THE INTERVIEW

Ekaterina Avgustenyak (Playwright) is an artist, dramatist and stage-director, born in Tyumen but now living in St. Petersburg.  Ekaterina has studied graphic design and stage design. She was a resident of the Practice Post-drama laboratory at the Practice Theater (Moscow, 2018−19) and was a finalist of the All-Russian competition of projects of young artists NOVA ART (St. Petersburg, 2019).  Her play Lorem Ipsum was on the shortlist for the fringe program of the Lubimovka Festival in 2018.  Her play Opus DNA, presented in the Lubimovka Fringe Festival, won the Brewhouse Stage Prize; the play was presented again, directed by the playwright herself, at the Meyerhold Center in Moscow in February 2020.

Jesca Prudencio (Director) is a director and choreographer focused on creating highly physical work at theaters across the U.S. and internationally. Recent works include The Great Leap by Lauren Yee (Steppenwolf) and Interstate, a new musical by Kit Yan and Melissa Yi. Her productions of Qui Nguyen’s Vietgone and Anna Ziegler’s Actually at San Diego Repertory Theatre received numerous Craig Noel nominations including Outstanding Director. Other credits include Calling (La MaMa ETC), Man of God (East West Players), How To Use a Knife (Mixed Blood), PDA and Mobile Happiness Bazaar (La Jolla Playhouse's Wow Festival), A&Q: docu-theatre piece on the war on drugs (Pineapple Lab, Philippines) and FAN: stories from the brothels of Bangkok (B-Floor Theatre, Thailand). She has developed new work with organizations such as NNPN at The Kennedy Center, The Lark, National Alliance for Musical Theatre, Ensemble Studio Theatre, and The Movement Theatre Company. She is a recipient of The Drama League Fellowship, and the inaugural Julie Taymor World Theater Fellowship. Her short film American Quartet produced by Filmelodic is currently making its film festival rounds. Jesca is Artistic Director/Founder of People of Interest and head of directing at San Diego State University. BFA: NYU Tisch, MFA: UC San Diego.

Kim Blanck (Olya) was recently seen in the World Premiere Off-Broadway production of Dave Malloy’s Octet, for which the cast was the recipient of the 2020 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble. Other theater credits include: the World Premiere of Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater’s Alice by Heart, the World Premiere of Dave Malloy and Rachel Chavkin’s adaptation of Moby-Dick, and the Public Works/Shakespeare in the Park production of Twelfth Night. She earned her MFA in Acting from UC San Diego and is an Associate Artist with music theater ensemble The Lobbyists. More at www.kimblanck.com.

Luis Vega (Anton) Theater: The Humans (National Tour), Tell Hector I Miss Him (Atlantic Theater Company), Where Storms Are Born and A Streetcar Named Desire (Williamstown), The Underpants (Old Globe), Seize the King (La Jolla Playhouse), As You Like It (The Guthrie), I Thought I Would Die But I Didn’t (New Georges/The Tank), Comfort Team (Virginia Stage), Romeo and Juliet (Back Room Shakespeare Project). Film/TV: THORP (Wild Hare Productions), Jack Ryan (Amazon), Madam Secretary (CBS), Another Earth (Fox Searchlight), Chinese Puzzle (dir. Cédric Klapisch). MFA from UCSD.

Lee LeBreton (Officer 1) is a Brooklyn-based performer and theatre-maker whose work includes experimental theatre, voiceover, film, immersive events, and dramaturgy. Lee is a member of the New York Neo-Futurists and Seattle-based living-wage theatre ensemble The Williams Project. They have performed with Trinity Rep, Night Vale Presents, and immersive theatre companies throughout NYC. As a writer and dramaturg, Lee has worked with Roundabout Theatre Company, the Kennedy Center, the New Ohio, Dixon Place, AntiMatter Collective, and the Brick. Lee speaks on queerness, performance, and play at events around the country and holds an MFA in Acting from Brown/Trinity Rep.

Walker Hare (Officer 2) is an actor/writer/director. NY theater credits include: SoHo Playhouse, The Barrow Group, and LAByrinth Theater Company. Regional theater credits include: La Jolla Playhouse, Weathervane Playhouse, and Oakland Theater Project. TV: The Sinner, When They See Us, The Good Fight, Escape at Dannemora, The Blacklist, Billions, and more. Film: Lawless Frontier, Sin Matador, Three Men You Meet at Night, and the upcoming feature film Thorp, which he also wrote. He recently optioned a feature film script he wrote and has several other projects in development. Proud MFA graduate UCSD.

John Nobori (Sound Design) is a California-based sound designer and composer. His work has been heard in plays produced by such organizations as Cornerstone Theater Company, The Getty Villa, and Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Other recent credits include Center Theatre Group’s production of Elliot: a Soldier’s Fugue and South Coast Repertory’s production of Orange. He has been nominated for several awards for excellence in sound design and has been honored with an Ovation Award for his work on The Golden Dragon at Boston Court Pasadena. BA University of California, Irvine.