ANTOINETTE LORI ABBAMONTE (LAURIE) (she/her) is a Deaf-led actor and producer with years of experience in multiple stage productions and in film and television. Passionate about creating meaningful stories, she strives to make a lasting impact by championing the idea that all lives matter and every dream is valid around the world. As the founder and CEO of Mermaid Signature Production, a Deaf-owned company, Antoinette is dedicated to elevating Deaf performers and telling stories that resonate across communities. She is especially looking forward to returning to Deaf West Theatre, which has always been close to her heart. Her work reflects a commitment to inclusion, representation, and the transformative power of performance. 

KLEA BLACKHURST (BEVERLY) starred in Goodspeed Musicals’ 50th anniversary production of Hello, Dolly! and led a critically lauded production of Gypsy at Drury Lane Chicago. She’s brought her brand of comedy to the development of many new works, most recently the World Premiere of Dolly: A True Original Musical, Hazel directed by Lucie Arnaz, and The Nutty Professor with a score by Rupert Holmes and Marvin Hamlisch. Off-Broadway credits include Party Face, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Bingo, Radio Gals, and Oil City Symphony. Other credits: Ragtime with the Boston Pops, Show Boat with Glimmerglass Opera, Into the Woods with Opera North and Chicago at Pioneer Theatre Company in her hometown of Salt Lake City. TV: Former prosecutor, Shelby Cross on “Onion News Network,” “Law and Order: SVU,” “The Knick,” and “Pose.” A musical theatre historian who performs what she finds as opposed to writing books about it, she is best known for her award-winning Ethel Merman tribute, Everything The Traffic Will Allow. She is a member of Mendez Boxing Harlem, where she is known as The Belter. Klea is a distinguished alumna of the University of Utah. 

DANIEL DURANT (CY) recently wrapped two features: Being Heumann, directed by Academy Award winner Sian Heder, and Flash Before the Bang, inspired by the true story of an all-Deaf high school track and field team. In 2024, he starred in Green Day’s American Idiot in collaboration with Center Theatre Group and Deaf West Theatre. He was also Fidelio in the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Los Angeles Opera’s eponymously named production led by Gustavo Dudamel and performed the National Anthem in ASL at Super Bowl LVIII alongside Reba McEntire. He is best known for his starring role as Leo Rossi in CODA, which garnered three Oscar Awards including Best Picture. He received a Screen Actors Guild Award, Sundance Award, AFI Award, and HCA Spotlight Award for the role. He was also a semifinalist on “Dancing with the Stars” (Disney+) where he competed alongside professional dancer, and now wife, Britt Stewart. Past stage work includes the co-lead role of Moritz in Deaf West Theatre’s critically acclaimed production of Spring Awakening, before it transferred to Broadway. TV: “Chicago Med,” “Florida Man,” “You,” “Switched at Birth.” His awards include Theatre World Award 2016 Broadway Debut Performance and Broadway.com’s Top 10 Show-Stopping Performances of the 2015-2016 Broadway Season. 

TAYLOR IMAN JONES (ROXY) (she/they) is a proud Bay Area native turned New York actor and teaching artist. Broadway: SIX, Head Over Heels (OBC), and Groundhog Day the Musical (OBC). National Tours: Hamilton, American Idiot. Off-Broadway/World Premiere: The Jonathan Larson Project, The Lonely Few, Scotland, PA., A Wrinkle in Time (Arena Stage). When not on stage, you can find Taylor coaching acting, singing, or giving masterclasses across the country. Big thanks to Deaf West Theatre, Two River Theater, Liberman/Zerman, Cornerstone, and her love Keely! taylorimanjones.com | @taylorimanjones 

AMY KEUM (JENNA/MADISON) is a Korean-American actor and writer based in New York City. She is thrilled to be making her Two River Theater and Deaf West Theatre debut! Broadway: KPOP (Circle in the Square). Off-Broadway/Regional: Laowang (Primary Stages), Vanities (The York Theatre Company), Hello Kitty Must Die (Edinburgh Fringe Festival), Lizzie (Playhouse Square), Be More Chill (Playhouse Square). Film/TV: Honor Society (Paramount+), Peaked (A24), Death Name (Tubi/FOX), The Kill Room (Shout Studios), 72 Hours (Netflix), “Elsbeth” (CBS), “Evil” (CBS). @amymkeum 

REMY LAIFER (BOB) is thrilled to be making his Deaf West Theatre and Two River Theater debuts. National Tour: Fiddler on the Roof. Off-Broadway: Hazing U. Regional: Summer Theatre of New Canaan, La Mirada Theatre (opposite Jason Alexander). TV: “New Amsterdam.” Film: Escape from Myrtle Broadway, 3 Worlds, 1 Modern Romance. Listen to his electronic music on all platforms under REMY QUINN. Proud Northwestern graduate. Thank you Sherry, Jeff, TRC, Anna, and the Sign Language Center. remylaifer.com | @remylaifer 

JAMES OLIVAS (CHRIS) is a proud Mexican-American actor honored to be making his Two River Theater debut. Select theater credits include Evita (West End debut), American Idiot (Deaf West Theatre, Mark Taper Forum), Destiny of Desire (The Old Globe), Kinky Boots (Hollywood Bowl), Secret Garden (Ahmanson). Workshop: Boop! (Broadhurst Theatre, Broadway). TV: “American Horror Stories” (FX), “Encore!” (Disney+). Voice Over: Bad Kids of Crestview Academy (Momentum Pictures). Para mi familia. 

SIENA RAFTER (SIMONE) is a nonbinary performer born and raised in New York City. Film: Being Heumann (upcoming). Off-Broadway/Lincoln Center: Liz Swados’ Runaways (directed by Sam Pinkleton), Deep Blue Sea (directed by Bill T. Jones, Park Avenue Armory), The Division (directed by SRDA), Thank You Ryan… (Ars Nova), T (The Tank), American Songbook Series. The Public Theater/Delacorte: Twelfth Night (written by Shaina Taub), Runaways, For the Love of Vinyl (Joe’s Pub), From Hair to Hamilton…Gala ’17. Goodspeed/Regional: A Complicated Woman, Spring Awakening. TV: “Crashing” (HBO). They are a proud graduate of LaGuardia High School’s Drama program and Brown University’s Theater Arts program. 

HECTOR RJ REYNOSO (ROY) (he/him) played the role of Rocco in Beethoven’s Fidelio, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, produced by Deaf West Theatre and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, including a 12-day international tour with stops in Barcelona, Paris, and London. He is known for playing Joseph of Arimathea in the film Jesus: A Deaf Mission. On stage he performed in Deaf Broadway’s productions of Sara Bareilles’s Waitress: The Musical (Joe) and Sondheim’s Company (Larry) at Damrosch Park, Synetic Theater’s Beauty and the Beast (Jean Paul) and King Lear (Earl of Gloucester, Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Ensemble). He also appeared in Goya: In the House of the Deaf Man (Francisco de Goya) for Center for Arts Theatre, CCBC, and Gallaudet University (Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Region II at Carnegie Mellon University, Best Actor nomination). Other roles include Hamlet … the rest is silence (Polonius), Twelfth Night (Sir Toby Belch), The Three Musketeers (Porthos), The Taming of the Shrew (Baptista Minola), Othello (Brabantio), The Old Man Never Let It Go (Old Man), and King Arthur (Ensemble). 

DON STEPHENSON (WAYNE) recently starred as Doc Brown in the North American Tour of Back to the Future: The Musical. Previous Broadway appearances: Starred as Leo Bloom in The Producers, the D’Ysquith Family in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder, Victor in Private Lives, and Hertz in Rock of Ages. He created the roles of Bill O’Wray in the Broadway premiere of Trouble in Mind, Mr. Peavy in Parade, Bingo in By Jeeves, Renfield in Dracula, and Charles Clarke in Titanic (Broadway debut). New York City Opera: Frank Lippencott in Wonderful Town. New York City Center Encores!: Me and My Girl, Pardon My English, The Bandwagon. Other NY credits include Death Takes a Holiday, Take Me Along, Chess. TV/Film: “Elsbeth,” “FBI: Most Wanted,” “Law & Order,” “The Blacklist,” “The Americans,” “Deception,” “Happy,” “The Good Wife,” “30 Rock,” “Glee,” “Ugly Betty,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “Turn: Washington Spies,” Larry Silver. Recordings: Titanic, Parade (RCA), Death Takes a Holiday (PS Classics), the complete recordings of Guys and Dolls, Wonderful Town, The Most Happy Fella (JAY Records). He plays Edmund Lowry Jr. in Red Dead Redemption 2 for Rockstar Games. donstephensonactordirector.com 

RAVEN SUTTON (LIZ) is a Los Angeles–based Deaf performer, actress, content creator, and advocate who rose to prominence through viral ASL music interpretation and storytelling content that amplified Deaf culture to mainstream audiences. A third-generation Deaf woman from Alabama and graduate of Gallaudet University, she blends advocacy with artistry, previously working in survivor support services before expanding into entertainment. Raven became one of the first Black Deaf contestants on “The Circle” (Netflix), a milestone moment for representation. Her work spans live performance, accessibility consulting, and creative collaboration, including partnerships connected to the Grammys, Oscars, and major live events with organizations like Live Nation. She is currently studying acting at the Stella Adler Acting Academy in Los Angeles. Featured in The New York Times, Vogue, and Daily Mail, Raven continues to use her platform to elevate Deaf voices, drive inclusive storytelling, and expand accessibility across entertainment and digital media. 

Broadway/West End credits include Death Note: The musical (book), Bonnie & Clyde (book), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (additional material), and his comedy, The Cemetery Club, which has been produced worldwide, in over two dozen languages. Regional and international productions include The Surprise Party (UK tours) and the librettos for Smiling Through, The Prince & The Pauper, and Frank Wildhorn’s Xcalibur and Mata Hari.

For the screen, Mr. Menchell co-wrote the Adam Sandler/Drew Barrymore romantic comedy, Blended, and an adaptation of his play, The Cemetery Club, starring Ellen Burstyn, Diane Ladd, and Olympia Dukakis. He also served as a writer on Universal’s animated feature, Curious George. His musicals, Bonnie & Clyde (starring Jeremy Jordan) and Death Note, have both been filmed live on stage.

An Emmy nominated television writer & producer, he created the critically acclaimed Showtime series, Bedtime, starring Felicity Huffman, and served as Writer/Producer on the long-running CBS hit comedy, The Nanny, starring Fran Drescher; Time of Your Life, starring Jennifer Love Hewitt & Jennifer Garner; Disney’s Phil of The Future; and JONAS, starring the Jonas Brothers. 

Ivan is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama and the recipient of a Fulbright fellowship for his playwriting.

Caroline Kay is a Dublin-born, London-based writer, composer, and performer. 

Caroline has released three EPs of her original music: Notes, tricks, and Overnight – all three of which went to #1 on the iTunes Album Charts in Ireland, with Overnight also being long-listed for a Grammy Award. In 2020, she and West End’s David Hunter wrote, produced, and starred in their lockdown-inspired online musical short, The Space Between, released by WhatsOnStage.com. She has written the book, music, and lyrics for her original musical, Daisy, which is currently in the late stages of development. 

As a performer, some of Caroline’s credits include performing in Drew Gaspirini’s I Could Use A Drink (The Garrick Theatre, West End), The Clockmaker’s Daughter (studio album and concert production at Cadogan Hall), and she was Ramin Karimloo’s special guest for Ramin Karimloo and the Broadgrass Band (The Other Palace). She has also performed her own solo concerts in London, New York City, Dublin, and Cork. She holds a bachelor’s in English and music, and a master’s in performance from Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. 

Jeff Calhoun broke new ground on Broadway as director of the critically acclaimed revival of Big River. The show launched an enduring collaboration with Deaf West Theatre that seamlessly highlighted deaf, hard-of-hearing and hearing actors working together and, for the first time on Broadway, eliminated interpreters standing on the side of the stage. His 2003 revival won the Tony Award for Special Achievement in the Theater and toured the United States for a year following its Broadway run. Jeff went on to direct the world premiere of the first original American Sign Language Musical, Sleeping Beauty Wakes, at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in 2007 and in 2009, he directed and choreographed the Deaf West & Center Theatre Group production of Pippin at the Mark Taper Forum. Elephant Shoes reflects both the continuation of Jeff’s vital partnership with Deaf West, and a vibrant leap forward for the art form.

In addition to his collaborations with Deaf West, Jeff’s career as director/choreographer stretches across 17 Broadway productions and 4 decades, earning him two Tony Award nominations, first for Grease, which ran for 4 years on Broadway, and then for Newsies, which received 8 overall Tony Award nominations.

Thirty years after dancing with Dolly Parton in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas motion picture, he directed Dolly’s smash hit stage production of 9 to 5 in London’s West End at The Savoy Theater, which went on to tour across the United Kingdom and internationally.

His choreography for The Will Rogers Follies launched a long relationship and career with Broadway legend, Tommy Tune. Other selected Broadway musicals include Bonnie and Clyde, Jekyll and Hyde, Grey Gardens, Brooklyn, Annie Get Your Gun and Tommy Tune Tonite.

Last year he was nominated for the Drama Desk Award for his direction of the Off-Broadway musical Between the Lines, produced by Daryl Roth, based on the best-selling novel by Jodi Picoult.

His work has also been seen internationally in Australia, the United Kingdom, Japan and South Korea. Jeff is an Associate Artist at The Ford’s Theater in Washington D.C. He also served for over a decade on the Board of Directors for Covenant House International before moving to their Latin American Board of Directors to support housing and essential services for children in Central America.

COLIN ANALCO (ASL Choreographer) is a versatile professional with extensive experience in the field of American Sign Language (ASL). With more than a decade of expertise as a translator, Deaf interpreter, and actor, Colin has contributed to numerous successful and impactful productions as an ASL choreographer. For Deaf West Theatre: Green Day’s American Idiot, Beethoven’s Fidelio with Gustavo Dudamel. Colin travels nationwide to perform, present, and teach ASL literature, translation, and theater at schools and universities, sharing his passion and knowledge with diverse audiences. 

Tobin Ost Broadway credits include: Newsies (Tony nomination for Best Set Design of a Musical); Disaster!; Jekyll & Hyde; Bonnie & Clyde; The Philanthropist (costume design) and Brooklyn – the Musical (costume design). Off Broadway credits include: Maurice Hines Is Tappin’ Thru Life; Nightingale; Grace; The Overwhelming (costume design) and Fighting Words.  Selected regional credits include: Between the Lines (Kansas City Repertory Theatre), Ripcord (Huntington Theatre Company), Bye Bye Birdie (Goodspeed Opera House); Harmony (set and costume design – Ahmanson and Alliance Theaters); Emma and Himself and Nora (set design – Old Glove Theater); Freedom’s Song, Violet, The Civil War, and Shenandoah (set design – Ford’s Theatre) and Nightingale and Pippin (set design – Mark Taper Forum.) Tobin is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama.

SARAFINA BUSH (COSTUME DESIGNER) Broadway: The Outsiders, The Who’s Tommy, How to Dance in Ohio, For Colored Girls… (Tony Award Nominee), Pass Over. Off-Broadway: Shit. Meet. Fan. (MCC Theater), Oliver! (City Center Encores), Evanston Salt Costs Climbing (The New Group), Heroes of the Fourth Turning (Obie Award, Playwrights Horizons), Broadway Bounty Hunter (Greenwich House). Regional: A Wrinkle in Time (Arena Stage), The Ballad of Johnny & June (La Jolla Playhouse), The Preacher’s Wife (Alliance Theatre), Peter Pan (Tour), Life After (CAA Ed Mirvish, Goodman Theatre). Education: BA, Adelphi University. 

ANNIE WIEGAND (LIGHTING DESIGNER) (she/her) is the first and only professional Deaf lighting designer working in the U.S. theater industry. A native of Des Moines, Iowa, she holds a BA in Theatre from Appalachian State University and an MFA in Lighting Design from Boston University. Off-Broadway: TRASH (Perelman Performing Arts Center New York), I Was Most Alive With You (Playwrights Horizons). Regional: Another Kind of Silence (City Theatre Company), Spring Awakening (Skylight Music Theatre), Cinderella (Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma, ZACH Theatre), Eclipsed (Milwaukee Repertory Theater), Steel Magnolias (Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Dallas Theater Center), The Upstairs Department (Signature Theatre), The Bridges of Madison County (SpeakEasy Stage Company, IRNE Award nomination). Opera and interdisciplinary work: Sensorium Ex (VIA/BMP Common Senses Festival Omaha), Opera Birmingham, Anikaya Dance Theater. Other credits include national tours with The Acting Company (2010–2013). Annie is a company member of the Kinetic Light Disability Arts Ensemble, Resident Lighting Designer at Deaf Broadway, and serves as Professor and Production Co-Program Director of the Performing Arts Program at Gallaudet University. anniewiegand.com

DANIEL LUNDBERG (SOUND DESIGNER) Design credits include Take a Banana for the Ride (Broadway), JOY (Off-Broadway), VAPE! (Off-Broadway), The Cher Show (Tour), and productions for Roundabout Theatre Company, American Repertory Theater, The Public Theater, Ogunquit Playhouse, New York Stage and Film, Delaware Theatre Company, The REV, and A Contemporary Theatre of Connecticut. Sound engineer and assistant design credits include 20 Broadway productions, 11 tours, six circuses, two theme parks, and many concerts. BFA Carnegie Mellon. It’s great to be here! 

CAITE HEVNER (PROJECTION DESIGNER) is a New York City–based designer specializing in projection, production, and scenic design. Broadway: Trisha Paytas’ Big Broadway Dream, Derren Brown, SECRET, In Transit, Harry Connick Jr.: A Celebration of Cole Porter. Off-Broadway: Between the Lines (Drama Desk nomination), Kristina Wong: Sweatshop Overlord (Lucille Lortel nomination), Romy & Michele: The Musical (Stage 42), The Least Problematic Woman in the World, Duke & Roya, Collective Rage (Lortel Theatre), Rolling Thunder (New World Stages), as well as productions with Manhattan Theatre Club, MCC Theater, Primary Stages, and Roundabout Theatre Company. Caite’s work includes hundreds of productions in New York and at major venues across the United States, including La Jolla Playhouse, Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre, the Goodman Theatre, Arena Stage, Alliance Theatre, Lincoln Center, and Carnegie Hall, as well as internationally. Since 2018, Caite has served as Video Content Producer for BC/EFA’s Broadway Bares. Caite is an Eastern Region Board Member Representative for IATSE Local USA829. caitedesign.com | @caitehevner

THE TRC COMPANY/SPENCER GAULDONI (CASTING) Led by partners Claire Burke, Kevin Metzger-Timson, Xavier Rubiano, and Peter Van Dam. Broadway: Beaches, Mamma Mia!, Dead Outlaw, BOOP! The Musical, Buena Vista Social Club, Death Becomes Her, The Outsiders, SIX, Aladdin. Tours: The Phantom of the Opera, Beauty & the Beast, Water for Elephants, The Wiz, Back to the Future, Les Misérables. The TRC Company is proud to continue the casting legacy of Tara Rubin Casting and Johnson-Liff Associates. 

TOM KITT (ORCHESTRATOR) is a two-time Tony, two-time Emmy, two-time Grammy, and Pulitzer Prize winning composer, arranger, and orchestrator whose credits include Next to Normal, Almost Famous, Flying Over Sunset, If/Then, Bring It On, The Musical, High Fidelity, Hell’s Kitchen, Jagged Little Pill, The SpongeBob Musical, American Idiot, Head Over Heels, Everyday Rapture, The Visitor, Superhero, Dave, The Pitch Perfect films, Grease Live!, and Disney’s Freaky Friday. 

MEGHANN ZERVOULIS BATE (Music Supervisor/Music Director) is currently serving as the music director of SIX the Musical. Broadway: Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club (2024 Revival), Funny Girl (2022 Revival), West Side Story (2020 Revival), The Prom, Mean Girls, and Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812. Off-Broadway: Bigfoot, Here We Are, White Girl In Danger, Only Gold, The Visitor, Merrily, Cagney, Rated P. Regional: Numerous credits at her home base — Paper Mill Playhouse — including Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, Bandstand, Oliver!, Elf, Ever After, and their annual New Voices concerts. Bedwetter at Arena Stage. Meg has appeared around the country as a pianist/bandleader for several Broadway stars including Betsy Wolfe, Bryce Pinkham, and more. She has also served as the accompanist for National YoungArts Week, in collaboration with Broadway Inspirational Voices founder Michael McElroy. Meg is also active as a music educator and music therapist and is a proud member of Local 802 and Maestra. Within Maestra, Meg serves as the co-director of the Maestra Mentorship along with Sonya Hayden. Dedicated to service, Meg has enjoyed making music with many wonderful organizations such as Sing for Hope, Sing for Your Seniors, and Concerts in Motion. Education: Carnegie Mellon University. Much love to my family, my everything. megzmusic.com