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

Kelli is excited to add sound design to her many roles at Theatrikos Theatre Company. A Flagstaff resident since the age of six, she has a deep love for her community and its arts. She currently serves asa Board Member and the Production Chair for the Flagstaff Foundry and AV Manager for THUMC. At Theatrikos, her credits include Sound Designer for Seussical Jr.,Clue; Sound Designer and Operator for Clue; Sound Advisor for She Kills Monsters; Sound Designer for The Man Who Saved Christmas, Hardy Girls, The Nerd, Swing State, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and The Play That Goes Wrong; and Assistant Sound Designer for Picasso at the Lapin Agile. She previously held the role of Audio Manager for the Flagstaff Foundry.

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.

Leslie is delighted to be back at Theatrikos and collaborating with director John
Forsythe. She grew up in Southern California and studied theatre at Cal State Fullerton.
In college she worked on projects for MTV, The Pirates of Penzance, and feature film
That Thing You Do. Leslie is a Disneyland cast alumni and she continues to study at
The Stella Adler Academy in Hollywood. Her most recent credits include Mother Ginger
in The Nutcracker, Germaine in Picasso at The Lapin Agile, and Mrs. White in Clue.
Leslie’s recent roles in feature films include Dr. Hardman in Sophomore Year, 2020, Dr.
Moretti in Climate of Hope, and Detective in the short film Tell Tale Heart in addition to
commercials for Amazon, Yrefy, Grand Canyon University, and Arizona Federal Credit
Union. Leslie extends her gratitude to this amazing cast and crew, her family, and
friends.

Vicki was last seen in Flagshakes production of Emma in the role of Mr. Woodhouse.
This past summer Flagshakes produced King Lear and Vicki was see in the title role, a
dream come true. Flagshakes also afforded Vicki the opportunity to play Titus in Titus
Andronicus, another favored experience. She earned a Viola Award for her role as
Margie in Good People – a Theatrikos production – and is glad to make her return to
this fabulous community. Her studies and career have taken her to many theatres
around the U.S. and Canada. She would like to thank you, the audience, the cast and
crew, production team, for feeding her addiction.