Co-Producers
Percival Hornak (Co-producer, he/him) is a dramaturg, playwright, and dungeon master who loves theatricality, ghost stories, and plays about lesbians. He proudly serves as literary manager of Stroller Scene, a play development and advocacy organization based in NYC. Past companies Percy has worked with include Arena Stage, where he served as Literary Fellow for two years, as well as Luna Stage and Andy’s Summer Playhouse. He is a proud alum of Albright College, where he studied English and Theatre, and holds an MFA and Certificate in Feminist Scholarship from UMass Amherst. Percy’s research studies trans play, history as a site of queer relationality, experiential performance, and alternate reality games. In addition to his work in dramaturgy, he has been a dungeon master for several years in various editions of Dungeons & Dragons as well as several Powered by the Apocalypse games, although his favorite game systems are Carved from Brindlewood and Belonging Outside Belonging. Find him on Twitter @techxni, on Instagram @percy.hornak, or at percivalhornak.com.
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Featured in: D&D 5e, Apocalypse World, Kids on Bikes, Thirsty Sword Lesbians, Our Haunt
Nicholas Orvis (Co-Producer, he/him) is a dramaturg, director, literary manager, and tabletop roleplaying game enthusiast who’s dedicated to fostering new stories in media of all kinds. As the Literary Associate for Premiere Stages at Kean University, Nick served as the dramaturg on over a dozen workshops, readings, and productions. He’s also worked at Portland Stage Company, the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, Luna Stage, and the Tank, and his short (fan) fiction has appeared in Wayfinder magazine. He has over a decade of experience in tabletop roleplaying games (mostly as a GM). He’s on Twitter @nsorvis, on Instagram @norvis13, and online at nicholasorvis.com - and currently completing an MFA in dramaturgy at the David Geffen School of Drama.
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Featured in: D&D 5e, Blades in the Dark, ARC
The Ensemble
Todd Brian Backus (Co-Producer Emeritus, he/him) is a literary manager, director, dramaturg, occasional playwright, and perpetual RPG addict. Todd has always been fascinated with storytelling regardless of medium: from books to plays, video games to comic books, and weird avenues in between. Trained at SUNY Oswego in Theatre and Graphic Design, Todd was introduced to a number of artists both theatrical and visual that forced him to consider the ways form and content interact and how they inform, support, or subvert a narrative. When he’s not playing TTRPGs (or JRPGs), Todd can be found researching the sequel to his ahistorical romp Emily Dickinson: Paranormal Investigator. Todd is Portland Stage’s Literary Manager, a diamond-ranked Moira main on Overwatch, and a level nine Warlock in Dungeons & Dragons. Keep up with him at toddbrianbacks.com or just about everywhere as @tbbackus
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Featured in: Paranoia, Lancer, ARC
Anthony Sertel Dean (Audio Engineer Emeritus, they/he) is a sound artist, educator, and technologist focused on telling stories of community and self. Anthony’s work can be heard in theater (Kennedy Center, New Victory Theater, Public Theater, The Kitchen), film (Film at Lincoln Center, Busan International Film Festival), radio (WNYC), and gallery installations (Fridman Gallery, Half Gallery, Swiss Institute). They have taught at Wesleyan University and multiple NYC public schools. They are the technical director for The New York Neo-Futurists and creator of their podcast Hit Play.
Anthony holds an MFA in Sound Art from Columbia University. For more, visit anthonydean.org
Featured in: ARC
Christopher Diercksen (they/he) is a developer of new work through dramaturgy and direction. They’re the artistic director of Stroller Scene, a company that develops new plays up to the point of production and advocates for them to receive the resources they need from companies who can better provide them. Previously, they served as the artistic director of Team Awesome Robot, producing director of The New Voices Project at the Secret Theatre and literary manager for Lunar Energy Productions. They are an alum of Albright College and the National Theater Institute at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, where they return each spring as the high school playwright mentor for their Young Playwrights Festival.
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Featured in: D&D 5e, Oh Dang! Bigfoot Stole My Car With My Friend's Birthday Present Inside, Brindlewood Bay
Ben Ferber (he/him) is a theater artist who makes near-future and not-so-near-future sci-fi focusing heavily on people who're terminally online. He writes, directs, designs sound and projections, and performs; he often fills more than one of these roles in his work. Full-length work includes Cagers (forthcoming), I’m Very Online (Neukom Award semifinalist), For the Lulz (Williamstown Theatre Festival; Portland Stage), and Let’s Play Play (Brick Theater/GamePlay Festival). He's worked in the artistic departments of Williamstown Theatre Festival, Manhattan Theatre Club, and The Lark (RIP). His multiple-performer solo pieces include Artifacts (The Tank) and Aliterary Reading (The Shed Space). He is an actual play performer who you may know from this very podcast, and from Stillfleet's regular streaming games at twitch.tv/stillfleet. When not torturing players as a GM, he plays very high-concept characters. You can find him basically everywhere online @benferber.
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Featured in: Paranoia, Lancer, Brindlewood Bay
Dex Phan (he/him) moonlights as a novelist, painter, cosplayer, performance artist, and semi-professional trading card gamer. He fell in love with tabletop roleplaying games and collaborative storytelling in his collegiate years when they provided much needed relief from the hardships that come with queerness. In his creative works, he tries to marry his traditional Vietnamese culture with being a modern gay in America. He can be found trying to learn as many new skills as his lifetime will allow. Keep up with him and his adventures on all forms of social media: @rhinarceros.
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Featured in: Apocalypse World, Blades in the Dark, ARC
Kory Flores (they/she/he)
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Featured in: Paranoia, Bluebeard's Bride, Brindlewood Bay, Our Haunt
Leo Mock (they/he) is a theatre-maker, consent educator, and intimacy choreographer. They are the Program Manager for Speak About It, bringing consent and sex education to college & high school students and their communities, as well as Guiding Faculty with Theatrical Intimacy Education, where he co-developed workshops on working with Trans & Queer artists and stories, developing community care practices, and bystander intervention. Recent intimacy credits include Heathers The Musical (UPenn), Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 (UPenn), Romeo and Juliet (Lantern Theatre Company), and Twelfth Night (The Wilma). Leo holds a BFA in Socially Engaged Arts with a concentration in Decolonial Sexuality Studies from Goddard College, and has a performance background in Shakespeare, clown, and devised work.
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Featured in: Apocalypse World, Kids on Bikes, Thirsty Sword Lesbians, Our Haunt
Romana Isabella (she/they)
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Featured in: Paranoia, Bluebeard's Bride, ARC
Tess Huth (she/her) is a freelance playwright, director, and dramaturg in the D.C./Baltimore region. Her work has been seen at Rapid Lemon Productions, Rainbow Theatre, Maryland Ensemble Theatre, Olney Theatre Center, and Green Globe Theatre. Outside of theatre, she is a DEIA advocate and educator. Tess is also a long time roleplayer and podcaster; you can hear more of her work on the podcast Moon Harbor Heroes and its spin offs, Moon Harbor Extended and Moon Harbor Omnibus.
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Featured in: Apocalypse World, Blades in the Dark, Thirsty Sword Lesbians
C.J. Linton (he/him) is a writer, editor, game designer, and dramaturg based in Washington, DC. He is the Business Director of Sly Robot Games, which has published Plant Girl Game and Tomorrow on Revelation III. As a theatre artist, he has worked with Actors Theatre of Louisville, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Center Theatre Group, Studio Theatre, and Olney Theatre Center.
C. J.’s current projects include the narrative heist TTRPG The Prince of Nothing Good and developing a contemporary adaptation of As You Like It titled Nothing You Desire as a 2023-2024 Atlas Arts Lab Fellow with Mekala Sridhar. Find more of his work or get in touch on Twitter/X and itch.io @NearFutures and cjlinton.com.
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Featured in: Kids on Bikes
Tristan B. Willis is a DC-based writer exploring trans and queer stories and the intersection of theatre and games. As a former resident of the Orchard Project’s Liveness Lab and CultureHub’s Writing for Electronic Formats, Tristan discussed and cultivated new ways of presenting theatrical work in digital and distanced spaces. In 2023, Tristan wrote, performed, and streamed “in a way that matters,” developed as part of The Kennedy Center’s Local Theatre Residency at the REACH with further support from Caridad Svich, Lucille Lortel Theatre.
Tristan coordinated the Theatre Washington Mentoring Program for six years and now works with Young Playwrights’ Theater. You can learn more about Tristan and their work at tristanbwillis.com.
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Featured in: Lancer, Our Haunt
Jovane Camaaño (he/they)
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Featured in: Lancer, ARC
Mieko Gavia (she/they) is a writer, actress, narrator, producer, and all-around oddball from Indianapolis, Indiana. After graduating from Oberlin College with an honors degree in Theater, Mieko followed the classic scenario of a small-town girl with big-city dreams and hightailed it to NYC. When she's not acting, writing, or cuddling up in her vocal booth, Mieko can be spotted foraging in used bookstores or wherever good food abounds. You can also catch her work with Black Revolutionary Theater Workshop, a Brooklyn based, social-justice focused theater company.
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Featured in: Paranoia, Oh Dang! Bigfoot Stole My Car With My Friend's Birthday Present Inside, Thirsty Sword Lesbians
Jon Jon Johnson (they/she/he/any) is an NYC based Freelance Director, Dramaturg, and occasional Performer. Jon Jon currently works at the Public Theater as their Manager of Talent Acquisition and Strategy, and is available for EDI and Anti-Oppression consultancies, workshops, panels, and seminars.​
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Featured in: Apocalypse World, Oh Dang! Bigfoot Stole My Car With My Friend's Birthday Present Inside, Thirsty Sword Lesbians
C "Meaks" Meaker (they/she)​ is a playwright, essayist and teacher whose work often explores queerness, monstrosity, and the end of the world. Their plays have been performed and developed across the United States, including the Kennedy Center, Seattle Repertory Theatre, San Francisco Playhouse, Annex Theatre in Seattle, and About Face in Chicago. They are a Stranger Award Genius Nominee (That’swhatshesaid) and Gregory Award Outstanding New Play Nominee (The Lost Girls). They are a former Jerome Fellow at the Playwrights’ Center, an alumna of Seattle Repertory Theatre’s Writers Group, and former Walter E. Dakin Fellow at Sewanee Writers’ Conference. Their nonfiction won the Editor’s Prize at Porter House Review (2023). They received an MFA in Playwriting from University of Iowa’s Playwrights Workshop. They currently teach writing at City College of New York.
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Featured in: Bluebeard's Bride, Brindlewood Bay