Director

Johamy Morales (she/her) is an award-winning director and a 25 year veteran of Theatre for Young Audiences dedicated to producing new works, community engagement and social justice through the arts. Johamy currently serves as the Associate Artistic Director for Seattle Children's Theatre (SCT) and a Board Member for Red Eagle Soaring. She served on SCT’s Artistic Advisors Circle, Reimagine: New Plays by BIPOC in TYA advisor, and as a Trustee for Theatre Communication Group (TCG) where she advised on the Rising Leaders of Color program and TCG’s Education Conference for four consecutive years. Johamy has worked with various schools, nonprofit organizations, and the US State Department, both nationally and internationally. Johamy holds an MFA in acting from The Ohio State University, with a specialization in devising new works, and a BA in Theatre from San Diego State University.

Matthew Opatrny (he/him) is a theatre, television, and podcast writer whose work celebrates differences and elevates kindness, thoughtfulness, and emotional intelligence. His plays have performed primarily in New York City and on international tours, receiving multiple NY Innovative Theatre Awards and First Prize at the Secondo Theatre Festival (Switzerland). He wrote eight episodes of DreamWorks’ “Not Quite Narwhal” (Netflix) and is head writer of “Daisy Bees” (YouTube). Matthew is visually impaired, a regular meditator, and owes much of who he is to the sea turtles of Costa Rica. This play was written for his daughter, Evelyn.

Matthew D. McCarren (he/him) is a freelance scenographer specializing in designs for black box, thrust, and found spaces. Matthew currently serves as the Resident Scenic Designer and Technical Director for Cleveland Opera Theatre, and as the scene shop supervisor and adjunct faculty for Cornish College of the Arts as well as Seattle University. Nationally, Matt’s designs have been featured at Mile Square Theatre, Actors Episcopal Guild NYC, Helen Mills Theatre NYC, 59E59 NYC, Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival, Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, P45 Theatre Co., Thingamajig Theatre Co, Cleveland Opera Theatre, Theatre Alliance D.C., ArtsWest and Seattle Children’s Theatre. Matthew holds an MFA in Design with an emphasis in Czech/Eastern European design from The Ohio State University and has studied in the Czech Republic with scenographers Petr Matsek and Jaroslav Malina.

Jazmin Aurora Medina (she/her/ella) is a Xicana, queer interdisciplinary artist with a focus in costume, hair/make-up design, and the power of empathetic transformation and storytelling through her practice. Previous design credits include Luchadora! (Seattle Children's Theatre), Carmela Full of Wishes (Seattle Children's Theatre), The Lizard y El Sol (Goodman Theatre) and assistant to recent Emmy winning artist Machine Dazzle for Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil (Goodman Theatre). Jazmin also previously received the honor of being selected as one of thirty-four US young emerging costume designers; for the 2019 Prague Quadrennial for Eurydice (UW-Waukesha). Check jazminaurora.com for more.

Amiya Brown (she/her) is a Scenic, Lighting, and Production Designer and a Visual Artist based in Seattle, WA. She holds an MFA in Theatrical Lighting Design from the University of Washington. With a focus on devised storytelling and site-specific productions, Amiya's work has been showcased in 25 states and 6 countries. In 2019, she received a Gregory Award recognizing her as Outstanding Lighting Designer for Village Theatre’s production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. Currently, she shares her expertise and passion for the arts as an Assistant Teaching Professor of Scenography at Seattle University.

Natalie Mayo (she/her) comes from a small town in Texas. After graduating from Texas Tech University with a Bachelor's degree in Theatre and a minor in Music, Natalie spent time in various jobs in Colorado, New Mexico, Wisconsin, and on the road. She has experience in stage management, audio engineering, safety, and production management. She returned to Texas Tech in 2023 as the Facilities Manager for the School of Theatre and Dance. Natalie's most recent sound design was Luchadora! here at Seattle Children’s Theatre last season. Natalie is very excited to be back working with the team here at SCT.

Arnold Bueso (he/him) a Honduran born designer, has created scenery, costumes, lighting, projections, and performance media both nationally and overseas for theater and industries like opera, museum exhibits, fashion, art installation, immersive theater, and film. On Broadway, he assisted on Curtains and Young Frankenstein, and he has collaborated with Off-Broadway companies like The Brooklyn Ballet, StudioEIS, Izquierdo Studios, FringeNYC, Soho Rep, 2ndStage, Fashion Week, Performa, and many others. Regional work includes design residencies for various companies in SoFla, UT, OH, and CA. Internationally, his work has traveled to Prague, Warsaw, the UK, Puerto Rico, and the U.A.E. For 17 years, he has taught design and technology courses in NYC, South Florida, and CA and is currently professor of design at CSU Los Angeles. You may view his work at www.arnoldbueso.com.

Liz (she/her) is a Seattle-local stage manager and theatre artist who grew up attending shows at Seattle Children's Theatre. She is so pleased to return to it as Stage Manager. Previous SCT credits include The Lamp Is The Moon, Carmela Full of Wishes, and last year's Luchadora. Other stage management and backstage credits include As You Like It, The Winter's Tale, Mr. Dickens and His Carol, The Tempest (Seattle Rep), The Lehman Trilogy, POTUS (ACT), Drum & Colours, Twelfth Night (Seattle Shakespeare Company), Afterwords (5th Avenue Theatre), 14/48 Projects, and others.

Nicola Krause (she/her) is a graduate from Seattle University, where she studied Theatre and Anthropology. This is Nicola's first production with Seattle Children's Theatre. Notable productions she's been a part of include ASM, Becoming Dr. Ruth (Village Theatre), PA, Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood (Village Theatre), SM, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Book-It Repertory Theatre), ASM, Solaris (Book-It Repertory Theatre) and most recently ASM, My Lord, What a Night (Taproot Theatre). She would like to thank her family and friends for their unconditional support that enabled her to be a part of wonderful productions such as this one!