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

Sophia Webb is a props artisan based out of the Phoenix area. She has worked on various shows at Arizona State University and has served as the resident props designer for Prism Theatre for three years. Her most recent productions include props design for ASU’s Peter and the Starcatcher and Eva Luna. Sophia is very excited to work with Theatrikos and bring the world of Life Sucks to life.

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.

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.

Andrew Dzeguze is thrilled to be in this production of Life Sucks, with all of these brilliant people. Prior Theatrikos shows include Miracle on 34^th Street (Mr. Macy), Picasso at the Lapin Agile (Gaston) and The Nerd (Warnock “Ticky” Waldgrave). His primary performance spaces during the week are the lecture halls and classrooms of NAU, where he is an Associate Teaching Professor as well as the Pre-Law Advisor in the Politics and International Affairs Department and oversees the Mock Trial program.  With sincere thanks to the love of his life, Marti Canipe, for yet again letting him devote so much time and effort to embodying a moody and grumpy old man that could have been devoted to snuggling and adventures.

Nick has been a part of nearly 20 Theatrikos shows since 2009, most recently in 2025 as Robert in “The Play That Goes Wrong” and as director for “The Nerd”. Nick is a Flagstaff local and has served the community in a variety of roles over the years including KNAU radio host, KNAZ channel 2 sports anchor, broadcast news producer/director at NAU, and co-founder/marketing director for the Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival. He is also an accomplished train robber. Nick is extremely grateful to John for giving him this opportunity to be part of such a supremely talented cast, it’s been incredibly rewarding to work with this group of artists including Sherri, Deborah, and Adam. Special thanks to his partner Audra and his parents for their constant love and support. Life doesn’t suck (most of the time at least).

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.

Dawn Tucker is a Flagstaff native, theater maker, and community builder who has spent over a decade using the arts to connect, inspire, and uplift the people of Northern Arizona. As the founder of the Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival, she has brought world-class theater to audiences of all backgrounds — from historic mansions to senior centers to the public library — rooted always in the belief that the arts belong to everyone.

Dawn currently serves as Director of Vision and Impact at FlagShakes where she is spearheading fundraising for the Mountain Arts Conservatory, an ambitious new initiative to create Flagstaff’s first dedicated, year-round performing arts facility. This project represents her deepest commitment to this community — a permanent home where artists can thrive and every resident can experience the transformative power of the arts. To learn more about the Mountain Arts Conservatory, visit https://canva.link/moutainarts

Dawn is grateful to Theatrikos, this outstanding cast and crew, and especially to her husband, Sean, and their two trouble monkeys – Blake and Willa – for this opportunity to return to the stage for the first time in over six years!

Audrey Young (Ella) was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona where she performed in shows with Arizona Theatre Company and Arizona Repertory Theatre. She moved to Flagstaff and received a BS in Theatre from Northern Arizona University. Audrey was the recipient of the Viola Award for Emerging Artist in 2020, portrayed Gerte Schulte in the 2023 Viola Award winning production of Crumbs from the Table of Joy and portrayed Emma in the 2026 Viola Award nominated production of Emma. In the summer of 2024, Audrey studied Shakespeare and performance  in Prague and Italy, and performed in The Merry Wives of Windsor (Pistol/Anne Page U/S) and The Tempest (Sebastian) with Prague Shakespeare Company. Audrey is a core member of Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival and Emerson Theater Collaborative. Recent productions include: Emma (Emma), King Lear (Cordelia/Fool), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Hermia/Quince/Mustardseed), Two Noble Kinsmen (Emilia), Twelfth Night (Feste), and Othello (Emilia) with FlagShakes, Cyrano de Bergerac (Roxane) with Red Earth Theatre Co., Black Irish (Siobhan), Silence is Not Golden (Linda), Holidays on Ice (Ensemble), Eurydice (Little Stone/Eurydice U/S), and The Great Gatsby (Daisy Buchanen) with Emerson Theater Collaborative, and Love’s Labour’s Lost (Jaquenetta) and The Comedy of Errors (First Merchant/Courtesan) with LAARK Theatre Company of Prescott. 

Up next: Audrey will be performing A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Hippolyta/Titania) with LAARK Theatre Company in June and Barefoot in the Park (Corie) with Emerson Theater Collaborative in December.