Lydia Gaston* (she/her). B’way credits: Jerome Robbins’ Broadway, Miss Saigon, The King and I (1996, 2015), Shogun, The Red Shoes. Off-Bway productions with: Ma-Yi Theatre Group, National Asian-American Theatre (NAATCO), Pan Asian Rep, and The Public Theatre. TV credits: Law and Order, Hightown (Season 3), The Path, The Blacklist, Zero Day (Netflix), Late Night With Seth Meyers; Film: Easter Sunday (Universal Pictures) as “Tita Susan.” MA in Applied Theatre, CUNY Graduate Center, New York.

Bi Jean Ngo* (she/her) is excited to return to InterAct Theatre Company where some of her favorites roles include Afong Moy in The Chinese Lady and Meiko in Eureka Day. Bi is a member of the Wilma Theatre’s Hothouse Acting Company and is part of 1812 Productions’ Creative Core. Recent and memorable credits include Gerda in The Snow Queen and Shen Te in The Good Person of Szechwan (Wilma Theatre), Shannon/Hunter in the bilingual comedic premiere of La Otra (1812 Productions), Jenny in Young Americans (Theatre Horizon), Esther in Backing Track (Arden Theatre), and more! You can catch her on the current Netflix International Indonesian original series, Ratu Ratu Queens The Series as Ahma. She has an MFA in acting from New School University and a Bachelor's in Film & TV from Boston University. You can find out more about her and upcoming projects at www.bijeanngo.com Love to her partner David, for his unwavering love and support and their pup Archie.   

Karen KW Li* (she/her) is delighted to make her InterAct debut. Off-Broadway: The Rice Eaters (AMT Theater). Regional: Twelfth Night (TheatreSquared), Exclusion (Arena Stage), The Great Leap (Perseverance Theatre), Babel (Contemporary American Theater Festival), and Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (La Jolla Playhouse). TV: Dancing with the Stars (ABC). Karen is a collective member of Submersive Productions. She was a playwright in the 2024 cohort of the Horticulture Playwrights Workshop with Sisters Freehold, and was recently a playwright in residence at Baltimore Center Stage in the inaugural year of Lab410. Theatre and Dance B.A., UC San Diego.

Joanna Liao* (she/her). This is Joey’s first appearance at InterAct, if you recognize her, it might be from her appearances at People's Light, the Lantern, or Hedgerow theaters, most recently in Beginners and Endlings. She has performed at Trinity Repertory Company, Cherry Lane Theatre, The Flea, Perishable Theater, The Lark, Ensemble Studio Theatre, and others. Her Shen-Te/Shui-Ta in the New York premiere of Tony Kushner’s The Good Person of Setzuan by Bertolt Brecht was a Backstage Critic’s Choice for Best of the Year. She highly recommends you adopt a dog.

Daniel Ubin Burgess* (he/him) Interact debut. Regional: Calvin in A Wrinkle in Time (Arden Theatre Company); George in Stop Kiss (South Camden Theatre Company); Aslak in Peer Gynt (Enchantment Theatre Company). National Tours: Mr. Todd in Peter Rabbit Tales (Enchantment Theatre Company); Ensemble in Harold and The Purple Crayon (Enchantment Theatre Company). Film: Donnie in Willingness and A Black Suit (SickleSaf Productions); Josh in Have A Nice Day (The Five Sands); Blue in Sleepwalk (The Five Sands). Written works: Urinal 2025, Testing Site 2023, Monologues of Spotted Minds 2022 (Ubin Movement Theatre). Education: The University of The Arts, BFA in Acting.

Jungwoong Kim (he/him) is a South Korean–born choreographer and movement director with over 25 years of experience bridging traditional aesthetics and contemporary theater. A core movement teacher for the Wilma Theater’s HotHouse Company, he has served as a choreographer and consultant for major productions, including CAESAR (PTC), The Good Person of Setzuan and Twelfth Night (Wilma), and Endlings (Hedgerow). Through his "Ritualized Body" methodology, he integrates martial arts and shamanic ritual into theatrical storytelling. A 2024–Present Visiting Guest Artist at MIT, Kim is a Pew Project Grant recipient whose work empowers actors to deepen their physical presence and creative agency.

Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay (Playwright) is a Lao American poet, essayist, and playwright. Her work focuses on creating tools and spaces for the amplification of refugee voices through poetry, theater, and experimental cultural production. The Smithsonian APAC, Theater Mu, Theater Unbound, and Mixed Blood Theater have presented her plays. She’s received fellowships from the Bush Foundation (2021), McKnight Foundation (2021), Playwrights’ Center (2018), Loft Literary Center for poetry (2018) and children's literature (2019), Twin Cities Media Alliance for public art (2018), and is an Aspen Ideas Bush Foundation fellow (2018). She's received grants from the Knight Foundation, Forecast Public Art, Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, Center for Cultural Power, MAP Fund, Andy Warhol Foundation, and 30+ more. She's currently the Mellon Foundation playwright in residence at Theater Mu, a Core Writer at the Playwrights' Center, a Jerome Foundation AIR at Camargo Cassis, France, and a MN State Arts Board grantee.

Chongren Fan 范崇人 (Director) is a New York-based bilingual stage director. Hailing from Shanghai, he is the Artistic Director of OBIE Award winning theatre company Yangtze Repertory Theatre. InterAct Theatre: Quixotic Professor Qiu; Off-Broadway: Citizen Wong and The Emperor’s Nightingale (Pan Asian Rep); Romulus the Great, 410[GONE] and Behind the Mask (YZ REP); Regional: The Dragon King’s Daughter (Kennedy Center/Helen Hayes Nomination); Tiger Style! (TheatreSquared); Shanghai Sonatas in Concert (The Wallis); International: China Premiere Stones in His Pockets (Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre). Chongren was the Deputy General Manager of China Performing Arts Agency overseeing large scale live performances from China to USA from 2015-2020. He was a Jonathan Alper Directing Fellow at Manhattan Theatre Club and Resident Artist at Mabou Mines. He has been a guest lecturer at Barnard College and Yale School of Drama. Proud member of SDC and Off-Broadway League’s EDIJ committee.  www.chongrenfan.com

Melody Wong (Stage Manager) is thrilled to be working on their second InterAct play. Recent Stage Management credits include, Abandon, The Light, Wolfplay at Theater Exile, Dreamgirls with Theater in the X, In Search fo the Kitchen Gods with 1812 Productions, Group!, Janet Wide Awake and Ok Trenton with Passage Theatre. The Ongoing Plight of the Ferryman at Plays and Players. Additional credits: SM for; TURN! Polly Mope, Lashed but not Leashed, Black Light, The Outer Space, The Kinetic Tree, PIFA 2016 at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Minorityland with PowerStreet Theater, The Wiz with Theater in the X, Tiger Style with Philadelphia Asian Performing Artists, Master Harold and the Boys with EgoPo Classic Theater, Barrymore Awards 2018/2019, ASM Whitman! Contradict this! with Bearded Ladies Cabaret, Assistant to the Director for the live capture of La Triviata, Turandot, The Marriage of Figaro with Opera Philadelphia. Assistant Director on Di Hati- Ku with Modero Dance Co. at Fleisher Art Memorial. Lion dance consultant/ guest speaker King of the Yees at Princeton University. Communities that Melody is a member of:  Temple Alum, Asian Arts Initiative, Philadelphia Chinatown, Philadelphia Suns. Philadelphia Dragon Boat. Philadelphia Stage Combat community.

Hannah Anderson (Production Assistant) Texas Born and Raised, Hannah received her degree in theatre at Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi with a focus in acting and directing. Her senior capstone project A PLAY ABOUT DAVID MAMET WRITING A PLAY ABOUT HARVEY WEINSTEIN informed Hannah a great deal about the type of theatre she loves to tell. Since graduating, she has moved to Philadelphia to expand her horizons and find her footing in the world of creating impactful theatre. She considers herself a Jack of All Trades and loves to wear many different hats, whether that be as a performer, stage manager, production assistant, etc.. When she’s not at the theatre, you can catch her Maitre’D-ing in Rittenhouse, bartending at a local dive bar, or exploring all the many different avenues of art in Philadelphia. She doesn’t always know where she’s going but she hopes to see you when she gets there!

Melpomene Katakalos (Scenic Designer) is thrilled to be returning to InterAct where she last designed the world premiere of American Fast. She has been a freelance scenic designer for over 25 years predominantly in Philadelphia, NYC, and San Francisco, and her passion is new work. Her designs have been seen on a variety of stages including La Jolla Playhouse, Arden Theatre Company, Dallas Theater Center, San Francisco Mime Troupe, California Shakespeare Theatre and Cornerstone Theatre. In NYC, she has designed off-Broadway with Pipeline at ART/NY, HERE Arts Center, La Mama, the Clurman, 45th Street Theatre, and the Triad. Her designs and devised works have been performed at the Beijing International Fringe and the Singapore International Fringe. She served as the director of the New Play Design Lab at the Bay Area Playwrights Festival, and is a co-founder of San-Francisco-based Crowded Fire Theater Company. Mellie has the honor of having her work from InterAct's You for Me for You chosen to represent the United States at the 2019 Prague Quadrennial , and has been nominated for two Barrymores for her designs for InterAct's The Great Leap and Caught. She is a Professor of Theatre at Lehigh University and received her MFA from UCSD and her BFA from Ithaca College. She is a proud member of United Scenic Artists.  melpomenekatakalos.com

Ariel (Liudi) Wang (Costume Designer) is a costume designer working across Philadelphia and the West Coast. Originally from Beijing, China, she received her MS in Communication Management and MFA in Costume Design at Temple University. Her recent credits include Costume Designs for Primary Trust at Philadelphia Theatre Company; POTUS, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at Arden Theatre Co.; Good Person of Setzuan at Wilma Theater; Quixotic Professor Qiu, The Chinese Lady at InterAct Theatre Company Noises Off at Delaware Theatre Company; Anon(ymous), King of the Yees at Princeton University; The Raven at Opera Philadelphia; Reverie at Azuka Theatre.

Christopher Colucci (Sound Designer) Recent work: Marsha Blovotnick and the Marvelous Magical Chicken Soup (Theater Ariel); Can’t Forget About You (Inis Nua); The Real Thing and Macbeth (Lantern Theater Company); Circle Forward (Gulfshore Playhouse); Sherlock Holmes; The Great Detective and A Delicate Balance (Walnut Street Theater). Next up: She Gets Around (1812 Productions). 2016 Pew Fellowship in the Arts; Eight Barrymore Awards for Outstanding Original Music and Sound Design; Independence Fellowship in the Arts (2012, 2019); Resident Videographer (Lantern Theater Company); MA in Philosophy from Western Kentucky University. BA in Philosophy/Theology from Eastern University. Christopher's latest recording of music for classical guitar (Contrastes II) is available on Spotify and most streaming platforms. https://soundcloud.com/cmsound  https://www.instagram.com/christopherm_colucci

Maria Shaplin (Lighting Designer) is a Philadelphia-based lighting designer who received her MFA from Temple University. She has a BA in Anthropology and Sociology from Hampshire College.  Maria designs for many Philadelphia-based companies including:  Applied Mechanics, The Riot Group, Swim Pony Performing Arts, InterAct, The Arden, The Wilma, New Paradise Laboratories, The Berserker Residents, and 1812. Maria is the co-founder of Applied Mechanics, a company who devises immersive, multi-narrative performance art. Maria is the recipient of a 2019 Pew Fellowship in the Arts. www.mariashaplin.com

Caitlyn Davis (Props Designer); Originally from Pennsylvania, Caitlyn Davis is a graduate of Emerson College where she earned her BFA in Stage and Production Management. She has worked with various theatre companies such as The Groundlings, Theatre Aspen, Seattle Opera, and Seattle Children’s Theatre before moving back to Philadelphia in 2022. In addition to her theatre work, Caitlyn has freelanced in the art department for short films, music videos, and corporate shoots.

Jungwoong Kim (Choreographer) is a South Korean–born choreographer and movement director with over 25 years of experience bridging traditional aesthetics and contemporary theater. A core movement teacher for the Wilma Theater’s HotHouse Company, he has served as a choreographer and consultant for major productions, including CAESAR (PTC), The Good Person of Setzuan and Twelfth Night (Wilma), and Endlings (Hedgerow). Through his "Ritualized Body" methodology, he integrates martial arts and shamanic ritual into theatrical storytelling. A 2024–Present Visiting Guest Artist at MIT, Kim is a Pew Project Grant recipient whose work empowers actors to deepen their physical presence and creative agency.

Nick Wacksman (Master Electrician) (he/him) is excited to be returning to InterAct Theater Company this season. His past shows with ITC include Moreno, Quixotic Professor Qiu, The Last Yiddish Speaker and The Climb. For the past 3 years, Nick has been studying theatrical lighting design and electrics at Temple University. He enjoys working in educational environments where he can help young adults see the artistic values and expression in theater production.

John Kolbinski (Audio Engingeer) (he/him) Past Sound Design Work: Always…Patsy Cline (Delaware Theatre Co) The Winter Wonderettes (Hampton Arts, The American Theatre); Beautiful, Always…Patsy Cline, Civil War Voices, The Winter Wonderettes, Baskerville, Souvenir, The Gift, Last of the Red Hot Lovers, A Child’s Christmas in Wales, (Walnut); The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Shakespeare in Clark Park); Basic Witches (Robert Hager); Behold Her (FringeArts/Half Key Theatre Co); Mort (New Paradise Laboratories); Every Brilliant Thing (Arden). Sound Supervisor at Arden Theatre Company and Chautauqua Theater Company. Audio Engineer at InterAct Theatre Company, Azuka Theatre and Lantern Theater Company. Sound Systems Designer, InterAct’s Drake Theater. 

Actors' Equity Association (“Equity"), founded in 1913, is the U.S. labor union that represents more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers. Equity fosters the art of live theatre as an essential component of society and advances the careers of its members by negotiating wages, improving working conditions and providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. Actors' Equity is a member of the AFL-CIO and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions.

Equity is governed by its own members through an elected Council, representing principal actors, chorus actors and stage managers living in three regions: Eastern, Central and Western. Members at large participate in Equity’s governance through a system of Regional Boards and committees. Equity has 28 designated Geographically Based Communities, metropolitan areas with a concentration of more than 100 members.