Dragons Love Tacos

Creative Team

Director

Matthew Olsen

Choreographer
Zsofi Eastvold

Dramaturg

Kate Warmka

Assistant Dramaturg

Kimberly Hodgman

Scenic Designer

Elyssa Munch

Properties Coordinator

Scott Boyle

Costume Designers

Caitlin Quinn
Emmalyn Danielson

Makeup Designer

Lou Divine

Lighting Designer

Jacob Steen

Sound Designer

B Kelly

Stage Manager

Katy Lacy

Assistant Stage Managers

Kian Arnold
Emma Wylie

Technical Director

Cody Burgoon

Production Manager

Scott Boyle

Cast

Suits
Heidi Mintz, Hunter Ramsden 

Boy
Maggie Clark 

Leroy *
Zoe Griese, Luke Pfluger
  *Actors will be alternating performances

Mom  
Kay Boster

Blue Dragon
Molly Fabian 

Red Dragon
Hope Davis 

White Dragon
Zsofi Eastvold 

Yellow Dragon
Cody Do

Suits Understudy
Kay Boster

Blue, Red Dragon Understudy
Elsa Perrson

Special Thanks

Sam Campbell, Sarah Marchand, Allison Aune, the Art Education Club, Sharon Warmka, Blessed Trinity Catholic School Penn Campus

Concerning Dragons: A chat with the Director.

Why Theater for Young Audiences (TYA)?

TYA was never on my radar when I started my professional career. I was much more interested in Shakespeare’s Tragedies, although the crossover between TYA and Shakespeare is something that has always struck me. The interaction between the actors and the audience, the improvisational give and take, and the all-around rock concert that is a room full of young people shouting the “title of the play” as you say it outloud…buy me a cup of coffee and I’ll talk your ear off, BUT I DIGRESS (that’s an easter egg, find it in the play)…My TYA experience unfolded late in my career. I began working at The Rose Children’s Theatre in Omaha, NE and I was overwhelmed by the way live theatre impacted the audience–the playful nature, the imagination, and the exploration/expression of joy. These opportunities came to me at a time when I needed to reconnect with why I started making theater in the first place. I wanted to work from a place of Joy. 

How would you say this project manifested Joy?

The joy is what has carried us (the cast/designers/crew) through this process. Engaging with imagination and the inner child is so important to an actor's journey. Actors are lifelong learners and children are in a constant state of learning. If we can access that, even a little bit, it takes us a long way toward creative fulfillment. Joy can be a generative tool when we embrace it. I hope the joy we found is something you feel and take home with you. 

Why Dragons Love Tacos?

Joy. Creativity. Imagination. Freedom to let it all go and get messy, silly, and weird. That is what this show has been to me. Dragons Love Tacos is an exploration of discovering solutions by engaging that Imagination. Sometimes we need a break. Sometimes we need to step away. This play is my way of offering (you, the audience) permission to step away, take that break, and engage your imagination. Also, I LOVE nachos (basically an open-faced taco). Needless to say, many late night nacho parties after rehearsals. 

What inspired you?

Fred Rogers. Jim Henson. These individuals taught me so much about my own sensibilities. We can be honest in the way we express ourselves without losing the sense of wonder. And– sometimes we need to embrace a little bit of chaos. I think you’ll see inspiration from both Jim and Fred in my work and in the direction of this show. 

Anything we should look for in the show?

So many things. The White Dragon’s sense of discovery, the Yellow Dragon’s tail swish, the Red Dragon’s grace, the Blue Dragon’s wonder, the Suits synchronicity (that’s an SAT word for “doing the same thing at the same time”), Leroy’s loyalty and love, and Boy finding their voice. Oh! And…Pirate Dog…

What else would you like folks to know before seeing the show?

A huge thank you to the hands that helped make this world. I owe them a great deal. This show is as challenging as it is fun. This exists because of the tremendous effort of the artists on and off stage. I don’t have words to express my gratitude, but I smile through every sound cue, inside joke, taco explosion, and dance party. Speaking of which, we here at Dragons Love Tacos give you full permission to dance with us!

Fun Fact: I learned that when you get a group of Dragons together they are called “a thunder”. Everyone in this process, inside and out, is a Dragon. They are Thunder.    

-Matthew

Dramaturg's Note

Dramaturgs are most often described as “advocates for the script.” They do historical and contextual research related to the show to assist the cast and production team in building the play. However, with the nature of this project, I took another approach to the work. I believe that another job of the dramaturg is to create a bridge between the audience and the production, whether that be through research made available to the audience in some way, community outreach, a lobby display, a talkback or in this case all of the above!

Dragons Love Tacos is based on the popular children’s book written by Adam Rubin and illustrated by Daniel Salmiri. When starting this process, my first step was to dive into the source material. As this is a children’s book, there was not much research or analysis needed to understand the story itself.. I thought it would be useful, however, to know more about the author and illustrator. In one of the many interviews I read, Rubin explained that his goal in  writing "was to encourage young readers to express their own creativity."

When I first sat down with director, Matthew Olsen, to talk about the show, I realized that his goals came from a very similar place. He wanted the process to stem from a place of joy and childlike play, and he wanted the audience (kids and adults alike) to have 45 minutes of fun! Matthew challenged me and the rest of the company to reconnect with our childlike sense of play.

Some of my favorite memories growing up were concerts and plays with my grade school friends. We went on countless field trips to Orchestra Hall, the Art Museum, and even had the opportunity to see a couple of plays that related to the material we were learning in the classroom. Because of this, much of my work on Dragons Love Tacos revolved around making connections with the community and making the audience feel  part of the world of the play.

This show is an opportunity for everyone to take 45 minutes away from the real world and remember that it is okay to take a break and return to a problem a little bit later. That it is okay to not take everything so seriously all the time and allow yourself to be a little bit silly. 

So with that, make a taco and enjoy the show! Live, Laugh, Dragons Love Tacos. 

–Kate Warmka, Dramaturg

Production Crew

Master Carpenter

Katie Hashem

Shift Crew

Emma Wylie, Gabriel Meyer

Scenic Design Faculty Advisor

Curtis Phillips

Dressers

Tyler Thomas, Cadence Pipenhagen

Makeup/Hair

Morgan James

Costume/Makeup Design Faculty Advisor

Caitlin Quinn

Costume Shop Supervisor

Laura Piotrowski

Light Board Operator
Andrew Segal

Sound Board Operator

Maryn Cruser

Stagecraft Practicum Instructor

Nick Wright

Scenery/Props Construction Crew

Ash Barsoom, Sam Brown, Jordan Fields, Jay Kray, Gabriel Mann, Cooper Mccalister, Heidi Mintz, Zawadi Mwabury, August Ringlien, Jannette Schmitt, Courtney Shreiber, Andrew Segal, Emerson Spencer, Oliver Swimeley

Costume Practicum Instructor

Alice Shafer

Costume Construction Crew 

Moriah Babinski, Jesse Bakken, Jennika Bunney, Cody Burgoon, Maryn Cruser*, Emmalyn Danielson, Ro Feitl*, Kade Gau*, Alexandra Glenn, Zoe Griese, Kimberly Hodgman, Luke Hiland, Cora Manrodt, Rosa Olson, Gavin Orson, Erik Rasmussen, August Ringlien, Morgan Ryals*, Kirstyn Saulsbury, Percy Schmit, John Toven, Emma Wiley

Lighting/Sound/Media Design Faculty Advisor

Jon Brophy

Light & Sound Crew
Deklan Boren, Billy Booth, Kaitlyn Callahan, Maggie Clark, Maryn Cruser, Lou Divine, Zsofi Eastvold, Sandi Flahn, Elizabeth Jensen, Cadence Neste, Gavin Orson, Elsa Persson, Izzy Roy, Jennette Schmitt, Misha Suarez, Emma Wylie

Dramaturgy Faculty Advisor 

Jenna Soleo-Shanks

*Indicates College Work/study

Other Information

Want to keep the taco party going? 

Visit the Dragons Love Tacos Dramaturgy Website to learn more about children’s theater, dragons, the team that put this all together, and some fun activities for you to do at home!