Creative Team

Jenny is a director, and educator who champions stories that foster connection. Recent Credits: Merrily We Roll Along, Public Theatre of San Antonio; ROE, ZACH; Founding Producing Artistic Director of Theatre en Bloc. Jenny holds a BFA from NYU, an M.Ed. from UMass, an Executive Strategy for Non-Profit Management Certification from UPenn, and is an SDC Associate member. She is an MFA Directing Candidate at UT Austin. Upcoming: Ride the Cyclone, UT Austin; Into the Woods, St. Ed’s University.

Emma Watkins is a MFA candidate in Playwriting at UT Austin. Her plays include Elizabeth is going into the ground (2023 Princess Grace Playwriting Award Finalist, 2023 Bay Area Playwrights Festival Finalist, 2023 O’Neill Semifinalist, 2022 Leah Ryan Prize Hon. Mention), Rumpus for the End of the World or Susan Sontag in a Bear Suit or Pan- (2022 Clubbed Thumb Biennial Semifinalist); and The Norns of Athens Maine (2023 Playwright’s Center Venturous Plays List).  Her writing has been developed or produced by PlayPenn, the Cohen New Works Festival, McCarter Theatre Lab, and the Lewis Center for the Arts.  She holds a BA from Princeton University in English, Theatre, and Environmental Studies.  As a Fulbright Scholar, she received her MA in Welsh & Celtic Studies from Cardiff University.

Leah Hummel is an M.F.A. Live Design candidate at the University of Texas at Austin. Leah is a costume and props designer and teaching artist. They hold a B.F.A in Theater Design & Technology from Western Michigan University. In Chicago, she worked with Strawdog Theatre Company (Jeff Nomination), Raven Theatre, The Neo-Futurists and the 13th Floor Entertainment Group. Leah has also taught technical theater at Niles West High School, Yachad Chicago, and the Arc of the Capital Area. 

Sarah Jean “Selliott” Elliott is a Third -Year MFA Candidate in Live Design and Production. Most Recent works include: Anything Goes (Black Rock Theater 2023) Bakersfield Mist (Riverside Theatre 2023) Fishing For Stars (Creative Director, Cohen NWF 2023) Fall For Dance: Witchcraft (Media Design, UT DRT 2022) In Sisters we Trust… (Lighting Design, UT Theatre and Dance 2022) She is beyond grateful for this beautiful team of humans and dedicates this show to Tenzing. Thank you for everything man! 

Maxwell Franko is a recent graduate of the Butler School of Music where he received his master's degree in music composition. While at UT, he was a member of the Experimental Electronic Music Studio. Max has since been living in Austin and working as a freelance composer and sound designer for instrumental ensembles, independent film, stage theater, and other multimedia performances. Recent sound designer roles include "Petrificationology" by Emma Watkins, and "Murky As Hell" by Andrea Hart.

Jonah Maughan (Scenic Design) is a B.A. in Theatre and Dance with an emphasis in Scenic Design at The University of Texas at Austin. He has experience with multiple areas of theatre, with recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance including assistant technical directing DRT Emerge and La Bohème, and technical directing two Cohen New Works Festival shows.

Lisa received her B.F.A. in Toronto and her M.F.A. in Theatrical Design from The University of Texas. Lisa is a co-artistic director of paper chairs. Some of the shows she has designed for include Plano, Poor Herman and Baal (paper chairs), Antigonick, Bright Mother (SVT), Sonnets For An Old Century and UTNT (U of T) and Stop Hitting Yourself (Rude Mechs). Lisa teaches set design at the University of Texas.

WHITNEY MOSERY is a theatremaker and art activist. As a director, her work has been presented in theaters and site-specific spaces across the US, UK and Greece. She has also been a dramaturg for Cirque du Soleil, and an Associate Director on Broadway and in the West End. Currently, Whitney is pursuing a PhD at UT Austin, where she is researching new theatermaking methodologies and dramaturgies that have arisen in response to the climate crisis.

Audrey Denvir (Environmental Consultant) is a PhD in Geography and the Environment at The University of Texas at Austin. Trained in forest ecology and land change science, her doctoral research examines the socio-ecological impacts of avocado production in Mexico. After graduation, Audrey will work as a Research Associate at the World Resources Institute, investigating how land use affects climate policy in the US. 

Ashley Diaz is pursuing her B.S. in Radio-Televison-Film and B.A. in Theatre and Dance. She has an extensive background in film working at places like SXSW, CMT's Country Music Awards, Keshet Studios. Before this, she worked in theatre performing as Samantha/Maude in In Sisters We Trust and Georgia in HAROLD at Texas Theatre and Dance. 

Katelyn Nguyễn is a B.A. in Theatre and Dance student with an emphasis in Stage Management at The University of Texas at Austin. Recent projects she has stage managed/assistant stage managed at UT include Tales of Hoffman, Cohen New Works, Proving Up, 해님달님 Sun and Moon, and In Sisters We Trust.

Tenzing Ortega was a brilliant artist and wonderfully warm person who was a part of our Elizabeth community. He attended The University of Texas at Austin from 2022-2023 as a MFA Live Design & Production candidate with focus in Scenic Design and was born and raised in Mexico City, where he received his BA in Scenography from the National School of Theatrical Arts (ENAT) in 2009. Tenzing was an incredibly valued collaborator on this and many processes at UT. We miss him everyday. Rest easy, friend.