Universidad Finis Terrae, B.F.A., TheaterUniversidad Finis Terrae, B.A., Education
Verónica Díaz-Muñíz is a Chilean director, playwright and theater
educator with a background in the area of movement and
testimonial theater. Her work engages with questions of gender
and womanhood, and her creations evolve from a particularly
feminist perspective. She is a founding member of “Toma Teatro”
in which she has served as director and playwright since 2015.
Her research aims to create alternative theatrical spaces and
practices where liminality converges with the political.
M.F.A., UC Davis, Dramatic Art, June 2020M.A., University of San Francisco, Education, September 2004B.A., San Francisco State University, Interdisciplinary Art, May 1994
Tasa Gleason holds a BFA in Dance Performance from Cornish
College of the Arts, Seattle WA, and a certificate in Apparel
Design and Merchandising from College of Alameda, Alameda CA. She
has been designing and creating costumes for dance and theatre
for over 15 years. Having a background in performance and
choreography offers Tasa an understanding of what is unique about
costuming for dance and theater; it also means that she
shares a vocabulary in regard to movement that is
indispensable to her when collaborating with directors,
choreographers, and dancers.
North Park University, B.A., Communication Arts: Theatre and Performance Studies, 2006
Joseph Schupbach is a director, deviser, and
playwright. Joseph has been a company member of Barrel of
Monkeys since 2007 and served as Artistic Director
2014–17. He is co-founder and Associate Artistic
Director of InGen Productions where he co-adapted and directed
twelve full-length projects. Joseph has had the pleasure of
collaborating with Akvavit Theatre, The Annoyance Theatre,
The Arts Club of Chicago, Athenaeum Theatre, The Center for
Independent Artists, Chicago Dramatists, Chicago Fringe
Festival, Chicago Sketch Fest, Compass Players
Lena Polzonetti is a dancer, choreographer, and dance
educator. She has performed professionally in ballet and
modern dance companies, including the Ithaca Ballet, alban elved
dance company, Danza Tersicore, and Fischerdance, among
others. From 2006 to 2017 she coordinated and taught in the
magnet dance program at Clay High School for the Visual and
Performing Arts in South Bend, Indiana.
University of California, Santa Cruz, B.A. Theater Arts, 1996
Slater Penney has won an Emmy, appeared on TEDx, and successfully
toured locally and internationally. He graduated from UC Santa
Cruz with a BA in Theatre Arts, trained at the Dell’Arte
International School of Physical Theatre, and is an Actor-Creator
of ensemble physical theatre. Notable devised production
companies include the Submarine Show, Naked Empire Bouffon
Company, California Revels, Bay Area Children’s Theatre, Kinetic
Arts Productions, and Lunatique Fantastique. Slater continues to
teach at the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre, and has eyes on
the rest of the world.
Humboldt State University, B.A. Interdisciplinary Dance: Language and Culture, 2007
Kevin Dockery is a physical thinker, mover, musician, writer and
nature historian who uses performance to explore ideas of self,
place, and fit in the cultural labyrinth that overlays our
experience of life. Kevin’s movement practice developed out of
contemporary dance, martial arts and contact improvisation. He is
most interested in making and performing in work that is related
to environmentally and socially relevant source material. He has
also been teaching contact improvisation since 2005 and
Feldenkrais since 2011.
Tara Brandel is an Irish choreographer, contemporary dancer,
aerialist, and contact improviser, and has been
choreographing extensively since 1990. Her work has been
shown in Cork, Dublin, London, Berlin, San Francisco, Seattle,
Egypt, Canada, and Australia.
B.S. American History, Northwestern University 2000
Lucas Hatton teaches performance studies and
social justice at San Jose State University where he has received
a Peer Connections Excellence in Teaching Award and a Service
Learning & Community Engagement Award. As an actor, he has
performed in Chicago at Steppenwolf, I.O., The Hypocrites,
Neo-Futurists, Lifeline, Mary-arrchie, The Gift; and in the Bay
Area with Marin Shakespeare, Livermore Shakespeare, Shotgun, SF
Playhouse, Central Works and Playground.
Raissa Simpson is a choreographer, teacher, and the Artistic
Director of PUSH Dance Company in San Francisco. After receiving
her BFA from the Conservatory of Dance at SUNY Purchase, Simpson
had an extensive performance career in the San Francisco Bay Area
dancing with Robert Moses’ Kin and Joanna Haigood’s Zaccho Dance
Theatre, among others.
Greg Pierotti is a writer, performer and director. He is
co-author of The Laramie Project, Laramie: 10 Years
Later, and The People’s Temple. He has performed in
classical and new work in New York and at such regional theaters
as Berkeley Rep, Denver Center, La Jolla Playhouse, and Arena
Stage. As writer/director he has received residencies to develop
his work at Maison Dora Maar in Provence, The Orchard Project and
Berkeley Rep’s Ground Floor to name a few. He is an Emmy award
nominee and a 2013 nominee for the Alpert Award in the Arts in
the category of theater.
Lisa Quoresimo is Assistant Professor of Musical Theatre at
Southern Utah University. She is an internationally produced
composer and playwright, and an active director and performer.
Her work has been seen at Berkeley Repertory Theatre (West Coast
Premiere of An Octoroon), Shotgun Players, and the Brava
Theatre, and she served as Artistic Director of the Kairos
Theatre in New York City for many years.
