TL;DR Thelma Louise; Dyke Remix at Diversionary Theatre

Sophia Araujo-Johnson

is so excited to be making her Diversionary debut with this amazing new work. She is a San Diego native and has been performing in various productions at San Diego theme parks for the past eight years.

Sara Porkalob

is so excited to be back at Diversionary after having her San Diego premiere of her play, DRAGON MAMA, here last fall! She is a theater maker, cultural worker, and creator of the DRAGON CYCLE, a trilogy of matrilineal musicals about her Filipino-American, badass family. Awards and nominations include: 2023 San Diego Critics Circle Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play, 2021 Princess Grace Award Winner for Theater, Seattle Times 11 Movers and Shakers to Watch this Decade, 2019 nominee for Americans for the Arts Johnson Fellowship for Artists Transforming Communities, Seattle Magazine’s 2018's Most Influential People. Broadway: Edward Rutledge 1776. She’s a consultant with the City of Seattle and their Creative Strategies Initiative (CSI), a new City effort that uses arts- and culture-based approaches to build racial equity in non-arts policy areas like the environment, housing, workforce and community development. @sporkalob, www.saraporkalob.com

Steph LeHane

is beyond pumped to make their Diversionary debut in the world premiere of this incredible show! They began playing drums (along with guitar and bass) as a teen, and always seems to find their way back behind the kit in the undisclosed number of years since. Off-Broadway: With A Little Help…It’s John Belushi (Theatre 80 St. Marks). LA: Frozen Fluid (LGBT Center), Shame of Thrones: The Musical (Whitefire Theatre). Film: Bullets Over Antebellum. Steph would like to thank the entire Diversionary team, their friends, family, and wife Hannah. IG: @steph.lehane www.stephlehane.net

Faith Carrion

is thrilled to be back at Diversionary after playing “Pythio'' in Head Over Heels last spring! Their favorite credits include “Dromio of Ephesus'' in Comedy of Errors (The Old Globe), “Johnna” in August: Osage County (Backyard Renaissance), “Madame Thenardier” in Les Miserables (Haugh Performing Arts Center), and “Sour Kangaroo” in Seussical (Candlelight Pavilion). She is a teaching artist for The Old Globe and is currently writing an original musical as an ‘Artist in Residency’ with Blindspot Collective.

Lyric Boothe

Lyric is a New York State Native and moved to San Diego in 2019. She re-entered the theatre world in 2022 after a 10-year hiatus in which she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Music Therapy and began her career as a Music Therapist, supporting people with disabilities and those in end-of-life, through music. Some of her notable roles in San Diego include Kelly in The Mad Ones (Wildsong Productions), Justice Charlier in Rock of Ages (Wildsong Productions), Jessica/Amy in Ensemble: The Musical (Benjamin Monts Original), and Mimi and Joanne in Rent (Wildsong Productions). Find Lyric on social media @lyricmakesmusic on Instagram and @lyricontok and @lyricmakesmusic on TikTok.

MG Green

is a multi-racial, trans and non-binary performer, writer, storyteller, facilitator, public speaker, cultural strategist, energy healer and arts administrator. With a longstanding dedication to uplifting the stories of marginalized folx, they are thrilled to debut as a performer at Diversionary! They were recently seen as Aaron in Man and Moon (MOXIE Theatre) and was the keynote speaker for The Backsliding of Gender Rights in the U.S. Part II: Queer Resilience and Resistance at the University of San Diego Kroc School of Peace and Justice. Their short play Spectrum was recently featured in the Powers New Voices Festival at the Old Globe. In their earlier years, they co-created and performed in Epic Tales from the Land of Melanin (produced at Free Street Theatre, American Alliance for Theatre Education, and LTC Theatre for Young Audiences Sin Fronteras Festival). They also have performed in and produced devised work with Chicago-based companies that center arts education (Playmakers Laboratory), mental health awareness (Erasing the Distance), and sexual health education (For Youth Inquiry). At the heart of their practice is elevating stories of marginalized folks to increase empowerment and awareness.

EllaRose Chary

is a writer and advocate for inclusion in media. She likes telling stories with music and building community through artistic practice. She is a Richard Rodgers Award Winner, Drama League Nominee, Dramatists Guild Fellow, Ars Nova Uncharted resident, O’Neill NMTC Finalist/Incubator Resident, Rhinebeck Writers Retreat Triple R Resident, a New Georges Affiliated Artist and Jam Member, Relentless Award Honorable Mention, and recipient of the Anna Sosenko and multiple NAMT Frank Young Foundation grants. Diversionary Theater is producing the World Premiere of her musical TL;DR: THELMA LOUISE; DYKE REMIX in 2024. She has been a guest lecturer and production studio lead artist at Harvard University in the Theater, Dance and Media department. Her debut album, PLACE AND TIME was released in December 2021 and featured in “The Advocate.” She believes the future of theater is universal healthcare. www.ellarosechary.com

Brandon James Gwinn

is a Drama League nominated and Richard Rodgers Award and Bistro Award winning composer-lyricist, performer, pianist and producer, and Winner of the Broadway World Award for Best Piano Bar Entertainer. A LiveNation artist, Brandon opened for Trixie Mattel’s North American Tour and appears in MOVING PARTS on Netflix. Solo albums: BULLIT (Queer Global Arts Festival Winner) & NOT TOO LATE Music producer: TWO BIRDS & ONE STONE (Billboard #1) by Trixie Mattel, LOVE FOOL by Alexis Michelle for Broadway Records, PLACE & TIME. Theatre: THE SEANCE MACHINE (The Tank, Obie-Award) TL;DR. THELMA LOUISE; DYKE REMIX (Richard Rodgers Award, Rhinebeck Writer’s Retreat, UArts Polyphone Festival, O’Neill, NAMT), COTTON CANDY & COCAINE (Theatre C), QUEER.PEOPLE.TIME. (Catwalk Residency), MATCHMAKER MATCHMAKER, I’M WILLING TO SETTLE (A.R.T., NYMF) SMALL TOWN STORY (Village Originals, Seattle. World Premiere: American Theatre Group) Residencies: Ars Nova, Dramatists Guild Fellow, Roundabout Space Jam, Catwalk. Proud Recording Academy Grammy Voter, Local 802 AFM and ASCAP. MFA NYU’s Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. Represented by WME.www.brandonjamesgwinn.com @brandojamesmusic

Sherri Eden Barber

is a director, Artistic Director of Ricochet Collective, and Resident Director of Hamilton on the West Coast. Recent productions include Tiny Beautiful Things with Nia Vardalos (Pasadena Playhouse), To Let Go and Fall (Theater Latté Da), Esperanza Spalding’s Emily’s D+Evolution (Development on European Tour), Happily After Ever (Ricochet Collective – 59E59, Edinburgh Fringe), good friday (The Flea Theater), Only You Can Prevent Wildfires (Ricochet Collective – Teatro Circulo), Gordy Crashes (Ricochet Collective – IRT), Mr. Landing Takes A Fall (The Flea), Herman Kline’s Midlife Crisis (The Beckett), 24 Hour Plays on Broadway with Pablo Schreiber, Laverne Cox, and Melanie Griffith (American Airlines Theatre).

Erika R. Gamez

is a music director and keyboardist based in NYC. While in San Diego, Erika music directed productions of LITTLE WOMEN and MISS YOU LIKE HELL and conducted collegiate wind ensembles year-round. Erika was also music director for the La Jolla Playhouse WOW Festival performances of ALLEGORY. Erika wrapped their first national tour as MD/Key 1 for SUMMER: THE DONNA SUMMER MUSICAL in 2022. After a successful run as MD/Key 1 for ON YOUR FEET! at the Engeman Theater, she was brought in to rehearse the 2nd national tour of ON YOUR FEET! with director Luis Salgado and music supervisor Miami Sound Machine’s Clay Ostwald. Erika was recently Off-Broadway as Associate MD/Keys 2 for the musical adaptation of THE HARDER THEY COME at The Public. Since then, they have music directed AIDA with STAGES St. Louis, NEXT TO NORMAL at Greenbrier Valley Theater, and LIZZIE at TheaterWorks Hartford. MM Conducting, San Diego State University; BA Music Education, Fresno State. Erikargamez.com

Steven Leffue

is a San Diego-based sound designer and musician. He is a co-founder of the OBIE award-winning performance venue JACK (jackny.org), and serves as Director of the Americas Region for the International Computer Music Association (computermusic.org). In addition to local designs with East West Players, San Diego Opera, Cygnet Theater, and North Coast Repertory Theater, current projects are appearing at the Under the Radar Festival 2024 (NYC), ICMC 2024 (Seoul), and the Vienna Festwoche 2024. More info at www.stevenleffue.com.

Annelise Salazar

is a San Diego based Theatre and Festival Lighting Designer. Her past theater credits include, Irma Vep, The High Table, and Dragon Mama (Diversonary) Elsewhere: Clyde’s and Mother of the Maid (MOXIE); Desert Rock Garden, The Ferryman, The Roommate, And Singing in the Rain (New Village Arts Theatre); Water by the Spoonful (Cygnet Theatre, ALD) How the Grinch Stole Christmas (The Old Globe, ALD) Past worked at Old Globe Theatre, Bay Street Theatre, and Tuyo Theatre.Annelise invites you to check out her website to keep up with her past, current, and future projects: annelisesalazardesigns.

Colby Freel

is a lighting designer and storyteller with experience working in all spheres of lighting including plays, musicals, ballet, contemporary dance, concerts, and architecture. Colby's most recent projects include the 2022 Hemsley Lighting Internship, Design for Present Laughter at Cygnet Theatre and Cry It Out at MOXIE Theatre. Colby provides design and documentation services including drafting & technical documentation and client-facing previsulizations & renderings for all manner of theatrical productions.

Chanel Mahoney

is a costume designer and licensed cosmetologist based in San Diego. She is thrilled to be joining the Diversionary team with the production of TLDR. Credits include: Jane, wig design (Lambs Players Theatre), Mud Row, wig design (Cygnet Theatre), Seres (Opera NEO), La Calisto (Opera NEO), Marie and Rosetta (Cygnet Theatre).

Yi-Chien Lee

is a local set designer working among theatre and film. Credits include: On This Side of the World (East West Players), Sharon, The Little Fellow, Life Sucks, El Huracán, Water by the Spoonful, The Great Leap (Cygnet Theatre), The Great Leap (Center Rep), Future is Female (Flint Rep), King of the Yees (Sierra Madre Playhouse), The Great Khan (SD Rep), Eighty-Sixed, Girlfriend, A Kind of Weather, Monsters of the American Cinema (Diversionary), Mother of the Maid, The Pleasure Trials (Moxie), Proof, How I learned to Drive, October Night of Jonny Zero, (Backyard Renaissance), The Comedy of Error-globe for all (Old Globe). portfolio: yichienlee.com

Sierra

is a projections and lighting designer thrilled to be working on TL;DR. They hold a MFA in Theatrical Design and Technology from San Diego State University. Their previous work includes Ziggy, Stardust and Me (Projection Design, San Diego State University), Kaleidoscope (Lighting Design, the Jason Mraz Foundation), Children of Eden (Lighting Design, SDSU), Pleasure Trials (Lighting Design, MOXIE Theatre), Destiny of Desire (Assistant Lighting Designer, The Old Globe), Ride (Assistant Lighting Designer, The Old Globe) and Don Giovanni (Assistant Lighting Design, San Diego Opera). Portfolio: www.sierradesigns.co

Leah Osterman

is a theater director, designer, writer, and artist. After 6 years as a special education performing arts teacher in her native Baltimore, she moved to San Diego for the sun and queer community and quickly found that at Diversionary. They hold a master’s degree in special education from Notre Dame of Maryland University and a bachelor’s in Theatre Arts from Yale University. She has worked on projects with Diversionary, Coronado Playhouse, Heartbeat Opera, The Orchard Project, Baltimore Center Stage, and the Moscow Art Theater School. Leah will be directing Coronado Playhouse’s production of Sweeney Todd this coming October.