Digital Playbill

Composer and Lyricist

Adam Gwon is a musical theatre writer whose musicals have been produced on six continents in nine languages. Off Broadway: Scotland, PA (Roundabout Theatre, Drama Desk Award nomination, NYT Critic’s Pick, Ordinary Days (Roundabout Theatre; Keen Company, Drama League Award Nomination, Best Revival), Old Jews Telling Jokes (Westside Theatre, NYT Critic’s Pick). Read more: adamgwon.com

Director

Gabriel Peña is an Assistant Professor of Theatre at Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX where he primarily teaches performance-based classes. His most recent directing projects include the Theatre-for-Young-Audiences show Luna at SU and co-directing Native Gardens, the inaugural play of the Sky Dome Stage Company. He is on the board of Crown Theatre, a member of Actors’ Equity Association, and thrilled to be making his Penfold debut with a project set in his former city of residency (one that he still feels deep love for) nueva york.

Music Director and Pianist

Hailing from Canada’s west coast, pianist Graham Yates has been performing collaboratively in central Texas since 2014. He owns Timbral Music Studios in Round Rock, TX where he teaches private piano lessons. He gigs with Austin’s top classical organizations and while with One Ounce Opera he was nominated for the B. Iden Payne “Outstanding Music Director” award. He co-founded CTC Music Publishing which works to promote the creation and production of new music by central Texas composers. CTC’s most recent showcase, “Curses,” presented irreverent musical settings of poems commissioned from Typewriter Rodeo, and a second collaboration is in production. As a composer, Graham was Inversion Ensemble’s Sandra Fivecoat Memorial Composition Contest winner in 2021. His most recent commissions include vocal works for Panoramic Voices and Tetractys New Music.

Stage Manager

Valerie Johnson is an Austin-based theater artist and stage manager, with credits including Pipeline, Pass Over, and Bright Mother. Passionate about the arts from an early age, Valerie is driven by service, connection, and collaboration, bringing creativity and authenticity to every project. When not at the theater, she enjoys spending time with her dog, Eddie.

Set and Props Design

Desiderio Roybal is Professor, Chair, and Director of Productions for Southwestern University’s Theatre Department in Georgetown, Texas. He recently designed and served as scenic artist for Penfold’s productions of Art, I’m Proud of You, and Box—the latter showcasing his scholarship in early 20th-century roll-drop scenery fabrication and painting techniques using traditional dry pigment paint. Roybal has been collaborating with Penfold since 2015, having designed 10 productions, and is delighted to return and design his 11th production in their new home. In the greater Austin area, he has worked with Magnolia Musical Theatre, Zilker Summer Hillside Theatre, David Jarrott Productions, Austin Playhouse, City Theatre Austin. Throughout his career, Roybal has designed scenic and lighting for more than 160 productions at universities and regional theatre companies across the United States. Internationally, his credits include For Whom the Bell Tolls at the Rhodopi International Theatre Laboratory in Smolyan, Bulgaria, and Angels in America at the Dramski Teatar in Skopje, Macedonia.

Lighting Design

Jacqueline Sindelar has been working in film, professional theater, and live event production for over a decade. In the last year, she has designed lights for a number of shows with Penfold Theatre, Ground Floor Theatre, and Deaf Austin Theatre. She has also previously worked as Master Electrician for kidsActing Studio, Austin Shakespeare, and Zilker Theater Productions; Lighting Supervisor for Fusebox Festival; and Lead Theatrical Electrician for Color Factory Houston.

Costume Design

Desireé Humphries is an Austin native costume designer whose recent credits include, Pass Over (Ground Floor Theatre), Hearts Like Fists (Austin Community College), and Black Feminist Guide To The Body (The Vortex). She has a BFA in Theatre Tech and Design from Texas State University and aside from being a local artisan she works at the University of Texas at Austin as the costume stock supervisor and costume production manager. Her last production with Penfold Theatre Company was A War of the Worlds by Jarrett King. She is excited to be working with this young company again on this beautiful production in their new space and would like to thank the company for this opportunity to truly tell a story that aligns with their mission to “rekindle a sense of shared humanity, empathy and hope.”

Sound Designer

Mike Ragan is newly arrived from The Woodlands but has extensive experience in sound design at theaters in the Houston area. Most recently he was sound designer for The Secret Garden and Sweeney Todd at the Georgetown Palace Theatre. Notable previous shows include The Addams Family, Miss Saigon, Chicago!, A Lion in Winter, and The King and I. He is a Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE), holds a Master of Music degree, and recently earned his Associate degree in Live Entertainment Technology from Lone Star College. Contact him at A1@mikecheck123.com

Technical Director

Monroe Oxley is a native Texan who received his undergraduate degree from Lamar University and a Masters in Theatre from Texas A&M Commerce. He has been designing professionally for over 15 years and teaching for over 11 years. Monroe is also early in his writing career with one read-through performed at Texas Educator Theatre Association in 2016 and one staged production in 2017 at Texas A&M University Commerce “10 minute play festival.”

House Manager

House Manager

Graphic Design

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