LIFE SUCKS.

John Forsythe has acted and directed for theatres ranging from Chicago to San Francisco, Louisville, Dallas and finally here in Flagstaff. The touring production of Taming of the Shrew he directed for the Chicago Shakespeare Company was named best play of the year in Kalamazoo,
Michigan! Favorite roles include Sydney Carton with City Lit Theatre, Hamlet with Chicago Shakespeare Company and storytelling at the Ray Bradberry Festival. Mr. Forsythe has directed over fifty plays. Favorite projects include The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,
pilots of Pasek and Paul’s Dogfight and James and the Giant Peach, and the first amateur production of She Kills Monsters. His adaptations include Lies, Damned Lies and Bad Cigars, an evening with Mark Twain, featuring Mr. Forsythe; Brecht’s Private Life of the Master Race and
The Wedding Party, which he also directed; and most recently Margaret – Rose of the Wars, an adaption distilling the eleven hours of Henry VI parts 1-3 and Richard III into a single, epic two act play. He directed Margaret in October, and is currently preparing the script for publication
and licensing. While preparing to direct Life Sucks, he is also beginning a new adaptation of Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People. Mr. Forsythe joined the Theatrikos community two years ago as advisor to the director and Viewpoints coach with The Gods of Comedy. He directed Picasso
at the Lapin Agile in the 2025 season, and is honored to associate direct for Adam Wintz on the 2026 season opener, Clue.

Matthew Herman (Scenic Designer) Select credits include: CCAE Theatricals: The Curious Incident of the Dog…, Witnesses (World Premier), Every Brilliant Thing, Once, Joseph and the…Dreamcoat. Sierra Rep: Hair, Wizard of Oz. Rubicon Theatre Company: Crazy Mama (World Premier), Bonnie & Clyde, A Cowboy Lullaby, . Diversionary: The Mystery of Irma Vep. San Diego Musical Theater: Matilda, Legally Blonde. Arizona Broadway Theater: Cinderella, Newsies (Media Design), Little Mermaid (Media Design), On the Town (Media Design). Barn Stage Company: James and the Giant Peach, Songs for a New World, Chess in Concert, Peter and the Starcatcher, Spring Awakening, Urinetown. UC San Diego: Othello, What of the Night?, and How to Use a Knife (WNPF 2016). Cypress College: The Curious Incident of the Dog…and Carrie: The Musical. Off-Broadway and Regional Assistant credits include: Escape to Margaritaville (La Jolla Playhouse – Walt Spangler), Summer (La Jolla Playhouse – Robert Brill), Ain’t Too Proud (Berkeley Rep. – Robert Brill), and  Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven (The Atlantic Theater Company – Narrell Sisson). MFA in Scenic Design from UC San Diego.

IG: @MHermanDesign www.MatthewHermanDesign.com

ESSIE WINDHAM is a multimedia artist focusing on visual storytelling through interconnected mediums. Windham has been a puppeteer on Saturday Night Live, the lead puppet artist for the Off-Broadway revival of Little Shop of Horrors (NYC), an Emmy nominated puppet artist for Helpsters currently airing on Apple+, and a puppet artist for NBC, Disney, HBO, SONY, and 20th Century Studios. They are honored to contribute to Theatrikos. Love you, Moonbeam.

Shari has been running around backstage with various theatre companies in Washington and Arizona for 30 plus years.  Some of her favorite previous productions include: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Two Noble Kinsman, King Lear (Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival) Avenue Q (Theatrikos Theatre Company), Sweeney Todd (Theatrikids) Rent (Flagstaff Musical Theatre), Into the Woods, Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (LST), Phantom of the Opera (Wenatchee District Musical), Chicago (Music Theater of Wenatchee). Many thanks to a great Cast and Crew and much love to my family, Jenny, Victor, Dylan, and Elaina; Thanks for sharing Auntie and letting her out to play.