Eden Prairie, 1971 at New Jersey Repertory Company

Emilio Cuesta

Emilio Cuesta is a New York-based actor and musician. He can be seen in primetime television series, including Showtime's Homeland and City on a Hill, as well as Dopesick on Hulu. Other credits include American Assassin and the independent feature, From Nowhere. Prior to the Covid pandemic, he was cast as the lead in Greg Kotis's (Tony-award winning writer for Urinetown) off-Broadway show I am Nobody. He trained at the William Esper Studio and The Beverly Hills Playhouse Club. Emilio is also director for film and television, being recently admitted to the DGA after doing second unit work for the upcoming FOX series, Accused. Aside from acting and directing, Emilio helms the live rock band QUESTA. He has released several singles, and his first single "Feedin'' was bought by M. Night Shyamalan to be used in the Apple TV series, Servant. The band has and continues to perform around Manhattan's underground music scene at establishments such as the Cutting Room, Arlenes Grocery, Rockwood Music Hall, and many more.

Oriana Lada*

Oriana, who was born and raised in Minnesota, is thrilled to be back at NJ Rep after workshopping Eden Prairie, 1971 here last year. She is an actress and singer based in New York City. You can currently spot her in Hardee's and Carl's Jr. commercials running nationwide. She is also the co-host of Verizon Media's ADD TO CART. NYC: Summer Valley Fair (New York Musical Festival). Regional: A Christmas Carol (Trinity Repertory Company). Film: Lolita Express (Houselight). Education: BFA, University of Evansville; MFA, Brown/Trinity Rep. Love to Matthew - I can't wait to marry you!

Andrea Gallo*

Andrea Gallo New York credits include: Kurt Vonnegut’s Mother Night; The Respectful Prostitute; Ring Round the Moon; Hidden Voices (w/Terrence Mann); world premieres of Strings, The Velvet Oratorio, Frankie, Coney, and The Chaos Theories. Regional credits: The Niceties, Chester Theatre Company; The Last Romance and Private Lives, Riverside Theatre; Third, TheaterWorks Hartford; Good People, St. Louis Rep; Over the River and Through the Woods, Florida Rep; The Last Romance and The Language Archive, Public Theatre; Mercy and the Firefly, Luna Stage; Murderers, Hudson Stage; A View From The Bridge, Nevada Rep; Memoirs of a Forgotten Man, Evie’s Waltz, Tilt Angel, tempOdyssey, and two solo shows, Broomstick and Donna Orbits the Moon, NJ Rep; What Every Woman Knows, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Noises Off, Lettice and Lovage, I’m Not Rappaport, Horse Cave Theatre. TV/Film credits: City on a Hill, Law and Order: SVU, Sober, On Settling Down, Look on the Bright Side, Brooklyn Battery, The Query, Chasing Taste, The Date and Across Dot Ave. Earphones Award winner for audiobook narration. BA, Tufts University; MFA, Temple University. Fulbright Recipient (Paris, France).

Mat Smart

Mat Smart has written 25 full-length plays that have been produced around the country and he currently has several television and film projects in development. The Agitators, his play about the true, untold friendship between Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass, has been produced at 20 different theatres from Maine to Seattle. He recently adapted The Agitators into a podcast hosted by Ashley C. Ford and produced by PRX, the National Park Service, and the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission. Select plays include: Kill Local (La Jolla Playhouse, nominated for Outstanding New Play by the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle; recently translated into Korean and produced in Seoul), The Royal Society of Antarctica (Gift Theatre, recipient of the 2015 Jeff Award for Best New Work in Chicago), Samuel J. and K. (Williamstown Theatre Festival; Steppenwolf for Young Adults), and Tinker to Evers to Chance (Geva; Merrimack Rep). An avid traveler and baseball fan, Mat has been to all of the states, all of the continents, and all of the current MLB stadiums. A native of Naperville, Illinois, he currently lives in Brooklyn. Undergrad: University of Evansville. MFA: UCSD.

Evan Bergman

Over the years Evan has directed over 15 productions for New Jersey Rep, many of them world premieres. He is extremely proud of the body of work and the theater's ability to identify a wide range of talented playwrights deserving to have their plays produced. He has also directed world premieres at many other theaters including Ensemble Studio Theater, The Duke, Daryl Roth, Barrington Stage, Jane Street, Playwrights Horizon, Arclight, The Tiffany and 59E59. His film work includes the recent short film Day Zero which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and was called ”A cautionary tale, perfectly realized” by Oscar award winning Director James Ivory. Dig A Hole, Find A Finger, Palm Springs and Newport Beach International Film Festivals and his Documentary for Warner Music Group featuring Roger Daltry (The Who), Philip Bailey (Earth Wind and Fire). Currently he is in pre-production for a new Feature film he wrote about the life of Oyster Farmers on Cape Cod called Life on the Flats which starts principle filming in the spring of 2023.

Gabor Barabas

For NJ Rep, he has produced over 80 world premieres including Ends, A World I Never Made, North Fork, Octet, The Girl With the High Rouge, In Search of Red River Dog, Naked by the River, An Unhappy Woman, Immortal Interlude, Getting in Touch With My Inner B*tch, Till Morning Comes, Slave Shack, Panama, Big Boys, Winterizing the Summer House, Piaf in Vienna, The Color of Flesh, Emil, Touch of Rapture, Beyond Gravity,  A Child’s Guide to Innocence, The Good Daughter, Apostasy, The Best Man, Tilt Angel, Love and Murder, tempOdyssey, October 1962, Place Setting, And Her Hair Went With Her, Engaging Shaw, Poetic License, The Housewives of Mannheim, Dead Ringer, Exposure Time (recipient of and Edgerton New American Plays Award), Character Assassins, The Tangled Skirt (nominated for an Edgar Award by the Mystery Writers of America), Puma, Night Train, The Judy Holliday Story, Jericho (recipient of and Edgerton New American Plays Award), American Stare, Release Point, Esther’s Moustache, Ants, Noir, Happy, Broomstick, Admit One, A View of the Mountains, Butler (recipient of and Edgerton New American Plays Award), Lucky Me, Dinner with the Boys, Angels and Ministers of Grace, and the musicals Immortal Interlude,Bookends, The Little Hours (recipient of and Edgerton New American Plays Award), and Date of  Lifetime. His book Miklos Radnoti: The Complete Poetry in Hungarian and English was recently published by McFarland.

SuzAnne Barabas

SuzAnne Barabas (Director/Artistic Producer), has been the Artistic Director of NJ Rep for the past 24 years. SuzAnne is a member of Actors Equity Association, the Dramatist Guild, and the Society of Directors & Choreographers.

Dee Dee Irwin

Dee Dee joined New Jersey Repertory Company in October 2022, bringing with her almost 30 years of experience in the performing arts and live events industry. Prior to coming to NJRep, Dee Dee spent nine years as the Director of Marketing and Communications/Associate Producer for Laguna Playhouse in Laguna Beach, CA, and 12 years as part of the Broadway in Hollywood team for Nederlander’s beautiful Pantages theatre in Hollywood, CA. Dee Dee can also be found playing with puppets as part of the gang that produces Brian Henson’s Puppet Up! Uncensored at the legendary Jim Henson Company Lot. While in Laguna Beach, Dee Dee served as chair for the Laguna Beach Arts Alliance, saw the theatre turn 100 years old and produced much of the virtual programming during the pandemic. Originally from Los Angeles, Dee Dee holds an MA in Humanities, a BA in Theatre, and is a proud member of IATSE 857. Special shout out to the love of her life, her dog Pickle, who you might see roaming the theatre and giving his opinion on, well, pretty much everything.

Kristin Pfeifer*

NYC Credits: Hedwig and The Angry Inch Nat'l Tour (Production Asst.) Opera: A Midsummer Night's Dream (Assistant Stage Manager, Yale Opera) Regional: With George St. Playhouse as Production Stage Manager: Dear Jack, Dear Louise, The Nerd, A Doll’s House Pt. 2, The Fabulous Lipitones. With the NJ Repertory Company as Production Stage Manager: Multiple Family Dwelling, & Juliet, Halftime w/Don, F-Theory, Mutual Philanthropy, The Calling, Wild Horses, Mercy, Apple Season, The Source, Surfing My DNA, Voyager One, Lily, Bone on Bone, The Promotion. Kristin is a proud member of Actor's Equity.

Patricia Doherty

As NJ Rep’s resident costume designer since 2000, Doherty’s work includes: The Housewives of Mannheim, The Color of Flesh, Old Clown Wanted, The Good Daughter, Place Settings, Bookends, Engaging Shaw, Puma, Noir, Broomstick, View of the Mountains, Swimming at the Ritz, Dinner with the Boys (with Dan Lauria), Closure (with Wendy Malick, Gary Cole), Nobody’s Girl,  Butler, Mad Love and Iago , Fern Hill (with Jill Eikenberry, Dee Hoty and John Glover) to name  just a few. New York: Southern Comfort—The Musical (The Public Theater 2016 Lucille Lortel, Outer Critics, Drama Desk Award Nominations with Annette O’Toole, Jeff McCarthy); Dinner with the Boys  with Dan Lauria (The Acorn Theatre) Academia Nuts (2014 NYMF Best New Musical); The Devil’s Music (St. Luke’s); The Goldman Project (Abingdon Theatre); Freed, Fall to Earth, Poetic License, The Housewives of Mannheim, Butler, Small World (59E59th St Theatres); Love Therapy (DR2) Regional: Alley Theatre (past resident designer), Barrington Stage, Cleveland Play House, Merrimack Rep, Florida Rep, Penguin Rep, Engeman Theatre, Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, Montreal Jazz Festival , Luna Stage, Playwrights Theatre of NJ, Merrimack Rep (MA), People’s Light and Theatre Festival (PA), Rubicon Theatre  of LA, Mosaic Theatre (DC), Cape Cod Playhouse (MA), Weston Playhouse (VT) TV/Video: AT&T, “Unsolved Mysteries,” Pennsylvania Public Television Guest Artist: Monmouth University, Case Western Reserve University, Ohio University, Niagara University, Syracuse University Guest Artist and Instructor: Kent State University, School of Theatre and Dance 1992-95

Jessica Parks

Jessica has been working for NJ Repertory Company since 2003 and has been the resident scenic designer and prop designer since 2010. Set designs at NJ Rep include: The Promotion, Memoirs of a Forgotten Man, Wolf at the Door, The Jag, Swimming at the Ritz, Happy and Broomstick. NYC credits at 59E59 St. Theaters include: Michael Tucker’s Fern Hill, Butler, The Housewives of Mannheim, Jericho and Poetic License. Other credits include: The End of Hester at Theatre Row NYC, Bretch:Call & Response at Paradise Factory Theatre and Dan Lauria's Dinner with the Boys at Theater Row NYC.

Jill Nagle

Jill is the Resident Lighting Designer at NJ Rep. Partial NJ Rep include: Dinner with the Boys, Closure, Butler, Broomstick, Happy, Puma, Night Train, and Noir. Partial NYC designs include: Butler, A Stool at the End of the Bar, Jericho, Poetic License, Housewives of Mannheim, The Man in Room 306, The Dishwashers (59E59), Love Therapy (Daryl Roth), Dinner with the Boys (The Acorn) The Bully Pulpit (Samuel Beckett), Do Not Go Gentle (Harold Clurman), Count Down (Bank Street), In the Parlance (The Pulse), Carrera (La Mama E.T.C.), South Beach Rapture (Dixon Place). Other venues: John Engeman Theatre, Chester Theatre, Luna Stage, Playwrights of New Jersey, Montclair State University, New Jersey City University. www.jillnagle.net

Janey Huber

Huber began her relationship at NJ Rep in 2004 as a patron & quickly became a subscriber: "They had me at Whores!" Janey then brought close to 30 years of administrative experience in community college & graduate nurse-midwifery education, women’s healthcare, and theater management to her 5-year role as Managing Director.  She is thrilled to remain in the NJ Rep family volunteering as Artistic Associate, (ambassador for the theater), Assistant Lighting Designer (all plays), Assistant to the Covid Compliance Officer, & Assistant Director (Wild Horses, Mercy, The Source, West End Arts Festivals, Voyager One, Lily, & The Promotion). Her BA and MS degrees, from East Stroudsburg University, are in aquatic biology.

Nick Simone

Simone has been a performing arts educator in NYC for the past 18 years. He has worked at various music schools for all ages and has been a teaching artist for Roundabout Theatre Company, Apollo Theater, and Sundog Theatre specializing in sound design and musical disciplines. As a musician, Nick plays multiple instruments and has also performed at the renowned Carnage Hall and at the Metropolitan Opera House. Nick has also worked as sound designer and as an audio engineer for many productions such as: US: A Progressive Love Story, The Norwegians, North To Maine, IYOM, Wild Children, Time Travelers Trip To Niagara, The Diorama, Shakespeare's Hamlet at Bryant Park, Extreme Weather, Don’t Dress For Dinner, Villainous Company, Capone, & Romantic Trapezoid. Nick is also affiliated with MTV's production Artist to Watch series as a sound assistant. He is currently the chief audio engineer for Fenix Studios in Staten Island, NY and has credits on multiple albums, films, broadcasts, streaming, music videos and mobile apps.  He has worked with up and coming talent and platinum selling artists in different genres from Lorde to Coldplay.

Rachael Malloy

Malloy is very excited to be starting their career with NJ Rep. Previous credit highlights include: 7 Deadly Sins NYC with Tectonic Theatre Project (Show Operator) and Northampton Community College’s Summer Theatre (Tech Intern). College theatre: Head Over Heels (Assistant Stage Manager), FAME (Stage Manager), Into The Woods (Assistant Stage Manager), Cabaret (Stage Manager).

Sunjay Venkatraman

Venkatraman is a graduate from the University of Connecticut with a passion for the arts. In high school, Sunjay served as the student representative for the Matawan Board of Education. In this role his goal was to bring awareness to the art programs at all the schools in the district resulting in an arts budget increase. In college he worked for the Student Union Board of Governors that brought concerts, comedy shows, and lectures on campus. Sunjay would like to thank SuzAnne, Gabor and the Board for giving him the opportunity to represent NJRep. #NJRep

Robert Baird

Baird graduated from Duke University in 2008 with a dual major in Theater Studies and Public Policy. After a career in the telecommunications and legal consulting worlds, he’s thrilled to jump back into the world of the theater. At Duke he directed, produced, and acted in numerous productions for the Hoof ’n’ Horn Theater Company as well as Duke University Theater Studies. He also assistant directed a staged reading of Labyrinth Theater Company’s Going After Alice. He won the Jody McAuliffe Award given to the top student director in his class, and his thesis project, directing John Patrick Shanley’s the dreamer examines his pillow, was awarded highest distinction. Thanks to Gabor and SuzAnne for bringing me aboard the team - excited for what’s to come at NJ Rep!

Brian Snyder

Snyder has been an artist, carpenter, and prop builder since 2003 for several companies in NY and NJ including The Art Department, PVS, Stone Dog Studios, Two River Theater Company, and NJ Repertory Company. After 4 years of teaching Visual Arts and Stagecraft at Lakewood High School he returned to the world of freelance and made his debut as Technical Director and Master Carpenter here at NJ Rep in 2014.

Karen Wharmby

Judy Henderson

Judy Henderson has been honored as one of the top 20 US Film Casting Directors. Highlights: EMMY AWARD, 6 ARTIOS AWARDS. 9 ARTIOS nominations. Select Film credits: L.I.E. (6 Spirit Award Nominations) Before Sunrise. Select TV credits: Homeland (Emmy Award and 2 Artios Awards), City On A Hill. Broadway: Barefoot In The Park, Anna Karenina (4 Tony Nominations). Off-Broadway: Forever Plaid (MAC Award for best cast album), Invasion (Obie Award), Lie Of The Mind, The Kid (5 Drama Desk Nominations), Hurlyburly and Daddy. Member of CSA and the Teamsters Theatrical Union.