In The Know: Stir

Justin Waldman is the Artistic Director of Two River Theater. He is a theatrical producer and director who has brought over 275 productions to life during his over 25-year career. Prior staff positions include: Associate Artistic Director (The Old Globe Theatre), Artistic Associate (Williamstown Theatre Festival), Artistic Associate (Huntington Theatre Company) and Producing Artistic Director at Next Stages, which he founded. New York directing: The Atheist (with Campbell Scott, Circle in the Square/Culture Project), Sonia Flew (Summer Play Festival), Jester’s Dead (Studio Tisch and The Peoples Improv Theater), 52nd St. Project Playmaking, News Junkie (Lincoln Center Directors Lab). Regional: As You Like It (The Old Globe/USD MFA Program), Samuel J. and K. (with Justin Long), What is the Cause of Thunder? (with Wendie Malick and Betty Gilpin), The Atheist (Williamstown Theatre Festival), Brendan, The Atheist (Huntington Theatre Company), Over It (Next Stages), This Is Our Youth (Theatre Workshop of Nantucket), 12 Angry Men (Stanley B. Theater Company). Assistant Directing:  Saturn Returns (Lincoln Center Theatre, Nicholas Martin, dir), Houdini (musical workshop w/Hugh Jackman, Scott Sanders productions, Jack O’Brien, dir), Present Laughter, The Cherry Orchard, The Rose Tattoo, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Persephone, among others (Huntington Theatre Company), three seasons at Commonwealth Shakespeare Company. He has also directed readings and workshops by Theresa Rebeck, Noah Haidle, Jonathan Marc Sherman, Mat Smart, Sam Forman, Melinda Lopez, and Ronan Noone, among others. Justin is a graduate of Tufts University.

MELINDA LOPEZ (PLAYWRIGHT) is a playwright and performer. Upcoming: Sonia Flew (The Gamm Theatre), Twelfth Night con Salsa (San Francisco Shakespeare Festival). Recent: Standing Still (University of California, Santa Barbara), Stir (The Old Globe), Mr. Parent—co-created with Maurice Parent (Geva Theatre Center, Lyric Stage Boston, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park). Other work includes an adaptation of Yerma (The Huntington), Mala (bilingual, The Old Globe, ArtsEmerson, Guthrie Theater, The Huntington, Elliot Norton Award for Best New Play, ArtsImpulse Award for Best Solo Performance), also available on Audible in English and Spanish, Becoming Cuba (The Huntington, North Coast Repertory Theatre), and Sonia Flew (The Huntington, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Coconut Grove Playhouse, Contemporary American Theater Festival, and many others, Elliot Norton Awards for Best Production and Best New Play). Melinda is also an actress and has appeared at The Huntington, SpeakEasy Stage Company, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, Shakespeare & Company, Portland Stage, Guthrie Theater, and others. She is also featured (and has become a meme) in the film Fever Pitch. She provides humanitarian aid for the people of Cuba (Friends of Caritas Cubana) and occasionally sleeps on the ground in the American Southwest. She has run two marathons and plays a little ukulele.  |  melindalopez.com

JOEL PEREZ (PLAYWRIGHT) (he/him) is a New York–based writer, director, and actor. He wrote and directed the film The Upper Room (NewFest, 2025) and directed and co-wrote the film Villa Encanto (Tribeca Festival, 2025, executive producer Lin-Manuel Miranda). He wrote and starred in Beautiful, FL (Disney+). His play Stir received its World Premiere at The Old Globe, was developed at The Huntington, and won an Elliot Norton Award for Best New Script. Other writing includes Lost City Radio (New York Stage and Film, Berkeley Repertory Theatre) and the podcast Love in Gravity. He won the 2021 Voces Latinx National Playwriting Competition for From the Fountain and a 2021 Warner Bros. Discovery 150 Artist Grant for the pilot “You’re Tired, You’re Poor,” optioned by 20th Television. He is a 2019 New York Foundation for the Arts Fellow in Playwriting. Acting credits include Fun Home (Broadway), Kiss My Aztec! (Hartford Stage), As You Like It (The Public Theater), and Sweet Charity (The New Group, Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical). Film: tick, tick… BOOM! (Netflix). TV: “Hazbin Hotel” (Prime Video), “Jesus Christ Superstar Live!” (NBC), “Person of Interest” (CBS), and “Odd Mom Out” (Bravo).

misterjoelperez.com | @misterjoelperez