In This Program

• Show Program
• The Spirit of the Bay: An Interview With BAR
• Bay Area Hip-hop Family Tree
• The Company
• Print Edition
• More about A.C.T.

Music Team Led by
Victoria Theodore

Beats by
Will Randolph V

Choreographed by
Juel D. Lane

Directed by
Jamil Jude

The Cast

Esata (as of 6/24)
Angel Adedokun*

Deb
Adesha Adefela

Kamaiyah
Ryan Nicole Austin*

Dhameer
Jordan Covington

Esata (5/29–6/22)
Aneesa Folds*

Conway
Roe Hartrampf*

Victor
Keith Pinto*^†

Chadwick
Deanalís Arocho Resto*

Dadvatar
Tommy Soulati Shepherd

Understudies

Dhameer, Dadvatar
Austin Dean Ashford

Deb, Kamaiyah
Rolanda D. Bell

Esata
B. DeVeaux

Chadwick, Victor, Conway
Ryan Torres*

Stage Management

Stage Manager
Rebecca J. Ennals*

Assistant Stage Manager
Megan McClintock*

Assistant Stage Manager
Emma Walz*

Creative Team

Scenic Designer
Arnel Sancianco

Costume Designer
Jasmine Milan Williams

Lighting Designer
Xavier Pierce

Sound Designer
Connor Wang

Projection System Designer
Frédéric O. Boulay

Video Content Designer
David Richardson

Music Director & Associate Music Supervisor
Ben Covello 

Substitute Music Director (6/13-6/28) & Music Coordinator
Sean Kana 

Associate Music Director
Tish Diaz 

Dramaturg
Joy Meads

Casting
Peter Dunn Casting, LeeAnn Dowd, and Katie Craddock

A.C.T. Producing Team

Associate Artistic Director
Andy Chan Donald

Director of General Management & Operations
Louisa Liska

General Manager
Amy Dalba

Director of Production
Martin Barron

The Band

Ben Covello 
Keyboard / Conductor 

Sean Kana 
Substitute Keyboard / Conductor (6/13-6/28)

Mike Smith 
Guitar 

John Doing 
Drums 

Will Randolph V 
Percussion

Songs

(as of May 8)

ACT ONE

Opening Song
Liminal Space
Code A Way
Valley to Vallejo
Anchored to the Shore
Back in the Day
Captain Hacker
Looking Up
The One Percent
Xcelerate
Welcome Dinner
One Percent (Reprise)
Come Up Time
Going Places
I Hate Bad Pitches
Rooftop Bar
Under the Hood
Supernova

ACT TWO

Entr’Acte
Top of the Mark
Find the Light
Bad Pitches (Reprise)
This is the Bay
Pivot (XC)
Pivot (Town)
All People Powered
Demo Day
Esata Takeover
All People Powered (Reprise)
Esata’s Rebuttal
Finale - Build With Me

Setting

The Bay Area, a time and place to create the future

These productions are made possible by

Season Presenters

Kathleen Donohue and David Sze; Robina Riccitiello

Company Sponsors

The Marymor Family Fund

Executive Producers

Linda Jo Fitz;
Elsa and Neil Pering

Associate Producers

Helen and Roger Bohl;
Dr. and Mrs. Richard E. Geist

Foundation Support

Official Hotel Partner

The Spirit of the Bay

ABOVE: Beau Lewis, Adesha Adefela, and Ryan Nicole Austin

BAR: Hello!

Pam MacKinnon: Hello!

Ryan Nicole Austin: We’re just having some snacks as we get started.

Beau: We’re freshly sugared.

Pam: Good, have some snacks. Sugar is good for the creative spirit.

My first question has to do with the origin of Co-Founders. Around the table at the first rehearsal, we talked about the first song of this show. Can you talk about what that first song was, and why and how it led to other things?

Beau Lewis: This show’s earliest origins…it began with a group of four friends who were founders trying to make startups, and facing how difficult that was, and the truth of the difference between the pressure you feel to project success on the outside, and the fear and anxieties that you have of failing. To combat that, we had a weekly therapy session where people could get vulnerable, and the way we did that was through freestyle rap, and that was a medium where we couldn’t edit. We shared those stories together, and one of the themes that really came out of that is in that first song, “This Is the Bay”—the Bay Area is a place where things start. This is a place where people come to create opportunities that didn’t exist before. Whether you call that entrepreneurship or hustle, it’s the same idea.

Adesha Adefela: I have a question for you, Beau. I know why the Bay is important to Ryan and myself, growing up here, but you’re a man from Seattle. Why is it important to you for people to know about the Bay?

Beau: Yeah. So I feel some things in common between Seattle and the Bay. There’s an isolation that people feel in Seattle. There’s sort of a shadow of the bigger cities, and from that there is this pride of independence, of trying weird things and not being mainstream. To me, the Bay is counterculture through and through.

I came to the bay for college, to go to Stanford. And even at Stanford, which is looked at as part of the tech monolith, the origins of tech and entrepreneurship are counterculture. A lot of people don’t realize that because tech has become “the man.” But the people who began those companies did it to challenge systems that they thought didn’t serve the people—

Ryan: And to challenge Wall Street—

Beau: Yes, yeah. And to challenge Wall Street. And I think the other reason I feel this way about the Bay is because of the artists that I listened to growing up: Too Short, Blackalicious, Gift of Gab, Hieroglyphics. There was an indie scene that was in the hip hop community that was very kindred with what was going on in Seattle. So I was listening to all of that, and those were heroes creatively and still are for me. So when I came to the Bay, to be honest, I felt like I had something to prove.

Adesha: Almost like a desire for belonging in a place that you admired.

Beau: Yeah, well said.

Ryan: I wonder, if we were telling this story in a punk aesthetic, would we feel similarly? When I was in middle school, Kurt Cobain was the biggest thing, and Nirvana and Pearl Jam, and that whole Seattle vibe, all of that really resonated with the independent vibe of the Bay Area. So I feel what you’re saying. If this was a punk show, we would lean towards Seattle.

Beau: Yeah, exactly. How did it feel to have an outsider like me approach you both, interested in telling a story about this place that I came to recently, that you’ve been from for generations?

Adesha: It’s interesting because the outsider became the insider that made the insiders feel like the outsider. So I was trying to get into your field. It felt like the creatives that were here had definitely been making an influence throughout the world, but not full time—like you had to do something else. You couldn’t just create full time. Meanwhile, people in tech are just doing the tech thing: like, you’re at Stanford, and it seems like an incubator for great ideas—let’s just keep creating great ideas together. And it’s like, Well, can I do that too? I want to be in an incubator for creative ideas, too!

So for me, it became all right. This is synergistic. The creative ideas I have and the creative ideas you have in Silicon Valley are really no different, you know, and so, I can continue to fight you because I feel like you have something that I want, or I could collaborate and figure out how you made that work for you.

Ryan: It’s funny there’s a really cute game of inside outside happening here, because I actually felt like, am I going to give this guy permission to be on the inside of something that is extremely precious, and has been commodified, you know, has been extracted from our community, and sold across the country, across the world, not giving credit back to the Bay Area. So initially, I was skeptical, as you know. We had a long, long lunch, and many conversations. I had worked in tandem with white men at the forefront of some great startups and some great organizations, and my ideas weren’t credited all the time. And I had had enough of that. And I knew that was my microcosmic experience on a meta level. That also was happening to Oakland. And so, as you know, I kind of took you to task about that. But I was also forthright with you about what was happening. The song that did draw me into this show was, “This Is the Bay.” There’s a line that talks about the spirit:

The spirit of the bay is a fragile butterfly.
No joking without Oakland guaranteed the magic dies.

And I’m like, if anybody understands those two truths, I can rock with them.

Beau: Well, I have to give credit. The first version of the show was a collaboration of myself and Jason Tan and Brent Shulkin and Jodie Ellis. And so I’m still the one who’s rocking with it from that group. But they were those four creative partners, and it’s so hard to tell who wrote what at this point, but I believe the credit for that line goes to Brent.

Pam: And how many years ago was that?

Beau: That was 2016.

Pam: You referenced freestyling therapy sessions just now. So at that point, was it just the four of you?

Beau: Yeah, in 2016 it was me, Jodi, Jason, and Brent. And then the following year, we did version 2. And that was when I met Adesha—well, I actually first met her cousin, John Gilchrist at First Fridays in Oakland. John was the first person whose hand I shook, having moved here, who represented this sound that I wanted to be a part of. And he was like, You should talk to my cousin Adesha. So I got a ticket to see her at Yoshi’s, and she blew me away, and everyone there loved her, and knew who she was, and she was reflecting that joy back on them. She was there to make other people feel good about themselves, and that’s still what she does, and I admire that so much about you.

Adesha: Aww, thank you.

Pam: Let’s please jump way ahead. I’m wondering what is the most recent writing moment that has surprised you?

Ryan: Good question!

Adesha: I feel like…we’re in the dining room at my house, and that scene with Kamaiyah and Conway, the slinging scene—

Ryan: Oh, this last one we did.

Adesha: Yeah, this last one that we just did. There was something about it that I don’t know, seeing the literal synergy between Conway and Kamaiyah. Yeah, that’s the one that comes to my mind.

Pam: What’s a “before” and “after” that that writing moment did for the story?

Ryan: What happens in that moment…There is an exemplification of something that we’ve been saying is true, but hasn’t been shown, which is the similarities between two different people, two very different kinds of people, right? And how they’re both posturing and how they’re both, you know, trying to one-up one another, but also find an entry point, and they’re being vulnerable in different moments. There’s a beautiful volley that happens between them that they don’t necessarily see in each other yet. But anybody who’s looking on can say, That’s the same person. That’s the same person in a different outfit, and once they get past their pretense, perhaps they’ll be able to see that.

Adesha: I think it shows the brilliance of Kamaiyah. Because people will overlook somebody like a Kamaiyah—Conway does that to her. He dismisses her. He doesn’t know how intelligent she is. He’s looking at her, based on what he’s maybe seen on TV, what he’s heard from other people. But to actually hear her—It just shows you, no, she ain’t dumb. She’s educated tech just like you, and it just opens that window of possibility. If you actually took the tech industry to the hood with somebody like a Kamaiyah, you could actually advance your business. But because you’re looking down on her, you can’t really see that. 

Beau: I have another small one, Pam. There’s a different moment, and we’ve been struggling to find this song, which is Conway’s lowest moment in the second act, where he opens up about the death of his mom and what it means to him, and finds the truth of why he’s in the Bay. And we’ve been through eight versions of this song through this process, most of which have very beautiful moments, many of which did not fit within the right shaped container and sequence, and necessary plot points. And so we’ve been throwing them away.

It’s a very personal scene for me. We have a lot of our lives in this show. I lost my mom when I was six, and so I go there to try to find that. And we were trying a new version, and something Ryan did blew me away. It was perfect—Ryan shared this tender voice note that she had created. And the ideas were so beautiful; it was so true to my personal experience. She clearly channeled it from somewhere in hers. But it was like, wow! Here’s this person who I’ve been working with for years, who has felt and internalized my pain and what I’m offering, and the characters in the show in this world, and it’s theirs, too, and just…damn. That’s amazing that you had that. 

Ryan: Right on? Yeah, thank you. Thank you.

Adesha: Yeah. That’s what’s up. I have a question. Beau and Ryan, why do you think the universe conspired to bring Esata and Conway together? We talk about fate or algorithms in the show. Right? So why, now?

Beau: You know you can’t really have progress without tension. And what happens when you have people who are very different, who are forced to work together? And it can break, and they can go into their circles and think of “me” and “you,” or they can learn from each other, and you have the most to learn from someone who’s nothing like you. So that’s really interesting to me. And especially in this context, you have some big gaps: financial, social, geographical, and this show is right in the middle of all of them. And I think it’s urgent to find those bridges that show that actually, if you combine these things and look at what they can make together—that’s the only way forward.

Adesha: It’s funny. Now I remember that line I was trying to think of the other day: Bridge got one foot in each place.

Pam MacKinnon: That’s lovely. And the story of building Co-Founders is also like that magical moment, or fate: you meet someone on a street, and it leads to a conversation, and it leads you to another person, and the next thing you know, it’s blossomed into something almost a decade later. Bigger than all those discrete moments. I’m thrilled that you trust A.C.T. with this. I’m thrilled that we get to make a show together.

Beau: And thank you for being our partner that makes this possible. We would not be having the world premiere without A.C.T. over the last several years developing this show with us. We’re grateful.

Ryan: Big gratitude…I’ve said this to you before, Pam, I do acknowledge the big work you’re doing to put this Bay Area theater region on your back. I mean “you” directly and to stand for A.C.T. as well. You guys have been taking some big big swings, and we know we’re one of them. Because who puts on a new work at this tune, for this amount of money, with this amount of time invested?

Pam: A.C.T. does.

Ryan: You do, exactly.

Adesha: Thank you for taking them swings.

Ryan: It’s home run time.

Angel Adedokun* (Esata as of 6/24) is honored to return to A.C.T as part of Co-Founders community! Angel is a bilingual multi-genre vocalist, songwriter, composer, actor, dancer, choreographer, educator, and vinyl DJ. Stage credits include Passing Strange (Shotgun Players) & Nollywood Dreams (SF Playhouse). Choreography includes Hedwig & The Angry Inch and Caroline, or Change (Ray of Light Theatre). Teaching throughout The Bay for 8 years, Angel is co-founder of Oakland’s arts education non-profit, Yeah, Art! Find this songbird’s music at angeladedokun.com and @angeladedokun (Spotify/Instagram). “Thank you THE MOST HIGH GOD for being my strength. Thank you Mamami, Grandpami, Grandmami for your love & guidance.”

Adesha Adefela (Writer, Producer, and Deb) has been an actor in musical theater since age five, starring alongside her mother Deltrina Johnson, a Beach Blanket Babylon alum. She continued starring in musicals produced by community theaters in her hometown, Oakland, CA. As a teen, she was to sign with Atlantic records, but in an effort to uphold her personal values, she became an independent artist. That decision led to nominations, sold-out shows in the SF Bay Area, co-starring in a reality TV show produced by Warner Brothers, becoming a Billboard-charted artist, and sharing the stage with famous acts Jazmine Sullivan, Carl Thomas, Goapele, and more.

Ryan Nicole Austin* (Writer, Producer, and Kamaiyah) a multi-hyphenate Grammy-nominated artivist, is proud to make her A.C.T. producing debut with Co-Founders. A third-generation Oaklander, Austin has played roles such as Ruth Younger in A Raisin in the Sun (California Shakespeare Theater), Bessie in Native Son (Marin Theater Company), and Yvonne in The Story (SF Playhouse). Her work spans television, film, and theater with ESPN/NBA, HBO, The Public Theater (NYC), and more. A Kennedy Center artist, TEDx speaker, and Rainin Fellow, Austin is also a founder of Worth.AI, an AI-powered artist rate calculator. Connect: msryannicole.com, IG @msryannicole.

Jordan Covington (Dhameer) is enthralled to make his A.C.T. debut. His most recent credits include Fat Ham and Waitress (San Francisco Playhouse). He also performed in the USA premiere of Innocence at San Francisco Opera and In the Heights (Center Repertory). Covington’s favorite roles include Wale Owusu in Nollywood Dreams (SF Playhouse), Benny in In the Heights (Berkeley Playhouse), Chase in Finding Chase (New Canon Theatre), and Teddy/Nicholas in A Guide For The Homesick (Theatre Rhinoceros). Other local credits include Richie in Chorus Line (I Can Do That Theatre); and West Side Story and Pippin (Berkeley Playhouse). (he/him)

Aneesa Folds* (Esata 5/29–6/22) is the creator and star of Why Am I Here? which recently premiered at The Asylum NYC. She can be heard as Cleon on the Warriors album by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis. Her theater credits include Trading Places (Billie Rae Valentine), Broadway: Freestyle Love Supreme. Film/VO: Alma’s Way (PBS Kids), Vivo (Netflix), tick, tick…BOOM! (Netflix) Additional features include Disney Channel, Sesame Street, and Rolling Stone. Up Next Aneesa will star in the World Premiere of Ginger Twinsies Off Broadway. Follow her @aneesafolds.

Roe Hartrampf* (Conway) is so excited to be making his A.C.T. debut! Roe is best known for his role as Doug in Emily in Paris on Netflix, as well as Prince Charles in Diana: The Musical on Broadway and Netflix. Other credits include: Madam Secretary (Trevor Kingston), Boardwalk Empire (Skeeter Walsh), Blue Bloods (CBS), Game Over Man (Netflix), Power (Starz), Nobody Loves You (2nd Stage), Unnatural Acts (CSC), Noises Off (Bucks County Playhouse), and Anastasia (Bucks County Playhouse). Roe would like to thank Beau, Adesha, and Ryan Nicole for welcoming him into their Bay family. Love to Melanie and PP. @roetramp

Keith Pinto* (Victor) is excited to be back on stage at A.C.T. after appearing in 1776 and Scapin. He received Critics Circle Awards for his role as “Bill” in Me & My Girl (42nd Street Moon) and his choreography of Colossal (San Francisco Playhouse) and TBA awards for his role as “The Emcee” in Cabaret (Hillbarn Theatre) and his choreography of Altar Boys (Center Rep). Other favorites include Hedwig and the Angry Inch and The 39 Steps (San Jose Stage Company), Angry Black White Boy (Campo Santo), Dames at Sea (42nd Street Moon), and The Underpants (Center Rep). Love to Alison

Deanalís Arocho Resto* (Chadwick) is thrilled to be making their A.C.T. debut. Other Bay Area credits include Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar (Berkeley Playhouse), Jacques in As You Like It (San Francisco Playhouse), Posthumus in Cymbeline (San Francisco Shakespeare Festival), Carla in In the Heights (Center REP), and Leslie in Rachel Lark’s Coming Soon (Z Space). Resto understudied Julie D’aubigny in Revenge Song and Austria/Henry in King John (Oregon Shakespeare Festival), and performed as Austria/Henry in King John (Actors Theatre of Louisville). Resto was raised on Susquehannock land and earned their Musical Theatre BFA at Ithaca College on Haudenosaunee land. (they/he/she)

Tommy Soulati Shepherd (Dadvatar) is an internationally renowned actor, rapper, drummer, beatboxer, playwright, author composer, educator, and music producer. Shepherd is co-founder of the Grammy-winning family hip hop collective Alphabet Rockers and is also co-founder of the Bay Area’s theater and music collective, Felonious: One Love Hip Hop. Shepherd is a longtime member of the performance group Campo Santo, currently being housed at the Magic Theater. Shepherd has composed, performed, and toured internationally with Marc Bamuthi Joseph, collaborating on Scourge, the break/s, Spoken World, red, black and GREEN: a blues and /peh-LO-tah/. Shepherd brings love for family, art, activism, and community building to all of his work and is extremely excited to be working at A.C.T. (he/him/they)

Austin Dean Ashford (u/s Dhameer, Dadvatar) is born and raised in the Bay Area. He has garnered top honors at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, the United Solo Festival in New York, the San Diego International Fringe Festival, and the Dunedin and New Zealand Fringe Festivals. His work fuses traditional and emerging performing arts and storytelling methods to explore counter-histories and Afrofuturism, resonating deeply with audiences from all walks of life. In 2021, he earned a Latin Grammy nomination, headlined the first of two independent U.S. tours (2021 and 2023), and released three studio albums that collectively surpassed 1 million streams on Spotify. Graduate: University of Arkansas with dual MFAs in Acting and Playwriting. Ashford is currently the inaugural Artistic Director of Flanner House Arts Stage Academy in Indianapolis and a 2024–2025 Artist in Residence at Z Space in San Francisco.

Rolanda D. Bell (u/s Deb, Kamaiyah) Born and raised Oakland, CA, Rolanda has taken the career route as a storyteller for the last 15 years. She was a part of the Co-Founders workshop reading in 2023. Rolanda’s work and accomplishments include: director with Berkeley Rep Theater School 2024 High School Theater Festival and 2023 RHE Artistic Fellow recipient. Recent theater credits include: world premiere of A Thousand Ships with Oakland Theater Project, Shipping & Handling with Crowded Fire Theater, A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Shotgun Players, POTUS with Berkeley Rep, Is God Is with Oakland Theater Project, and Paradise Blue with Aurora Theater. As her resume continues to grow you can see more of her work in original film Blindspotting, Netflix original film All Day & A Night, and voice actor in deleted scenes for PIXAR Animation films Lightyear & Inside Out 2. Rolanda is SAG-AFTRA and represented by JE Talent. @rolandadene

B. DeVeaux (u/s Esata) has performed in Rent (Joanne), Hairspray (Ensemble), Aida (Ensemble) and Cabaret (u/s Emcee). This is their first time working on a premiere production and they are thrilled to be a part of this! DeVeaux finished one year at Baldwin Wallace University’s Conservatory Music Theater program and hopes to continue their acting study in The Bay.

Ryan Torres* (u/s Chadwick, Victor, Conway) is a Fresno native and graduate of CSU Fresno with a bachelor’s degree in Theatre Arts—Acting, Magna Cum Laude. He is excited that his first production with A.C.T. is such a compelling and relevant world premiere focused on our own Bay Area. Torres’s most recent and favorite past roles include Oliver in As You Like It (San Francisco Playhouse), Antipholus of Syracuse in The Comedy of Errors (SPARC Theater), Jack Worthing in The Importance of Being Earnest (Good Company Players), Jean-Michel in La Cage Aux Folles (StageWorks Fresno), and Giuseppe Zangara in Sondheim’s Assassins (CSU Fresno). (he/him)

Beau Lewis (Writer and Producer) is an Emmy-winning writer, producer, viral media expert, and entrepreneur. Lewis’s music videos have over 250 million views online and his work has been featured in The New York Times, the Atlantic, Fortune, and on Good Morning America. He is the CEO of Rhyme Combinator, the media company dedicated to championing positive entrepreneurial culture. He co-founded GoldieBlox, the award-winning children’s multimedia company challenging gender stereotypes with the world’s first girl engineer character. Lewis was born in Seattle, lives in the Bay, and graduated from Stanford with a BS in Engineering and focus in international relations from Oxford.

Victoria Theodore (Composer, Arranger, Orchestrator, Music Supervisor) Pianist, singer, composer. Original works: Co-Founders (A.C.T.), MARIAN (in development). BROADWAY: Keys, Freestyle Love Supreme (Booth Theatre); MD, The Donna Summer Musical (Lunt-Fontanne Theatre); Women in Theatre (Playbill Online). REGIONAL: A.C.T. Keys, Freestyle Love Supreme; La Jolla Playhouse: MD, Three Summers of Lincoln; MD, Donna Summer Musical. FILM: Tick...Tick...Boom!, CODA, 20 Feet From Stardom. TOURS Beyoncé Formation, Stevie Wonder (multiple & his Live At Last DVD). Keys/Voice: The New Arsenio Hall Show. Arranger for Beyoncé (Disney), Chloe x Halle (SuperBowl). Stanford & Oberlin graduate. Co-founder, EnSpirits. victoriatheodore.com

Will Randolph V (Beats Producer) is a Hip-Hop and R&B producer most notable for his work with Frak (Wild N’ Out/King of the Dot). Randolph is a second generation Bay Area artist, being the son of Will Randolph III from the legendary Boogaloo dance group, The Black Resurgents. Other credits include contributing music to the 2022 Emmy Award winning episode of KQED’s If Cities Could Dance (Boogaloo: The Dance That Defined Oakland’s Culture).

Juel D. Lane (Choreographer) honed his talents at Tri-Cities High School, The Youth Ensemble of Atlanta, and UNCSA. A Dance Magazine “25 to Watch” artist, he’s performed with Ronald K. Brown/Evidence, Camille A. Brown & Dancers, and is a member of The Black Acting Methods Studio. His choreography has been featured by Ailey II, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Atlanta Ballet, BODYTRAFFIC, and more. Lane performed in Fire Shut Up In My Bones, Harlem, and Jesus Christ Superstar Live. He won a BronzeLens award for The Maestro and directed Roc Nation artist Dixson’s music video Only-1. He directs UNCSA’s Choreographic Institute. @jueldlane

Jamil Jude (Director) is a highly accomplished director/producer/playwright/dramaturg focusing on bringing socially relevant art to the community. Jude is the Artistic Director at Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre Company in Atlanta, GA, whose vision is to thrive at the intersection of Artistic Excellence and Civic Engagement. He is the Co-Founder of The New Griots Festival, which is dedicated to celebrating, advocating, and advancing the careers of emerging Black artists in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN. Jude has had the privilege of directing across the country at venues like The Denver Center for Performing Arts, The American Conservatory Theatre, RoundHouse Theatre, The Alliance Theatre, Curious Theatre, Pillsbury House Theatre, Indiana Repertory Theater, Syracuse Stage, A Contemporary Theatre and many others. @mrjdjude (he/his).

Arnel Sancianco (Scenic Designer) makes his A.C.T. debut with this production of Co-Founders. Sancianco is an award-winning Scenic Designer with a nationally recognized portfolio. He’s currently the scenic design lecturer at UC Berkeley. His credits include productions at La Jolla Playhouse, The Old Globe, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The Muny, The Huntington, Goodman Theatre, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, The Kennedy Center, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Woolly Mammoth, Writers Theatre, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Arizona Theatre Company, Court Theatre, American Players Theatre, Milwaukee Rep. For an in-depth look at his work visit ArnelDesigns.com.

Jasmine Milan Williams (Costume Designer) is so thankful to have styled characters in Lorraine Hansberry Theater’s A Black Feminist Guide to the Human Body by Lisa B. Thompson, Shotgun Players’s Choir Boy, Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s (Film) Bottled Spirits, written by Cat Brooks, and UC Berkeley’s In the Red and Brown Water. Williams is so excited to be making her A.C.T debut, as a local actor and costume designer; being part of creating art in the BAY is so important to her. Gratitude. jasminemilan.com (she/her).

Xavier Pierce (Lighting Designer) Professional credits include Virginia Opera, Geva Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Public Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Guthrie Theatre, McCarter Theatre Center, Long Wharf  Theatre, The Alley Theatre, Fords Theatre, Saint Louis Repertory Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Arena Stage, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Arden Theatre, Philadelphia Theatre Co, Playmakers Rep, Westport Country Playhouse, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Asolo Theatre, Alliance Theatre, American Repertory Theatre, Portland Center Stage, George Street Playhouse, Syracuse Stage, Two River Theatre Company, Olney Theatre Center, Intiman Theatre, Arizona Theatre Company, Florida Studio Theatre, Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre, Triad Stage, Charlotte Children’s Theatre, Crossroads Theatre. Pierce is a graduate of New York University Tisch School of the Arts MFA in Design Stage and Film.

Connor Wang (Sound Designer) is thrilled to be making his A.C.T. debut with Co-Founders. Other regional credits include Jersey Boys (Village Theatre); Leroy and Lucy (Steppenwolf); Rutka (Cincinnati Playhouse In The Park); Gun & Powder (Papermill Playhouse); The Hot Wing King (Alliance Theatre); and Evita (American Repertory Theater & Shakespeare Theatre Company). On Broadway, Connor designed How To Dance In Ohio and was the assistant designer for Hadestown and The Cher Show. In addition to his work in theatre, Connor is a mix engineer for Disney Concerts. (he/him)

Frédéric O. Boulay (Projection System Designer) works at the intersection of art and technology, with a focus on pushing creative boundaries onstage. His projection design has been seen in San Francisco, the Bay Area, Chicago, and New York City. A native of France, Boulay is a member of United Scenic Artists and holds both a Master of Arts in Theatre Design & Production and an Executive MBA. He is the founder and owner of Oaktown Productions, which provides creative and rental services specializing in projection system design and video mapping. None of this is possible without the support of his wife and two sons. (he/him).

David Richardson (Video Content Designer) is a writer, director, and inventor.  He co-directed and created the visuals for the holographic musical Cages that opened in Los Angeles in 2019 and won a 2023 London OFFIE. David’s directing work includes streaming projects and visuals for The Broad Museum and Broadway on Demand. He’s collaborated with Multi-Platinum and Grammy Award-winning artists on live visuals, creative direction, and music videos.

Tish Diaz (Music Director) spent two years touring North America as the Assistant Musical Director for the first national tour of Tina - The Tina Turner Musical. She played keyboards and provided backup vocals for Jersey Boys during its successful Las Vegas residency. Other notable people she has performed with are: Rock legend Meat Loaf, Andy Williams, Lilliane Montivecchi (Nine), Sara Dash (LaBelle), Thelma Houston, Francine Reed (Lyle Lovett’s Large Band), Huey Lewis, Abbey Mueller (Six, Beautiful), and American Idol winner Caleb Johnson. This is her first time working with A.C.T. and she is excited to be a part of this unique production celebrating the Bay Area.

Ben Covello (Associate Music Supervisor & Associate Music Director) has music directed and played on Broadway in New York City with shows including Wicked, The Outsiders, and Redwood. He toured the world with the musicals RENT and Jesus Christ Superstar. A firm believer in the power of art to affect change, he is involved with new musicals at BAM, Manhattan Theater Club, Guildhall, the Athens Conservatoire in Greece, Lincoln Center, Paper Mill Playhouse, Goodspeed Opera House, and Deaf West Theatre. Covello is so excited to be at A.C.T. with Co-Founders. Covello wouldn’t be who he is today without his loving family and communities. (he/him)

Joy Meads (Dramaturg) a native of Oakland, is director of dramaturgy and new works at American Conservatory Theater. A.C.T. credits include Big Data, Hippest Trip – The Soul Train Musical, Poor Yella Rednecks: Vietgone 2, The Headlands, Fefu and Her Friends, Communion, Testmatch, Wakey, Wakey, Sweat, Men on Boats, Edward Albee’s Seascape, Her Portmanteau, The Great Leap, and Rhinoceros. Prior to A.C.T., she was literary manager/artistic engagement strategist at Center Theatre Group. CTG credits include Archduke, Good Grief, Appropriate, Forever, Marjorie Prime (2015 Pulitzer Prize finalist), A Parallelogram, The Royale, and Sleep (also: Brooklyn Academy of Music and Yale Repertory Theatre). Previously, Meads was literary manager at Steppenwolf Theatre Company and associate artistic director at California Shakespeare Theater. Meads is a co-founder of The Kilroys. (she/her)

Peter Dunn Casting (Casting) is a former child actor, turned producer, writer, director, educator, and casting professional in NYC. A freelance casting director whose credits includes Broadway, Off-Broadway, National tours, workshops, and exciting new works, he’s been the casting brain behind the sold-out RENT In Concert series with Symphony Orchestras across the country, Grow, The King’s Wife, Unlock’d, and others. He’s most recently served as the associate casting director on shows including Drag: The Musical, Mystic Pizza, Freestyle Love Supreme, the 1st National tour of TINA, Titanique, various shows at The Muny, and the 3 National tours and Broadway production of world phenomenon, Hamilton. A multi-hyphenate artist, Peter strives to create and hold the safest space for artists, a passion for advocacy, and stresses the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion in not only the entertainment industry, but in our everyday world. Endless gratitude to my mother. Lead life with kindness.

LeeAnn Dowd (Casting) is a Bay Area–based artist, producer, and creative facilitator. She has worked with A.C.T., Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Center REP, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Shotgun Players, Theatre Bay Area, Lower Bottom Playaz, and TheatreFIRST. She was previously the Artistic Producer at California Shakespeare Theater, where she is most proud to have supported projects that expand an understanding of “classical theater” to include epic stories of the global majority, including: black odyssey by Marcus Gardley, Quixote Nuevo by Octavio Solis, and House of Joy by Madhuri Shekar. LeeAnnDowd.com (she/her)

Katie Craddock (Casting) was the literary manager and casting associate at A.C.T. from 2022-2024, where she supported the New Works program, cast productions and workshops, and served on the staff EDI committee. Her favorite projects included Co-Founders, The Headlands, The Wizard of Oz, Big Data, and workshops of commissions by Aleshea Harris, Eisa Davis, Craig Lucas, and Anne Washburn. Previously she was the artistic associate at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, where she supported season planning, casting, and dramaturgy, served on the board/staff antiracism taskforce, and facilitated the making of new plays at The Ground Floor. (she/her)

Rebecca J. Ennals* (Stage Manager) is delighted to wear multiple hats at A.C.T., where she has stage managed Poor Yella Rednecks and A Christmas Carol, directed Measure for Measure and Julius Caesar for the A.C.T. OUT Tour, and been the Community Connections Liaison for the Education and Community Programs department. Other stage management work includes Much Ado About Nothing (SF Shakes) and As You Like It (CalShakes). She was a staff member at SF Shakes for 21 seasons, 10 as Artistic Director. Currently she is the stage management lecturer at UC Berkeley, proudly mentoring the next generation of theater makers. She holds a BA from Scripps College and an MFA from UC Davis. Her favorite creative collaborations will always be Henry (10) and Eddie (7).

Megan McClintock* (Assistant Stage Manager) Resident Stage Manager Megan McClintock’s favorite A.C.T. credits include Big Data, A Whynot Christmas Carol, The Wizard of Oz, Wakey Wakey, A Walk on the Moon, Between Riverside and Crazy, A Little Night Music, and Indian Ink. Other Bay Area credits include productions at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, California Shakespeare Theater, The Curran, Aurora Theatre Company, and Marin Theatre Company. Regionally she has worked at St. Ann’s Warehouse, La Jolla Playhouse, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, McCarter Theatre Center, and Arena Stage. She has a BA in theater and history from Willamette University.

Emma Walz* (Assistant Stage Manager) has worked on the stage management team at A.C.T. for A Whynot Christmas Carol, Poor Yella Rednecks, The Wizard of Oz, and 2023’s A Christmas Carol. Walz was the Assistant Stage Manager for Cult of Love at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, and worked as a deckhand on The Ripple, The Wave That Carried Me Home, Clyde’s, Galileo, and The Thing About Jellyfish. Walz has stage managed several shows at Bay Area Children’s Theatre, including The Imaginaries, Llama Llama Red Pajama Live, Elephant and Piggie, and Frog and Toad. Before moving to the Bay Area, Walz worked in Arizona at All Puppet Players and The Phoenix Theatre Company. (she/her)

Rhyme Combinator (Producer) is a media company dedicated to championing positive entrepreneurial culture. Co-founded in 2016 by Beau Lewis, Jodie Ellis, Jason Tan, and Brent Schulkin—the company began with four friends who decided to get vulnerable about the realities of their startup journeys through freestyle rap. It is proud to have developed Co-Founders and projects that unite tech, art, and humanity under Lewis’ leadership as CEO with backing from Reid Hoffman.

Reid Hoffman (Producer) is an accomplished entrepreneur, executive, and investor, having played an integral role in building many of today’s leading consumer technology businesses. He is the co-founder of LinkedIn, a partner at Greylock, and the host of the podcasts Masters of Scale and Possible. He is the co-author of six best-selling books, including The Startup of You and Superagency. Reid’s investment in Co-Founders reflects his belief in the power of storytelling, creativity, and culture to drive societal progress. He is honored to support this groundbreaking musical that explores entrepreneurship, equity, and the humanity of Silicon Valley.

Anthony Veneziale (Producer), also known as Two Touch, is the conceiver and co-creator of the acclaimed Freestyle Love Supreme. Anthony has been performing and teaching applied improvisation for more than 25 years and is a leader in the field of musical improvisation. He is the co-founder of Freestyle+ and CCO of Mindless Inc., a content and game developer that has built the world’s first improv inspired, science-backed, AI-powered mental fitness gaming portal. With FLS he won a special Tony Award, was nominated for a Grammy, and also gets to play with Fortune 500 companies around the world. Anthony is also the first Ted presenter to give a totally improvised Ted Talk.

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