CREATIVE TEAM
KHANISHA FOSTER†
(Director) Khanisha’s work and her outrageous family history landed her writing opportunities with K&L Productions (Kay Cannon & Laverne McKinnon), as well as Julie Hébert (The Man in the High Castle), and Electric Shepherd Productions (stewards for the adaptations of the Philip K. Dick library). She was also a Fox Fellow, and her series Sancho was a semifinalist at the Austin Film Festival and is being produced by Max Arciniega (Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul) and Alonso Alvarez (Snowfall). She’s written video games for Probably Monsters (the company founded by the creators of Halo and Destiny), and for Episodes. Her solo show Joy Rebel, directed by Obie Award winner Lou Bellamy, received critical acclaim and was chosen as a DC Metro Staff favorite for 2019. Her plays have been commissioned by Penumbra Theatre, 1st Stage, and 2nd Story. She was a featured storyteller on NPR’s The Dinner Party. Along with Lena Waithe, and was named one of 18 Black Women We Think Are Phenomenal by Mater Mea Magazine. American Theatre Magazine named her in their Role Call series as one of the 6 Theatre Workers You Should Know. Broadway World named her Best Director for The Bluest Eye, which also won Best Production. Her production of Yellowman is currently nominated for 7 OC Theatre Guild Awards. After playing 26 Characters in Anna Deavere Smith’s Fires in the Mirror, Broadway World said about her, “Obviously, I can only speak of Foster. She is breathtakingly good. Every character she embodied, whatever the accent, age, race or gender, comes across as real and distinct.” Her film acting debut, Chicago Boricua, was an official selection of the Tribeca Film Festival. The Star Tribune called her writing “…risible and heartbreaking…”, the Compendium said she “…oozes charisma and charm, blinking in an instant between tremendous sadness and effervescent joy.” They added that her writing is “…lush and descriptive bearing hallmarks of Roxanne Gay, Lindy West, and Tracy K. Smith”, and the D.C. Metro said her work “comes from the rebellious joy of making others laugh so their days are not so dark. So they and anyone can enjoy laughter.” If you’d like to enjoy a laugh, be sure to ask her about that time she broke onto the Queen of England’s land and got shot at, or when her sister — who is a legit Nigerian princess — showed up in Lagos two days late for her crowning ceremony, or about how she almost became a professional clown.
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS
(Playwright) Tennessee Williams, original name Thomas Lanier Williams, (born March 26, 1911, Columbus, Mississippi, U.S.—died February 25, 1983, New York City), American dramatist whose plays reveal a world of human frustration in which sex and violence underlie an atmosphere of romantic gentility. Williams became interested in playwriting while at the University of Missouri (Columbia) and Washington University (St. Louis) and worked at it even during the Great Depression while employed in a St. Louis shoe factory. Little theatre groups produced some of his work, encouraging him to study dramatic writing at the University of Iowa, where he earned a B.A. in 1938. His first recognition came when American Blues (1939), a group of one-act plays, won a Group Theatre award. Williams, however, continued to work at jobs ranging from theatre usher to Hollywood scriptwriter until success came with The Glass Menagerie (1944). In it Williams portrayed a declassed Southern family living in a tenement. The play is about the failure of a domineering mother, Amanda, living upon her delusions of a romantic past, and her cynical son, Tom, to secure a suitor for Tom’s shy and withdrawn sister, Laura, who lives in a fantasy world with a collection of glass animals. Williams’s next major play, A Streetcar Named Desire (1947), won a Pulitzer Prize. It is a study of the mental and moral ruin of Blanche DuBois, another former Southern belle, whose genteel pretensions are no match for the harsh realities symbolized by her brutish brother-in-law, Stanley Kowalski. Williams was in ill health frequently during the 1960s, compounded by years of addiction to sleeping pills and liquor, problems that he struggled to overcome after a severe mental and physical breakdown in 1969. His later plays were unsuccessful, closing soon to poor reviews. They include Vieux Carré (1977), about down-and-outs in New Orleans; A Lovely Sunday for Crève Coeur (1978–79), about a fading belle in St. Louis during the Great Depression; and Clothes for a Summer Hotel (1980), centring on Zelda Fitzgerald, wife of novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald, and on the people they knew. Williams also wrote two novels, The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1950) and Moise and the World of Reason (1975), essays, poetry, film scripts, short stories, and an autobiography, Memoirs (1975). His works won four Drama Critics’ awards and were widely translated and performed around the world. (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tennessee-Williams)
JOSAFATH REYNOSO
(Scenic Designer) Award winning scenic designer Josafath Reynoso was born in Mexico and was awarded the Gold Medal for Scenic Design at the World Stage Design 2017 in Taipei, Taiwan for his production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. He also received the 2015 USITT Scenic Design Award, the 2014 SETC Scenic Design Award for Eugene O'Neill's The Hairy Ape; the 2013 BroadwayWorld Award for Our Country’s Good, and the SETC Ready-for-Work Award for The Threepenny Opera. Of his production of Crowns at Virginia Stage Company, Jeff Seneca of Alt Daily wrote, "the curtain opens on a set that will take your breath away. Josafath Reynoso has created truly magnificent scenery full of rich vibrant colors and wonderful use of space. I love when shows are able to build the music right into the set and Reynoso is able to do that with the organ and percussion right there onstage. It is an amazing set that truly shines as its own character in the show." Reynoso was also praised for his production of The Bluest Eye at Virginia Stage: “The real star of the show was the set. Josafath Reynoso took a simple idea of hanging laundry about the stage, from the rafters, from the box seats and the balcony and turned it to an elaborate display of color and whimsy." Mr. Reynoso was selected as a keynote speaker for Stage|Set|Scenery in Berlin and presented at the International Biennale of Architecture in Buenos Aires for his design of Noche Arabe.
BRYCE TURGEON
(Costume Designer) is returning to VSC after designing Dreamgirls this past April, and The Legend of Georgia McBride in the 2020 Season. He has worked on and off Broadway for 8 years building for such shows as Aladdin, Fun Home, Cinderella, Wicked, Phantom, Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, and many others. For the past 5 years Bryce has been the owner of his own fashion brand, “Florence d’Lee” where he specializes in couture fashion for high profile drag queens. Bryce’s work can be seen on Rupaul’s Drag Race seasons 9-13 (Sasha Velour, Aquaria, Nina West, Rosè, Scarlett Envy, Etc.) as well as Drag Race All-Stars seasons 4-7 (Shea Coulee, Monèt Xchange, Miz Cracker, Blair St.Claire, Etc). Bryce’s work has also been seen on various Broadway and Hollywood Red Carpets as well as The Met Gala.
DAVID CASTANEDA
(Lighting Designer) has shed light on more than 500 productions around the country including Parchman Hour and The Bluest Eye for VSC and will illuminate the upcoming Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Some bright moments in NYC: Broadway: Irena’s Vow (Tovah Feldshuh), Helen Hayes: Marvin’s Room (T.R. Knight), The Directors Company: Murder in the First (Chad Kimball), Public Theatre, Peculiar Works Project, Abingdon Theatre, NY Fringe Festival. Regional illuminations include Albany/Berkshire Ballet (NY/VT), Cape Fear Regional Theatre (NC), Broadway Rose (OR), Theatre Winter Haven (FL), Round Barn Theatre (IN), Temple Theatre (NC), Carousel Dinner Theatre (OH), Venice Stage(FL), Merrimack Rep (MA), ArtisTree Theatre Festival(VT), Seacoast Rep (NH), Millbrook Playhouse (PA), and many musicals in Spanish by ‘Misi’ in Bogota, Colombia. David radiates from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.
STEVEN ALLEGRETTO
(Sound Designer) is thrilled to be back at Virginia Stage, and to be collaborating with Norfolk State University as part of this amazing design team for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Steven graduated from Full Sail University in 2008, majoring in Recording Arts. Since then, Steven has worked relentlessly perfecting his craft in both recording studio and live theatre environments. Steven has had the great pleasure of designing sound for past VSC shows including Ring of Fire, Always...Patsy Cline, Matilda, Guys and Dolls, and A Merry Little Christmas Carol. Steven also uses his expertise in professional audio to teach the upcoming generation as an Adjunct Professor of Theatre Sound Design at the College of William & Mary, as well as teaching privately.
SASHA NICOLLE SMITH
(Intimacy Director) is a Chicago-based actor and violence and intimacy choreographer. Recent choreography credits include Familiar, You Got Older, How to Catch Creation, Ma Rainey, Smart People, Fear and Misery of the Third Reich, The Toilet, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Gynecological Oncology Unit At Sloan-Kettering Memorial Cancer Center of New York City, Ideation, and Octagon. She is a company member pf Steep Theatre. She is a graduate of Columbia College Chicago. Sasha is represented by Shirley Hamilton Talent.
BINDER CASTING
(NY Casting) Binder Casting, now part of RWS Entertainment Group, was founded by Jay Binder, CSA in 1984. Binder Casting has cast over 80 Broadway productions, dozens of National Tours, off-Broadway shows, full seasons for over 25 regional theatres, as well as feature films, episodic television and commercials. Binder has cast for Encores! at New York City Center since its inception in 1994. The office was also featured in the documentary, Every Little Step. Binder Casting is a twelve–time recipient of the Artios Award. www.bindercasting.com
CHARLES BAYANG*
(Production Stage Manager) Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is Charles's first production with Virginia Stage. His work has been seen in other regional theatres including PlayMakers Repertory Theatre, Studio Arena Theatre, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Huntington Theatre Company, Dallas Children's Theater, Dallas Theatre Center, Hartford Stage Company and Alabama Shakespeare Festival. Charles holds an MFA from University of Alabama/Alabama Shakespeare Festival and just celebrated his 25th year as a member of Actors' Equity Association.
DANIEL RUIZ
(Associate Scenic Designer) is a very passionate Mexican scenic designer and filmmaker. He is a MFA Live Design & Production candidate at The University of Texas at Austin. He has recently assisted the scenic design of the play Network (Mexico City, Mexico), collaborated with the scenic design team of Cocolab at FRIDA INMERSIVA (Mexico City, Mexico) and it's currently assisting the scenic design of The Hobbit (Virgina, USA). He has also been director and art director of several short films including Eva/Ana which was selected by the SOUND OF THE SILENT FILM FESTIVAL (Chicago, USA) to be performed with live music. Daniel holds a B.Sc in Computer Science Technology with a concentration in Filmmaking from Tec de Monterrey (Mexico City, Mexico); as well as a Scenic Design Speciality from CENTRO (Mexico City, Mexico).
TOM QUAINTANCE
(Producing Artistic Director) is in his sixth year with Virginia Stage Company. At the Wells, Tom has directed A Merry Little Christmas Carol, Pride and Prejudice, The Santaland Diaries, and Matilda The Musical. Pre-pandemic, Tom traveled to Minneapolis where he directed Twelfth Night at the Guthrie Theater. As Artistic Director of Cape Fear Regional Theatre (CFRT), Tom produced over 35 plays and directed the World Premiere of Downrange: Voices from the Homefront, a play based on interviews with military spouses from Fort Bragg. Tom is an Associate Artist at PlayMakers Repertory Company in Chapel Hill where he directed An Enemy of the People, Shipwrecked! An Entertainment, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, and The Little Prince. He also directed The Little Prince at the 2007 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. As the founder of FreightTrain Shakespeare in Los Angeles, he earned a Drama-Logue Award for his direction of Pericles. Other Los Angeles credits range from King Lear to The Devil With Boobs. A member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, Tom is a graduate of Wesleyan University (Middletown, CT) with a B.A. in Theatre and Economics, and the University of California, San Diego MFA directing program, where he was the assistant director on the original production of The Who’s Tommy.
JEFF RYDER
(Managing Director) has been Managing Director of Virginia Stage Company since March 2022. Prior to coming to VSC, Jeff served in several roles at Cleveland Play House from 2013 to 2022. Jeff holds a Master of Public Administration Degree from the Levin College at Cleveland State University and a Bachelor’s Degree from Tufts University. At Levin, Jeff was inducted into Nu Lambda Mu, the international honor society for the study of nonprofit management and philanthropy. Jeff also holds a certificate in Diversity and Inclusion for HR Professionals from Cornell University. He has served on the boards of the Cleveland Kids’ Book Bank, Theatre Forward, the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of Cleveland, and the Cleveland Professional 20/30 Club. In Cleveland, Jeff was honored to be a part of the Cleveland Leadership Center’s Advanced Leadership Institute and the Cleveland Foundation’s Foundations for Philanthropy Program. Jeff has also been a stage manager at several theatres including Talespinner Children’s Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, and Berkshire Theatre Festival.
