CAST BIOS
Mikaela Baker (May) is thrilled to join forces with Watering Hole Collective and the dynamic duo that is Angela Gulner and Julia Lederer! She is a SAG-E actor with a BA in Theatre from Vanderbilt University represented by Linda McAlister Talent. Past credits include Twelfth Night and Two Gentlemen of Verona (Shakespeare Dallas), Cadillac Crew (Echo Theatre & Soul Rep Theatre Co.), Moon Man Walk and Plenty of Time (Jubilee Theatre). When she’s not immersed in the world of theater, she’s probably asleep because not only does she bring her sparkle to the stage, but she is the Executive Operations Coordinator at Jubilee Theatre and the Founding Executive Director of DFW’s newest nonprofit theater company Altar’d Playhouse where she assistant directed Something Wicked: An Adaptation of Macbeth earlier this spring. Mikaela is beyond grateful to her incredible support system of family, friends, and the occasional venti iced matcha latte with six pumps of vanilla, one scoop of cinnamon, and oat milk. You can find her on IG @Mikaela.Baker
Alyssa Carrasco (April) is thrilled to be making her debut with Watering Hole Collective! She is an actor and director born and raised in DFW. She graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2022 with a BFA in Acting. Her credits include: Celestina del Sol in Cloud Tectonics (Teatro Dallas), April in Is Edward Snowden Single? (Second Thought Theatre), Assistant Director for Our Dear Dead Drug Lord (Second Thought Theatre), Emma in Emma (Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park), Kitty in Pride and Prejudice (Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park), Ensemble in Lasthunter (Williamstown Theatre Festival-Directors Fellowship), Bianca in What is Your Name? (The Goodrich Players), Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (OU Weitzenhoffer Theatre), Bride in Blood Wedding (OU Weitzenhoffer Theatre). She would like to thank her friends, family, and Kodak for their support. She is represented by Linda McAlister Talent.
Olivia Cinquepalmi (Sandra) is very grateful to be a part of this beautiful world premiere with Watering Hole Collective. Other credits include POTUS, I Wanna F*cking Tear You Apart, and Romeo and Juliet Abridged (Stage West Theatre), Steel Magnolias,The Cake, and Brighton Beach Memoirs (Theatre Arlington), I and You (Echo Theatre), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (The Classics Theatre Project), and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (Theatre Three). Olivia is a
proud Oklahoma City University alumna, and is represented by the Kim Dawson Agency, Phirgun Mair Worldwide, and Kerner Management. All the love to this incredible team and everyone in her corner.
Jon Garrard (Ben) is thrilled to be in his first production with Watering Hole Collective and to be back in The Elevator Project! He is a BFA Theatre graduate from Southern Methodist University and has credits across the DFW metroplex including: Undermain Theatre, Bishop Arts Theatre Center, Jubilee Theatre, Pegasus Theatre, and is a company member at Fair Assembly where he most recently played Kent in King Lear. A few favorite credits include Obama-ology (Jubilee Theatre), Fairview (Undermain Theatre/Bishop Arts Theatre Center), Slide By (The Elevator Project, AT&T Performing Arts Center) and Cherry Muffins (Flexible Grey Theatre Company). He thanks his family, his amazing wife Caitlin Galloway (who you can also see across DFW stages!), and their fur family Shadeaux, Maggie, and Hank! @whodatjonny
Octavia Y. Thomas (Grandma) is pleasantly humbled to share this thoughtful and timely production. Last seen in Stage West Theatre’s POTUS, she has performed throughout DFW – including Soul Rep Theatre Co., Jubilee Theatre, Echo Theatre, Dallas Children’s Theater, Lyric Stage, Pegasus Theatre, and Theatre Arlington. Favorite productions include Matilda, Obama-ology, Men on Boats, Day of Absence, Let It Be Me, Company, Batboy, Women Playing Hamlet, Showboat, Once on This Island, Little Shop of Horrors, Junie B. Jones, and A Midnight Cry. Many thanks to Watering Hole Collective for providing such a wonderful opportunity and to her family and friends for their continued support. Miss Thomas received her BA from the University of Texas at Dallas.
THE TEAM’S BIOS
Julia Lederer (Playwright) is an internationally-acclaimed writer. Julia’s plays have been produced across North America and in Europe. Her hit play, With Love and a Major Organ, was part of Boston Court Pasadena’s Polly Warfield Award-winning season, short-listed for the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle’s “Best Production”, and Ovation Recommended. Other produced plays include: Gather (written with Julie Ritchey); Reality Theatre; U-R-U (inspired
by Capek’s R.U.R.). In 2023, Julia was Playwright-in-Residence at both the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and at NotaBle Acts Theatre Company (NB Acts), working on I Am An Island . Her films have been selected at major festivals, including Toronto International Film Festival, Fantasia Film Festival, and Palm Springs International Film Festival. Her feature film adaptation of With Love And a Major Organ premiered at SXSW, going on to win “Best Feature” at the Santa Fe International Film Festival, Canadian Film Fest, Boston Underground Film Festival, and getting a Vancouver Film Critics Award nomination for “Best Screenplay”. Upcoming: Flies (Bombshell Dance Project). A special thanks to Devin Rockwell for coming up with the first version of the song “Our Island”.
Angela Gulner (Director) is a filmmaker and theater artist who earned her MFA in Acting from the ART/MXAT Institute at Harvard University. Her theater career spans a wide breadth from Shakespeare to Shepard to a special love for new and devised works. As a filmmaker, she is the co-founder of Texoma-based production company Wicked Myth Films. Her upcoming feature film The Beldham (starring Patricia Heaton, Katie Parker, and Corbin Bernsen) will have its North American premiere at Austin Film Festival in late October, and is eyeing an early 2025 release. Gulner is a recent Dallas transplant, and she is thrilled to be making her DFW theater debut with this very special production. For more: www.angelagulner.com Instagram: @angelagulner
Erica Herrera (Assistant Director) recently graduated from Oklahoma City University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting and Directing. At OCU, she directed A Lie of the Mind by Sam Shepard and Into the River I Went by Nelson Diaz-Marcano. She also worked extensively at Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park in many different positions such as the assistant director, props designer, assistant costume designer, and more. She would love to thank her partner, Kaidon, for all his amazing support!
José Torres (Scenic Design) is honored to be collaborating with Watering Hole Collective! His journey began in middle school, where he found solace and camaraderie behind the scenes, which sparked a passion for technical theater. This passion, coupled with a deep appreciation for live performances, has fueled a career defined by dedication and a commitment
to continuous learning. Today, José shares his work with various local theaters, including Pegasus Theatre, Teatro Dallas, Second Thought Theatre, and Hip Pocket Theatre. Whether collaborating on a local production, working with IATSE local unions, or touring as an entertainment technician, José embodies the spirit of teamwork, firmly believing that “Teamwork makes the dream work.” Grateful for the many kind and hardworking individuals he’s had the pleasure of working with, José deeply cherishes the collective effort that turns each production into a shared, magical experience.
Joshua Nguyên (Sound Design) is honored to develop I Am An Island for his debut with Watering Hole Collective. Selected works: Heroes of the Fourth Turning, Our Dear Dead Drug Lord (Second Thought Theatre), POTUS (Stage West Theatre), Fire & Air (Uptown Players), The Mountaintop (Circle Theatre), Clue, The Rocky Horror Show, Disney’s The Little Mermaid (Associate Design at Dallas Theater Center), In the Heights (Associate Design at Cleveland Play House), Side by Side by Sondheim (Associate Design at Repertory Theatre of St. Louis). Joshua holds a BFA in Theatre Design & Technology from Baylor University and is a member of the Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association. Joshua hopes to be part of the next generation of theater educators, making the medium and field more accessible and equitable. joshuanguyen.net @jashngooyen
Aaron Johansen (Lighting Design) is a Dallas-based lighting designer for theater and live events. Aaron is thrilled to be a part of this production! Previous collaborations have included: Dallas Theater Center; Dallas Children’s Theater; Second Thought Theatre (artistic associate); Kitchen Dog Theater (Company Member); Theater Three; Circle Theater; Stage West; Uptown Players; Cry Havoc Theater Company; Cara Mía Theatre Co and Sweet Tooth Hotel Art installation. Aaron is the resident lighting director for The Dallas Opera and also the Lighting Director for the Drone Racing League where he designs lighting for drone racecourses around the country. These races are shown on NBC sports network and various streaming platforms. Follow my work and me on Instagram @Famoustrendywizard. Enjoy the show!
Sarah Mosher (Costume Design) is a performance designer specializing in costume design and technology with particular interest in sustainable design methodologies. Recent credits include The Importance of Being Earnest (Stage West), Heroes of the Fourth Turning (Second Thought Theatre), the world premiere of Goin’ Hollywood (WaterTower Theatre), and Ecoscenography for A Monster Calls (Baylor University), where she serves as an Assistant Professor in Theatre Arts. Sarah’s research focuses on bioplastic use in costume design, and she has exhibited her fiber art work in several venues across central Texas. She holds an MFA in Theatrical Design from the University of Texas at Austin and is thrilled to be making her debut with Watering Hole Collective working with this incredible group of artists!
Lauren Brown (Assistant Costume Designer) is a senior BA Theater Design and Technology major at Baylor University. She is from Waco and was most recently the Costume Designer for Shakespeare’s The Tempest (Baylor University). Lauren previously worked with Sarah Mosher on Scrouge and Rouge (Theater Three). She is excited to work with the fantastic people at Watering Hole Collective.
Christine Zak (Production Stage Manager) studied at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA where she graduated with a degree in theater, with a stage management concentration, and a dance minor. Some of her previous credits include The Threepenny Opera (PSM), Mary Poppins Jr. (co-technical director + lighting designer), Adult Child/Dead Child (director), The Saint Plays (DSM + choreographer), The Sound of Music (show caller), Spring Awakening (choreographer), Into the Woods (ASM), and Shake it Up: A Shakespeare Cabaret (ASM). Christine is thrilled to be bringing this story to life with such an amazing team and Watering Hole Collective.
Ruby Pullum (Assistant Stage Manager) brings a decade of diverse experience to the arts scene of DFW, both behind the scenes & onstage. She’s incredibly excited to make her Watering Hole Collective debut coupled with a return to the AT&T Performing Arts Center’s Elevator Project for this special World Premiere. Ruby’s past artistic collaborations include WaterTower
Theatre, Echo Theatre, Plague Mask Players, Bishop Arts Theatre Center, Grand Prairie Arts Council, Soul Rep Theatre Co., North Texas Performing Arts Repertory Theatre, and Allagray Area Productions. To my esposo Paris and his unwavering support for my dreams, gracias mi amor. “The desire to reach for the stars is ambitious. The desire to reach hearts is wise.” − Maya Angelou
Kimberly Colburn (Dramaturg) is a dramaturg, producer, and community builder. Currently, she is the resident dramaturg for the South Carolina New Play Festival. She has worked with Soulpepper Theatre Co., Denver Center Theatre Company, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Mixed Blood Theatre, Oregon Contemporary Theatre, Artists at Play, Playwrights’ Center, the Eugene O’Neill Playwrights Conference, Musical Stage Company, Native Voices at the Autry Museum of the American West, Los Angeles Opera and more. As Literary Director for South Coast Repertory, she co-directed the Pacific Playwrights Festival and led the CrossRoads commissioning program. She brings theater techniques to the corporate world through Protagonist Events, creating corporate events, bespoke team-building games and facilitating artist-led professional development workshops.
DIRECTOR’S NOTE
How do we live on a sinking world and maintain hope?
It’s a challenging question.
One that, if asked by a different play, I might not have the courage to face. I find I often freeze in the face of Big Issues.
But Julia has crafted a compassionate, whimsical, painfully human exploration of environmental anxiety, of depression, and of our increasingly isolated world. One that does not alienate or indict, but invites us in.
I’ve had the unique privilege of witnessing this play take shape since it was just an idea in Julia’s head. It’s an honor to bring it to the stage for the first time with this exceptionally gifted group of artists.
Through the process of staging this play, of building this world, of exploring these themes together... I can’t help but wonder if the answer to the play’s question is that we maintain hope on a sinking world by leaning on each other.
PLAYWRIGHTS NOTE
This play is surrounded by water.
I have always thought that a theater is like an island. It is a world we inhabit together as a community, even for a short time. Thank you for being a part of this one.
You are encountering this play at the start of its life. The idea began to grow in 2019, when I met a documentary filmmaker* who told me of a project she was working on about an island that is sinking, but none of its inhabitants will leave.
This idea is terrifying and beautiful to me at once. My brain says, “leave the island,” but my heart imagines a connection to a place like a family member, and all the history it holds.
When I write, I work from the inside out: I always start with emotion. There is always a question I can’t answer alone in my brain driving each play.
Something I need to pull apart. The question that drives this play for me: “How do we live on a sinking world and maintain hope?”
I began writing I AM AN ISLAND in residence at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, in a cabin shaped like a boat. This process of discovery has continued with Watering Hole Collective, right up until this very moment. Bringing an audience in opens up the world of the play. It transforms it into something else. It is another terrifying and beautiful thing.
I am very grateful to this fearless group of artists, who stepped into this play before its text was set and have driven it to new heights by fiercely bringing their open hearts and talent into rehearsal each day.
Thank you for coming on to this island.
“All good things must begin.” – Octavia Butler
Let’s start.
* The filmmaker: Bex Kamara. Her project is called: THE WORLD THAT WAS THE ISLAND THAT WAS THE WORLD.
A NOTE FROM WHC
At Watering Hole Collective, we believe in the power of storytelling to shed light on the most pressing issues of our time. That’s why we chose I AM AN ISLAND for our second production. This play delves deep into the emotional impact of climate change and the struggle to find meaning when the world feels out of control. It reminds us that no matter how daunting or overwhelming the world may seem, we have each other.
After each performance of I AM AN ISLAND, we invite you to stay for insightful talkbacks hosted in collaboration with the Dallas Sierra Club, Cedar Ridge Nature Preserve, and Environment Texas. Join us to engage in conversation and learn actionable ways you can help protect our environment in the DFW community. Want to get more involved? Sign up below using the QR code for our volunteer opportunity happening at Cedar Ridge Preserve and make a tangible impact. Plus, by attending the show, you’re giving back—most of WHC’s ticket revenue will be donated to our nonprofit partners, ensuring your contribution makes a difference.
To learn more, please visit our resource guide for I AM AN ISLAND at https://www.wateringholecollective.org/i-am-an-island-resource-guide
SCAN TO SIGN UP FOR OUR VOLUNTEER DAY: OCTOBER 19TH!
ABOUT WATERING HOLE COLLECTIVE
Watering Hole Collective produces socially conscious art that engages, inspires, and cultivates conversation and action within our North Texas community. We collaborate with local nonprofits to highlight their causes and use storytelling to spark meaningful dialogue and communicate diverse perspectives. We endeavor to empower audience members to become involved and make a tangible difference in our community.
Claire Lyon (Executive Director) is a passionate artist and community organizer. Claire has directed for organizations like Junior Players, Havaya Arts, and the Watering Hole Collective. Some of her acting credits include Dallas Theatre Center, Theatre Three, Lyric Stage, and WaterTower Theatre. Beyond the stage, Claire has been very active in the nonprofit field with Planned Parenthood (Teenage Communication Theatre), The YWCA, and Healthy Futures of Texas, channeling her passion for social justice into meaningful action. Claire holds a Bachelor of Music from Oklahoma City University. Outside of the arts, she enjoys reading, spending time with friends, and baking.
Laura Salvie (Director of Development) is a dedicated professional with a passion for both the performing arts and community development. As the Development Director at Watering Hole Collective, she is thrilled to support the growth and sustainability of this vibrant cultural organization. Laura is a well-known local performer in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, working at various theaters including Dallas Children’s Theater, WaterTower Theatre, Theatre Three, Stage West, and more. She holds her MFA in Acting from Brown University/Trinity Repertory Company. Outside of the arts, Laura works as a dedicated Real Estate agent with Ged Dipprey Real Estate Group.
Jenny Dang (Director of Operations) is a Dallas-based freelance stage manager with a BFA in Theater from Texas State University. She has expanded her expertise into arts management, encompassing production and nonprofit general management in addition to stage managing. Jenny is dedicated to fostering environments where artists can thrive and create, while also supporting local nonprofit organizations. Outside of her professional pursuits, she enjoys spending time with friends, playing board games, and traveling.
OUR NONPROFIT PARTNERS
At the Watering Hole Collective, we collaborate with local nonprofits to ensure our work is deeply rooted in the community.
The Dallas Sierra Club believes that all environmentalists should “walk their talk” by striving to conserve the natural beauty in their microcosms by advocating for communities, both big and small, to enact practices that protect residents from the repercussions of industrial pollution, environmental racism/zoning, heat
islands, and historical contamination. We are proud to support and assist all our communities, helping them protect their individualism while also creating an environment free of industrial pollution, impure air, and contaminated soil.
Environment Texas works for clean air, clean water, clean energy, wildlife and open spaces, and a livable climate. Our members across the state put grassroots support behind our research and advocacy. In 2023, Environment Texas campaigned for and won $1 billion for Texas State Parks, the single largest investment in our state parks system to date.
Cedar Ridge Nature Preserve is a natural habitat of 600 acres featuring about 9 miles of trails, native trees, grasses and wildflowers, butterfly gardens, limited picnic areas, and wild mammals, birds, insects, and reptiles. CRP has been managed by Audubon Dallas since April 2003. The Cedar Ridge Nature Preserve was featured as number one Best Hikes in Dallas in D Magazine 6 Best Hikes in Dallas. Audubon Dallas, the local chapter of the National Audubon Society, is a volunteer-based, nonprofit environmental organization. The mission is to support and promote the conservation of birds and other wildlife, the protection of habitat and biodiversity, and the provision of education and opportunities for our entire community to observe and appreciate nature.
GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM
Connect every student, Change every future
Millions of students don’t have the necessary connectivity to learn from home. That’s why we’re helping to bridge the digital divide with AT&T Connected Learning Centers across the country. We’re helping families to stay connected with free access to high-speed internet, giving them the digital tools they need to succeed. By expanding access to affordable, high-quality connectivity in underserved communities, we’re giving more students an equal chance at a brighter future.
