In This Program

• About the Show
• For Our Patrons
• Cast
• Creative Team
• Behind the Scenes: An Interview with Brendan Healy
• More from Pony World Theatre
• More from Seattle Rep

Seattle Rep presents

Pony World Theatre's

Eulogy, or How To Plan Your Own Funeral (and have fun doing it!)

Written by Brendan Healy
Performed by Brendan Healy & The Undertakers
Directed by Leah Adcock-Starr

Cast

Brendan Healy — As Himself
Emily Huntingford — Undertaker
Deja M. Culver — Undertaker

Creative

Brendan Healy – Playwright & Performer
Leah Adcock-Starr — Director
Amy LaZerte — Costume Designer
Lily McLeod — Lighting Designer
Finley Brown — Co-Sound Designer
M.L. Dogg — Co-Sound Designer
Ahren Buhmann — Projections Designer
Henry Behrens — Props
Sophia Franzella — Movement

Sammy Weinert — Stage Manager
Angelo Domitri — Production Manager
Paula Wilson Nitka — Production Coordinator

Eulogy, Or How to Plan Your Own Funeral (and have fun doing it!) received its world premiere production from Pony World Theatre in 2025, directed by Sophia Franzella and produced by Van Lang Pham.

September 24 – October 11, 2026  |  PONCHO Forum

Seattle Rep’s 2026/27 Season Sponsors

Leslie Lackey
Terri Olson Miller & Tom Miller

Seattle Rep’s Institutional Season Sponsor

We welcome you to take pictures of the set before and after the show.

Share Your Photos 

#EulogySREP
@seattlerep
@ponyworldtheatre

Photography, recording, and use of cell phones are strictly prohibited during the funeral. Please turn your phone off during the service. 

Mission 

Seattle Rep collaborates with extraordinary artists to create productions and programs that reflect and elevate the diverse cultures, perspectives, and life experiences of our region. 

Vision 

Theater at the heart of public life.  

Values 

Artistic Vitality
Sustainability
Generous and Inclusive Practices 

Code of Conduct 

Seattle Rep is committed to being a racially, culturally, and socially just organization. We promote equity, diversity, and inclusion in all aspects of the work we do, and uphold a safe environment wherein all people are welcome to our space and are treated with respect and dignity.

It is our expectation that all patrons and those affiliated with Seattle Rep will align with this code of conduct and we reserve the right to relocate or remove any person from our theater who disregards this expectation.

Land Acknowledgment 

Seattle Rep acknowledges that we are on the traditional land of the Coast Salish people. We honor with gratitude the land itself and its innumerable stewards, past and present. We recognize Washington’s tribal nations, all of the Tribal signatories of the Treaty of Point Elliott, and the urban Native communities who continue to live and thrive in this space. This acknowledgment does not take the place of authentic relationships with Indigenous communities, but serves as a first step in honoring the land we are on and the people and cultures it has nurtured.

Learn more about how Seattle Rep is working to support and build relationships with Native communities.

Emergencies 

In an evacuation, wait for an announcement for further instructions. Ushers will be available for assistance. Familiarize yourself with the exit route nearest your seat.   

Accessibility 

Seattle Rep is committed to accessibility for all and will work with patrons to accommodate requests. We offer a variety of options to help make our performances accessible.

HEARING LOOP: Seattle Rep is equipped with hearing loops that transmit sound directly to t-coil enabled hearing devices. There are also receivers and headphones available to borrow at Coat Check. Look for the Hearing Loop signs which indicate coverage at performances, ticket windows, concierge, and concessions.   

ADDITIONAL SEATING OPTIONS: Please see an Usher or House Manager to see what accessible seating options are available for your performance.

SENSORY KITS: Kits containing headphones, fidgets, sunglasses, and communication cards are available at Coat Check.

ALL GENDER RESTROOMS are located on the second floor of the Leo K. Theater and a single-stall restroom is located near the Bagley Wright Theater restrooms on the first floor.

WELLNESS ROOM is located near the Bagley Wright Theater restrooms on the first floor.

Contact Us 

BOX OFFICE 
Call 206.443.2222
Text 206.565.2996 

ADMINISTRATIVE
206.443.2210

Brendan Healy

Playwright & Performer

Brendan Healy was born in Seattle to a loving family. As a child he loved gymnastics, collecting stuffed animals, riding bikes, and his cats. He attended Grinnell College before earning his M.F.A. at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He received the Heideman Award in 2005, and his play Suffering, Inc. was listed as one of the top seven plays of the decade by The Seattle Times. Other plays included Relatively We…, Hotdish, City of Presidents, Not/Our Town, Mangrove Park, and two children's plays. He was a company member of Pony World Theatre. His hobbies included raising chickens, brewing beer, and gardening. If he were alive today, he would thank Melissa, Seattle Rep, Leah, and everyone at Pony World.

Emily Huntingford

Undertaker

Emily Huntingford (she/her) grew up in Port Townsend with her parents Dan and Louise, and brother, Jon. As a child, she devoured Shakespeare, Jane Austen, and fairy tales. She studied theater and history at Whitman College, graduating with drama scholarships and awards, and later studied classical acting and physical comedy in London at BADA. Back in Seattle, Emily was a proud member of Dacha Theatre, where favorite productions included Emma and seven Dice shows. Her final appearance was in Shakespeare Dice: As You Like It at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Emily also worked with Pony World Theatre (Eulogy – 2025, Welcome to Betty’s Diner), Seattle Shakespeare Company, UMO Ensemble, The 14/48 Projects, Taproot Theatre Company, Washington Ensemble Theatre, and many others. Off-stage, Emily loved travel, fantasy novels, and long naps. She is survived by her mom Louise, brother Jon, partner Mike, and friends and family. In lieu of flowers, please donate to a local theater company.

Deja M. Culver

Undertaker

Deja Culver was a peachy gal from Dallas, GA, which was the lamest thing you could be in sixth grade. She was a consummate performer like Cleopatra. She loved fashion, performing, and filling her days with a bunch of stuff. She felt extremely blessed to experience the vulnerability, joy, and rigor that comes with being a performer. Her favorite food is always soul food, particularly made by her mother-in-almost-law Andrea, including ribs, fried chicken, mac and cheese, yams, collards, and her own jiffy blueberry cornbread. We can add a side salad to be healthy, eat your veggies. To celebrate her, Deja would like for you to plant her ashes with this peach tree, eat the soul food provided, and take a play class with Brad and Jane to play like a child. She is survived by all of her loved ones, aka anyone who ever came in contact with her.

Brendan Healy

Playwright & Performer

See above.

Leah Adcock-Starr

Director

Born on the shores of Lake Superior, Leah would spend her life eternally drawn to big, bold, beautiful bodies of water, and all the attendant turbulence that such a love entailed. She was the child of a theater-making, library-loving, hymn-singing family; her father a preacher, her mother a teacher; all of them creatures of the stage. Leah earned a B.A. in Theatre and Theology from Hamline University on the banks of the Mighty Mississippi in St. Paul, MN (where she also found her lifelong playmate Kieran) before chasing adventure and the Salish Sea to Seattle for an M.F.A. in Directing from the University of Washington.  Leah played on stages throughout the Sound before landing in Tacoma, where she would cultivate her garden and life’s work in the city where the orcas play at Owens Beach. In life, Leah’s creative home and calling was Bread & Roses Theatre Company, a touring troupe of storytellers, rabble rousers, and clowns whose mission to bridge barriers to live performance took them to shelters, community centers, service sites, and libraries all over the PNW performing for free, for all. Leah is survived by her 99-year-old grandmother, her parents and her brilliant brother, her beloved partner, and their pack of rambunctious house-beasts. In lieu of flowers, please plant some seeds and water them well.

Amy LaZerte

Costume Designer

Amy LaZerte came into the world a few days before Christmas in North Seattle. She loved growing up here and watching it become the “real city” she longed to live in as a teenager.  She studied Performance Production at Cornish College of the Arts earning a B.F.A. She loved making art and supporting artists, and some of her most fondly remembered projects include the first iteration of Eulogy in 2025 (costumes), Edgar and Anabelle (costumes) and We are Proud to Present… (props) with Pony World Theatre; Hostages(props) with Radial Theater; Team of Heroes (props) with Annex; and more than twenty 14/48 Festivals (costumes, Mazen Award Winner). She is survived by her partner, child, mother, brother, and many cherished family members and friends. In lieu of flowers please buy union, stand against fascism, and love your neighbor.

Lily McLeod

Lighting Designer

Lily McLeod had a lovely childhood in Palo Alto, California before moving to Seattle, where she studied theater at Seattle University and met her future husband. She started her professional career as a Lighting Designer with an internship at the prestigious Seattle Rep, where she later joined the staff as Lighting Associate. As a designer, she was known for her work at Seattle Rep (The Things Around Us), ACT (Mrs. Loman Is Leaving, Every Brilliant Thing), Foothill College (Violet, Bullets Over Broadway), in addition to many more projects in and out of Seattle. In her free time, she enjoyed playing video games, spending time with her family, and distracting her coworkers. She is survived by her husband Angelo, dog Lucille “Lucy” Tennis Ball, and cat Max. She was beloved by all and will be sorely missed.

Finley Brown

Co-Sound Designer

Finley Brown (she/her) was born and raised in the hills of the San Francisco East Bay and later moved to Seattle, where she was finishing up her last year at the University of Washington studying History, Drama: Design, and Music. She had been involved in many student productions at UW, notably designing the sound for UW Drama’s productions of Late, A Cowboy Song, Airness, and assisting their most recent production of THRIVE, OR WHAT YOU WILL. Finley had also worked with student theater group Stage Notes, designing shows such as Amélie, Pippin, and Spring Awakening. When she was not working on a production, you found her working at a movie theater, playing video games, or making music. She is survived by her parents, two siblings, two grandmothers, and her loving pets, Dusk and Kasumi.

M.L. Dogg

Co-Sound Designer

M.L. Dogg (he/him) was born and raised in the Midwest, but spent time on both the West and East Coasts, where he developed a strong affinity for things that go bump in the night. It’s no wonder that in college he discovered both a passion for theater and a friendship with Brendan. After two decades based in New York freelancing as a sound designer and engineer, he made his way to Seattle, where there are very long nights. Before passing, he taught at the University of Washington and tried not to disappoint his cat. He is survived by his parents, sisters, favorite feline Chloe, and partner HR.

Ahren Buhmann

Projections Designer

Ahren Buhmann (he/him) was born and raised in the wilds of Wyoming. An early lover of the arts, he first started on stage as the Duke of Clarence in a short scene from Richard III. Quickly after he embraced the absurd and began bullying his friends into performing Monty Python scenes for talent shows. He found his way to Colorado where he studied the dying art of the stage, and soon after found himself in Seattle, where he remained. He is survived by his partner, parents, siblings, and cat. Ribbet.

Henry Behrens

Properties Designer

Henry Behrens was an accomplished props designer. They were born in Hawaii but luckily moved to Washington a month later, where they stayed most of their life. They grew up loving fantasy books, art, and cats; the first book they read in one day was The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. Henry was a nature lover whose backyard squirrels ate out of their hand and who found joy in hiking the Snoqualmie Valley. Their passion for theater drove them to become a Dacha Theatre member, and they had recently finished designing props for Pony World Theatre, Reboot Theatre, and Sound Theatre while being a part of the cast for All In, produced by Curious Levity. Henry leaves behind their beloved cat Captain Kirk, as well as their niece, who inherits Henry's hundreds of books and negligible amount of money. henrybehrens.com

Sophia Franzella

Movement

Sophia was born in New Orleans and grew up dancing in Mardi Gras parades from a young age. She was a Pony World Theatre company member. She was a Seattle actor, choreographer, director, and educator. She directed What I Like (FILAMENT), Emma (Dacha Theatre), PETS! (Taproot Theatre’s Road Company), Eulogy (Pony World Theatre, 2025), and Blood/Sucker (WET) before she passed. You may have seen her act in The Bed Trick with Seattle Shakespeare Company (2024). She was also a co-founder and company member of FILAMENT and enjoyed creating theater and film projects, hiking, reading, petting dogs, sleeping, baking, and watching horror movies. She will deeply miss her partner Nathan, many friends, and artistic collaborators.

Sammy Weinert

Stage Manager

Sammy Weinert (she/they) spent her childhood running barefoot down the docks of the marina in Port Angeles, WA, where she lived on a boat with her family until moving to Seattle to attend the University of Washington. They were a director, performer, and budding stage manager, just blooming into the Seattle scene. Her legacy of work included OMNIA: Break Room and Everybody at the University of Washington, and Figure Drawing for Dummies at Annex Theatre. In their daytime hours, Sammy worked at a cat cafe, thought deeply about the world, and enjoyed every bit of programming on Dropout TV. They are survived by their two cats Riceroni and Chef Boyardee, their father, eight siblings, ten niblings, and probably more cousins than they knew. She was always grateful to be able to explore death and grief through storytelling, and honored to be included in the planning of this party.

Angelo Domitri

Production Manager

Angelo Domitri (he/him) was born in the sunny hills of Northern California. As a wee lad he enjoyed romping around the neighborhood on his Power Rangers Big Wheel. As he matured into a budding young man, he pulled up his roots and moved to Seattle where his passion for the theater blossomed into a career spanning over a decade. His works over the years could be seen at Cafe Nordo, Theatre Off Jackson with Noveltease, 12th Avenue Arts with Pony World Theatre, and Annex Theatre for GUNKED! He is survived by his cat Max and his dog Lucille Tennis Ball. He loved them very much and he will be dearly missed.

Paula Wilson Nitka

Production Coordinator

Nampa, ID received Paula on a VERY hot summer day a few decades ago. While biologically an only child, much of Paula’s early years were under the watchful eye of Grandma Peggy, the matriarch of 11 kids and over 30 grandkids. After wrestling her way through early adulthood, Paula continues her performance training at Freehold Theatre Lab/Studio. Most recently, you might have seen her performing in The Master and Margarita produced by Dacha Theatre, or as assistant stage manager for You Will Get Sick produced by Sound Theatre Company. You might also have crossed paths with her in her many affiliations with Freehold Theatre, or as a company member of Dacha Theatre. She is survived by her mother, many cousins, her best friend and mother of three young humans who call her Aunt Paula, and her sweet furry companion, Kartoffel. Paula’s desire is for each to discover the heart that beats collectively, the courage to live fully and the wisdom to discern for yourself.

Pony World Theatre

Producer

Pony World Theatre (PWT) is an ensemble of artists who create playful and evocative performances that engage audiences in meaningful questions. They combine striking visuals, elastic realities, and boundless imagination into uncommon narratives. Founded in 2009, PWT has presented eleven world premiere productions, five regional premieres, and numerous new play readings and short play festivals. The Seattle Times declared their production Suffering, Inc. one of the seven top theater events of the decade. Their work has been praised as “profound and powerful” (The Stranger), “remarkable” (BroadwayWorld), and “unexpected, inventive, and deranged (The Seattle Times). Learn more »

Seattle Rep

Presenter

Seattle Rep puts theater at the heart of public life. Founded in 1963 and winner of the 1990 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre, Seattle Rep is currently led by Artistic Director Dámaso Rodríguez and Managing Director Jeffrey Herrmann. Over a season and throughout the year, Seattle Rep collaborates with extraordinary artists to create productions and programs that reflect and elevate the diverse cultures, perspectives, and life experiences of the Pacific Northwest. Learn more »

SPONSORED

Later this fall at 12th Avenue Arts:
Pony Word Theatre Presents
5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche
by Evan Linder and Andrew Hobgood
Directed by Kate Jaeger
Oct 22 – Nov 14, 2026

It’s 1956 and the widows of The Susan B. Anthony Society for the Sisters of Gertrude Stein invite you to their annual Quiche Breakfast! It is the social season's most anticipated celebration! If it’s your first time, relax and put yourself in the very capable hands of your fellow ladies as they announce this year's winner of the coveted award for Best Quiche! Who will take home the top prize? And rest assured, the newly renovated Community Center has a top-of-the-line security system and serves as an Atomic Bomb shelter. Remember, a woman is never as safe as when she is with another woman.

Learn more

More from Pony World Theatre 

• Up Next: 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche, Oct. 22–Nov. 14 at 12th Avenue Arts
• Learn more about Pony World Theatre

More from Seattle Rep 

• Explore Seattle Rep’s 2026/27 Season. Now Playing: Eureka Day
• Register Now for Fall Adult Theater Classes with Rep Pro (ages 18+):
  • Actor’s Studio
  • Conservatory Acting
  • Shakespeare
• Register Now for Fall Youth Theater Classes with Young Rep (ages 13–20):
  • Playwriting
  • One-Day Workshop: Insider Experience
  • Design
• Staff & Board