February 2026
Written by Natalie Grace Lambert
Director: Diana Wyenn
Stage Manager: Scarlet Bailey ASMs: Faye Widjaja & Lia Gonzalez
Costume Designer: Caprice Shirley Assistant: An Tran
Lighting Designer: Malcolm Wilson Assistant: Elisha Cigarroa-Diaz
Scenic Designer: Joyce Hong Assistant: Li Xhang
Sound Designer: Leo Berger-Greer
Maya, a college freshman studying vocal performance at UT Austin, is desperate to get rid of the stink inside her mouth. When her breath suddenly turns profoundly rank, no one wants to be around her. Not her friends, not her professors, and certainly not her super cute musician boyfriend. Though she routinely brushes, flosses, and uses mouthwash (and never rinses with water after!), the stink persists, leaving even medical professionals perplexed. Oh, also, her dad just died. And he left Maya’s mom pregnant and contemplating an abortion.
As this was the world premiere of BAD BREATH: the stink inside me, a lot of my work as the Assistant Director were focusing on how to best communicate the playwright's intent through conversations with playwright Natalie Grace Lambert as she developed the script throughout the rehearsal process. During the process, I got to work very closely with both the director and playwright and get a better grasp on what developing a new play looks like, especially from the director's chair. As the AD, I was responsible for taking line notes, taking down directorial and technical notes and distributing them during tech week, as well as running scenes with actors as needed.