Playwright | ANTON CHEKHOV Anton Chekhov (1860–1904) was a Russian playwright and author. He is considered to be one of the greatest writers of short fiction in history. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his best short stories are held in high esteem. Chekhov practiced as a medical doctor throughout most of his literary career. “Medicine is my lawful wife,” he once said, “and literature is my mistress.” Chekhov renounced the theatre after the reception of The Seagull in 1896, but the play was revived to acclaim in 1898 by Konstantin Stanislavski's Moscow Art Theatre, which subsequently also produced Chekhov's Uncle Vanya and premiered his last two plays, Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard. These four works presented a challenge to the acting ensemble as well as to audiences, because in place of conventional action, Chekhov highlighted the depths of human nature, the hidden significance of everyday events, and the fine line between comedy and tragedy. Chekhov died of tuberculosis on July 15, 1904, in Badenweiler, Germany. |
Adapter | ANNIE BAKER Annie Baker's full-length plays include The Flick (Playwrights Horizons, OBIE Award for Playwriting, Susan Smith Blackburn Prize), Circle Mirror Transformation (Playwrights Horizons, OBIE Award for Best New American Play, Drama Desk nomination for Best Play), The Aliens (Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, OBIE Award for Best New American Play), Body Awareness (Atlantic Theater Company, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations for Best Play/Emerging Playwright), and an adaptation of Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya, for which she also designed the costumes (Soho Rep). Ms. Baker's plays have been performed at over 100 theatres across the USA and in England, Australia, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Peru, Venezuela, Mexico, Latvia, Sweden and Russia. She is a Residency Five playwright at Signature Theatre and a member of New Dramatists, MCC’s Playwrights Coalition and EST. Recent honors include a New York Drama Critics Circle Award, a Susan Smith Blackburn Prize nomination, a Lilly Award, a Time Warner Storytelling Fellowship, a MacDowell fellowship and a Master Artist Residency at Atlantic Center for the Arts. A published anthology of her work, The Vermont Plays, is available from TCG books. |
Director | KAYLA ADAMS** Kayla is an MFA directing candidate at the University of Iowa. She holds a degree in theatre arts from Western Washington University. She is currently an ensemble member at The Artistic Home Theatre in Chicago, IL where she also teaches in their Meisner-based acting studio. |
Fight Director | PAUL KALINA |
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 G. Healy) in the Iowa New Play Festival 2025. She also was the dramaturg for Jellyfish Baby by Darrin Terpstra and How to Defend Yourself by Liliana Padilla (both directed by Meredith G. Healy). She is thankful to Kayla for the opportunity to work on this wonderful production with an amazing team! Also, she is thankful to her family and friends for their continuous support! |
Stage Manager | ABBIE TALKEN* Abbie Talken is a fourth-year undergraduate studying theatre arts with focuses on stage management and technical theatre. Past credits include assistant stage managing UI’s productions of Tom & Eliza and & Tell Sad Stories of the Death of Queens, as well as Cedar Rapids Opera’s production of Die Fledermaus. She has also stage managed UI’s productions of THE (T-)RE(X)FORMATION and The Words of Ants, along with Iowa City Community Theatre’s production of Inspecting Carol. She wants to thank her friends, family, and cats for their never-ending support, as well as the cast, crew, and creative team, especially Vivian, for making this wonderful production come to life. |
Scenic Designer | SAM RUDY**† Sam Rudy is a first-year MFA candidate in scenic design at the University of Iowa. Before joining the MFA program, she spent the last decade working with different summer stocks, regional theatres, national tours, Feld Entertainment and is a proud member of IATSE Local 412. Iowa design credits include Romeo and Juliet (assistant scenic design) and Jellyfish Baby (scenic design). She would like to thank Jason and the design faculty for this opportunity, Rob and the scene shop for their guidance, her husband Trevor for going on this wild ride and finally her daughter Juniper who assisted more than she knows! Sam’s work can be found at www.samrudydesigns.net |
Costume Designer | CJ JOHNSON** Cecil "Cj" Johnson is a third-year MFA candidate. This is their first time doing costumes for a mainstage, and they are very excited! Some of their past scenic credits include How to Defend Yourself, An Enemy of the People, 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! |
Sound Designer | MOLLY COSTELLO Molly Costello is a sound designer and technician, a recent graduate of the University of Iowa. Currently working as a sound engineer in California, she is so excited to be back at Iowa for Uncle Vanya. Recent credits include Measure for Measure (Sound Designer, PCPA); Quetzali and the Comic Book Queen… (Sound Designer, PCPA); Iowa Director’s Festival 2025 (Sound Designer, University of Iowa). As always, listen with care and enjoy the show! |
Lighting Designer | COURTNEY GASTON Courtney Gaston is the Assistant Professor of Lighting/Media Design at Wesleyan University. As a lighting, scenic, and media designer, their work focuses on integrating new technologies with live performance including motion-tracking and wearable lighting technology. Their research and design work has been featured at the Prague Quadrennial, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Live Design International, and SheLA Summer Theater Festival. Recent work includes the design of a large-scale, immersive, interactive installation at Wesleyan University titled An Oceanic Journey and designs for new works Westphalia by Helen Banner (Luna Stage, NJ), You Must Wear a Hat by C. Meaker (TheaterLAB, NYC), and Sunny Jain’s Love Force (Symphony Space, NYC). |
Intimacy Director | CRISTINA GOYENECHE |
Assistant Stage Manager | VIVIAN BONDE* Vivian is a third-year theatre arts and communications double major. Her recent work includes stage managing Love Pentagram by MK Shultz and directing for Ten-Minute Play Festival. She would like to give big thanks to Abbie Talken, as well as her mentors and friends for their endless encouragement. Three down, one to go! |
Assistant Scenic Designer | JACKSON KNEFLEY* Jackson Knefley is a third-year at the University of Iowa on the scenic design track. This is his first time designing for a mainstage at the university. He has designed for galleries such as Earthus Terminus and Stained Glass. |
*Undergraduate student.
**Graduate student.
†Member of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Local 412.
UI Theatre is dedicated to providing hands-on theatre experience for both undergraduate and graduate students.