Playwright | POONAM DHIR**

Poonam Dhir is a queer playwright, poet, Punjabi descendent, and settler from Tkaronto (Toronto) by way of Tiohtiá:ke (Montréal). Poonam’s interdisciplinary work explores identity, trauma, memory and the relationship between belief and belonging. They contemplate themes of migration, displacement and loss. Poonam is a recipient of a 2025 Lambda Literary Fellowship in Fiction, a 2023-24 Iowa Arts Fellowship, a 2022 Lambda Literary Fellowship in Playwriting and they were a finalist for the 2021 PEN Canada New Voices Award, Poetry. Poonam was an Artist-in-Residence at Infinithéâtre and was selected to participate in Nightwood Theatre’s 2022-23 Write From the Hip Program. They have been an editor and contributing editor/reader at various journals, including The Iowa Review, carte blanche, The Ex-Puritan and Arc Poetry Magazine. You can read their latest pieces in Best New Poets, The Capilano Review, Vallum, Contemporary Verse 2, PRISM International, among others. Find Poonam online @pnmdhir

Director | CAROLINE S. CLAY§

Caroline Clay (she/her) is a native of Washington, D.C. and an Assistant Professor of Acting here at UIowa’s Department of Theatre Arts. Best known for her memorable portrayal of “CeCe the Matchmaker” for an entire season on Grey’s Anatomy, she is a 30-year career veteran of five Broadway shows, television, film, and a national tour. She is the winner of an NAACP Award for Best Actress in a Play for her role in Skeleton Crew at The Geffen Playhouse (West Coast.) Previous directing credits include In the Red & Brown Water (2024), including a staged reading in collaboration with The Stanley Musuem, in conversation with their collections of the African diaspora; Gwenevere (2022) and Lil’ G: A Gatsby Remix (2023) both by MFA ‘23 Playwright, Isaiah Reaves. As a playwright, Clay is the author of two solo shows, Let it Flo!: The Life & Scandals of Florynce Kennedy, which played Off-Broadway (2016) at the Cherry Lane Theatre, and Sepia Sculptress: Wildfire, Edmonia Lewis (2017) at the Kennedy Center Millenium Stage in Washington, D.C. Nominated by her students, Clay received the University of Iowa’s Office of Undergraduate Research’s Distinguished Mentor Award of 2024. Caroline is a proud union member of both Actor’s Equity Association, and SAG-AFTRA. #unionstrong

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 Romeo and Juliet and How to Defend Yourself . She cant wait for everyone to come see the show hopes everyone goes to the rest of new play festival. 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!

Lighting Designer | MARISA RODRIGUEZ*

Marisa Rodriguez is a third-year Theatre Arts major and Digital Arts certificate student. Their previous UIowa design credits are lighting and media design for Ten Minute Play Festival 2025, sound design for salt tongue in the 2025 New Play Festival, lighting and media design for Drill Drill Drill, and sound design for How to Defend Yourself. They’ve also stage managed and co-sound designed for Myocardium; Graphite with Dreamwell Theater

Assistant Stage Manager ​| SARA ELLEN*

Sara is a sophomore studying Mechanical Engineering and Theatre Arts. At the University of Iowa, she has been a stage manager on Grown Backwards, a spot operator for Side Show, and she was an assistant stage manager on Love Pentagram. In high school, some of her favorite shows that she worked on were The Play that Goes Wrong and Addams Family. She would like to thank her family who have supported her and driven her to be her best. Also, she would like to thank her friends who are always there when she needs them.