Jocelyn Bioh, Playwright
Jocelyn Bioh is an award-winning Ghanaian-American writer and performer from New York City. Her plays include School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play (The Kilroys’ List, 2016; Center Theatre Group; MCC Theater; Lucille Lortel Award; OCC John Gardner Award; Hull-Warriner Award; Drama Desk nomination; Drama League nomination; Off-Broadway Alliance nomination), Nollywood Dreams (Cherry Lane Theatre Mentor Project, 2017; The Kilroys’ List, 2015), and African Americans (produced at Howard University, 2015; Southern Rep Theatre Ruby Prize Award finalist, 2011; O'Neill Theater Center semifinalist, 2012). Jocelyn conceived and wrote the libretto for The Ladykiller’s Love Story (music and lyrics by CeeLo Green) and Goddess (book writer). She has also been a staff writer for the Netflix TV shows Russian Doll and Spike Lee’s She's Gotta Have It. Jocelyn received her M.F.A. in theater/playwriting from Columbia University. She is under commission with Manhattan Theatre Club, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Second Stage Theater, and Atlantic Theater Company, and is a resident playwright at LCT3. As an actress, Jocelyn's credits include: In the Blood (Signature Theatre; Drama Desk nomination, Best Featured Actress), Everybody (Signature Theatre; Lucille Lortel Award nomination, Best Supporting Actress, 2017), Men on Boats (Clubbed Thumb at Playwrights Horizons), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Broadway; Tony Award-winner for Best Play, 2015), An Octoroon (Soho Rep; Obie Award-winner for Best Play, 2014), Booty Candy (Wilma Theater), Seed (The Classical Theatre of Harlem; AUDELCO Award nominee), and Marcus; or the Secret of  Sweet (City Theatre Company). She also originated the role of Topsy in the world premiere of Neighbors (The Public Theater; AUDELCO Award nominee). Film/TV acting credits include: Ben is Back (Black Bear Pictures), Russian Doll (Netflix) Blue Bloods (CBS), The Detour (TBS), The Characters (Netflix), Louie (FX), and One Life to Live (ABC).

Lava Alapai, Director
Lava is so happy to be directing her first show at Portland Center Stage at The Armory! She has been creating theater in Portland for over a decade. Some of her recent directing credits include Is God Is for Washington Ensemble Theatre; The Revolutionists and An Octoroon (co-direction) for Artists Repertory Theatre (Resident Artist); Columbinus, Charlotte's Web, and Locomotion for Oregon Children's Theatre. She is a proud member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC). She would like to thank the amazing team and beautiful cast for giving her the opportunity to spend this time with them, and her wife, Alex, for supporting her always.

Lex Marcos, Scenic Designer
Lex is based in Seattle and originally from Manila, in the Philippines. He studied painting and art history at the University of the Philippines, Diliman. He designed sets in Manila for nine years. In 2017, he got his M.F.A. in scenic design at the University of Washington School of Drama. He has designed shows for ArtsWest, Intiman Theatre, Sound Theatre Company, and Washington Ensemble Theatre, and will design an upcoming show for ACT. He is the resident scenic designer for Tacoma Arts Live. His works “Ang Post Office ng Hari” and “Umaaraw Umuulan Kinakasal Ang Tikbalang” were selected for a Philippines exhibit in the Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space in 2011 and 2015. He was nominated for the 2019 Gregory Award for Outstanding Scenic Design for his work in Parliament Square produced by Pony World Theatre.

Wanda Walden, Costume Designer
Wanda has costumed plays for more than 30 years. Wanda is the recipient of the 2018–2019 Drammy Award for Outstanding Season. Some of her credits include The Brothers Paranormal (Media Rites); The Wolves, Crowns, How I Learned What I Learned (Portland Playhouse); It's a Wonderful Life, Skeleton Crew, An Octoroon, We are Proud to Present … (Artist Repertory Theatre, she also created a visual presentation of these productions that was exhibited in the lobby); Mother Courage, Ruined, Fires in the Mirror, The Secretaries (Profile Theatre). Wanda is the resident costumer for PassinArt, where her credits include Black Nativity, No Play, and Two Trains Running. Wanda has been commissioned twice by the Susan G. Komen Foundation of Oregon and SW Washington to design the Worship in Pink artwork to support breast cancer awareness. 

Marika Kent, Lighting Designer
Marika designs for new and classic plays, musical theater, opera, dance, experimental theater, puppetry, and site-specific performance. Recent and upcoming projects: Reconstruction (The TEAM, dir. Rachel Chavkin); Jazz Singer (Abrons Arts Center); 25th Annual Putnam Country Spelling Bee (ACT of Connecticut); No Child, Memphis, Peter and the Starcatcher (Cape Fear Regional Theater); Ajijaak on Turtle Island (IBEX Puppetry, The New Victory); Roan @ The Gates (Luna Stage); Chimpanzee (HERE Arts); Perp, Abigail's Party (The Barrow Group); Generation NYZ, Alaxsxa/Alaska, Beyond Sacred (Ping Chong + Company); Cheryomushki, Albert Herring, The Snow Maiden (Manhattan School of Music, Opera); She, No Words, Rhapsody in K (Ariel Rivka Dance). Proud member of Wingspace Theatrical Design. marikakent.com

Phil Johnson, Sound Designer
Phil is a visual and theatrical artist based in Portland and the host of the podcast Radical Listening (Coho Productions). His recent productions include Redwood, Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley (Portland Center Stage at The Armory); Cop Out, Hands Up (August Wilson Red Door Project); A Doll’s House, Part 2, Everybody, The Humans, An Octoroon (Artists Repertory Theatre); Twilight, Elliot: A Soldier’s Fugue, The Antigone Project (Profile Theatre); Worse Than Tigers (A Contemporary Theater/Red Stage); Watsonville, Lydia, Contigo Pan y Cebolla (Milagro Theatre). Phil has a B.F.A. and M.A. from Ohio University. If you enjoyed the show, please comment @philjohnsonlive or visit philjohnsondesignstheworld.com for more content and show playlists. 

Yetunde Felix-Ukwu, Dialect Coach
Yetunde is a theater and film actor, university instructor, dialect coach, and arts administrator. She is currently serving on the artistic staff at Kansas City Repertory Theatre. Recent theater credits include: A Christmas Carol, School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play, Letters from Freedom Summer (KC Rep); The Wolves, Men on Boats, Babel (Unicorn Theatre); Secret Soldiers: Heroines In Disguise (The Coterie). Recent film credits include: Pheasants, Safe States. Recent dialect coach credits include: School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play (KC Rep); Sarafina! (The Black Repertory Theatre of Kansas City). She is an M.F.A. graduate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City. As a member of the African Diaspora, she is extremely excited to be partnering with Portland Center Stage at The Armory on this poignant and deeply personal artistic work. Instagram: yetunde2.0

Kristen Mun, Stage Manager
Kristen was born and raised on the island of Oahu and holds a B.F.A. from Southern Oregon University. She is excited to return for her seventh season at Portland Center Stage at The Armory. Previous credits at The Armory include stage manager for Native Gardens, Until The Flood, Sense and Sensibility, Constellations, and Major Barbara; assistant stage manager for In the Heights, The Color Purple, Fun Home, and Astoria: Part Two; and production assistant from 2013 to 2017. Kristen is a proud member of Actors’ Equity and is a freelance violence designer and teacher of stage combat. She sends her love to Adam and her family for always having her back.

Macarena Subiabre, Production Assistant
Macarena is excited to join Portland Center Stage at The Armory this season, where she was recently a production assistant for Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley and In the Heights. She graduated in 2018 with a B.F.A. in stage management from the University of Utah, where she stage managed productions such as Arcadia, Cats, Into the Woods, Good Kids, and the U.S. premiere of The Beautiful Game. Other credits include: A Comedy of Tenors (Pioneer Theatre Company); How I Learned to Drive (Salt Lake Fringe Festival); and You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Salt Lake Shakespeare). She was also lucky to complete an internship with Cirque du Soleil where she worked on Zumanity and the Cirque Cabaret, 2018.