TINA BILBERRY (CALYPSO)
Sensational music multi-talent K’Tina (Kay Tina) has spent her lifetime passionatelyimmersedinthearts.Aclassicallytrainedviolinistbasedoutof Kansas City, with a Master’s Degree in Violin Performance, K’Tina has expandedherskillset,education,andcapabilitiesateveryopportunityinan efforttobethebestversionofherselfbothpersonally,andasaprofessional artist. Her adventurous spirit and radiant enthusiasm led her to making musicwithremarkableversatility,playinginstylesrangingfromClassical, Baroque,Gospel,R&B,Pop,Jazz,Hip-Hop,Tango,Folk,toherownunique improvisational live shows. With a highly refined emotive & expressive approach to music that brings boldness & beauty straight to the surface, K’Tina plays with audibly stunning technique and the true desire to entertainallwholisten.K’Tina’sdedicationtomusicrewardedherwiththe prestigious honor of becoming Concert Master for the Philharmonia of Greater Kansas City and for the renowned tale of The Nutcracker as presented by the highly-skilled group of young artists she led from The Lawrence Arts Center Ballet Christmas Show. She’s also had the good fortunetoperformregularlywithGospelmusicgroupYieldedVessels,with the South American fusion-based band the Amado Espinoza Trio, the curious cartoon jazz noir band GAV7D, and Argentinian Tango band Cucharada, traveling all over the world to play shows in countries throughout the globe like Canada, Kenya, Spain, Argentina, Jamaica, & Germany.https://kaytinamusic.com
ROBERT CASTILLO
(ULYSSES,DOCTOR,SURGEON1,SURGEON2,HUSBAND, ACUPUNCTURIST,CHIROPRACTOR,PHYSICIAN’SASSISTANT,NURSE, DR.V,SHAMAN,ONCOLOGIST,BROTHER,DARIO,COOKIE)
RobertAnthonyCastilloBrea(b.1992)isamultidisciplinaryartistworkingacross music, visual art, stone sculpting, and literature. A first-generation U.S. citizen borninKansasCitytoaMayan-speakingfatherfromMexico’sYucatanPeninsula andaDominicanmother,hisworkisdrivenbyadeepcuriosityaboutexistence and human potential. Trained in jazz bass with a degree from North Central College (Naperville, IL), he has performed across the U.S., Latin America, and Europe. From 2016-2020, he led the contemporary jazz ensemble The Sextet, releasingthreealbumsofhiscompositionsandarrangements.Beyondjazz,his genre-blending tendencies manifest in compositions ranging from classical symphoniesandsolopianoworks,toelectronicmusicanddynamicDJsets. In2018,heexpandedintovisualart,leadingtointernationalexhibitionsanda master’sdegreeinArtisticProductionfromthePolytechnicUniversityofValencia (Valencia, Spain). His thesis, "Shadows of the Empire," explores Indigenous identityandcolonialimpact.HisvisualartincludesMayaniconography,refined geometric abstraction, portraiture, and stone sculpture, with a Carrara marble pieceacquiredbytheNermanMuseumofContemporaryArtin2023.Castillohas alsoparticipatedinculturalexchanges,taughtatAvilaUniversity,andengagedin artsadvocacy.Hislatestproject,"GlorifiedAnts,"isahardsciencefictionnovel examiningAI’slong-termsocietalimpact.CurrentlybasedinKansasCity,heplans to move to Guatemala in August 2025 to serve as a PeaceCorps Youth DevelopmentCoordinator,continuinghiscommitmenttoartisticexplorationand culturaldialogue.Formoreinformation,pleasevisitwww.robertcastillo.art.
DRI HERNAEZ (NAUSICAA)
Dri Hernaez (She/Her) is an actor pursuing work in Theatre, Film,andTV,sheisdeterminedtocontinuallyrepresentandtell storiesabouttheexperienceandcultureasaFilipino-American. Professionalcreditsinclude:TheHeartSellersatTheatreWorks Colorado Springs, The Heart Sellers and Poor Clare at the UnicornTheatre,GulagGirlswithRisingTideProductionsinthe 2024KCFringeFest,CyranoDeBergerac,PeterPan&Wendy andAChristmasCarolwiththeKansasCityRepertoryTheatre. Film experience includes feature film: Once I Was Engaged playing Leilani (2021). Her Educational credits include a MastersinFineArtsdegree(M.F.A)inActingandDirectingfrom theUniversityofMissouri-KansasCityConservatory2024and the Labyrinth Theatre Intensive Ensemble in 2022. @drihernaez
ASTRID MIER Y TERAN JIBAJA (PENELOPE)
Astrid Mier y Teran Jibaja, who works under the name of Kunturwarmi (meaning condor-woman), is an Andean multidisciplinary visual artist and performer, born and raised in Peru.BasedinthetimelessconceptsoftheAndeanandAmazonian Cosmogony,herworkexplorestheiconographyandcontemporary expressionsofherancestry,maintainingalivingheritagethathas resisted colonial oppression and " progress " . Astrid moved to the UnitedStatesin2003afterspendingthreeyearsasastudentatthe NationalFineArtsSchoolandpreviouslytheArt&DesignInstitute ToulouseLautrec.SheattendedKUinSpring2008,beforetakinga breaktofocusonraisinghertwosmallchildren.Shewasawarded an artist’s residency program at EPIC Arts in Kansas City, KS in 2021,exploringIndigenousnarrativesthatconnectthecommunity with the land. From 2023 to the present, she has been commissionedtocreatemuralsandassistothermuralistsinlarge projects.Shehasalsobeenexploringpre-Columbianandpre-Inca weaving techniques to incorporate in her artwork. When not working on cultural endeavors, she enjoys cooking and weaving. SheresidesinOldWestLawrencewithherpartnerandtheirtwo cats.@kunturwarmi
JULIA OTHMER (CIRCE)
JuliaOthmerisanemotionallypotentsinger-songwriter.Herpianodrivenperformancesaremesmerizingfusionsofrawpower,vocal artistryandjoy.Passionateandengaging,Othmercreatesintimate warmthwithheraudiences.Thechildofrefugees,Othmerdraws fromarichlyculturedpaletteofexperiencetoinspireherintensely humanyetotherworldlysongs.Usingmusictoconnecttopeople and social issues inspires her. Othmer is one of seven artists selectedtorepresenttheUSAforGlobalMusicMatch2021andan Official Showcasing Artist at Folk Alliance International. Her current project THE FORCEFIELDS debuted their multi-media immersive experience at Charlotte Street Foundation and are buildingaEuropeanandUKfestivalandtheatretour. Heraward-winningmusichasbeenfeaturedonNPRandtheBBC, in film, TV, and video games. Songwriting awards include the Billboard World Song Contest Finalist and the International Songwriting Competition Semi-Finalist. She tours internationally andhassharedthestagewitharangeofartistsincludingEmmylou Harris, Sarah McLachlan, The Alarm and Regina Spektor. www.juliaothmer.comwww.theforcefields.com
Photo:@annaazarov
KAREN LISONDRA (AUTHOR/SISTER/TIMMY)
KarenLisondraisatheatermakerthatweavesthecontemporaryand ancestral,creatingworksthatinterrogateourselvesandoursocieties. Locally,shewroteanddirectedaspanish-languageradio-playforKC Publictheater;createdanddirectedadevisedshowforUMKCMFA Theater program, (which later went on a 5 city Bolivian tour), codirected and danced in We are the Landscape, a contemporary performance offering. She has been Associate Director for KC Rep’s PeterPanandWendy,andtheirGhostLightFestival.Asaperformer, she was an original company member of Argentina’s post-modern Fuerza Bruta, and toured the globe as Calypso in el Teatro de los Andes’ version of Homer’s Odyssey. Karen has been a Charlotte St. Resident,aLightonArtistExchangeGrantrecipienttoChile,anartist inresidencewithTeatroTierrainBogota,Colombia,andwithTeatro Epid’OrinPontigny,France.Shehastrainedwithrenowneddirectors inSouthAmerica(GuillermoAngelelli,GabrielChame,CesarBrie). KarenhastaughtAshtangaYogaandmeditationsince2015,andhas been a four-time guest yoga instructor for Yoga at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. She trains Chen-style Tai Chi with ChenHuixian,20thgenerationdirectdescendentofChenfamilyTai ChiinKansasCity,andChenBinginChenjiaguo,China. SherecentlyfoundedAylluArts(pron.I-You),withex-husbandAmado EspinozaandgoodfriendPedroCalderon,bridgingourcommunities to ancestral wisdom through original performance, internal and expressiveartforms,ritualandecology.www.aylluarts.org
