PRODUCTION BIOS :
SCRIPT & DIRECTION :
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MICHAEL GENE SULLIVAN (he/him)
(Playwright, Actor, SFMT Collective)
Michael Gene Sullivan is a Collective Member, actor, director, and as Resident Playwright has written or co-written over 30 plays for the San Francisco Mime Troupe. He has also performed with all four of the Bay Area’s Tony award-winning theaters: SFMT, American Conservatory Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theater, and Theatreworks. He has also performed, directed, or written plays for SF Playhouse, California Shakespeare Theater, Denver Center Theatre Company, Marin Theatre Co., Aurora Theatre Co., Magic Theatre, TheatreFirst, Lorraine Hansberry Theater, African American Shakespeare Co., and the SF Shakespeare Festival. Michael is the author of the internationally produced stage adaptation of George Orwell’s 1984 (which opened at The Actors Gang, under the direction of Tim Robbins,) and also of the critically-acclaimed The Great Khan which had its world premiere at SF Playhouse and San Diego Rep. Michael was awarded the Getting Played: Equity in the Entertainment Industry Award at Stanford University, and was honored as one of TBA’s "40 Faces," artists who've made significant contributions to the Bay Area theater community. Michael is also an alumnus of the Playwrights Foundation, a 2022 Creative Work Fund grantee, a Djerassi Arts Fellow, and was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for Drama.
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DANIEL SAVIO (he/him)
(Composer, Lyricist, Musician, SFMT Collective)
Daniel Savio started his professional theater career playing keyboards for the Mime Troupe in 2006, and since 2020 he has been the Troupe's resident composer/lyricist. This year Daniel led the band, was co-arranger, and composed additional music for SFBATCO's original musical Sign My Name To Freedom: The Unheard Songs of Betty Reid Soskin. He was recently musical director for the Marin Mountain Play production of Kinky Boots. Daniel has been MD of numerous community and children's productions at theaters in the North and East Bay. He has a BA in music from the University of California at Santa Cruz.
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VELINA BROWN (she/her)
(Director, SFMT Collective)
Velina Brown started working with SFMT as an actor, singer and collaborator in 1992. She began directing SFMT projects in 2020 with the radio series Tales of the Resistance. She then co-directed the 2021 Season of Tales of the Resistance II. The Troupe created this radio series in lieu of our usual park tour during quarantine for which we won Best of the Bay. As a principal performer in the Troupe Velina has played the Devil in Deal With the Devil, Veronique in Veronique of the Mounties, she's played Condoleeza Rice three times, and was both an actor and Contributing Lyricist on GodFellas and Making a Killing. Velina's most recent shows with the Troupe include Tales of the Resistance, A Red Carol, Walls: No Human is Illegal, Schooled, Ripple Effect, For The Greater Good: Or the Last Election, Red State, Too Big to Fail, and Posibilidad: Or Death of the Worker for which she won a Bay Area Critics Circle Award for Best Principal Actress.
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ACTORS :
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ANDRE AMAROTICO (he/him)*
(Actor, SFMT Collective)
Andre Amarotico got his BA in Theatre at Stanford University. He has performed all across California, and was most recently featured as Liam in the world premier of Under Ben Bulben by Kate Hawley, at the Jewel Theatre. Prior to that, Andre also appeared in Neighborhood Stories Mill Valley, in a short untitled play by Pulitzer nominated playwright Amy Freed. Andre was nominated for a TBA for Best Actor in a Featured Role for Ross Valley Players’ The 39 Steps, and a Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award for his portrayal of John Wilkes Booth in Hillbarn Theatre's Assassins. Other favorite roles include Anthony in Sweeny Todd (6th Street Playhouse), Romeo in Romeo and Juliet (Throckmorton Theatre), and the titular characters in Hamlet and Macbeth (Stanford). Additionally, he has performed at The Mountain Play, Marin Onstage, The Cutting Ball Theater, Word for Word Performing Arts Company, and Stanford Repertory Theater. This is his 7th summer with the Troupe, having previously been featured in Seeing Red, Treasure Island, Back To The Way Things Were, BREAKDOWN, and two seasons of Tales of the Resistance. Up next you can catch him reprising his role of Pecker the Rooster in Panto in the Presidio's Peter Pan!
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LIZZIE CALOGERO (she/her)*
(Actor)
Lizzie Calogero is a former SFMT Collective member, and a regular on the SFMT stage. Recent Troupe shows are A Red Carol, Back To The Way Things Were, Tales of the Resistance, Treasure Island, and Walls. Originally from England, Lizzie has performed at theatres around the Bay Area, including SF Shakespeare Festival, Marin Theatre, Center Rep, Aurora, and many outings with Playground.
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MIKKI JOHNSON (she/her/he/him)
(Actor)
Mikki Johnson is a Bay Area native and studied Theatre Arts with the concentration of Acting and Musical Theater at California State East Bay. He has recently been seen onstage in A Midsummer Night's Dream with the Berkeley Shakespeare Company and previously in Blood at the Root & 1984 at California State East Bay. Mikki is very passionate about voice artistry and amplifying BIPOC and LGBTQ+ presence in the theater and entertainment world.
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MICHAEL GENE SULLIVAN (he/him)*
(Actor, Playwright, SFMT Collective)
See above.
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MUSICIANS :
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CAROLINE CHUNG (she/her)
(Musician)
Caroline Chung is a professional gigging jazz bassist, songwriter and producer based in Oakland CA. She has performed several shows at SF Jazz under her band Citizens Jazz as well as the San Jose Jazz festival and was one of 27 recipients commissioned by San Jose Jazz to compose original music. She has released her full length album of original music Sounds Of Haejin last year as well as several singles and a tribute to the great Nina Simone EP. She has also released several singles with her side project collab with guitarist Khalil Doak-Anthony called Free Energy.
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DANIEL SAVIO (he/him)
(Composer, Lyricist, Musician, SFMT Collective)
See above.
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DRED SCOTT (he/him)
(Musician)
Dred Scott performed in his first Mime Troupe show, 33 years ago, Back to Normal. He worked on 4 shows after that and went on to found the groundbreaking hip-hop jazz group, Alhphabet Soup. Dred has recorded with Anthony Braxton, Marshall Crenshaw, Don Byron, Paul McCandless and Charlie Hunter and produced 13 records of his own. He produced legendary Mime Troupe composer, Bruce Barthol's only recording, The Rise and Fall of Everything. Dred has performed with everyone from Ricky Lee Jones to Courtney Love to Liza Minelli - Pete Seeger and Levon Helm and Moby - Bob Weir and Joe Henderson - and Patti Smith. He was in the pit band for the premier of a John Adams opera and he backed up Nina Hagan. He has brought his own bands to the Monterey Jazz Festival, The Newport Jazz Festival, the Saratoga Jazz Festival and has played clubs all over the country and the world. Dred wrote a book about his adventures during the pandemic called, 50,000 Bonghits.
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PRODUCTION TEAM :
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CARLOS-ANTONIO ACEVES (he/they)
(Scenic Designer)
Carlos-Antonio Aceves is a multidisciplinary Designer and Theater Maker whose practice focuses on new works and social justice theater. Selected Scenic and Multimedia designs credits include: Returning to Haifa, Golden Thread; The Displaced, Crowded Fire Theatre; BREAKDOWN, San Francisco Mime Troupe; PrEP Play or Blue Parachute, New Conservatory Theatre Center; Dream Hou$e, Shotgun Players; Justice, Marin Theatre Company; Little Women, American Conservatory Theatre YC; Cruzar la Cara de la Luna, West Edge Opera; Cyrano, Aurora Theatre Company; Bees and Honey, Marin Theatre Company; and Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Shotgun Players. Carlos-Antonio extends his heartfelt gratitude to SF Mime Troupe and the entire creative and production team of American Dreams for their unwavering commitment and tireless efforts. Explore more of Carlos-Antonio's past and upcoming work at:
CarlosDesignsSets.myportfolio.com
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KRISTY ARROYO (she/her)
(Scenic Artist)
Kristy Arroyo is thrilled to be back for another year as Scenic Painter for the SF Mime Troupe! She has been painting sets and creating props for North Bay theater companies such as Ross Valley Players, Novato Theater Co., Stapleton Theater Co., 23 Elephants, College of Marin and many children’s theater companies since 2017 with a small break during the pandemic. Kristy studied set design at College of Marin and has a BA in Studio Art. She has been an art teacher at the Lagunitas Elementary School for over 15 years, and is continuously inspired by the children’s creativity and enthusiasm for art, which influences her own work as a studio and scenic artist. Kristy is excited to spend time with the Troupe again and to be a part of the creative team!
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DR. PIETRO CALOGERO (he/him)
(Technical Director)
Dr. Pietro Calogero studied Commedia Dell’Arte at Blue Lake in 1996; produced l’Imago for SF Fringe in 1997 and built the SFMT set for Back To The Way Things Were. He’s a big fan of prototyping: typeface fonts, masks, clothes, furniture, and demountable sets. Plus he’s an urban scholar and housing rights advocate in California and Afghanistan. Teacher at SF State, USF, and San Jose State. Kind requests: 1) Abolish segregated land use zoning; it is racist. Nuisance-law for isolation of hazardous uses has sufficed for 500 years. 2) Enact the Right to Housing in your city. Shelter needs to pre-empt private privilege. 3) Abolish density limits, or cap no lower than 60 units per acre. 4) Set minimum hourly wage as 1/100th median monthly rent. 5) Revisit incorporation legislation in your state, and ask for seizure and dissolution of any corporation that intentionally harms the health, safety, or general welfare of any jurisdiction. We have the right and obligation to do this.
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TERRI DEMARTINI (she/her)
(Tour Manager)
Terri Demartini is a SF Native and graduate of SF School of the Arts. She attended NYU where she trained for a career in broadcasting. Some standout moments from her time in NYC include interning for Howard Stern and working at HOT-97 during the golden age of hip hop. Terri then moved to LA and worked on productions for NBC/Universal and MTV. Terri has also held roles including Assistant Program Director and Producer for various radio stations. After years of working behind the scenes, Terri began pursuing work in front of the camera, signing with SF’s Look Talent. She has appeared in commercial projects for clients including Samsung, Honda, Zillow, SF Giants, Microsoft and more. In terms of theatre, Terri worked as Stage Manager for the “Tea Party” in 2023. Terri splits her time between SF and Kona, Hawaii. She loves travel, buddhi yoga, movies, concerts and doing her podcast which tackles life and pop culture through the lens of a gen-xer. Her idol since age 12 is Prince, who she saw in concert 51 times. Being a Prince fan taught her to be herself and seek freedom everyday of her life, a mindset she holds sacred.
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MARISA GERSHENHORN (she/they)
(Carpenter)
Marisa Gershenhorn is a filmmaker from NYC and based in Portland, OR. She has done animation for several short films, including Brainworm Billy and Blackheads, and was an assistant director and editor at 37th Degree for projects such as BeatBites, Cautious Clay: Making Worlds with Words, OFFLINE NYC, and a series for Samsung ISOCELL. She directed Supply Chain, 48N 123W, and Ghostface Lessons, and continues to make independent genre-blending films. Her first forays into live theater production were as a videographer/projectionist and scenic painter on the Caravan Stage Company’s show Virtual Rogues and as a scenic intern on SFMT’s BREAKDOWN. She is grateful to be able to live and connect with people through creating art in many forms - movies, drawings, music, sets - and to build knowledge and community across disciplines.
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BRIAN HERNDON (he/him/his)
(Fight Choreographer)
Brian Herndon has been teaching stage combat in the Bay Area since 2000. He’s created fights for Marin Shakespeare Company, San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, Central Works, Pacific Repertory Theatre and Sonoma County Repertory Theatre, among others. Brian has been on the faculty at Berkeley Rep School of Theatre, SF Conservatory of Music, and Solano College’s Actor Training Program, and is currently in his fifth year of teaching with Portola Valley Theatre Conservatory. He would like to thank Drew Fracher for showing him the way, and Richard Lane for paving it.
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BROOKE JENNINGS (she/her)
(Costume Designer)
Brooke Jennings is delighted to join SF Mime Troupe with another fabulous show! A graduate of UC Santa Cruz's Theater Arts Masters Program (2013), Brooke is an award winning Costume Designer working in the Bay Area and beyond. Her recent credits include Aurora Theater (Hurricane Diane), San Jose Stage (Grand Horizons, The Great Leap), Shotgun Players (The Claim, Vinegar Tom, Arcadia), San Francisco Playhouse (You Mean To Do Me Harm, The Effect, Colossal, The Nether), We Players (Adventures with Alice, PSYCHOPOMP, Undiscovered Country, CAESAR MAXIMUS, Roman Women, Ondine), Magic Theater (Asst. Designer: Monument, A Lie of the Mind, Bad Jews), Virago Theatre (The Singularity, New York Premier), Custom Made Theater Company (Belleville, Six Degrees of Separation, Sam and Dede, SF and NY Premieres), and Santa Cruz Shakespeare (Asst. Designer, A Year with Frog and Toad). She thanks her loving husband and daughter, Ava, for their unwavering support and encouragement.
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TAYLOR GONZALEZ (he/him)
(Sound Engineer & Design, SFMT Collective)
Taylor Gonzalez has been working with the Mime Troupe since he was 16 years old. His work began with the Youth Theater Project (YTP) as a student. Since then he has been an intern, assistant as well as taught and designed lights and sound for YTP. He was the lead audio editor, engineer, and designer of Tales of the Resistance. Other work includes time as a studio and live audio engineer for local bands and music artists, as well as a sound designer for various theaters and dance companies around the bay area.
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PABLO MICA (he/him)
(Poster Designer)
Pablo Mica was raised in San Francisco's Richmond district. A SF GWHS alumni class of 1982, SF Academy of Art College grad class of 1986 BFA Illustration major. In 1977 my journey to becoming a film artist began. George Lucas opened my eyes with his groundbreaking film Star Wars. Inspired by the art designs of Ralph Mcquarrie and Joe Johnston I knew then I wanted to be a part of that magic that brought me and the audience to a new and strange world. In 1986 I was offered a freelance storyboard job, with Industrial Light and Magic, working on the intro sequence of the film "Howard the Duck"! Wow! I am now an artist/illustrator for the Motion Picture, Feature Animation, Games industry and photo retouching for the real estate industry. One of my highlights was having the opportunity to work as a concept artist at Disney/Pixar Animation Studios with one on one direction from John Lassetter (Toy Story 2), and Pete Doctor (Monsters Inc.) What a life changing event! My passion grants me the opportunity to live around the world meeting interesting people and experience new cultures. I am eager to lend my passions and talents to the magic of all forms of the entertainment industry.
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KAREN RUNK (she/her)*
(Production Stage Manager)
Karen Runk moved to SF with the intention of only staying for a few months... Well over two decades later she's still here! This is largely due to the talented folks at the SF Mime Troupe and thanks to Golden Thread Productions where she has been a Resident Artist since 2018 (aka the before times) - but mostly it's due to rent control! Runk first experienced the Troupe by stage managing two '97 youth projects, Revenger Rat Meets the Merchant of Death and Inside Out. After which she ran screaming into the arms of the Magic Theatre and there she stayed, contently for two years. The Troupe then wooed her back for their '99 Summer Production City For Sale. Still under the Troupe's wooing spell she's stage managed a plethora of their summer shows. Runk has also stage managed with Word For Word, Magic Theater, SFShakes, Intersection for the Arts, and African American Shakespeare Company.
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LENA SEAGRAVE (she/they)
(Props Artist)
Lena Seagrave is a visual, multimedia artist and community activist born and raised in San Francisco's Haight Ashbury. She is a student of SF's radical histories, deeply informed by the Diggers and honored to be part of the continuing legacy of combating capitalism through creative community care- sharing free food and art! After a lifetime of enjoying the troupe and years of helping with of odd jobs like guarding the stage overnight and cooking for the youth, she is thrilled to be making the props for this year's summer show for the second year.
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* The Actors and Stage Managers employed in this production are members of Actor's Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
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