CREATIVE TEAM BIOS

Jeffrey Meanza Director

See PlayMakers Leadership page.

Matthew Steffens

Choreographer

PlayMakers: “Violet,” “Guys & Dolls,” “Hairspray” (Summer Youth Conservatory). Broadway: “Into The Woods,” “Doctor Zhivago,” “Promises Promises,” “Women On the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown”. National Tours: “Into the Woods,” “West Side Story,” “Contact”. OffBroadway: “Queen of the Night” (Diamond Horseshoe); “The Visitor” (The Public); “Superhero” (2ST); “Bountiful” (R.Evolución Latina). Selected Regional: Guthrie Theater, Virginia Theater Festival, Transcendence Theater Company, Axelrod PAC. Upcoming: “Oliver” (Encores NY City Center); “Cabaret” (Virginia Theatre Festival). Other: Matthew also serves as a Team Director for the non-profit arts group R.Evolución Latina. @steffensmatthew

Michael Raiford

Scenic Designer

PlayMakers: “Private Lies”. Regional: South Coast Repertory, The Alliance Theatre, City Theatre, Cleveland Playhouse, Geva Theatre Center, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Maltz Jupiter Theatre, Ford’s Theatre, New Victory Theatre, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, The Lyric Theatre, ZACH Theatre, Antaeus Company, and Actors Theatre of Louisville. Plus 20 productions, and twelve world premieres for the Humana Festival. Ballet/Opera: Kansas City Ballet, Colorado Ballet, The Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Ballet Austin, Opera Boston, and Central City Opera. Designs for “The Wizard of Oz” were nominated for the “Benois de la Danse” at the Bolshoi Ballet in 2019. Director of “Blast: The Music of Disney,” Tokyo. Training/Other: M.F.A. from The University of Texas at Austin, where he taught for 10 years. He is a Member of United Scenic Artists. michaelraiford.myportfolio.com

@MichaelRaiford @raifordm

Asa Benally

Costume Designer

Citizen of the Navajo and Cherokee Nations. PlayMakers: Debut. Regional: “The Rez Sisters,” “1939” (Stratford Festival); “Seven Minutes” (Waterwell); “Where We Belong” (Woolly Mammoth Theater, Baltimore Center Stage, The Public Theater); “Mrs. Warren’s Profession” (The Gingold Group); “Blues for an Alabama Sky” (Keen Company, Drama Desk Nomination); “Somewhere Over the Border” (Syracuse Stage); “Too Heavy For Your Pocket” (George Street Playhouse); “Skeleton Crew” (Westport Country Playhouse); “Measure for Measure” (The Public Theater Mobile Unit); “The Brobot Johnson Experience” (The Bushwick Starr); “Tricks the Devil Taught Me” (Minetta Lane Theater); “Whale Song” (Perseverance Theater); “The Winter’s Tale” (HERE Arts Center). University: “Father Comes Home…” (Juilliard); “Cymbeline” (Yale Repertory Theater); “Coriolanus,” “The Seagull” (Yale School of Drama); “Roberto Zucco” (Yale Cabaret). Training: M.F.A Yale School of Drama. B.F.A. Parsons School of Design. www.asabenally.com @Asa_Benally_Design

Charlie Morrison

Lighting Designer

PlayMakers: “Assassins,” “Red,” “An Enemy of the People,” “Noises Off,” “Big River,” “As You Like It,” “The Importance of Being Earnest,” “The Underpants”. NYC/National and International Tours: Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” “A Christmas Story: The Musical,” Dr. Seuss’s “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, The Musical,” “A Chorus Line,” “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” “Miss Saigon,” “Aida,” “The Producers,” “Legally Blonde,” “Man of La Mancha,” “Guys and Dolls,” “Groovaloo,” “Hello, Dolly!,” “My Fair Lady,” “The King and I,” “Spelling Bee,” “Gypsy,” “42nd Street,” “Smokey Joe’s Cafe,” “The Who’s Tommy,” “Titanic,” “The Music Man” and many others. Regional: Paper Mill Playhouse, Guthrie Theater, Shakespeare Theatre Company (D.C.), Goodspeed Musicals, Seattle Repertory, Seattle 5th Avenue, Broadway Sacramento, Theatre Under the Stars, Dallas Summer Musicals, Kansas City Starlight, Pittsburgh CLO, George Street Playhouse, North Carolina Theatre, PlayMakers Repertory, Tulsa Opera and many others. TV: “Finding Magic Mike” for HBOMax. Charlie is the recipient of two Helen Hayes Awards for Outstanding Lighting. www.cmlighting.com