Meet the Casts of UTNT (UT New Theatre) 2026

UTNT (UT New Theatre) showcases exciting new work by graduate playwrights, giving audiences the chance to witness the future of theatre right here at The University of Texas at Austin. This year’s “new plays for the new normal” invite audience members to engage with a tale of extinction and mourning, exercises in stillness, a satirical Senate floor and an exploration of migration and memory. Meet the casts and creative teams of UT Theatre and Dance students who are bringing these stories to life.

Alexandra Bassiakou Shaw is serving as Producing Artistic Director for UTNT (UT New Theatre), with Nicole Chacko and Laura Soares taking on the roles of Co-Production Managers and Valeria Blanco Perez serving as Associate Production Manager.

UTNT (UT NEW THEATRE) 2026 INCLUDES:

VULTURINE

When a prickly Old man demands a sky burial – an ancient ritual in which vultures consume the dead – his estranged son Small Fry accompanies him to a faraway land to see it through. But when they discover that only two vultures remain on Earth, the funeral arrangements spiral into a visceral, personal, diabolical reckoning with extinction. Written by Matt Thekkethala and directed by Sunghyun Lim, Vulturine features actors Adelaide Fairbanks (Store Manager), Zoey Gonzales (Sampati), Katelyn Quintanilla (Jatayu), Carlise Rosa (Old Man) and Bethany Willis (Small Fry).

The creative team includes Juno Adair (Assistant Scenic Designer), Brittney Barton (Scenic Designer), Sarah Jean Elliot (Lighting Designer),  Aaron Flynn (Props Designer), Amanda Geyer (Costume Designer), Andy Grapko (Intimacy Director), Reagan Miller (Assistant Stage Manager), Jose Salcido (Technical Director), Robin Schuler (Stage Manager) and Kira Small (Assistant Director).

ORDINARY TIME

When a member of their community disappears, an order of Benedictine monks is forced to reckon with their conceptions of loyalty, identity, justice and Godliness. Ordinary Time is a durational, experiential performance that asks us to weigh the costs and benefits of silence. Written and with music composition by Kaia L and directed by Julia Kreutzer, Ordinary Time features actors Ben Barclay (Brother Jude), Auden Beauvois (Father Matthias), Connor Burk (Father Abbott), Connor Davis (Father Nicholas), Caleb Goodwin (Brother Andrew), Channing Grace (Brother Paul), Aidan Halat (Brother Francis), André Lira (Brother James), Diego Rodriguez (Brother Thomas), Khalia Sacko (Brother John), Zachary Williams (The Archbishop) and Matt Thekkethala (Audiobook Narrator).

The creative team includes Georgia Beckmann (Assistant Director), Eleanor Bird (Assistant Stage Manager), Scott Bussey (Technical Director), Edgardo Cruz (Assistant Lighting Designer),  Gala Demarin (Assistant Scenic Designer), Valeria Nuñez Estrada (Assistant Scenic Designer), Lisa Laratta (Scenic Designer), Jacqueline Mai (Stage Manager), Hannah Nelson (Dramaturg/Music Director), David Olivares (Sound Designer), Rain Snyder (Lighting Designer) and Lindsey Thurston (Costume Designer).

DIET OF WORMS

Diet of Worms presents a satirical look into an emergency session of The United States Congress in which senators try frantically to address a 487 quadrillion dollar deficit before midnight. Written by Nick Hart and directed by Rodolfo Robles Cruz, Diet of Worms features actors Durrell Anderson (The Senator from Maryland), Haddon Britt (The Senator from Michigan), Frida Castro (The Senator from New Mexico), Emma Dodds (The Senator from West Virginia), Ella Eavenson (The Senator from Connecticut), Ava Grottis (The Senator from Alaska), Zoë Hampton (The Senator from Kansas), Shaya Harris (The Senator from Kentucky), Jimena Herrera (The Senator from Oregon), George Johannson (The Senator from Nevada), Isaiah Jones (The Senator from Washington), Jarell Kearney (The Senator from Colorado), Jade Lang (The Senator from Vermont), Eli Leva (The Senator from Montana), Roman Losa (The Lobbyist), Mackenzie Moberly (The Senator from Arkansas), Keren Sofia Ortega (The Senator from Florida), Keaton Perro (The Senator from New Jersey), Blake Persyn (The Senator from Mississippi), Manuela De Pontes (The Senator from Idaho), Preston Powe (The Senator from Illinois), Ericka Pugliese (The Senator from Texas), Jason Robalino (The Senator from Alabama), Erin Simpson (The Senator from Nebraska), Neely Stalcup (The Senator from California), Erick Vargas (The Senator from Wisconsin), Fred Wara (Jeremy the Intern) and Pennylou Zimmerman (The Senator from Ohio).

The creative team includes Scott Bussey (Technical Director), Edgardo Cruz (Assistant Lighting Designer), Valeria Nuñez Estrada (Assistant Scenic Designer), Taylor Foster (Assistant Stage Manager), Alisa Irvin (Stage Manager), Lisa Laratta (Scenic Designer), Elias Merlo (Sound Designer), Evelyn Paniagua (Assistant Director), Rain Snyder (Lighting Designer), Aaron Sullivan (Dramaturg) and Lindsey Thurston (Costume Designer).

A TALE FOR HOME

On an island far from America, complicated realities take root and uproot one another: An immortal rabbit speaks from the past. A girl digs beneath a mulberry tree. A returning American brings a gift that unsettles the ground. Through myth, memory and migration, the island remembers—and refuses to forget. Written, directed and sound designed by Chih-Ching Chester Tsai, A Tale for Home features actors Lucky Cantu (Mimi the Rabbit), Keiny Cantu (Ant 5/The Fisherman), Timmy Huynh (Ant 2/Joseph), Abby Joe (Ant 1/Ann), Meera Laskar (Ant 4/The Fisherman’s Daughter), Mackenzie Mann (May), Oyin Ojomo (Lynn) and Analee Tinajero (Ant 3/The Queen Ant).

The creative team includes Juno Adair (Assistant Scenic Designer), Brittney Barton (Scenic Designer), Nia Brondo (Assistant Sound Designer), Manami (Ally) Dolley (Stage Manager), Sarah Jean Elliot (Lighting Designer), Eliot Fisher (Projection Designer), Oyin Ojomo (Dramaturg), Jose Salcido (Technical Director), Ava Settoon (Costume Designer), Sophie Steinhauser (Assistant Director), Bonnie May Trippensee (Assistant Stage Manager) and Hans Tsai (Composer).