Dragons Love Tacos show runs for 55 minutes.
Great for ALL AGES!!
DIRECTOR'S NOTE:
On opening night of The Secret Garden, when Lily announced in the curtain speech that this was our next show, a small child in the audience yelled, “I love dragons!” Then, perfectly on cue, another young voice responded from across the room “and I love TACOS!” Well, kids, you have excellent taste. I too love dragons and tacos! The enthusiasm of our community and affection for Adam Rubin’s delightful books made taking on this fiery script by Ernie Nolan feel charged with excitement. Even more thrilling has been the complete buy-in by the cast and creative team. We came into this project with one goal in mind: maximum comedy! Yes, this script has a lovely message about not giving up when challenges arise but more so, for me as an artist, this show is about embracing silliness and joy for the benefit of others – something I sorely missed during these past few pandemic years. Every step of this process, from auditions to opening, folks brought their full care and attention. Everyone contributed so fully – the best ideas in this show were not mine but those of the actors, designers and volunteers who helped pull this production together. For that, I struggle to express the depth of my gratitude. In a world full of “no”, we got to spend the last month saying “yes!” to each other’s ideas, strategically planning an “exaltation of lettuce”, flaming taco mountains, and testing the structural integrity of a “pantload of tacos.” Now it is our extreme pleasure to share this work with you. Thank you so much for coming to see us! May it make you giggle with the authentic joy of childhood, no matter how old you are.
– Kate Arvin
CAST:
Xander Wheeler, a Boy
Sara Hoberecht, Leroy, a dog
Ben Matthews, Man in Suit
Audrey Spinazola, Red Dragon
Meg Rosenberg, Yellow Dragon
Ejay Amor, Blue Dragon
Stephani Hemness, White Dragon
CREATIVE CREW:
Lily Raabe, Producer
Kate Arvin, Director
Anya Guadamuz, Stage Manager
Bonnie Reese, Light Operator
Jill Carter, Set & Graphic Designer
Eowyn Latham Grubbs, Costume Designer
Teal Farías, Sound Designer
Natalie Coblentz, Lighting Designer
Erin Chanfrau, Properties Designer
Lori Cambell, Assistant Scenic Designer
Austen Anderson, Video Filming and Editing
David Nowitz, Scenic Engineer
Crow, Electrician
Special Thanks to:
Construction Helpers:
Scenic Painters:
Sara Hoberecht
Nicole Hoberecht
Ashlen Hodge
Sam Jarrett
Sarah Jewell
Keith Jewell
Laurie O’Brien
Sara St. Clair
Noelle Turk
Angel Ramirez
Raphael Vengas
Nora Walsh
Ariana Wheeler
Jessica Wheeler
Xander Wheeler
CAST BIO'S:
Xander Wheeler - Boy
Xander is a 3rd grader at Olympia Community School, where he played the part of a toy soldier The Nutcracker during Kindergarten. Xander has been a fan of Dragons Love Tacos for years and is excited to play the part of the boy in his first OFT production. When not acting, Xander plays baseball, participates in the 4-H dog project, builds amazing Lego creations, and draws imaginative creatures.
Sara Hoberecht - Leroy the Dog
Sara (17) is currently a junior at Steilacoom High School. She started her acting career at the age of 11 here at OFT. She has performed in multiple after school and summer programs, her two favorite characters were the “March Hare” in Alice in Wonderland, and “Piglet” in the Main Stage show Winnie the Pooh. She is very excited to be on stage once again doing what she loves.
Ben Matthews - Man in Suit
Ben is returning to the stage after a long hiatus. His last part was Bruce in SPSCC’s Fun Home. Previously, he was exclusively working with OFT from a pit member in Bunnicula, to backstage work in James and the Giant Peach, and multiple parts in the original run of Cinderedna. In his (scant) free time, he enjoys spending time with his family, playing bass in his rarely seen band A New Confusion, Microscopy, and designing and 3D printing things.
Ejay Amor - Blue Dragon
Ejay Amor’s most recent work includes playing Macbeth in Greenstage Seattle Shakespeare Company’s 2022 production of Macbeth, as well as Claudio in Much Ado about Nothing. Amor is recognized by the Kennedy Center as a national semi-finalist in both playwriting and acting in 2022.
Stephani Hemness - White Dragon
This is Stephani’s first production with Olympia Family Theater, and she is so happy to be here. Her background in early childhood education introduced her to this fabulous story, and she is excited for the chance to perform one of her favorite children’s books. On stage, Stephani has also performed with Animal Fire Theater and at Olympia Little Theater. Off stage, she also loves taco parties, costume parties, and little tiny parties with charades!
Meg Rosenberg - Yellow Dragon
Meg Rosenberg (she/they) works at the local community oral history and storytelling nonprofit, Window Seat Media, as the community weaver, where they get to run their dream youth centered theater program, Brave Practice Playback Theater Collective. In 2016, Meg was cast as Charlotte in Olympia Family Theater’s production of Charlotte’s Web. Since then, OFT has become family. Favorite projects include playing Green Dog in Go, Dog, Go, and directing the Alphabetastics. Meg has been a member of the Heartsparkle Players Playback Theatre company since 2017. Meg holds a BA in Theatre Arts from Kalamazoo College (Kalamazoo, MI) and an MPA in organizational development and social change from The Evergreen State College (Olmypia, WA). Thank you to Kate and the Dragons team for making this process a pure spicy slice of joy! Shout out to my partner, Chaney, and our fur-ocious menagerie of pets.
Audrey Spinazola - Red Dragon
Like most of us, Audrey Spinazola is super cool and can do lots of things. After graduating from The Clown Conservatory in 2008 and a second physical theater conservatory program in 2009, she has been creating, performing, and coaching circus and theater non-stop. New to the area, she is thrilled to make her Olympia debut as Red Dragon with OFT and excited to be a part of the amazing arts community here. In her spare time she enjoys being upside down, paddling around in her canoe, and learning how to garden.
CREWS BIO'S:
Kate Arvin - Director
After 15 years of surviving the professional theater industry, 12 US tours with groups such as The Havana Cuba All Stars, Ballet Folclorico Nacional de Mexico, Taj Express and The Russian National Ballet Theater, and regional gigs galore, Kate is THRILLED to make a permanent home here in Olympia as OFT’s Deputy Director. She’s deeply grateful for this opportunity to pour her artistic and comedic skill into directing this show as well. She thanks the cast and creative team, her partner Jordan and all the volunteers who helped bring it to glorious, hilarious, fruition.
Lori Campbell - Assistant Scenic Designer
Lori lives in Olympia but her extended family lives in Austin, TX. It can get pretty hot over there, so in 2016 she ended up moving to Olympia, to work for the State. She is very glad to be in this part of the country and considers the Pacific Northwest her home. When not at work, Lori loves to paint bright floral and seascape acrylics with extra color and energy. She enjoys travel and taking photographs for new paintings. Check out her website here.
“Thank you for coming to this OFT show! I appreciate the opportunity to create fantastic, whimsical creatures and sets for the Olympia Family Theater and look forward to working with all the talented artists here on more productions in the future.” – Lori
Jill Carter - Scenic Designer
Jill is delighted to be OFT’s Resident Designer. She has decades of experience in scenic, lighting, and projection designs, for a variety of theaters in the Pacific NW. Some of her favorite OFT designs include Corduroy, Cinder Edna, Orphan Train, BusyTown, The Wind in the Willows, and Fishnapped!.
Erin Manza Chanfrau - Prop Designer
Erin Manza Chanfrau has been designing, directing, painting, and acting in the greater Puget Sound region for the last twenty-five years. She has designed for Tacoma Opera, Tacoma Little Theatre. Dukesbay, and The Lakewood Playhouse, and others. She also worked on the Minecraft Exhibit at Seattle’s MoPOP. Erin has freelanced as a graphic designer for over 10 years. No tacos were harmed in the making of this production.
Natalie Coblentz - Lighting Designer
Natalie Coblentz (They/ Them) is a Queer Latinx immersive sculpture artist with many mixed media talents. You may find their art lighting installations scattered around town. If you can catch them to sit down for a moment, you’ll find they love to collaborate as equals and build large projects. Natalie is huge into skill trade and loves to continuously learn.
Eowyn Elleveve - Costume Designer
Eowyn Elleveve is a queer, disabled artist, designer, maker, and dreamer who lives and works in Olympia, WA. Eowyn has been sewing since she had the manual dexterity to hold a needle and has been making things with textiles for over 35 years! Working with predominantly reclaimed materials, Eowyn has run a successful upcycled clothing business since 2012, along with creating textile and fiber art in a variety of styles and techniques. As a member of the South Salish Mighty Masks group, she made over 2000 cloth masks during the spring of 2020 to distribute to community members. In her spare time, Eowyn is a mom, a gardener, a disability rights activist, a baker, and a gamer. This is her first time designing for a theatre production, and she has had a blast!
Teal Farías - Sound Designer
Mexican queer dancer and community organizer that lives for pleasure activism and building community through dance. Moved to Olympia almost 5 years ago from Mérida, Yucatán, México, searching for a big chance and when I arrived, realized there was not much dancing and decided to pursue music as DJ Siempre Bruja and play intercultural Latinx beats in the PNW. Uses dance and performance arts as a canvas for social justice work. Teal believes that a community that dances together, stays together.
Anya Guadamuz - Stage Manager
Anya Guadamuz (they/them) is thrilled to join the Dragon’s Love Tacos team as Stage Manager. Until now, Anya has been involved with OFT as a Teaching Artist, who enjoys bringing a musical flair to all their work. A recent graduate of WSU’s School of Music and former technical crew member, Anya is excited to work in technical theater again and make magic happen behind the curtains. This role is Anya’s first try at Stage Managing, and they have loved working with the cast + crew to put on an incredible show for all ages! Outside of OFT, Anya enjoys spending their time as a consulting Astrologer, playing with their border collie Poco, and just vibing with their best buddies.
Bonnie Reese - Light Board Operator
Bonnie is a student at SPSCC. She took theater classes through high school and is continuing them with her college courses. She had the pleasure of working on productions at SPSCC as a Production Assistant on The Thanksgiving Play and the Lead Assistant Stage Manager to Jordanna Averett on The Secret Garden. In her daily life, she is a mother and supports her children as they participate in schools and community activities. She is a cheer mom for her daughter Aliya, who cheers for The Black Hills Wolves with TCYFL and for her son Ayden who is a leader for multiple teams at Black Hills High School and who has also had the pleasure of learning about Theater at OFT in their Theater summer camps. She is always their number one fan cheering them on in everything they do, reminding them they can do anything they put their minds to and still shows off pictures of their successes with a giant grin! She loves singing, paranormal stories, travel and absolutely loves to learn and meet new people.
David Nowitz - Scenic Engineer
David is happiest tinkering around in his scene shop coming up with imaginative ways to make things. Recent favorite engineering challenges for Olympia Family Theater include building an escalator for Corduroy, making a recycling machine with working wooden gears for Cinder Edna, making an under bed and over bed/jungle gym in The Monster Under the Bed, making a ski slope for A Year with Frog and Toad, and making a bed fall through a ceiling in Mercy Watson to the Rescue. Also, for Open Road Productions, David made an underwater/ overwater transforming touring set for The Incredible Undersea Trial of Joseph P. Lawnboy, and for Ballet Northwest, a candy cane throne.
Bud @ $1,000 & Up!!
Kate Arvin
Elizabeth Gross
Linda & Ronald Moon
David & Jane Nowitz
Diana & Stephen Purvine
Paul Shepherd
Sara Thiessen
Seedling @ $200 - $999
Parfait Bassale
Daniel Berschauer
Gwen Bodeutsch
Chelsea Buchanan
Samantha Chandler
Erin Chanfrau
Megan Christopher
Deborah Edden
Evan Ferber
Katrina Groen
Alan Hardcastle
Karen Janowitz
Carolee Johnson
Bonnie Kavanaugh
Nancy Keeran
Abigail Kelso
Kelly Leonard
Richelle Little
Tom Lockhart
Vicki Lovegren
Stephen Lykins
Heather Matthews
Nicole Miller
Judith Moxley
Alexis Sarah
Jessica Shook
Kathy Strauss
Tracy Thomas
Sprout @ $100 - $199
Andrea Bichsel
Edsonya Charles
Stephanie Claire
Kathy Dorgan
Beth Dubey
Matthew Ferrel
Irina Gendelman
Marygrace Goddu
Rye Ives
Carol Jenner
John Linderman
R. Bruce & Gayle Magee
Rachelle Martin
Ellen Matheny
Alan Mountjoy-Venning
Donna Myers
Laurie O’Brien
Katie Russell
Andrea Severson
Michael Stapleton
Helen Tafejian
Morgan Taylor
Jonnita Thompson
Meredith Trejo
Cathy Wasserman
Melissa Young
Root @ $55-99
Janet Boyle
Jessica Chacon
Bonnie Cotton
Carolyn Fry
Andrew Gordon
Marcia Haggerty
Kathryn Hamilton
Adriane Herring
Rosalind Herrington-Moxon
Sarah Huntington
Ellie Jackson
Stephanie Johnson
Julie Kinn
L.M. Attea & Lauren Love
Robin McPherson
Melissa Meade
Suzanne Metzger
Jennifer Miller
Robbn MIller
Paula Moore
Sabrena Neff
Doreese Norman
Debby & Bob Pattin
Wang Rebecca
Jennifer Singleton
Emily Walsh
Laura Woodworth
Seed @ $49
Stephan Adams
Storrs Albertson
Kristina Alnajjar
Carmen Ambrose
Stacy Babb
Bitsy ‘Patricia’ Bidwell
Ben Blank
Marissa Rivera Bolaños
Katherine Bond
James Bryam
Kyle Burke
Christian Caravsjal
Lindsey Carman
Heather Caruso
Yahui Chi
Eva Coblentz
Howard Coblentz
Chelsea Cooperhear
Haley Crew
Joyce Deshaye
Karen Dingmon
Leah Dobey
Gail Douglas
Merry Ehlers
Joni Farris
Logan Fenner
Jessica Frierson
Molly Gilmore
Kay Hansen
Elizabeth/Richard Hauser
Elizabeth Heidinger
Margo Hoffman
Jennu Jenkins
Helia Johnston
Keri Kellerman
Leah Kosik
Kaylea Kuhlman
Karen Kuhlman
Emily Leobell
Rachel ManKenna
Devin Marcus
Sarah McGovern
Sierra McWilliams
Celeste Morgan
Amy Nelson
Judith Olmstead
Jennifer Personius
Christine Romero
Tora Saeger
Maija Sandberg
Amy Stolz
Quasar Suprise
Lisa Sushman
Jennifer Todd
Leeann Tourillott
Christine Tran
Meg Turk
Elain Vradenburgh
Nora Walsh
Lauren Wells
Kayleigh Wynn
*Denotes monthly donors/Combined Fund Drive donors.
ORGANIZATION CREDITS:
OFT Staff
Artistic Director
Lily Raabe
Deputy Director
Kate Arvin
Education Director
Rachel Carlson
Communications Director
Natalie Coblentz
Operations Coordinator
Angel Ramirez
Box Office Staff
Tracy Thomas
Scenic Engineer
David Nowitz
Resident Designer
Jill Carter
Company-in-Residence
String & Shadow
Volunteer Bookkeeper
Diana Purvine
OFT Board of Directors
Executive Committee:
Samantha Chandler
Sara Thiessen
Annie Severson
Mike Taylor
Members at Large:
Jonnita Thompson
Lauren Love
Edsonya Charles
Doreese Norman
Nicole Miller
