SEASON 1
CREATIVES
Joshua N Hsu earned his Master of Fine Arts in drama from the University of California, Irvine, and his Bachelor in Theatre from the State University of New York at New Paltz. Joshua believes in creating and facilitating theatrical experiences that are unapologetically relevant, unabashedly visceral, and joyfully dynamic. As a director, he’s worked in small and regional theaters across the United States, such as The Road Theatre Company, New Paltz Summer Repertory Theatre, South Coast Repertory, and Utah Shakespearean Festival. More recently, he’s worked at Bates College, the University of Southern Maine, and Mad Horse Theatre Company in Maine.
Notable theatrical directing credits include the Maine premiere of James Ijames’ White, the world premiere of Lysistrata: A Reimagining by Alicia Tycer, the West Coast premieres of J. Holtham’s How to Survive an Atomic Bomb and J. Holtham’s Snakeskin Suit, and the U.S. premiere of Mark Ravenhill’s Some Explicit Polaroids.
As a producer, he was the founding artistic director of Framework Theatre Collective, a company devoted to reinterpreting, reimagining, and adapting classical works for theatre, radio, new media, television, and film. He was also a co-founder of Brown-Hsu Films, a new company featuring upcoming diverse performers and creators. He currently serves as festival co-director for PortFringe, Maine’s Fringe Festival and serves on the steering commitee for Maine’s First Asian American Community Center
Learn more at joshuanhsu.com
Joshua N Hsu (He/Him)
Sam has worked as a creative producer in Maine for well over a decade. Over the years he has held the roles of Sound Designer, Recordist, Musical Arranger, Actor, Film Producer and as of this season, Podcast Producer!
Through his work as a live event producer, he has filmed the likes of Patrick Dempsy, George Mitchell, Olympia Snowe and many other Mainers of note. Sam has also contributed to sound departments across 4 Damnationland films, during his fifth, titled Come Home, he moonlit as cinematographer. As a theatrical designer he has worked on dozens of projects spanning from radio dramas to live performance. Recent Affiliations include, Portland Theater Festival, Maddy’s Theatre, and Forge Theater Labs.
Samuel Rapaport (He/Him)
Alicia Tycer is a playwright, actress, and theatre scholar who teaches at California State University, Los Angeles. She received her Ph.D in Drama and Theatre from U.C. Irvine and her M.F.A. in Television, Film, and Theatre (Dramatic Writing and Performance options) from Cal State LA. Her playwriting credits include: Lysistrata: A Re-Imagining (Unknown Artists at Grove Theatre Center), The Civil War: A Tragi-Comedy (John Lion New Plays Festival), H.U.A.C. (Los Angeles Theatre Center), This is How it Ends (Boston Court) and Dreaming of Women (Celebration Theatre). She has collaborated on writing Space: The Final Frontier (Opera Del Espacio, at South Coast Rep and Son of Semele) and Embers, Ashes, and This Land (Circle Squared Collective). She was also the librettist and dramaturg for The Wall: A Musical Misdeed (CSULA). Her acting credits include Last Summer at Bluefish Cove (Stella Adler Theatre), TransMe (Los Angeles Theatre Center), The Laramie Project (CAP Studio Theatre), and The Vagina Monologues (Ensemble Studio Theatre). She has worked as a dramaturg for numerous productions, most recently for Moving Arts. Publications include Continuum Modern Theatre Guide: Caryl Churchill's Top Girls and an article on Sarah Kane’s work for Theatre Journal.
Alicia Tycer (She/Her)
Maya Williams (ey/they/she)
Maya is a religious Black multiracial nonbinary suicide survivor who was selected as Portland, ME's seventh poet laureate for a July 2021 to July 2024 term. Eir debut poetry collection Judas & Suicide (Game Over Books, 2023) was selected as a finalist for the New England Book Award. Their second poetry collection, Refused a Second Date (Harbor Editions, 2023), was selected as a finalist for the Maine Literary Award. Her third poetry collection, the chapbook What's So Wrong with a Pity Party Anyway?, was selected as one of four winners of Garden Party Collective's Chapbook Prize in 2024. Eir fourth poetry collection, the chapbook Feminine Morbidity, was selected as the winner of The Headlight Review's Chapbook Prize in 2025. Maya's spoken word was selected for two Patrons' Choice Awards by PortFringe in 2019 and 2022. They have performed in person and online with companies and organizations such as Maddy's Theatre, Bare Portland, Speak About It, Mad Horse Theatre Company, Chimera Theatre Collective, Acorn Productions, Dramatic Repertory Company, and Portland Stage. They co-directed for the first time with Joshua N Hsu for Mad Horse Theatre Company's production of White for their 38th season in 2023.
Follow her at mayawilliamspoet.com
MOLLY WAGNER (She/Her)
Molly is a transplant to Maine and can often be found holding curtains and pressing buttons at Lyric Music Theater, Mad Horse Theatre Company, and Portland Players. In the summer she serves as an Assistant Stage Manager with Portland Theatre Festival. By day, she also takes notes and makes lists as the Finance Senior Associate at the Children's Museum and Theatre of Maine. She earned a BS in Chemistry and in Geological Sciences from George Washington University and an MA in Earth and Environmental Science from Wesleyan University, where she further developed her note-taking and spreadsheeting skills. Her favorite rocks are phyllite and scoria.
Megan Tripaldi (She/They) is an actor, internationally produced playwright, educator, poet, and mom living and working in Portland, ME. They graduated from the University of Southern Maine with a BA in Theatre in 2012 and received a Masters Degree in Playwriting from Goddard College in 2023.
MEgan Tripaldi (She/They)
JOHN PATRICK BRAY (he/Him)
John Patrick Bray is a playwright, indie screenwriter, scholar, and former literary manager for NYC’s Rising Sun Performance Company. He has an MFA in Playwriting from the Actors Studio Drama School at The New School and PhD in Theatre from Louisiana State University. He is a Professor in the Department of Theatre and Film at the University of Georgia where he serves as Graduate Coordinator and Head of the PhD program. His interests include new play development and production; Off-Off Broadway History and Geek Theatre.
Liz Carlson is a director and dramaturg with a focus on ensemble-based work and new play development. Her recent directing credits include Elephant & Piggie: We Are In a Play!, Go, Dog. Go! (Maddy’s Theatre), The Birds, War of the Worlds (University of Southern Maine), Texas, Come Dawn (Maine Playwrights Festival), As You Like It (Saratoga Shakespeare), and The Winter’s Tale (Curio Theatre). She is the Artistic Director of the Maine PLaywrights Festival and teaches at The University of Southern Maine. She holds an MFA in Directing from Temple University and is an Associate Member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC) and Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas (LMDA).
LIZ CARLSON (SHE/HER)
Dr. Janna Segal is an Associate Professor in the University of Louisville’s Department of Theatre Arts. At UofL, she has dramaturged productions of The Love of Three Oranges, Much Ado About Nothing, Blood at the Root, Twelfth Night, Love Among the Ruins, [Re]Fashion, Fires in the Mirror, Taming of the Shrew, Eurydice, and Baltimore. Recent dramaturgical work in Louisville includes Romeo and Juliet at the Commonwealth Theatre Center; and DragonSoul Offline and the Theatre for Everywhere project for StageOne Family Theatre. Dr. Segal is also a playwright specializing in adaptation. With Idris Goodwin, she co-adapted Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings for the New York City Children’s Theatre (2022). Her adaptation of Midsummer was produced at Ball State University (2023). Her research on Shakespeare and on dramaturgy has been published in Review: The Journal of Dramaturgy, SDC Journal, JEMCS, Shakespeare, and various anthologies, including Dramaturgy and History: Staging the Archive (2024) and Performances at Court in Shakespeare’s Era (2019). Dr. Segal is the Resident Dramaturg of the Comparative Drama Conference’s New Play Staged Reading Series, and a dramaturg for ATHE’s New Play Development Workshop. She is also a member of LMDA.
DR. JANNA SEGAL (SHE/HER)
SARAH SCHULDT (SHE/HER)
Sara Schuldt is thrilled to be making her Forge Labs debut! She most recently was the Stage Manger for Dramatic Repertory Company's production of At The Table by Michael Perlman. And was the House Manger for Fenix Theatre Co's production of As You Like It. Graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University '23 with her BFA in Acting. She is excited for this project and would like to thank her husband Trevor for all his support!
CALEB EUGLEY (HE/HIM)
Caleb Eugley is the Theater Education Coordinator at Royal River Community Players in Yarmouth, Maine, where he develops and teaches theater programs for all ages. In addition to education, Caleb is also a performer, director and designer in the southern Maine theater community. He’s received regional and national awards for his work in directing, lighting design and cross-discipline collaboration through the American College Theater Festival. His most recent project will be directing Green Day’s American Idiot in June of 2026 with The Portland Players in South Portland, Maine.
GRACE KELLAR-LONG (SHE/HER)
Grace Kellar-Long is a theater artist living and working in Portland, Maine. Her most recent project was an immersive adaptation of Sarah Pinsker’s sci-fi novella And Then There Were (N-One) that she produced, co-adapted, and directed with her theater company Fool’s Errand for the PortFringe LateNite series. Grace is also a freelance stage manager and has most recently worked with Bowdoin College, Fenix Theater Company, and Portland Stage. Grace loves trail running with her dog, singing with a local choir, and creating theater that invites the audience to play a role in the story.
SARAH KENNEDY (SHE/HER)
Sarah Kennedy graduated from The University of Southern Maine with a Bachelor's in Theatre and a Minor in Dance. She moved to NYC for 6 years working at Sleep No More and on various production roles for The Gilded Age season 1 and 2. She is the Cofounder of Out There Theater Company alongside her best friends Dalton Kimball and Joanna Clarke. Out There Theater Company is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit theater company based in Portland, ME that is committed to fostering the theater community and dedicated to producing newer works and adaptations throughout Maine. She directed the inaugural production of The 39 Steps for Out There and assistant directed I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire this past summer season. Let’s make theater fun again!
CORY MACGOWAN (HE/HIM)
Cory has been a sound designer and engineer for theater and live productions for over six years, following a lifetime of non-theater/audio-related occupations and adventures. He has designed sound for countless shows at such places as Maddy's Theatre, Lyric Music Theater, Portland Players, Schoolhouse Arts Center, The Polar Express Train Ride, and was on the audio team at Ogunquit Playhouse for the 2023 season. Cory is excited to work with Forge Theater Labs and hopes that you have an enjoyable listening experience!
Jack Maeby has more than 50 years of experience as pianist, organist, arranger and producer. He has worked with artists such as Stevie Wonder, Snoop Dogg, RZA (Wu Tang Clan), Bilal, Gospel Music Workshop of America, Carly Simon, Dr. John, Etta James and many others. His arrangement of Handel’s “The Messiah” for choir and gospel ensemble was funded by the Maine Humanities Council, the Onion Foundation, California Arts Council and the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs. Along with Jimetta Rose, he arranged music for the Pan Afrikan People’s Ensemble and recording artists the Voices of Creation, performing for more than 200,00 people in concerts and festivals in the US and abroad. Maeby’s theater experience includes composing and directing music for productions at the McCarter Theater in Princeton NJ, LaMama ETC in NY, the NYU Theater Department and Syracuse Stage.
JACK MAEBY (HE/HIM)
SARAROSE WILLEY (She/Her)
Sararose Willey is a Maine raised theater artist, working both on and offstage in the Greater Portland area. She is grateful to Forge for bringing her onboard as a collaborator this season, and can’t wait to help bring Episode 1 to life! Recently, she has had the pleasure of working with Mad Horse Theatre Co., Maddy’s Theatre, The Portland Theatre Festival, Portland Shakespeare Co., Acorn Productions, The Theater Project and more. Some roles close to her heart include Viola (Twelfth Night: A Holiday Musical - Fenix Theatre Co.), Chordata (The Squirrels - Mad Horse Theatre Co.) and directing Totality Play by Julia Jennings as part of the 2025 Maine Playwrights Festival. She would like to thank Forge podcast listeners and audience members for their support. She looks forward to seeing Forge grow into its role as a valuable resource in our theatrical community!
CAST
CAROLINE CHUNG (THEY/THEm)
Caroline is excited to be participating in their first Forge production! Previous credits include Joan in Fun Home (The Portland Players), Tesla in What You Leave (SecondStory Theater), and Grace Farrell in Annie (The Portland Players). Caroline is a Korean-American artist based in the Kennebec Valley. Originally from Northern Virginia, they have appeared in shows at The Kennedy Center and Loudoun Lyric Opera. They possess a BA from BU (‘22) and work at the local food & drink nonprofit, The Maine Tasting Center. In their free time, they enjoy reading, playing D&D, trying new foods, exploring Maine and committing to the bit.
SARABELL WRIGLEY (SHE/HER)
Back when the millennium was young, Paul spent five years in repertory with the American Shakespeare Center in Virginia, where they also served as music director and composer for several productions. For the Fenix Theatre Company, Paul has played Jaques and Duke Frederick in As You Like It, for which they also served as music director; as Boyet, Holofernes, and Longaville in Love’s Labor’s Lost, for which they wrote original music; and as Sir Andrew in Twelfth Night–as well as Fenix’s two plays-in-a-day: as York in Richard II and Duncan in Macbeth. They also played Barrymore in I Hate Hamlet, Pirelli in Sweeney Todd, and Eric in The Humans at Schoolhouse Arts, and directed nine productions for the UNE Players. Paul holds a master’s degree in political management from George Washington University, and is the proud and exhausted father of two incredibly dangerous and amazing offspring. Find Paul's music, under the name Pav Alexander, on all the streamy-downloady platforms.
PAUL FIDALGO (HE/THEY)
Sarabell Wrigley is an actor and costumer originally from Upstate New York. Recent Maine credits include At the Table (Dramatic Repertory Company), A Christmas Carol (Portland Stage), As You Like It, Love's Labour's Lost, Macbeth and Richard II (Fenix Theatre Company). When not on stage, she can be found petting all the dogs as the Community and Events Coordinator for Woof. Play. Eat. in Portland. Love to D.
GUESTS
in order of ApPEARANCE
SAMPSON SPADAFORE (THEY/THEM)
Sampson Spadafore is a white, neurodivergent, queer, and trans person currently living on unceded Wabanaki land. They are a theatre artist and writer with a BFA in Musical Theatre from Nazareth University. Sampson thematically focuses their work, whether that’s performance or writing, on trans and queer identity, liberation, the body, god, grief, and healing. They’re a proud co-founder of Brazen Bandits, a trans artist collective. Find their work on sampsonspadafore.com
KIMMARIE MCCRANN (SHE/HER)
Kimmarie "Kim" McCrann is a theatre director, dramaturg, and arts administrator. She began her artistic journey as a performer, earning a BFA in Acting from Adelphi University. Following graduation, she was selected to be the inaugural Artist in Residence at the Accademia dell’Arte in Italy, where she wrote and performed a one-woman show inspired by The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. She later moved to Portland, Maine, where she completed a Directing & Dramaturgy Apprenticeship at Portland Stage Company and served as an Associate Producer with the Portland Theater Festival. Kim now lives in New York City, where she is a 2050 Artistic Workshop Administrative Fellow at New York Theatre Workshop. Kim is excited to join this Forge Theater Labs roundtable and hopes you enjoy the episode. www.kimmariemccrann.com
CHRIS DEFILLIP (HE/THEY)
Chris DeFilipp is a Portland, Maine-based director, lighting and projections designer, playwright, fringer, storyteller, graphic designer, and all-around nerd. Chris is the founder of Chimera Theatre Collective, and when not freelancing or creating, can regularly be found watching far too much theater anywhere from Maine down to Boston and beyond. Chris is an education artist at Portland Stage and has worked at fringes in Portland, Atlanta, Providence, and Reykjavik, as well as theaters including: Theater Project, Maine Playwright’s Festival, The Other Side of Silence, Mad Horse, Dramatic Rep, Maddy’s Theatre, Lyric Music Theatre, and more. www.chrisdefilipp.comm
SAGE BARTLETT
Sage is a Maine based scenic, props, and puppetry artist. Previous credits include: Elephant & Piggie’s ‘We are in a Play’ at Maddy’s Theatre (set design), REALLY at Mad Horse Theater (set design), Spongebob the Musical at Lyric Music Theater (set design), The Winter’s Tale at USM (set design), and Knuffle Bunny at Maddy’s Theatre (puppet design). Sage's true passions lie in the art of scenic painting. When not found covered in sawdust in a wood shop near you, Sage is often at home making quilts or learning another new craft.
ANNA HALLORAN (SHE/HER)
Anna Halloran began sewing at seven years old and costuming at 16. Now in her thirties, and just as active in the theatre space as she was in her teens, she is eager to make a difference for her fellow performers. A firm believer that size should not factor in any part of being on stage, Anna has started a small business (www.MainelyCurves.com) centered around costuming performers beyond “standard” sizes. When not sewing, Anna can be found on a stage, behind a camera, or throwing weights around, or spending time with her husband and two cats.
ADAM CORRIVEAU (HE/HIm)
Adam Corriveau is a Portland, Maine-based comedy writer and puppet maker. Some of his recent work has been included in Portfringe, Mad Horse Theater, Portland Theater Festival, and Maddy's Theatre at the Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine. Adam is the host and co-creator of the "Grumbo" series of events, including ‘Grumbo's Big Night’ and ‘Grumbo's Lonely Christmas.’ To all the weirdos, Adam is am beyond grateful.
ELIZABETH SOMERVILLE (ShE/HER)
Beth Somerville is a director, teaching artist, actor, and stage manager from Scarborough. She holds a Master of Letters and a Master of Fine Arts in Shakespeare and Performance from Mary Baldwin University, where she and her cohort dedicated their time to enriching communities through art and education. Recent credits include directing for PortFringe and the Maine Playwright’s Festival and stage managing for the Wisconsin Shakespeare Festival. Up next: directing The Taming of the Shrew at The Theater Project in Brunswick.
BEKA BRYER (SHE/HER)
Dr. Beka Bryer is a performance historian, administrator, dramaturg, stage manager, and producer living in Portland, Maine. She is the co-founder of one of Portland's newest theatre companies, Fox Bramble, with her artistic collaborator Todd Brian Backus - keep an eye out for their soon to be announced first production! She earned her PhD in Theatre and Drama from Northwestern University and currently teaches at the Maine College of Art and Design.
KATE HUNTER (SHE/HER)
Kate is a sound designer/mixer, stage manager, and dramaturg from Ogden, Utah. Kate has worked with Salt Lake Acting Company and with Maine’s site-specific theatre group, Bare Portland. She has sound designed for the department of Performance, Theater, and Dance at Colby College and at Penobscot Theatre Company. For her side gigs, she does freelance audio work as well as live streams interactive video games for audiences all over the world. Kate is the current co-host, co-founder, co-producer, and co-editor of No Small Games, an Indie Video Game recap and review podcast/games media entity that celebrates the artistry of Indie Games. In the past, Kate has worked in radio advertising and currently serves as a DJ for her community radio station WXNZ-LP 98.1FM Skowhegan, HooSkow Radio.
MICKI KLEINMAN (SHE/HER)
I love trying things and doing things and living life! Things I enjoy: stories, the outdoors, theater, sunshine! Glad to be a part of this project :) I just finished a Directing and Dramaturgy apprenticeship and am now trying to make some local and intimate theatre.
MARK MACEY (THEY/THEM)
Mark Macey (they/them) is a theatre-maker working between the US and UK. Their credits include associate director positions on the UK National Tour of Steel by Lee Mattinson and on multiple productions at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Most recently, they directed Alice in Wonderland for the Hanover Theater and Conservatory’s Youth Acting Company.
JACK ALLEN MURPHY (ANY/ALL)
Jack Allen Murphy (any/all) is a playwright based out of Appalachia. Their full-length For The Tenth Time is a recipient of the Susan Mahoney Award, and their work has been produced across the state of Ohio. Their work explores humanity, and what it takes to become a monster.
SHANNON WADE (SHE/HER)
Shannon Wade (she/her) is an educator, puppeteer, playwright, and wearer of many theatrical hats based in Portland. With Nolan Ellsworth, she has co-written MPF features Surprise! Inc. and Rabbit Rabbit, the latter of which was recently produced at Colby College. She has also written and collaborated on countless scripts for students in her work as a theater educator. Outside of theater Shannon enjoys camping, biking, letter writing, playing board games, and sticking googly eyes onto things.
NATHAN GREGORY (HE/HIM)
Nathan Gregory is the Director of the Maine premiere of Bess Wohl's Tony Nominated Grand Horizons, currently running at Good Theater at Steven Square till April 19th. His Maine directing debut came last November with the critically acclaimed Good Theater production of Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors. Nathan has directed and acted internationally at theatres including Actors Theatre of Louisville, Orlando Shakespeare Theatre, and The Coronet Theatre in London. He recently earned his Master’s degree from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London. Upcoming projects include co-directing Little Shop of Horrors with Brian P. Allen and directing Is He Dead?, both at Good Theater.
BRIAN P. ALLEN (HE/HIM)
Brian Allen is the co-founder and Artistic Director of Good Theater and has directed over productions for the companyA Maine native with more than four decades in professional theater, Brian has also directed over 200 productions for organizations including Portland Symphony Orchestra, Theater at Monmouth, and Portland Players, and directed the off-Broadway run and national tour of the original musical Radical Radio. In addition to his directing work, he has performed extensively, taught classes on musical theater history, and consulted with nonprofit organizations and individuals navigating creative transition and growth.
GUSTA JOHnSON (SHE/HER)
Gusta Johnson is the Executive Director of Good Theater at Stevens Square and a performer with a background in acting, singing, and improvisation. She has worked professionally in theaters across Maine, New York, and Seattle, with credits spanning plays, musicals, and concert performances. Her Good Theater credits include Lend Me a Soprano, Desperate Measures, Lucky Stiff, Something Wonderful, multiple Broadway at Good Theater concerts, the grand re-opening concert I’ll Drink to That!, and the annual Good Theater Holiday Party Playlist. Other credits include An Empty Plate in the Cafe du Grand Boeuf and Mary Jane (Mad Horse Theatre Company). Gusta also trained extensively in improvisational comedy at New York’s Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, and has toured the country with her improv group Wicked City. Offstage, Gusta leads Good Theater’s operations, marketing, development, and strategic growth, and previously served as Director of Marketing & Communications for the Portland Symphony Orchestra. She holds an MBA with Distinction from the University of Glasgow in Scotland and is passionate about supporting artists and building community through the arts.
MICHAEL DIX THOMAS (HE/HIM)
Michael Dix Thomas (he/him) has acted and directed from Maine to North Carolina with Shakespeare Theatre Company, Folger Theatre, The Kennedy Center, Shakespeare & Company, Portland Theater Festival, Dartmouth College, Keene State College, The Theater at Monmouth, Maddy’s Theatre, and Portland Stage. A theater educator for more than 20 years, he is the Director of Education and Community Engagement at the Ogunquit Playhouse. In Portland, Michael was a co-founder of PortFringe and the now defunct Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective. Michael is a graduate of Emerson College and the STC Academy at The George Washington University.
SALLY WOOD (SHE/HER)
Based in mighty Portland, Maine, Sally is a buffet-style artist, working as an actor, fight choreographer, director, and teaching artist. With a passion for both performance and education Sally shares her expertise as "Professor Wood," a Lecturer of Theater at Bates College. As a huge surprise to her, Sally has a strong affinity for new play development, evidenced by her recent directing credits, which include Monica Wood's Papermaker, Half-Light & Saint Dad, Tom Coash's Veils, and, notably, Last Gas, Love/Sick and Not Quite Almost by John Cariani and most recently Like Flies by Clauder Competition winner Maggie Kearnan.
Molly Maslak (She/HER)
Molly (she/her) is a puppeteer, designer, writer, actor and arts educator based in southern California. She studied Theatre and English at the University of San Diego, and is an alumna of the 2-Year Actor Training Program at MCIAT where she studied the Meisner and Chekhov techniques with master teachers Lisa Berger, Liz Shipman, and Jeffrey Ingman.
She is also an alumna of the Eugene O’Neill National Puppetry Conference where she met her performance partner, Esty Bharier, and began developing their beloved, scrappy marionette characters “Bev & Blanche”. Molly has studied puppet design, fabrication and performance with TwistedHeart Puppetworks, Animal Cracker Conspiracy, Mindy Donner, Lynne Jennings, Andrew Kim, and A Tarumba, and has had the privilege of performing with Basil Twist and Little Amal. She is a teaching artist with the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego where she teaches, among other things, intro to puppetry. Her personal style of visual storytelling is heavily influenced by fairy and folk tales and nature, as well as the dark, weird, whimsical fantasy projects of the 1980s. Molly loves David Bowie, fantasy, and cups of tea.
SZU-FENG CHEN (SHE/HER)
Szu-Feng Chen is an artist, designer, and educator from Taiwan. Her interest in integrating unconventional materials in her artistry has led her to a passion for ecological thinking in visual storytelling. Szu-Feng has collaborated with artists around the world for over a hundred theatrical productions. Her design works and research were presented at Prague Quadrennial (2023, 2007, 2003), World Stage Design in Canada (2022), South Korea (2009), and Canada (2005), Chinese-American Art Faculty Symposium (2019), the United States Institute of Theatre Technology (2023, 2015, 2014, 2010), and Beijing Annual Theater Art Exhibition (2002). She received the Gold Sustainability Award (2021), and sustainability Award for Emerging Research (2025) at UNH, and was awarded the Outstanding Alumna of the School of Theatre from Taipei National University of the Arts (2012). Szu-Feng holds a Master of Fine Arts in Theatrical Design from The University of Texas at Austin and serves as the Chair and the Director of Design and Theatre Technology for the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of New Hampshire. http:// www.szufengchen.com/
nAOKO SKALA (SHE/HER)
Naoko Skala is a scenic designer, scenic artist, props artisan, and educator raised in Japan. She joined The College of Wooster as an Assistant Professor of Scenic Design in Fall 2020. Her recent professional credits include The Heart Sellers (2026) and Something Clean (2024) at Dobama Theatre, and Patience (2025) at Ohio Light Opera. She recently received a USITT Herbert D. Greggs Merit Award for Outstanding Article for “Introducing Joruri Puppetry” (Winter 2023) and “Experiencing the Japanese Nohgaku Theatre” (Winter 2022), published in Theatre Design & Technology (TD&T). Naoko has taught Scenic & Properties Design, Stagecraft and Scenic Art, Digital Media Design, Puppetry and Mask Design, Drawing and Rendering, Foundations of Theatrical Design, and Asian Theatre: From South to East, and has advised numerous Independent Studies. Previously, she served as an Assistant Professor of Practice in Scenic and Properties Design and Technology at Northern Arizona University and worked as properties coordinator at Arizona Opera. She has also taught Scene Painting at Arizona State University and freelanced as a scenic designer, scenic artist, and props artisan in Minnesota, South Carolina, and Arizona. Naoko holds an MFA in Scene Design from Minnesota State University, Mankato; a BFA in Theatre from Emporia State University; and a BA in Japanese Literature from Sagami Women’s University. Her creative interests span scenic design, scene painting, props, CAD, graphic and motion design, 3D printing, and literature.
MISO WEI (SHE/HER)
Miso Wei brings a rich background in theater and social work, with a strong passion for international and cross-cultural projects. She has lived and worked in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Belgium, China, and the United States, contributing to regional theaters, musical theater, corporate events, theater festivals, dance, and concerts in roles ranging from stage management to production management. Her notable credits include La Jolla Playhouse, the Old Globe, Broadway, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Taipei Fringe Festival, Tainaner Ensemble Theatre, M.O.V.E. Theatre, and the Taiwan National Symphony Orchestra. Miso was part of the opening team for Shanghai Disney Resort and served as the Production Stage Manager for the first Mandarin version of The Lion King musical. During her time with Disney, she also worked on special events, theme park shows, and project management of resources and planning. In her last position as part of the senior entertainment leadership, she managed a team of 800 people responsible for parades, atmosphere, characters, and athletic training. Dedicated to education and theater consulting, Miso has collaborated with institutions such as the Taiwan Performing Arts Center (National Theatre & Concert Hall and Weiwuying), the Taiwan Association of Theatre Technology, Performing Arts Alliance, USITT (United States Institute for Theatre Technology), OISTAT (The International Organisation of Scenographers, Theatre Architects and Technicians), and the University of California San Diego.
LAURA KARLIN (SHE/HER)
Laura Karlin is the founder of Invertigo Dance Theatre, a storyteller, mama, choreographer, and movement activist. She creates art and community through wild-bodied storytelling onstage, as well as Dancing Through Parkinson's and Dancing Through Life classes, movement and storytelling workshops, reproductive justice and queer activism, herbalism, camping in a Sprinter van, doing solidarity work with the Auntie Sewing Squad and Home for Refugees, and let's be honest, she’s mostly keeping up with having two delightful, feral, and very time-consuming small humans. She moved from London to Los Angeles in 2006 and from Los Angeles to Maine in 2024, and is loving her new habitat. It's a pleasure to meet you, new friends.
JEN SHEPHARD (SHE/HER)
Jen Shepard is an actor/director/improviser originally from Nebraska. She trained at the University of Iowa and at iO and the Annoyance Theater in Chicago. In 2004, she and her husband moved to Maine to open ImprovAcadia, an improv comedy theater in Bar Harbor. For the first few winters, Jen taught at College of the Atlantic and worked for The Second City on the high seas. Her first show at PTC was It’s a Wonderful Life. She became a regular on the stage and developed improvised shows for PTC like A Kick in your Dickens, Ready, Set, Go!, and Auld Lang Zing! In 2021, she became the Executive Director and in 2025 she applied for and was hired as the Artistic Director of PTC. She loves living in Maine and creating live theater for the folks who live here and those who come to visit.
XELA BATCHELDER (SHE/HER)
She ran a venue at Edinburgh Fringe (13y), wrote a doctoral dissertation on world fringes, and founded Fringe University, which uses Edinburgh Fringe as a learning opportunity. She is co-founder of Pittsburgh Fringe, and runs Festival Services at Rochester Fringe. She works with OSU to archive world fringes, and is working on a fringe documentary.
LOIS NEVILLE (SHE/HER)
Lois Neville works in Los Angeles as the Co-Executive Director of the Hollywood Fringe Festival. With a background in theatre performance and teaching, she stepped behind the curtain 10+ years ago and ran full speed into arts administration with zero regrets. She is driven to connect artists and the broader community through strategic partnerships that keep theatre accessible and create programming that promotes entrepreneurialism in the arts.
TARA MCDONOUGH (SHE/THEY)
Tara is an improvisor who has performed on stages from Ireland to California and many places in between. She is a founding member of Portland-based Yes&Co, creator of the comedy collective You Should Smile More, and co-founder of San Francisco’s Un-Scripted Theater Company. Her first Fringe as a performer was in San Francisco in 2004; the lottery smiled upon her in 2011 for the first-ever PortFringe and she has been a part of every PortFringe since.
ALLISON MCCALL (SHE/HER)
Allison has been a proud member of Mad Horse Theatre Co. since 2015 and is the current Artistic Director. Recent directing work includes THE LITTLE PRINCE (Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine); REALLY (Mad Horse Theatre Co.); and COME HOME (Damnationland). Recent onstage roles include Ms. Johnson in THE MINUTES (Mad Horse Theatre); Puppeteer in BABY SHARK (Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine, BWW Regional Award for Best Supporting Actor); and Tori/Joe in WOMEN LAUGHING ALONE WITH SALAD (Mad Horse Theatre Co.). Allison holds a BA in Theatre and Art History from Muhlenberg College, and studied Performance Studies at Goldsmiths, University of London. By day, Allison can be found as the Theatre Coordinator of Maddy's Theatre with the Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine. Up next, she is co-writing/directing the original musical "The Husky Boiz Present: An Ode to He Who Walks Behind the Rows" with theatre-buddy Tyler Costigan, a one-night only late night event for PortFringe. Thank you for supporting Maine Artists!
DAVE REGISTER (HE/HIM)
Dave Register founded the Portland Theater Festival in 2021, and has served as Producing Artistic Director for all five company seasons. Dave has appeared on Broadway in the original company of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and most recently in Tom Stoppard's Leopoldstadt. Other theater: Rodolpho in Ivo van Hove's A View From the Bridge (Kennedy Center and Ahmanson Theatre); world premiere of Kimberly Belflower's John Proctor is the Villain at Studio Theatre; Lincoln Center Theatre Director's Lab, Classic Stage Company, Ars Nova, Westport Country Playhouse, Portland Stage. He stars as Chet in Amazon Prime's global hit series "Fallout" and has also appeared on TV in "Dexter: Resurrection," two seasons of "FBI," "Madam Secretary," and "Graves." Co-Founder of R & R Acting with Bari Robinson. MFA: Columbia University.
NELSON T. EUSEBIO III
Nelson T. Eusebio III is an artistic producer, director, and organizational strategist who bridges high-level artistic vision with operational excellence. A first-generation Filipino-American and Marine Corps veteran, Nelson’s work sits at the intersection of artistic innovation and community power-building.
His directing credits include Cambodian Rock Band (TheatreSquared), Kim’s Convenience (Westport Country Playhouse), and a historic production of Cyrano de Bergerac—the first in American theater history to feature an Asian American actor in the title role. Formerly the Associate Artistic Director at Kansas City Repertory Theatre, he launched KCRep for All, a flagship initiative bringing free, professional theater to underserved neighborhoods.
A Yale MFA graduate and ArtEquity facilitator, Nelson is a member of the inaugural NEA/TCG SPARK Leadership cohort and has served on panels for the National Endowment for the Arts and TCG. From site-specific international projects to national broadcasts with ABC, his practice is guided by the belief that great art is a fundamental democratic right and that the process of creation is as vital as the performance itself.
AFRIKAH SELAH (THEY/THEM)
Afrikah Selah is a Boston-based cultural worker specializing in dramaturgy, new play development, and arts journalism. With a passion for dialogue and a commitment to exploring new ideas in innovative ways, they value creative collaboration that fosters community and work towards a more equitable world. They take pride in having contributed to the development of three world premiere plays and two Rolling World Premiere productions, curating accessible virtual masterclasses with esteemed artists, and being an alum of four nationally recognized arts and culture cohorts. To learn more about their work, visit itsafrikah.com.
JOSHUA W. JACKSON (HE/hiM)
Joshua W. Jackson (he/him) writes plays and screenplays, fiction and nonfiction, and occasionally when nobody is looking even a poem or two. Come see his 10-minute play "While You Wait" at the 2026 Maine Playwrights Festival this May.
Todd Brian Backus (HE/hIM)
Todd Brian Backus is a new works director, dramaturg, and illustrator based in Portland, Maine. He likes to work on "weird theatre" by which he means: Sci-fi plays about absentee voting, Chekhovian cavemen plays, time-traveling gentrification musicals for kids, and plays that combine poetry, swordplay, and ghosts. His work focuses on showcasing stories that stretch the theatrical imagination. He is the Associate Artistic Director of Portland Stage.