Garrett Davis is a dynamic percussionist and educator whose performances span concert halls, theaters, and major venues across the country. A graduate of Temple University (M.M.) and Rowan University (B.M.), Garrett has studied under renowned artists including Rolando Morales-Matos and Chris Deviney. He has brought his artistry to the stages of Symphony in C, the Philadelphia Wind Symphony, Delaware Theatre Company, People’s Light, and The Arden Theatre, with appearances at the Kimmel Center and The Met Philadelphia. Garrett’s passion for music education is equally profound — he serves on staff with the Rowan University Marching Band, United Percussion, and has led masterclasses nationwide. His work has been recognized with honors such as the Steve Weiss Memorial Scholarship and the Dean Emeritus Helen Laird Tribute Award. A proud member of the Percussive Arts Society, Garrett continues to champion the powerful voice of percussion wherever the stage calls.

Jamison is excited to be back at Theatre Horizon, having last acted in WHITE. Most recently, Jamison just closed Dial M For Murder at Act II Playhouse. He was worked as an actor in Philadelphia, DC, Baltimore and New York for the last 15 years. He has also worked as an acting professor for the last 5 years. This performance is dedicated to three peoples: his current students at Arcadia University, his former students at UArts, and to the memory of his late grandma, Lenora.

Dr. Nicole Fassold-Harabaru is a violinist and violist specializing in musical theater and opera. She has performed with Arden Theater Company in Philadelphia, Media Theater, Opera Louisiane in Louisiana, and plays/subs for many regional theater companies from Philadelphia to New York. Nicole has also held contracts with Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra and plays with several orchestras throughout Pennsylvania. Her great love has always been pit orchestra and is delighted to be performing viola in Penelope. Nicole currently lives in New York City with her husband and music loving toddler.

Rachel Massey is a violinist, violist, and occasional actor-musician based out of the Philadelphia area. As a classical musician, Rachel performs with orchestras such as the Allentown, Reading, and Bay Atlantic Symphonies and as a regular guest artist at Helena, Billings, and Bozeman Symphonies in Montana. She has been seen on stage at Delaware Theatre Company (Barrymore Award for Outstanding Ensemble, Man of La Mancha), Arden Theatre Company (Barrymore Nominee for Outstanding Ensemble, Indecent), People’s Light (Shakespeare in Love), and Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival/Joe’s Pub’s performances of Penelope.

Alex Bechtel is a composer, actor, sound designer, writer, director, teaching artist, and multi-instrumentalist. Recent work includes: Music & Lyrics for Lightning Rod Special’s The Appointment (NYTimes, Vulture, TimeOut NY “Best of 2019” lists), People’s Light & Theatre Company’s Alice in Wonderland: A Musical Panto, Shakespeare in Love: the Play and Sleeping Beauty: A Musical Panto, Arden Theatre Company’s The Light Princess and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival’s Two Gents, Henry V, Taming of the Shrew, As You Like It, Midsummer, Much Ado and Twelfth Night. Bechtel is a graduate of The Pig Iron School (Inaugural Class, 2013) and The University of the Arts (BFA 2008). He has received Barrymore Awards for Outstanding Music Direction, Outstanding Ensemble of a Musical, Outstanding Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical, and Outstanding Original Music. In 2015, he was awarded an Independence Fellowship in the Arts to engage in a one-on-one creative intensive with Kentucky-based New Music composer Rachel Grimes on new approaches to the use of music in theatre. Bechtel is the creator/composer of The West, Philadelphia Nocturne, and Cheer Up, Dostoevsky. His music has been featured on NPR’s ‘Newsworks’ on WHYY, and in many short films and web series. His new musical, Penelope, a collaboration with performer Grace McLean and director Eva Steinmetz, has received productions at Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival and Signature Theatre in D.C.

Eva Steinmetz is a Philadelphia-based theater director, filmmaker, and educator, creating new works that straddle the ordinary and extraordinary. Most notably she directed and co-wrote The Appointment with Lightning Rod Special, a musical satire that skewers the absurdity and hypocrisy of the American abortion debate (two-time NY Times Critic’s Pick; Time Out NY critics Pick; 6 Barrymore Nominations, including Best Director). Over the last decade, Eva has directed and co-created more than a dozen new works including Poor Judge (Pig Iron), Penelope“(Alex Bechtel & Grace McLean), Sad Boys in Harpy Land (Alexandra Tatarsky), Art Houses (Theatre Horizon), Hart Island Requiem (Polyphone Festival), and ReEnactment (Brett Ashley Robinson). Her short film Marina (2024) stars Grace McLean and Succession’s Peter Friedman. Eva was also a performer/creator in Josephine Decker’s acclaimed film, Madeline’s Madeline. As Artistic Producer for the Pig Iron Theater Company, Eva is developing Digital, Film, & Interactive performances, and piloting educational and workshop-based initiatives.

Called “electrifying” by The Huffington Post and “phenomenal” by The New York Times, Grace McLean is a multi-hyphenate actress-singer-writer-teacher. In addition to performing on Broadway (Suffs; Bad Cinderella; Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812) and Off (New Group, MCC, LCT3, Public, La MaMa, Vineyard, among others), Grace also makes time for her acclaimed original music. With an artistry that combines Regina Spektor’s quirkiness, Nellie McKay’s jazz sensibilities, Fiona Apple’s cutting introspection, Kimbra’s sass, and Merrill Garbus of tUnE-yArDs’ rhythm, McLean adds up to one beautiful weirdo. Manhattan User’s Guide writes, “this pop and jazz singer writes seriously infectious melodies with seriously antic lyrics. Her voice can raise the roof, or she can slide off a note and break your heart,” and Stephen Holden of The New York Times says “Ms. McLean’s voice [is] a flexible instrument with unexpected reserves of power…Behind her playful adventurousness lies a well of passion.”
Grace’s first original musical, IN THE GREEN, was commissioned and produced by Lincoln Center Theater, and earned a Richard Rodgers Award for writing and a Lucille Lortel Award for her performance. She received a Vivace Award in 2023, a Jonathan Larson Grant in 2021, and is a Broadway Women’s Fund Woman to Watch. Grace is the 2017 recipient of the Hunt Family Emerging Artist Award through Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and her band headlined the Lincoln Center American Songbook in both 2015 and 2016. The band toured Pakistan as artistic ambassadors with the US State Department in 2015, and Grace traveled to Russia again with the State Department in 2018. She was a headlining performer and vocal instructor at the SingStrong a cappella festivals in DC and Chicago in 2014 and again in New York in 2020, and she continues to teach voice privately in New York.
Grace has taught classes at NYU, The New School, Northwestern, UNCC, Orange County School of the Arts, and New York Youth Symphony, among others. In New York, you can find her band at Joe’s Pub, 54 Below, Rockwood Music Hall, Ars Nova (where she developed the interactive concert experience Grace McLean: Lives in Concert), and the Museum of the American Indian, where they performed as part of a panel discussion on storytelling for The Economist’s 2012 Ideas Summit. As a solo-performer, Grace has been seen at Lincoln Center, New York City Center, The McKittrick, BAM, the ACE Hotel (where she collaborates with The Dance Cartel’s show OnTheFloor), and numerous other venues both uptown and downtown. She is also a frequent contributor to Obie-winning investigative theater company The Civilians’ cabaret series Let Me Ascertain You.
McLean has developed work at SPACE on Ryder Farm, The Orchard Project, The O’Neill, Johnny Mercer Writers’ Colony at Goodspeed, The PiTCH, CAP21, The Civilians R&D Group, and MacDowell. The original cast recording for IN THE GREEN is available on Ghostlight Records. Grace released her first full length album My Lovely Enemy to critical acclaim, and her EPs Natural Disaster and Make Me Breakfast are streaming now.

Justin Yoder works in theater as a musician, performer, and music director. Regional: Theatre Horizon, Delaware Theatre Company (Barrymore Award for Outstanding Supporting Performance, Man of La Mancha), Pig Iron, Fulton Theatre, People’s Light (Barrymore Award for Outstanding Musical Direction, A Christmas Carol), Passage Theatre Company, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Delaware Shakespeare, Arden Theatre Company, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, Delaware REP. Training: M.M. in cello performance (Temple University). Teaching: The Haverford Conservatory. Outside theater, Justin performs as a professional cellist with various ensembles throughout the region and is a member of the newly-formed Gryphon Quartet. An active studio musician, his playing is heard on the soundtracks to Rebel Ridge, I Saw the TV Glow, Night Stalker, and numerous other films and series from major distributors. Justin also conducts the Parkinsingers Choir, a Philadelphia-based community choir for people living with Parkinson’s Disease.

You-Shin Chen is a USA-based Taiwanese scenic designer. As a theatre collaborator, she is committed to diversity and humanity. You-Shin centers humans, both the characters and the viewers, and their experiences in her process of creating a three-dimensional space. Her design works have been seen across the continental US and Europe. Recipient of the 2019 Daryl Roth Creative Spirit Award at The Lilly Awards; Outstanding Scenic Design at the Lortel Awards: Mrs. Murray’s Menagerie (2020) & Wolf Play (2023); Connecticut Critics Circle Awards: Walden (2022), A View From the Bridge (2024). Her recent designs in the Philadelphia region: Nosejob (Lightning Rod Special), True West (People’s Light), Today’s My Birthday (TheatreExile). Assistant professor at Muhlenberg College. USA829.www.youshinchen.com.

Thom Weaver Off-Broadway: Sandra (Vineyard), The Total Bent (Public), Kingdom Come (Roundabout), Exit Strategy (Primary Stages), King Hedley II, How I Learned What I Learned, The Liquid Plain (Signature Theatre Company); Teller’s Play Dead (The Players Theater). Regional: Huntington, Arden, Wilma (Associate Artist), Philadelphia Theatre Company, Alley, Alliance, Milwaukee Rep, Chicago Shakespeare, Getty, Children’s Theatre Company, Cleveland Play House, Portland Center Stage, Folger Theatre, Asolo Rep, Round House, Hangar, CenterStage, California Shakespeare Theater, Syracuse Stage, Berkshire Theatre Festival, Williamstown, Spoleto, Lincoln Center Festival, and Yale Repertory Theatre, as well as numerous designs with Pilobolus. Awards: two Jeff Awards, Helen Hayes Award, six Barrymore Awards and two AUDELCO Awards. Education: Carnegie Mellon and Yale. He is a member of Wingspace Theatrical Design and Co-Founder of Die-Cast.

Nikki Delhomme is excited to make Philadelphia home after many years in NYC. Recent Philly Projects: Poor Judge at Pig Iron, Other Orbits for Applied Mechanics, and costume/scenic for Spiritual Experience. Regional: Bedlam Theatre Ensemble, Santa Cruz Shakespeare, Arden Theatre, Barrington Stage, People’s Light, Trinity Repertory, Yale Repertory, Disney’s REDCAT, CalArts University, Shakespeare Theatre NJ, LA Theatre Center, and Princeton; amongst many others. Film/Tv assistance: True Blood, Party Down, etc. MFA Yale, BFA Carnegie Mellon, USA829. www.NikkiDelhomme.com.

Damien Figueras is a 7-time Barrymore-nominated designer. Recent credits include: Party Face (Off-Broadway, NY City Center), Intimate Apparel (Arden Theatre Company), Beehive (Walnut Street Theatre), Peter and the Starcatcher (Delaware Theatre Company), Lovesong (Inis Nua Theatre), The Play That Goes Wrong (1812 Productions), a hit dog will holler (Azuka Theatre), Kiss (Wilma Theatre), tick, tick…BOOM! (Theatre Horizon), Rose: You Are Who You Eat (Bearded Ladies Cabaret). In addition to his design work, Damien is the Production Manager for Wolf Performing Arts Center and is a founding member of Apartment 20 Theatre. As always, he would like to dedicate his work to the memory of his mother. www.dfigueras.comwww.dfigueras.com

Randi Alexis Hickey is a Philadelphia-based stage manager, director, and self-producer. She makes new musicals with her company, Apartment 20, and is passionate about creating safe, exciting, and challenging spaces for artists to create. She also runs her own pet sitting business, Randi Sits. Recent credits include: Nosejob (Lightning Rod Special), Broccoli, Roosevelt, and Mr. House (Theatre Horizon), tick, tick…BOOM! (Theatre Horizon), One Man Nutcracker (Chris Davis) The Drag (EgoPo Classic Theatre). www.randialexishickey.com

D Cousineau is thrilled to be making their debut at Theatre Horizon! A Philadelphia native, she grew up around Theater and is more than happy to join the team. They have a B.A. in Creative Writing from Lesley University, and hopes to one day finally finish their novel. 

Heather Pynne is a Philadelphia-based lighting professional who enjoys design, support, and implementation of lighting for performances of all kinds. She would like to thank her partner Chris for all his support.

AJ Bloomfield is a Philly-based designer, technician, and producer who is excited to make his first appearance with Theatre Horizon. AJ is a generalist, taking pride in being able to serve whatever needs a production may have. When he is not freelancing, AJ is working on his car, tinkering with random projects, or working on his next production for his company, The Lemonade Stand. Recent credits include Intimate Apparel (Arden Theatre Company), Catholic Guilt (Edinburgh Fringe, US Tour), Girlfails (The Lemonade Stand), and As You Like It (Shakespeare in Clark Park).

Philadelphia Scenic Works is a fully outfitted theatrical scene shop, paint space, and props shop that provides high-quality, affordable scenic and props fabrication, storage, and build space. PSW serves the Philadelphia region’s robust community of non-profit theatre companies and other cultural and educational organizations by maintaining the highest artistic standards, while embracing a more sustainable future through shared pools of recycled, reused, and repurposed stock and resources. To learn more, please visit philadelphiascenicworks.org/

A leading Shakespeare festival with an emerging national reputation for excellence, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival is a professional theatre company on the campus of DeSales University.
Each summer, PSF produces a season of Shakespeare and other classics, musical theatre, and children’s theatre. About an hour north of Philadelphia and less than two hours from Manhattan, PSF is summer home to over 200 artists from around the country, including winners and nominees of the Tony, Obie, Emmy, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Jefferson, and Barrymore awards. Every year 40,000-50,000 patrons attend PSF from 30+ states – over 1,000,000 patrons from 50 states and many countries since 1992.

Theatre Horizon’s mission is to use the transformative power of storytelling to foster empathy and to create an inclusive home for artists, audiences, and students alike. We stage stories that illuminate the full range of human experience, bring people together, connect students with theatre artists, and contribute to the revitalization of our diverse and underserved community in Norristown, Pennsylvania. 

Founded in 2005 by Erin Reilly and Matthew Decker, Theatre Horizon has become an award-winning leader in the arts ecosystem across Montgomery County, Philadelphia region, and the country. In October 2012 we completed a $1 million capital campaign and opened our permanent home: a 123-seat blackbox theatre in the heart of Norristown’s Arts Hill District. Since moving to our new home, our services have attracted over 45,000 people to Norristown, making us an anchor of revitalization to the downtown area. Through our artistic productions, education programs, and community investment initiatives, Theatre Horizon is invested in the people of Norristown. Through our community-centric approach, we build long-term, sustainable relationships with Norristown community members by inviting them to become active participants in the artmaking and decision-making, instead of merely spectators. 

Matthew Decker is the co-founder of Theatre Horizon with Erin Reilly, where his directing credits include The Few, A New Brain, Lobby Hero, Into the Woods, Circle Mirror Transformation, and Spring Awakening. For eight seasons he served as the Associate Artistic Director of the Arden Theatre Company where he directed Cabaret, Annie Baker’s John, Gale Childs Daly’s adaptation of Great Expectations, Incorruptible, The Stinky Cheese Man, and Greg Banks’ adaptations of The Jungle Book (world premiere), Pinocchio, and Robin Hood. Other credits include the world premiere of the musical Minors at Lantern Theater Company, Rounding Third at Cardinal Stage, She Loves Me at Villanova University, Sondheim’s Company at 11th Hour, and American Idiot at the University of the Arts. He is currently co-writing the Broadway adaptation of Damien Chazelle’s film La La Land with Ayad Akhtar, and the world premiere of Wishing to Grow Up Brightly with Amanda Morton. Matthew is a three-time Barrymore Award winner for directing and a graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. 

Mydera Taliah Robinson (Executive Director) (she/her) is a writer, visual artist, educator, and TEDx speaker. As the founder of SpeakMeFree Productions, Mydera Taliah has curated events and programming for a wide range of audiences.

Mydera Taliah has made it her mission to help others find confidence in their being through the freedom of expression.

Ricki Gever Eisenstein is absolutely thrilled to be a part of the Theatre Horizon community. She has a professional background in non-profit management and development, as well as an academic background in dramatic literature and higher education administration. She proudly serves as Board President of Pig Iron Theatre Company and School. Ricki was born and raised in the Philadelphia area, married a Philadelphian, and has 3 very Philly kids (who are growing up and spreading their wings). In her free time, Ricki can be found most often at the theatre, the cinema, the tennis court, Fairmount Park, or watching Philly sports, preferably with family and friends.

Zoë Gilmore is a Philadelphia-based theater artist, administrator, stage manager, and audio engineer. Past credits include: Nosejob (Assistant Stage Manager), Carmilla (Stage Manager), PlayPenn (Stage Manager), tick, tick…BOOM! (Assistant Audio Engineer). She is so excited to work with such wonderful people at a wonderful place!

Tess Mathewson is a Philadelphia-based theatre artist who specializes in production and stage management. Winner of the Dr. George B. McDowell Award for Excellence in Theater, Tess holds a BA in Theatre from Goucher College, where she studied performance, directing, design, and stage management. Tess is currently working towards earning her MA in Theatre from Villanova University. She has previously worked with companies such as PlayPenn, Die-Cast, Delaware Shakespeare, and EgoPo Classic Theater.

Dawn Loveland Navarro moved to the Philadelphia area from Connecticut, where she was the Director of Education at Playhouse on Park. She created, oversaw, and taught programs that served approximately 4,000 students per year. In addition to being a theatre educator, Dawn is also a director and a stage manager. Recent Playhouse on Park directing credits include Proof, Oleanna, The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek, and Red Light Winter; plus shows for young audiences including Busytown, Goodnight Moon, Go, Dog. Go!, and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Dawn has stage managed over 30 productions at regional theatres. She was a directing assistant at Berkshire Theatre Festival and traveled to Florida Studio Theatre for theatre education professional development. Dawn is a graduate of Middlebury College.  

Jonathan Harper Schlieman is a theatremaker and educator interested in creating art that feels like a party (but like one you’d actually want to go to). His work has been seen at FringeArts, New York Fringe, The PIT, The Mint, La Mama, The O’Neill Theater Center, Actors Theater of Louisville, and others. He is the Artistic Producer of Shakespeare On Tap, a clown/Shakespeare company. He is thrilled to serve as the Director of Marketing & Communications at Theatre Horizon in Norristown, PA. MFA: Pig Iron/UArts. BA: Hunter College. Alumnus of The American Academy of Dramatic Arts and the National Theatre Institute – Advanced Directors program.

Seraina Schottland is a Philadelphia-based songwriter, playwright, vocalist, actor, and educator passionate about increasing theatre education accessibility and fostering students’ mental, emotional, and physical well-being.
She previously worked as the Curriculum Developer and Resident Teaching Artist for Walnut Street Theatre’s Adopt-A-School Program where she taught social-emotional development through arts engagement and helped expand the program to reach more schools in the Philadelphia community.
As a multifaceted artist, Seraina has performed in theatrical productions and major music festivals across the U.S. and internationally with regional appearances at People’s Light, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia Fringe Festival and more. She is also a co-founder of Id Circo Theatre Group.
She holds a degree in psychology and cognitive neuroscience from George Washington University and is also an alumna of Walnut Street Theatre’s Education Apprenticeship and the Berklee College of Music Performance Program, where she was recognized as one of the top songwriters.
Seraina is honored to continue her work at Theatre Horizon as their Education Manager, cultivating spaces where young people discover their voice through artistic expression and confidently share it within their community.

Josh Totora is an actor/musician/composer/improvisor in the Philadelphia and New York areas. Select performance credits include: Theatre Horizon’s 20th Anniversary Cabaret (Theatre Horizon) Peter and the Starcatcher and Man of La Mancha (Delaware Theater Co.), Once (Arden Theatre Co.), It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play (Walnut Street Theatre). As a composer, Josh’s works have been featured nationally and internationally. Josh is also a member of NY-based improv team No Duds, an up and coming filmmaker, and member of folk/bluegrass trio The Nimble Cats. For Amanda and Parker. www.joshtotora.com

Gilberto Vega is a queer Costa Rican-American and a creator, educator, and administrator for music, theatre, and—most recently—stand-up comedy.
A proud “Pennsylrican” originally hailing from Lancaster, PA, his recent theatre credits include: Dramaturg for Gente del sol (PlayPenn); Director for Mozart’s The Magic Flute (Penn Singers Light Opera Company); Dramaturg for TOWN and The Agitators (Theatre Horizon); Asst. Director/ASL Coach for The Wiz (Theatre in the X); Playwright for Miley Vs. Mozart: An Epic Poperatic Smackdown as part of The Vs. Series (Theatre Contra); and Audio Describer at Arden Theatre Company (12 productions!).
As a stand-up comedian, Gilberto has performed at Souletri, Blatinx Night at Sawubona Creativity Project, and Your Sunday Best at Plays & Players. His writing has appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer, Bonaly Reviews, Revarte, La Vida, and Motivos Magazine.
Gilberto is deeply committed to a more equitable, diverse, inclusive, and accessible arts community. He is involved in EDIA work with: Theatre Philadelphia; Theatre Horizon; Platt Student Performing Arts House; and the University of Pennsylvania Glee Club, which recently made the transition to a gender-inclusive choir after 159 years as an all-male ensemble. Gilberto serves on the Board of Directors for Theatre Philadelphia, Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia, and Philadelphia Cultural Fund.
Gilberto has curated classes, workshops, and performance opportunities—in both English and Spanish—for youth and adults across the Philadelphia region, where he has connected students with theatre and music leaders, including: Mandy Gonzalez (In the Heights, Hamilton); David Charles Abell (Les Miserables 10th and 25th Anniversary Concerts); Erlina Ortiz & Robi Hager (Siluetas); Todd Ellison; Byron Stripling; and Luis Figueroa.
Gilberto was a Micro-Resident Artist at the Painted Bride Arts Center and a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a recipient of the Wallace Award through Platt Student Performing Arts House.

Eliza Waterman started her work at Theatre Horizon as ASM/Covid Compliance Officer for TOWN in 2022 and is so excited to be back working with all the wonderful people here at Theatre Horizon, now as Artistic Associate. Eliza is also an actor, theater artist, and teaching artist based in Philadelphia. She has had the pleasure of acting and collaborating with a variety of other theater companies, including Fever Dream Repertory, The Strides Collective, Delaware Shakespeare Company, Allen’s Lane Theater, The Arden Theatre Company, and Theatre Contra. All the gratitude and love to friends, family, and Dana for the endless support.

Bryan Buttler specializes in bringing unique public relations and marketing solutions to a variety of arts and entertainment organizations. Some of his current and past clients include PlayPenn, LiveConnections, Theater with a View, Juniper Productions, The Committee of Seventy’s Voices of Voting, plus the world premiere productions of Amanda Palmer’s JIB and In My Body. Bryan is also a former journalist whose work has appeared in Philadelphia Magazine, OUT, NewNowNext, Billy Penn, and more. Bryan has taught mass communication and writing courses for over ten years at a number of regional colleges, and lives in Philadelphia. Find out more at bryanbuttlermediarelations.com.

Andrew Davis is an enthusiastic arts and culture booster and avid attendee of theatre. Born in Cincinnati, OH, and raised in central New Jersey, he is based in Washington, DC. Andrew has worked for more than a decade promoting patron outreach, subscription sales, and development for Quintessence Theatre Group, Theater J, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater, and Studio Theatre. Earlier in his career, he served in production and station services for National Public Radio, and various roles in the public and private sectors promoting economic development in the District of Columbia. Andrew is a graduate of American University with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations.

Daniel Kontz is a designer from London, England, who creates sights and sounds for clients in the theatre industry and beyond. www.danielkontzdesign.com