Set Designer/Builder - Zac Curtis
Lighting Designer - Riley Merrill
Intimacy Coordinator - Jim Martin
Lighting Designer - Riley Merrill
Intimacy Coordinator - Jim Martin
Note: WTC does not write, edit, or necessarily endorse any of the content in the following bios.
Matthew Ivan Bennett has been a resident of Plan-B Theatre since 2007, where he’s premiered several plays, including RADIO HOUR EPISODE 17: SHERLOCK HOLMES & THE FINAL PROBLEM on October 27th on KUER. His play ERIC(A) won Best Drama at United Solo Theatre Festival in New York. His feature film THE WHOLE LOT (dir. by Connor Rickman) was an Official Selection at the Philadelphia Independent Film Festival, Mumbai Indie, and the New York City International Reel Film Festival (2022-23). Locally, he’s collaborated with Pioneer Theatre, SLAC, Pygmalion, and Sackerson. His rom-com FROM JUNE TO AUGUST was at Meanwhile Park this summer, and his short plays recently appeared with Pacific Play Co. in Seattle. His poetry has been published with Sugar House Review, Western Humanities, and Utah Life. His novelette ASSIMILANT will be published soon with The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. At Wasatch, in the P2S festival, you may have seen his short plays SHARK WEEK and THE VOICES. Matt is a member of Futurescapes and the Dramatists Guild.
Megan Bishop is so excited to be a part of “Day of Bonding” again after acting in the original production at the Salt Lake Fringe Festival in 2021. A graduate from Southern Utah University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Classical Acting, Megan has been seen on stages all across Utah. Recently she’s been working with Tooele Valley Theatre Company: as Viola in “Twelfth Night” last summer and Banquo in “Macbeth” this June. Megan loves to act (obviously), but her true passion lies in teaching and directing. She is currently teaching theatre and dance at South Hills Middle School. This is Megan’s third show with Wasatch, and she is so pleased to be back working on yet another of Mindy’s spectacular shows!
Cordelia Brand is a theatre teacher at Rowland Hall in Salt Lake City and teaches Youth Theatre at the University of Utah. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Theatre from Weber State University with a double emphasis in Directing and Acting and a Master of Arts in Teaching with an emphasis in Theatre from Westminster College. She has taught ages 3 through college and has been directing for 28 years. Cordelia loves to write and dabbles in various forms of the craft.
Mindy Curtis is a playwright, deviser, director, educator, artist, mother, wife, runner, traveler, adventurer, and knitter. Mindy’s plays have been produced and performed by various educational and community theatres throughout the United States. Mindy's short play Yard Sale was published in Fleas on the Dog Literary Magazine and her full-length play The Great Plan of Happiness is available at stageplays.com. Mindy is also an experienced theatre educator and has taught, led, and directed theatre programs across the country. She lives in Taylorsville with her talented husband, two spunky kids, siamese cat, and labradoodle puppy.
Zac Curtis is loving being back with Wasatch Theatre Company as a set designer, after previously directing for their Page to Stage Festival and The Salt Lake Fringe Festival, and acting in Building the Wall. He is a Professor of Theatre at Salt Lake Community College and has his MFA in directing from The University of Idaho. Most recently, Zac has directed with SLCC, University of Wisconsin, and Madison Children's Theatre, and fight directed with Utah Opera, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, University of Utah, Westminster College, and Pinnacle Acting Company. Zac spends his free time with his fantastic children and phenomenal talented playwright wife.
Jessica Dudley-Rodriguez is excited to make her return to the stage after a 7-year hiatus! She was seen last as Polonius in Hamlet at the University of Utah in 2016. In her time away she received her MFA in Theatre Management from Florida State University. She has recently worked behind the camera with the Los Hermanos Collective as an assistant director and doing script supervision work on various short film and music video projects. Other notable works include costume designing Good Kids and set designing Blue Stockings and Love Alone. She wants to thank her wonderful husband for his support and encouragement.
Roger Dunbar is excited to be performing with Wasatch Theatre for the first time. He was fortunate enough to be involved in Plan B's audio production of Art & Class in 2021. Other shows around valley include Harvey (The Grand), Treasure Island (Hale Centre - Sandy), Waiting for Godot, Hedda Gabler, The Winter's Tale (Sting & Honey), Doubt, Amadeus (Utah Repertory), The Philadelphia Story, King Charles III (Pioneer), Art, Boeing Boeing, Betrayal (Pinnacle), and One Big Union (Plan B).
Amona Faatau is a recent graduate of the University of Utah’s Actor Training Program where he was in several productions including; She Kills Monsters (Chuck), The Odyssey (Telemachus), and The Book Club Play (Alex). You may also recognize him from Plan B’s Stranded (Poppy) during the Rose Exposed 2021 event. Amona is currently a part of Plan B’s elementary tour and will be for the rest of the school year. Special thanks to Hannah, as well as all his friends and family for all their continuous love and support.
Ethan Hernandez is a graduate of the University of Utah’s Actor Training Program. His recent credits include Rabbit Hole (Jason) with Voodoo Theatre Company and Gross Indecency (Taylor/Judge) with Wasatch Theatre Company. He is excited to be working with Wasatch once again, as well as bringing George Plautz's work to life.
Stephanie Howell is thrilled to be a part of this production of Art & Class, having previously played Mindy in both the Playwright’s Lab reading and the virtual production - both at Plan-B Theatre Company. She was most recently seen (alongside A&C playwright Matt Bennett) as Juanita Brooks in PYG’s production of Mountain Meadows. Other favorite roles include Judy (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time; Pioneer Theatre Company), Birgit (The Ice Front; Plan-B Theatre Company), Juliana (The Other Place; Utah Repertory Theatre), and Jean (Good People; Salt Lake Acting Company.) Stephanie holds a B.S. in Theatre Arts from Northwestern University and is a member of Actors' Equity Association.
Azra Jackson--This is Azra’s first straight play production with Wasatch Theatre Company, and he is very excited to be a part of it. He would like to express his appreciation for the arts and for his friends that supported him into getting there in the first place. Azra is a very talented young man and hoping to make more magic in the theater world. A previous production he was part of was In the Heights at the Grand Theater, and he is now going on to auditioning for new roles to grow as an actor. He would also like to thank the audience for taking their time out of the day to watch him perform and hopes they are entertained.
Dakota James is a full time student at Salt Lake Community College working on his theatre degree. Since he started at S.L.C.C, he has been in two of it’s productions to include ‘To Be Frank’ and ‘24 hour theatre fest’, as well as a fringe festival production titled ‘The Timekeepers Collection’. ‘Day Of Bonding is the second time he has been the lead role he’s preformed and has many more ahead of him.
Yoah Kristine moved to the states when she was 10 yrs old from Zulia, Venezuela and considers Utah her home. Some of her favorite past roles include: Henri-The View Upstairs-Good Company Theater; Footloose- The Egyptian Theater; Alice's daughter-Big River-The Hale Theater; Sister Chantelle-Bare-Utah Rep. Theater; Concepción-Rings-The Grand Theater; Stella-Bonnie & Clyde-Utah Rep. Theater
Favorite quote: "There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone."
Instagram: @Yoahkristine
Favorite quote: "There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone."
Instagram: @Yoahkristine
Marie Kynd has had an impressive two years with winning the Best directing award at 48 hour film festival, writing/directing her own play “The Timekeeper’s Collection” for Great Salt Lake fringe, Writing and directing for the 24 hour theatre festival, and being Lady Jaggard in “The Book of will” at Salt lake community college. Her goal is to fit as many lifetimes as she possibly can into her existence and she can’t wait to add “Emerson” to the collection! Follow her at @mariekynd on instagram to catch her newest album on all streaming platforms this August!
Nicole Lopez is so happy to be working with Wasatch Theatre Company in the Short Shorts written by George Plautz. She graduated from Southern Utah University in 2019 with a BS in Theatre and since then has been doing smaller projects on the side. Some of her more notable roles have been Cleon in "Pericles", Tasha in "Unstable Connections", and Bianca in "The Museum Project". Nicole is very passionate about all aspects of theatre and has been honored to be the Assistant Theatre Coach at Jordan High School for the past year. While she loves to direct and work on the technical side she is excited to be back acting in person and to be honoring the memory of George Plautz with this fantastic show.
Aussie Marie, a Salt Lake based Comedy Improviser, is grateful to have found herself part of the Page-To-Stage Festival and has enjoyed exploring George Plautz’s fun and dynamic characters! She has been a comedian for 10 years and can normally be found performing with Quick Wits Improv in Midvale. When not onstage, Aussie loves spending time with her beloved dog, Chewy!
“Be Understanding”
“Be Understanding”
Beth Anne Martin is so thrilled to be involved with DofB…again! She was involved in the original production as Official Raven at the 2021 The Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival. Her other stage credits include M’Lynn in Steel Magnolias, Arkadina in The Seagull and recently was the opening act for I Plead the Filth. More recently, you can find Beth Anne on commercials for Magnum E-Bike, IHC, Stampin’ Up and Utah State University. ANNNDDDDDD this fall she will in The Shape of Halloween as Detective Trish Martin. She would like to thank Jonathan (this is all your fault), her craptastic friends Michelle and Summer, Zac and Mindy, her kids Parker and Nate and Jeff. “Life is absurd and I’m absurdly happy to be sharing it with you’”
Jim Martin (Director) has been with Wasatch Theatre Company since day one. Jim is currently working on his Master of Fine Arts with an emphasis in directing from the University of Idaho at Moscow. He is slated to graduate in early 2024. Jim has directed many shows including George Plautz's The Final Act, Hands on a Hardbody, Caroline, or Change, and the Page-to-Stage Festival. Jim's next project is to bring George's words to life in this year's Page-to-Stage Festival: Short Shorts. Jim would like to thank George for being his friend, his mom for raising him with love and determination, his son Jayden for being himself, his dad for always supporting even when he doesn't understand what the hell I'm doing, and his several pets for the cuddles (Chuck, Rosie, Misty, and Milo).
Kajsa E Nelson is very excited to be a part of this production. She has been involved in theatre since she was 5 years old and probably will till the day she dies and rejoins the mighty Pheonix. Her last productions include Drunk Shakespeare Taming of the Shrew at Mad King, Phantom of the Opera at Desert Star and Midsummer Night's Dream at Centerpoint. Thank you Dallyn for convincing me to audition and thank you Mindy for this wonderful piece of art for religious survivors everywhere.
Jesse Nepivoda is an actor and playwright originally from Washington DC. 'Art & Class' is his sixth time working with Wasatch Theatre Company. Much love to Isabel.
George Plautz (1955-2023) had been writing, directing, acting, and producing for Wasatch Theatre Company since 2000. He also helped create, wrote for, and performed with Bookspeak Theater Company and the Starry-Eyed Puppets. Three of his full-length plays and numerous of his one-act and ten-minute plays have been produced. He took a three year post/pre-retirement job to create a drama program at a high school in Nanjing China. After returning to Salt Lake City from China in 2018, he had been pursuing playwriting and cooking full-time including a month-long residency at Dairy the Hollow Writer's Retreat in Eureka Springs, Arkansas in 2021. At the time of George's passing, he was working on a full-length musical which will be produced in an upcoming WTC season.
Aaron Sparks is ecstatic to be working with Wasatch Theatre Company again, especially on another Mindy Curtis’ play. He is very grateful for the opportunity to work with such great collaborators and artists. Since the age of 3, Aaron has been involved with the performing arts in some capacity, however the medium of theatre has always been his favorite. From acting, to directing, to choreographing, to staged readings, and all the wonderful components in between, he has found an appreciation for the classics, as well as an enthusiasm for new works. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre from the University of Utah. Aaron would like to thank Kyle for the endless support and encouragement. "We should all read the Tomes more."
Dallyn Steenerson is excited to be making their Wasatch Theatre Company debut, and even MORE excited to be a part of this wonderful cast! Most recently they were seen on stage as Biondello in Mad King's Drunk Shakespeare Production of "Taming of the Shrew". Other acting credits include Jack in "Into the Woods", Melchior in "Spring Awakening", and Midas in "Metamorphoses". Thanks to Mindy and Aaron for the opportunity, thanks to Kajsa for making Dallyn audition for things, and thanks to Kinny and Kiki for the never-ending love and support!
Jeff Stinson saw Day of Bonding when it premiered as a one act at the Fringe Festival in 2021 and couldn't be more thrilled to be involved with this production. He was most recently seen as Joe Pitt in Angels in America with Kallisti Theatre Company. Jeff is currently pursuing his MBA at the University of Utah and works as the CTO for Holiday Oil. He counts his lucky stars every day for his spectacular community of friends and family, for his wise beyond his years son James, and his magnificent partner Beth Anne.
Daniel Torrence--I am honored to be taking part in GeorgeFest 2023! Past shows where I was lucky enough to work with George include An Inspector Calls, The Fantasticks, A Thousand Clowns, As You Like It, Stories of Hawaii, Forbidden Utah, and many one-act plays.
Mitch Tyler is thrilled to be working with WTC and honoring the talent, memory, and legacy of the late great George Plautz with Short Shorts this year, having also recently performed his Fractured Fairy Tales at various libraries throughout the valley. Mitch has always been passionate about acting and performing arts, having majored in the field with his BA at UVU. He's performed in a wide array of plays, ranging from Shakespeare to musicals and everything else in between. Some of his most favorite recent shows include 'A Christmas Carol' at the Draper Historic Theatre as Young Scrooge, '12 Dancing Princesses' with Sugar Factory Playhouse as Sir Darwin of Yale, and A Midsummer Night's Dream' at the Parker Theatre as Snug the Lion. Furthermore, he also enjoys film acting, having worked on dozens of short films and a handful of feature films that have all been screened at various local film festivals. Mitch hopes to continue acting/performing and telling as many stories as he possibly can till his dying day!
In addition to George, Mitch would also like to dedicate this to his Grandpa Tyler who just recently passed away. He was his best friend and his most unwavering believer and supporter of his acting dreams and aspirations.
In addition to George, Mitch would also like to dedicate this to his Grandpa Tyler who just recently passed away. He was his best friend and his most unwavering believer and supporter of his acting dreams and aspirations.
WTC Mission
Wasatch Theatre Company produces timely, relevant, and entertaining theatre by supporting diverse artists and providing opportunities for unique voices to stimulate conversation, increase empathy, and empower positive social change.
WTC Core Values
Diversity and Representation
Engagement
Empathy
Empowerment
Creativity
Accountability
Engagement
Empathy
Empowerment
Creativity
Accountability
WTC Ensemble
WTC has an Ensemble of artists. These individuals have shown amazing talent and energy toward making WTC a success. As Ensemble members, they earn recognition on the WTC website and in playbills. They also have opportunity to contribute to WTC seasons and other ideas. They are the first to be considered when casting a show and have an automatic "in" when it comes to the Page-to-Stage Festivals and any staged readings. We are thrilled to have these artists associated with WTC!
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