Romeo and Juliet

Director: Irene J. Kuykendall

Scenic Designer:  Chris Raintree

Costume Designer: Kendra Rai+

Lighting Designer: BJ Wilkinson

Sound Designer: Maggie Root

Assistant Directors: Elliot Cooper & Ryan Heazel

Intimacy Coordinator and Acting Coach: Emily J. Mattison

Voice and Text Director: Karen Kopryanski*

Fight Choreographer: Toby O’Brien

Production Stage Manager: Cristlin Feniza

Technical Director: Joel Ernst

Production Supervisor: Bonnie Brady *

* Member of Actors’ Equity Association, AGMA, or SAG/AFTRA
+ Member of United Scenic Artists, 829
^ Member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society

Any video or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited.

Production Team

Creative Team

Dramaturgs: Ashton Juckett-Tierney, Kolton Nielsen
Faculty Fight Choreography Supervisor: Aaron Anderson
Assistant Fight Choreographer: Robin Powers
Assistant Intimacy Coordinator: Tessa Harmon

Stage Management

Assistant Stage Manager: MaryAnn Woodruff
Production Assistants: Faith Gates, Charlie Turner
Stage Management Faculty Supervisor: Bonnie Brady*

Scenic

Props Charge: Katie Gross
Paint Charge: Sayyan Bashir
Staff Senior Scene Shop Coordinator: Sophie Solomon Resplandy
Staff Scene Shop Coordinator: Brigid Tamas
Staff Scene Shop Coordinator: Molly Montgomery
Faculty Technical Director: Joel Ernst
Scenic Design Faculty Supervisor: Chris Raintree
Scene Shop Foreman: Kevin McGranahan

Costumes

Assistant Costume Designer: Dex Keith
Second Assistant Costume Designer: Cassidy Greenwalt
Wardrobe Head: Cate Wright
Wardrobe Supervisor: Sophie Taylor
Dressers: Lily Abercrombie, Jo Adams, Emma Burner, Grace Carper, Eva McGee, Bryn Morrison
Craft Designer: Dex Keith
Wig Design: Isabel Dove
Makeup Design: Emily Miller, Isabel Dove
Stitchers/Crafts Artisans: Stella Convertino, Cate Wright, Alix Beck, Emma Meaker, Nataly Martinez, Augusta Farinholt, Isabel Dove, Liza Ivanova, Sophie Taylor, Baylee Miller, Bryn Morrison, Dexter Burris, Lila Halleran, Lily Abercrombie, Emerson DeHass, Isaac Wislar, Stephan Miller, Matthew Mascolo, Bailey Clark, Emily Miller, Ollie Gunther
Senior Costume Shop Coordinator: Kyndyll Nobles
Costume Design Faculty Supervisor: Kendra Rai+
Costume Shop Manager & Costume Technology Faculty: Sally Rath

Lighting

Assistant Lighting Designer: Ashley Miers Moringo
Head Electrician: Sadie Tucker
Assistant Head Electrician: Nikolai Bauman
Lighting Programmer: Tyren Ballard
Light Board Operator: Ricky Pagan-Ramos
Electricians: Gabe Aguilar, Zo Bostick, Tyren Ballard, Nikolai Bauman, Jinx Bell, James Hiney, DeShaun Horne,  Oona Landaker, Luke Norton, Oliver O’Shea, Ricky Pagan – Ramos, Alexa Ramirez, Dulci Snoke, Marcely Villatoro, Jesse Walker, Tynker Wyatt
Lighting Work Study Assistant: Zo Bostick
Lighting Design Faculty Supervisor: BJ Wilkinson
Staff Lighting Technician: Weston Corey

Sound

Sound Board Operator: Bianca George
Sound Work Study Assistants: Zo Bostick
Sound Faculty Supervisor: Thomas Vecchione
Staff Sound Technician: Weston Corey

Front of House

Box Office Manager: Shannon Fowler
House Manager: Max Patterson
Box Office: Gisele Cui, Novella Edwards, Aiden Lazenby, Saniyah Pullen

Run Crew

Maddy Cavanaugh, Reese Killion, Antwan Pannell, Raheem Richardson

Special Thanks to Nick Seaver and Thomas Vecchione

VCUarts Leadership and Theatre Faculty

Carmenita Higginbotham, Dean, School of the Arts
Holly Alford, Assistant Dean, Senior Director for the Performing Arts
Matt Omasta^, Department Chair, Department of Theatre and Dance
Bonnie McCoy+, Production Coordinator, Department of Theatre and Dance

Cast Bios

Kai Avila (Tybalt) 

Kai is a senior B.F.A. theatre performance student who is thrilled to be performing in his fifth Mainstage. You may have recently seen him in VCUarts Theatre’s production of The Bacchae of Euripides: A Communion Rite. Previous credits include Virginia Repertory Theatre, Chasing George Washington; VCUarts Theatre, A Chorus Line, Twelfth Night, Descendants. He’s grateful for all the support he has received from friends, family, and mentors. You can find him on Instagram @kamiyangi.

Charles Bicknell (Prince) 

Charlie is a senior pursuing a B.A. in theatre with a minor in Spanish and is very excited to perform in his first VCUArts Mainstage show! Previously, he’s acted in As You Like It (S.A.L.T.), Keep Forward (Staged), and Moonshiners (Dodgeballs & Dragons). He also directed THE staged reading of all time, BORDERLINE FOREVER (Staged), and serves as the president of Smash at VCU, and Marketing Director for S.A.L.T. He’d like to give thanks to his family and his Smash team!

A’More “Ricky” Branch (Juliet) 

Ricky (she/her) is a Senior B.F.A. Theatre Performance major at VCU and has been a member of VCU’s BIPOC improv team, “Black, Brown, and Honey”, since her freshman year. Her previous VCU credits include Lady in Teal in For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf and the Grocer’s Wife in Rhinoceros. Most recently, she served as Assistant Director for Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play. As she approaches graduation, Ricky hopes to explore all facets of her artistry through acting, directing, and writing with a focus on creating art for Black people, by Black people. She thanks God, her mom for always holding her down, and herself for continuing to show up. Instagram: @Weirdblkgal

Catherine Cabral (Romeo) 

Catie is a senior pursuing a B.F.A. Performance degree and is thrilled to perform in her second Mainstage at VCU. Previous work includes VCUarts Theatre’s The Crucible (Mary Warren), Doomsday’s Once More With Feeling (Buffy), and S.A.L.T.’s Circle Mirror Transformation (Lauren). She is grateful for this opportunity to portray this iconic role and would like to thank the entire cast, crew, and creative team for the hours they spent bringing this production to life. Finally, she would like to thank her family for their unconditional support throughout her college career.

Noah Crombie (Lord Capulet) 

Noah is a current sophomore B.F.A. Musical Theatre major and is very excited to be in VCU’s production of Romeo and Juliet as Lord Capulet! This will be Noah’s acting debut on the VCU Mainstage. Although he has been in previous student productions such as: Doctor Uncle in A Stroll in the Air (S.A.L.T.), Mason Bristoe in The Bloody Diner (S.A.L.T.), and The Stranger in Keep Forward (Staged). He would love to thank VCU for this opportunity and hopes you will enjoy the show!

Miranda Dress (Lady Capulet) 

Miranda is a current junior pursuing her B.F.A. in Theatre Performance and could not be more excited to be in this production! She most recently was a part of VCU’s spring production of The Bacchae of Euripides: A Communion Rite as well as Sarah Good/Martha Corey/US Elizabeth Proctor in the fall production of The Crucible. She would love to give a big thank you to everyone who has been there for her on her theatre journey including this amazing cast and crew, her teachers, her friends, and her family! She loves y’all so so much! Reach out @miranda.s.dress

Ginna Durgavich (Servingman, Petruchio, Paris’ Page) 

Ginna is a senior at VCU pursuing a B.A. in Theatre who has always had a love for Shakespeare, having been in several Shakespeare productions when she was younger. Ginna’s first show at VCU was As You Like It with VCU’s S.A.L.T., and now she is very excited to round out her time at VCU with Romeo and Juliet!

Madeleine Dye (Chorus Leader, Peter, Apothecary, Watchman, U/S Romeo) 

Madeleine is a current junior at VCU pursuing a double major in Theatre and Political Science. Previous performance work includes Female Understudy in Circle Mirror Transformation (S.A.L.T.), Lindsey in Guarding (VCUarts, Dir. Emily Mattison), Orlando in As You Like It (S.A.L.T.), and Josephine in A Stroll in the Air (S.A.L.T.) She would like to thank her friends and family for their steadfast support, as well as her lovely roommates for all the late nights and laughs, obligatory group hugs, and unwavering love.  She is endlessly grateful for this opportunity and is so excited to share the work this wonderful cast has done with the world. The cosmos is within us. We are made of star stuff! 

Kurt Hoffman (Gregory, Servingman, Watchman) 

Kurt is incredibly excited to work on his first full-length Mainstage production with Romeo and Juliet! He was last seen on this stage as Chris in Within Reason, through VCU’s New Works Showcase, and other previous credits include Dr. Harvey in Punk Rock and The Dog in Trendkill (both through S.A.L.T.), as well as Brett Favre in Borderline Forever (Staged). He is grateful to have worked with everyone on this production and can’t wait for everyone to see what we’ve done! If you all follow him on instagram @hurt.koffman he might start posting more.

Milo Roscoe Jones (Mercutio) 

Milo is a senior graduating this December with a B.F.A. in Theatre Performance and a minor in Musical Theatre. Milo is thrilled to be a part of Romeo & Juliet as his last VCU production. Recent credits include: BONES in Tambo & Bones (5th Wall Theatre and BVTA), RICHIE in A Chorus Line (VCUarts Theatre), and BURRS in The Wild Party (VCUarts Theatre). Milo would like to thank his mom, dad, family, and friends for their endless support, as well as his professors for helping him every step of the way. An extra shoutout to his cat, Panini, for being Milo’s ride or die. Protect trans lives, and enjoy the show! Find me @miloisverykewl

Malcolm Joseph (Nurse) 

Malcolm (he/him) is a B.F.A. Theatre Performance major currently in his junior year. His previous credits through VCUarts include The Crucible (Judge Hathorne), Within Reason (Zach), and Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play (Male Swing)! He is excited to be performing in his first ever Shakespeare play alongside the other amazingly talented actors. He would like to thank the Director, the crew, the cast, and a special big thank you to his friends and family for supporting him and making this process so enjoyable! Follow his story on instagram @Malcolm.ems

Isaac Martin (Benvolio) 

Isaac is a senior B.F.A. Performance Major here at VCU. You may have seen him in the recent productions of The Bacchae… (VCUarts) and Murder on the Menu (SCstudios). Isaac is thrilled to be a part of this story and is so thankful to share the stage with some of his closest friends. He hopes this story allows others to see how truly powerful love and connection can be. He would like to thank God, his family, friends, and professors/mentors along the way.

Ava Noel (Friar Laurence/Lady Montague) 

Ava is a third year B.F.A. Theatre Performance major and Musical Theatre minor, and this is her second Mainstage production. Previous credits include The Crucible (Susanna Walcott, VCUArts), Guarding (Kat, VCUArts), Once More With Feeling (Willow, Doomsday Theatre), and The Bloody Diner (Dir./Playwright, S.A.L.T.). Ava’s been intrigued by Shakespeare’s works for a long time and is so excited to be part of her first Shakespeare production!. She wants to thank the entire team for making this a great experience, and “To thine own self be true.” @avanoel124 

Wesley Pollington (Abraham, Balthasar, U/S Benvolio) 

Wesley is excited to make their VCU theatre debut! Wes is currently a sophomore pursuing a B.F.A. in Musical Theater Performance. They are incredibly grateful to this cast and crew for all of their hard work and support, and are so glad to have gotten to work with them for this first experience. Wes would also like to thank their family, friends, and partner for all of the support and love in all their pursuits! Enjoy the show!

Alexis Waters (Paris) 

Alexis is a senior B.F.A. performance major and is thrilled to be part of her second Mainstage and second Shakespeare production! She recently played The Officer in The Bacchae of Euripides: A Communion Rite (VCUarts), Anya in The Cherry Orchard (Royal Birmingham Conservatoire), and Frank-n-Furter in a shadow-cast production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show (VCU). She has also assisted the VCU lighting/sound production teams for Mr. Burns, A Chorus Line, The Crucible, and Let The Right One In. Outside of theatre, she hosts a weekly vinyl radio show called Greatest Hits on WVCW.org.

James Whitfield (Montague, U/S Tybalt) 

James Whitfield is currently a senior and this is his first time being cast in a Shakespearean play. He is excited to try something new and hopes you enjoy the show.

Antony Zheng (Sampson, Friar John, Watchman, U/S Mercutio) 

Antony is a senior Theatre B.A. Student and is so excited to be working on Romeo and Juliet! Previous credits include Wolf (U/S) Wolf Play (5th Wall Theatre). This is his first Mainstage production at VCU and he would like to thank everyone who worked so hard on this show and Okey Dokey the cat.

Artistic Team Bios

Irene Kuykendall (Director)

Irene is a director, actor, and educator with a Master’s in Text & Performance from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and conservatory training from The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in NYC. Directing credits include: The Cottage, Moriarty: A New Sherlock Holmes Mystery, and A Broadway Christmas (Virginia Rep), GASLIGHT (Swift Creek Mill), The Importance of Being Earnest (Richmond Shakespeare at RTP), and Twelfth Night (RCT). Educational direction includes: The Addams Family, ALL SHOOK UP and The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley (Virginia Rep, Summer Showtime), CLUE and MEAN GIRLS (MHS), The Good Fight (ARGS), Emma! A Pop Musical (MWRGS), and more. Visit www.irenejkuykendall.com for acting credits. 

Elliot Cooper (Assistant Director)

Elliot Cooper is a third-year Theatre student and Musical Theatre minor who specializes in directing, performance, and arts administration. Previous work includes performing in A Stroll in the Air (Little Boy, Shafer Alliance Laboratory Theatre) and Once More, With Feeling! (Xander, Doomsday Theatre Company) as well as serving as Production Chair for Doomsday Theatre Company and being involved in VCU’s Ramifications, including competing twice with the group as an ICCA semifinalist. He would like to thank his family and friends for all their love and support, as well as Irene and Ryan for being an incredible team, Emily Mattison for her continued mentorship, and the entire cast and crew of Romeo & Juliet for coming together to put on this show! Enjoy the show!

Ryan Heazel (Assistant Director)

Ryan Heazel is thrilled to be making his (assistant) directorial debut. He is currently working on his M.F.A. in Performance/Pedagogy at VCU. His recent stage credits include Tiresias in The Bacchae at VCU, Fishtank Joe in Ballad of a Fishman at the VCU New Works Festival, Narrator in AP U.S. History at the Alliance Theatre, Pozzo in Waiting For Godot at the Emory Actor’s Workshop, and Moonglow Aldershot in Show of a Lifetime at the University of British Columbia. Outside of his time in the theatre he spends his days reading, crafting, and caring for his ever-increasing menagerie of pets. He wants to thank his partner Lauren for always being supportive. 

Emily J. Mattison (Intimacy Coordinator and Acting Coach)

Emily is the Head of Undergraduate Performance and Assistant Professor of Acting at VCUarts Theatre. At VCUarts Theatre Emily has directed The Crucible and staged readings of Birds Aren’t Real, Roanoke Waits, Guarding, and We Found the Wild Things. She received her B.A. in Theatre Performance from Susquehanna University and M.F.A. in Theatre Performance Pedagogy from Virginia Commonwealth University. Prior to teaching at VCU, she worked as an actor and teaching artist in Philadelphia, PA with Walnut Street Theatre, Arden Theatre Company, Philadelphia Young Playwrights, Wolf Performing Arts Center and more. 

Karen Kopryanski (Voice and Text Director)

Karen is an Associate Professor and Head of Voice and Speech at VCUarts Theatre. As a voice, text, and dialect specialist, she has coached more than 80 productions in the US, most recently as Voice and Text Director for Julius Caesar at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Finding Neverland at the Children’s Theatre of San Jose. Other credits include A Christmas Carol, It’s A Wonderful Life, The 39 Steps, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, River Ditty, and Crimes of the Heart (all for Virginia Repertory Theatre), Milk Like Sugar (Huntington Theatre), Cabaret (American Repertory Theatre), La Dispute (SITI Company) and The Sugar Syndrome (Williamstown Theatre Festival). Karen has taught and led workshops in Austria, Canada, Italy, Norway, Russia, Singapore, and Turkey, and has been seen onstage at the American Shakespeare Center. She has been a Guest Artist at Louisiana State University and the New England Puppet Intensive, and regularly trains and performs with the Pacific Performance Project. A recent US Fulbright Specialist, Karen is an Associate Teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework, Reviews Editor for The Voice and Speech Review, and co-author of Building Embodiment: Integrating Acting, Voice, and Movement to Illuminate Poetic Text.

Chris Raintree (Scenic Designer)

Chris is the Head of Scene Design at Virginia Commonwealth University. He holds a B.F.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University and an M.F.A. from Carnegie Mellon University. Select credits include Murder on the Orient Express, Misery, 9 to 5, POTUS, Chicken & Biscuits, Mr. Popper’s Penguins, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder (Virginia Rep); Burial Tax, Roman A Clef, Berta Berta, The Barber of Moville, Passing Strange, Songs From Bedlam, Desire Under The Elms (Firehouse Theatre); Gabriel – A True Story of Freedom (Atlas Partnership); Moth, A Doll’s House (TheatreLAB); An Act of God, Seven Homeless Mammoths Wander New England (Richmond Triangle Players).

Kendra Rai (Costume Designer) 

Kendra is the Head of Design at VCU and has spent much of her professional career designing costumes in the Washington, D.C. area.  She holds an M.F.A. from Pennsylvania State University, and is a Princess Grace Honorarium recipient. She has been awarded the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Costume Design four times (2012, 2015, 2018, and 2025), along with nine additional nominations. Beyond her professional design work, she is truly passionate about teaching costume design and am thrilled to work with the exceptional students at VCU every day. She would like to thank the costume team for helping  create such a beautiful show!

BJ Wilkinson (Lighting Designer)

BJ (he/him)received his B.A. from the University of Northern Colorado and his M.F.A. from the University of Cincinnati- CCM. Recent designs include The Play that Goes Wrong, Murder on the Orient Express, Misery, and After December (Virginia Rep) Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, Peter and the Starcatcher, Roman a clef, and Witchduck  (Firehouse Theatre) A Chorus Line, and Let the Right one in (Theatre VCU.)  He serves as Head of Lighting for VCU. Visit www.bjwlightingdesign.com for more!

Maggie Root  (Sound Designer)

Maggie is a 4th year Theatre major and Sound Design minor. Previous credits include The Bacchae (Associate Sound Designer, VCUarts Theatre), The Crucible (Assistant Sound Designer, VCUarts Theatre), Shrek the Musical (Stage Manager & Sound Designer, Theatre West Virgina), and A Stroll in the Air (Sound Designer, Shafer Alliance Laboratory Theatre). She’d like to thank her family and friends for supporting her every step of the way.

Toby O’Brien (Fight Choreographer)

Toby is a Richmond-based actor, musician, teacher, and fight director. Some of his acting credits include Jim in Pump Boys and Dinettes (Swift Creek Mill Theatre), the Ensemble/Guitarist in Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 (Firehouse Theatre), Snug in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Rosencrantz in Hamlet (Richmond Shakespeare), Moriarty u/s (Virginia Repertory Theatre), and a Rakish Rogue at The Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire (2015). Toby spent many years in New Orleans as a singer-songwriter and co-founded the indie record label “Third Coast Studios” and is currently developing a solo album. As a fight director, he choreographed Love is the Greater Labyrinth (University of Virginia), assisted in the choreography for The Wild Party (VCU), and was fight captain for Hamlet (Richmond Shakespeare). Toby is a graduate of the B.F.A. Acting program from Shenandoah Conservatory and the M.F.A. program in Theatre Performance & Pedagogy from VCU. He’s delighted to have worked with this awesome group for Romeo and Juliet: An LGBTQIA+ Love Story!

Cristlin Fenzia (Production Stage Manager)

Cristlin is a Senior at Virginia Commonwealth University pursuing a B.F.A. in Theatre with a concentration in Stage Management/Technical Production. This is her last Mainstage production with VCUarts Theatre! Previous credits include: Production Stage Manager for The Flick (VCU S.A.L.T.), Stage Manager for Frozen: The Broadway Musical (arts to ALL), Assistant Stage Manager for Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play (VCUarts Theatre), Production Assistant for The Crucible (VCUarts Theatre), and Production Assistant for for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf (VCUarts Theatre). She would like to thank all the loved ones in her life for their amazing support throughout her stage management journey, as well as all of the stage managers before and after her. You can find Cristlin on Instagram @crisnchipz. She hopes that you enjoy the show!