Acushla Bastible - Ensemble - is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin, the Courtauld Institute of Art London, the Ecole Jacques Lecoq in Paris, and the Lincoln Center Directors Lab. She is the artistic co-director of Angel Exit Theatre, an international theatre collective based in Ireland, which has been nominated for awards at both the Dublin and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals. In New Mexico, she has also performed with The Red Thread Collective, Shakespeare in Santa Fe and The Santa Fe Opera. Recent writing and directing projects include Circus Luminous; a staged adaptation for Santa Fe New Music of Beckett's radio-play Words and Music; a-semi-staged production of Stravinsky's L'histoire du soldat for Chatter, A Chamber Ensemble; Palimpsest, a site-specific ambulatory youth opera; a fully staged production of Tan Dun's Ghost Opera for The Santa Fe Opera; and a site-specific imagining of stories from the 1001 Arabian Nights for the Todi Arte Festival in Umbria. Acushla has been a member of Theater Grottesco since 2001 working in The Richest Deadman Alive! and Keyholes.

Bob Brady - Graphic Design - has designed print material, books and for film. His most recent clients include the Lannan Foundation, TwelveTrees Publishers, The Santa Fe Opera, Cafe Pasqual's, Luminaria Films, Pie Boy Films (the Lark Snare), and Pierre Barrera (The Burden Carriers). Bob has designed for Grottesco since 2002 with The Angels' Cradle, Fortune, The Richest Deadman Alive! A Dream Inside Another, Wenomadmen, Keyholes, and Winter One Acts.

Karyna Cragin - Technical Director - earned her BFA in theater from the University of New Mexico in 1987. Her lighting and design includes work with Tom Moore, David Schweizer, Susan Jayn Weiss, Herbie Mann, Branscombe Richmond, the Bellamy Brothers, St. Petersburg Ballet, Aspen Stanta Fe Ballet, The Red Thread Collective, ThaMuseMeant, The Gluey Brothers, Los Lobos, Judas Priest and Iron Weed Productions. Karyna has been in the Grottesco ensemble since 1999 running tech in The Angels' Cradle, This is Life as We Know it..., Fortune, The Richest Deadman Alive! Shorts II! A Dream Inside Another, Wenomadmen and Keyholes. She designed lights forWinter One Acts.

J.A. Deane - Composer/Sound Designer - has been working professionally for over thirty years. A partial list of credits includes: The 1993 Isadora Duncan award for outstanding musical score, for his work on choreographer Colleen Mulvihill1s Interiors; The New York Premieres of States of Shock and Fool for Love by writer/director Sam Shepard; a Drama Logue outstanding sound design award for True Beauties by writer/director Julie Hebert; The world premiere of Christoph Marthaler1s Sucht/Lust in Hamburg (composed and performed in collaboration with Butch Morris and Martin Schutz). Deane won the 1994 Bay Area theatre critics circle award for outstanding musical score for his performance in Savage/Love and Tongues directed by Joseph Chaikin. He has composed and designed sound for Theater Grottesco since 1997.

John Flax - Artistic Director - has been creating and performing original theater since 1979 when he joined the Theatre de la Jeune Lune in Paris and Minneapolis, working on 4 creations, including 2 Best Production Awards in Minneapolis. In 1983, he founded Theater Grottesco in Paris with Frenchman Didier Maucort. He has been a principal collaborating artist on all 10 full length Grottesco creations and over 30 shorter works, writing, directing, designing and performing. He has also performed with London's Theatre Complicite and the Los Angeles Philharmonic in Strange Poetry: Berlioz and the Chemistry of Dreams in the Disney Center's inaugural 2004 season; choreographer Della Davidson's The Ten P.M. Dream at the Mondavi Arts Center in Davis, CA and he has been a member of J.A. Deane's Out Of Context Structured Improvisational Orchestra since 2003. He performed as a clown for 2 years with The Paris Circus; has been a resource artist and an ensemble member with the Sundance Playwriting Laboratory in Utah; and has appeared in films in France and the United States. In 1999 Flax was chosen as one of 255 national artists for the NEA Artists-in-Communities Project. In regional theater, he has portrayed roles from "Feste" in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night to "Fat" in Mrozcek's Out At Sea. Flax translated Jacques Lecoq's celebrated lecture demonstration "Everything Moves" and Maucort's play Crusoe from French into English. He has been a guest director and movement coach in theatrical styles and the creation of original work at dozens of theaters and colleges across the country, and has served 8 years as an NEA artist in the schools. Flax is a graduate of the Ecole Jacques Lecoq in Paris. He has studied voice with Arthur Lessac; dance and acrobatics with the Ozone Dance Company in Minneapolis; Feldenkries Movement, Clown and The Rules of Play with Phillipe Gaulier and Monique Pagneux in Paris. Before working in the theater, Flax was a wilderness guide in the American Southwest and led a 2,000 mile kayaking expedition across Canada. He holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Prescott College in Arizona, and ABD Ed.D. in Anthropology and Philosophy from the University of Northern Colorado. He is fluent in French, speaks rudimentary Spanish and was a state judo champion at the age of 12. Flax sat on the board of directors of the Network of Ensemble Theaters from 2003-2006.

Charles Gamble - Ensemble - is a graduate of the Ecole Jacques Lecoq in Paris, France (2000). He also studied at the Roy Hart Institute for Voice in Malerargues, France (2004), and at Shakespeare and Co. in Lenox, Massachusetts (2005). He has developed original work and toured with Angel Exit Theater in Dublin, Ireland, and acted with Shakespeare Santa Cruz, the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Shakespeare Santa Fe and Laboratory International of Theater Exploration (LITE) in New York. In Santa Fe, Charles does outreach for the Santa Fe Opera, working with young performers throughout the state to create original operas in the schools. Charles has been in the Grottesco ensemble since 1997 working in The Angels' Cradle, This is Life as We Know it... The Richest Deadman Alive! and Keyholes.

Rod Harrison -Ensemble - has been a member of Theater Grottesco since 1999. Trained as an actor and dancer, Rod has worked with companies across the country, performing classical theater in addition to creating original movement-based works. His character Jimmy the Carrot works as an emcee for many local events, from beauty pageants to burlesque shows. He was recently seen on HBO's Reel Sex program, and his recordings with J.A. Deane can be found on the Xerx record label. Rod has created and performed with Grottesco since 1999 working in The Angels' Cradle, Fortune, Grottesco Shorts II, This is Life as We Know it... The Richest Deadman Alive!, Keyholes, A Dream Inside Another, and Wenomadmen.

Scott Harrison - Ensemble - is a graduate of the American Repertory Theatre Institute for Advanced Theater Training in Cambridge, MA and has performed regionally in New York City, Boston, Miami and Washington, DC. In Santa Fe, he has performed with Theaterwork, Chamber Theater and the Garson Theatre Company. He has produced and directed THE ROADS TO HOME by Horton Foote at the 78th Street Theater Lab in NYC and THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES in Espanola, NM. In 2005, he founded Ironweed Productions. As Producing Director, he has performed in their productions of FOOL FOR LOVE and TRUE WEST, and he directed their recent production of NIGHT MOTHER by Marsha Norman. Scott joined Theater Grottesco in 2006 working in Winter One Acts and Wenomadmen.

Kent Kirkpatrick - Artistic Associate - an actor, director and writer worked mostly in theater before following an academic career teaching in the graduate theater programs of the University of California--San Diego, and Oxford University among others. Before tenure set in, he migrated into the world of film writing, production and directing. Credits include Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, an original play which he developed and directed; he wrote and directed a multi-lingual adaptation of The Odyssey; he developed, wrote, produced and directed a multi-media stage production Divining the Tapestry: Stories of Living and Dying Well; and for the New Mexico State Historian's Office researching, writing and directing The Legacy of Letters, a reading of important letters from New Mexico history. He also recently directed Sam Waterston, Marsha Mason and Joan Allen in a reading of Georgia O'Keeffe/Alfred Steiglitz letters for the 10th Anniversary celebration of Georgia O'Keeffe museum entitled O'Keeffe: Speaking with Friends and Lovers. He wrote and directed the short film, Ride, which was awarded the best film award in the DigiFest Southwest Film Festival. Most recently, he has written, produced and/or directed commercial and narrative films, and is the Director of Development at Luminaria, a new film production company based in Santa Fe. Kent has created and performed with Grottesco since 1999 working in Fortune, Grottesco Shorts II, This is Life as We Know it... The Richest Deadman Alive! Keyholes, and Wenomadmen.

Kate Kita - Ensemble- holds a BFA from Tisch School of the Arts at NYU, and worked in New York for several years as an actor, director and producer with numerous Off-Broadway and downtown theater companies. She has worked regionally with the Hangar Theater, New York Stage and Film and The Pittsburgh Public Theater, and she is a co-creator of The Engine, a Brooklyn-based collaborative arts company that develops and produces original scripts, performance and film, and serves as a networking ground for artists of all genres and media. Kate joined Theater Grottesco in 2006 working in Wenomadmen and Fortune.

AIMÉE LASSEIGNE - Ensemble - holds a B.A. with an emphasis in Performing Arts from Louisiana Scholars' College and studied with Avner the Eccentric and Julie Goell in Maine. She worked with Robert Schenkkan on his world premier of Handler in Atlanta, and made her NYC performance debut at The New York International Fringe Festival in The Philomel Project: a barbarous pleasure. She joined Theater Grottesco in 2001 working in This Is Life as We Know it...Wenomadmen and Fortune.

Mona Malec- Ensemble - holds a B.A. in theater from Cornell College, Iowa and an MFA in Theater at Ohio State University. She has taught acting and theater at Ohio State and UNM- Los Alamos. Mona's stage credits include: The Vagina Monologues, Ariel in The Tempest, Daddy Lou in Bermuda Triangles, Goneril in King Lear, Ms. Antrobus in Skin of Our Teeth, Lizzy in The Rainmaker and the daughter in Ironweed's 2006 production of 'Night Mother . Collaborative projects include working with Santa Fe playwrights Sarah Brown and Dianna Lewis. Mona was also involved with a public school performing arts residency. A performer, teacher, mother, Mona currently works as the "Director of First Impressions" for a Certified Financial Planner. She joined Theater Grottesco in 2005 working in A Dream inside Another,Wenomadmen and Winter One Acts.

Joy Mills - ensemble - is a graduate of the Ecole Jacques Lecoq in Paris. She holds a B.A. in Cognitive Psychology and Theatre from Swarthmore College in Philadelphia and has studied with Quinn Bauriedel of the Pig Iron Theater Company and Jonathan Hart Makwaia of the Roy Hart Theatre. She has studied Time Perception in Oklahoma, French in Quebec, and sang in a Swedish blues band in France. Joy has worked with the Sombres y Ficciones company in Spain and performed for two seasons with Shakespeare in Santa Fe. 2008 is Joy's first year as an ensemble member.

Janey Potts - Administration - is a consultant for arts organizations and other not-for-profit entities. With more than 25 years of experience in non-profit management, Potts consults in the areas of finance, administration, marketing, development and event planning and execution. Past experience includes Managing Director of Shakespeare in Santa Fe and Sacramento Theatre Company, Development Director for Sacramento Opera and the Odyssey Theatre (Los Angeles) Current and previous clients include the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, Theater Grottesco, Institute for Spanish Arts, Monte del Sol Charter School, Santa Fe Opera, Santa Fe Short Story Festival, and the International Peace Conference. Janey has been working with Theater Grottesco since 2004.

Ian Rosenkranz - Lighting Design, Space Renovation - began his association with Grottesco in 1984 when he presented them to American audiences during their premier North American tour. His Grottesco designs include Crusoe, Insomniacs, Fortune, Richest Deadman Alive, Shorts, Life As We Know It, Keyholes, and Angels' Cradle. His work in dance and theater has lit stages at the Civic and Wisdom Bridge Theaters in Chicago, New Victory in NYC and World Expo in Brisbane to name a few. He has designed exhibition lighting for the Museum of International Folk Art and Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe, Taylor Museum in Colorado Springs, Parko Gallery in Tokyo, others. He regularly consults on arts facility planning and renovation. Based in Santa Fe, Ian provides management, production and design services for the performing and visual arts. ianrosenkranz@plateautel.net

Vanessa Rios y Valles - Ensemble - has been working in theater for over 20 years. She holds a BFA in acting from the College of Santa Fe and has lived in London, studying acting at the British-American Drama Academy. Vanessa was a founding member of the critically acclaimed Other Side Theater ensemble company based in Portland, Oregon where she performed and directed for 7 seasons before returning to Santa Fe in 2000. She is now a company member at Theaterwork and was last seen as Blanca in Mariela in the Desert. She joined Theater Grottesco in 2007 working in Fortune.

Elizabeth Wiseman - Associate Artistic Director - studied theater, opera, and cultural anthropology at Whitworth College in Spokane, Theater at Cornish Institute for the Arts in Seattle, Theater with Phillipe Gaulier in Paris, and is a graduate of Ecole Jacques Lecoq, in Paris. Elizabeth has been a principal creator and performer with Theater Grottesco since it's founding, serving as writer, choreographer, composer, teacher and performer. Elizabeth taught "voice for the actor" at Arriane Mnouchkine's training center for the Theatre de Soleil in Paris, and she has taught voice, acting and the creation of original works at theaters and Universities throughout the U.S. She has been an ensemble member with the Sundance Playwriting Laboratory. She has developed six children's librettos through The Santa Fe Opera's outreach program, and she taught in the NEA artist-in-the-schools program for 8 years. She has performed in numerous regional theater productions, as well as films, and starred in the Zone V Films production of Back in Business. Elizabeth recently completed her first full length opera and has begun research on a second. She is also a consultant for the creation and writing of original works.