Cast & Crew

Bushra Laskar, Solange
Bushra Laskar was born in London, England. She began her acting training at LAMDA, London, before moving to New York to attend the Conservatory Program at the Stella Adler Studio. Bushra is also a playwright, and has had her work presented at the Soho Theatre, London. Her second play is currently in development. NY credits: A Play on War (NAATCO/Mitu).

Iracel Rivero, Claire
Iracel Rivero is perfectly placed to bridge two cultures - she was born in Cuba and raised in the United States from an early age. She is fluent in Spanish as well as English and her upbringing means she has a deep understanding of the cultures of both worlds. She was awarded a Fine Arts Fellowship to study theater at the University of South Florida and was invited into the Theater Honors Program. Iracel lives and works in NYC. She has been privately coached by Marp Papp and continues to take acting classes at T. Schreiber Studios. She is a Master Mason and frequent collaborator at The Brick Theater as well as other downtown venues including Dixon Place and the Ontological-Hysteric Theater.

Alex Runnels, Madame
William Alex Runnels is an actor/director from Dallas, Texas. He recently played in several new plays and workshops in New York, including Theatre Askew's Horatio's Rise at the LMCC’s Swing Space, numerous new works with NYU’s First Look Company, an all male workshop of Othello with Phoenix Rising, Bird on a Wire at Dixon Place, and The Exchange at Harlem’s Black River Center for Performing Arts. He played in Powerhouse’s 2009 apprentice productions of Taming of the Shrew, Dances at an Exhibition, and Hello! My Baby with Vassar College and New York Stage & Film. He recently obtained a BFA in Theater from C. W. Post/Long Island University where he played in As You Like It, Urinetown, Othello, and The Oresteia. After directing The Balcony, he promised he would never do Genet again… maybe he had his fingers crossed. He would like to thank Tracy, for allowing him to get in touch with his feminine side, and Curious Frog for encouraging Tracy’s unhealthy obsession with Genet.

Tracy Cameron Francis, Director
Tracy Cameron Francis is a director based in New York who also works regionally and internationally. She is the co-founder of Hybrid Theatre Works with which she is currently running a theatre workshop at the International Center in New York working with recent immigrants. Recent directing credits include a staged reading of Kingmakers by Betty Shamieh (Negro Ensemble co.) , T.A.B. (Manhattan Repertory Theatre), Rough For Theatre I, Death Comes For A Wedding, When All The Trees Are Gone (Williamstown Theatre Festival Workshop), Psalms of A Questionable Nature (NY International Fringe Festival), A Marriage Proposal (Egypt), The Comedy Course, Pharaoh (NY Arab American Comedy Festival), Rubbayat, Train (The Noor Festival). Assistant Directing: The Seagull (NAATCO), After the Revolution (Williamstown Theatre Festival), Blue Before Morning (TerraNova), The Black Eyed (New York Theatre Workshop). She has a B.A. in Middle Eastern Studies and Theatre from Fordham University, and was a participant in LaMama’s International Directing Symposium in Italy.

Laura Gomez, Stage Manager
Laura is the Resident Stage Manager for Curious Frog Theatre Company and stage-managed their productions of True West and Plutus. Other New York credits include Mika, The Mustard Seed, A Brief History of Murder, and White Panther and Black Thang. She earned her BA in Theatre Arts and Communications from Whittier College where she worked as a stage manager and carpenter. She would like to thank her family for always believing in her and all the Frogs, Gadflies, and Snakes who rock her world.

Donald Etheridge, Assistant Director

Full Bio coming soon.

Laura Taber Bacon, Scenic Design

Full Bio coming soon.

Costume Design, Emily Lippolis

The Maids is Emily’s second collaboration with Curious Frog. Past credits include: Spaceship to Venus (Examined Man Theatre),The Wall (Playwrights’ Horizons), bauhaus the bauhaus (The Nerve Tank), Find Me In Here (Esther M. Palmer, Greenspace), True West (Curious Frog), Avow (The Cardinal Group), Ready (Tree Trunk). Assisted: The Castleton Festival (Lorin Maazel/ Châteauville), Architecting (The TEAM), The Marriage of Figaro (Opera Theatre Pittsburgh). BFA Carnegie Mellon University. Emily's Website.

Michael Megliola, Lighting Design

Full Bio coming soon.

Julian Mesri, Sound Design

Julian J. Mesri has been sound-designing plays and writing music for theatre since 2003. Since then he has been the lead sound-designer and composer for performance and theatre artist Susana Cook, and has had his work shown in New York venues such as Dixon Place and WOW Café and festivals in Buenos Aires, Cadiz and Montreal. A recent graduate of Williams College, he has designed two Williamstheatre productions (Big Love and Panorama), as well as working with New Stage Collective in Cincinnati (A Number), International WOW (Reconstruction, Ice Factory) and Satori Group (Artifacts of Consequence). In addition to sound designing, he plans to continue writing and directing theatre in New York City.

Rocio Mendez, Fight Director

Rocio Alexis Mendez is an actor/fight director, born and raised in Hell’s Kitchen, New York City. Rocio has studied stage combat with AMDA, En Garde, Vampire Cowboys and Swordplay, NYC. Current obsession has been Kung Fu, and Capoeira continuously taking classes throughout the New York City area. This is Rocio’s second production with Curious Frog as Fight Director and has also done productions with Harlem School of the Arts, Classical Theater of Harlem, _gaia Studios, J City Theater, Phare Play Productions, and many more. Check it: www.rociomendez.com.

Gae Song, Assistant Stage Manager

Full Bio coming soon.

Tom Offer-Westort, Assistant Stage Manager

Full Bio coming soon.

Lulu Shen, Assistant Scenic Design

A structural engineer by trade, Lulu has enjoyed 1) using the other side of her brain for the Maids, 2) recognizing pink as a proper colour, 3) secretly drawing parallels between the unpredictability of theatre production and building construction. This is Lulu’s first New York production and she would like to thank Curious Frog for giving her the opportunity.

Renee Rodriguez, Producer

Full Bio coming soon.

Tara Clark, Associate Producer

Tara Clark joins The Maids production team with nearly ten years of production experience. She has worked as a producer on projects for various non-profits, including Autism Speaks, the Engine-911 Foundation, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and the American Diabetes Association. She currently works in digital media at MTV Networks, and is thrilled to be bringing her video production experience to the stage

Katie Rosin, Kampfire Films PR, Publicity

Katie Rosin/Kampfire PR was instrumental in the launch of the Broadway musical Brooklyn and the National Tour of Mother Load. She worked on the publicity team for the comedian, Jerry Seinfeld, and his movie Comedian. Off-Broadway highlights include: GLAAD Award Winner, She Like Girls, Ohio Theater; …Another Man’s Poison, Jay Sharp Theater; Swimming With The Polar Bears, 45 Bleecker Street; Glimpses of the Moon, Algonquin Hotel; NY IT Awards recipient Elizabeth Rex, Center Stage; Mother Load, Sage Theater; Wasps in Bed, Beckett Theater; Anaïs Nin: One Of Her Lives, Beckett Theater; Triple Threat: 2007 Drama Desk Nominee (mis)UNDERSTANDING MAMMY: The Hattie McDaniel Story, Theatre 5. Kampfire clients include: 3Graces Theatre Co., Astoria Performing Arts Center, Maieutic Theatre Awards, New York Innovative Theatre Awards, Nicu’s Spoon, and Planet Connections Theatre Festivity. www.kampfirefilmspr.com.