2001-2008; 10 designs, including Leonard Bernstein’s Mass, Metamorphoses, Nine, Twelfth Night); He was the Resident Scenic Designer at PCPA Theaterfest (1995-2001; 36 designs, including The Servant of Two Masters, The Grapes of Wrath, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, The King & I, Cinderella, 42nd Street, On Golden Pond, The Lion in Winter, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The 1940’s Radio Hour).

He earned his B.A., Lewis & Clark College, and M.F.A., Ohio University. Eric is a member of the United Scenic Artists 829.

www.rericstone.com

Costume Designer | ABBY GARRATY

MFA '25 (Costume Design)

BFA '20 Texas Wesleyan University, magna cum laude (Theatre Design and Technology)

Born and raised in Texas, Abby has worked as a costume designer, stagewear designer, and fashion illustrator. Their theatrical Costume Design credits include Sleepy Hollow, The Sound of Music, Mr Burns, A Post-Electric Play, and Vintage Hitchcock: A Live Radio Play. She made her University of Iowa design debut in the 2023 New Play Festival production of Lil G. See her work also featured in the upcoming UIowa production of Dance Nation!

Lighting and Media Designer | VICTOR MALDONADO

Victor is a 3rd year MFA Design student at the University of Iowa with a focus in lighting and digital media design. Aside from theatre, Victor has been the lighting designer for artist like Boys II Men at Rhythm City Casino, and the lighting designer for Hancher’s Fall Welcome Concert 2023 for Britney Howard and Dawn Richards. Other design credits at the university include Braided Sorrow, Lil G: A Gatsby Remix, BLKS, and Gwenevere.

Sound Designer | ZHENYA LOUGHNEY*

Zhenya Loughney (they/them) is ecstatic that you’re here, seeing live theatre! Thank you to their editors at The Daily Iowan for being so patient with them to make the music possible. This is Zhenya’s first-time sound designing for a major production, so thank you to director Mary Mayo for taking a chance on them, and everyone else on the production team for supporting them throughout the process. And lastly thank you to their inspiration, their ruby in the rough. Listen with care and enjoy the show!

Intimacy Director | OWEN BRIGHTMAN

Porter Text | KELLI TOSIC

Assistant Director | JOSH TURNER

Josh Turner, an Atlanta native, is an MFA Directing Candidate at the University of Iowa. Josh graduated with his BFA in Acting from Brenau University. His desire to tell stories was born at an early age through the influence of his grandfather, Ural Smith Jr. This began an early belief that great stories can change lives and transform hearts. An up and coming Theatre artist; he believes in the versatility of Theatre practitioners without sacrificing expertise and precision, and because of this works as a Director, Actor, and Carpenter to serve the purpose of telling meaningful stories through honest collaboration and heart. He has acted in award winning productions such as The New Black Fest’s Hands Up: 7 Playwrights/ 7 Testaments which ran at the Tony award winning Alliance Theatre, and recently won a Suzi Bass Award for Outstanding Social Justice Production. As a Director, he’s previously directed New Works such as the Just Us League and classic’s such as It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play. Josh wants to thank his fiancé, Zafyre, for always loving and supporting him. Enjoy the show!

Assistant Dramaturg | ELLA RUPE*

Assistant Stage Manager | ANDRÉS VASQUEZ

Assistant Stage Manager | MATHEW KIER*

Mathew Kier is a third-year Theatre Arts, Cinema, and Screenwriting triple major with a focus in Stage Management. Previous stage management work includes being assistant stage manager for The Bacchae as well as stage managing the Ten-Minute Play Festival and BOOTH for New Play Festival last year.

Associate Scenic Designer | DOROTHY CRAVEN*

Dorothy Craven is a fourth-year Theatre Arts and Ancient Civilizations double major with focuses in Stage Management and Scenic Design. Previous scenic design work includes Gwenevere, Stars and Stones, and Rockabye. She would like to thank Eric and the entire Macbeth team for making this show such a wonderful experience!

Assistant Costume Designer | ISABELLA FORTUNADO

*Undergraduate student. UI Theatre is dedicated to providing hands-on theatre experience for both undergraduate and graduate students.