Program – Hungry Ghost

SKYLIGHT THEATRE COMPANY provides storytellers from diverse backgrounds with access to opportunities and support they need to produce plays and grow. Skylight was recognized as "a leader in play development" by the LA Times in 2020 and a "powerhouse of new play development" by Dramatist Magazine in 2014. Theater companies across Los Angeles and the country have produced plays developed at Skylight. Since 2017, two Skylight world premieres have been produced Off Broadway and a third, Bronco Billy – The Musical, is premiering on London's West End in January 2024. Over the years, our productions have won awards such as the Ovation Award, LA Drama Critics Circle Award, Stage Raw Award, and the prestigous Steinberg/ATCA New Play Citation.

GARY GROSSMAN (Producer, Producing Artistic Director) is the recipient of Stage Raw's 2016 Career Achievement Award and the inaugural Henry Ong Award for Leadership in the Los Angeles Theatre Community. His career began in New York, owning two theaters and a theatrical lighting company by the age of 23. Gary worked at the Public Theatre, Café La Mama, and Sheraton Square Playhouse before joining Los Angeles’ emerging theatre movement in the 70's. Producing over 300 stage plays and more than 65 world premieres, some of his celebrated productions are Rotterdam (3 LADCC Awards including Best Production and 2 Stage Raw Awards - performed at CTG’s Kirk Douglas Theatre in 2019), World Premieres of Church & State (Off-Broadway 2017, over 50+ national productions), The Wrong Man (Off-Broadway 2019, 14 New York Award nominations, 3 Ovation Awards), Bronco Billy – The Musical (2 Ovation Awards), Dontrell Who Kissed the Sea (Steinberg/National Theatre Critics Citation with Lower Depth Ensemble), El Grande CIRCUS de Coca- Cola, Obama-ology, Pray To Ball (Ovation Award), Years to the Day, Hermetically Sealed, Bullrusher, Mad Women (LA Weekly Award), AIDS/ US Portraits In Courage, America Adjacent, The Madres, Hostage, Never Is Now, and the 2020 L.A. Times Critics Choice West Adams among others.

ARMANDO HUIPE (Executive Director) is the executive director of Skylight Theatre Company. Prior to working with Skylight, he served as producer for the national Latinx Theatre Commons, a flagship program of HowlRound Theatre Commons at Emerson College, where he led organizing efforts for the visibility and capitalization of Latinx theaters across the country. He has also worked with companies such as REDCAT, Center Theatre Group, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the LA Phil, Latino Theater Company, Yale Cabaret, and United States Artists. He earned an MFA in Theater Management from Yale School of Drama and a BA in English Literature from UCLA.

TYREE MARSHALL (Associate Producer, Beyond Conversation Coordinator) is an Actor and Producer originally from New Jersey. Tyree had studied dance for 16 years when she discovered acting when she was in high school. She would then go on to study at California Institute of The Arts where she earned her BFA in Acting and a certificate from the British American Dramatic Academy in Oxford with Yale School of Drama. Tyree has since been pursuing in an acting career in Los Angeles with her latest theater credits including Love Is Another Country (Coin&Ghost), Gone (Inkwell), and #Becklandiscancelled (IAMA). As a producer, Tyree is currently an Artistic Associate of Play Development at Skylight Theatre Company. You can also catch her on episode 7 of "Bosch: Legacy on Freevee." 

CEDES SIFUENTES (Production Manager) is the production manager and management associate at Skylight Theatre. She graduated from California State University of Northridge with her Bachelor’s in Theatre Arts. Starting as an intern, she was brought onto staff and worked as the assistant stage manager. Some of her credits include Skylight’s productions of, A Hit Dog Will Holler, Apartment Living, and Lavender Men. She loves her theatre family and is very thankful to be a part of this company. 

BENJAMIN RAWLS (Technical Director) is the NEW Technical Director at Skylight Theatre! An actor and creative himself, he is so excited to be able to help the immensely talented performers, designers, and staff here at Skylight realize they’re technical vision for the work they care so much about. He is also the Head Sound Engineer and Dark Night Producer for Loft Ensemble Theatre Co in North Hollywood. Enjoy the show!

YURI OKAHANA-BENSON (Scenic Design) is a scenographer based in Los Angeles, CA. Originally from Tokyo, Japan, she has been working both nationally and internationally. Her work has also been shown in a book SCENE SHIFT : US Set Designers In Conversation, published from Routledge.  Recent theatrical design credit includes; Sense and Sensibility at Costa Mesa Playhouse, SMILE at IAMA Theater Company, The Curious Incident of a Dog in the Nighttime at Saddleback College, and many more. She also has been teaching and mentoring both BFA and MFA students at various universities around the greater L.A. area. MFA in Scenic Design from CSULB. More info available at www.yuriokahana.com and IG @11URI30.

BRANDON BARUCH (Lighting Design) is an Ovation Award-winning lighting designer specializing in theater, opera, dance, and immersive performance. His design work has been seen at Center Theatre Group (Mark Taper Forum and Kirk Douglas Theatre), The Wallis, El Portal Theatre, REDCAT, The Ford Amphitheatre, Getty Villa, 5 Star Theatricals, Long Beach Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, Chicago Opera Theater, Apollo Theater Chicago, New York City Center, Jerry Orbach Theatre and across Southern California, regionally, internationally, and off-Broadway. Every summer, Brandon designs Liquid Light Flight, a sustainable, solar-powered trapeze and aerial arts festival at Wild Arts Collective in New Paltz, NY. www.brandonbaruch.com

NICHOLAS SANTIAGO (Video Design) has worked for numerous universities and theatre companies around Los Angeles including the Pasadena Playhouse (Ham), Skylight Theatre (Church & State, Obama Ology), Rogue Machine (A Permanent Image), USC (Trojan Women, On the Town), The Chance Theatre (Big Fish, American Idiot), The Road Theatre (Nowhere on the Border, A Delicate Ship), LA LGBT Center (The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life Revisited, Menstruation), and the Fountain Theatre (Arrival & Departure, The Cost of Living). He has received numerous awards including a LA Drama Critic’s Circle award for his work on Rogue Machine’s A Permanent image, an Ovation Award win for his work on The Fountain Theatre's production of The Cost of Living, and an OCTG and Stage Raw Award for his production of American Idiot at The Chance Theatre. www.nsantiagodesign.com

JOSEPH "SLOE" SLAWINSKI (Sound Design) is a multi-award winning sound designer. He has designed a multitude of productions including God Looked Away with Judith Light and Al Pacino, Redemption of a Dogg with Snoop Dogg and Hungry Ghost, the wonderful production you are here to see. He would like to thank the incredible and amazing Gabrieal Griego for her continuous support during all of his creative endeavors. He is proud to be part of this great production.

SEAN CAWELTI (Illusion Design) is a creative director, puppet/video designer and creator of immersive and site-specific experiences. They are the founding Artistic Director of Rogue Artists Ensemble and has received awards for design and direction including the UNIMA Citation of Excellence and Center Theater Group’s Sherwood Award. Sean has designed puppets, masks, props and video for theater, music videos, museums, concerts and arena tours. Sean is a member of USA829. www.seancawelti.com

MORGAN REBANE (Illusion Design) is an award winning designer, fabricator, and puppeteer based in LA. His film Portable won first place at the LA 48hr Puppet Film Festival 2021. Morgan received an LA STAGE Alliance Ovation honor in Puppetry Design for Kaidan Project (Rogue Artists Ensemble co-produced with East West Players). Morgan has also created and designed work for Netflix, Cartoon Network, Story Pirates, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Long Beach Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, South Coast Repertory, and Cornerstone Theater Company. MorganRebane.com

MYLETTE NORA (Costume Design) is an Ovation Award and NAACP Theatre Award recipient for best costumes, listed in the honors edition of The Cambridge Registry of Who’s Who Among Executive and Professional Women, works world wide consists of television, film, video and stage, and was seen nightly on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and now You Bet Your Life with Jay Leno and Kevin Eubanks, and weekly on Jay Leno's Garage. The famed artist Synthia St. James noted Mylette as being the inspiration for her world renowned painting  Ensemble which graced the cover of the best selling novel Waiting To Exhale by Terry McMillan. Mylette's designer lines are, doggie wear, FromTheHeartDoggieWear.com, heirloom dolls, My Mind's Eye, and now face mask by, Mylette!

CARLY DW BONES (Intimacy Director) is a theatre director, intimacy director/coordinator, sex educator, community facilitator and thespomancer. She works as a freelance intimacy director and educator in the Los Angeles area for theatre companies (A Noise Within, Antaeus, Boston Court, Coeurage, Coin & Ghost, EST LA, Ghost Road, Hero, IAMA, The Road, Skylight, StarKid) and university theatre programs (Cal Lutheran, CSULA, Occidental, UCLA, USC, Pomona). Carly created and directed at the feminist theatre ensemble, The Illyrian Players, from 2011-2019. They have also directed for: Coin & Ghost, The Echo, EST LA, Inkwell Theater, Rogue Artists Ensemble, The Vagrancy. Connect: carlydwbones@gmail.com

ARIANA MICHEL (Stage Manager) is a proud theatre graduate from Cal Poly Pomona and after being in New York for Manhattan Theater’s stage management fellowship program, she is thrilled to be stage managing another show with Jessica Hanna as she was the first director Ariana worked with as a student stage manager. Selected theatre credits include Mobile Unit’s Comedy of Errors at The Public NYC, Summer 1976 (MTC), Let Me Down Easy (CPP), and Polaroid Stories (CPP). Ariana is blessed to be surrounded with positive creative energies and wants to empower young women of color to take on more leadership roles.

VICTORIA HOFFMAN (Casting Director) Resident CD at Rogue Machine Theatre. Recent Credits include Come Get Maggie & On The Other Hand We're Happy (LADCC Winner Best production); For the Love of a Glove at The Carl Sagan & Ann Druyan Theater; Kiss of the Spider Woman at A Noise Within; Curious Incident at Greenway Court; Judas Kiss& Streetcar for Boston Court.  Film projects include the AFI Thesis films Zenaida (LAAPFF Official Selection) and The Fishmonger; Dog Lover at the DTLA Film Festival (among many). Currently Manager of Casting at the AFI Conservatory. Acting credits include Julius Weezer for the Troubies and TV pop ups in Abbot Elementary and The Shrink Next Door. www.victoriahoffman.com  @VicHoffmanLA