Meet the Directors...
Meet the Directors...
Annika Prager (they/them)
Director for: The Interrobangers by M Sloth Levine
Annika is an Oakland born NYC-based queer non-binary Theatre Director, Artistic Producer, and Teaching Artist. Recently they have directed Dance Nation, La Casa de Bernarda Alba, Metamorphoses, and Fuck Off Julia; and assistant directed Mother Courage and anOTHER. Annika works to amplify and center the voices of queer artists, female artists, and artists of color by emphasizing the deconstruction of hierarchy through the reconstruction of brave spaces. They seek to counter the hetero-, white-, cis-, male- centered, hegemonic narratives in theatre by collaborating with artists who’s work has historically been forcibly excluded from artistic spaces. annikaprager.com
Harley Harris (they/them)
Director for: High in a Tower by Nic A. Sommerfeld
Harley Harris is a junior BA Theatre and Performance major at Oklahoma City University. Their latest directing credit is Ophelia Underwater (OCU 2020), and they have recently worked as a co-sound designer on The Revolutionists (OCU 2021). They are extremely excited to direct for Trans TheatreFest and would like to thank the wonderful people running the festival, their cast and team for putting on a great show, as well as their friends for supporting them!
Maisha Khan (she/her)
Director for: The Devils Between Us by Sharifa Yasmin
Maisha Khan is an emerging director from Bangladesh and is very excited to be a part of this incredible production! She got her BA in Theatre from Randolph-Macon College in 2020 and has directed for Women’s Theatre Festival’s Occupy the Stage.
Sophie Sam (she/her)
Director for: The Question Game by Ashley Lauren Rogers
Sophie Sam is a Midwest based director currently attending Northern Michigan University. She is an alumna of the National Theater Institute, as part of the Theatermakers Summer Intensive program(2020). She notably directed a virtual staging of Crystal Skillman’s, with Party Claw Productions in October 2020, touted by Time Out New York as one of the best pieces of live theatre to see that week. Most recently, Sophie has directed the World Premiere of an devised piece, an/(one’s) ivory tower in February 2021at Northern Michigan University. An actress occasionally, you can catch her in the award winning web-series Northbound, currently in production for its third season on seeka.tv. www.sophie-sam.com
Sy Bedrick (they/them)
Director for: GenderTalks by Orion Risk
Sy is a special effects artist, director, and producer. Recently, with queer theater group, Water House Collective, Sy has produced two seasons of experimental queer play festivals. In the September 2020 virtual festival, they also edited, directed, and built puppets for some of the digital plays. Their sfx work spans from music videos, to Off Broadway musicals, to short and feature length films, as well as television. They hold a BFA in directing from the Tisch School of the Arts, (NYU) and a certificate in Mastery of Make-up Artistry from The Makeup Designory. Their directing work can be viewed on waterhousecollective.com and their sfx on fairyeffects.com
Victoria Zepeda (they/them)
Director for: The Brunch Crowd by Dillion Yruegas
Victoria Yvette Zepeda is a multidisciplinary, Mexican theatre artist from the borderlands of San Diego, CA. They are a UC Irvine Alum (Honors in Drama, 2019) whose career has driven them to elevate narratives that uplift the Latinx & Queer communities. Previously, they were the Artistic Director for Brown Bag Theater Company (UCI) from 2016-2019. Currently, they are an ensemble member for the following companies: Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble in Santa Ana, CA and Amigos del REP of San Diego Repertory Theater. As they continue to navigate their professional career and question the erasure of QTBIPOC artists, they would agree with Victory Garden’s former Artistic Director Chay Yew when he states, “…you need to break that […] table down and build your own.” Their most recent credits include: Producer of Staged Stories: The Live Streamed Series Episodes #1-7 (Breath of Fire), Assistant Director of American Mariachi (José Cruz Gonzalez, South Coast Rep), Director of Culture Clash in AmeriCCa (UCI), Mitra’s Suitcase (Yasaman Madadi, Frida Kahlo Theater 10-Minute Play Festival 2020), Bad Hombres, Good Wives (Herbert Siguenza, UCI), and Xicanas in Xicanalandia (Shanelle Darlene, Frida Kahlo Theater 10-Minute Play Festival 2019).