Director | 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. Past credits at the University of Iowa include Jellyfish Baby by Darrin Terpstra, The Words of Ants by Xiaoyan Kang, Far Away by Caryl Churchill, Anti-Hero: Revenge of the Swifties by Derick Edgren Otero, and Brother-Brother by Sixtus Chetachi Igbokwe. Meredith would like to thank her cohort for keeping her grounded, her mentors for helping her dig, the cast and team for infusing the space with laughter every day, and her family for their unwavering support! |
Dramaturg | ANI JILAVYAN** Ani Jilavyan is from Yerevan, Armenia and graduated from the University of Iowa with an MFA in literary translation. Currently she is doing her MFA in dramaturgy. She was the dramaturg for The Words of Ants by Xiaoyan Kang and directed by Meredith G. Healy in the New Play Festival and Jellyfish Baby by Darrin Terpstra and directed by Meredith G. Healy. She is thankful to Meredith for the opportunity to work on this amazing production with a wonderful team! |
Stage Manager | BONNIE RUBBLE** Bonnie Ruble is a freelance stage manager currently in their 2nd year as an MFA stage manager at the University of Iowa. Some of their more recent credits include Stage Management intern for Tosca at Cincinnati Opera, Production Manager at the Waterloo Community Playhouse, Stage Manager for Bright Star and Newsies at Theatre Cedar Rapids, Production Stage Manager for Elephant and Piggie’s: Were in a Play and A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Waterloo Community Playhouse, Assistant Stage Manager for Side Show at the University of Iowa. They are so excited to be a part of this production with such a wonderful creative team and cast. |
Intimacy Director | CRISTINA GOYENECHE |
Scenic Designer | CJ JOHNSON** Cj Johnson is a third-year MFA candidate. Some of their past scenic credits include An Enemy of the People, for colored girls(…), salt tongue, and American Rusałki. They are incredibly honored to have been a part of this process, and they would like to thank everyone on the team for making this show come to life! |
Costume Designer | JENNY NUTTING KELCHEN Jenny Nutting Kelchen (Costume Designer) is a costume designer and visual artist, as well as the Resident Costume Designer, Costume Studio Director, and Lecturer for the Cornell College Department of Theatre and Dance. Jenny received her BA in studio art from the University of Northern Iowa and her MFA in theatre design from the University of Iowa. She has designed costumes for over 110 productions, including ten seasons of Iowa Summer Rep as well as designs for Riverside Theatre, Old Creamery Theatre Company, UNI, Cornell College, Grinnell College, Coe College, Working Group Theatre, Theatre Cedar Rapids, and La MaMa Etc. Jenny's most recent collaborations with Performing Arts at Iowa are Men on Boats for the Department of Theatre Arts, and her creative debut with the Department of Dance as Costume Designer for the 2025 Dance Gala at Hancher Auditorium. She has enjoyed a wonderful season of collaboration with old and new colleagues, artists, and friends at the University of Iowa. |
Sound Designer | MARISA RODRIGUEZ* Marisa Rodriguez is a third-year theatre arts major and digital arts certificate student. Their previous design credits at Iowa are lighting and media design for Ten-Minute Play Festival 2025, sound design for salt tongue in the 2025 New Play Festival, and lighting and media design for Drill Drill Drill in October 2025. They’ve also stage managed and co-sound designed for Myocardium; Graphite with Dreamwell Theater. They’re grateful for the opportunity to work on their first mainstage production and for the support that they receive from their instructors, friends, and family. |
Lighting Designer | BRYON WINN † Bryon is a professor of design and serves as the Director of Theatre for the Department of Theatre Arts at the University of Iowa. He has designed lighting, scenery, projections, and/or media for theatre, opera, and corporate events throughout the country. This includes over 300 productions and over 50 premieres of new plays. Previous work with the Department of Theatre Arts includes designs for In the Red and Brown Water, Ugly Lies the Bone, The Bacchae, String, Our Lady of 121st, People Before the Park, Iphigenia Point Blank, Fun Home, American Idiot, Crescendo, and Spring Awakening. |
Assistant Stage Manager | SAMMI LEWIS* Sammi Lewis is a third-year undergraduate stage manager. She recently spent the summer at SSMT working on Little Women the musical. Her recent University of Iowa theatre credits include salt tongue and Romeo and Juliet. She cant wait for people to come see this amazing show. She had so much fun working with this team! She wants to thank her family for always showing up for her, the cast and crew for being awesome to work with! |
Assistant Costume Designer | JOHANNA SPECHT**
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Assistant Costume Designer | ALEXANDRA RUNNELS* Alexandra Runnells is a senior undergraduate student here at the University of Iowa, double majoring in screenwriting arts and history, with a minor in theatre arts. Otherwise known as, “there’s an excellent chance she’s going to be a bartender for the next five years.” This is Alexandra’s second mainstage production, having been one of the assistant costume designers under Cathy Parrott with last semester’s Romeo and Juliet. She has had such a blast working with Jenny and Johanna and cannot wait to work on other productions after she graduates in May. |
*Undergraduate student.
**Graduate student.
†Member of the United Scenic Artists, Local 829.
UI Theatre is dedicated to providing hands-on theatre experience for both undergraduate and graduate students.