Hold Me The Forgotten Way

Harrison David Rivers (playwright; performer, “he said, do what you want”) is an award-winning playwright, librettist and screenwriter. His plays include The Bandaged Place (Relentless Award),When Last We Flew(GLAAD Award), Sweet(AUDELCO nom), Where Storms Are Born (Berkshire Theatre Award nom), This Bitter Earth (Joseph Jefferson Awards nomination; MN Theatre Award) and the musicals Five Points with Douglas Lyons and Ethan Pakchar (MN Theatre Award) and Broadbend, Arkansas with Ellen Fitzhugh and Ted Shen (Antonyo and AUDELCO noms). Harrison was named a Runner-up for the 2018 Artist of the Year by the Star Tribune and a 2017 Artist of the Year by City Pages. He is the recipient of McKnight, Jerome and Van Lier Fellowships, and residencies with the Bogliasco Foundation, Siena Art Institute, the Hermitage, Duke University, NYTW, New York Stage & Film and the Williamstown Theater Festival. Harrison is a member of the Board of Directors of the Playwright Center and The Movement Theatre Company. He lives in St. Paul, Minnesota.

M. Graham Smith (producer, Hold Me The Forgotten Way; director, “he said, do what you want”) is a San Francisco-based director, educator and producer. He is an O’Neill/NNPN National Directing Fellow, an Oregon Shakespeare Festival FAIR Fellow and a proud resident artist at SF’s Crowded Fire. He grew up outside of New York City and is based in San Francisco. He’s directed in New York City, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Portland, OR, Washington, DC, and venues in San Francisco. He directed the West Coast premiere of Jerry Springer: The Opera in SF and Truffaldino Says No at Shotgun Players, winning Best Director from the Bay Area Critics Circle, the world premiere of Obie winner Christopher Chen’s Home Invasion in SF, Deal With The Dragon at A.C.T.’s Costume Shop, Edinburgh Fringe, & NCTC, Mia Chung’s You For Me For You at Crowded Fire, James Ijames’ Whiteat Shotgun Players. He spent five years as producer of Aurora Theater’s new play development program and festival, The Global Age Project. He teaches at A.C.T.’s actor training programs, Berkeley Rep School of Theatre, and at Barcelona’s premiere Meisner Technique program in Spain.

TIGERBEAR PRODUCTIONS

Russell Jordan (he/him/his; performer, “you know those moments in New York”) is a BIPOC LGBTQ+ performer hailing from Brooklyn. Black Lives Matter. Black LGBTQ+ Lives Matter. Russell has collaborated with director Mark Finley before, earning a New York Innovative Theatre Award for his work in Finley-directed Doric Wilson’s Street Theater. In 2020, Russell earned a Helen Hayes Awards Outstanding Performer nomination for his work in Monica Bauer’s Vivian’s Music, 1969, a fantasia that imagines the life of 14-year-old Vivian Strong (Homework: search “Shooting of Vivian Strong”), in which he originated the role of Luigi Wells. As theaters reopen worldwide, Russell looks forward to resuming performances of Vivian’s Music, 1969.TV: “FBI,” “The Blacklist,” “Dietland,” “Dangerous Book for Boys.” Member: New York Madness Acting Company. Owner: The Harlem Camerata. Training: The City University of New York and life. TW and IG:@russjordan

Mark Finley (director, “you know those moments in New York”) is the Artistic Director of TOSOS and has directed many of its acclaimed productions most recently Jewelle Gomez’ Audelco-winning Leaving The Blues. His work as a director has been seen Off Broadway, Off-Off Broadway, regionally and internationally. He is a co-creator of the OUT LINES podcast, which examines lesser known titles in the LGBT + canon and puts them in a historical/ sociological context. He is on the faculty of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy and is a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

TOSOS/The Other Side of Silence (producer, “you know those moments in New York”) is dedicated to an honest and open exploration of the life experience and cultural sensibility of the LGBTQ+ community and to preserving and promoting the community’s literary past in a determined effort to keep its theatrical heritage alive.

Troy Rockett (he/they; performer, “please hold me the forgotten way”) recently worked at St. Mary’s College and TheatreFIRST as Project Coordinator where he led community events and before that he worked at Oakland International High School designing youth programming for health education and awareness. He holds an MA in English Literature and Creative Writing. In his new role as Marketing Coordinator with Stanford Healthcare he will be diving deeper into his passion of media & education and how it connects to community wellness.  He is the 2021 Titan Award recipient, awarded by Theatre Bay Area. This year his creative goal is to become a stronger writer and producer with mentorship from M. Graham Smith, and with support from his creative teams at Queer Cat Productions and 3Girls Theatre Company.

Nikki Meñez (they/she; director, “please hold me the forgotten way”) is a director, choreographer, and arts administrator who is moved to challenge what theater looks like and how stories are told. Their greatest joy is as an energetic source of connection, communication, and community amongst arts organizations and creative individuals – thriving as a conduit of creative expertise and a synthesizer of social growth. Nikki is presently full time at New Conservatory Theatre Center as Program Director for YouthAware Educational Theatre & Casting Associate as well as Casting & Outreach Director at Awesome Theatre. Other creative affiliations include Queer Cat Productions, Custom Made Theater Company, Faultline Theatre, Epic Party Theater, & PianoFight. Select directing credits include The Law of Attraction radio play by Patricia Milton (NCTC), Let’s Kill Jessica by Claire Rice (Awesome Theatre), The Gay Divorce Play by Carson Becker & Nicole Jost (Queer Cat Productions), & In The Heights by Quiara Alegría Hudes & Lin-Manuel Miranda (Custom Made).

New Conservatory Theatre Center (producer, “please hold me the forgotten way”) has been San Francisco’s premier LGBTQ+ and Allied performing arts institution and progressive arts education conservatory since 1981. NCTC is renowned for its diverse range of innovative, high-quality productions, touring productions and shows for young audiences; its foundational anti-bullying work with youth and educators through YouthAware; and its commitment to developing new plays to continue expanding the canon of queer and allied dramatic work.

Stan Stone (performer, “do not fall in love”) studied at The Next Stage Theater, The Bennett Lab and Bay Area Theatersports. He was a founding member of Out The Box, a two-man group that combined improvisation with sketch, music and spoken word. Stan created a one-man show, Johnny & Scrap, which he performed at The Red Poppy. It was the story of how his parents met and fell in love. He played both parts. He is currently a writer/actor/and award winning director with Barewitness Films and part of the QAF Theater collective. During the pandemic, Stan performed in virtual play readings for Theatre Rhino.  His latest accomplishment is a book of poetry titled Unlikely Saviors.

Ely Sonny Orquiza (he/him; director, “do not fall in love”) is a Queer Filipino multidisciplinary theater-maker based in San Francisco Bay Area. He is a co-Founder and co-Artistic Director of The Chikahan Company, a new Filipinx American theater company committed to present authentic and multidimensional stories from our community to introduce our language, culture, and history into the mainstream. Through theater and the performing arts, Orquiza explores the role of the Asian diaspora, Asian American experience, ancestral ghosts, and the politics of Queer/ness for the American stage. He champions new works by BIPOC artists, examines previously untold folklore, and advocates for undiscovered works highlighting the narratives of intersectional identities. He believes in the power of theater to start a revolution. Orquiza has been in various work at the Academy of Art University School of Acting, African-American Shakespeare Company, American Conservatory Theater, ARC Repertory Theatre, Bindlestiff Studio, Cal Performances, California Shakespeare Theater, Campo Santo, Crowded Fire Theatre, Custom Made Theatre Co., FOGG Theatre, Gritty City Repertory Company, Magic Theatre, New Conservatory Theatre Center, PianoFight, PlayGround, Playwright’s Foundation, Playwright’s Center of San Francisco, San Francisco Opera, Studio 52nd (Amsterdam, NL) and Theatre Rhinoceros. IG: @TheOrquiza.

Theatre Rhinoceros (producer, “do not fall in love”) founded in 1977, is the longest running LGBT theatre in the nation. “The Rhino” develop and produce works of theatre that enlighten, enrich, and explore both the ordinary and the extraordinary aspects of our queer community. Our emphasis is on new works, works about under-represented members of the larger queer community, and revivals of lesser known queer classics. Over the years Theatre Rhinoceros has received many awards of recognition including: Theatre Rhinoceros Day in the City Proclamation from Mayor Gavin Newsom, State Assembly Certificate of Recognition from Senator Mark Leno, recognitions from Congressperson Nancy Pelosi and Assembly Persons Tom Ammiano and Carole Migden, numerous Cable Car, BATCC and TBA Awards and Nominations, and the GLAAD Media Award for Best LGBT Theatre.

Donovan Session (he/him/his; performer, “we met on grindr”) is from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma. Previous credits include Surely Goodness and Mercy and Six Degrees of Separation (Redtwist Theatre), Everybody (Brown Box Theatre), and Kill Move Paradise (Timeline Theatre). Television credits include Work In Progress on Showtime.

Sheldon Brown (he/him/his; director, “we met on grindr”) is a graduate of Emerson College. His previous credits include This Bitter Earth and Time Is On Our Side at About Face Theatre,  A Wonder In My Soul at Victory Gardens Theatre, Oedipus Rex and Man In The Ring by Pulitzer Prize playwright Michael Cristofer at Court Theatre, and more. He also has numerous credits in Boston, including The Grand Inquisitor, directed by Peter Brook through ArtsEmerson. His film credits include Cicada ( NewFest Audience Award/Honorable Mention, OutFest, BFI Film Fest, Frameline Film Festival), The Canyonlands, and My Name is Alex.

About Face Theatre (producer, “we met on grindr”) is a Chicago-based arts organization that creates exceptional, innovative, and adventurous theatre and educational programming to advance the national dialogue on sexual and gender identity. Founded in 1995, About Face has become a national leader in the development of theatre and arts-based educational programs designed to empower people of all generations within the LGBTQ+ community. To date, AFT has produced 89 productions, including 48 world premieres. Its work has been recognized with the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the Tony Award for Best Play, 16 Joseph Jefferson Awards, 14 After Dark Awards, three Black Theatre Alliance Awards, induction into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame, the Equality Award from the Human Rights Campaign, and the Illinois Theatre Association Award. AFT’s education programs have been recognized with the GLSEN Pathfinder Award, the Presidential Citation from the American Psychological Association, and the Cook County Community Empowerment Award, among others.

Kenny Ramos(performer, “i want someone to read to me”) is a theater artist from the Barona Band of Mission Indians/Kumeyaay Nation. He grew up on the Barona Indian Reservation and graduated from UCLA with a degree in American Indian Studies. Kenny is an ensemble member at Cornerstone Theater Company where he is collaborating on a series of community-engaged theater productions that center various tribal nations and communities across the United States. He is a recipient of First Peoples Fund’s Cultural Capital Fellowship, Theatre Communications Group’s Fox Foundation Resident Actor Fellowship, and Yale Center for the Study of Race, Indigeneity, & Transnational Migration’s 2021 Mellon Arts Practitioner Fellowship. Kenny’s favorite acting credits include the world premiere productions of Larissa FastHorse’s Urban Rez and Native Nation (Cornerstone), Mary Kathryn Nagle’s Return to Niobrara (Rose Theater Omaha), Vera Starbard’s Devilfish (Perseverance Theatre), and Dillon Chitto’s Bingo Hall (Native Voices at the Autry). He has also performed at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Denver Center, and The Kennedy Center and he recently received his first play commission from Diversionary Theatre’s Rising Tide Commissioning Program. Kenny is passionate about creating theater that centers Native perspectives, asserts tribal sovereignty, and challenges settler colonial realities of American society.

Olivia Espinosa(director, “i want someone to read to me”) is a bilingual actor, playwright and director with a Bachelor’s degree in Theatre Arts from SDSU. As a member of Native Voices at the Autry’s Artist Ensemble her directing credits include workshops and staged readings for their annual festivals and co-directing the recent episodic audio play The New Adventures of Super Indian by Arigon Starr. In 2017, Olivia was the recipient of Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s most prestigious award- The Phil Killian Directing Fellowship, where she assisted Artist Director, Bill Rauch. She has also assistant-directed three main stage productions at La Jolla Playhouse including Kiss My Aztec by John Leguizamo and Tony Taccone. Additional directing credits include Written in Stone for LJP’s Without Walls Festival collaboration with Backyard Renaissance Theatre Company. Since the pandemic, Olivia has spent most of her time teaching improvisation to lawyers with Haus of Improv, a company co-founded by her and her husband that teaches the importance of creating a strong narrative and active listening in the courtroom and beyond.

Diversionary Theatre(producer, “i want someone to read to me”) was founded in 1986 to provide quality theatre for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities. The mission of the theatre is to provide an inspiring and thought provoking theatrical platform to explore complex and diverse LGBT stories, which influence the larger cultural discussion. Our vision is to foster and amplify the next generation of LGBT voices by providing live entertainment in a dynamic, inclusive and provocative environment that celebrates and preserves our unique culture.

TJ Ruth (performer, “and he was there, across from me, on the train”) is a rather new up and coming artist here in Atlanta. TJ is from Chesapeake, VA and graduated with his BFA in Theatre Performance in May of 2019. TJ made his way to Atlanta right after graduation to follow the work of theatre, film, and television. Since his internship with Actor’s Express ending abruptly due COVID, he has managed to continue working hard in the city of Atlanta with Georgia Ensemble Theatre, Out of Hand, and Found Stages. You can catch him later this year in the production of The Exterminating Angel with Vernal & Sere Theatre. TJ would like to thank Out Front Theatre Company for this amazing opportunity and looks forward to seeing what all Atlanta has to offer.

Justin Kalin (he/him/his; director, “and he was there, across from me, on the train”) is a director and dramaturg focused on the development of new projects. Justin is the Associate Artistic Director at Out Front Theatre Company, where he oversees all things literary, casting, and development. Launched in 2018, Justin is the founder and producer of the Spectrum Spotlight Series, a staged reading and workshop series dedicated to nurturing and showcasing unproduced queer work from Atlanta based talent. Select pieces have gone on to premiere at About Face Theatre and The Story Theatre in Chicago. Justin has worked as a director, producer, and dramaturg with local companies including Working Title Playwrights, Drama Tech, and Actor’s Express, where he also works as Casting Associate. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre from Georgia College and State University.

Out Front Theatre Company(producer, “and he was there, across from me, on the train”) has existed to serve artistic excellence to the LGBTQIA+ communities of Atlanta by producing outstanding theatrical experiences which focus on the voices of the LGBTQIA+ canon since their inception in 2016. Our programing includes landmark queer pieces like The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told, to cult classics like The Rocky Horror Show, and world premieres like The Ethel Merman Disco Christmas Spectacular! In addition to being the center for LGBTQIA+ theatre for the Southeast, we also open our doors to numerous other organizations and groups that have similar missions to Out Front Theatre Company. We have hosted events for other arts non-profits like Voices of Note and Out on Film, welcomed meeting with civic groups like Atlanta Pride and the Atlanta Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce and welcomed The Gathering Place church and the Cobb County Pride Alliance Pride Prom into our space.

Sara Witsch (she/they; sound designer and engineer) is a Bay Area noise maker, sound artist, production manager, and actor with a degree in Theater Arts from San Francisco State University. Although her sound can be heard throughout theaters in the bay, she also creates sound design and noise for a handful of other mediums such as (but not limited to) radio plays, podcasts, and film. Recent credits include a radio play rendition of Rough Magic with A.C.T. ‘s Conservatory, Quackin the form of a Zoom play with Shotgun Players, and Ways to Leave a Body at Cutting Ball Theater. She specializes in soundscape, foley sound, and composition. She is also Co-Artistic Director at SoundPlay.Media, a sound collective exploring the world of sound specific performance art and theater-focused media. Check out their podcast series at barewiretheater.com.

Kelsey Tremewan (she/her), launch event producer

Graphic designer Kay Reynolds of Kay Reynolds Design is an award-winning freelance graphic designer based in Madison, WI, who specializes in branding, web design, illustration, and motion graphics.

Jerome Joseph Gentes (he/him), playwright, producer and executive director of TigerBear Productions, is a two-spirit Standing Rock Lakota and Fort Belknap A’aninin (Gros Ventre). He makes, builds, and presents stories through art, connectivity, and community. In 2014, he co-founded the Musical Cafe Showcase Series, a Berkeley, CA-based performance series. He co-produced Sheherezade’s Last Tales(2015 TBA Award for Outstanding Anthology) and PCSF PlayOffs (2016 TBA Finalist for Outstanding Anthology), and was a founding member of the Same Boat Theatre Collective. He works in software design and is on the boards of PlayGround SF and The 24 Hour Plays.

M. Graham Smith (producer, Hold Me The Forgotten Way; director, “he said, do what you want”) is a San Francisco-based director, educator and producer. He is an O’Neill/NNPN National Directing Fellow, an Oregon Shakespeare Festival FAIR Fellow and a proud resident artist at SF’s Crowded Fire. He grew up outside of New York City and is based in San Francisco. He’s directed in New York City, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Portland, OR, Washington, DC, and venues in San Francisco. He directed the West Coast premiere of Jerry Springer: The Opera in SF and Truffaldino Says No at Shotgun Players, winning Best Director from the Bay Area Critics Circle, the world premiere of Obie winner Christopher Chen’s Home Invasion in SF, Deal With The Dragon at A.C.T.’s Costume Shop, Edinburgh Fringe, & NCTC, Mia Chung’s You For Me For You at Crowded Fire, James Ijames’ White at Shotgun Players. He spent five years as producer of Aurora Theater’s new play development program and festival, The Global Age Project. He teaches at A.C.T.’s actor training programs, Berkeley Rep School of Theatre, and at Barcelona’s premiere Meisner Technique program in Spain.