Our conversation with Anne Henley was recorded on December 22th, 2020. Anne is a Twin Cities Scenic Designer. She is a curious maker. Anne makes set designs for theater, musicals, dance, and opera. She also has made many puppets, pieces of touchable art, dance pieces, clothing mends, and protest signs. She also practices the art of a good demo for the (insert most any tool here) as a Fabrication Technician at the workshop at the College of Design at the University of MN, Twin Cities. Anne has had a meandering path and loves most whatever project she is currently working on. Right now it is a quilt for a new nibbling (hand stitching--highly recommend) and growing mycelium bricks for a possible EPS foam replacement (fungi does WHAT!?) in our workshop. She believes that making things with your hands encapsulates our humanity and why do anything else? She enjoys learning from Robin Wall Kimmerer and adrienne maree brown. Anne hopes we get to meet and work together someday.

Our conversation with Tree O’Halloran was recorded on January 11, 2021. Tree is a spouse, mother, sister, friend, and career as an equity stage manager with almost 40 years of experience.  Originally from Westbury, NY, she has traveled to Gibileena, Italy and Tokyo, Japan, Houston, TX and Columbus, OH, Hudson, WI, and Hallock MN all in service to her work in the theater.  After a 10-year parenting hiatus, Tree successfully returned to full-time work as the PSM of the Guthrie Theater.  During her hiatus, she kept her skills sharp by becoming the school’s “Talent Show Lady” and also discovered cooking, gardening, and reading for pleasure – hobbies unheard of during her younger and busier stage management days.

Our conversation with Izzy Patt was recorded on January 12, 2021. Izzy is a stage manager and sound designer and enjoys how both jobs engage distinct parts of her brain, enabling her to be simultaneously creative and Type A. Izzy graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2018 with a B.A. in Theatre Arts. While Izzy recently moved to Chicago, they loved the time they spent in the Twin Cities theatre community and would like to work in both places at some point. Izzy is passionate about approaching stage management as an artistic role and breaking down gender-related barriers in the sound world. Izzy is also interested in dismantling traditional hierarchical rehearsal room structures in favor of a more collectively collaborative model. She prefers developing new work, both scripted and devised, but also loves a good musical. Additionally, they are a dessert connoisseur and they live for their daily fried egg on toast in the morning.

Our conversation with Erica Zaffarano was recorded on Oct 27th, 2020, she started her theatre career as a kid puppeteer, which developed into mime, then actor. After being a founding member of three different touring companies, she realized that her desire to be backstage was outweighing the thrill of being onstage and decided to figure out her most desired position by going to grad school. When scenic design made her realize that she loved the process of collaboration with the director and other designers, she loved the drafting, the propping, the building, the painting, and creating an environment that both actors and directors would love to play with, she knew she had hit her stride with scenic. She believes that a show doesn’t come alive until all the elements are there to make a whole and the actors set foot in the created space. Theatre is a passion for her and she deems herself fortunate to have been part of every aspect during her career. It isn’t for the faint of heart. Few people get wealthy in the business, but like anyone who has been able to make it a career, she has never NOT wanted to work!

Our Conversation with Catherine Campbell (She/Her/Hers) on December 16th, 2020. Catherine is the Production Manager for Mixed Blood Theatre Company in Minneapolis, where theatre lives at the intersection of authenticity and virtuosity while championing equity, diversity, inclusion, and anti-racism through exceptional artistry, catalytic relationships, and universal access. Previously, she held positions in Production and Artist Management with Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Columbia University, Public Theater, Hollywood Bowl, Segerstrom Center, and Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts. She earned her B.A. in Production and Theatre Management at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. She is a member of the Production Manager’s Forum Diversity and Inclusion, Membership, and Early Career Committee.

Our conversation with Erin Belpedio from January 2021. Erin is a Theatrical Lighting Designer, born in Worcester, Massachusetts but grew up in the Cities, where she resides & works. She enjoys reading, cooking, spending time with family, and going Up North to the family's lake place. During The Great Intermission Erin has furthered her sewing and painting skills, where she enjoys working on fun projects for friends and family. When not hanging out inside, Erin spends time walking to the local parks and enjoying the colorful seasons in her neighborhood.

Our Conversation with Andrea M Gross (she/her) from December 9th, 2020. Andrea M Gross is a Costume Designer, Collaborator, and Mama.

Selected Designs: The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts: West Side Story; A Chorus Line. Park Square Theater: Jefferson Township Sparkling Junior Talent Pageant; Flower Drum Song; Romeo & Juliet; RED; Ragtime. The Jungle: The Night Alive, The Birthday Party. Novi Most: Dancing on the Edge. nimbus theatre (company member) 16 designs in 15 years, including; The Kalevala; The Storms of November; The Year of Magical Thinking. Walking Shadow Theater Company: Hatchet Lady, after the quake; Robots vs Fake Robots. Gustavus Adolphus College, four seasons on faculty, seven main-stage productions including; Fefu and Her Friends, The Impresario from Smyrna, The Tempest, and The Lesson.

BA in Theater & German, Santa Clara University; MFA in Costume Design, University of Illinois.

Our Conversation with Jaya Robillard from January 7th, 2021. Jaya Robillard is a Twin Cities stage manager and theatre artist. She is originally from New Jersey and moved to the Cities after graduating from Yale University in 2015. When not stage managing, she can usually be found reading, drawing, or binging tv shows with her roommates. Her biggest pandemic projects have included sorting old family photos into albums and re-learning how to knit. She looks forward to the day when we can all finally make theatre together again. Jaya is a company member of Sandbox Theatre.

Our conversation with Adriane Heflin was recorded on October 22nd, 2020. Adriane Heflin (she/her) has been the Technical Director at the Children's Theatre Company (CTC) in Minneapolis, MN since 2008.  Originally from New York, Adriane came to the twin cities in 1999 to be an Assistant Technical Director at the Guthrie Theater, where she stayed until moving across town to CTC.  She holds a BA from Washington University in St. Louis, and an MFA in Technical Design and Production from the Yale School of Drama.  She believes strongly in artistic collaboration at work, and in the transformative power of theatre to change lives and teach empathy.  When she's not making the magic with her team at CTC, Adriane enjoys quilting, cooking, and spending time with friends.  She is also the proud mother to two awesome kids, and incredibly grateful for her supportive spouse.

A conversation with Abbee Warmboe from December 7th, 2020. Abbee is a freelance props designer based in Minneapolis.  Having grown up in Minnesota she is happy to have made a career for herself here, working on over 200 productions with 36 different companies over the last decade.  During this downtime, she has embroidered small portraits of her 50-some house plants (a skill she learned to make props for a production!).  Abbee is also working on hiking through all of the MN state parks.  Abbee is a 2020-2021 McKnight Theater Artist Fellow at the Playwrights’ Center.