THE OTHER VOICE IN THE ROOM
Lawrence Leopoldo writes plays that wander between the real and the surreal, usually with a sense of humor sneaking in through the side door and immediately joining the ensemble. Based in Chicago, he works with CIRCA Pintig and is part of the revival of Riksha, a Filipino American arts and literary magazine, where stories about memory, migration, and unreliable timelines tend to collide. His artistic practice is powered by an unusual mix of professions—he has fixed things, cooked things, and occasionally rewritten scenes in his head while standing in line for coffee. He is especially interested in moments when the ordinary world cracks open and something cosmic wanders in without a stage manager. He is excited to make a brand-new play in 24 hours and promises to pretend everything was intentional.
Scott Hanada (He/Him) is a professional actor, director, and NWAC Board member whose work is rooted in his Japanese American heritage and the multicultural spirit of Hawaiʻi. After starring in NWAC’s Not One Batu and Pakalolo Sweet, he made his directorial debut with The Kasha of Kaimukī (2023). A graduate of the iO and The Second City Conservatory, Scott is also a proud alumnus of the AAPI improv troupe Stir Friday Night. He is represented by Chicago Talent Network and can be found performing at Home Comedy Theater or on the Tales From The Singing Porch podcast. While a veteran of the NWAC stage, Scott is thrilled to be directing for the first time in the 24-Hour Play Festival.
Marie Molina is a Chicago based comedian/ actress. She has studied in various improvisation schools such as iO theatre, and the Second City. She has been featured in shows around town including Little Shop of Horrors at the Towle Theater, Dynasty Babies a Victor Wong Fellowship show case and Queer Up The Details, a Short film produced by NWAC. Marie would like to dedicate this performance to her parents back in Texas.
Rachel A. Kim is excited to be working with NWaC & CIRCA-Pintig through the 24hr play fest. Her most recent works include The Big Leap (FOX), Chicago Med (NBC), and Once Upon a Christmas Wish (Great American Family). Rachel is also a dancer who has worked with a notable roster of choreographers, including Christopher Scott, Comfort Fedoke, Mandy Moore, and the Kinjaz. She is repped by Stewart Talent. Keep up with Rachel on Instagram @rachelakim_ and her website www.Rachelakim.com
JORDAN “J.RO” ORDOÑEZ (he/they) is a Chicago-based dance artist/athlete, actor who sings, teaching artist, and community organizer. He is a public health pharmacist turned artist with a black belt in Shotokan Karate. J.RO is a grateful guest in House and Hip-hop dance, a 2024 graduate of The ACADEMY at Black Box Acting, and a Chicago improv student with the Annoyance Theater. He is the co-founder of Jus.Be House Collective and Concrete Circle, a four-time dancer & co-captain for the Chicago Bulls 312 Crew, and two-time NBA Allstar Weekend (ESPN) featured dancer. If not on the dance floor, you’ll find J.RO taking a long walk with a good podcast in his ears or taking advantage of his AMC A-List membership. Other credits/affiliations include Pippen (Music Theater Works), BraveSoul Movement, Movement Revolution Dance Crew, Chicago Dance Crash, Tems (ESPN), Kidnapped for Klout (48 Hours Film Festival), and The Big Leap (FOX).
Gravitational Memory
Lani T. Montreal writes to create her home in the diaspora. She is a queer feminist Filipina writer, performer, educator, and community activist based in Chicago, whose works have been published/produced in North America, Asia, and in cyberspace. Her play Panther in the Sky was a 2024 finalist for Chicago Readers' Best New Play, and her solo show Anak ni Tapia: Leaving Mother has received accolades in the U.S. and abroad. Montreal is a two-time 3Arts Residency Awardee (2009 and 2016), 2017 alumna of the VONA Writers of Color Workshop, and 2024 Links Hall Co-MISSION Artist Fellow. She was a semi-finalist for the Dramatist Guild 2023 Fellowship Award, and voted 1st Runner Up for 2024 Chicago Reader’s Best Playwright.
RJ Silva (he/him/his) is the Artistic Director of CIRCA Pintig, the Filipino American theatre company and community arts organization in Chicago. Now in its 35th year, Silva has launched the acting ensemble, the Chicago Filipino American Theatre Festival, and has directed two productions EVERY BRILLIANT THING and THE ART OF BELONGING. As a playwright, his play HAIL MARY/MARIA will receive its premiere production at Theatre Wit in August, granted by the Independent Productions Initiative. Outside of theatre, Silva is a writer and director for his production company The Ampliverse, premiering its first digital web series EAT CUTE this spring, and is also the producer and co-host of the podcast “Boys Love Boys Love.” Thanks to CIRCA Pintig, NWaC, and other theatre artists that continue to create and inspire the city of Chicago. Love to Adam and Friedrich!
Dwight Sora is a proud half-Japanese/half-Korean native of River Forest, IL and graduate of University of Chicago. Besides acting, he is a dedicated student and teacher of the Japanese martial art of aikido (4D black belt) and a fanatical fan of science fiction and horror. If there was an Asian Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead film series), his dream would be to be that.
Nina Mae is thrilled to be part of the CIRCA Pintig’s newly inaugurated Ensemble and looking forward to an amazing and full 2026 season, especially with the 24-Hour Play Festival, co-produced with Nothing Without a Company Born and raised in Chicago, she began singing and playing piano at age six, joining the church choir at nine and performing in holiday musicals and cantatas soon after. Since 2011, she has been active in theatre, with additional work in short films, staged readings, workshops, and musicals, including the Annual Chicago Filipino American Theatre Festival since 2024. She is honored to share the stage with her fellow Filipino American artists and celebrate their stories and experiences, as first-generation Filipinos and immigrants
Ramona Kywe is a performer born and raised in Chicago. She is thrilled to be working on this collaboration with CircaPintig and Nothing Without a Company. She is a long time volunteer and friend of CircaPintig and has worked on many projects with them over the past decade. After an on and off hiatus that started in 2020, she is slowly getting back into acting and performing.
The Ballerina
Georgie Morvis is a playwright, filmmaker, and occasional drag queen based in Chicago, by way of Kalaheo, Hawai’i and Las Cruces, New Mexico. Their writing has been published in Smokelong Quarterly, Autostraddle, Pigeon Review, Cast of Wonders and New Flash Fiction Review. Their work-in-progress play Lychee and Other Exotic Fruits was read at Circa Pintig’s 2025 Chicago Filipino American Theatre Festival. They were a Lambda Literary Fellow for Screenwriting in 2023. Their short film Shrimp Heads is currently in pre-production and won the Judges’ Prize at the ‘Ohina Filmmakers Lab 2022.
Joel Willison is the Artistic Director for Pocket Theatrics; the Co-founding Artistic Producer of Freshly Brewed, inc., Chicago Artist Database, Direct Address, and The Green Room. He is also a company member of Playground Chicago and Theatre L’Acadie. In 2023, he was selected for Directors Haven 6. Recent credits include work with Jackalope Theatre, Shattered Globe Theatre (assistant director), The Goodman Theatre, Filament Theatre, Theatre L’Acadie, Definition Theatre, Refracted Theatre Company (assistant director), and The Runaways Lab Theater. Joelwillison.com
Mab De Guzman is an actor, stage manager, and writer. As a graduate of Loyola University Chicago, previous acting credits include KASHA OF KAIMUKI (NWaC), Beyond The Garden Gate (The Impostors Theatre Co.) and Attempts on Her Life (TUTA Theatre) for which she was awarded the 2024 non-equity Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Ensemble. She is currently an ensemble member of Strawdog Theatre Company. Her free time consists of cooking pancakes, traveling, matcha, and naps.
Mari Joy, part of the CIRCA Pintig Ensemble, was previously seen in other CIRCA Pintig Productions such as “The Art of Belonging” (Monica), “Every Brilliant Thing” (Narrator), “Sama Sama: Solidarity in The Fields” (Dolores, Ms. Vida, Tona), “The Butterfly of Chula Vista” (Mitchie), and as ensemble in their 2024 and 2025 Fil-Am Theatre Festival. Theatre credits include “Every Brilliant Thing” (Vicarious Staged Productions), “The Heart Sellers” (u/s, Northlight Theatre), “Sleeping Giant” (u/s, Salt Lake Acting Company), and “Mestiza, or Mixed” (Plan-B Theatre). Film credits include Poolside Inn (Remington Butler - Palm Springs Intl ShortFest, FilmQuest, Golden Gate State Film Festival) and When Cats Fly (Stuart Culpepper). She would like to thank her sisters and incredible community of friends for supporting even the wildest of dreams. Mari Joy is represented in the Midwest by Shirley Hamilton Talent.
Arvin A. Jalandoon was born and Raised in Manila currently a U.S. citizen, happily married, based in Chicago and currently SAG-Aftra. He has worked at Halcyon, Towle, Adventure Stage, Artistic Home, Bailiwick, Victory Gardens, The Artistic Home and Timeline with recent work at Bramble and recently at Circa Pintig. He has done print ads, commercials, Industrials, Webisodes, Documentaries, Independent Films and appeared in a recurring role on network TV but always finds himself returning home to his current love which is the Theatre Stage.
IT TAKES TWO
Mikael Silan is a Filipino-born multifaceted artist from Cavite, Philippines. Having recently immigrated to Chicago, he begins his journey pursuing his Theatrical Dreams. He writes plays tied to his roots and personal struggles that are often about his identity, community, and love. He is one of the Ensemble members of CIRCA Pintig's 2026 Season.
Heather Jencks (she/her) is a Chicago-based actor, director, and Alexander Technique Teacher in Training (2nd year, IYKYK).She has directed for NWaC’s New World Play Festival and past 24-hour fests, assistant directed NWaC’s Soccer Player in the Closet, and directed short plays for Our Perspective: Asian American Plays, and Punching LaBute. As an actor, she has performed in NWaC’s original productions: Not One Batu and Down the Moonlit Path; and in Circa Pintig’s original production: Daryo’s All-American Diner. In addition, she has performed with several theatres around town, including Remy Bumppo, Jackalope Theatre, Promethean Theatre, Facility Theatre, and Prologue Theatre Co.She is thrilled that two organizations that are dear to her - NWaC and Circa Pintig – are collaborating for this fun and heart-filled event.
Rich Adrian Lazatin (Actor) is thrilled to be part of this 24-Hour Play Festival. Rich is a proud ensemble member of CIRCA Pintig and has performed with NWAC previously in “The Kasha of Kaimuki” (Joseph/Broseph). Previous credits include “Concentration” (Ruth Page), “The Art of Belonging” (CIRCA Pintig), and the “39th Young Playwrights Festival” (Pegasus Theatre). Previous film credits include “Patient” (dir. Lori Felker), “Eat Cute” (dir. RJ Silva), and “Debaters” (dir. Alex Heller; 2025 Sundance Short Film Selection). Rich is represented by Gray Talent Group.
Vivian Lee is a full-time actress, dancer, and model with credits spanning over 40 films and 10 stage productions. In 2025, she expanded into producing, further shaping her creative voice in the industry. Her most recent project is the feature film Blade of the Waning Kingdom. Vivian has received multiple festival awards, including Best Actress, Best Dance Choreography, and Best Music Video.
ROBERT KALIA KAPAKU is a Chinese+Portuguese+Native Hawaiian actor and improviser based in Chicago with a master’s degree in mechanical engineering that he never uses. He is active in the live theater scene as a performer/writer in the AAPI comedy team Stir Friday Night, a performer in ComedySportz Chicago, and an ensemble member of the improvised Broadway-style show Trapped in a Musical. In 2024 Robert was named a Victor Wong Fellow at The Second City in Chicago. Follow his adventures around the world on Instagram @robert.kalia.kapaku.
THROWBACK
Liz Haas (they/them, she/her) is a theater artist based in Chicago. Their play A Home Education was featured in a staged reading at Bramble Theater Co. in 2025 and in the play reading series Re/Generation Studio at About Face Theatre in 2023. Liz has been a member of PlayGround-Chicago's Writers Pool since 2024; their plays “Have Some CEO” and “Being Cesario” were featured in Monday Night PlayGround. They were assistant director and understudy for Rupture/Repair and a devising ensemble member for Still/Here at Free Street Theater. Liz holds a B.A. in history from Smith College, where they spent a lot of time in the theater as a playwright, stage manager, actor, and director.
Johanna Medrano is fresh off assistant-directing The Art of Belonging at Circa Pintig, and is excited to work with them and Nothing Without a Company as a director for the play festival. She currently directs Keepin’ Tabs, a monthly news show at The Annoyance Theater, and Open Tabs, an indie sketch team. When she is not directing, she teaches improv and sketch writing at The Annoyance Theater, and Meisner Acting Technique at Gren Shirt Studio. Onstage and screen, she currently hosts BATSU! game show, performs with Trigger Happy Improv Mentalism, and is repped by Chicago Talent Network. Follow her on Instagram @jojo_in_chicago
Ian Voltaire Deanes (He/Him) is an actor born and raised on the South Side of Chicago. He is always excited to work with NWaC and CIRCA-Pintig, and proud to be a part of this 24 Hour Play Fest! He is so happy to collaborate with other AAPI artists to create something fun and beautiful. Selected Credits: Youth In Asia: Are You Proud Of Me Yet (Second City), Close Quarters (The Annoyance), Satirical Race Theory (The iO Theatre), Kentucky (The Gift Theatre), Not One Batu (Nothing Without A Company). Ian is also a graduate of Second City's Victor Wong Fellowship, The School at Steppenwolf, and Columbia College. He would like to thank the AAPI artists who came together to put on this celebration, his friends and family who believe and support him (I would unravel without you), and his students (my Ninja Turtles) for showing me how much I'm capable of.
Annemarie Andaleon (she/her) is thrilled to return to CIRCA Pintig as an actor and to work with NWaC for the first time! Previous credits include Monstrous (Impostors Theatre Co.), A Shadow Bright & Burning (Black Button Eyes), Shakespeare’s R&J, Sapphic Showcase (PrideArts), and The Duchess of Malfi (Babes with Blades). She is joyously the Literary Manager at Essential Invisible. She sends thanks to all of her loved ones for their support.
Jett Parr (they/them) is a self-made Filipino actor, performer, writer, and producer based in Chicago (◕‿◕✿) They are a former fellow of last year’s Victor Wong fellowship at the Second City and recent projects include Rudolph Runs Wild! (U/S, The Second City) Life Out Loud (About Face), KAPWA II: Shake Rattle and Roll (The Understudy), and FLOOD (U/S, Shattered Globe). Recent commercial credits include Pace, Salesforce, Bell’s Brewery, Glassdoor and Bioré. Catch them over sharing shower thoughts on IG @itsjett.xo
The Talk
Hannah Ii-Epstein (she/her) is a Native Hawaiian creative writer and award-winning dramatist from the North Shore of Oʻahu. Her work centers Native Hawaiian identity and LGBTQIA+ experiences, blending cultural tradition with contemporary storytelling across theatre and film. She earned her MFA in Writing for the Screen and Stage from Northwestern University and is the Artistic Director of Nothing Without a Company. Hannah has written over fifteen 24-hour plays and produced over ten. She is a founding member of BearCat Productions, a member of Tree Moss Hawaiʻi, and was part of the inaugural Native Hawaiian Storytelling Writers Immersive Program. Her short film Queer Up the Details will screen at the Evolution Festival by AAAC on May 3, 2026.
Keimon Shook is a Queer Blasian Actor, Writer, and Director from Jacksonville, Florida. Most recently Keimon played “ Remi” in “ The Dress - Up play at Jackalope Theatre. He also directed a Stage Reading in Collaboration with Theatre L,Acadie & Pocket Theatrics . Keimon is also a screenwriter and filmmaker whose goal is to add more queer representation for people of color on and behind the camera. He most recently directed and wrote a couple of short films and some episodic pilot concepts. You can follow and check out his work on Instagram @keimonshook .As always he’d like to thank his family and friends for all their support!
Val Gerard Garcia is excited to come back to the stage for NWaC’s 24 Hour Fest. Val has been part of previous festivals and also part of their films from BearCat Productions such as Queer Up the Details and Mom and Pop Shop. When he’s not acting, Val is a professional wrestler under the name Mateo Valentine, where they are recognized as one of the Top 200 queer wrestlers in the world for five years straight.
Katharin Mraz, also known as Ladie K, is an actress, model, and filmmaker out of Chicago. Adopted from Korea at the age of two, Mraz fell in love with performance and media arts as a child. Now in her 40s, Mraz has spent the majority of her life's work advocating for those whose voices are marginalized in the media while pursuing a full-time acting and modeling career with Talent Agents across all major markets including LA, NYC, Miami, Atlanta, and of course, Chicago. Her first company, Ladie K Productions, inc., has been a staple in the Chicago Filmmaking industry since 2011 with a focus on media, marketing, and productions of all size and scale. In 2016 she expanded and officially launched Smart Pretty Designs, Inc. for production art and design purposes, Creative Works Media, Inc. her photography and videography company, and Ladie K Castings, Inc. her boutique casting company. More recently she launched Ladie K, LLC., which focuses on feature films, shorts, and vertical movies for distribution purposes. You can find more on Mraz at LadieK.com or follow her socials!
Louise Yingduo Liu is a singer-songwriter, actress, nonprofit leader and arts administrator. She is the Board VP of Nothing Without a Company and an actor in its New World Play Fest (2019). Outside of theatre, she creates original music and poetry and performs around the city.