clown lung

STEVEN SAN LUIS
Playwright
Steven San Luis (he/him/his) is a queer playwright from southern Georgia. His short comedy, Mime Stop, was recently published in the 2020 Stage It! book, and his one act, The Border Troll, was the 2020 winner of the Avalonia 7 Best Comedic One Act Award. Steven’s full-length play, Angler Light, was a 2020 Trustus Theatre finalist and was developed as a part of Local Theater Company’s 2021 Local Lab. He began the MFA program for dramatic writing at New York University in the fall of 2021.

MEGHAN FRANK
Director
Meghan is a theatre maker based in her hometown of Denver. She creates original theatre through collaboration, and has worked globally (Afghanistan, India, Azerbaijan, Egypt and the Balkans). In 2017, Meghan co-founded Theatre Artibus. Their most recent project Recipe Shared can be explored for free online: recipe.theartibus.com. Meghan is an ensemble member of Bond Street Theatre (working in international communities affected by war) and a teaching artist with Mirror Image Arts, a nonprofit dedicated to disrupting the school to prison pipeline in Denver. Meghan holds an MFA in Ensemble Based Physical Theatre from Dell'Arte International (2012) where she also served as a Community Programs Manager and adjunct faculty from 2012-14.

NICOLE DIETZ
Performer 1 (Boy, Jellyfish Boy)
Nicole Dietze is a Denver-based actor, movement specialist, and teaching artist. She collaborates and performs with theatre and dance companies around the country. Other theatre credits include: Recipe Shared (Theatre Artibus); Ghost Town (Cornerstone Theatre Company); Blithe Spirit and The Three Musketeers (Theatre South Carolina); Romeo and Juliet and Of Mice and Men (Pennsylvania Rep Company); and her original solo shows Unmarked Boxes and Sisrahtac: American Character. Nicole teaches contemplative movement, Physical Approaches to Performance, the Suzuki Method of Actor Training, and applied theatre. Nicole holds an MFA in Acting from The University of South Carolina.

ISAAC ROSEN
Performer 2 (Narrator, Customer, Tamer, Mother, Jellyfish Customer)
Isaac is so excited to perform with this wonderful cast. He has been doing theatre professionally in colorado for the last 7 years. Previous roles include, Slender u/s in The Merry Wives of Windsor, General Gehngiskahnschmidtz in Seussical, The Neighbor in The Noteworthy Life of Howard Barnes, and Professor Plum in Clue. Isaac would like to thank his friends and family for their unrelenting support.

JOSEPH LAMAR
Performer 3 (Pizza Girl, Fortune Teller, His Girlfriend, Jellyfish Pizza Girl)
Joseph Lamar is a singer-songwriter, actor, producer and much more. He has released two full length albums. His most recent release is genre defying concept album called SIN. [Act I]. On the theatrical stage, he has played roles in Passing Strange and Porgy and Bess.

MARK PERGOLA
Performer 4 (Boss of this Pizza Shop, Ringmaster, Woman in a Suit, Jellyfish Boss of this Pizza Shop)
Mark Pergola has acted, directed, and managed productions in Colorado and New York City including MMC Theatre, Curious Theatre Company, The Arvada Center and Vintage Theatre. He is also an emcee and event producer passionate about surprise and delight to raise funds for amazing non-profits. The Local Lab marks his first project since we all shut down, and he is beyond grateful for the chance to connect, collaborate, and express. Seems especially precious now. Thanks for being here.

VICTOR LONGMAN
Performer 5 (Hey Boyfriend, Lion, Son, Her Jellyfish Boyfriend)
Victor (they/he) is a trans, non-binary, queer performer originally from Arvada, CO. They are thrilled to be back to doing live performance and especially excited to be performing in such a fun and dynamic show.

DANIEL SCHWARTZ
Performer 5 (Hey Boyfriend, Lion, Son, Her Jellyfish Boyfriend)
Daniel Schwartz is thrilled to make his debut at Local Theatre Company. His favorite credits include Polaroid Stories (MSU Denver), The Servant of Two Masters (MSU Denver) and Pippin (Arvada Center). Daniel would like to extend his thanks and gratitude to the director and Local Theatre Company for this opportunity.

MATT GREVAN
Lab Stage Manager
Matt Grevan (Stage Manager) is excited for his first production with Local Theatre Co. He is currently the Production Stage Manager and Stage Management Instructor at Colorado State University. Matt has worked regionally with Encores! At New York City Center, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Dallas Theater Center, Kansas City Repertory Theater and many more. A few of his favorite regional credits includes Catch Me If You Can, The Boy From Oz, La Cage Aux Folles (Uptown Players), Fly By Night, Fly (Dallas Theater Center), A Charlie Brown Christmas, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show (Dallas Children’s Theater). Matt holds a BFA in Theatre Performance from the University of Texas-Arlington and an MFA in Stage Management from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

ADARA BALTAZAR
Lab Assistant Stage Manager
Adara Baltazar is a stage manager based in Denver, CO. She graduated from the University of Denver in 2019, where she stage managed several productions including The Misanthrope, Kid Simple: A Radio Play in the Flesh, Pericles, and numerous one-act Capstone plays. Since then, she has worked with several Colorado theater companies, including the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Butterfly Effect Theatre of Colorado, Stage Left Productions, and others. She is in grad school at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, where she is pursuing her MA in Forensic Psychology. She is thrilled to work with Local for the first time!

LEIF TOWNSEND
Production Assistant
Leif Townsend (he/him) is excited to be helping out with his first Local Lab. He loves all things theatre and has been busy backstage across Colorado's front range since graduating from Western Colorado University in 2020. His theatre work this year includes The Pavilion (Aurora Fox Arts Center), Five Guys Named Moe, Young Frankenstein, Cinderella (Vintage Theatre Productions), The Fantasticks, Winter Wonderettes, and Plaid Tidings (Town Hall Arts Center). Leif is thankful to Local Theatre Company for getting to help create such wonderful theatre.

SELENA MILEWSKI
Production Assistant
Selena Milewski is a performer and communications professional based in Boulder, Colorado, and originally hailing from the "great place on a Great Lake," Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She earned her MFA in Theater: Contemporary Performance from Naropa University, and is invested in devised theatre, writing for and from the body, and developing innovative modes of art-making for our times. Selena’s background includes professional improv comedy, copy editing, and arts criticism. She makes her way through wordsmithing endeavors of all kinds, and in her art-making, too, language is essential. She’s a playwright and poet, committed to divinatory practice in creative expression. In addition to her artistic endeavors, Selena works as a bookseller and content writer serving clients in the addiction recovery sector. Learn more about Selena at selenamilewski.com.

BETTY HART
Post-Show Facilitator
Betty has acted in Local Lab and has facilitated audience conversatioons and salons for Local Theater Company. In 2020, Betty directed Josh Kroenig’s Vroom Vroom for Local Lab, which audiences never saw due to the theatre wide shut down. In June 2021, Betty directed the one person play An Iliad for Creede Repertory Theatre (CRT) and in spring, directed a virtual offering of To the Moon by Beth Kander for CRT as well. In spring of 2021, Betty directed an original devised theatrical film for the University of Northern Colorado called 2020 Speaks. Upcoming projects include directing Polaroid Stories for Metropolitan State University, By the way, Meet Vera Stark for the Fine Arts Center at Colorado College, Once on this Island for Town Hall Arts Center and Blackademics for Vintage Theatre. In November of 2020, Betty gave a Ted Talk on compassion culture instead of cancel culture. You can view the talk here: go.ted.com/bettyhart

Appearing through an Agreement between Local Theater Company and Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.