Tariq Sahali – Carpentry & Engineering

Howdy folks! I am Tariq Sahali and I am recognized for my technical aptitude, troubleshooting perception, technical evangelism and presentation style. This recognition has earned the nickname – tarqnology. Tarqnology is my ability to convey technical information in a non-technical manner to advanced & non-technical users of technology. Specifically, my technical expertise encompasses enterprise information technology support, digital media development and delivery (broadcasting), and Nanotechnology – an applied science. In IT, I am responsible for delivering timely technical solutions of varying scopes (Hardware, software, networking, and peripherals) to the end-user in dramatic, educational  & theatrical environments. Having the ability to “put myself in their shoes”,  a keen sense of empathy coupled with a supreme level of patience, and the know-how, has made Theatre Tech IT – “my thing”. In the world of Digital Media development, I’m responsible for planning, test scripting and quality assurance of hardware and software applications, coordination of content delivery via multiple sources, and addressing individuals or large groups to advancements of future digital production concepts and tools; lessons are available. So when you get a chance, talk nerdy to me.

Lorraine Hansberry – Playwright

When Lorraine Hansberry’s (1930-1965) landmark play A Raisin in the Sun appeared on Broadway in 1959, the artist became, at twenty-nine, the first Black woman to be produced on Broadway and the youngest American playwright, the fifth woman, and the first Black American to win the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play of the Year. She was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Play in 1960, and in 1961, the film version won a special award at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for a Screen Writers Guild Award for Hansberry’s screenplay.

In 1965, Lorraine Hansberry died of cancer at age 34. In the six years she had between the triumph of her first play and her death, she was extraordinarily prolific. Her second play to be produced on Broadway, The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window, closed right before she passed away. To Be Young, Gifted, and Black, an autobiographical portrait in her own words adapted by her former husband and literary executor Robert Nemiroff, was posthumously produced in 1969 and toured across the country. In 1970, Les Blancs, her play about the inevitability of struggle between colonizers and the colonized in Africa, ran on Broadway to critical acclaim.

During her career as a playwright, Hansberry wrote many articles and essays on literary criticism, racism, sexism, homophobia, world peace and other social and political issues. At her death, she left behind file cabinets holding her public and private correspondence, speeches and journals, and various manuscripts in several genres: plays for stage and screen, essays, poetry, and an almost complete novel. (Biography courtesy of and adapted from the Lorraine Hansberry Trust)

Rajah Makonnen – (he/him) Video/Projections Design

Rajah is a multimedia artist based out of Seattle who specializes in projection and video based art. His installation videos often explore themes of media history and the ephemeral nature of the era of digital media.

K.D. Schill – (she/her) Costume Design

K.D. has nearly 30 years experience with almost every facet of Costume Design and Wardrobe. She has been a cutter, stitcher, draper, assistant to the Designer and Costume Designer. She has worked in the wardrobe dept in films, music videos and the theatre as dresser, wig crew and  wardrobe supervisor. She is a proud member of TWU 887. The theatres she has worked with include Seattle Rep, Intiman, ACT, 5th Avenue, On the Boards, Spectrum Dance, Seattle Shakespeare Co., Book it Repertory, Strawberry Theatre Workshop and Portland Playhouse. She has worked on the films of the Directors  Wes Hurley, Lynn Shelton, Charles Mudede and Norma Jean Straw. The choreographers she has collaborated with include Pat Graney, Donald Byrd, Alice Ghosti, 33 Fainting Spells and Maureen Whiting. She has worked with the students in The Starfish Project, Cornish College of the Arts, Holy Names Academy, Kennedy Catholic High School,The Northwest School and The Evergreen School. K.D. has a BFA in fibers/textiles from the University of Washington and worked for many years as a production weaver. Which made her a firm believer that there are many different paths that lead to a life in the theatre and that she hopes to be able to help many along theirs.

Kathleen Le Coze – (she/her) Scenic/Props Design

Kathleen is a Pacific Northwest base 3D Experience Designer, Technical Theatre Mentor and Professional. She has cultivated ten year of experience in the live entertainment, film, and events industry working both in corporate and theatre. In addition to her love for theatre and design she also serves on the Friends of the Conservatory Events Committee contributing to the Volunteer Park Conservatory.

Alison Kozar – Asst. Stage Manager

Alison (they/them) is a 2018 Intiman Emerging Stage Manager and multidisciplinary theatre artist specializing in stage management, directing, and sound design. Their stage management is human-focused, directing style is tech-forward and text-obsessed, and sound design features naturalistic layered soundscapes and artisanal nightmare noise. Favorite projects: Intiman’s The Events, All New Cells with The Shattered Glass Project, dani tirrell’s Black Bois, WET’s Is God Is, and MAP Theatre’s Year of the Rooster. Alison believes in healing the world, feminist science fiction, radical self-worth, and actual decolonization. professionalmomfriend.com

Jessamyn Bateman-Iino – Stage Manager

Jessamyn Bateman-Iino (they/them) is a stage manager and prop master from the Seattle area. Past favorite shows include Curiouser and Curiouser (Cafe Nordo), Live! From the Last Night of My Life (Theater Schmeater, Theatre22) and Sweeney Todd (Reboot Theatre). They also make cute and creepy crafts, which can be found at mutinyhall.com.

Matt Starritt – Sound Design

Matt Starritt (he/him) is a Seattle-based, freelance sound designer. In Seattle, he has designed for ACT, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Intiman Theatre, Seattle Shakespeare Company, Strawberry Theatre Workshop, Book-It Repertory Theatre, ArtsWest, Cherdonna, Kitten and Lou, New Century Theatre Company, The Williams Project, BenDeLaCreme, Waxie Moon, zoe | juniper, and Washington Ensemble Theatre. Nationally, he has designed for Alley Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Cornerstone Theater Company, The Old Globe, South Coast Repertory, and the Under the Radar Festival at the Public Theatre. He is the sound supervisor at Meany Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Washington and was a founding member of Washington Ensemble Theatre.

Robert J. Aguilar – Lighting Design

Robert (He/Him) is a Latinx lighting designer. Previous designs for Intiman include Native Gardens, Hir, Wedding Band, Barbeque, and Angels in America. Other PNW credits include: In the Heights, MACBETH, A Raisin in the Sun, I Am My Own Wife, and Lizard Boy (Seattle Rep); The Year of Magical Thinking, Romeo and Juliet, and The Wolves (ACT); Urinetown (ACT/The 5th Avenue Theatre); The Pajama Game, How to Succeed…, and Jasper in Deadland (The 5th Avenue Theatre); Spelling Bee…, and String (Village Theatre); The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and In the Heights (Portland Center Stage). Regional credits include Lizard Boy (Theatre Works Silicon Valley); Little Shop of Horrors and Marjorie Prime (Pittsburgh Public); Susan (Public Theater UTR); Full Gallop (The Old Globe); In the Heights, Seven Spots on the Sun (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park); In the Heights (Milwaukee Rep). Film: The Jinkx and Dela Holiday Special, Potato Dreams of America. Robert is the lighting director of Seattle Rep. IG:robertjaguilar.com @fake_robert

Photo by Chris Monsos

Pete Rush – Costume Design

Pete Rush (he/him) designs costumes and scenery for the theatre. Seattle designs include: Romeo + Juliet, Legend of Georgia McBride, Rapture Blister Burn, Little Shop of Horrors, Bad Apples (ACT); Comedy of Errors, Hamlet, Electra, Government Inspector, A Doll’s House, Merchant of Venice (Seattle Shakespeare Company); Welcome to Braggsville, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Turn of the Screw, The Cider House Rules, Sense and Sensibility (Book-It Repertory); Jasper in Deadland, RENT (5th Avenue); The Adding Machine (New Century Theater Company); Feathers and Teeth, BedSnake, and Sextet (Washington Ensemble Theatre); as well as productions at Taproot Theatre, ArtsWest, and Seattle Public Theater. Regional: Hangar Theatre, George Street Playhouse, Berkshire Theatre Festival, Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble, and Northeast Theater Company. He has served as a guest artist/adjunct faculty at Seattle University. Additionally, Pete works for Seattle Center, where he manages free public programs and events including Winterfest, campus art installations, and Movies and Concerts at the Mural.

Devin Petersen – Scenic Design

Devin is a scenic designer and theater maker based in Seattle. Most recently, his work could be seen in Dacha Theatre’s Much Ado About Nothing and the Broadway Bound Children’s Theatre production of The Little Mermaid. In 2019, he assisted Jennifer Zeyl on the set design for Bulrusher at Intiman. Additional local design credits include working with Washington Ensemble Theatre, Annex, On-the-Boards, Seattle Musical Theatre, The 5th Avenue Theatre, and Whitman College. Upcoming productions: Village Kidstage’s Matilda the Musical and Broadway Bound’s spring season. Outside of the theatre, Devin is an avid gardener, angler, hiker, rock-hound, bird-watcher, and an enthusiastic wanderer. Special thanks to his ever supportive wife, Susannah! BA: Whitman College. MFA: NYU Tisch.devinpetersen.com

Jasmine Joshua – Director

Jasmine Joshua (they/them) is the founder and Artistic Director of the award-winning Reboot Theatre Company, whose mission is to test new interpretations of established works through nontraditional casting, design, and methods yet to be discovered. They are also an actor (Intiman, Book-It, Seattle Musical Theatre, Schmee, Annex) and a director (Cafe Nordo, Reboot, assoc dir at Village for XY, assist dir at 5th Ave for Bliss). Their solo show Bread Crumb premiered at ACT’s Solo Fest in 2020 and was a part of Ars Nova’s ANT Fest 2021. They are currently workshopping their nonbinary musical Here and Their at Seattle Rep. They graduated magna cum laude from UC Santa Cruz with a BA in Creative Writing and a minor in Jewish Studies. In another life, Jasmine was a theatrical publicist who represented Broadway tours, LORT theatres, opera, ballet, and a monster truck rally. www.jasminejoshua.com

Photo by Brett Love

Charles Ludlam – Playwright

Charles Ludlam (1943 – 1987), was an American playwright, director, and actor. He was born in Long Island, and grew to love theatre when he saw a Punch and Judy show at a local fair.

After studying drama at Hofstra University, Ludlam moved into Greenwich Village, where he would spend the rest of his life, and became part of the new gay theater and film scene that was flourishing in the mid-1960s. He founded his own theatre company, the Ridiculous Theatre Company in 1967. Like his idol, Molière, Ludlam was the producer, director, playwright, and diva of his company from its inception in 1967 until his death. He wrote at least one play a year. The company moved from venue to venue in its early years, usually playing late-night shows, until it found a permanent home in a former nightclub at One Sheridan Square in 1967.

Ludlams’s plays were built from trash culture, particularly B movies (such as Conquest of the Universe [1967]) and high art (such as his version of Wagner’s ring cycle, Der Ring Gott Farblonjet [1977]). It is difficult to separate the most successful works from Ludlam’s famous performances in them: his adaptation of Camille (1973); and the “Victorian penny dreadful,” The Mystery of Irma Vep (1984), in which he and Everett Quinton played seven male and female roles. Irma Vep has become a repertory staple in theaters across America.

Melanie King – (she/her) Trustee

Alexis Thornton – Trustee

Masao Yamada (he/him) – Trustee

Masao works in the music industry and with youth empowerment organizations. He is a Co-Founder of projectUcan and is part of the City of Seattle Creative Advantage initiative. At the Boys & Girls Club, he was Director of High School programming for over a decade.

Daniel Thornton (he/him) – Trustee

Dan is a media maker, educator and community activist. He is so proud of his affiliation with Intiman as a board member and audience member.

Nikki Suyama (she/her) – Trustee

Nikki is an accomplished singer, actress and teaching artist. She currently serves as Artistic Director for Red Eagle Soaring, a local non-profit Native youth theater program. Nikki is the reigning World Karaoke Tour North American Champion, sings back-up for Seattle-based soul band Eric Blu & The Soul Revue, and has starred in a variety of plays and films in the Seattle area. She also serves as co-treasurer on the Copious Love board.

Danielle Marie Holland (she/they)

Danielle is a communications professional at the UW and an essayist, writer and podcaster. Danielle’s work has been published in Parents Magazine, DAME Magazine, Rewire News Group, Insider and beyond. Danielle has an extensive background in the performing arts, with a focus on building community through storytelling and performance as a political force.

Anthony Derrick (he/him) – Trustee

Anthony Derrick (he/him) is an executive communications professional with a long history of public-sector work. He received his undergraduate degree in English Literature with a focus on Modern American Drama, and his senior thesis project explored themes of masculinity and homosexuality in the works of Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams. He is passionate about the power of theatre to inspire conversation and change lives.

Farheen Siddiqui Ahmed (she/her) – Trustee<

Farheen is a Muslim community organizer with organizations including WASAT and Day of Dignity, and she is a lifelong Seattleite. She works as a Project Manager at the Garrigan Lyman Group.

AK Sterling (he/him) – Secretary

AK is a communications and community relations professional with experience in higher education. He’s an innovation & engagement manager in the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance at UW. He holds a Master of Communication in Communities & Networks from UW and a communication degree from WSU.

Kevin Shah (he/him) – President & Interim Treasurer

Kevin, A.K.A Captain Empathy, is a tech product leader and entrepreneur. He is a storyteller who brings the passion of arts and tech intersecting to help drive systemic changes and create spaces to empower communities.

Rebecca Gessert (she/her) – Costume Shop Manager

This is Rebecca’s second season with Intiman Theatre, and she is thrilled to be back after a wonderful first season. Rebecca received her bachelor’s degree in costume design from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). In 2019, after decades of teaching economics at an international high school in Tokyo, she decided to work full-time in theater. Since then, she has worked at Jacob’s Pillow in Massachusetts, The Western Stage in California, and the Chicago Opera Theatre.

   Hannah Votel – (they/them) South End Stories Blog Mentor & Assessment Assistant

Maribel Valdez Gonzalez (she/her) – South End Stories Education Specialist

Maribel Gonzalez is an Indigenous Xicana educator, author, and workshop facilitator working to decolonize instructional practices so that youth, educators, and community members can show up as their most authentic selves.

Stefan Richmond (he/they) – South End Stories Media/Communications Manager

Stefan is a Colorado native, Seattle-based actor/movement/performance artist & educator. After graduating from the University of Northern Colorado with a B.A. in Theatre Arts and Dance, he made his way to the PNW through the Intiman Emerging Artist Program in 2016 and has been a full-time artist in Seattle ever since. As a creative collaborator and storyteller, he believes in the power of storytelling and its ability to heal. The projects they seek to create and collaborate on examine and explore the intersections of stories and emotions related to physical space, natural movement within the body, and language/text. Some Seattle credits include Salvage Rituals (Tim Smith Stewart/Jeffery Azevedo), multiple educational touring shows with Book-It Theatre, Romeo y Julieta (Sophie Franco/Seattle Shakespeare), Black Bois (Dani Tirrel+Congregation), Time to Tell (Shawn Johnson), Pylon III (Tectonic Marrow Society), The Earth Shakes (Heron Ensemble), Carry We Openly (Amador/Stokes) and The House of Dinah (Andrew Russell/Dani Tirrell/Jerome Parker.) Stefan currently works as a teaching artist and administrator for South End Stories.

  Lisa Marie Rollins (she/her) – Visiting Artistic Associate

Lisa Marie is a freelance director, writer and new play developer. She is a Sundance Institute Theatre Lab Fellow (Directing) and Directors Lab West member. Regional directing/dramaturg work includes Hedgebrook Women’s Play Festival, Crowded Fire Theater, American Conservatory Theatre, Playwright Foundation, TheatreFirst, Berkeley Repertory Theater (Ground Floor), Shotgun Players, Custom Made Theatre, Magic Theatre, San Francisco Playhouse, TheaterWorks (CO). She has been a writing fellow with Hedgebrook, Djerassi, SF Writers Grotto, CALLALOO London, VONA, Just Theater Play Lab and Joshua Tree Highlands Artist Residency. She was honored with a “Bay Brilliant” artist award from San Francisco’s KQED and has received a Gerbode Special Award in the Arts for playwriting. She is a Community Arts Panelist for the Zellerbach Family Foundation and a Resident Artist with Crowded Fire Theater in San Francisco. She was recently highlighted in American Theater Magazine as one of their “Theatre Workers You Should Know.” She’s from Tacoma, WA. This collaboration feels like a bit of a homecoming.

   Francesca Betancourt (she/her) – South End Stories Program Manager

Francesca, aka Cessa, is an actor, intimacy director, facilitator, and administrator. She has worked as an artist & facilitator in Ireland, India, the Philippines, New York, Washington, Wisconsin, Maryland, Washington D.C., Florida, and internationally in the virtual world. She holds two BAs from Western Washington University in Theatre Arts and Sociology and has trained in Applied Theatre at the City University of New York. She is currently a facilitator for Art With Impact and Intimacy, Directors, & Coordinators. Her work is based in trauma-informed social/emotional arts practice, cultural competence, access, agency, and physical storytelling.

  Monique Hebert (she/her) – Education Program Manager

Monique is a writer and educator who is thrilled to be the Education Program Manager for the STARFISH Project. She grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and just finished a Master’s Program at Arizona State University in Film and Media Studies. She is a playwright with staged readings of her plays at the Seattle Playwright’s Salon and the Pocket Theater. She loves inspiring students in their educational pursuits and has written and published a children’s book series set in Seattle. She is excited to support and encourage the next generation of technical theatre artists. EMAIL

Veliere Crump (he/him) – Group Sales Manager

Veliere is a customer service specialist with over two decades of experience in ticket sales and customer service management. Prior to joining Intiman Theatre, Veliere was with Seattle Rep as the Group Sales Manager for over three years and with Teatro ZinZanni for over 12 years in Box Office Management. Prior to Teatro ZinZanni, he was in Hotel Management at the Inn at the WAC for over 12 years. EMAIL

  Jose “Jojo” Abaoag (he/him) – Development & Communications Manager

Jose is a Filipino American born and raised in Southern California who has lived in Seattle since 1994. A graduate of Cornish College of the Arts, Jose has worked as a teaching artist and professional actor in Seattle for over 20 years and is a two-time recipient of the Gypsy Rose Lee Award for his work in Branden Jacob Jenkins’ An Octoroon (ArtsWest, 2018) and A. Rey Pamatmat’s Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them (Seattle Public Theater, 2013). Jose has worked as a Marketing Coordinator, PR manager, and Social Media Manager at Seattle Children’s Theatre, ACT Theatre, and Book-It Repertory Theatre and recently worked as the Interim Communications Manager for ArtEquity, a national nonprofit working at the intersection of art and activism. He is a proud father of two⁠ and was raised by a long line of strong, proud Filipina nurses. EMAIL

Kiefer Harrington Education (she/her) – Programs Manager & Artistic Dept. Coordinator

Kiefer (he/him) is excited to be welcomed into the Intiman family and help shepherd the next generation of the industry’s technical geniuses (and learn more than a few things himself). After receiving his B.S. in Theatre Arts Management from Ithaca College in 2017, Kiefer moved to Seattle and has had the pleasure of working as a director and arts manager with companies such as Pork Filled Productions, Seattle Rep, and Seattle Children’s Theatre. His work has allowed him to collaborate with other local Queer and BIPOC artists in bringing new stories to Seattle’s stages–professional credits include She Devil of the China Seas (Pork Filled Productions), Snow White (Seattle Children’s Theatre), and Hitchhiker (By The Seat Of Your Theatre Company). EMAIL

Kennedy A. Pridge (she/her) -Audience Services Manager

Kennedy is a young emerging theatre professional here in Seattle. Originally from Danville, Virginia, she got her start in theatre at the very ripe age of 11, doing community theatre with The Rising Star Project. Her passion for theatre grew and carried her all the way to college. While at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Kennedy took on multiple roles in Musical Theatre, Costume Design, and Theatre Administration. In 2019, Kennedy was hired by Courtney Sale (former SCT Artistic Director) as a Drama School Intern and moved to Seattle two weeks after Graduation. Her love for the city prospered, and she decided to stay and continue her work with theatre. Kennedy is also widely known as the spectacular Kennedy Colby, performing drag and burlesque and delivering jaw-dropping performances all over the city. Other works include her affiliation with BeautyBoiz as an event producer/performer. Kennedy is very excited to join the Intiman team and share her enthusiasm and creativity in a positive way to make theatre more accessible to those less represented. EMAIL

Essex Martin (he/him) – Operations Manager

Essex joins Intiman with a decade of experience in community organizing and non-profit leadership in anti-violence and social justice philanthropy. A longtime arts supporter, Essex understands that artistic expression is essential for building strong, sustainable movements for equity and social justice. He regularly lives out those values on the dance floor as a DJ, often leveraging that skill to raise money for community arts-focused events. EMAIL

Marcos Gerardo Everstijn (he/him) – Production Director

Marcos Everstijn is a set designer, artist, technical director, and carpenter. With Intiman, he has served as Master Carpenter and Master Stage carpenter. He’s been a Stage Supervisor and staff carpenter for Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre and Houston’s Alley Theatre. Shows he’s worked on for these companies have moved to Broadway and Off-Broadway runs, receiving Tony nominations and Awards (Not About Nightingales, The Civil War, Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf (2012), and others), and a Tony Award for Best Set Design (August: Osage County). He has served as Resident Set Designer and Technical Director for Naples Dinner Theatre and Technical Director on many of his designs. He has designed and built furniture and art pieces. His latest public work of art installation can be seen at the Fremont Troll’s Troll Knoll and the design and fabrication of Motley Zoo’s Cat Circus at Bumbershoot ’23.
As a Salvadoran-American immigrant, He knows that equity, diversity, inclusion, and access matter both for the onstage representation of actors and behind-the-scenes workers. It is great to see Intiman pushing for this progress, and he is pleased to be able to contribute to Intiman and Seattle Central College’s Associate Arts degree program, emphasis in Technical Theatre for Social Justice.

WEBSITE
EMAIL

Donte Felder (he/him) – Education Director + South End Stories Director

Donte is a Golden Apple Award-winning teacher who has served Seattle Public Schools since 1998. A community leader and organizer, he founded the Orca Drama Club, Columbia City Youth Theater Group and South End Stories, which provides extracurricular writing, theater, and film programs for children of all ages. His passion is bringing students together with local nonprofit organizations to provide access to opportunities that would otherwise be unavailable. In 2005, Mr. Felder was awarded the Washington Education Association’s Humanitarian Award for his own play, The First Day, a science fiction allegory about Brown versus the Board of Education that explores race relations. EMAIL

Wesley Frugé (he/him) – Managing Director

Wesley is a director, producer, marketer, fundraiser, event planner, community organizer, and administrative professional. He is originally from Houston, TX, and moved to Seattle in 2013 after living in New York City for eight years. At Intiman, he was formerly the Development & Communications Director for three years. Previously, he was the Founder and Artistic Director of Forward Flux Productions (a theatre company focused on new work from women and artists of color), the Founding Artistic Advisor of The Grief Dialogues (using theatre to ignite conversations about death, dying and grief), and he is the Co-founder & Executive Director of BeautyBoiz (Queer collective creating live events and media by and for the LGBTQ+ community). As lead producer, Wesley has presented ten new plays to Seattle audiences; eight cycles of the collaborate create artist residency series (over 120 artists have participated); 20 editions of The Flux Salon new works series (featuring Chisa Hutchinson, Lauren Yee, Benjamin Benne, Jeremy O. Harris, more); countless drag shows at Fred Wildlife Refuge and Supernova Seattle; and one season of the “Live from The Flux Salon” podcast. He produced, wrote and directed the FringeNYC 2012 hit play FRIENDANDY.COM (HERE Arts Center) and was the co-curator of Intiman’s HOMECOMING Performing Arts Festival in 2021.
He has experience working in the corporate sector (Ralph Lauren), social impact strategy (williamsworks), non-profit (Casey Family Programs, Treehouse for Kids, Forward Flux), and government (Washington State Department of Transportation), and has over seven years of experience working in the C-suite. He has produced fundraising events for clients ranging from the Eastern Congo Initiative (with Ben Affleck), the Schultz Family Foundation, Hillary Clinton, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and more. He serves on the steering committee for the Capitol Hill Arts District, and he holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from Sam Houston State University. EMAIL

Jennifer Zeyl (she/they) – Artistic Director

Jennifer has served as Intiman’s Artistic Director since 2017. Previous employment includes 15 years as a freelance set and costume designer. Over 140 professional productions in regional theatres across the country, designs have been produced by The Guthrie – MN, Two River Theatre – NJ, The Rose NE, The Public – NY, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Intiman, ACT, Seattle Children’s Theatre, On the Boards, among others. USA 829 Union of Theatrical Designers member. Working also as director and producer of new touring performances SUSAN 2019 – current, Psychic Radio Star 2016 – current, NOW I’M FINE 2012 – 2017, WEST 2010, InDisdress & Redux 2005-2008. JZ is the youngest of 5 with 4 older brothers and grew up moving around the globe, keeping up with her father, Donald, a prominent professor of Ancient Greek philosophy.
JZ serves on the board of directors for Red Eagle Soaring, a Seattle-based Native Youth Theatre. Previous board service includes zoe | juniper (3yr), Common Acre (10yr), Network of Ensemble Theatres (5yr) and Smoke Farm (7yr). She is a monthly supporter of Sawhorse Revolution, Wa Na Wari House, Real Rent Duwamish, Red Eagle Soaring, North Star, South Seattle Emerald and several Patreon accounts. EMAIL

Jennifer Zeyl – Scenic Design

Jennifer is thrilled return to the Intiman stage where she has designed scenery since 2006 and over the moon to be working with Sheila Daniels again! Previous Intiman shows include: Angels in America, Dragon Lady, Heartbreak House, Trouble in Mind, Stu for Silverton, and Bulrusher among others. Locally, Jen has designed many shows for ACT Theatre, Seattle Rep, Seattle Childrens, Seattle Shakespeare and more. Nationally, their scenic designs have been seen at: NY Public Theatre, Guthrie Theatre, Two River, Pittsburgh Public, The Rose, Duke Presents, Red Cat, The Clarice Center and more. A Seattle-based scenic designer, stage director and producer, she is honored serve Intiman Theatre as Artistic Director and is a Founding Co-Artistic Director of Washington Ensemble Theatre, winner of The Stranger Genius Award in Theatre and three-time Gregory Falls Best Scenic Design recipient. Jennifer is grateful to receive funding for her original and touring work from: The Seattle Office of Arts and Culture, Theatre Communications Group, Map Fund, Creative Capital, Artist Trust, 4Culture, and The National Endowment for the Arts. Jennifer is a proud member of USA 829. BFA Directing, BFA Theatre Design – University of Rhode Island 1996, MFA Scenic Design – University of Washington, 2003.

Devin Petersen Technical Director

Devin is a local scenic designer and theater maker. Intiman: designed The Mystery of Irma Vep (‘22) and assisted Jennifer Zeyl on Bulrusher (‘19). Other local design credits: Broadway Bound Children’s Theatre, Washington Ensemble Theatre, Dacha, Village Kidstage, On-the-Boards NW New Works Festival, Seattle Musical Theatre, The 5th Avenue Theatre, and Whitman College. This spring, he has the joy and honor of teaching scenic design at the University of Puget Sound. Special thanks to his wife, Susannah, and his beloved senior dog, Sachi!

BA: Whitman College. MFA: NYU Tisch. devinpetersen.com

Tori Stephens
Props Manager

Bio coming soon

Varinique “V” Davis – Zoe

Varinique Davis (she/her) studied at the National Theatre Institute at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center. She is a member of the Miranda Family Fellowship created by Lin-Manuel Miranda. V’s credits include Seattle Repertory Theatre’s Public Works productions of Winters Tale, Twelfth Night, and As You Like It; Macbeth (Seattle Shakespeare Company); Mamma Mia (Village Theatre); Howl’s Moving Castle (Book-it Rep); Office Hour (ArtsWest) “I would not be the artist I am today without Black influence, culture and experience. For this, I’m eternally grateful.” IG: @515davis

Hazel Rose Gibson – Stage Manager

Hazel (she/her) has been acting, stage managing and modeling in Seattle since 2015. Originally from CO, she moved to the PNW to continue her career after starting it in Sioux City, Iowa as a stage manager for a private college production of Into the Woods post-graduation. This is her first production with Intiman. Other stage manager credits include Macbeth (Seattle Shakespeare Co.), Henry IV, Part 2 (Green Stage), 25-35 (an original rap musical by Tré Calhoun, Theatre Off Jackson), A Charlie Brown Christmas (Taproot Theatre), and Venus in Fur (Island Stage Left).

Matt Starritt – Sound Design

Matt Starritt (he/him) is a Seattle-based, freelance sound designer. In Seattle, he has designed for ACT, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Intiman Theatre, Seattle Shakespeare Company, Strawberry Theatre Workshop, Book-It Repertory Theatre, ArtsWest, Cherdonna, Kitten and Lou, New Century Theatre Company, The Williams Project, BenDeLaCreme, Waxie Moon, zoe | juniper, and Washington Ensemble Theatre. Nationally, he has designed for Alley Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Cornerstone Theater Company, The Old Globe, South Coast Repertory, and the Under the Radar Festival at the Public Theatre. He is the sound supervisor at Meany Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Washington and was a founding member of Washington Ensemble Theatre.

Isabella Price – Costume Design

A costume designer for over 10 years, Isabella (she/her) first began making costumes inspired by cartoon characters from her favorite shows. Once she was in her 20’s after years of making costumes for science fiction conventions, renaissance faires and local theater, she interned at the Pittsburgh Playhouse where she was the Head Stitcher for 3 years. During that time she designed for plays, film, burlesque and worked as a stylist. Moving to Seattle in 2015, Isabella jumped back into styling and wardrobe, doing work for the “100 Years of Beauty” Youtube series, film, and is delighted to work for Intiman for the first time.

Photo by Daniel Shapiro

Vada Briceño – Lighting Design

Vada (she/her) is happy to return to Seattle and Intiman for The Niceties. Previous credits include Wild Horses (2018); Two Mile Hollow (2022); I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter at Seattle Repertory Theatre – Associate Lighting Designer (2023); vadabriceno.com

Jasmine Lomax – Associate Director + Fight Choreographer

Jasmine (they/them) returns to Intiman after appearing in the Emerging Artist Program in 2017 to present their solo show Thicc Girl Problems: Eating My Feelings. Some of their favorite credits include Tiara’s Hat Parade (Director), In the Time of The Butterflies (Minerva Mirabal, Actor) and The Bonesetter’s Daughter (Assistant Director) with Book-It Repertory Theatre, PASSOVER (Intimacy Director/ Co-Fight Choreographer) with The Spot Sun Valley, and Or, (Intimacy Director/ Dramaturg) with Theatre22.

Sheila Daniels – Director

Sheila Daniels is a Seattle-based, multi-disciplinary Theater Maker. She served as Associate Director to Bartlett Sher at Intiman from 2007 through 2009 and is honored to have worked as a director under Jennifer Zeyl and Andrew Russell’s leadership tenures. Her Intiman directing credits include: A Streetcar Named Desire, Abe Lincoln in Illinois, Crime and Punishment, The Children’s Hour, and Lysistrata. Other directing work includes: Indecent (Seattle Rep), Dancing at Lughnasa (Seattle Repertory Theatre, TANTRUM Theatre in Ohio) The Wolves (A Contemporary Theatre), Jackie & Me (Seattle Children’s Theatre), Lydia, The Normal Heart, Breaking Code, The Bridge of San Luis Rey (Strawberry Theatre Workshop), According to Coyote (Seattle Children’s Theatre Company, Children’s Theatre Company of Minneapolis), A Winter’s Tale, Much Ado About Nothing, Electra, Pericles, Macbeth (Seattle Shakespeare Company), This Wide Night (Seattle Public Theatre), Crime and Punishment (Theater Under Ground/CHAC), Waiting for Lefty, God’s Country, Arcadia (Capitol Hill Arts Center) HAC), Rubble Women (co-creator, UMO Ensemble), Anaphylaxis (Throwing Bones/IRT, NYC), Burning Bridget Cleary (Ladykiller Productions). As a devisor/choreographer Sheila has self-produced multiple works of rarely told women’s stories and co-created with other artists including Martha Enson (UMO). Upcoming projects include her first documentary film, Hidden Bodies: Stereotyping and Shaming of the Femme Body in American Theater. She is the current Theater Department Chair and proud Faculty member at Cornish College of the Arts.

Eleanor Burgess – Playwright

Eleanor Burgess has written plays that have been produced at Manhattan Theatre Club, Geffen Playhouse, McCarter Theatre Center, the Huntington Theatre, Alliance Theatre, Contemporary American Theatre Festival, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Portland Stage Company, and Centenary Stage, and presented or developed at The New Group, New York Theatre Workshop, Ensemble Studio Theatre, the Lark Play Development Center, the Kennedy Center/NNPN MFA Playwrights Workshop, Ryder Farm and Luna Stage. She is currently a 2050 Fellow at New York Theatre Workshop, a member of The Civilians’ R&D Group, and a member of P73’s writers’ group, I73. She has also been the recipient of the Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Award, an EST/Sloan commission, a Keen Teens Commission, and the Susan Glaspell Award for Women Playwrights. She grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts, studied history at Yale College, and recently completed the M.F.A in Dramatic Writing at NYU/Tisch.

Amy Thone – Janine

Amy Thone (she/her) is so deeply pleased to once again be collaborating with Sheila “Horfey” Daniels, with whom she’s worked on King Lear (Kent), Midsummer (Titania), The Winter’s Tale (Paulina), Much Ado (Beatrice), My Name is Asher Lev (Rivkeh), The Bridge at San Luis Rey (Nun), The Normal Heart (Dr. Emma Brookner), Macbeth (co-workshop leaders–UW), plus years of collaborating as teachers at Cornish College of the Arts. Previously at Intiman, Amy appeared in: A Question of Mercy, Measure for Measure, and The Diary of Anne Frank. She is a proud core company member at ACT, where she has played both Marley and Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, the Nurse in Romeo and Juliet, and just recently, an ensemble member in Reginald Andre Jackson’s History of Theatre.

Ms. Thone spent 25 years on staff at the Seattle Shakespeare Company, where roles have included Prospero, Goneril, Lady Macbeth, Adriana, Emilia, Cassius, Cleopatra, Helena, and the Chorus. She’s also extremely proud to have played King John and Titus in the first two Upstart Crow productions, directed by Rosa Joshi.

She is currently in a year-long workshop rehearsal process with The Seagull Project, which will culminate in Fall 2023 in a production of Gorky’s The Lower Depths (with a new adaptation by Jehan Osanyin) directed by Gavin Reub.

This production, like most other things in Amy’s life, is dedicated to her two beautiful daughters.

Photo by Adam Fontana.