Blog & News

From Top Left: Joseph Paul Branca, Josh Richardson, Scotty Fletcher, Alexis Baigue, Mariah Del Rio, Chris Curlett, Latoya Cameron, Sean Carter, Niki RahimiCREATIVE TEAM BIOS:J SYLVAN (PLAYWRIGHT | they/she/whatever) J carved an artistic identity in New England in the 2000s and 2010s as a poet and theater artist, where they wrote and produced shows such as the long-running Sailor Moon Shoujo Spectacular (2013-2019), and Spider Cult the Musical (2016), both at Oberon Theater, the second stage of the American Repertory Theater. Spirituality has been a through line in J's life, and from September of 2017 to May of 2020, Sylvan was a Ministry Fellow at Harvard Divinity School, where they earned their Master of Divinity degree, eventually leading to ordination in the Unitarian Universalist Church. While at Harvard, J wrote the first drafts of Beloved King: A Queer Bible Musical, a full length musical based on a queer interpretation of young King David in the Hebrew Bible. Since then, Beloved King has been developed in partnership with the American Repertory Theater, The Boston Foundation, The Massachusetts Cultural Council, the Museum of Science Boston, Musical Writers Academy, and Salt Lake Acting Company. In 2023, Beloved King won Most Likely to Listen to Cast Album on Repeat at the Musical Writers Festival in Fort Worth, Texas. In 2025, Beloved King will partner with Broadway DNA to workshop and premiere the show in New York City. J currently serves as the Senior Minister at First Unitarian Church Salt Lake City. They live in Utah with their wife and 3-year-old son.JASON BOWCUTT (DIRECTOR | he/him) Jason is thrilled to be working on this production with this wonderful team of artists! Previous directing credits includes Fun Home and Four Women Talking About the Man Under the Sheet at SLAC; Singing to the Brine Shrimp, One Big Union, and Adam and Steve and the Empty Sea for Plan-B Theatre; Well for Pygmalion Productions. Jason spent many years working as an actor/director in NYC and theatres across the country, and was a co-founding executive director of the New York Innovative Theatre Awards.ANNE PUZEY (MUSIC DIRECTOR | she/her) Anne is a well-known music director, having directed for Hale Centre Theatre, The Grand Theatre, The Ruth, UVU Noorda Theatre, The Parker Theatre, West Valley Arts and Good Company Theatre, among others. She has worked with Merrill Osmond, Alex Brightman, Jessica Vosk , Lauren Molina, Rob McClure, Jeff McCarthy, Jill Santoriello, Will Swenson, Jason Robert Brown, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Maren Mazzie, Kate Baldwin, Ciera Renee, Seth Rudetsky, Betsy Wolfe and Pacek & Paul. She graduated from BYU. She received a Lifetime Service Award from The Utah Theatre Association. She has been an audition accompanist for Big League Productions, Tuacahn Theatre, the National Touring Company of Cats and Mamma Mia!, pianist at Broadway Evolved in NYC and was a vocal coach for Utah Opera and Symphony. She is part-owner of Audition Advantage. JENNIE SANT (STAGE MANAGER | she/her)Jennie has stage managed over 30-shows at SLAC and is thrilled to be working on another New Play Sounding Series. Credits include You Will Get Sick, Bald Sisters, SLAC’S Summer Show: Close Encounters in the Beehive, and Whitelisted.CAST BIOS:JOSEPH PAUL BRANCA (DAVID | he/him) As a once-upon-a-Catholic, Joey is so happy to tell this story alongside his beautiful partner and artists he adores. At SLAC: Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! The Musical!, SLAC's Summer Show: Close Encounters in the Beehive, SLACabaret: Down the Rabbit Hole, Pete the Cat, Saturday's Voyeur, and Diary of a Worm. He has also worked with: Utah Opera, Good Company Theatre, Plan-B Theatre Company, Hale Centre Theatre, Hale Center Theater Orem, West Valley Arts, Desert Star Playhouse, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Osaka, and Universal Studios Japan. Thank you for sharing this experience. JosephBranca.com | @JosephBranca SCOTTY FLETCHER (JONATHAN | he/they) Scotty is extremely excited to return to the SLAC stage. They graduated from the BFA Acting program at Utah State University back in 2020. Recent credits include: You will Get Sick at Salt Lake Acting Company; Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Zebulun) at the Eccles Theatre; James and the Giant Peach (Ladahlord) at Hale Center Theatre Orem; West Side Story (Bernardo) and In the Heights (Sonny) at the West Valley Performing Arts Center; Beauty and the Beast, The Nutty Professor, The Light in the Piazza, Hello, Dolly!, Treasure Island, and The Little Mermaid (Jetsam) at The Hale Centre Theatre Sandy. You can also find Scotty performing with the Hale Centre Theatre’s educational outreach program, The Story Weavers, and monthly in the Viva La Diva Celebrity Impersonation and Drag Show at Metro Music Hall. Scotty would like to thank their loving partner for all his support, their generous family for all their time, and their professors and mentors for their patience and goodwill. Lastly, Scotty would like to thank their father, Russell, who has always found time to sit through a show or coach a game. JOSH RICHARDSON (SAUL | he/him) Josh has been performing in the Salt Lake area for more than 20-years, and is thrilled to be able to take part in reading this new musical! Recent roles include Gomez Addams in The Addams Family, and Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, both at Hale Centre Theatre in Sandy, and last year Josh was able to participate in a staged reading of Christmas is Cancelled, a new play by Matt Bennett, here at SLAC. "All my love to Kristi, Spencer, William, Carter, Tristan, and Poppy!" Connect with Josh at www.facebook.com/JoshIsAnActor or at www.JoshIsAnActor.comLATOYA CAMERON (WITCH | she/her) Latoya has assisted with developing new plays at Salt Lake Acting Company, Plan-B Theatre Company, Pioneer Theatre Company, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Seven Devil's Conference, Kayenta New Play Lab, Playwrights' Center, New York Musical Theatre Festival, to name a few. She recently performed at SLAC in The Turnaway Play and You Will Get Sick. Other SLAC performances: Passing Strange, Four Women Talking About the Man Under the Sheet, The Cake, and others. She dramaturg for SLAC's Summer Show: A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, and recently co-directed Whitelisted. Grateful to be a part of this process.MARIAH DEL RIO (MICHAL | she/her) Mariah is so grateful to be making her debut at SLAC in this fabulously queer production. Previous roles include Magenta in Rocky Horror Picture Show, as Marta in Company, Sally Bowels in Cabaret, and Jessie in Sometimes in Prague. You can catch her performing on weekends with her duo project and neo-soul/funk band Mobius.Wave in Salt Lake. Sending to her parents, bandmates, Vinny, and Sarah for their ongoing support on this crazy artist path. Connect with her and find her performance schedule at @Mariah_DelRioALEXIS BAIGUE (SAMUEL/NATHAN | any) Alice in Wonderland (Symphony Space, NYC), Christmas Carol, Coriolanus, Hamlet, Much Ado, Measure for Measure, Taming of the Shrew, Une Tempête, Pericles, Tempest, Grapes of Wrath, Cymbeline, Midsummer Night’s Dream (American Shakespeare Center); Pinkalicious, Stupid Fucking Bird, Art Dog, How I Became a Pirate, Angels in America, Goodnight Desdemona, Saturday’s Voyeur (SLAC); Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), Three Musketeers, Romeo & Juliet, Henry IV-1 (Southwest Shakespeare); Oliver!, One Man, Two Guvnors (Pioneer); Dear World (Sundance); Midsummer, Henry V, Much Ado (Utah Shakespeare); Beyond Therapy, Sex Habits of American Women (Pygmalion); Boys in the Band (Wasatch); Jacques Brel’s Alive… (Theatreworks West).CHRIS CURLETT (JOAB | he/him) Chris's artistic journey began with a unique foundation rooted in adaptability, having grown up in a military family and lived in various places around the world. His passion for movement started with dance and martial arts, which launched his career as a professional dancer. After years of performing and training all over the nation and beyond, agents encouraged him to explore acting, leading Chris to attend a performing arts conservatory where his love for storytelling was sparked. Now based in Salt Lake City, Chris has built an eclectic career spanning commercials, theater, film, and playwriting. Recently, he added another layer to his artistic and humanistic endeavors by becoming a clinical therapist, where he combines his creative sensibilities with a passion for helping others. Chris is grateful for every opportunity to bring stories to life and connect with audiences on and off the stage.SEAN J. CARTER (ENSEMBLE | he/him) Sean is very excited to help bring this new work to life!. He was last seen on the stage as the Adult Man in Spring Awakening with Hart Theatre Company. Some of his favorite credits include Papa Ge in Once on this Island, Belize in Angels in America, and Willie Johnson in Miss Evers’ Boys. Sean has also performed across the Wasatch Front at Salt Lake Acting Company, The Grand Theatre, Hale Centre Theatre, and The Egyptian Theatre (Park City). Thank you to Adison for being my biggest cheerleader. Te amo! Thank you to the entire production team for this opportunity. And a big thanks to you for supporting local art. Enjoy the show!NIKI RAHIMI (ENSEMBLE | she/her) Niki is delighted to be back at Salt Lake Acting Company where she was last seen as a Squirelle in Elephant & Piggie’s: "We Are in a Play!" She is a graduate of the University of Utah’s Musical Theatre Program (Class of 2022), Recent credits include Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice at The Grand Theatre, Mrs Aouda in Around The World in 80 Days at Hale Center Theatre. She recently played Judith in a movie called Edie Arnold Is a Loser that will come out in 2025. JORDAN REYNOSA (READER | he/him/his) Jordan graduated from Westminster College (‘21) with a BFA in acting and a minor in dance. He is the founder and artistic director of Beyond the Line Theatre Company; they’ve premiered devised theatre, including Fictitious People, The Lady with the Dog, Clown House, produced Ubu Roi, and produced dance works including, In the Horizon of My Mind and VYZEE. Acting credits include: The Fossil Record (Andrew) at An Other Theatre Company, SLAC’s Summer Show: Close Encounters in the Beehive (Zeb), Yoga Play (Fred), Let’s Fix Andy! (Marcus) staged reading, West Side Story (Luis) at the Grand Theatre, Ah, Wilderness! (Richard), Stop Kiss (Detective Cole), Othello (Gratiano), Spring Awakening (Otto), Hotel Cassiopeia (Umbrella). Instagram: @beyondthelinetheatreco, BeyondTheLineTheatreCompany.org

Blog & News

The Get-Us-Heard Address | Voyeur Actor Justin Ivie

Thank you SLAC | 4000 MILES actor Shelby Andersen

SLAC debut | 4000 MILES actor Austin Grant

Love UT, Give UT Video