ARTIST BIOS

Thomas Alberto Bastardo (Swing) is beyond excited to be making his Wirtz debut understudying in “DOCTOR DE SOTO”! Some of his favorite credits include: “RIDE THE CYCLONE”, “KING HENRY IV PART ONE” (First Stage’s Young Company), the world premiere of “ESPERANZA RISING”, and “LAST STOP ON MARKET STREET” (First Stage). He would like to thank First Stage and the Milwaukee theater scene as a whole for shaping him into the artist that he is today.

Nihan Baysal (Assistant Stage Manager, she/her) is a 2024 graduate of Lawrence University with a B.A. in Theatre Production and minors in Linguistics and Spanish. Chicago credits: Stage Manager: Tell Me On a Sunday, Sentinels (Theo Ubique), R.A.W series (UTC), Rudolph The Red-hosed Reindeer (Hell in a Handbag Productions), ASM: Dr. De Soto (Northwestern) SM Intern: Primary Trust (Goodman Theatre).

Justin Cavazos (Sound Designer/Music Composer, he/him) is a Latino composer, sound designer, and songwriter from Harlingen, Texas. As a co-founder of Spit It Out! Audio, he primarily focuses on sound design, music composition, and audio programming for theatre, podcasts, and video games. Recent credits include: “Book Up!” (Goodman Theatre), “A Tale of Peter Rabbit”, “The Wong Kids In The Secret of the Space Chupacabra, Go!”, “The Oregon Trail”, The Tempest” (Northwestern University Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts).

A Inn Doo (Scenic Designer, she/her) is a scenic designer from South Korea, currently in her final year as an MFA Stage Design candidate at Northwestern University. She brings years of scenic design experience guided by rigorous research, intuitive visual language, and a deep commitment to collaborative storytelling. Recent credits include February House and Man of La Mancha at Northwestern, with upcoming productions such as Mary Jane (Northlight Theatre) and The Caucasian Chalk Circle at Northwestern.

Laura Fajardo-Riascos (Assistant Director, she/her) is a Colombian-American artist completing her senior year at Northwestern. She has most recently worked on ImagineU’s “Splish Splash: A Day at the Lake” as a performer, a Northwestern Pritzker Pucker short film “I Look Weird” as a puppeteer, and Seesaw Theatre’s spring touring show “Meet the Myths” as the director. She is the 2025-2026 Artistic Director for Seesaw Theatre and is thrilled to continue contributing to Northwestern’s Theatre for Young Audiences programming!

Hannah Gill (Mrs. De Soto, she/her) Hannah is overjoyed to be a part of Doctor De Soto! Raised down the lake in Chicago, Hannah is a junior pursuing theatre, political science, and a music theatre certificate. Recent credits include Mallory in The Waa-Mu Show, Barbara Grant in Perfect Arrangement, and The Pilot in The Little Prince: A New Musical. May all your dental visits run smoothly! 

Nastia Goddard (Fox, she/her) is a senior studying Theatre and English with a Music Theatre Certificate. She is the proud co-director of Griffin’s Tale Children’s Repertory Theatre, a group that keeps her believing in magic. She thanks her eccentric family (including Sidney) for teaching her the power of imagination and Veronika for being there to “shred” life’s biggest mountains together. Thank you, Jamal and the entire De Soto team for your hard work and passion! Fangs and all!

Regina “Reg” Harris (Lighting Designer, she/they) is a 3rd year MFA Lighting Designer from Oakland, California and has been designing in the theater community for around 13 years. She’s an alumnus of California State University, Fresno’s Theatre Arts program where she worked for 6 years as the resident Lighting and Sound Technician. She has designed such shows as “Danceworks(2024): Emergence,” “Sunday on the Rocks,” and “Museum.” As a 3rd-year MFA Lighting Designer, Regina continues to push the boundaries of her craft.

Jamal Howard (Director, he/him) is a Chicago-based director and choreographer. He was the 2023/24 Goodman Theatre Maggio Directing Fellow, TCG’s 2024 Rising Leaders of Color Cohort, Co-Artistic Director of New American Folk Theatre, and an Associate Company Member with TUTA Theatre. He directed The Wong Kids… and co-directed Splish Splash last year at Northwestern University. Select Goodman credits include The Lizard y El Sol (co-director), English, Highway Patrol, A Christmas Carol (assistant director). Select Chicago directing and choreography credits include 8-Track: The Sounds of the 70s (Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre); tick, tick… Boom! (Boho Theatre); The Great Khan (Redtwist Theatre); The Apple Tree (Porchlight Music Theatre); Think Fast, Jordan Chase (Filament Theatre). Additional credits include R.E.S.P.E.C.T. (National Tour); A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder (Breckenridge Backstage Theater); The Wiz, The Mole Hill Stories (Children’s Theatre Madison). Jamal served as the Associate Artistic Director of Emerald City Theatre and is an alum of Loyola University Chicago.

Patrick Kang (Dramaturg, he/him) is a first-year graduate student in Northwestern’s Interdisciplinary PhD in Theatre and Drama Program. He is interested in theatre and performance as sites of memory, care, and healing. He has previously worked in the arts education and theatre communities in Seattle, Washington.

Lawrence Lewis (Assistant Sound Designer, he/him) is a graduate student in the Sound Arts and Industries program. Having moved recently from Colorado to Illinois, he is excited to be involved in his first show in this state and to incorporate sound design into his work. Recent credits include “Cabaret”, “Flyin’ West”, “Othello”, “The Little Prince” and “Dream Hou$e” (Theatreworks/technician). He has performed in “The Play that Goes Wrong”, “Antigone”, and in a medley performance with Opera of the Rockies.

Dylan Mak (Young De Soto, he/him) is a sophomore studying theatre at Northwestern University. Originally from New York City, his recent credits include Museum and the short film Manhood. Dylan is passionate about food, acting, and connection through performance. He is thrilled to be part of this production and grateful to the amazing cast and creative team for the opportunity to help bring this story to life.

Willa Marie O’Donnell (Assistant Costume Designer, she/her) Willa Marie O’Donnell is a junior at Northwestern University pursuing a B.S. in Theatre and Psychology. She has worked on several student theatre projects and is thrilled to join this production as Assistant Costume Designer.

Vincent Perez (Assistant Director, he/him) is a second-year Northwestern student from Evanston, Illinois studying Theatre and Cognitive Science. Previous Northwestern credits include the Wirtz Center’s “February House” and Sit and Spin Productions’ “Do You Feel Anger?” He thanks his family and friends for their support. Instagram: @vincentperez._

Ella Poon (Stage Manager, she/her) is a junior at Northwestern University studying Theatre and History from Los Angeles, California. She has previously stage-managed other productions on and off Northwestern’s campus. Her most recent work includes “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” as a stage management apprentice at Santa Cruz Shakespeare, and “Sunday on the Rocks” and “Next to Normal” at Northwestern.

Naya Tadavarthy (Costume Designer, she/her) is a third-year MFA student in costume design originally from Saint Paul, Minnesota. Previous credits include This Is Modern Art (University of Notre Dame), Sunday on the Rocks, (Northwestern University), and As It Is in Heaven (Northwestern University).

Oliver Tam (Doctor De Soto, he/him) is a senior studying Theatre and Creative Writing. Favorite credits include The Dolphin Show’s “Cinderella” (Prince Topher), “Durango” (Jimmy), “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” (William Barfee), and “Romance En Route,” the 92nd Waa Mu Show (Xander). He is co-president of Asterik A Cappella, Northwestern’s all-male a cappella group, and a member of Sit & Spin Productions. He’d like to thank the De Soto team, and his friends and family for their support.

Max Zeng (Dance Consultant, he/him) is a first year Computer Science major at Northwestern University. He has competed nationally as a hip hop dancer, earning achievements such as 1st place overall at “Showstopper West Coast Finals 2025”. He taught actors popping for “Doctor De Soto”.