VENUS by Steve Yockey
CREATIVE BIOS
Steve Yockey | Playwright (He/Him)
Steve Yockey is a Los Angeles-based writer. His plays Pluto, Mercury, Bellwether, Afterlife, Octopus, Large Animal Games, Cartoon, Very Still & Hard to See, Blackberry Winter, The Thrush & The Woodpecker, The Fisherman’s Wife, Wolves, Disassembly, Niagara Falls, To Tokyo & the Moon, Reykjavík, Sleeping Giant, Subculture, and Curiosities are published and licensed by Concord Theatricals. He holds an MFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Steve was a Co-Executive Producer on the series Supernatural and is the Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated creator/showrunner of HBO Max’s darkly comedic thriller The Flight Attendant. He is also the creator/showrunner of Netflix’s Dead Boy Detectives, adapted from the cult Vertigo/DC comic.
Cynthia Fleming | Director (She/Her)
Cynthia Fleming has been an integral part of Salt Lake Acting Company since 1998 and was named Executive Artistic Director in 2015. Over the years, Cynthia has lovingly shaped Salt Lake Acting Company into what it is today - creating and implementing SLAC’s Arts Education Programs (Title I Arts Education Program, Professional Theatre Program), deepening SLAC’s commitment to New Play Development through the Playwrights’ Lab, establishing a culture of community through the Making Space for Artists Program, outreach, and partnerships with other organizations. Under Cynthia’s leadership, SLAC has continually set the standard for accessibility, equity, diversity, and inclusion; in 2020, SLAC launched The Amberlee Fund, a capital campaign to make SLAC’s historic building wheelchair accessible. To date, Cynthia has produced over 100 plays.
Marci Piña | Stage Manager (She/Her)
Marci Piña is a recent graduate from the University of Utah with a BFA in Theatre Stage Management. Her most recent projects include being the Assistant Stage Manager for The Robertassey (Salt Lake Acting Company); Stage Manager for The Drowsy Chaperone (The Grand Theatre); Everybody (Babcock Theatre), and Seussical (Kingsbury); 1st Assistant Stage Manager for Sweeney Todd (The Grand Theatre), Dead Certain (The Grand), The Book Club Play (Babcock Theatre), Illyria (Babcock Theatre); and Stage Manager for The Emily Dickinson Musical (Studio 115, Open Door Productions). Marci has previously worked as the resident Stage Manager for Ícaro Compañía Teatral, a professional theatre company in Mexico City, on Urinetown (Teatro Milán), The Pillowman (Foro Lucerna) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Foro Lucerna).
CAST BIOS
Olivia Custodio | Beth (She/Her)
Olivia Custodio is Steve Yockey’s biggest fan and a SLAC regular. She has had the absolute privilege of serving as the head writer of SLAC’s Summer Show for the past four years and has been seen on SLAC’s stage in numerous iterations of Saturday’s Voyeur, Streetlight Woodpecker, Art Dog, I’ll Eat You Last, and various staged readings. Other favorite roles include Eleanor in The Antipodes with Voodoo Theatre Company, The Lady of the Lake in Spamalot at the Grand Theatre, and being a part of Plan B’s Radio Hour. Most recently her show Welcome to Fat School won Best of Fringe (FFF) at the 2025 Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival. Olivia has her BFA from Carnegie Mellon University in Vocal Performance and her Masters of Music from the University of Utah. She currently serves as the Director of Major Gifts at the Sphinx Organization where she is deeply committed to social justice work within the arts.
Adriana Lemke | Nicole (She/Her)
Adriana Lemke is an actor, fight director, and intimacy director. She was last seen on SLAC’s stage in readings of The Turnaway Play and Burst. As fight and/or intimacy director, her work has been part of SLAC’s productions of The Secret Lives of the Real Wives in the Salt Lake Hive, Whitelisted, and Sleeping Giant. Some of her favorite acting credits include Fabiana Cunningham in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Wasatch Theatre), Tybalt in HØÜSES (Riot Act Theatre), and Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Salt Lake Shakespeare).
Karen-Christina Jones | Reader (She/Her)
Karen-Christina Jones was an active member of the Upstate NY theatre and film scene. Her previous performances were in Doubt, An Ideal Husband, and The Crucible. As a director, Karen-Christina has been recognized for her work by The Theater Association of New York State for Excellence in Direction for A Soldier's Play, The Importance of Being Earnest, and The Colored Museum. Karen-Christina is thrilled to have her debut at Salt Lake Acting Company.
