The Amateurs
By Jordan Harrison, Directed by Luverne Seifert
Cast & Crew Bios
Riley Boals (she/her)
Rona
Riley is a second year theater arts acting major from New York City. This is her second UMTAD production and she is so excited to be a part of this team, telling such an inspiring and thought provoking story.
Seno Chanthalangsy (he/him)
Brom
Seno is an Advertisement and Theater major from Rochester, Minnesota. He is a second year student at the University of Minnesota and excited to be in his first college production.
Aishu Nagasundr (she/her)
Hollis
Aishu is in her second year at the University of Minnesota majoring in Theatre Arts and Communication Studies with a minor in Studies in Cinema and Media Culture. She is originally from Waukesha, Wisconsin and is excited to return for her second main stage production with UMTAD!
Ethan Saari (he/him)
Gregory
Ethan is in his first ever play at UMN! Currently, he is planning on double majoring with a BA Theatre Arts and some sort of business major from Carlson. Ethan is a first year, originally from West Fargo, North Dakota.
Alice Wenzlow (she/her)
Major Domo/”Extra Man”
Alice is from Madison, Wisconsin. She is a Junior studying Theatre and English. Alice was in RARE: Stories of Dis-Ease creative collaboration last Spring and Twelfth Night last semester, but this is her first BA main stage production.
Jackson Whitman (he/him)
Larking
Jackson is from South Minneapolis and is a theatre major at the U of M. He’s excited to be apart of this UMTAD performance!
Steven Talberg (he/him)
Physic
Steven is from Villard Minnesota. He is a Junior studying Theater Arts and Strategic Communication. Last year Steven was in RARE: Stories of Dis-Ease Creative Collaboration, and Twelfth Night last semester. This is Steven’s first BA mainstage production!
Luverne Seifert (he/him)
Director
Luverne Seifert is Co-artistic director of Sod House Theater and has been acting professionally for over 30 years. He received a National Fox Fellowship for 2017, a Mcknight Fellowship for Theater Artists in 2003 and an Ivey Award in 2009 for his Performance as Phillip K Dick in 800 Words. He is currently a Senior Teaching Specialist in the Department of Theater Arts and Dance at the University of Minnesota where he teaches beginning acting and physical performance. PRODUCTIONS: Guthrie: Twelfth Night, The 39 Steps, Servant of Two Masters, The Governor Inspector, The Ugly One, Relics Ten Thousand Things: The Music Man (Harold Hill), Measure for Measure, Vasa Lisa, Man of La Mancha, My Fair Lady (Doolittle), Othello (Iago), Raskol, Richard the Third, Little Shop of The Moving Company: For Sale; Childrens Theater Company: The Last Firefly; Lion, Witch and Wardrobe, Tales of a West Texas Marsupial Girl, Antigone Theatre de la Jeune Lune: Tartuffe, Amerika, The Three Musketeers, Hamlet, Children of Paradise, Gulliver, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Yang Zen Froggs, Germinal, Don Juan Giovanni; . Off-Broadway: New Victory Theater; Polonius in Hamlet Regional: Tartuffe; South Coast rep, Berkeley Rep, Shakespeare Theater, Washington DC. Servant of Two Masters: ArtsEmerson, The 39 Steps; Arizona Rep Phoenix and Tucson. Yang Zen Froggs, Children of Paradise, Don Juan Giovanni: La Jolla Playhouse, Berkeley Rep, Trinity Rep, The Three Musketeers; Spoleto Festival. Training: Burlesque Center for clown, Switzerland; Ecole Gaulier, Paris, France.
Ella Eastman-Kiesow (she/they)
Assistant Director
Ella Eastman-Kiesow is a third year student at UMN studying Theatre, Dance, and Communications. She recently assistant directed Silent Sky, and The Amateurs is her second mainstage production. Enjoy the show!
Riley Sandvig (he/him)
Assistant Director
Riley is in his second year and originally from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. In the summers, he is part of Sioux Falls' Storyland Children's Theater. This is his first time assistant directing at the University of Minnesota.
Matthew Wilhelm (he/him)
Assistant Director
Matthew Wilhelm is a 4th year transfer student at UMN coming to us from Wyoming. His main areas of interest include acting, lighting, stage design and costuming! He loves cats, plants, sewing and not completing many projects, and coffee! He is very excited to graduate soon!
Jonathan P. Haller (he/him)
Scenic Designer
Jonathan "JP" Haller is a multidisciplinary theatre artist based in the Twin Cities. A senior undergraduate student at the UMN, JP is earning degrees in both Theatre Arts and Developmental Psychology. In addition to designing, he actively creates theatre as a performer, choreographer, teaching artist, and carpenter.
Jacelyn Stewart (she/her)
Assistant Scenic Designer
Jacelyn is gracious to have the opportunity to be the Assistant Scenic Designer on this production. She is a first year, MFA Graduate Scenic Design student, and feels she has had the privilege to work with the amazing minds of creative team to create a fun and impactful show.
Rebecca Gardner (she/her)
Costume Designer
Rebecca Gardner is a 2nd Year Costume MFA Candidate. She received her BA in Theatre Arts from Marquette University. She is excited to be designing her first show at the University of Minnesota.
Jaime Lupercio (they/he)
Sound Designer
Jaime Lupercio is a first year MFA Candidate in Sound Design. From the West Texas town of El Psso, Jaime is excited for this next step on their creative Journey. Jaime enjoys typing in the third person, and would like a nap.
Christopher Deppa (he/him)
Dramaturg
Christopher Deppa served as dramaturg for this production of The Amateurs. He has been attending the University of Minnesota since 2021.
Anna Pladson (she/her)
Stage Manager
Anna graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2017 with a BA in theatre. She has been a core collaborator with Combustible Company since 2016, both as an actor and stage manager. Anna studies voice with Ronnie Bell, Viterbo Conservatory for the Performing Arts, and practices aerial arts with Xelias Aerial Arts. She is happy to be returning as stage manager for a second time to the University of Minnesota to help bring this piece to life.
Lillian Jones (she/her)
Scenery/Props Assistant Manager
Lily is a junior at the University of Minnesota from Arden Hills, Minnesota. She is majoring in Theatre: Performance Creation and Studies in Cinema and Media Culture. This is her first time as an assistant stage manager with UMTAD and second time working on a BA main stage show!
Samantha Nicholson (she/her)
Costume Assistant Stage Manager
Samantha is from Minneapolis, Minnesota and is in her second year as a Theatre Arts major. She is super excited to be working as the costumes assistant stage manager on her second UMTAD production. She hopes you enjoys the show!
Oceane Lune (they/them)
Oceane Lune came to the public health/HIV sector by way of the streets, not the classroom. As a 19 year old homeless youth and sex worker, they took the only HIV test they’d ever need. Not knowing much about HIV, Oceane decided to educate themselves, and while so decided to educate others. In the nearly eighteen years since their diagnosis, Oceane has dedicated their life to chatting with everyone who is willing to listen about HIV and advocating for those most affected by HIV (youth and young adults, Black and Latinx people, and Queer and Trans* folks). Some of their accomplishments include: sharing their story and “what’s new with HIV” under the lights of Broadway during a talk back for the Normal Heart revival in 2011, advocating during Congressional briefings for young people to have a voice in the National AIDS Strategy which we began seeing in the 2016 update, and just last year was published in The Routledge Handbook of Queer Rhetoric with an article addressing the broader perspective needed in HIV prevention. Currently, Oceane serves as the Community Engagement Coordinator at the University of Minnesota – Youth and AIDS Projects and on several committees and coalitions addressing HIV and the needs of Queer and Trans* youth in the Twin Cities and Minnesota.
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