Hand To God Program

SAM CARLSON (Jason / Tyrone) is a senior Theatre Arts major with a concentration in Musical Theatre. Previous credits include Peter & the Starcatcher (Lord Aster, U/S Boy/Peter), When We Dead Awaken (Assistant Sound Designer), The Aliens (Evan), Spring Awakening (Asst. Stage Manager) and The Laramie Project (Ensemble) at UW-Parkside, and Lions in Illyria (Andrew/Sebastian), Into the Woods (Jack), and As You Like It (Silvius) at the College of Lake County.

JULIANA CAMPOS-TAYLOR (Jessica / Jolene) is a sophomore Theatre Arts major with concentrations in Stage Management and Musical Theatre. Previous roles include Carrie: the Musical (Assistant Stage Manager), Peter & the Starcatcher (Ensemble, U/S Grempkin/Fighting Prawn/Mack/Sanchez/Bill Slank/Hawking Clam), and The Laramie Project (Ensemble) at UW-Parkside and Seussical Jr. (Stage Manager), and Moana Jr. (Assistant Director) at the Truckee Community Theatre.

AMY BATES (Margery) is a junior Theatre Arts major with a concentration in Directing. Previous acting credits include Always a Bridesmaid (Charlie) at the Waukesha Civic Theatre, The Roommate (Sharon) at Millbrook Playhouse, Spring Awakening (The Adult Woman) and The Cripple of Inishmaan (Aunt Kate) at Valencia Theatre. Prior Directing Credits include Carrie: the Musical (Assistant Director) at UW-Parkside, Twelfth Night: A New Musical Journey and A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder at the Malthouse Theatre in Burlington, WI (Broadway World Milwaukee Award Winner) and Double Trouble a Musical Tour de Farce, Little Women: the Musical, and The Drowsy Chaperone at Stage Productions in Orlando, FL.

WALKER BEAMAN (Timmy) is a Junior year Theatre Arts Major who came to us from State Fair Community College. Prior credits include Heathers: the Musical (Ram Sweeney), The Tempest (Sebastian), Not Now Darling (Mr. Frencham), Henry V (Bardolph / Captain Fluellen), Junie B. Jones: the Musical (Daddy / Mr. Scary), The 39 Steps (Richard Hanney), and The Lightning Thief: the Percy Jackson Musical (Chiron) at State Fair Community College.

BRADEN MILLER (Pastor Greg) is a senior Theatre Arts major with a concentration in Acting. Braden transferred from State Fair College in MO, where his previous roles include Not Now Darling (Gilbert Bodly), The Tempest (Antonio), SpongeBob the Musical (Plankton), Leveling Up (Zander), and Puffs (Cedric/Lord Voldy). Recent roles at UW-Parkside include Peter and the Starcatcher (Black Stache) and The Laramie Project (Ensemble), and last summer performed as Prospector Elijah / Soldier in Unto These Hills at Mountainside Theatre.

JOHN BATORY (U/S Timmy / Pastor Greg) is a first-year Music Major with a concentration in Contemporary and Commercial Music. Previously at UW-Parkside he was the Sound Board Operator for Carrie: the Musical.

HUGO DUMS (U/S Jason/Tyrone) is a second-year Theatre Arts major with a concentration in Acting. Previous credits include Carrie: the Musical (Head Electrician), True West (Saul), Peter & the Starcatcher (Boy/Peter) and The Laramie Project (Ensemble) at UW-Parkside.

TRINITY WALLACE (U/S Jessica/Jolene & Margery) is a third-year Theatre Arts major with a concentration in Acting who came to us from the College of Lake County. Prior credits include The Mountaintop (Camae) and School House Rock Live! (Dori) at the College of Lake County.

CODY ESTLE (Director) became the Artistic Director at Milwaukee’s Next Act Theatre in December 2022. Previously, he served as the Artistic Director at Raven Theatre in Chicago. His directing credits include THE TREASURER at Next Act Theatre; EVERY BRILLIANT THING at The Weidner; THE LUCKIEST (2022 Jeff Award nominee for Best Production and Best Director), SUNDOWN, YELLOW MOON, HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE (named by Windy City Times as the best of Chicago theatre in 2019), THE GENTLEMAN CALLER (2019 Jeff Award winning new play by Philip Dawkins), THE ASSEMBLED PARTIES, A LOSS OF ROSES (named by Chicago Tribune honorable mention as one of the year’s best in 2016), DIVIDING THE ESTATE, VIEUX CARRÉ (named by Chicago Tribune as one of the year’s best in 2014), GOOD BOYS AND TRUE, BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS, BOY GETS GIRL and DATING WALTER DANTE at Raven Theatre; THE GARBOLOGISTS and BY THE WATER (named by Chicago Sun-Times honorable mention as one of the top theatre productions of 2017) at Northlight Theatre; DAMASCUS at Strawdog Theatre; FIVE MILE LAKE at Shattered Globe Theatre; AMERICAN HERO at First Floor Theatre; SCARCITY at Redtwist Theatre; THE SEAGULL and WATCH ON THE RHINE at The Artistic Home; DON’T GO GENTLE at Haven Theatre; UNCLE BOB at Mary-Arrchie Theatre and HOSPITALITY SUITE at Citadel Theatre. Cody has been named a “Person to Watch” by American Theatre Magazine and a “Notable Leader in Arts and Entertainment” by BizTimes Milwaukee. He is a member of SDC and an alumnus of Columbia College Chicago. codyestle.com

OCTAVIO HERNANDEZ (Assistant Director) is a senior Theatre Arts major with a concentration in Directing. Octavio transferred from the College of Lake County, where his credits include Evil Dead: the Musical (Assistant Director), The Story Club (Charlie), Eurydice (Big Stone), I Have a Story to Tell (self), Gruesome Playground Injuries (Doug), Into the Woods (Cinderella’s Father), School House Rock Live! (Tom), Lions in Illyria (Asst. Director), The Complete Works of William Shakespeare [Abridged] (Asst. Director), and The Squirrels (Director). Recent UW-Parkside credits include True West (Director), The Altruists (Ronald), Meteor Shower (U/S Norman) and The Laramie Project (Assistant Director).

TAYLOR IRELAND (Stage Manager) is a senior Theatre Arts major with a concentration in Stage Management. Recent UW-Parkside credits include True West (Lighting Designer), Peter & the Starcatcher (Stage Manager), The Altruists (Lighting Designer), Meteor Shower (Head Electrician), The Laramie Project (Stage Manager), The Aliens (Stage Manager), As You Like It (Assistant Stage Manager) and The Wolves (Assistant Stage Manager). Taylor was also the Stage Manager for The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fair(l)y (Stoopid) Tales at Cyclopedic Ensemble. Additionally, Taylor has been the Assistant Stage Manager for two seasons at Door Shakespeare, for their productions of The Old Man and The Old Moon, As You Like It, Emma, and Romeo and Juliet. See examples of their work at Taylor-Ireland.com.

JODY SEKAS (Scenic Designer / Technical Director) is a production designer for theatre & film, whose recent designs include the Off-Broadway debut of Boswell, and the feature film What Happened to Dorothy Bell. In 2021 he won the KCACTF National Scene Design award for his UW-Parkside design of Stupid F##king Bird. He has worked for such venues as the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, First Stage Children’s Theatre, Door Shakespeare, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Renaissance Theaterworks, Dell’Arte International, Rochester Civic Theatre, Omaha Theatre Company for Young People, The Western Stage, and on the feature films The Music Inside, Bigfoot: The Lost Coast Tapes, FLEA, and The Wine of Summer. He taught Scenography for Theatre, Film, & Dance at Humboldt State University in northern California; Scenic/Lighting Design & Technology at UW-Eau Claire and was the resident scenic & lighting designer for the Sioux Falls Playhouse in South Dakota. He is now in his twelfth year at UW-Parkside as Associate Professor of Scenic Design & Technology. See examples of his work at www.d4production.com.

LESLIE VAGLICA (Costume Designer / Costume Shop Supervisor) is a costumer whose foundation in fashion and art has enriched her focus in theatrical costuming. She has worked as a costume technician for Off-Broadway productions of Trevor, The Musical and Boswell, as well as for professional companies, including American Players Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, the Florentine Opera Company, Skylight Music Theatre, and Milwaukee Chamber Theatre. Professional regional design credits include The Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Sugar Creek Opera, Milwaukee Opera Theatre, Florentine Opera Company, Luminous Theatre, UW-Milwaukee Dance and Musical Theatre, Peter Stathas Dance, and Renaissance Theaterworks. She has also served as Costume Shop Manager at Hope Summer Repertory Theater in Holland, MI. Leslie is a graduate of UW-Eau Claire and holds a certificate in Apparel Product Design and Development from Mt. Mary University.

PETR WILLIAM (Lighting Designer) is a senior Theatre Arts major with a concentration in Design and Technology. Recently, Petr was involved with Chad Deity at Next Act Theatre in Milwaukee. Past credits at UW-Parkside include Carrie: the Musical (Projections Designer), Peter & the Starcatcher (Asst. Director), When We Dead Awaken (Lighting Designer), The Flood (Director), Meteor Shower (Projections Designer), The Laramie Project (Asst. Lighting Designer), Spring Awakening (Ensemble, Moritz cover, Head Electrician), Hir (Stage Manager), Reasons to be Pretty (Lighting Designer), The Wolves (Assistant Lighting Designer), She Kills Monsters (Head Electrician), Circle Mirror Transformation (Lighting Designer), and The Mad Ones (Adam U/S). See more examples of his work at petrwilliamcreative.com.

KEVIN GRAY (Sound Designer) is UW-Parkside’s Sound Manager and Instructor, working with both the Theatre Arts and Music departments to produce art and events on campus. Kevin received a BA in Sound Design with a minor in Music Composition from Michigan Technological University. UW-Parkside Design credits include When We Dead Awaken, The Laramie Project, The Aliens, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Cinderella, and Stupid F##king Bird, for which he received a KCACTF National Award for Excellence in Sound Design.

CHRISTOPHER ELST (Violence and Intimacy Director) is a prominent member of several national theater organizations (SAFD, Dueling Arts International, IDC, TIE) and an advocate for safe practices in theaters nationwide. Christopher has performed, directed, and designed violence, movement and intimacy for professional theaters across the country, including Ogunquit Playhouse, Door Shakespeare, First Stage Children’s Theatre, Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival (now The REV), Next Act Theatre, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Renaissance Theatreworks, Skylight Music Theatre, Milwaukee Opera Theatre, and the Milwaukee Rep. He is currently studying for a double MFA in Theatre Performance and Theatre Directing at Western Illinois University.

J LOFTY (Props & Puppets Designer) is a senior Theatre Arts major with a minor in International Studies. Previous credits at UW-Parkside include True West (U/S Mom), Hir (U/S Isaac), Collective Rage (Betty 5), Peter & the Starcatcher (Props Lead), The Altruists (Dramaturg), Meteor Shower (Props Lead), The Laramie Project (Dramaturg), As You Like It (Assistant Props Lead) and She Kills Monsters (Assistant Props Lead). See more of their work at Jlofty.com

JADE JORDAN (Makeup & Hair Designer) is a second-year Theatre Arts major with a concentration in Design & Technology. Previously at UW-Parkside Jade was the Assistant Makeup Artist for Peter and the Starcatcher.

AJ MAGOON (Puppetry Consultant) – A.J. is happy to bring his puppetry knowledge to this delightfully devilish production. He played the role of Jason/Tyrone with Voices Found Repertory and has also performed puppets for First Stage and Quasimondo Physical Theatre. In addition to his puppet work, he has been seen as an actor with Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Renaissance Theaterworks, Theatre Gigante, Summit Players Theatre, Acacia Theatre Company, Brigata Theatre, The Boulevard Theatre, Kith & Kin Theatre Collective, The Constructivists, Seat of Our Pants Readers Theatre, Quasimondo Physical Theatre, Sunstone Studios, Voices Found Repertory, Bard and Bourbon, Theatre Nervosa, Windfall Theatre and Cooperative Performance. A.J. is the Marketing Director at Next Act Theatre and is a founding member of Summit Players Theatre, for which he served administratively for nine years, including four as Executive Director. www.ajmagoon.com

MAGGIE JAY (Charge Artist) is a senior Theatre Arts major with a concentration in Design & Technology. She has recently worked as a Scenic Artist at the Texas Shakespeare Festival and previously at the Interlochen Center for the Arts. Prior credits at UW-Parkside include Carrie: the Musical (Charge Artist/A1 Sound Mixer), Peter & the Starcatcher (Charge Artist/Sound Engineer), When We Dead Awaken (Charge Artist), Meteor Shower (Charge Artist), The Wolves (Charge Artist), The Laramie Project (Ensemble/ Reggie Fluty), Reasons to be Pretty (Steph), Circle Mirror Transformation (Theresa), and The Aliens (Assistant Sound Designer). For more examples of her work, please visit www.maggiejay.com

REBECCA FINKBEINER (Assistant Stage Manager) is a second-year Theatre Arts minor. Prior credits include Peter & the Starcatcher (Asst. Stage Manager), When We Dead Awaken (Maja) and The Laramie Project (Ensemble) at UW-Parkside, Annie (Miss Hannigan) at the National Youth Theatre, Les Miserables (Ensemble), and Peter Pan (Pirate) at Christian Youth Theatre.

MYKAH MELONE (Fight Captain/Assistant Stage Manager) is a senior Theatre Arts major with a concentration in Musical Theatre. Recently they attended the Open Jar Intensive in NYC and performed in the RenQuest cast at the Bristol Renaissance Faire. Other credits include True West (Fight Choreographer), Peter & the Starcatcher (Ensemble, U/S Smee/Captain Robert Falcon Scott), When We Dead Awaken (Light Board Operator), The Laramie Project (Props Lead) and Burn: The Musical (U/S Gerry & Walt) at UW-Parkside, Legally Blonde (Props Designer), Betrayal (Asst. Stage Manager), and Hair (Paul / Woof) at Carthage College, Shakespeare in Love (Asst. Fight Director) at Harper College, She Kills Monsters (Farrah the Faerie) at Elgin Community College, Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder (Ensemble) at Lake Zurich Players, and Macbeth (U/S Angus & Witch) at Theatre Lab.

ALI LACSON (Assistant Scenic Designer) is a senior Theatre Arts major with a concentration in Design & Technology. Her prior credits include When We Dead Awaken (Assistant Scenic Designer), The Laramie Project (Props Artisan) and Meteor Shower (Props Artisan, Deck Crew) at UW-Parkside, and Story Book Club (Camera Operator, Deck Crew), Gruesome Playground Injuries (Scenic Designer, Costume Designer (Scene 3)), Lions in Illyria (Deck Crew), and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare [Abridged] (Deck Crew) at the College of Lake County.

ALYSSA RITACCA (Assistant Costume Designer) is a junior Theatre Arts major. Recent credits at UW-Parkside include Carrie: the Musical (Frieda), The Flood (Nahmuh), Meteor Shower (U/S Corky), Spring Awakening (Ensemble, Adult Woman Cover), The Wolves (U/S #7, #14, #25). She has been involved in multiple productions at Children’s Theater Academy (CTA) in Kenosha, such as Frozen (Sven), Moana (Moana), and Newsies (Ensemble), and designed props for CTA’s production of Newsies and scenery for their production of Seussical.

JAMES HYDE III (Assistant Sound Designer) is a junior Theatre Arts major with a concentration in Design & Technology who came to us from State Fair Community College. Previous credits include True West (U/S Lee & Austin) at UW-Parkside, and The Tempest (composer), The Rose Garden (Sound Designer / Composer), and The Devil’s Due (Composter / Dr. Bedroux) at State Fair Community College.

SAVANA ANDERSHOCK (Production Electrician) is a senior Theatre Arts major. Over the summer, Savana worked as an Electrician at the Illinois Shakespeare Festival. Previous credits at UW-Parkside include Peter & the Starcatcher (Asst. Lighting Designer), The Altruists (Stage Manager), When We Dead Awaken (Head Electrician), Meteor Shower (Lighting Designer), The Aliens (Light Board Operator), As You Like It (Assistant Stage Manager), The Wolves (Master Electrician), She Kills Monsters (Assistant Stage Manager), Indecent (Assistant Master Electrician), and The Penelopiad (Deck Crew). Recent acting credits include She Kills Monsters (Narrator), The Thanksgiving Play (Logan) and Carrie: the Musical (Lighting Designer). In the summer of 2023, Savana was a Production Assistant at American Players Theater in Spring Green, WI. For more examples of her work, please visit www.savanaandershock.com

JEFF BRAIN (Scene Shop Supervisor) is a graduate of UW-Parkside (2020) with focuses on performance, carpentry, and props design. At Parkside, his performance credits included Romeo and Juliet (Friar Lawrence), Love’s Labour’s Lost (Longaville), and War of the Worlds (Announcer #2). He also designed props for Silent Sky and served as Lead Carpenter for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Jeff has also worked as a carpenter and props artisan for theatres including The Alley Theatre (Houston, TX), American Players Theatre (Spring Green, WI), and Fireside Dinner Theatre (Fort Atkinson, WI). He is an ensemble member of Redtwist Theatre in Chicago, where he continues to expand his portfolio of performance, carpentry, and props design.