Salt Lake Acting Company - Cast and Creative
Announcing The NPSS Free Reading of 'Can I Say Yes to That Dress?' Written and Performed by Sarah Shippobotham
We are pleased to announce our next New Play Sounding Series free reading of Can I Say Yes to That Dress? by Sarah Shippobotham. The reading will take place on Monday, February 27th, 2023 at 7 PM.
Written and performed by SLAC alum Sarah Shippobotham (SLACabaret: Down the Rabbit Hole, Tribes) and directed by Jamie Rocha Allan (Land of No Mercy) with Alexandra Harbold (Hand to God) as Dramaturg, and Jennie Sant* as Production Stage Manager. Can I Say Yes to That Dress? is described by the playwright as follows:
Stuck in a wedding dress changing room, a middle-aged woman questions her life choices and what it means to be a woman. This one-person show asks what happens if you feel like you don't fit into the socially accepted norms of femininity and femaleness.
While admission to the NPSS reading of Can I Say Yes to That Dress? is free, reservations are required. They can be reserved directly via the link above, or by contacting the SLAC Audience Relationship Team at or 801-363-7522.
*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States
Announcing the Cast and Creative Team for Our World Premiere Production of 'Hairy & Sherri' by Adrienne Dawes
After being developed in our 2021 New Play Sounding Series Digital Festival, Salt Lake Acting Company is proud to announce the cast and creative team for our World Premiere production of “Hairy & Sherri” by Adrienne Dawes. With a team made up of SLAC alumni and newcomers to our stage, "Hairy & Sherri" will run from February 8th to March 5th, 2023.
SLAC alum include Wendy Joseph (Elephant and Piggie's “We Are in a Play!”) as Sharon “Sherri” Speyer, Devin Losser (Surely Goodness and Mercy) as Ryshi Only, and Yolanda Stange* (Four Women Talking About the Man Under the Sheet) as Vera Castillo. Making their SLAC debuts are David Knoell* (Mestiza, or Mixed, Plan-B Theatre) as Harold “Hairy” Speyer, and Kiirt Banks (In the Heights, West Valley Arts) as Ryshi Speyer.
“Hairy and Sherri” will be directed by Vickie Washington; she is joined by creative/production team Michael Horejsi (Set Designer), Nancy Hills (Costume Designer), Jessi Portillo** (Lighting Designer), Joe Killian (Sound Designer), Erik Reichert (Props Designer/Construction Supervisor), Latoya Cameron (EDI Dramaturg), Adriana Lemke (Fight/Intimacy Director), Bridgette Lehman (Stage Manager), Tahra Veasley (Asst. Stage Manager), and Sammee Jackson (Asst. Director).
Cast and Creative Team for SLAC's 14th Children's Production 'A Year with Frog and Toad'
Salt Lake Acting Company’s tradition of bringing professional theatre to Utah families continues with 'A Year with Frog and Toad!' The cast and creative team is comprised of SLAC alumni, as well as artists who are making their respective SLAC debuts. For the first time since 2019, SLAC is excited to welcome audiences of all ages back to the theatre December 2-18.
SLAC alum include Danny Borba (SLACabaret: Down the Rabbit Hole) as Frog, Anne Louise Brings (SLACabaret: Down the Rabbit Hole) as Mouse, Chris Curlett (Passing Strange) as Snail, and Matthew Tripp (SLACabaret 2021) as Toad. Making their SLAC debuts are Eli Ghaeini (In the Heights, West Valley Arts) as Toad, and Hannah Keating (Something Rotten, Pioneer Theatre Company) as Turtle.
Serving as understudies, through the Understudy Program at SLAC, are Niki Rahimi (SLACabaret: Down the Rabbit Hole) and Justin Ravago (SLAC Debut.)
'A Year with Frog and Toad' will be directed by Penelope Caywood; she is joined by creative/production team Erik Reichert (Scenic Designer/Construction Supervisor), Dennis Hassan (Costume Designer), Jesse Portillo** (Lighting Designer), Alix Walburn (Props Designer), Latoya Cameron (EDI Dramaturg), Amelia Moore (Rehearsal Pianist) and Bridgett Lehman (Rehearsal Assistant Stage Manager and Run of Show Stage Manager.) Jennie Sant* is Production Stage Manager.
Joining as part of the Professional Theatre Program are Cameron Barrett (Assistant Director), Briar Woodle (Assistant Costume Designer) and Anna Blaes (Props Designer.)
Meet the Cast and Creative Team for Utah Premiere of Steve Yockey's 'Sleeping Giant'
Salt Lake Acting Company announces the cast and creative team for the world premiere of Sleeping Giant by Steve Yockey. The new work, which previously received a reading through SLAC’s New Play Sounding Series in May 2022, is described as follows:
When a firework-filled marriage proposal goes very wrong, the accompanying explosions wake up something very old that’s been sleeping in the nearby lake for thousands of years. What follows are intimate, darkly comic, and sometimes startling vignettes about the lengths people go when they desperately want something to believe in.
Artwork by Courtney Blair
The cast of Sleeping Giant is comprised entirely of SLAC alumni. Lily Hye Soo Dixon (Mercury) plays The Naïf, Tito Livas* (SLACabaret: Down the Rabbit Hole) plays The Messenger, Robert Scott Smith* (Climbing With Tigers) plays The Raconteur, and Cassandra Stokes-Wylie* (Death of a Driver) plays The Convert. Dixon, Livas, and Stokes-Wylie reprise their roles from the New Play Sounding Series reading.
Sleeping Giant will be co-directed by Emilio Casillas and Shawn Francis Saunders. Associate Directors Casillas and Saunders are joined on the creative/production team by Halee Rasmussen (Scenic Designer), Bett Shouse (Costume Designer), Jessica Greenberg** (Lighting Designer), Cynthia L. Kehr Rees** (Sound Designer), Erik Reichert (Props Designer/Construction Supervisor), Michael Francis (Projection Designer), Latoya Cameron (EDI Dramaturg), and Lucy Urquhart and Anna Blaes (Covid Safety Managers). Jennie Sant* is Production Stage Manager.
Understudies, through the Understudy Program at SLAC, will be announced at a later date.
Sleeping Giant plays SLAC's Upstairs Theatre from September 21 through October 16. Tickets are currently available exclusively to SLAC Subscribers. Single tickets will go on sale August 29th.
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*Member of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States
**The Lighting and Sound Designers for Sleeping Giant are represented by United Scenic Artists Local USA 829 of the IATSE.
Salt Lake Acting Company announces the cast and creative team for SLACabaret: Down the Rabbit Hole. The second iteration of SLAC's new summer tradition, which offers "a fresh take on the Beehive State," runs from July 13 through August 21, 2022.
The 2022 edition has been written by an all-new writing team. Head writer Olivia Custodio is joined by Emilio Casillas and Michael Leavitt. They describe this year's production as follows:
When a group of Utahans come together for the annual essential oils convention downtown, they find themselves seeking a cure for their woes in all the wrong places. Join us for this modern day fairytale full of laughs, surprises, and exploration of what it means to experience life in the Beehive State.
The production welcomes a multitude of SLAC veterans, as well as a few artists who are making their respective SLAC debuts. SLAC alum include Daisy Ali All* (form of a girl unknown) as Alice, Joseph Paul Branca (Pete the Cat) as Stryker, Kimi Handa Brown* (#SLACabaret 2021) as Marjorie, Sean Carter (The Overwhelming) and Tito Livas* (Mercury)—who share the role of Dorian, Kelsie Jepsen* (#SLACabaret 2021) as Debbie, Niki Rahimi (#SLACabaret 2021) as Trudy, Sarah Shippobotham (Tribes) as Abe, and Annette Wright (A Doll's House, Part 2) as Cheshire Cat.
Making their SLAC debuts are Aaron Linford Allred (Assassins, SLCC) as Matt, T Anthony (Something Rotten, Pioneer Theatre Company) as Holly, and Danny Borba (Aftershock, Plan B Theatre) as Ryker.
Serving as understudies, through the Understudy Program at SLAC, are Anne Louise Brings (Stupid F***ing Bird), Wendy Joseph (Elephant & Piggie's "We Are in a Play!"), and Caden Tudor (Hello, Dolly!, Pioneer Theatre Company). The onstage band will include #SLACabaret 2021 and Saturday's Voyeur alum Nick Fleming and Spencer Kellogg.
Michael Leavitt, Olivia Custodio, and Emilio Casillas. Photo credit: Cat Palmer
SLACabaret: Down the Rabbit Hole will be directed and choreographed by Cynthia Fleming. Fleming is joined on the creative/production team by playwright Michael Leavitt (Musical Director), Gage Williams (Scenic Designer), Heidi Ortega (Costume Designer), Jesse Portillo** (Lighting Designer), Emily Chung (Sound Designer), Erik Reichert (Props Designer/Construction Supervisor), Michael Francis (Projection Designer), Martine Kei Green-Rogers (Dramaturg), Kenny Riches (Film Director/Editor), Jorji Diaz Fadel (Assistant Choreographer), Lucy Urquhart and Ryeleigh McCready (Covid Safety Managers), and Dee-Dee Darby-Duffin (Assistant Stage Manager). Jennie Sant* is Production Stage Manager.
Tickets for SLACabaret: Down the Rabbit Hole are now available by clicking the link above or by calling SLAC’s Audience Relationship Team at 801-363-7522.
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*Member of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States
**The Lighting Designer for SLACabaret: Down the Rabbit Hole is represented by United Scenic Artists Local USA 829 of the IATSE.
Meet the Cast and Creative Team for Utah Premiere of 'Passing Strange'
Salt Lake Acting Company proudly announces the cast and creative team for Passing Strange. The rock musical, which debuted on Broadway in 2008, makes its long-awaited Utah premiere at SLAC from April 6 through May 15, 2022.
A 2008 Tony Award and Drama Desk winner, Passing Strange is a poignant, one-of-a-kind storytelling experience from the minds of Stew, Heidi Rodewald, and Annie Dorsen. Through powerful music and soulful lyrics, Passing Strange transcends theatrical genres and follows a Black artist simply referred to as “Youth” around the world on a bohemian journey of self-discovery.
The production welcomes several SLAC veterans, as well as a few artists who are making their respective SLAC debuts. SLAC alum include Carleton Bluford* (The Overwhelming, Streetlight Woodpecker) who plays Youth; Latoya Cameron* (Four Women Talking About the Man Under the Sheet, The Cake), who joins the ensemble; and Dee-Dee Darby-Duffin (The Overwhelming, Mercury), who plays Mother.
Making their SLAC debuts are Lee Palmer* (Jitney, Congo Square Theatre; Two Trains Running, Goodman Theatre) as Narrator, as well ensemble players Brian Kinnard* (Broadway’s Rocktopia—Kinnard also understudies Narrator), Kandyce Marie (Aida International Broadway Tour), and Jamal A. Shuriah* (FX’s Pose—Shuriah understudies Youth).
Passing Strange will be directed and choreographed by Todd Underwood. Underwood is joined on the creative/production team by Alex Marshall (Musical Director/Keyboardist/Guitarist), Alec Powell (Associate Musical Director), Halee Rasmussen (Scenic Designer), Rebecca Luke** (Costume Designer), Jesse Portillo** (Lighting Designer), Erik Reichert (Props Designer/Construction Supervisor), Daniel Jacob Hill (Wig Designer), Sarah Shippobotham (Dialect Coach/Intimacy Coach), Theresa Martinez and Annie Isabel Fukushima (EDI Dramaturgs), Shelby Noelle Gist (Assistant Director), Alaina Kotchey (Assistant Set Designer), Bett Shouse (Assistant Costume Designer) Tanner Sase* (Assistant Stage Manager), and Alix Walburn (Covid Safety Manager). Jennie Sant* is Production Stage Manager.
Chris Curlett, Mack, and Taylor WallaceThe production will also feature three understudies through the Understudy Program at SLAC, each of whom has previously worked with the company. Chris Curlett (Harbur Gate) will understudy the role of Youth, as well as the male ensemble, Mack (#SLACabaret) will understudy Mother, and Taylor Wallace (SLAC’s NPSS Virtual Reading of Egress) will be understudy for the female ensemble.
The onstage band, under the musical direction of the aforementioned Marshall, will be composed of Andres Reyes (Guitarist/Keyboardist), Zaza Historia VanDyke (Bassist), and Wachira Waigwastone (Drummer).
Tickets for Passing Strange are now available by clicking the link above or by calling SLAC’s Audience Relationship Team at 801-363-7522.
*Member of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States
**The Lighting Designer and Costume Designer for Passing Strange are represented by United Scenic Artists Local USA 829 of the IATSE.
Cast and Creative Team Announced for Utah Premiere of Sarah Ruhl’s HOW TO TRANSCEND A HAPPY MARRIAGE
Note: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, SLAC's production of HOW TO TRANSCEND A HAPPY MARRIAGE has been moved to spring 2021. Updated casting will be announced at a later date.
Casting is complete for Salt Lake Acting Company’s upcoming production of HOW TO TRANSCEND A HAPPY MARRIAGE by Sarah Ruhl. The play receives its Utah premiere after an Off-Broadway world premiere at New York City’s Lincoln Center Theater in 2017.
A dinner party gone wild. Two married couples invite a mysterious woman (who hunts her own meat) along with her two lovers to a New Year’s Eve party. From the adventurous and provocative Sarah Ruhl comes a comedy that pushes the boundaries of marriage and the limits of friendship.
The production welcomes the return of SLAC veterans Alexandra Harbold* (HAND TO GOD) as Jane, Jeanette Puhich (RAPTURE, BLISTER, BURN) as George, Topher Rasmussen* (FUN HOME) as Freddie, and Matt Sincell* (TRIBES) as Michael. Making their SLAC debuts are J. Todd Adams* as Paul, Dominque DeFelice as Jenna, Sceri Sioux Ivers* as Pip, and Lance Rasmussen* as David.
The production is directed by Adrianne Moore, whose previous SLAC directing credits include RAPTURE, BLISTER, BURN and CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION. She is joined on the creative team by Michael Horejsi (set design), Sara Shouse (costume design), Jaron Kent Hermansen (lighting design), Cynthia Kehr Rees (sound design), and Linda and Glenn Brown (specialty prop design).
HOW TO TRANSCEND A HAPPY MARRIAGE plays in SLAC’s Upstairs Theatre April 8 through May 10, 2020. Tickets are available at tickets.saltlakeactingcompany.org, in person at the SLAC box office, or by calling (801)-363-7522.
*Member of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States
