The Acting Company Presents
GREAT EXPECTATIONS

By Nikki Massoud
From the novel by Charles Dickens
Directed by Devin Brain° 

CAST 
(in alphabetical order)

Magwitch, Jaggers, others                                                                     Michael Stewart Allen*
Herbert Pocket, Miss Sally Pocket, others, u/s Estella, Biddy   Mallory Avnet* 
Estella, Biddy, others, u/s Miss Havisham                                        Madeleine Barker*
Drummle, Compeyson, Orlick, others                                               Christian Frost* 
Pip                                                                                                                    Sam Im*          
Miss Havisham, Mrs. Joe, others                                                           Angie Janas*   
Ensemble                                                                                                      Shunté Lofton*
Pumblechook, Miss Camilla Pocket, others                                     Pauli Pontrelli*
Joe, Matthew, others                                                                                George Anthony Richardson*
Repertory Company Understudies                                                     Devan Kelty*, Krista Grevas, Kleo Mitrokostas

CREATIVE TEAM 

Scenic Design                                                                                             Tanya Orellana† 
Costume Design                                                                                        Valérie Thérèse Bart† 
Lighting Design                                                                                         Alan C. Edwards† 
Sound Design                                                                                             Sharath Patel† 
Composer                                                                                                    Lindsay Jones† 
Props Lead                                                                                                  Alex Choate
Voice & Text Coach                                                                                  Duane Boutté
Fight and Movement Choreographer and                                     Eli Lynn
     Intimacy Coordinator
Dramaturg                                                                                                  Kristin Leahey 
Associate Director                                                                                   Kate Pitt
Staff Director                                                                                            Irvin Mason, Jr. 
Casting Director                                                                                      Claire Yenson, CSA
Assistant Casting Director                                                                  Dorie Magowan
Production Stage Manager                                                                Jessica Forella*
Assistant Stage Manager                                                                    Liz Hetzel
 
The Acting Company’s national tour of Great Expectations and A Midsummer Night’s Dream received its first performances at Rubicon Theatre Company of Ventura, California in December 2025.

°The Director is a member of the STAGE DIRECTORS AND CHOREOGRAPHERS SOCIETY, a national theatrical labor union. 

†Designers represented by United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees 

*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.  

REPERTORY DESIGN AND PRODUCTION STAFF

Production Manager                                                                           Neal Goleta 
Production Manager                                                                           Kevin Pendergast
Company Manager, Rep Understudy                                           Kleo Mitrokostas
Associate Scenic Designer                                                               Danielle DeLaFuente 
Associate Sound Designer                                                                Joshua Nguyen 
Associate Props Lead                                                                         Ying-Syuan Zeng 

Associate Costume Designer, Great Expectatio                     Charlie Ko 
Associate Lighting Designer                                                           Conor Mulligan†
Technical Director                                                                               Chris Grainer
Wardrobe Supervisor, Rep Understudy                                      Krista Grevas
Lighting Supervisor, Rep Understudy                                         Devan Kelty
Sound Supervisor                                                                               Elena Martin
Tour Lighting Drafter                                                                         Jessica Neill    
People, Culture, & Belonging Consultant                                  Ann James 
Production Assistant                                                                         Mya Piccione 
Production Assistant                                                                         Taylor Bray
Key Art Illustration                                                                              Anne Benjamin

THE ACTING COMPANY STAFF 

Producing Artistic Director                                                             Devin Brain 
Executive Director of Institutional Advancement                  Hillary Cohen 
General Manager                                                                                Shelley Little
Development Associate                                                                   Natalya Ribovich

FROM THE ACTING COMPANY’S PRODUCING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR 

The Acting Company has a tradition of over fifty years of producing repertory. Each season, we produce two (or more) plays that are presented alongside each other and share a single cast. It is a fiendishly difficult task involving the triangulation of casting, design, and theme. It also demands the actors hold two different plays in their heads. In this season, we have ensemble members that are playing more than eight characters between the two productions. A difficult thing, but so very, very worthwhile.

It is the perfect way to experience the virtuosic brilliance of an ensemble. We watch an actress play a hyper-aggressive working class woman and a near-insane wealthy recluse in one play and a warrior queen in the other. The actors must use every trick of voice, body, costume, and language to conjure all of these different identities for an audience.

This process is all the more exciting when the titles feel like mirrors to each other. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is, simply put, one of my favorite plays. It has everything: beautiful language, moving lovers, spectacular faeries, and hilarious mechanicals. It is a story that, beneath its humor asks us important questions about how love can define our lives. I have laughed until I cried watching a 50-year-old British Clown kill himself as Pyramus and I have fallen out of a chair watching a middle school girl do the same moment. This is a crowd pleaser by any measure.

Great Expectations will, I think, surprise folks. So often when we think of Dickens we imagine filthy cobblestone streets, the hacking coughs of Victorian chimney sweeps, the clink of coins, and the gaunt faces of the hungry. He was a writer who managed to master his period’s version of Primetime TV (the serialized novel) as both a political act and as thrilling entertainment. Great Expectations is no exception. This story has EVERYTHING: orphans striving to find their place in the world, beautiful heiresses, violent criminals with hearts of gold, and just maybe a strain of true love. Bridgerton has nothing on Dickens.

That’s what I love in both these stories. I know that they will make you laugh and touch your heart. Despite being filled with danger, these plays are stories of hope. They will leave you energized and longing for more. At the same time, they ask eternal questions about social mobility, love, identity, power, and all the other things that make growing up so difficult. That is their power: they entertain us, even as they bring us face to face with ourselves.

I hope you all get to enjoy both of these productions!

Devin Brain

The Acting Company

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

The Acting Company’s 2025 National Tour is supported, in part, by the National Endowment for the Arts; the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature; public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council; the Axe-Houghton Foundation; Corymore Foundation; The Howard Gilman Foundation; the Holborn Foundation; the Jewish Federation of Cleveland; The Kean Foundation; The Kovner Foundation; the Lucille Lortel Foundation; Microsoft; the Morris and Alma Schapiro Fund; the Nancy Friday Foundation; the Rona Jaffe Foundation; The Shubert Foundation; The Strong-Cuevas Foundation; The Robertson Foundation; the Wilson/Reinhorn Family Trust; and many generous individual donors to whom we are ever grateful. The Acting Company respectfully acknowledges the indelible memories of Anne L. Bernstein (1948-2021), Louanna O. Carlin (1937-2021), Carol Crowley (1930-2023), Jill Edelson (1933-2020), John N. Gilbert, Jr. (1938-2023), Kirby S. Graham (1932-2021), Edgar Lansbury (1930-2024), and Marian Seldes (1928-2014).

SPECIAL THANKS 

Rubicon Theatre Company (Karyl Lynn Burns, Co-Founder/Producing Artistic Director, and J. Scott Lapp, Producing Artistic Director)

Additional Production Staff: Olivia Fletcher, Morgan Grant, Sarah Hasson, Lauren Hingle, Erin Johnson, George Reichard

CUNY Cultural Corps Production Assistants Blanka Kohajda and Rhianna Selman

Tour Booking: Alliance Artist Management

Audited Financial Statements: Lutz and Carr, CPAs LLP

Legal Representation: Jason Baruch, Sendroff & Baruch, LLP 

Tour Transit by: Lamoille Valley Transportation, Inc., Clark Transfer, Confirmed Freight

Scene Shop: Opera Southwest

Sound and Lighting equipment provided by: PRG Broadway LLC and Christie Lites 

Costume Rentals and Builds: Jennifer Love Costumes, Binghamton University Costume Department, John Brandon Baird, Olivia Dilworth, Jana Kucera, Emilee McVey-Lee, and Ariel Thomke

The Producers wish to thank Goodspeed Musicals Costume Collection & Rental for its assistance in this production. 

ABOUT THE ACTING COMPANY

Co-founded in 1972 by legendary performer-producers John Houseman and Margot Harley with the first graduating class of the Drama Division of The Juilliard School, The Acting Company has helped launch the careers of nearly 500 actors, including Kevin Kline, Patti LuPone, Rainn Wilson, Frances Conroy, Harriet Harris, Jeffrey Wright, Hamish Linklater, Jesse L. Martin, Roslyn Ruff, and Kelley Curran. We have performed for over four million people in 48 States, 10 foreign countries, on and Off-Broadway, and at leading regional theaters including ACT and the Guthrie. Among many accolades, the Company received the 2003 Tony Award for Excellence in the Theater, and won the 2019 Audelco Award for Best Play for its production of Nambi E. Kelley’s Native Son directed by Seret Scott. The Acting Company brings professional productions and education programs to thousands of audience members in diverse communities throughout the United States each year. Annually, over 20,000 audience members see a Company production and nearly 2,000 students here in New York City benefit from the Company’s award-winning arts-in-education curriculum.

CAST

Michael Stewart Allen (Magwitch, Jaggers, others) is happy to be back with The Acting Company. Previous TAC credits: Iago in Othello, Caliban in The Tempest, Speed in Two Gentlemen of Verona and Starbuck in Moby Dick Rehearsed. Recent credits: Clown in 39 Step at Indiana Rep and Syracuse Stage.  Henry Condell in The Book of Will at The Shakespeare Theatre NJ, Emanuel in The Lehman Trilogy at Phoenix Theatre Company, Lucky in Waiting for Godot at The STNJ, the title role in Macbeth at Oklahoma Shakespeare, both Antipholi in The Comedy of Errors and Richard Burbage in Book of Will at Illinois Shakespeare Festival.  Other credits include:  The first Broadway National and International tour of War Horse with The National Theater of Great Britain. Two seasons as a company member at the Old Globe. He has been a company member at The Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey for over 20 years  and performed in theaters in New York City and all across the country including The Kennedy Center, Syracuse Stage, The Acting Company, Arkansas Rep, Delaware Rep, The Folger Theater, Playmakers Rep , Florida Studio Theater, Florida Rep, Phoenix Theater Company,  The Human Race Theater, Contemporary American Theater Company, Shaker Bridge Theater, and  the OK, IL, PA and NC Shakespeare Festivals.  Film/TV: Law And Order, Summer House, The Blacklist, Billions, Admiral Rickover, and Cold Mountain. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and proud member of Actor’s Equity and SAG/AFTRA unions.  www.michaelstewartallen.com

Mallory Avnet (Herbert Pocket, Miss Sally Pocket, others, u/s Estella, Biddy) is so thrilled to be a part of this repertory season with this wonderful team. Originally from Philly, Mallory now resides in NYC. Most recently, Mallory performed in the US premiere of Nora: A Doll’s House at Hedgerow Theatre. She is a proud graduate of The University of Michigan where she obtained her BFA, as well as NYU Grad Acting, where she received her MFA. NYU Credits include: Major Barbara, The Office Plays, and The Hypochondriac. 

Madeleine Barker (Estella, Biddy, others, u/s Miss Havisham/Mrs. Joe) is an actor, movement choreographer and educator. She is thrilled to be making her debut with The Acting Company! Some selected credits include: Off-Broadway: The Meeting: The Interpreter (St. Clements Theatre), Gregorian (The WAT Project at Soho Rep The WalkerSpace). Regional: Sisters (World Premier at Northern Stage), Pride and Prejudice as Lizzy Bennet (Arkansas Rep), Pride and Prejudice as Mary/Miss Bingley (Hartford Stage), Intimate Apparel (North Coast Rep), The Inferior Sex, A Christmas Carol (Trinity Repertory Company); Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 (The Wilbury Theatre); Grease (Ogunquit Playhouse, John W. Engeman Theater); South Pacific (Riverside Theatre, Moonlight Amphitheater Productions), Jane Eyre (World premier adaptation with Counter Balance Theatre), Merchant of Venice (The New Swan) Film: Goodnight Death, Still Light, Start Breaking My Heart. Education: MFA in Acting from Brown University/Trinity Rep. Much gratitude and love to Mom, Dad and Alfie.

Christian Frost (Drummle, Compeyson, Orlick, others) is absolutely delighted to be a part of this terrific company of artists. Originally a South Florida native, Christian now happily resides in NYC. Recently, Christian has been seen at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey as a staple company member for the past seven seasons. Past productions include: The Importance of Being Earnest, Sense and Sensibility, As You Like It, A Midwinter Night’s Dream, And A Nightingale Sang… , Julius Caesar, Much Ado About Nothing, The Metromaniacs, and Romeo and Juliet. Other regional credits: The Horn in the West, The Odyssey, Theodore Thudd (SAHA Theatricals). Training: BFA - Elon University. For Fi. 

Sam Im (Pip) is a New York based actor and proud Baltimoron. Most recently seen on stage as "Husband" in Machinal at New York City Center. Grad school credits include The Importance of Being Earnest (Algernon), The Oresteia (Agamemnon) and The Cherry Orchard (Trofimov). He would like to thank his friends and family for putting up with the bits—and he would like to especially thank Amber and his managers for letting him go on tour. BFA: NYU (ETW, ITW). MFA: Juilliard

Angie Janas (Miss Havisham, Mrs. Joe, others) Off-Broadway: Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Macbeth, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (The Acting Company), and Stuffed (Westside Theatre). Select regional credits: Sense and Sensibility, Murder on the Orient Express, The Play That Goes Wrong & Pride and Prejudice (Syracuse Stage), The Glass Menagerie (Barrington Stage Company), The Lion in Winter (Repertory Theatre of St. Louis), Romeo and Juliet, Love’s Labor’s Lost, The Three Musketeers & King Lear (Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival), In Game or Real & The Winter's Tale (Guthrie Theater), Noises Off, Steel Magnolias, The Revolutionists & The Merchant of Venice (Gulfshore Playhouse). Angie is a proud graduate of the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater BFA Actor Training Program. For Barry. www.angiejanas.com

Shunté Lofton (Ensemble) is elated to be joining The Acting Company! Previous credits include five seasons with the Colorado Shakespeare Festival where she played Lady Macbeth in Macbeth, Mistress Ford in The Merry Wives of Windsor, Cordelia in King Lear, Julia in The Two Gentlemen of Verona, and Constance in King John. She also worked at the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, Virginia, where she performed in 22 productions. Some of her favorite credits include Ophelia in Hamlet, Princess of France in Love’s Labour’s Lost, Celia in As You Like It, and Lady Anne in Richard III. Her selected regional credits include Opal in Fat Ham, Jane in Pride and Prejudice (Cleveland Play House), Perdita in The Winter’s Tale (4th Wall Theatre Company), Esther in Intimate Apparel (University of Houston) and Anya in The Cherry Orchard (Classical Theatre Company). She received her MFA from the Case Western Reserve University / Cleveland Play House MFA Acting Program and is a proud member of Actors’ Equity. She is represented by Dani Super Management.

Pauli Pontrelli (Pumblechook, Sally Wemick, others) (they/them) is a Colombian-American performer and artist based in NYC. Theater credits include The Trees (Playwrights Horizons), This Clement World (St. Ann’s Warehouse), House of Dance (Half Straddle, Kyoto Experiment, Zürcher Theater Spektakel), The Visitor (The Public, Original Cast Recording), Look Upon Our Lowliness (The Movement Theatre Company), Dom Juan (Fisher Center/Bard Summerscape), Tiny Beautiful Things (Long Wharf), The Aliens (Chester Theatre Company), the Cowardly Lion in drag for The Wizard of Oz starring Drag Race superstar Rosé (Geva Theatre), and Breaking the Binary Theatre Festival. Film: Fry Day. TV: Instinct (CBS). Choreography: marie, it’s time (minor theater/HERE Arts Center). Performance: Echo Chamber for Frieze New York/Artists Space. Pauli is a Lyme disease survivor and advocates for national Lyme legislation through Project Lyme and the Center for Lyme Action. MFA: NYU Grad Acting. @pauli.amorous

George Anthony Richardson (Joe, Matthew, others) is a New York-based actor, director, and writer originally from Merced, California. A graduate of The Juilliard School’s Drama Division (Group 50), his stage credits include Topdog/Underdog (*Broadway* and Palm Beach Dramaworks), King James (TheaterWorks Hartford), Blue Door, and Cardboard Piano (Juilliard). He made his Off-Broadway directing debut at 59E59 Theaters in 2022. A 2021 finalist for the Warner Bros. Television Actors Showcase, Richardson also writes and creates film; his short Inhuman Tethers was nominated for Best Short Film at the Big Apple Film Festival.

Creative Team

Nikki Massoud (Playwright) is an Iranian-Canadian-American writer and performer. She is honored to be collaborating with The Acting Company as a writer for the first time. She is a recent 2050 Fellow at NYTW and a Roundabout Underground Resident Playwright. She is a commissioned playwright with Noor Theater, Atlantic Theater Company, and The Acting Company and has recently developed work with The Ground Floor/Berkeley Rep and Fault Line Theatre. Her recent acting credits include television roles on Life and Beth (Hulu) and Love Life (HBO Max) and roles at the Guthrie Theater and the Goodman Theatre. Nikki is the Audie Award-winning narrator of over 80 audiobooks, available on Audible. Education: Brown University/Trinity Rep MFA, Georgetown University and BADA.  

Devin Brain (The Acting Company Producing Artistic Director and Director) has held increasingly significant roles at The Acting Company since starting as Staff Repertory Director during our 2012-2013 season. In his own artistic practice, Devin is a freelance stage director specializing in contemporary productions of classical texts, as well as original work. Select recent productions include: The Comedy of Errors, Hamlet, Othello, Julius Caesar, Macbeth, You / Emma by Paz Pardo (an adaptation of Madame Bovary), Exposure by Laura Zlatos (an exploration of the life and work of Francesca Woodman), Bones in the Basket (on original adaptation of Russian Fairy Tales), Middletown by Will Eno, Breath of Kings (his adaptation of Richard II, Henry IV, and Henry V), Blacktop Sky by Christina Anderson, and The Droll {or, a play about the END of theatre} by Meg Miroshnik. He holds an MFA in Directing from the Yale School of Drama where he also served as Artistic Director of the Yale Cabaret.

Tanya Orellana (Scenic Designer) designs performance spaces for theatre, opera, and immersive experiences. Select credits: Littleboy/Littleman (Geffen Playhouse), Don’t Eat The Mangos (The Huntington), What Became of Us (Atlantic Stage 2), Mexico Premiere: Angels in America (UNAM), Derecho (La Jolla Playhouse); Mother Road (Berkeley Rep); As You Like It (Oregon Shakes) Fefu and her Friends, Big Data, Private Lives (ACT); Where Did We Sit on the Bus (Denver Center), For The People (Guthrie Theatre); Stew, One of the Good Ones (Pasadena Playhouse), Alma (The Kirk Douglas). Tanya is engaged in a long term collaboration with Virginia Grise; Rasgos Asiáticos- a traveling scenic installation using sound, light and objects to conjure narratives of immigration and migration in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. MFA (CalArts). 2016 Princess Grace Fabergé Theatre Award. tanyaorellana.com 

Valérie Thérèse Bart (Costume Designer) TAC: Macbeth. Regional Theater: Jane Eyre (Alley Theater); Into The Woods, Dial M for Murder (Guthrie); It’s Christmas, Carol!* (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); Birthday Candles (scenic, Cincinnati Playhouse); The Song of Summer* (Trinity Repertory); Vietgone (Alley Theatre, Denver Center); The Great Leap* (Denver Center / Seattle Repertory); POP!* (scenic, Yale Repertory) Off-Broadway: Poor Yella Rednecks* (Manhattan Theatre Club / South Coast Repertory); Something Clean* (Roundabout); Wives* (Playwrights Horizons); Little Women† (Primary Stages, †NYC premiere); Vanity Fair* (Pearl Theatre) Opera: The Big Swim* (Houston Grand Opera/Asia Society of Texas); A Thousand Acres* (Des Moines Metro Opera); Fidelio, Butterfly+ (Heartbeat Opera, +Adaptation of Madama Butterfly); Rigoletto (Minnesota Opera); Vinkensport/ Rocking Horse Winner** (Opera Saratoga, **US Premiere), Listen, Wilhelmina!* (costume/scenic, Wolf Trap Opera); She, After* (costume/scenic, Urban Arias) Other: For You, Paige* (TikTok musical); Tina Packer’s Women of Will (costume/scenic, natl/intl tour) valeriebart.com *denotes world premiere

Alan C. Edwards (Lighting Designer) is a lighting designer for live performance whose work includes the world premieres of Kill Move Paradise (National Black Theatre, Drama Desk nomination), The Hot Wing King by Katori Hall (Signature NYC), and Sally & Tom by Suzan-Lori Parks (The Guthrie and The Public). Other New York, Regional, and International work includes: Anna Deavere Smith’s Twilight: Los Angeles 1992, and Fires in the Mirror (Signature NYC); Twelfth Night, Seize The King, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Memnon (Classical Theatre of Harlem); Bluebird Memories featuring rap-artist Common (Audible Theatre); Syncing Ink (@ The Apollo); Baldwin and Buckley at Cambridge by Greig Sargeant and Elevator Repair Service (The Public); Beautiful-The Carol King Musical (Asolo Rep); and new musical Calling Us Home (Shy Music – South Africa). In 2017, he designed the world premiere of Harry Clarke at the Vineyard Theatre, which garnered that season’s Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Lighting Design. After remounting the production in 2023 at Berkeley Rep, the show transferred to London’s West End where it played to rave reviews. In 2024, Alan had the honor of designing the world premiere of Gatsby: An American Myth at the American Repertory Theatre, directed by Rachel Chavkin. The highly-anticipated, sold-out run, which garnered critical and popular success, received the awards for Outstanding Scenic and Lighting Design, among many others. Alan is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama where he is also an assistant professor of lighting design. www.alancedwards.com

Sharath Patel (Sound Design) (He/Him) works nationally and internationally focusing on experimental, commercial, academic, political and socially conscious theatre. Recent designs: American Rep, The Alley Theatre, The Alliance Theatre, A Contemporary Theatre, Alabama Shakes, TheatreSquared, Dallas Theater Center, Portland Center Stage, TheatreWorks of Silicon Valley, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Artists Repertory Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Yale Repertory Theatre, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Virginia Theatre Festival, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, California Shakespeare Festival, Cleveland Playhouse, Theatrical Outfit, Seattle Children’s Theatre, Tantrum Theatre Company, Marin Theatre Company, Virginia Theatre Festival, The Contemporary American Theatre Festival, Arena Stage, Hypokrit Theatre Company, Virginia Stage Company, Geffen Playhouse, East West Players, CompanyONE,. EDUCATION: MFA Yale School of Drama, BFA Ohio University. AFFILIATIONS: USA829 IATSE, Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association, Arts Envoy for the U.S. Department of State, Resident Artists at Artists Rep. WEBSITE: sharathpatel.com   

Lindsay Jones (Composer) Broadway: Slave Play (Tony Award nominations for Best Score and Best Sound Design of a Play), The Nap, Bronx Bombers and A Time to Kill. Off-Broadway: Privacy (The Public Theater), Bootycandy (Playwrights Horizons), Feeding the Dragon (Primary Stages), Top Secret (New York Theatre Workshop) and many others. Regional: Guthrie, Goodman, Arena Stage, Old Globe, Chicago Shakespeare, Steppenwolf, and many others. International: Noel Coward (London/West End), Royal Shakespeare Company (England), Stratford Festival (Canada), and many others. Audio dramas: Disney, Marvel, DC, Penguin/Random House, Audible, Next Chapter Podcasts.  Film/TV scoring: HBO Films’ A Note of Triumph (2006 Academy Award for Best Documentary, Short Subject) and over 30 other films. Awards: Webby, Signal (3), Ambies, Joseph Jefferson (7), Ovation (2), LA Drama Critics Circle.  He is the co-chair of Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association, and teaches Music History at the University Of North Carolina School Of The Arts. www.lindsayjones.com

Alex Choate (Props Lead) has worked in Film, TV, and Theatre for the past 23 years, and has worked for Marvel, Disney, DC, Cirque Du Soleil, and more. He now finds himself the Technical Theatre Teacher at Santa Susana High School, the model program for the state of California. Helping the next generation of technicians and designers create the world they wish to see, while elevating what they feel is possible.

Duane Boutté (Voice & Text Coach)’s first NY job was touring in The Acting Company's ‘91-’92 A Midsummer Night’s Dream.  Other acting credits include the original Broadway company of Parade, the 1994 TONY winning revival of Carousel, and landmark films Stonewall (1996), and Brother to Brother.  He trained at UCLA and the National Theatre Conservatory, has taught at Illinois State University (ISU), Brooklyn College, The New School, and National Theatre Institute.  He's coached productions and workshops for The Acting Company, Woodward Shakespeare Festival, Ramapo College, and ISU.  In his private studio, he’s helped prepare actors for roles on Broadway and nationwide.  Directing credits include Neil LaBute’s Appomattox (world premiere), Home (Rep Stage), The Merry Wives of Windsor (Worcester Shakespeare), The Winter’s Tale, Othello, Fences, Stalag 17, Everybody, Cabaret and more.  Among his favorite roles performed are “Mercutio” (OSF), “Bayard Rustin” (Public Theater, Berkeley Rep), "Dracula" (Bannerman Island), and "Orestes" (inaugurating Berkeley Rep’s RODA Theatre).

Eli Lynn (Fight and Movement Choreographer, Intimacy Coordinator) (they/them) is an inescapably queer actor, award-winning fight director, and IDC certified Intimacy Director. Recent FD/ID work includes The Comeuppance (Wilma/Woolly Mammoth), Little Shop of Horrors, Peter Panto, Raisin in the Sun (People’s Light), The Play That Goes Wrong (1812 Productions/PA Shakespeare Festival), and feature film Scabs (Tommy Butler). Their work has been seen at numerous regional theatres, including The Wilma, Arden Theatre, PA Shakespeare Festival, People’s Light, InterAct Theatre, Theatre Exile, Philadelphia Theatre Co., and Philadelphia Artists Collective, among many others. They also choreograph and teach workshops at regional universities, including UPenn, Princeton, Temple, Rutgers (Camden), Villanova, and Arcadia. They have studied stage combat for over 15 years, and are a certified Advanced Actor Combatant with five international organizations. They are also an Artistic Associate at Philadelphia Artists’ Collective. Love always to V. Eli-Lynn.com. @EverInMotley. 

Kristin Leahey, Ph.D. (Dramaturg) is an Assistant Professor at Boston University and the Associate Artistic Director of Women’s Project Theater. She dramaturgs and produces nationally and internationally. Leahey has several book and article projects in publication. She recently completed a Fulbright with Ireland’s national Theatre: The Abbey.

Kate Pitt (Associate Director) Associate and assistant directing credits include: Richard II, Henry IV, and Henry V at the Guthrie Theater (dir. Joe Haj), Dig with Primary Stages (dir. Theresa Rebeck), King Lear with Shakespeare Theatre Company (dir. Simon Godwin), Romeo and Juliet (dir. Leah C. Gardiner) and The Three Musketeers (dir. Kent Gash) with The Acting Company, and The Way of the World with Folger Theatre (dir. Theresa Rebeck). Recently directed Henry V at MIT. Dramaturgy: American Apollo with Des Moines Metro Opera, Resident Dramaturg for the Vanguard Initiative at Chicago Opera Theater, Resident Artist at American Lyric Theater. Other: The Comedy of Hamlet! (a prequel) with the Reduced Shakespeare Company and Stick-Figure Hamlet with the comic “Good Tickle Brain.” Essays and comedy with The Arden Shakespeare, SDC Journal, and McSweeney's, four years producing public programs at the Folger Shakespeare Library. Wingspace Theatrical Design member, SDC Associate. B.A., Yale. www.katepitt.com / shakespearenews.com.

Irvin Mason Jr. (Staff Director) is a director, actor, poet, and teaching artist born and raised in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. His work intersects expressive movement, live music, emerging technology, and Afro-Caribbean traditions to breathe new life to physical storytelling. Irvin seeks to direct work that leaves a residue — unapologetic work that dismantles the traditional foundations of theater and creates space for new voices to tell their own stories. Irvin is the proud, current recipient of the 2024-2026 Drama League Stage Directing Fellowship. He has recently assisted on the new work development of plays and musicals at the Playwrights Center and Berkeley Rep’s Ground Floor. His recent directing credits include: Ain't Misbehavin (Gallery-Players), Stuck (Chain Theatre), and Pipeline (Gallery-Players). Assistant Directing: Gospel According to Heather (AMAS, dir. Rachel Klein). In 2023, Irvin served as a directing observer to Schele Williams on the Broadway revival of The Wiz. He was the SDCF directing shadow on Little Shop of Horrors (dir. Maggie Burrows) and Rent (dir. Lili-Anne Brown) at the MUNY. He was also the directing observer on Pup! A Chew Story (NAMT). @iirvinmason | irvinmasonjr.com.

Jessica Forella (Production Stage Manager) (she/her) is delighted to be joining The Acting Company on tour this season. Favorite past credits include: Shelter, NONE: A Practical Breviary (NYSAF); A Midsummer Night's Dream, Twelfth Night, Malvolio (The Classical Theatre of Harlem); Twelfth Night, Richard III (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); Fun Home, Mies Julie (Victory Gardens Theater); The Polar Express (Rail Events Productions); The Hound of the Baskervilles, James and the Giant Peach (Theatre-Hikes); Numbers Nerds (CPA Theatricals); Million Dollar Quartet (Barter Theatre); Burn the Floor (Norwegian Cruise Lines); The Hunchback of Notre Dame (RWCMD); A Small Oak Tree Runs Red (Congo Square Theatre); and Sondheim on Sondheim (Porchlight Music Theatre).

Liz Hetzel (Assistant Stage Manager) is an NYC-based stage manager, director, and artistic collaborator who seeks to create work grounded in themes of humanity, connection, and identity. With a passion for Shakespeare and Classics, Liz is overjoyed to join The Acting Company for their 2025-2026 Tour. Recent credits: 24 Hour Plays: Nationals (SM), Kowalski (AGT, APM), Romeo & Juliet (938collective, Dir.), Designs for Living (938collective/Boyzwithapple, PSM), Troilus and Cressida (Prague Shakespeare Company, AD), and Macbeth (Vassar College, Dir.). BA, Vassar College. 

Repertory Design and Production Staff

Neal Goleta (Production Manager) is excited to be working on his second tour with The Acting Company. Neal works as the Production Coordinator for the New Studio on Broadway at NYU Tisch. Love to Soba.

Kevin Pendergast (Production Manager) holds an MFA in Technical Production from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has worked extensively with PlayMakers Repertory Company in a range of technical and production roles. Kevin also served as Technical Director for The Medora Musical in North Dakota, overseeing scenic fabrication for one of the nation’s largest outdoor theatre productions. He is excited to join The Acting Company and continue bringing technical expertise and production support to the stage.

Kleo Mitrokostas (Company Manager) (she/her) is an NYC-based actor and producer. Select theatre credits: Off-Broadway: This is Government, The Greatest Hits Down Route 66; According to the Chorus; Room 1214 (59E59 Theaters). Regional: Circle Mirror Transformation; The Mousetrap; Our Town (Pendragon Theatre), Sweet Charity (Cotuit Center for the Arts), Sunrise, Sunset, Goodbye (Sundog Theatre), Fire and Air (Shakespeare&Company). She is a resident artist with New Light Theater Project. NYU Tisch. KleoMitrokostas.com @kleomitrokostas

Danielle DeLaFuente (Associate Scenic Designer) (she/her) is thrilled to be the Associate Scenic Designer on these productions! Her recent assistant/associate credits include Heaux Church (Ars Nova),  Fun Home (The Huntington Theatre), Henry VI: Parts 1 & 2 (The Old Globe), What Became of Us (Atlantic Stage 2), and The White Chip (MCC). She would like to thank Tanya and the entire team for having her back again! danielledelafuente.com

Joshua Nguyen (Associate Sound Designer) TAC: debut. Regional: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Denver Center for the Performing Arts); Broke-ology (Kansas City Repertory Theatre); Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors (Dallas Theater Center). Associate Designer: Diary of a Tap Dancer (American Repertory Theater); Clue, Disney’s The Little Mermaid, The Rocky Horror Show, Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat (Dallas Theater Center); In the Heights (Cleveland Playhouse), Side by Side by Sondheim (Repertory Theater of St. Louis). Joshua is based in Dallas, TX and holds a BFA in Theatre Design & Technology from Baylor University. Joshua is a member of the Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association, the Consortium of Asian American Theaters & Artists, Design Action, and Actor's Equity. Joshua hopes to be part of the next generation of theatre educators, making the medium and field more accessible and equitable. joshuanguyen.net @jashngooyen

Ying-Syuan Zeng (Associate Props Lead) is a New York–based designer and artist specializing in props and scenic art. She currently serves as Associate Prop Designer with The Acting Company for its national tour productions of Great Expectations and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. With extensive experience in both theatrical and film/tv production, Ying-Syuan has collaborated on a wide range of projects where her detail-oriented approach and technical expertise bring narrative and visual worlds to life on stage. Her work reflects a strong commitment to craftsmanship, collaboration, and supporting storytelling through the seamless integration of design and performance.

Charlie Ko (Associate Costume Designer) is a costume designer based in New York City with an interest in showcasing works that accurately represent and tell stories of gender nonconforming, immigrant, and lgbtq+ struggles. Selected credits: Senior Dance Production (Juilliard School - Design Assistant), Dance Nation (Fordham University - Costume Designer), Once Upon a Time Called Now (Joyce Theater - Assistant Costume Designer). Thankful for everyone who made this show possible. www.kostumedesign.com

Conor Mulligan (AssociateLighting Designer) (he/him) is an artist and lighting designer. His design work represents an ongoing exploration of light in live performance. Born in Dublin, Ireland on St. Patrick’s Day; at five years old Conor immigrated to the United States with his family. Associate/Assistant Credits include: Stompin’ at the Savoy (Delaware Theatre Company), Dakar 2000 (Manhattan Theatre Club), Summer: The Donna Summer Musical (Norwegian Cruise Lines), Four Quartets (BAM), Next To Normal (The Kennedy Center), Because Of Winn Dixie (Goodspeed Opera House), The Play That Goes Wrong (New World Stages), Once On This Island: 1st National Tour (NETworks), Kinky Boots: 2nd National Tour (Troika), Who’s Holiday (Westside Theatre), Waitress: The Musical (Waitress 1st National Tour), 42nd Street Tour (Big League Productions), Double Indemnity (Old Globe Theater). Conor is a proud member of USA 829. Visit www.conormulliganld.com for more information.

Chris Grainer (Technical Director) is so happy to be working with The Acting Company again after working as Technical Director & Associate Production Manager for the 2024/2025 National Tour. Chris has also toured the country with ballet productions and spent multiple summers with the Aspen Music Festival & School. Chris is an Alumnus of SUNY Purchase College and Collegiate School (Richmond, VA). He would like to thank his peers, friends, family, and especially his father for the bountiful compassion and support throughout the years.

Krista Grevas (Wardrobe Supervisor, Understudy) is a theatre creative currently based in New York City. Past credits include Costume Design for This is Government with Pendragon Theater and NewLight Theatre Company and Shake, Rag, Hollow for the Edinburgh Fringe. Other recent credits include Wardrobe and Wig Supervision for The Acting Company’s 2025 National Tour and Wardrobe Assistant for Ginger Twinsies. She holds her BA and MFA in Theatre and is thrilled to be working with the phenomenal company again on her second national tour! 

Devan Kelty (Lighting Supervisor, Understudy) is a Louisville, KY native who now lives in Brooklyn. He is very grateful and happy to be touring again with The Acting Company. Many thanks to everyone who has believed in him and supported him along the way!

Elena Martin (Sound Supervisor) has been working as an audio technician based in Dallas, Texas for the last 8 years. In the last year, she has spent her time working with the Denver Center for the Performing Arts as their Associate Sound and Technology Supervisor. Prior to this, she was the Head of Audio and Video at the Dallas Theater Center. Elena is thrilled to be joining The Acting Company as their Touring Audio Supervisor starting this new phase of her career.

Jessica Neill (Tour Lighting Drafter) is excited to be joining The Acting Company again as the Lighting Draftsperson. She is a Chicago-based designer, assistant, artist, and adjunct faculty at Northwestern University. Chicago area design credits include The Lightning Thief, Mean Girls Jr, What the Constitution Means to Me, Sweat (Paramount Theatre), The Tragedy of King Christophe (House Theatre), Seven Days at Sea (Light and Sound Productions), Lighthouses in the Desert (Glass Apple Theatre), Bunny’s Book Club (Lifeline Theatre), Hans Christian Anderson (Northwestern University), Admissions (Theatre Wit), and Master Class (TimeLine Theatre). Associate and assistant credits include Come from Away, Cats, Waitress, Frozen, The Full Monty, Million Dollar Quartet, Beautiful, Billy Elliot, Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, School of Rock, Groundhog Day, Kinky Boots (Paramount), Lucy & Charlie’s Honeymoon, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, Frankenstein (Lookingglass Theatre), Ghost in Gadsden’s Garden (Actor’s Gymnasium), graveyard shift (Goodman Theatre), and The Children (Steppenwolf Theatre). JessicaNeill.com

Ann James (People, Culture, & Belonging Consultant) made her debut as the first Black Intimacy Coordinator on Broadway for Pass Over. Broadway credits include: Sunset Boulevard, A Wonderful World, Eureka Day, Sh*t. Meet. Fan, John Proctor is the Villain, The Outsiders (Tony Award Best Musical 2024), Lempicka, Illinoise, Hamilton, Parade (Tony Award 2023 for Best Revival), Sweeney Todd, Heart of Rock and Roll, Jelly’s Last Jam. Off-Broadway: Antiquities, The Great Privation, Velour! A Drag Spectacular!, Cats: The Jellicle Ball, The Hippest Trip, Sunset Baby, Orlando, Jonah, White Girl in Danger, How to Defend Yourself, The Comeuppance, Evanston Salt Costs Climbing, My Broken Language, The Half-God of Rainfall, Here There Are Blueberries, Life and Trust, The Lonely Few. Tour: Hamilton UK. James’ company, Intimacy Coordinators of Color awarded a 2024 Special Citation from the OBIE Awards and The American Theatre Wing. 

Mya Piccione (Production Assistant) Select Stage Management credits include: Off-Broadway:  A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Classical Theatre of Harlem. Regional: Twelfth Night, The Comedy of Errors, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare in the Park, The Walk with Amal, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre;  Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson – APT. 2B, La Tempestad, Trinity Repertory Company; A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival; Cavalleria Rusticana, South Bend Lyric Opera;  As You Like It, South Bend Civic Theatre. Academic / Institutional Programming / Etc.: Primero Sueño, The Forest of Metal Objects, The Metropolitan Museum of Art; The Fairy Queen, Manhattan School of Music.

Taylor Bray (Production Assistant) is a Stage Manager and Company Manager, focused on clear communication and accessibility. They most recently spent the summer as an Assistant Company Manager with New York Stage and Film. Prior to that, they spent 10 months working in Company Management with Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas, gaining hands-on experience with some of the largest and most technologically advanced shows currently open. As a recent graduate of the University of Central Florida’s BFA Stage Management Program, they worked on shows such as Sweeney Todd, The Cherry Orchard, and The Wolves. They are thrilled to have been a part of the rehearsal process for this year’s tour.