Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead Bios

Anne Cuevas is the acting teacher and Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy where she
directed insanely talented kids in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Fall of the House of Usher,
Twelfth Night and Nick Dear’s Frankenstein. This is her directorial debut with Stargaze
Collaborative Theatre and she hopes to work with this kick ass group of people again!

Aj Maniglia is delighted to be returning to the Stargazer stage. Aj could have previously been seen as the Emcee in Stargazer’s Cabaret, Michael in Parker McGraw’s Boys in the Band, or as Jacques in Flag Shakes’ Simply Silly Shakespeare and Shakespeare on Pluto. When not acting Aj can also be seen frequently at the flagstaff foundry performing improv and standup. Aj is very thankful for the opportunity to be a part of such an incredible show and would like to thank the cast and crew for their support. 

Nathan has dreamed of doing this show in Flagstaff since he first started acting and directing after moving here during the pandemic.  His first role in town was that of Nigel Bottom opposite AJ’s Nick in Something Rotten, and they’ve since played Panch and Leaf in Putnam County Spelling Bee, and Harold and Michael in the Boys in the Band (directed by our Hamlet, Parker McGraw).  Being able to trust in a born scene partner is an amazing privilege, and he could not be prouder to be able to bring you these Ur-Two-Guys themselves with AJ tonight.

Matthew Windham is an actor, director, writer and private chef. Since moving to Flagstaff from Philadelphia in 2020, he has performed in many FlagShakes productions including Hamlet (Claudius & Ghost), A Christmas Carol (Scrooge), The Importance of Being Earnest (Earnest), The Comedy of Errors (Antipholus of Ephesus), and Julius Caesar (Caesar). He co-created and co-starred with AJ Maniglia in Simply Silly Shakespeare and Shakespeare on Pluto. Other favorite roles include Henry VI Part III (Edward of York), Shakespeare Roulette (Juliet, Benedick, Polonius, Laertes & Macbeth), In the Next Room:The Vibrator Play (Dr. Givings), The Pillowman (Katurian), Honest Abe (Abraham Lincoln), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Oberon), and two productions as the title role in Macbeth. This is his first Stargazer production. You can learn about Matthew’s private chef business at chefwindham.com.

Alex Cohen Gray is a College Guidance Counselor and teacher at BASIS Flagstaff. Though she originally studied Geophysics—and her love for the landscapes of the Southwest runs deep—she has worked in education in Flagstaff for the past 11 years, serving in roles ranging from school administration to classroom teacher. Alongside her love of teaching and geology is her love for theater. In fact, a peek at her Spotify account reveals nothing but show tunes. After a 15-year hiatus from theatre, Alex has returned to the stage. She appeared this year as Mrs. Roeder in Radium Girls at Theatrikos and is thrilled to keep the momentum going as Gertrude in Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead.

Mandolin "Jasper" Meilbeck (they/them) is a life-long Flagstaff local who grew up in the theatre scene. Excited to take part in their first show alongside Stargazer, Jasper has been seen in shows such as ensemble in Theatrikos's Elf the Musical (dir. Joe Maniglia), Larry in SST's The Boys in the Band (dir. Parker McGraw), and as themself in SST's Every Brilliant Thing (dir. AJ Flores). They are grateful to Anne Cuevas for allowing them into this show and to Parker McGraw for getting them back onto their acting legs. Jasper dedicates this show to Elle Zizzi.

Orion Thor, an actor, a painter, a mason, hobbyist woodworker etc. A jack of all trades, but a master of none. Jumping from one thing to another, leaving a mountain of abandoned interests; With one exception. They’ve been in and out of shows since the age of 10; but really got the itch for theatre during their junior year of high school. The stakes felt higher the adrenaline rush was more potent, and it was a cracking time. Eventually the butterfly’s left and the adrenaline petered off. Even so they found a new pulse from the communal connection. A potent joy, from sharing the stage with great friends. The many moments they’ve spent with actors throughout the crucible of years, has cast them into the person they are today. Time will likely continue their growth but for now… Here’s what they’ve got.

Alexander Casady is an Arizona-raised educator of 10 years. For the past 8, he has been a faculty member of Flagstaff Arts & Leadership Academy, teaching everything from 8th-11th grade Englishes to Journalism to Tabletop Game Design and Student Council. Though he doesn't have a theatre background, his love for teaching dramas (especially Shakespeare) lead him to debut as Alan McCarthy in Parker McGraw's Boys in the Band last summer. Having caught the theatre bug from that experience, he's excited to play Polonius in this production of Rosencrantz & Gildenstern Are Dead. When not teaching, you'll find him with his partner, Sasha, spouting non sequiturs, evangelizing the prose of F. Scott Fitzgerald, cooking, and pondering the nature of post-2000's board game design.

This is Deborah’s third play, and her first with Stargazer, after many years away from the theater raising a family.  She debuted as “Actor 4” with 10 roles and 12 costumes in Ken Ludwig’s “Baskerville: a Sherlock Holmes Mystery”, and then played Marie Curie and Prof. Cecil Drinker in “Radium Girls”.  She enjoys using accents and dialects, so tackling the character of the king in this show was an educational experience, but her favorite part of theatre work is the relationships developed with fellow cast and crew members.

Katherine (she/her) has been in and out of the theater scene in flagstaff since 10 years old. She was a part of the Theatrikids program from 2014-2021, and had a lot of fun in roles like The Knight Who Says Ni in Spamalot, Bernardo in Hamlet Jr, and Candy in Zombie Prom. She’s very happy to have been invited in as a late cast member for Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead, and hopes that everyone is able to remember their names even when no one else seems to. 

Savannah Jerumbo, a recent graduate of Flagstaff High School, has been involved in theater since her freshman year. Her past roles include The White Rabbit in "Alice in Wonderland" and Colonel Mustard in "Clue: Onstage," both at Flagstaff High School, as well as Ursula in "The Little Mermaid" at Coconino High School. Next year, Savannah will continue her education at NAU, majoring in Music Education and minoring in Theater.

Parker McGraw is a 20 year old college student studying theatre and business at NAU. He graduated from FALA last year, and is working towards moving to Chicago to pursue theatre after finishing school. He's been acting since he was 11 and I loves it more than anything in the world. Parker is honored to be apart of this show, and cast!