Wild Boy: Meet the Design Team

Ken Sonkin (Director & Sound Designer) returns to Dragon Theater after directing the 2014 production of Take Me Out. He is an actor/director who has worked at American Conservatory Theater, Berkeley Rep, SF Playhouse, Magic Theater, Center REP, Marin Shakespeare Company, Sonoma Rep, Broadway by the Bay, San Jose Stage Company, California Conservatory Theatre, Pacific Resident Theater (LA), Grove Shakespeare Festival (LA), Seacoast Rep (NH), Denver Center, and Pennsylvania Centre Stage. He holds an MFA from A.C.T., is a company member of PlayGround, and a member of Actors’ Equity Association. Directing credits: Angels in America, Metamorphoses, Sleuth, The Three Musketeers, Twelfth Night, Tartuffe, Humble Boy, Summerland (world premiere), The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek, Incorruptible, Welcome Home, Jenny Sutter, The Subject Was Roses, Almost, Maine, Golf With Alan Shepard, A Southern Christmas (world premiere), Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Little Shop of Horrors, The Last Five Years, The Full Monty, West Side Story, and The Producers. Under Bill Ball and Allen Fletcher, Ken was a member of A.C.T.’s acting company and core conservatory faculty. He has taught and directed for The National Theatre Conservatory, Stanford University, Northwestern University, Solano College, Sonoma State University, Cornell College, and The San Francisco Ballet School. He was the founding director for the professional actor-training program at American Musical Theater of San Jose, and served as artistic director for The Regency Center in San Francisco. Ken teaches Acting, Personal Clown Technique, and Careers in Theater at the University of San Francisco.

Jesse Ploog (Stage Manager) graduated from the University for Arizona in May 2015 with a degree in Scenic Design and immediately moved to the Bay Area following graduation. After moving, Jesse began working at various South Bay theatres as a Scenic Artist and Stage Manager. She was extremely lucky to be quickly taken in by the Dragon Staff, who made it so she was not only been able to work on multiple shows as a Designer and Stage Manager, but also so she was able to become the Associate Production Manager. Through Dragon, she has been able to continue to fulfill her passion of learning as many different aspects of theatre with an amazing staff and continuously fabulous production teams!

Stina Pinsky (Assistant Stage Manager) is a student in Washington DC studying Women's Studies and Theater and she is incredibly thrilled to be doing theater back home in the Bay Area! This is her first time working with Dragon and is incredibly grateful for this opportunity. Previous credits include Vanya, Sonia, Masha, and Spike (Dresser, Palo Alto Players), As You Like It (Stage Manager, American University), and King Lear (Assistant Stage Manager, American University).

Joshua McDermott (Scenic & Lighting Designer) was graduated from the University of Hawai'i with an M.A. in Asian Theater and Brown University with an M.S. in Physics.  He is currently employed at the University of San Francisco as the Technical Director for the Performing Arts Department, where he coordinates the Tech and Design Certificate program and teaches scenic design and stage-craft.

Dan Garrett (Master Electrician) is excited to join the cast and crew in bringing you Wild Boy!  This is his second show with Dragon Productions, bringing his twelve years of technical theater experience to Redwood City. A native of the Santa Cruz area, he has supported over eighty productions with twenty different companies in a dozen venues with all aspects of technical work from light to flight. Recent credits include Master Carpenter for Santa Cruz Shakespeare, Lighting Designer for Dragon Production’s When The Rain Stopped Falling and Lead Flight Operator for Cabrillo Stage’s Mary Poppins. Connect via linkedin.com/in/dangarrett 

Brooke Jennings (Costume Designer) is ecstatic to return to Dragon with this stunning production of Wild Boy. A graduate of UC Santa Cruz's Theater Arts Masters Program, Brooke is an award winning Costume Designer working in the Bay Area and New York, including San Francisco Playhouse (Colossal, The Nether, Stage Kiss), Berkeley Playhouse (Peter Pan The Musical), We Players (HeroMonster, Ondine), Magic Theater (asst. designer: A Lie of the Mind, Bad Jews), Virago Theatre (The Singularity (New York Premier, 2015), Crooked, Ransom, TX), Custom Made Theater Company (Six Degrees of Separation, Middletown, In Love and Warcraft, Grey Gardens The Musical, The Crucible), and Santa Cruz Shakespeare (asst. designer, Frog and Toad). Brooke is the 2015 Recipient for Best Costume Design by Theatre Bay Area for her work on We Players’ Ondine at Sutro, directed by Ava Roy and Carly Cioffi.

Assistant Costume Designer – Kitty Torres

Properties Designer – Emily James

Dresser – Daniela Talavera Rangel

Dresser – Brandon Ah Tye

Dialect Coach – Kimberly Mohne Hill

Natalie Greene (Movement Consultant) is a performer, teacher, choreographer and director working in dance, theater and community engagement. This is her first show with Dragon Productions. Natalie was the movement consultant on the premiere of Wild Boy at the University of San Francisco, where she has been Adjunct Faculty since 2006. She is thrilled to revisit this powerful piece with Ken, Josh and this remarkably talented cast. As a performer and collaborator, Natalie has created several new productions with the innovative devised theater ensemble, Mugwumpin. Currently, as Mugwumpin's Interim Artistic Director, she is in residence at Pro Arts in Oakland and developing a new production slated to premiere in 2017. For current events and more information, please visit www.mugwumpin.org.