Bird House

Kate Marks (Playwright): As a playwright Kate has collaborated with director Heidi Handelsman on her plays, A Chicken Goes to Broadway (2008 Samuel French Off-off Broadway One Act Festival) and Flyers and Other Tales (Heels Hit First Productions: Midtown International Theatre Festival). Additionally Kate wrote and directed I-95 South, (The American Living Room Series: HERE) and Ark (The Looking Glass Theatre). She was commissioned to write and direct a bilingual adaptation of The Odyssey for The Baracken Theatre in Germany. Odyssey was produced again at The Looking Glass Theatre in the spring of 2007. She participated in the Untitled Theatre Company’s 24-7 festival where she wrote The Patriots which went on to be directed by Bird House producer Tzip Kaplan at The Looking Glass Forum. Kate’s screenplays include Mouse Hole, Jumped, and Wanted. Additionally, Kate works as a director and filmmaker.  She teaches theatre in the Bronx and is a graduate of Brown University where she received honors in playwriting. (www.katemarks.net.)

Heidi Handelsman (Director): Heidi has directed new plays by Lisa Dillman, Kara Lee Corthron, Kate Marks, and many others, at such venues as Manhattan Theatre Source, Youngblood/EST, and The Midtown Festival.  Last summer, she directed Kate Marks’ A Chicken Goes to Broadway and Jennifer Brown’s Muffin in the Samuel French Festival.  She directed Mary Brigit Poppleton is Writing a Memoir in the 2007 New York International Fringe Festival, which went on to perform in the Fringe Encore Series.  Heidi is a New Georges affiliated artist, and a member of the First Look Theatre Company at NYU, the Reactionary Directors at Epiphany Theater Company, and the Lit Wing at the Lark Play  Development  Center . Heidi curates and hosts The Potluck (a play-reading series) from her living room (myspace.com/potluckplays).

Sara C. Walsh (Set Design): Sara hearts BIRD HOUSE.  Past favorite collaborations include the bird with Michael Rau,  Canary with Rachel Chavkin, 24×4x4 in Movement Research’s 2008 Festival and Do Not Do This Ever Again video design with Jeff Larson, Karinne Keithley and Maria Goyanes at the Ice Factory.  Assisting credits include Spring Awakening (Christine Jones) and Angela’s Mixtape (Clint Ramos).   Current projects include a re-design of the Bronx Zoo Children’s Zoo Theatre Space, and Evanston: A Rare Comedy with Michael Rau and Michael Crowley at PS 122 and HERE Arts Center this summer.  Oh, and she’s having a baby.  www.saracwalsh.com

Rebecca M. K. Makus (Lighting Designer): Rebecca has designed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Sibiu International Theatre Festival in Romania and hasworked extensively in New York City.  She is the Resident Lighting Designer for Proto-type, Inc. which is based in Lancaster, UK. Recently she was a Guest Artist at the University of Rochester’s International Theatre Program.

Alex Koch (Projections Designer): Alex directs, designs, and edits installation work utilizing video. Projections design on Broadway; Irena’s Vow. Off-Broadway; ReWrite, The Blue Bird, The Oxford Roof Climber’s Rebellion (Urban Stages), House of the Spirits (Repertorio Espanol), #9 (Waterwell), Hades/Pluto_Aspect(Zena Group). Also design and technical work with New Georges at 3LD, Big Art Group, The Shalimar, and Royal Family Productions. His work was seen at the National Arts Club in 2008. www.alexkochdesign.com

Andy Toad (Puppet Designer): Andy Jordan received his MFA with an emphasis in sculpture from the Cranbrook Academy of Art and his BFA in Fine Arts (also minoring in Media Studies) from the Columbus College of Art and Design.  Andy has developed his own work through performance, fashion shows, and photography.  While in New York Andy has focused on scenic and costume design freelancing for various projects in theatre, dance, and performance art. Andy has learned much while working with Izquierdo Studio, a costume-design, prop shop doing sculptural costume work. There he′s done projects for The Metropolitan Opera, Broadway, Marc Jacobs, Victoria’s Secret, Wes Craven, Madonna, Heidi Klum, Ralph Lauren, and Julie Taymor among others. Andy has recently made work for choreographers Christopher Williams and Glen Rumsey, the Pointillism Jazz Consort company, designer David Quinn and the film maker Mike Olenick. He enjoys on and off collaborations with designers Rebekah Allen and  Kristin Costa. www.andytoad.com

Jessica Pabst (Costume Design): Previous designs include: Rag, Fur, Blood, Bone (Tribecca Performing Arts), That Pretty Pretty or the Rape Play (Rattlestick), Love/Stories, or But You Will Get Used to it (The Flea) Twelfth Night (Neo Classical Ensemble), Crawl Fade into White (13P), Vendetta Crumb, Quail  (Clubbed Thumb) Camino Real, The Great God Brown, Uncle Vanya (Columbia University) 12 Ophelias, Blood Wedding, Never the Sinner (Woodshed Collective-Collective Member) Dysphoria (St. Marks Ontological). B.F.A New York University, Tisch School of the Arts.

Quentin Chiappetta (Original Music and Sound Design): recently made his Broadway debut with Irena’s Vow starring Tovah Feldshuh.  Winner of 2 Innovative Theater Awards for Dan Gordon’s Murder in the First. TV: “The First 48,” “Dallas SWAT,” “Extreme Evidence” and many others. Over 100 film credits, with premieres at all major international festivals. Commissions from Meet the Composer and American Music Center.  www.medianoise.com

Mariah MacCarthy (Assistant Director): is a San Diego-bred playwright, director, rock star, and Jill of all trades.  Writing credits: A Man of His Word (Playwrights Project at the Old Globe), Dismemberment (Players Theater), After the Tower (Inbred Hybrid Collective), The All-American Genderf*ck Cabaret (workshop, INTAR).  Directing credits: Reading with Friends, Cate Blanchett Wants to Be My Friend on Facebook (Rapscallion Theatre Collective), The Woods (Channel Z Productions), What the Hell (Evil Eye Productions).  Proud Skidmore graduate.  Thank you Heidi!