Artistic Associates
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Brett Williams, Actor
Brett burst onto the scene with a fantastic audition for Welcome Home, Jenny Sutter and stole our hearts with a wonderful performance that still lingers in the hearts and minds of our patrons. He came to us via Sacramento and one of Domenique Lozano’s acting classes at American Conservatory Theatre. Credits include Sacramento Theatre Company, Garry/Roger in Noises Off, Blind Pew/Israel Hands in Treasure Island, Christián in Cyrano, Fred/Parent/Wilkins and Undertaker’s Man in A Christmas Carol, Slim in Of Mice And Men, Cassio in Othello, and Brad in The Peculiar And Sudden Nearness Of The Moon. He has also been seen as Hal in Proof for Capital Stage; various roles for Tahoe Shakespeare; Mercutio, Quince, Henry V, and Macduff for Sacramento Shakespeare; Cusins in Major Barbara for City Theatre; and Schmendiman in Picasso at the Lapin Agile for Aspen Theatre in the Park. Brett is also a certified Basic Theatrical Combatant, holds a college pole-vault record, and makes his rent as a Ph.D. researcher at U.C. Berkeley investigating electric-drive vehicles.
Devon LaBelle, Properties Designer
Devon has been with us since Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead and we couldn’t be happier. She has worked every show since and is a tireless Properties Artisan. In addition to her work with T1 she has worked with Bay Area Children’s Theatre and Berkeley Playhouse. By day, Devon is a teaching artist for the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre and she has held internships at Berkeley Repertory Theatre and Actors Theatre of Louisville. Devon has directed for Walden Theatre Conservatory of Kentucky and Northwest Playwrights Alliance in Seattle.
Martin Flynn, Set Designer and Scenic Painter
Martin started with us on The Drawer Boy while he was still the resident Scenic Design Associate at the American Conservatory Theater. Martin designed scenery for Welcome Home, Jenny Sutter, The Grapes of Wrath, Anton in Show Business, The Drawer Boy, Hanging Georgia and Oleanna at TheatreFIRST. His designs have also been seen at Shotgun Players, Berkeley Playhouse, Town Hall Theater, The Lorraine Hansberry Theatre and Bay Area Children’s Theatre. Martin is also the resident scenic designer and a visiting artist at Napa Valley College. Martin has an M.F.A. in Dramatic Arts/Scenic Design from U.C. Davis, as well as architectural degrees from Syracuse University and the State University of New York.
Ryan Lee Short, Sound Designer
Ryan first connected with TheatreFIRST Artistic Director Michael Storm while working on The Hermit Bird with Virago Theatre Company in 2009. Since then he has been the number one go to option for Sound Design for T1. He has designed Stones in his Pockets, Anton in Show Business, Welcome Home, Jenny Sutter, Hanging Georgia and Oleanna . His background is in studio engineering and live concert production, but he’s found that theater people are much more fun. His noises (and sometimes, voice) can also be heard during Virago Theater and San Francisco Shakespeare Festival productions, among other Bay Area companies. While not weaving intricate aural landscapes, Ryan can be found wrangling small children and helping them through the rigors of elementary school homework.
Kevin Karrick, Actor
Kevin Lives in Fremont with his wife Sarah and son Patrick. He appeared most recently for T1 in Stones in His Pockets and he has been a standard bearer for “behind the scenes” work. Other acting credits include Skull in Connemara and Seafarer both with B Street Theatre in Sacramento. He has also worked with Solano Repertory Theatre, California Conservatory Theatre and Encore Theatre.
MaryBeth Cavanaugh, Director and Choreographer
MaryBeth directed the runaway hit Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead in 2010 and will be directing I am My Own Wife coming up in 2013. She currently serves as the Associate Director of the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre and as an Artistic Associate at the California Shakespeare Theater. She is a member of the Society of Directors and Choreographers and has served as Director of Choreographer at Berkeley Repertory, California Shakespeare Theater, Santa Cruz Shakespeare, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and Shakespeare at Stinson, among others.
Domenique Lozano, Actor and Director
Domenique has been involved with TheatreFIRST since 2009 when Michael Storm became the Artistic Director. She directed the third show of our 2009/2010 season The Drawer Boy and for the past five years she has been the Director for American Conservatory Theater’s main-stage production of A Christmas Carol where she is a Resident Artist. Other directing credits include The Countess with Center REPertory Company, Two for the Seesaw with Marin Theatre Company, Inspecting Carol and the West Coast Premiere of Jane Martin’s Anton in Show Business with San Jose Stage Company, and The Norman Conquests, Holiday, The Real Thing, and She Loves Me, with Napa Valley Repertory Theatre, of which she was a founding member and Associate Artistic Director. Ms. Lozano teaches in numerous programs at ACT, and has directed many projects with the Young Conservatory and MFA Programs. Some of those projects include the West Coast Premieres of Jeffrey Hatcher’s Korczak’s Children, Wendy MacLeod’s School Girl Figure, Amy Herzog’s The Wendy Play, and numerous graduating class showcases. Acting credits include works with such theatres as California Shakespeare Theater, where she is an Artistic Associate, the American Conservatory Theater, Berkeley Repertory, San Jose Repertory, San Jose Stage Company, and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
Michael Palumbo, Lighting Designer
Michael joined the T1 team as the Lighting Designer on The DrawerBoy, and subsequently designed Anton in Show Business, The Grapes of Wrath, Welcome Home Jenny Sutter and Oleanna. He has designed many productions with companies throughout the Bay Area and beyond including TheatreWorks, Marin Theatre Company, San Jose Repertory Theatre, Opera San Jose, Sacramento Opera, Magic Theatre, Aurora Theatre Company, Diablo Theatre Company, San Jose Stage Company, Pacific Repertory Theatre, SCT/Harbor Theatre, American Conservatory Theater’s MFA Acting Conservatory, SF Playhouse, Inferno Theatre, TeatroVision, City Lights Theatre Company, Shotgun Players and Palo Alto Players.
Emma Nicholls, Actor, Assistant Director and Stage Manager
Emma is a student at U.C. Berkeley pursuing a double major in Rhetoric and Theatre & Performance Studies. At Cal, she has appeared in the devised performance Deviations directed by Joe Goode, and John Fisher’s Ishi: Last of the Yahi, as well as several student-run productions. She was a crew member on Welcome Home, Jenny Sutter, the Assistant Director for TheatreFIRST’s world-premiere production of Hanging Georgia and the Stage Manager on Oleanna. She also serves on the Board of Directors for BareStage Productions, Cal’s largest and oldest student-run theatrical company.
Josie Alvarez, Actor
Josie is an Oakland native and stumbled onto TheatreFIRST when she attended our production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. She has been very active with the group since appearing as Holly in our 2010 production of Anton in Show Business. Other Bay Area credits include The Winter’s Tale with Actors Ensemble of Berkeley and Othello with American Conservatory Theatre’s Master of Fine Arts program, directed by Domenique Lozano. Josie received her training at the University of California at Berkeley and is currently in the MFA Acting Program at the American Conservatory Theater. She has appeared in numerous independent projects including a 2010 music video for Bray and the film The Once and Future Bride directed by Maria Collette-Sundeen.
Kalli Jonsson, Actor
Kalli played Rosencrantz our 2010 Production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, directed by MaryBeth Cavanaugh. He is happy to be an Associate Artist at T1, continuing his association with Artistic Director Michael Storm which began in 2002 when they teamed up in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged at Shakespeare at Stinson. Kalli has appeared in numerous productions in the greater Bay Area, including James in The Internationalist with Just Theater at Ashby Stage, Father Barry in On the Waterfront at San Jose Stage Company, and as Aunt Augusta in Travels With My Aunt at Cinnabar Theater.
Clive Worsley, Actor
Clive Worsley is the Artistic Director for the Town Hall Theatre in Lafayette, and an Associate Artist with the California Shakespeare Theater. As an actor he has appeared on such Bay Area stages as; Cal Shakes, Berkeley Rep, Magic Theatre, TheatreWorks, Marin Theatre Company, Center Rep, Shotgun Players, Town Hall Theatre and TheatreFirst.
