Kevin Fisher (Playwright) Kevin Fisher’s plays have been performed at the Ensemble Studio Theatre, Naked Angels, the Adobe, Here and Westbeth Theatre. His screenplay Under My Skin won the Independent Feature Project screenwriting award. His comic monologues have been performed in alt/comedy clubs, published by Smith & Kraus and The New York Times and produced by Urban Stages as the show Legal Alien. Kevin has a Masters in Epidemiology, and presented his research on HIV diagnosis in infants at the 2004 International AIDS Conference in Bangkok. He would like to thank Chris and Mark, and especially Heidi, Harriet and Margret for everything.

Lauren Grace*
(Ava) last appeared in A Lovely Day for Upon These Boards in Portland Oregon. Her recent credits include Minta in To The Lighthouse (Berkeley Rep); Dulce in Ice Glen, Hilda in The Master Builder (Best Actress nomination - Bay Area Critics’ Circle), the title role in Michael Fry’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma (Aurora Theatre); Ethel in The Voysey Inheritance (a co-production with Kansas City Rep), A Mother, Les Liaisons, and Hilda (ACT); Holes (Orpheum Theatre);  Noises Off (The Marines Memorial Theatre). Other credits in the Bay Area: Othello, Unhampered by Sanity, A Tale of a Handkerchief, Lie of the Mind, and Cooking with Elvis at the Phoenix Theatre and  The Incorruptibles at San Jose Rep.

Jessica Kitchens
(Freda) is overjoyed to be making her debut at the Magic with such a talented team.  Since her arrival to the Bay Area over two years ago, Jessica has performed with the Shotgun Players (Blood Wedding, Love is a Dream House in Lorin, Ragnarok, Cabaret), foolsFURY (Monster in the Dark), elastic future (The Greek Play), and Woman’s Will (Romeo & Juliet, Richard III).  Jessica hails from UC Davis, where she performed roles such as Prospero (The Tempest), Christine (Miss Julie), and the Housewife (Rhinoceros), and from which she holds dual degrees in Theatre Arts and Political Theory.  Next up she will be seen in Golden Thread’s Jihad Jones and the Kalashnikov Babes.

Robert Parsons*
(Neil) Local credits include: Tir na nÓg (“Land of Youth”), Pleasure & Pain, The Right Kind of People, Lonesome West, The American in Me, Schrödinger’s Girlfriend, and Ted Kaczynski Killed People with Bombs (Magic Theatre); Little Foxes, Black Rider, Buried Child, Colossus of Rhodes, and Good (ACT); Pal Joey, Visions of Kerouac, and Communicating Doors (Marin Theatre Company); as well as appearances at Aurora Theatre Company, SF Shakespeare Festival, Word for Word, SF Playhouse, Willows Theatre, Shotgun Players, Z Space Studio, Berkeley Rep, and Theatreworks. International, New York and regional credits include productions at Australia’s Sydney Festival, HERE (NYC), Ahmanson Theatre, Alley Theatre, Arizona Theatre Company, New Repertory Theatre, and OSF Ashland.  Film credits include the independent features Black August and Almost Famous.

Kevin Rolston*
(Zach) This marks Kevin’s third world premiere at the Magic Theatre, after this
season’s The Crowd You’re in With and 2003’s The Sex Habits of American Women.  Recently he toured with the Tony Award-winning San Francisco Mime Troupe as Corporal Johnson in Making A Killing. Other theatre credits include work with The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (company member 2000-2003), the New Federal Theatre, PCPA Theaterfest, Center Rep, the SF Playhouse, Word for Word and foolsFURY.  Over the past year Kevin has been shooting the independent film, OPAL (dir. Dina Ciraulo), which has been accepted into the Cannes Film Festival’s Producer’s Network.  Kevin is an instructor with Each One Reach One (the playwriting outreach program in Bay Area juvenile halls) and a founding ensemble member of OutLook Theater Project.

Brandin Barón
(Costume Designer) Bay Area: Private Jokes, Public Places (Aurora Theatre); The Tempest and Endgame (Shakespeare Santa Cruz): This Wonderful Life (San Jose Repertory Theatre).  Regional: several productions for La Jolla Playhouse and San Diego Repertory Theatre; Dogeaters (NY Shakespeare Festival / The Public Theater); The Buddy Holly Story (Apollo Theater, Chicago).  Awards: NEA/TCG Career Development Program for Directors and Designers; Backstage West Garland Award for Excellence in Costume Design. Brandin is an Assistant Professor of Design at UC Santa Cruz.

James Faerron
(Scenic Designer) James’ career at Magic Theatre began in 1990 when he played the part of Fracas in Octavio Solis’ Man of the Flesh. James returned to the Magic from 1996 to 1999 as Technical Director and Production Manager. His last design for the Magic was for the critically-acclaimed production of Beckett’s Text for Nothing, performed by the dearly missed Joseph Chaiken. For the past 10 years James has been the Resident Set Designer for Campo Santo and Encore Theatre Company.  Between the two companies, James has designed the sets for over 35 world premieres. Monkey Room happily marks James’ third collaboration with Mark Routhier.  He wishes to thank the current, most
excellent, production staff at the Magic for all their help in creating the Monkey Lab. Sara, Dave, Letty, and Jackie... you all do it right!

Sara Huddleston 
(Sound Designer / Production Director) With a background in scenic and sound design, Sara joined the Magic staff in March’07 as their Production Director and Resident Sound Designer. San Francisco sound design credits include: In On It and American $uicide (Encore Theatre Company); The Shaker Chair (Encore Theatre Company and Shotgun Players); The Joan Rivers Theatre Project, Expedition 6, The Crowd You’re in With and Tir na nÓg (“Land of Youth”) (Magic Theatre); and most recently Mrs. Warren’s Profession (Shotgun Players).

Karen Runk*
(Stage Manager) has become a True West resident as she enters her twelfth year of living in San Francisco.  It’s not A Question of Mercy, Mules, or even Gum as to why she keeps returning to Magic Theatre.  Runk only has Eyes for Consuela, Julio, Nero and theatre companies who produce new works.  Over the last few years, Runk has come to question her own Morbidity & Mortality, is it really all worth it?  Moving Right Along.  To further sum up, while working with the Magic, Runk has definitely experienced both Pleasure & Pain.  Nevertheless, she is grateful to be continually rehired by a company where her skills won’t turn to Rust on Magic productions such as Territories and now Monkey Room.

Christopher Studley
(Light Designer) Previous work with the Magic includes The Rules of Charity, The Black Eyed, and The Hopper Collection.  Having recently returned home to New York City, his work in the Bay Area for the past 10 years had focused primarily on new plays.  World premieres: Campo Santo, Encore Theatre Company, FoolsFury, and Killing My Lobster.  His work has been seen at Bali Arts Festival, Delaware Theatre Company,  ACT Conservatory,  The Aurora, Center Rep, SF Playhouse, Theatre Abydos, and the Pacific Alliance.  NYC Venues: The Exchange at 45 Bleecker, PS 122 and the Metropolitan Playhouse. Christopher’s lighting was selected for the 2007 Prague Quadrennial by the USITT.

* Member of Actors’ Equity Association. AEA, founded in 1913, represents more than 45,000 actors and stage managers in the United States. Equity seeks to advance, promote and foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of our society. Equity negotiates wages and working conditions, providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. AEA is a member of the AFL-CIO, and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. The Equity emblem is our mark of excellence. www.actorsequity.org.

+Member of United Scenic Artists local 829. United Scenic Artists represents the designers and scenic painters for the American Theatre.